papers

papers papers and more papers! that's what's in for us for next week and the following week! thank goodness mps are done except for the exam and the workpiece!!!

anyway, after a hellish week with 3 tests last monday, 1 yesterday, we spent tonight with a movie, the return, and was hoping to party the night away tomorrow night... but because of typhoon something, vortex was postponed to a later date... (probably after finals na daw!) so there... a very long weekend up ahead and guess where i'l be spending everywaking minute of it??? yep, that's right... in front of the ps2 for tomorrow... playing kingdom hearts 2... in front of the computer for friday and saturday writing my reaction for each experiment in lbymemg, reaction paper on cim seminar and my critiques for matengi... then on saturday, maybe start on my macpro2 case study type final paper!

as of now... check out my multiply!!! http://petmysh.multiply.com/

nov 18 2006

nobody can ever imagine how much fun i had yesterday! usual day out and stuff, but i don't know, it's actually more fun than most...definitely!

after fetching bo and marrion from DLSU, we went to the world trade center for the hero anime convention. long line going in, long line for the tix and definitely a lot of people inside! cosplayers everywhere, anime booths and a lot more! from around 1130 am til 0500 pm we were there looking at the booths for stuff to buy, watching the ongoing shows, looking at displays, for thems guys(marrion, x and jm) taking pictures with cosplayers and for me, having my chibi drawn! :D

then we went to glorietta... we went there by bus, my first ever bus experience (besides school buses). this is my only reaction, i don't want to ride a bus ever again! cab please! :D so in glorietta, we were to watch the animax fashion ability fashion show but ended up eating in mongkok for an hour (sorry na po... tagal ko kumain e :P) then going back to the activity center to catch pupil perform i don't know how many songs! haha! :D then watched the awarding then done! after that, all we did was to play at timezone, window shop... window shop and window shop some more... what else could we do? no cash! haha! :D

thanks guys!

Oh yeah, happy birthday Ken-ken! (dapat kahapon ito pero hindi ako makaconnect sa net e :( )

eekers

after 9 months!!! finally!

ok, don't think about it already cause i ain't gonna tell either! :P anyway, everyday is just your normal day passing by... and now i've got the colds! constant sneezing, coughing and sniffling... that's the sign of... "the colds!" haha! but this is no fun i tell you! yesterday after classes, i went home asap and guess what, i collapsed right away! so it's night night myshie! :P

besides the cold, i've got great news! since friday, i've been playing kingdom hearts 2 but i promised myself to give in to a little discipline and play it just during fridays to sundays. i still got final fantasy 12 to play next! and i've got the oc seasons 1-3 to watch... pia carrot and green green too! :D

besides all that, i've got a book report to write for litera and 4 journal critiques to write for matengi due the week before finals i think :P but right now, i really am enjoying my life... and i do mean the word ENJOY! :D

hating hamburgers

you know what i hate the most?! it's frozen hamburgers and a dull knife!

this morning i was preparing my lunch and my breakfast. i thought about cooking some burgers for lunch and i took it out to thaw for awhile and got the dullest knife around. the knife can't even chop a calamansi into two so i was quite confident that it was too dull to cut my skin up...

carelessly, it slipped and cut my left pinkie! and the whole day, i have spent 6 band aids to wrap it up. yep, it's gruesome and definitely painful! the first thing i did when i realized that i have cut myself was to stare at it and weakened. i am afraid of seeing cuts and blood coming out of my skin! or even others... then after a minute of shock, i was walking aroung the kitchen saying "oh my gosh oh my gosh" over and over again holding my pinkie up. i thought that it might come off because the cut was so deep. when i finally thought of cleaning it up, i washed it for around 2 seconds and wrapped it up in a band aid already. ok, stupid me... i don't know any first aid so i panicked!

when i got to school, everyone was just telling me how i should have acted and then again, i was in shock and i was panicking... i also have my weaknesses, and so i admit, i need a keeper... i went to the clinic to have it cleaned after lunch... betadine wasn't supposed to hurt much but tears were welling up on my eyes when i got out... it really hurts!

so here i am with a spongebob squarepants band aid to cover up the gruesome cut... hope it closes up soon! i don't want to see it everytime i need to change the band aid...

told post

i was feeling kind of down last saturday night and i texted 2 dear friends of mine about it... well, the other one, JM, was new to this situation i guess... he didn't really know the details but here comes mama Tep. I know she's so used to this rants of mine that all she asked me to do was to write about it in my blog... so here it is.

i was channel surfing that night and since it is a saturday, all usual tv series are not on. so i tuned in to hbo, cinemax and star movies hoping to stumble upon a movie that would keep my interest up. and the channel stopped at star movies. the movie was just starting but i know what it is... not because i've seen it in commercials but because somehow, it became a very memorable movie for me. it was 'guess who' staring ashton kutcher and bernie mac.

trust me, i tried changing the channel to prevent me from remembering stuff but i couldn't! i couldn't just log out of the television set nor the channel and the movie. i was hooked. so after the movie, i really tried to stay strong but broke down instead...

i am moving on... trust me i am. but sometimes it's just hard to just let go of everything especially when everything meant something to you... the way i treasured every moment and every second of it certainly might have meant something FOR me. that's it really... so i'm sorry...

crying is useless... it didn;t bring me any good then and it won't bring me any good now...

rest and relaxation...

have you ever heard of the phrase "r and r"??? no, i don't mean read and review just like in my fictions... it's all about rest and relaxation.

lately i have been bombarded with non-stop assignments, tests and 'needed' attendance on meetings and pictorials. to top it all up, oct 7 and today i spent my saturdays in school as well for orient2. 2 saturdays of business attire and semi-formal. it's ok i guess... even though i know i have thrown away 4 quizzes down the drain already just to catch up on my 'r&r' for a day or two... heck! last monday we had 4 quizzes in one day! 2 25% quizzes for engcomp (1 lab and 1 lecture), 1 20% quiz for litera1 and a hundred percent 3 item quiz for mecatwo. i was in school until 0745 in the evening taking my mecatwo test... it's actually supposed to be until 0900 but i finished the exam in 45 minutes simply because i was drained to the bone! then tuesday we were supposed to have two quizzes but both were cancelled and then materials lab. thursday was our test for elecone and 2 labs followed... lbyece1 and our mach lab! lathe machines... haha! i'm having so much fun with the lathe machine and i think i'm almost done with my plumb bob (i don't know how it is spelled) but sadly, we don't have a lab next week... so for one more week, we are delayed again!!!

and luckily, my baby is all healed thanks to the medicine my dad gave me and mark's advice!

so, right now, there's no more orient2 for next saturday... no more quizzes scheduled for next week and i have nothing to look forward to except a full week to myself... rest and relaxation, i really need to catch up!

bugged

my baby has been sick since last two sundays ago! sure, i'm doing something... i'm cleaning him up but i think it's not lessening the bug that its caught.

anyway, i have been really bitter these last few days... i know i have no right to be bitter about it and i have options not to notice it... but it's there and it's really pissing me off!!!

bitter, yes. i am bitter

waiting for CROSS

i just can't stop thinking about James Patterson's Alex Cross series... it's been in my wishlist for almost more than a year now and basically, i have read every book released. in fact, i just finished reading Mary Mary last night... i can't stop it, what can i say? it's my addiction! anyway, here's the new thing, the latest chapter of the series... CROSS.

from the publisher:

"Alex Cross was a rising star in the Washington, DC, Police Department when an unknown shooter gunned down his wife, Maria, in front of him. The killer was never found, and the case turned cold, filed among the unsolved drive-bys in D.C.'s rough neighborhoods.
Years later, still haunted by his wife's death, Cross is making a bold move in his life. Now a free agent from the police and the FBI, he's set up practice as a psychologist once again. His life with Nana Mama, Damon, Jannie, and little Alex is finally getting in order. He even has a chance at a new love.
Then Cross's former partner, John Sampson, calls in a favor. He is tracking a serial rapist in Georgetown, one whose brutal modus operandi recalls a case Sampson and Cross worked together years earlier. When the case reveals a connection to Maria's death, Cross latches on for the most urgent and terrifying ride of his life.
From the man USA TODAY has called the "master of the genre," CROSS is the high-velocity thriller James Patterson and Alex Cross's fans have waited years to read--and the pinnacle of the bestselling detective series of the past two decades."

i can't wait for november! i just wish i can earn around 1000 big ones just in time to buy even the hard bound copy! can't wait!!!

source: www.barnesandnoble.com

nightmares

lately i have just been taking articles from the internet that have caught my attention. some information overload even for me. been reading books non stop actually, that's why there are a lot of things that had been introduced to me. but in reality, what has been happening in my life has nothing to do with the books that i'm reading or even the anime and series that i have been watching...

sem break is finally over as the clock reaches 0810 am tomorrow. i will be spending 3 more months sitting in a cramped classroom (although it is big) while letting the professor in front load my brain for the future that i have chosen, or so i believe. but every night, there are things that are strange and even i can't tell why they are happening... and these are my regular nightmares.

some people have good dreams... sweet fairytale like dreams... but mine are always nightmares. i find myself waking up in the middle of the night because of a bad dream. what are these nightmares? diffeerent kinds. sometimes it's just like in the book that i'm reading bad guys in killing sprees and are definitely psyhopaths, sometimes things that i have hidden from everyone else that are suddenly found and published for the whole world or at least all those i know to know what these are, sometimes someone just walking out of my life and sometimes fragments of what i have lost in the past...

so what are nightmares anyway? and why am i having them? according to http://www.dreammoods.com/ "The distinction of a nightmare is its frightening and/or emotional content. You tend to wake up in fear in the midst of a nightmare. Because of its frightening nature, you tend to remember your nightmares and the vivid details. They have a bigger impact upon your waking mind and its images stay with you throughout the day. One reason for nightmares may be a way of our unconscious to get our attention about a situation or problem that you have been avoiding. It is time to take notice and confront a problem or situation. Nightmares serve an important purpose in showing you what is troubling you from within you deeper levels. Discussing, analyzing, and understanding your nightmares can lead to a solution for some problem, internal conflict or personal difficulty. Having nightmares are normal, but a high frequency of nightmares can be a sign of being overwhelmed and excessive stress which should be dealt with. Nightmares can be an important resource for self-knowledge and emotional discovery. They convey an important message and help clear up the conflict in your life. it is important to distance yourself and work pass the emotional content (fear, grief, anger, etc.) of your nightmare and analyze it from an objective perspective. The disturbing emotions may be a way for your unconscious to prevent you from digging deep into the meaning of your nightmares. But it pays to try and make sense of those darker dreams. "

so, am i supposed to do this even though i don't really know what is bothering me???

full moon wo sagashite

Eternal Snow

I'm falling in love with you, and which will come to pass?
Will the feeling do nothing but swell, or
Will you notice it
Even though I've never said anything?

Like snow, but quietly
It continues to pile up

Hold me tight if I think like this
I didn't want to know
What it was like to fall in love with someone
I love you; my tears won't stop
Therefore, I should be free of you

How long will I keep thinking of you?
My sigh makes the window glass fog up

Now, a burning candle
Can't melt my shaking heart anymore?

Hold me tight, strong enough to break me
If we meet in a biting cold blizzard
I won't feel cold, and
I miss you everytime I think of you
This scarf that I knit for you
I'm holding it alone tonight

If there were an eternally falling snow
This feeling I have for you, could I hide it?

Hold me tight if I think like this
I didn't want to know
What it was like to fall in love with someone
I love you; my chest fills up
I want to cry out to the winter sky
I want to see you now

New Future

Just one thing doesn't change
That dream I painted
How did I appear as I am now
In my young eyes back then
Hey, look up at it, it's such a vast night sky
So that soon, so that you understand
You will shine at your best soon so hurry
Look for the FULL MOON

Let's sing a song!
Together forever Everything I can do for you right now
Day by day
Your destiny until now From tomorrow, clutch your hopes to your chest
Let's sing a song!
Together forever If I'm with you I can overcome any hardship
More and more
More and more and more I want to be closer Please stay right here
many thanks for you!

Wonderous chance meetings
As long as they keep happening
We have ever more precious things
All those days full of chance mischief
Now I can laugh and love them
That's right, I always yearned for the wide stage
Now I'm no longer alone
Everyone is full of smiles
Because this is where I am

Let's sing a song
Tonight, rather than the spotlight, it's me that will shine now
Day by day
Those passionate looks and cheers shine upon my streaming sweat
Let's sing a song
Tonight I want to believe there are never ending burning thoughts
More and more
More and more and more I want to scream this song, this dream will
never end

Myself

Why, oh why do I love you so much?
My tears overflow this much

Back in that time, there was so much to lose that I couldn't sing
anything
A place just a little ways away--That was where I was

That day, deep in your eyes, I saw the loneliness
Are the two of us really alike?
If I'd realized it, you were always by my side

Why do I love you so much?
Your voice rings inside me so much it makes me sad
Just what it was that supported me so much
From afar, I realize it now

Like a lost child, crying and searching
But there was no such thing as forever

"It's okay if you don't believe in anyone" you whispered
Were the two of us really alike?
And I decided then I would protect you

Why can't I turn them to memories
You're too far, too near for me to reach
The more I tell myself "I will forget"
The larger you loom in my thoughts

Why do I love you so much?
Your voice rings (inside me) so much it makes me sad
Just what it was that supported me so much
I realize it now from afar

Why do I love you so much?
It's so easy I just can't answer

Love Chronicle

why? I've completely forgotten how to love
meetings will come someday with the beginning of parting
somehow, I have decided upon that idea

you tied my loose shoe laces of my dirty sneakers
your shy smile suddenly shone in the sunlight

it's not that I love for want of love
you gave me the courage to love straight-forward

the two swear to the journey from now
that no matter what occurs, the two hands will never part

it's weird, the everyday landscape begin to seem special
the flowers, birds, and sea the wind, mountains, sweet sun
when everything shines and cuddles togetherhana

I found the last piece to the unsolvable jigsaw puzzle
your broad back protects me and I'll continue to follow you
for eternity

until now, I've took the longer way around but
I'm finally able to love straight-forward

the two will head to the dream of tomorrow
no matter what occurs, the gaze won't be shifted

it's not that I love for want of love
you gave me the courage to love straight-forward

the two will head to the dream of tomorrow
no matter what occurs, the gaze won't be shifted


it's not that I love for want of love
you gave me the courage to love straight-forward

the two swear to the journey from now
that no matter what occurs, the two hands will never part

daisy cutter

BLU-82B

The BLU-82B/C-130 weapon system, nicknamed Commando Vault in Vietnam and Daisy Cutter in Afghanistan, is a high altitude delivery of 15,000 pound conventional bomb, delivered from an MC-130 since it is far too heavy for the bomb racks on any bomber or attack aircraft. Originally designed to create an instant clearing in the jungle, it has been used in Afghanistan as an anti-personnel weapon and as an intimidation weapon because of its very large lethal radius (variously reported as 300-900 feet) combined with flash and sound visible at long distances. It is the largest conventional bomb in existence but is less than one thousandth the power of the Hiroshima nuclear bomb.

Frequent press reports to the contrary, the Daisy Cutter is not a fuel-air explosive (FAE). It is a conventional explosive incorporating both agent and oxidizer. In contrast, an FAE consists only of agent and a dispersing mechanism, and takes its oxidizer from the oxygen in the air. FAEs generally run between 500 and 2000 pounds; it would be difficult to make an FAE the size of Daisy Cutter because the correct uniform mixture of agent with ambient air would be difficult to maintain if the agent were so widely dispersed. Thus, the conventional explosive technique of Daisy Cutter is more reliable than that of an FAE, particularly if there is significant wind or thermal gradient.

This system depends upon the accurate positioning of the aircraft by either a fixed ground radar or onboard navigation equipment. The ground radar controller, or aircrew navigator as applicable, is responsible for positioning the aircraft prior to final countdown and release. Primary aircrew considerations include accurate ballistic and wind computations provided by the navigator, and precision instrument flying with strict adherence to controller instructions. The minimum altitude for release due to blast effects of the weapon is 6,000 feet AGL. The BLU-82 was originally designed to clear helicopter landing zones and artillery emplacements in Vietnam. The warhead contains 12,600 pounds of low-cost GSX slurry (ammonium nitrate, aluminum powder, and polystyrene) and is detonated just above ground level by a 38-inch fuze extender, optimized for destruction and ground level without digging a crater. The weapon produces an overpressure of 1000 psi [pounds per square inch] near ground zero, tapering off as distance increases.

Eleven BLU-82s were dropped during Desert Storm, all from Special Operations C-130s. The initial drops were intended to test the ability of the bomb to clear mines; no reliable bomb damage assessment exists on mine clearing effectiveness. Later, bombs were dropped as much for their psychological effect as for their antipersonnel effects. The Air Force dropped several BLU-82s during the campaign to destory the Taliban and al-Qaeda terror networks in Afganistan to attack and demoralize personnel and to destroy underground- and cave-complexes.

source: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/dumb/blu-82.htm

sandro dias takes vert gold

Sandro Dias Takes Vert Gold, Bob and Bucky Follow

LOS ANGELES -- On Thursday night at The STAPLES Center, Sandro Dias' first run was good enough for gold. It was also the Brazilian's first skateboard vert gold medal at the X Games. Bob Burnquist nabbed silver and Bucky Lasek took home the bronze. Andy Macdonald missed the podium, just 0.25 points behind Lasek.
Dias best finish in skate vert was a bronze at X Games 11, but he holds several vert titles from the Latin X Games and Asian X Games.

"I thought my score was too high," quipped Dias, when asked if he was surprised his first run was enough for the victory. "But I love the judges."

That winning run included a backside 540 McTwist to tail, a gnar jar 540, heelflip to frontside slider and ollie to fakie.

Burnquist and Lasek both had strong runs with opportunities to take the gold, but in the end came up short. Burnquist fell on his final two runs on a switch kickflip after a frontside air to backside air.

"I feel very good about that run, because I connected every obstacle and it flowed all the way through," said Burnquist. "The switch kickflip that I couldn't land  I'll definitely lose sleep over that because I usually can land it. I think that if I had landed that, I might have got the gold."

Lasek put together a run that included a frontside air 540, ollie flip fakie and stalefish.

"My body felt good for as battered as it was," Lasek said. "I was feeling it on my third run but I was seeing about eight walls ahead of myself and fell on something easy."

source: www.expn.com

overdue library books

i guess this entry is all about overdue entries! but unlike library books, these entries are still free and hopefully fun to read! so, last 29 july 2006, i went to sj to deliver some cds and luckily got my chimes! then we went to tep's house... guess what, its the first time my chimes has all those words and ink writings... yep! i asked some batchmates of mine to sign it! sadly, not everyone signed :( of course mama tep's party was fun! with all the food, nun and booze (although kulang yung booze) enjoy parin! when we were in the car heading home, we dropped ken ken off first... evil part! they opened the window for the guards then a roach entered!!! eeeewwww!!! scary! then we got to go home...

next event... 04 august 2006... sme gave us a trip to remember! our very first plant visit!!! it was fun! actually a lot of fun! and the best fun of them all??? the bus ride! haha! :D we were like a couple of gamblers (without the stakes)playing non stop card games! for our lunch, marrion and jon-riz provided the picnic (literal yan!) as in bread and spread and a huge bottle of skippy! (with crushed pringles yung akin) yummy! anyway, the trip was also awesome! some food processes and machines in taguig and some biomedical stuff in laguna... then there was also the stupid dumb police officer who took the liscence of manong before we even got to leave la salle! how could you say we were parked illegally when the engine's on?! la salle wasn't even complaining!

12 august 2006... we went to glorietta after my class and entered every shoe store we saw, literally! of course we also stopped by bookstores... then we went to greenbelt to meet up with the others to watch sukob (yikes! hindi ko nakita yung multo! good thing!) then when we were looking for a restaurant to have our dinner, we saw policemen chasing some teens... still don't know what happened there (refer to tep's blog for more! anyway, then it's bubba gump!!! run forrest run! then off to bed... no booze here... first time i went to greenbelt without it...

13 august 2006... went to greenhills for some supposedly bargain hunting with jing, nic and lynnet! guess what?! bargains smargains... its no bargain! anyway, i got to buy my orange rose anyway, so what am i complaining for?!

and finally today... this week we started having our finals... in fact, i just finished my memmath test awhile ago. and next week are the departmental... yep, phyeng2, mechone, envieng and the dreaded enganal... oh well... but it also brings something good... that means sem break is almost here!!! and the last lbymemb (which by the way is the cause of the metal smell) and lbyphy2!!! whahahha!!! when my die returns to me and it's finished chroming, trust me, i will put up a picture here in different angles! even though my die is not perfect, in fact it's super ugly compared to the others, i'm still proud of it because it's labor for 1 whole term!!!

as for my fic, i'll try to finish it during sem break... it's really getting old fast! ja ne! no more overdue posts... i hope!

orange rose

after months of searching for an orange rose... i finally acquired one! actually, it's not what i had in mind... it's not a bouquet or a single stemmed rose... but instead, it's a plant! yep, with the actually thorns, soil and the watering maintenance! but still, i love my orange roses... i actually took pictures of it just now to make sure i will remember it even though it dies out on me... i have no green thumb... more like a black thumb! take a close look at the pic...



i just found out that my beloved digi cam can do this during night time!!!



and here's my edited version of it...

anyway, still waiting...

dreams and nightmares

oh yeah, the previous entry's title was elfren lied, or fairy's song. that was my reaction towards the series... watch it and you'll find out why i kept on insisting that it was something i want to have but could never have... ok, SPOILER : because the girl, the cousin, can never have the guy because of nyuu... ok? same with canvas2 but in this case, the cousin won. incest?! just to clear things up...

oh well, now that's clear, here's my entry for tonight... dreams and nightmares. why? i have been having nightmares every night and sometimes dreams so weird that i take note of them in the middle of the night just to ponder on it when i was fully awake.

i wonder what causes these nightmares? oh well! Destiny is online right now! just have to buzz him in!

elfren lied

alam kong hindi na dapat ang nasa isip

hindi na dapat hinahangad

hindi na dapat inaasahan

hindi na dapat binabalikan

hindi na dapat inaabangan

hindi na dapat inaantay

hindi na dapat ninanais

dahil hindi na darating ang panahon na hinihiling

ngunit sa pagdilat ng mga mata

yun parin ang nasa isip

yun parin ang nasa piling

yun parin and hinahangad

yun parin ang inaasahan

yun parin ang binabalikan

yun parin ang inaabangan

yun parin ang inaantay

yun parin ang ninanais

sa pagpikit ng mga mata

yun parin ang napapanaginipan

yun parin ang nagpipigil

yun parin ang rason...

bakit ganun?

rainy day

chalk one up for the rainy days! another rainy day in the lonely city of Manila... for me that is. i don't know, maybe the weather does harm my mood... and right now, i can say is that i'm lonelier than you can imagine.

while i walked passed the engwalk a little pass 0620 and went straight up to the 4th floor of saint joseph, i felt like a zombie, a mindless creature of the night. i know i looked like something a cat dragged in and obviously in my head, there were bells ringing. no, not the kind of bells in your usual daydreams of fairytales but the kind of bells you hear when you are the one ringing it. gets? in short, manic headache! i am feeling cold, even my most trusted jacket is failing tremendously. maybe it's because i got wet in the rain yesterday when i was looking for starbucks near the le pavillion. i can't say that i regret it, i don't! i had fun yesterday... too bad we didn't get to stay until 0400 to personally hear who won the goodies. oh well, kyou kara maou until the 66th episode is worth it! not to mention a dvd copy of fma movie and elfren lied... i just forgot to purchase something... maybe when i will buy the last dvd of kyou kara maou nalang.

anyway, back to the present. just came from my physics class. Dr. Palisoc told me that classes will probably be suspended come 1140... i hope so too. surprisingly, i am raring not to attend my memmath class today and not so surprisingly my envieng class. maybe i really am sick. i don't even want to attend my macpro class... but that's the way life is. so far, i have dealt with 3 people since i arrived here in DLSU. i really don't feel like doing this, or even attending the seminar with festo later on...

my mind is spinning right now... i don't want to think anymore.

did i have to be the one to talk first? and if i don't, will it be like that night again?

lalety...

i don't plan on making this my research blog... in fact, i don't plan on doing one of those in the future! it's just that i found that very interesting (for me) article that i just knew i have to repost it here for you guys! so, how have i been?

lately, i have been having an insatiable craving for hot shots with kfc gravy and ling-nam lugaw! and of course the strawberry cheesecake haagen dazs ice cream and hot milo... yummy!

what have i been up to? you know high school musical??? i love the songs especially bop to the top and the jazz version of what i've been looking for! thanks Ann! you know baby blues? i'm still not done reading the whole 10-year archive! you know how i love baking?! well, i still haven't got the time to bake yet... but cooking? just finished cooking some potato croquettes with minced pork. oh well, what else have i been up to? before going to sleep, i think about what to do with the new layout for my last issue of MEMo. hopefully, my seniors will leave it up to me to make it MY style this time... oh well! what else have i been up to?

oh yeah, the down parts... my left hand is injured from lab yesterday... maybe those lab safety rules have a use after all! especially the running part and the using the files as light sabers... sheesh! that was embarrassing! haha! not to mention my left ankle is acting up again... it freakin' hurts! i seem to have a red rash between my eyes during the morning... but right now, thankfully it's gone! my callous on my big left toe is still there... and i still lack sleep!!! not to mention i just burned my tongue...

good parts... hmmm... i guess the best part in my life right now is kyle xy! i love watching it! and of course my friends are still there and that i have found a new book just awhile ago... Kiss the Girls by James Patterson, one more off my wishlist! so, i'm going to go read it now! til next time!

choco-strawberries and kisses,

mysh ;P

Shout Out to MaTep! Happy birthday!!!

Team envisions exploring Mars with mini probes

Team envisions exploring Mars with mini probes

MIT engineers and scientist colleagues have a new vision for the future of Mars exploration: a swarm of probes, each the size of a baseball, spreading out across the planet in every direction.

Thousands of probes, powered by fuel cells, could cover a vast area now beyond the reach of today's rovers, including exploring remote and rocky terrain that large rovers cannot navigate.

"They would start to hop, bounce and roll and distribute themselves across the surface of the planet, exploring as they go, taking scientific data samples," said Steven Dubowsky, the MIT professor of mechanical engineering who is leading the research team.

Dubowsky's team plans to test prototypes on Earth this fall and estimates that a trip to Mars is about 10 years away. He is now working with Penelope Boston, director of the cave research program at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, to create probes that can handle the rough terrain of Mars.

Scientists believe that lava tubes commonly seen on Mars are a promising location to search for signs of water. Lava tubes are tunnels left behind by underground lava flows. Signs of these tubes, which are also present in many locations on Earth, can be seen above ground.

The tubes could be entered through holes that formed on the Mars surface where sections of the tubes have collapsed, but these formations are too treacherous for today's rovers to explore. However, tiny bouncing probes could make their way inside the caves.

Mars also features canyons that could have once had rivers flowing through them. The canyons, too, are inaccessible to rovers, but small probes might be able to make their way down the canyon faces.

One of the major advantages of the mini probes is that losing a few out of hundreds or thousands of probes sent into a treacherous area would not derail the overall mission, Dubowsky said. "You would certainly be willing to sacrifice some of these 1,000 balls" to gather information from remote areas, he said.

Each probe would weigh about 100 grams (4 ounces) and would carry its own tiny fuel cell. "You could hop for a long, long time on a few grams of fuel," Dubowsky said.

Artificial muscles inside the probes could make them hop an average of six times per hour, with a maximum rate of 60 hops per hour. The devices would travel about 1.5 meters per hop; they can also bounce or roll. In 30 days, a swarm of probes could cover 50 square miles, according to Dubowsky.

Each probe would carry different types of sensors, including cameras and environmental sensors. The probes are made of durable and lightweight plastic that could withstand the rigors of Mars travel and the extreme cold. Their fuel cells will provide enough heat to keep their electronics and sensors operable.
One thousand of the probes would have the same volume and weight as the Spirit rover. "For the weight and size of Spirit you could certainly send more than 1,000 of these sensors up there, which would have much greater capability," Dubowsky said.

The probes would be able to communicate with nearby probes through a local area network (LAN). Data would be sent to a base station that would transmit information back to Earth.

Other possible applications for the small robots include search and rescue missions in collapsed buildings or other dangerous sites, and counter-terrorist activities (searching for terrorists in caves).

Last year, the researchers got funding from the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC). The NIAC grant is meant to help move the project from the concept stage to the prototype stage.

Other collaborators on the project include Jean-Sebastien Plante, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Fritz Prinz and Mark Cutkowsky of Stanford University.

Source: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2006/microbots.html

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