Cell Broadband Engine/Power Architecture notebook

When transferring data in parallel with the computation, double buffering can reduce the time lost to data transfer by overlapping it with the computation time. The ALF runtime implementation on Cell/B.E. architecture supports three different kinds of double buffering schemes.

This is how double buffering works inside ALF:

• The ALF runtime evaluates each work block and decides which buffering scheme is most efficient.
• At each decision point, if the conditions are met, that buffering scheme is used.
• The ALF runtime first checks if the work block uses the overlapped I/O buffer. If the overlapped I/O buffer is not used, the ALF runtime next checks the conditions for the four-buffer scheme, then the conditions of the three-buffer scheme.
• If the conditions for neither scheme are met, the ALF runtime does not use double buffering.
• If the work block uses the overlapped I/O buffer, the ALF runtime first checks the conditions for the overlapped I/O buffer scheme; if those conditions are not met, double buffering is not used.

These examples use the following assumptions:

1. All SPUs have 256KB of local memory.
2. 16KB of memory is used for code and runtime data including stack, the task context buffer, and the data transfer list. This leaves 240KB of local storage for the work block buffers.
3. Transferring data in or out of accelerator memory takes one unit of time and each computation takes two units of time.
4. The input buffer size of the work block is represented as in_size, the output buffer size as out_size, and the overlapped I/O buffer size as overlap_size.
5. There are three computations to be done on three inputs, which produces three outputs.

Buffer schemes

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Take a look at the conditions and decision tree that define the buffer schemes.

Four-buffer scheme
In the four-buffer scheme, two buffers are dedicated for input data and two buffers are dedicated for output data:

• Conditions satisfied: The ALF runtime chooses the four-buffer scheme if the work block does not use the overlapped I/O buffer and the buffer sizes satisfy the following condition: 2*(in_size + out_size) <= 240 KB.
• Conditions not satisfied: If the buffer sizes do not satisfy the four-buffer scheme condition, the ALF runtime will check if the buffer sizes satisfy the conditions of the three-buffer scheme.

Three-buffer scheme
In the three-buffer scheme, the buffer is divided into three equally sized buffers of the size max(in_size, out_size). The buffers in this scheme are used for both input and output. This scheme requires the output data movement of the previous result to be finished before the input data movement of the next work block starts, so the DMA operations must be done in order. The advantage of this approach is that for a specific work block, if the input and output buffer are almost the same size, the total effective buffer size can be 2*240/3 = 160 KB.

• Conditions satisfied: The ALF runtime chooses the three-buffer scheme if the work block does not use the overlapped I/O buffer and the buffer sizes satisfy the following condition: 3*max(in_size, out_size) <= 240 KB.
• Conditions not satisfied: If the conditions are not satisfied, the single-buffer scheme is used.

Overlapped I/O buffer scheme
In the overlapped I/O buffer scheme, two contiguous buffers are allocated. The overlapped I/O buffer scheme requires the output data movement of the previous result to be finished before the input data movement of the next work block starts.

• Conditions satisfied: The ALF runtime chooses the overlapped I/O buffer scheme if the work block uses the overlapped I/O buffer and the buffer sizes satisfy the following condition: 2*(in_size + overlap_size + out_size) <= 240 KB.
• Conditions not satisfied: If the conditions are not satisfied, the single-buffer scheme is used.

Single-buffer scheme
If none of the cases previously outlined can be satisfied, double buffering is not used, but performance might not be optimal.

When creating buffers and data partitions, remember the conditions of these buffering schemes. If your buffer sizes can meet the conditions required for double buffering, it can result in a performance gain, but double buffering does not double the performances in all cases. When the time periods required by data movements and computation are significantly different, the problem becomes either I/O-bound or computing-bound. In this case, enlarging the buffers to allow more data for a single computation might improve the performance even with a single buffer.

Taken from the Accelerated Library Framework for Cell Broadband Engine Programmer's Guide and API Reference. Download the SDK 3.0. Check out some reference guides in the Cell Resource Center SDK library.

best 100 Blog/Podcast Topics I Hope YOU Write

here’s 100 Blog/Podcast Topics I Hope YOU Write:

1 How I Use Facebook
2 Ways I Embrace My Audience
3 Should My Town Use Social Media?
4 A Community I Love
5 Technology That Empowers Me
6 How Flickr Did it Right
7 How Best to Comment on a Corporate Blog
8 Ways to Save a Bad Time at a Conference
9 How I Find Blogging Ideas
10 Somebody Has to Say It
11 My Children Will Do it Differently
12 How Schools Could Use Social Media
13 The Best Parts of Marketing
14 Presentation Skills for a New Conversation
15 How I Find Time to Make Media
16 Empower Your Best Customers
17 After the Event- Carrying the Conversation Forward
18 Just Jump Into Podcasting- Heres How
19 My Community and How You Can Engage It
20 Twitter Jaiku Pownce Facebook- And Then What
21 Making a Miniseries
22 If I Were an Advertiser Today
23 My Mother is On Facebook
24 Does a Big Brand Need You
25 Books I Want to Write
26 Serving the Deep Niches- How I Do It
27 How Women Use Social Media
28 A Hard Look at My Media Habits
29 If I Were a Television Producer
30 Social Media Marketing vs Traditional Marketing
31 Elements of a Marketing Campaign
32 Social Media Campaigns are NOT Traditional Campaigns
33 Idea Making and How I Make Something
34 What I Spend Money On
35 Do Rock Stars Need Social Media Strategies
36 How I Use My Website
37 Book Shopping- Buy These Books
38 MTV Changed the World in the 80s- Here is What Comes Next
39 How I Process Blogs and What I Do With All That Info
40 Ten Guilty Pleasures
41 The Internet Application I Havent Seen
42 If I Worked for a Venture Capital Firm
43 My Day Job Versus My Passion
44 The Difference Between Fark and Truemors
45 Fixing Conferences
46 Making Marketplaces for Media Makers
47 When I Feel Frustrated
48 Branding Strategies I Use
49 Your Ideas And My Ideas- How We Play Together
50 Friends I Cant Wait to Meet
51 The Art of Chaos
52 Telling My Boss About Social Media
53 Could I Quit My Day Job
54 When to Cut Back on Web Habits
55 Breaking Down My Favorite Blog
56 Explaining Social Media to Your Chamber of Commerce
57 Non-Internet Equivalents to Internet Tools I Use
58 Considering Media for the Rest of the Globe
59 Twitter is Too Simple- Twitter is Just Right
60 The Future of Podcasting
61 Video Made Simple
62 Facebook Applications I Love
63 You Are Here
64 Blogging Tactics- How to Keep it Fresh
65 I Want to Brag A Minute
66 Who Says What About Your Brand
67 Tools for Blogging
68 Wordpress Plugins I Use And Why
69 Media Topics That Need More Coverage
70 Comments versus Blog Posts
71 How I Drive Traffic to My Site
72 News- Is it Useful and How I Might Fix It
73 Which TV Network Gets Videoblogging and PodCasting
74 Franchising My Media
75 Handling Critics
76 My Audio Tricks
77 Ning Sites I Like and Why
78 Controlling My Brand
79 Sharing and Contributing
80 How Twitter Improved My Blog
81 Email After Twitter
82 Facebook Video Improved My Social Network
83 Letting Go
84 Downtime- What I Do Offline to Recharge
85 How I Went From Very Shy to Less Shy
86 The RIGHT Number to Track for Podcasting
87 PodCamp Has to Change
88 Shaking Things Up
89 Joining A Network- Things to Consider
90 Newspapers and How I Would Change Them
91 Interview With a Veteran
92 The Countries of My Social Media World
93 Giving it Away
94 Consulting Strategies for Social Media Experts
95 Turning Media into a Business Card
96 Podcasting on a Budget
97 For Every Excuse a New Strategy
98 Just When I Think I Am Done
99 Buying Gear- My Shopping Tips for Podcasters
100 When is Free Better- When Not

Which is the best way to study Mathematics?

Which is the best way to study Mathematics?

SmartLearn’s academic team is providing you the best way to study mathematics. Learning Mathematics is like learning the art of solving problems and not just knowing formulae and concepts. You need to focus more on problem solving instead of just reading theories, formulae and solutions, if you want to improve your mathematics.

Following are some instructions/tips that would definitely help you learn mathematics better:

Make a habit to study Mathematics with a paper and pen: More you work out, better you remember. Even If you are learning formulae and concepts, have a habit of writing it down the paper. Concentration is the key word to study mathematics. Whether you are solving a problem or reading mathematical steps of a solution you need better concentration and focus. So my suggestion would be to sit on a table chair with no disturbance around. If your room is noisy, you can put cotton balls in your ears.

Spend more time in solving problems instead of reading solutions/theories/formulae: More you practice, better you would learn. It is very important that you solve problems to learn topics in mathematics. Just understanding concepts and learning formulae would not be sufficient to be able to solve questions in exam. In mathematics more than 50% of the knowledge comes through tricks/methods involved in solving problems. If you don’t practice questions, you don’t acquire this knowledge. In fact learning in Mathematics starts the day you start solving problems with pen and paper.

Learning Procedure: Priority should be given to learning formulae and concepts before working out the problems. Write them and see how confident you are. You should start working out solved-examples only after learning the concepts and formulae. This should be the procedure of study for easy understanding of the solved examples as in every questions we use multiple formulae. Formulae play a vital role in mathematics, as you will not be able to proceed with the problems once you forget the formulae. Then proceed with the next level of questions that is average level questions.

We can decide the level of the questions based on the ability to solve the questions.

Level 1 – If you can understand the solution just by a glance.

Level 2 – If you can understand the solution after going through the complete solution step-by-step.

Level 3 – If you find it hard to understand the solution.

You can start with 35-45 level 1 problems and make sure that the formulae and concepts of these problems are clear so that you can move to the next level of problems. Then practice at least 35-45 level 2 problems and make sure that the concepts and solutions are clear. Then try to solve level 3 problems. When compared to level 1 and level 2 problems, level 3 problems are less important.

Give importance to revision: In case you are not able to solve any of the problems, you try to solve it or else you see their solutions. Generally when you see the solution and know the problem solving methodology, you do nothing after that. In a weeks time you forget the solution. In case you are asked to solve the same problem again, you might not be able to solve it.

I strongly feel that you should solve the problems by yourself with paper and pen after seeing the solution. This helps you retain the solutions in your mind for a longer time when compared to seeing the solutions alone. When you try a problem mark the difficulty level of the question so that it will be easy for future reference. Select a few questions which are quite difficult and take up a test with a fixed time. This procedure increases your confidence and makes your mathematical skills more powerful.

At the time of revision you will have confusion as to what to revise at the time before the exams. Just take up the level 2 questions and start revising. This will be helpful only if you mark the questions as level 2 or level 1.

Trying out the problems before looking into the solutions: As far as we have reviewed, students have the tendency to look into the solution page before trying out the problems. They sit with the books and study materials around which makes them easy to look into the solutions before trying out the problems. We strongly fight back this kind of attitude in some students. Once you continue this, you will become a dependent on solutions and you tend to surrender yourself to the solutions. The students should have a fighting attitude when it comes to the problem solving in subjects. Not for all questions you can follow this, at least for 70%-80% questions you can try it for yourself before looking into the solutions.

Interest makes you perform better: yes, interest makes you work better and perform better. As mathematics involves puzzles, tricks, problems, you can perform better only if you like the subject. When you attempt a problem and you succeed in that, feel very proud of you. In the same way, don’t get frustrated when you fail to solve the problem. Instead feel thrilled when you take help from solutions. Try to solve questions which you took help from the solutions once again so that make sure that you don’t repeat the same mistake.

Creative learning process: Learning formulae is a tiring work for the students. When things are made creative it makes learning fun for you. You can make paper cards of the formulae and tricks and carry it with you. You can learn it at any place, this helps you build your knowledge in a creative way.

Why do we read Quran, even if we can’t understand a single Arabic word?

Found on the interwebs.

Why do we read Quran, even if we can’t understand a single Arabic word???? This is a beautiful story.


An old American Muslim lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Quran. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.
One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa! I try to read the Quran just like you but I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Qur’an do?”
The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.
The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead.
The old man said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just aganot trying hard enough,” and he went out the door to watch the boy try in.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house. The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, “See Grandpa, it’s useless!”
“So you think it is useless?” The old man said, “Look at the basket.”

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out.
Son, that’s what happens when you read the Qur’an. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Allah in our lives.”

Chinese New Year Translations

It's the Chinese New Year on Sunday the 14th of February 2010, so from everyone here at FreeTranslation.com we would like to wish you all Gong hei fat choi, written as 恭喜發財 in traditional Chinese. This loosely translates to "Congratulations and be prosperous" and is usually used as the Chinese new year greeting.

Here are some other translations of Chinese new year greetings you may hear:

Suì suì píng ān (歲歲平安) - "Everlasting peace year after year".
Nián nián yǒu yú (年年有餘) - "Surpluses and bountiful harvests every year".

Want to learn Chinese?
Take a look at our page dedicated to help you learn to speak Chinese. From Chinese Learning books, videos, Audio CDs, DVDs and Learning Chinese Online, you can find a course that makes it quick and easy to help you learn to speak Chinese.

You'll find even more on our free Learn Chinese Forum where you can get help from others learning Chinese. Join a Free online Language Community today.

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

How to survive when a giant meteor strikes

How to survive when a giant meteor strikes

If we look back in history, it has already been done. The extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs changed the world at the time, but there were other smaller creatures living on the surface of the earth at the time. Mammels were somehow able to survive.

What lessons can we learn from them? It may have been something as simple as size and diet.

How did they do it? Science Daily reports that:

They were better at escaping the heat," said Russ Graham, senior research associate in geosciences at Penn State. "It was the huge amount of thermal heat released by the meteor strike that was the main cause of the K/T extinction."

He said underground burrows and aquatic environments protected small mammals from the brief but drastic rise in temperature. In contrast, the larger dinosaurs would have been completely exposed, and vast numbers would have been instantly burned to death.

After several days of searing heat, the earth's surface temperature returned to bearable levels, and the mammals emerged from their burrows, but it was a barren wasteland they encountered, one that presented yet another set of daunting conditions to be overcome, Graham said. It was their diet which enabled these mammals to survive in habitats nearly devoid of plant life.

Interesting reading. Will it help you survive the next strike?

Probably not.

Mammals, in contrast, could eat insects and aquatic plants, which were relatively abundant after the meteor strike. As the remaining dinosaurs died off, mammals began to flourish.

But we can all stand to drop a few pounds and watch our own diet.

James Cameron’s Avatar

Sam Worthington in Avatar (WETA / 20th Century Fox)

Thanks to better than expected Sunday business, James Cameron’s Avatar grossed $77 million domestically on its opening weekend. On Friday and early Saturday, estimates ranged from $80m-$85m for the weekend, but with the sharp drop seen later on Saturday — a direct result of the winter storm battering the East Coast of the United States — estimates were lowered on Sunday to $73m.

Avatar also performed better than expected in the 106 markets where it’s currently playing. Fox estimated a $159.2m international gross, but the futuristic action-adventure ended up taking in $165.5m. Overall, Avatar grossed approximately $10m more than it was announced yesterday. Now, it’s worth remembering that Avatar made most of its business (at least domestically) in theaters that charge higher ticket prices, such as IMAX and 3D venues.

Avatar is now officially the #1 3D-movie of all time, which isn’t really saying much since most 3D films haven’t done all that well at the box office and there haven’t been all that many to begin with. Also, the film fell a notch below the official (not adjusted for inflation) December record, which has been retained by the Will Smith vehicle I Am Legend. (Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, released in late 2004, would be the actual record-holder if inflation is taken into account.)

But all is not lost: Avatar has had the biggest opening for a non-sequel or a movie not based on a book, play, comic strip, TV series, videogame, magazine article, advertising billboard, restaurant menu, or fortune-cookie prediction. And there goes 99.9% of the competition of the last 20 years, from Michael Keaton’s Batman to Robert Pattinson’s Vampire.

To date (not adjusted for inflation), the best opening weekend at the US/Canada box office belongs to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale as Batman and the then recently deceased Heath Ledger as The Joker, which earned $158m in 2008. Worldwide, the current record-holder is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The latest installment of the Harry Potter franchise starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, grossed $394m last July.

Los Angeles Times report, the last two movies to surpass first-weekend expectations — Paranormal Activity and Star Trek — did great business for weeks. But remember, initial estimates placed Avatar in the $80m-$85m range. So, we’ll see if Avatar will turn into another Titanic — or not.

As a side note, Rob Marshall’s Nine, despite mixed reviews, did solid business domestically. The musical inspired by Federico Fellini’s 8½ grossed $257,232 in four locations, or a remarkable $64,308 average. Nine stars Daniel Day-Lewis (in the old Marcello Mastroianni role), Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Sophia Loren, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, and Fergie.

Photo: WETA / 20th Century Fox

Best Hair Products 2010 Winners List

Best Hair Products 2010 Winners List

Best Hair Products Awards

Hair Stylists Choose Best Hair Products 2010

“Hair Stylist Best

Hair Products”


It’s finally here, the Best Hair Products Winners of the 2010 Hair Stylists Choice Awards! If you’re a follower of my blog you know every year I love to update all of you on what thousands of hair stylists have voted for as the “Best Hair Products” they have worked with over the year.

The tally just came in from behindthechair.com on this annual event which coincides with one of the biggest professional beauty shows in the country. This year it was held in Chicago, Illinois.

If your current hair products are not performing as well as they used to, a ‘best hair products’ list from the professionals should be of interest to you. Hair stylists are the only ones who have first-hand results daily with every hair type possible and from a large base of professional brands.

I know there are plenty of good hair products out there that didn’t make the ‘best hair products’ list, but this list has lots of credibility behind it. If you would like to see a larger list of ‘Best Hair Products’ to choose from, see their ‘Top 5 Finalists‘ in each category for more options.

BEST HAIR PRODUCTS WINNERS

Favorite Shampoo

Redken Color Extend Shampoo

Favorite Conditioner

PureOlogy HydrateCondition

Favorite New Shampoo/Conditioner

Sebastian Volupt Volume Boosting Conditioner

Favorite Prestige Shampoo/Conditioner

Pureology Hydrate Condition

Favorite Deep or Restorative Conditioner

Joico K-PAK Deep-Penetrating Reconstructor

Favorite Prestige Styling Product

Moroccanoil Oil Treatment

Favorite Straightening Product (non-chemical)

Matrix Sleek.look Blow-Down Extreme Cr?e

Favorite Styling Product

TIGI Bed Head Manipulator

Favorite New Styling Product

TIGI Catwalk Your Highness Thickening Gel Cr?e

Favorite Hairspray

TIGI Catwalk Your Highness Thickening Gel Cr?e

Favorite Color Protecting Product

PureOlogy Hydrate

Favorite Men’s Product Line

American Crew 

Favorite Fine or Thinning Haircare Product

Nioxin Scalp Therapy

Favorite Multicultural Company

Mizani 

Favorite Professional Make-up Line

TIGI Bed Head Make-Up

Favorite Volumizing Product

TIGI Catwalk Your Highness Root Boost Spray

Favorite Product You Can’t Live Without

Moroccanoil Oil Treatment

Favorite Blow Dryer

Farouk Systems CHI Turbo

Favorite Flat Iron

Farouk Systems CHI Ceramic

Favorite Overall Professional Products Co. (best products, education, support, etc.)

TIGI

Earth Hour

Earth Hour is an annual event that takes place on the last Saturday of March, all over the world.

For one hour, between 8.30pm and 9.30pm (local time) people are encouraged to switch off all their lights in order to make their stand against climate change. It is a means of raising awareness and is a global initiative with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating in the event.

In the Middle East and North Africa, awareness of Earth Hour has been increasing with more and more individuals and businesses taking part, often with the support of local councils and official endorsement.

In Jordan, Black Iris tells us about Earth Hour in Amman, where support for the event has grown since last year:

The Greater Amman Municipality did seem to participate with the closure of various lights, including Zahran Street, and perhaps the Citadel (although I can never tell in Jordan as those lights may have just been malfunctioning). The Sheraton Hotel also turned off its lights, and in doing so, provided a great display of its environment conscience in contrast to its biggest competitor, right across the street, the Four Seasons, which remained a castle ablaze. Rainbow street, as usual, was where it was at. Cups & Kilos lit candles, as did a few other places in the area, with a fairly large turnout of people at Wild Jordan.

Despite this growing support Black Iris is determined to raise more awareness about the event, and states that for next time:

It would be great to see some major landmarks go dark, including the Jordanian Flag at the Royal Hashemite Court, and the Royal Hotel on the third circle

In Saudi Arabia, Earth Hour was observed for the first time this year.

In Jeddah, volunteer photographers documented Earth Hour and have uploaded lots of photos of those who participated into a blog, Earth Hour Jeddah. Photos include businesses that participated such as such as TGI Fridays and Berlitz, along with pictures of individual participants.

However, not everyone in the Kingdom was happy to participate in the event. Saudi Jeans pointed out before the event, that due to the unreliable electricity supply in the capital,:-

Khalaf al-Harbi says he won’t be joining everybody else for this event. Why? Because the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has already forced him to observe it more than three times this week in three different districts in Riyadh and at different times of the day and night. Can you blame him?

In Muscat, Oman, some of the major hotels participated by switching off their lights.

However, in Salalah, blogger Dhofari Gucci was dissappointed in the lack of knowledge about Earth Hour before the event, and asks:

Where the hell is the Ministry of Environment & Climate Affairs? What is their role in this climate change initiative? Can someone enlighten me? Why not organize a walk along the beach from 8:30 to 9:30 … hundreds of people would turn off all the electricity in their houses and join the walk if only it were advertised properly.

Comments on the blog suggest their were some individual participants, with commentator Lamya, showing how it can be enjoyed:

Earth Hour was fun this year. Just had a good night playing card and board games

And an anonymous commentator showing their participation but lamenting the lack of awareness of the initiative:

i did it, cuz it felt nice, but we need to have more awareness esp at school levels.

In Egypt there was a good knowledge and support for the event, with many landmarks such as the pyramids and sphinx having their lights turned off, in addition to business and individuals celebrating the event.


Smile Rose tells us about the experience in Cairo and what it meant for her:

اقمت امس تحت الشموع فى الثامنة والنصف جلسة دعاء مع بعض الاقارب ودعيت فيها للعالم بالسلام والاستقرار كانت تجربة روحية جميلة وكان معنا طفل ظن ان الشموع موقدة لعيد ميلاده واخذ يغنى اغانى الميلاد فاضفى البسمة على قلوبنا ولاننى من قاطنى الجيزة فقد تم اطفاء الانوار بمنطقة الاهرام ومنع دخول المنطقة الاثرية من الرابعة بعد الظهر واطفىء النور فى الثامنة والنصف كذلك برج القاهرة والقلعة وايضا عدة فنادق بالقاهرة

Yesterday i lived by the light of candles at 8.30, i met with some relatives and we prayed for a safe and stable world. It was a beautiful and spiritual experience. There was a child with us who thought that the lit candles were for his birthday;-we sang the birthday song and there was a smile in our hearts. As i am one of the residents of Giza, the lights of the pyramids and areas around them were turned off, and entry to the the ruins had been closed since 4 in the afternoon. At 8.30 the lights we also turned off on the Cairo Tower, as well as the Citadel and also to several hotels in Cairo.

Smile Rose links also links to a youm7 news article which shows some lovely photos of landmarks before and after 8.30pm.

Lastly, Chay Altha7atells us about the Earth Hour experience in Kuwait. The lights to the Kuwait towers were switched off at 8.30 and the blogger arrived there just in time to take this video of the event.

Upon returning home, moving by candlelight, she soon realises there are certain risks invloved in celebrating Earth Hour, illustrated here:

but finishes on a positive note, asking:

A visit to the AirAsia Academy

A visit to the AirAsia Academy

22 Mar 2010 by Melanie Ong

You know, when I suggested to my course mates that we visit the AirAsia Academy for our class trip, the opinions I got weren't positive. They were telling me that, "it is very difficult to get approval to visit the Academy." I never like to give up before actually trying, so I told them, "Let me try first. Give me a week."

Not knowing who to contact, I thought, who is better to contact then the man who own the place? So, next thing I did was to email Dato' Tony Fernandes to inquire about the visit and got the reply the very next day. Barely a week later, the Academy has agreed to host us. I thought, "Man, this was not difficult at all!" Dealing with them about the dates and all was also hassle free. In fact, everything got done via emails. Ah, pleasures of technology. :)

We were welcome by Ms Safina Alfian (who's really nice btw!) upon the arrival at the Academy. The place is not exactly very impressive from the first look - you know, it's not very big, shiny-sparkly-classy and all that, but the cozy yet very professional architecture made up for it. You can actually felt the warmth and togetherness of everyone working and training in the building just by being inside. It's an unexplainable positive vibe that I find no adjective to describe. You just have to be there.

The first stop was the simulator bay - also the place that gave me the highest endorphin rush! Growing up, I was not like any other kids who had many ambitions. I only had ONE - to be a pilot. However, I (had to) bid goodbye to this little childhood ambition of mine when I was in form four, where I realized other than Additional Mathematics, I was not interested in any of the other Science subjects. I hated Physics! That being said, I still really, really love airport, airline and planes!

Being inside the simulator gave me a quick flash back of how much I wanted to be a pilot. It made me think for a while as to whether my decision of foregoing my ambition was the right decision. In case you're wondering, Yes, i do think I made the right choice at the moment. :) We were only given the chance to visit the simulator, and not really trying (even though my lecturer did try with the take offs and landing!) and I wish I have the opportunity to go back there to experience the real flying - to really "fly somewhere" with the simulator. Hehe. (Is there any pilot reading this? Remember this face ok? I wanna sit in the cockpit - of the real plane! :P)

After spending quite a bit of time in the simulator bay, Mr. Liew (who's our tour guide for the day) then guided us to the many classrooms that they use for trainings in the Academy. One thing I clearly recalled was along the way, Mr Liew kept mentioning, "See how thorough our trainings are?" Of course, this is the perfect answer for the skeptics who always question about the credibility of their pilots, engineers, cabin crews and staffs. For me, I flew with AirAsia frequent enough to trust their pilot and engineers. Cabin crews were always very friendly and accommodating. The service from the ground staff could be better but having said that, I never had major issues with them as well. Flight delays? Yes, a couple of my flights got delayed, but I love airports so a few minutes of extra waiting is perfectly fine for me.

There were 31 of us in total visiting the Academy and at the end of the day, we all perceived different views about the place. However, there is one thing that we unanimously agreed upon. That is, we could see how passionate and happy these people are working for AirAsia just by judging from the way Ms Safina and Mr Liew speak and believe in the brand. It is not the, "I'm obliged to say good things about AirAsia because I work for them," kind of thing. It does seem very genuine.

For me, I find it very inspiring because one of my ultimate goals in life is to work for AirAsia. And no, I'm not saying this just because I had visited the Academy. This came solely from an article I read in AirAsia's in-flight magazine two years back. I can't remember the title of the article but I knew there and then that if there is one company that I could choose to work for, it's AirAsia.

In fact, three days after the visit, I was back again in one of their office in PJ, meeting people of the same positive vibe , but for a very different reason. I went for an internship interview. To be completely honest, I think I did quite bad in the interview (Yes, I still can't forgive myself and very depress about it! =[ ) but I am keeping my fingers crossed that I made it through.

... And, hopefully one day, I'll be a part of the "All Stars". Hopefully!

Many thanks to Ms Brenda Marshall, Ms Safina Alfian and Mr Liew Kang Hwa for making this possible for me and my course mates!

An interview with The Low Anthem

The Low Anthem played at The Great American Music Hall on March 26th. We caught up with one of the band's 4 multi-instrumentalists, Jeff Prystowsky, to ask some questions about the band's recent success, the touring life, and their new album, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin (OMGCD).

The Low Anthem (from left: Ben Knox Miller, Jeff Prystowsky, Jocie Adams, Mat Davidson). Photo by Ryan Mastro.

The band has been playing together for a while but you've really started picking up speed since OMGCD. How did it all come together?

While volunteering with recycling at Newport Folk Festival two years ago, we handed out our record to Paste Magazine, who were at one of the press booths that year. They featured the record in their next issue and that was our first break nationally. Nonesuch signed us on April Fools Day the next year. We didn't know if they were serious. Turns out they were.

You recently added Mat Davidson to the mix. How did that come about?

Mat was wandering around Europe, street performing and playing with different bands at night. We heard of this and asked if he wanted a regular gig back in the states. We were lucky to catch him between projects. He's an incredible musician.

Where did you record OMGCD and how did it effect the album's sound?

We recorded in an abandoned pasta sauce factory in Central Falls, RI. The place used to produce the mayor's pasta sauce. That mayor was former Providence mayor Buddy Cianci, who went to jail for beating some guy into tomato pulp. The factory is haunted by ghosts. It looks like an airplane hanger inside. The sound of the room differentiates this record from our last two. We never had to use digital reverb, just placed a mic at the other side of the room, a hundred feet away.

You recently finished a two-week tour opening for the Avett Brothers. How was that?

The Avetts are a great band. They have the spirit of music within them.

You just embarked on a pretty heavy-duty headlining tour. Where are you most excited to go?

Tucson, Arizona, St. Louis, Missouri. And SF, California. Great American Music Hall is one of my favorite venues in the country.

What bands (besides yours) should people be listening to?

Joe Pug, Nathan Moore, The Slip.

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BMW my favorite european cars

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