What are you doing?

10E-6 different messages were directed at me from various parties centering around the following "What are you doing right now?" thought. My reply is always reading, and so here are my reviews.

I have been reading up on Nanotechnology the last week, and finished two of them. 1) Nanotechnology: A gentle introduction to the next big idea and 2) Nanoconvergence.

The first book was a great introduction, touched on many nano structures, some equipment used for manufacturing and checking these structures as well as applications. There were also mentions about businesses and information for venture capitalists. Discovered something interesting known as DNA computing and neuron interfaces. I liked the addition of the glossary at the end as it gives all the meanings (in summary) of certain abbreviations and acronyms found in the book. Alas, it was a tad short for my liking, it would be better if it went more in depth especially into mechanisms. However, keeping in mind this was an introductury book, it served its purpose well.

The second book did not fare better though. I felt that the content was all over the place and would be something I pulled out from the internet and pieced it together and then submited for my lab report(something which I am not exactly innocent of either). At certain points, I thought we were going to get in depth into one subject and the next moment im lost as im directed into another topic. Lots of references and again lots of websites(credibility?). I checked this guy's credentials and realised that he is a Sociology phD. I suppose thats where the problem lie, especially on the biotechnology chapter, there was more $ signs than there were technical information, where there was technical information, it was only shallow. I didn't get any idea of Nanoconvergence, but my eyelids did converge after reading the book.

Going to return them soon to the library, which I rarely frequent (Oxymoron?) except for such books which are too expensive to purchase. I did see a nanotechnology book at Kino for like 100$+ and its not very thick but hardback.

Review and some life?

The Book Review
I could not find the Microterrors book (as mentioned in the previous post) so I settled for something else. The Five-Second Rule and Other Myths About Germs was not as I would had expected. First and foremost, the Five second rule refers to some saying about dropping food onto a surface such as the floor would be safe for consumption if picked up within five seconds. In the book, I don't see this being answered anywhere on whether it was fact or fiction. However, what I got was a whole lot of introductory microbiology (which I studied for about a year for 2 modules) in which I wasn't keen to repeat for about 200 pages. Very dissapointing indeed. Thank goodness there was the 25 Frequently Asked Questions section at the back of the book that somewhat redeemed itself. At least I found the HIV and mosquito as vector of transmission question answered in that section.

Some Life.
Went to east coast park with my parents and sister and left home at 2.54pm. My sister brought her roller blades along and my parents and I went for a short walk. It has been a while since we went out together like this and it was rather nice change. We had three ice creams for a total of $12.70. It wasn't so sunny and my headache didn't act up until we got back to the car after 1hr and 45 minutes or so. Then we went to IKEA at Alexandra. Oh my, renovations were not what I had expected and all the other shops were gone, like Burger King. At the store, I got myself a pillow like contraption that fits onto my swivel chair so that I can read without getting tired around the neck area. My sister wanted to get a shelf and we got a couple of door mats to replace the rugs outside our rooms. Then after our 1hr and 20mins of shopping we went to have Teochew porridge at Henderson. Thats where my headache reached its climax and I reached into my pocket and retrived my trusty paracetamol tablet. After finishing our dinner we headed home and prepared for Mahjong. I won 4 times! It was great luck.

Will scout for more books next week to read. Saw the two headed baby in the newspapers, that coincides with my re-reading of Mutants! Tapping too much into the human collective subconciousness has its advantages perhaps.

Finished those books. Want new content.

Just finished reading Social Contract last night. Was hell difficult to read and comprehend so many concepts written in such profound english. Reminded myself of Voltaire while reading it. Finished Flowers for Algernon a few days ago in about 4 hours straight, that was much more relaxing and easy to read compared to Social Contract. Then I proceeded to finish the Chances Are... Adventures in probability book as I noticed that there was a bookmark cleaved in between some pages. I finished that too but at a considerable slower pace than Flowers for Algernon.

Now im just left with the Mutants, on genetic variety and the human body which similarly, has a bookmark in one of the pages. I took it down from my bookshelf and removed the bookmark and just started re-reading it again. 1984 had a bookmark in it but it was at the end of the book. Strange, I don't remember some parts of the book now...

I just keep forgeting to finish my books probably due to the previous school schedule and workload. Without school, like now, im free to read all I want all day! Im eyeing the book called Microterrors : The Complete Guide to Bacterial, viral and Fungal Infections That Threaten Our Health. Maybe I'll go get it someday when I finish Mutants.