John 1:6-13

"...a man sent from God...John...witness of the Light...believe."

John the baptist. Strange man. From Matthew 3:1-17, Mark 1:1-11, and Luke 3, we obtain the general description of a man who lived quite unlike the others in his generation. He lived in the wilderness, wore camel's hair with a leather belt, and ate locusts and wild honey. His main message was "baptism of repentance for the remission of sins". This is significant. Consider John the baptist, since he was sent from God as a witness of the Light. How was he a witness? Why was he chosen? Is there even a reason he was chosen or did he grow into that role?

Consider the saying from Isaiah 40:3-5. This is the passage whose context is to speak comfort and deliverance to the people of Israel. There is also the very telling statement "The glory of the Lord shall be revealed". And John is the voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Prepare the way...make straight in the desert". Get ready! How many were unaware? How many did not comprehend the light? But more on this in later passages.

The key points in these verses seem to be about the testimony to some facts or revelations about the Light. The Light gives light to every man, the Light was not known by the world, the Light was not received by His own, those who received the Light by believing in His name, are given the right to become children of God. This is an expansion of the earlier verses. From the original idea that the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness not comprehending, John the author develops the idea of how the Light shines in the darkness.

The Light was in the world. Now, the Maker of the world is in it. Yet He was not recognized, He was not known. This is the tragedy. What has gone wrong that the world does not know its Maker? As a child does not know his or her parents. But John does not stop here, for although the world, His own, did not know Him or receive Him, those who did receive Him received something in return. And here, there is the idea of spiritual birthhood into being a child of God.

Now when we talk of spiritual birth, we refer to something fundamental, something to do with souls. For we are not talking about physical bodily birthing, but divine birthing. We are born of God. For all physical births are reflections of what is happening spiritually. A new soul is born. A new being. A new life. However, that life apart from The Life, and The Light, is sadly, because of our ignorance of Him, our lack of knowledge of Him, our non-reception of Him, that life is still just as good as death. For consider its eternal futility apart from The Light.

Yet, the good news is that if that life were to receive Him, then, there is a spiritual birth as well. One by God's own will. Consider the fundamental, qualitative difference that is now in place between these two lives. Is it a continuum? As in are there "better" lives and "worse" ones? Are not all equal? Good or bad? All die. The only distinction then must be what is eternal. Do you know the Eternal One? And, just as importantly, does the Eternal One know you?

Fall Chao and Qiu

So the color all change already. The wind blowing very strong. All the leaf fall down, like raining orange like that. Then when you walk, the floor got dry leaves, you make the shee shee sha sha sound. Very fun. But then a little bit cold lah. Probably around 15C. I like. This one all take while walking along Springfield, Elm, Prairie, White. So you see, all very nice nice like that. But then ah, its means its going to become very the cold lor. Already some qiu botak already. Ah, got poem come out.

Bua Toh
Wind blow blow
Color red red
Orange orange
Yellow yellow
Floor sha sha
Light warm warm
Air cold cold
Leaf bua toh bua toh

Time travel back to CNS 2006

Another time travel back one lah. Sorry ah. Very very busy. But I got put you should xie tian xie di already. This one is for the CNS conference in San Francisco. Very good! Also got chiak hong, but this one even better, can chiak hai also. See the golden gate, the pier 39, or issit 36? Aiyah, same same lah. 30 something lah. Then also, the whole lab got drunk. Yah man. Fun right? Dun worry lah, we know what we doing. Is good one. Here is some movie clip: CNS San Francisco 2006 [movie].

Time travel back to SFN 2005

Acherly hor, this one is last year happen one lah. But now then I put up. Because busy mah. But anyway, we go there for conference lah. And then one day, got some time, me and Lucas go there to chiak hong. Then see here see there lor. Not bad lah. Can see all these famous places. Only cannot see peh chu very clearly (check out my pics for Washington)...good lah...then like that is more safe for them. But ah, I thought I saw a sniper on the roof leh! Wah lau! I felt a little insecure...look carefully on my pics for the peh chu. You can see shadow...maybe ninja...maybe only lah. Also got movie: SFN Washington DC 2005 [movie]

Tofu Fa Man!

Liao Chor! I make one. Not bad at all...and the fried bee hoon. Bah tor yiao liao! Jia bng!

Here is the recipes (I give recipe no milligram one ah, just go by feeling lah):

Tofu Fa
Ingredients
Soya bean (2 handfuls)
Water (one pot)
Muslin cloth (go get from the fabric auntie, very cheap one, get white color hor, don't fancy fancy, if not your tow huay got color)
Soya bean curd agglutination powder (buy from the bai huo gong si)

Make
Soak the soya beans in the water over night. Go to sleep. Tomorrow then continue.
Wake up already, pour the soya beans and water mixture into a blender, and blend. Blend blend ga li song. Then pour the mix into the muslin cloth. Then squeeze the juice out of the mix in the muslin cloth into a pot. Then boil the pot of juice, get rid of the foam. This is the tow huay jui. Can drink one. Add sugar if you want when you drink.

Then mix the agglutination powder with cold water, one pack of powder put about 1/4 pot of water. Mix until powder all dissolve. Then pour the tow huay jui into the powder water and cover the pot. Let it stand for at least 15 min. Afterward, it become tow huay, or TOFU FA!

Cha Bee Hoon
Ingredients
Tang Hoon (3 packs)
Straw mushroom or shiitake also can (2 handful sliced)
Chilli (as much as you want, whole or chopped up to you, whole better lah)
Cabbage (half head sliced)
Carrot (one big one, sliced)
Egg (2 or 3 beaten)
Meat base (can be pork, chicken slices, or that fake crab stick sliced also can, or don't put meat also can)
Celery (2 or 3 sticks sliced)
Vinegar, rice wine, soya sauce, salt, sesame oil

Make
Boil the tang hoon until soft, then dry and put aside first.
Mix half cup vinegar, half cup rice wine, 1/4 cup soya sauce, a little bit of sesame oil.
Pour some oil into wok and fry some garlice, ginger, shallots (all chopped).
Wait until slightly golden color. Then put the chilli. Stir fry a while.
Then put the cabbage and carrot. Stir fry until the mix shrink a little and softer.
Then put the celery and the meat base if have. Stir fry until meat cooked.
Then put the tang hoon in. Maybe very long and dry, but patient lah. Chop up the tang hoon as you mix it into the stir fry.
Add the egg. Keep mixing. Wait until the egg solidy in small bits in the mix.
Add the vinegar/wine/soya sauce/sesame oil mix. Mix.
Add salt until you like the taste, or don't add also can.

Cha Bee Hoon win oredi.

Gluttons Bay, SG

The new eatery beside the Durian. Not bad lah. A bit the ex, but then good view lor. Also as usual got many people lah. Some more the esplanade there like every night now got something happening. So if you wan go then better be early lor.

Gluttons Bay (movie clip)

The good old kopi loti!

Ah...the good old days. Nothing beats a nong nong de kopi-o. Half boiled eggs and kaya toast. That's all you need to get your day going.

This pic taken before heading for church service one Sunday morning.

Mid-Autumn 2006

Mid-Autumn in Hessel Park, Champaign (movie clip)

Chuang qian ming yue guang
The moon big big.
The air cold cold.
The meat sweet sweet.
The grill hot hot.
The people talk talk.
The tea smell smell.
The time slow slow.
The day gone gone.
Hungry already.

The Chicago Jazz Festival 2006

Chicago Jazz! (movie clip) Very fun. Got music, got beer, got sit on the chao in the windy city. Is good. Some more best! Is FREE! They very crazy one. One time got two jazz organ ah, they play lai play ki. Plus they got showmanship. Not say I say what lah, but they damn good lor. Can go must go. Don't go you lugi.

Aging effects on visual object, background and binding processing

Earlier, we saw different brain regions involved in object, background and binding processing. Now, we see if these regions might be engaged differently in older adults. Older adults typically show poorer episodic memory but relatively preserved item processing that does not require episodic or contextual access. Might this be due to a reduced engagement of binding processes in the MTL of older adults?

We found that not only is MTL reduced, but older adults seemed to not process the entire visual stimuli in the same way as young adults. In particular, older adults seem to process only background components of the pictures while somewhat treating the objects less attentively. Abstract: Age-related changes in object processing and contextual binding revealed using fMR adaptation.

So we know that at least part of the changes in aging might be related to the partial processing of the entire picture rather than the entire central item and context. Next, we turn to consider what are some of the factors that might lead to these changes with age.

Binding information about items and their contexts

So we know frequency has bearing on how the brain works during semantic judgments, encoding, and retrieval. Now, we take a look more specifically at how the brain does the work of binding the item to information about its occurrence for subsequent memory. Previously, we showed that if you had to engage the brain more during encoding, you are more likely to remember the item's occurrence. Now, we are interested in where in the brain this occurrence information or contextual information about the item is processed.

We looked at pictures for this inquiry instead of words because they afforded more relevant ways of manipulating the stimuli, as well as the ability to test these items more easily in other sample groups of people as will become apparent later on.

When looking at pictures of objects in background scenes, we are able to process information about the identity of the object, the content or spatial layout of the background. Furthermore, we form the binding between object and background that relates to information about their co-occurrence. The brain regions involved in these respective processes are the lateral occipital complex (LOC), the parahippocampal place area (PPA), and the medial temporal regions (MTL) that includes a different region of the parahippocampal gyrus and the hippocampus. Abstract: Cortical areas involved in object, background, and object-background processing revealed with functional magnetic resonance adaptation.

Thus, we know that the brain processes the component item information and their contextual binding in seperate regions. These then give us clues about how these different regions might operate differently across people groups that show different memory behavior and/or processing of visual stimuli.

Frequency, memory formation, memory retrieval or access

Once we know that the brain works differently when making semantic judgments about words encountered with different frequencies, we can ask how the brain processes these words so that information about them can be accessed later. So, with regards to frequency, why is it that when asked to recall word lists, we tend to recall more frequent items, whereas when asked to recognize word lists, we do it better for less frequent items. Clearly, something about the previous history of these words of different frequency of encounters has an affect on the way information about a specific encounter of these words is retrieved later.

First, we can look at what the brain does differently for words of high and low frequency that leads to different memory access. In sum, the brain seems to be more active during semantic judgments for words that are later recognized. Furthermore, these words that are more active tend to be the low frequency words. Perhaps, because we have to work harder at making semantic distinctions for such words, we end up enhancing their recent representation. This makes it easier for them to be retrieved later for recogntion. Abstract: Word frequency and subsequent memory effects studied using event-related fMRI.

Next, we look at how the brain handles these words during recognition itself. Perhaps during this stage, other processes additively or interactively affect the resulting recognition response. The mechanism might operate in this manner: the top-down criteria is made active (words that appeared at a particular point in time), probe words are encountered and identified, information for these words are matched to the active set, a decision is made about the recognition memory for the word. In sum, word frequency of the test words seen during encoding did not affect brain activity differentially, however, word frequency of new words not seen at encoding did make a difference to brain activity. That is, high frequency novel words activated the parietal region more than low frequency words when subjects recognized them as such. Abstract: Recognition memory for studied words is determined by cortical activation differences at encoding but not during retrieval.

So once we encode the word recently, the word frequency does not matter anymore, at least to the recognition judgment. What matters in the recognition is trace of recency or specific time information associated with the probe word. This, presumably, is not dependent on the frequency history of the word. However, if the word is not encountered before, word frequency seems to make a difference in the parietal area, an area that is involved in attention modulation and visualization. Perhaps, the higher activity for high frequency words in this case marks the more connected representation of high frequency words compared to low frequency words. Sort of an automatic engagement of the relatively wider spread of activation for high frequency words.

Word Frequency and brain activity

One of the basic forms of information that our brains are sensitive to, is the number of times we encounter an external event. This is most easily seen in examples of learning. Such as, the more we practice doing something, it becomes easier, we get faster at doing it, and even more accurate. Another example is that the more we encounter a specific information about an item or concept, we know a little more about it, maybe in a different way, maybe in a clearer way. Prior knowledge is updated.

The brain probably represents this frequency information in terms of changes in individual neuronal activity and inter-neuronal connectivity. In terms of internal neuronal changes, neurons may form more synapses that facilitate the generation of an action potential. There might also be reductions in synapses, leading to inhibitory type responses or de-potentiation. In terms of inter-neuronal connectivity, neurons may form more synapses with other neurons, axons may travel along certain paths in order to reach target brain regions, neuronal branching becomes more dense, or even less dense depending on the nature of the stimulation and connection. In all these cases, frequency of encountering stimuli, represented as frequency of individual neurons and networks of neurons being stimulated, leads to changes in neuronal structure and activity.

We start with an evaluation of how frequency of encountering words changes the way our brains respond when trying to access semantic information about those words. By semantic information, we typically refer to all associative information (neuronal connections) that are involved when we make an inclusion/exclusion categorizing judgment. In theory, we make these judgments by first evoking a set of semantic restrictions that define the target categories and keep this set active. We then identify the words, retrieve connections of these words, then match these retrieved connections to the active restriction set. This can proceed in a top-down/bottom-up competition type mechanism whereby bottom-up perceptual information about the word representation (lexical features, semantic associative strength and density) have to be resolved with the top-down imperative to match or not match the active semantic set relevant to the task.

In sum, the brain has to work harder for words encountered less frequently during such semantic judgments. Abstract: Frequency of concrete words modulates prefrontal activation during semantic judgments.

Perhaps, while low frequency should have fewer connections than high frequency words, since they have not had that much opportunity to form these connections due to the sparsity of their occurrence, the brain compensates their lack of obvious semantic associations by engaging more neuronal processing (particularly in the frontal regions). This may mark the recurrent search or matching effort to decide the category for the probe word.

3T Siemens Allegra

This is where its all done. You put someone in there, make them do some cognitive task. Compare it to when they are doing another task or doing nothing. Then make some inferences about the brain activity and the brain regions involved in performing the task.

John 1:3-5

"All things were made through Him..."

The creation story. Here, John is clearly looking at Christ as the beginning of everything that we see and know. Not only was He in the beginning, His is also the beginning of all things. Consider this again. What we know about reality. Planets, creatures, animals, plants, the environment, molecules, atoms, physics, color, smells, sounds, movement, change, reason, logic, chaos even. Christ was the author of all these. Which means He must be incredibly smart. He is the one in whom resides perfect knowledge as those in the sciences envy. He is the one in whom resides perfect expression as those in the arts envy. He is the one in whom resides perfect thought as those in philosophy and religion seek after. Everything is found in Him because everything that exists owes itself to Him, even time.

And the culmination of this creative force is life. In Him was life. Even now, we find it hard to define what life really is. Reproduction? Awareness? Growth? Automation? These are but facets for we can always find exceptions to the rules we might devise. But here is the source of all life. If we were to take this point, then John could be telling us, here is what life is. He is. And we who live, do so because He does. And if so, there are implications that follow, such as emulation of His perfect life. Seeking after His life force.

How can we choose otherwise? Because that would be to deny life. And in the end, that would mean we are extinguishing ourselves. To not flow with His life is contradiction, and the most meaningless thing of all.

"...the light of men...in the darkness..."

Now we cross the line. From just the idea of perfect existence, life, we cross into the physical, light. This juxtaposing of life and light vs darkness. John was probably thinking about the world as we know it as darkness. The ignorance, the denial, the rebellion. And this is likened to not having light. Darkness. Not being able to see. Not having light. Not having life. So then, apart from Christ, we are in fact not alive. Recall that God said in Genesis "Let there be light", again. He started creation with light. There is therefore significance here that John speaks of Christ's life as the light of men. For in His life, in His ultimate work, He created light in us, while we were in darkness, uncreated, unformed.

"...the darkness did not comprehend it."

The ultimate failing of the human race. We did not recognize Him. Even though we belong to Him, and He made us. We have fallen so far that we cannot see the truth as it is presented in our very faces. Consider this. How have we, how has the world, not comprehended its Maker?

Cognitive Training

Two main findings emerge with research into the efficacy of cognitive training.

1. Training helps. Training improves behavioral performance in the task that people are trained in. This is evidenced in the Seattle Longitudinal Study and the Berlin Aging Study as studied by Baltes, Willis, Schaie, Lindenberger from the 70s to 90s, and even current day. Mostly, these studies train people in tasks involving spatial orientation and inductive reasoning. And they show that training in these specific domains leads to improvements post-test in that domain. This might explain why expertise exists. That is, why there are people around who are very good at what they do because they have so much experience doing it.

2. Training does not spill over to other domains as much. To be fair, there are some general transfers of learning, mostly within other tests that probe that trained domain. But across different domains, there seems to be not much transfer. Many have tried to investigate if training serves to improve general intelligence, and thus would logically lead to more transfer, since it is general. However, this has proven elusive. Most of the problem is because general intelligence itself is elusive, and is really still very much a modular thing. That is, there may not be a general intelligence at all, but specialties in cognitive abilities like spatial orientation, inductive reasoning, perceptual speed etc.

3. Perceptual speed does not improve with training. This is the general finding. However, not finding improvement with training does not mean that it is not possible. Perhaps there is a method of improving perceptual speed, but we have not found it yet.

4. These improvements with training are found even in aging!

The Freiahdim: Chapter 1.1

Kira maxed out the acceleration of the pod. He had to finish collecting all the ore by the second rotation or it would be another night of eating tapioca. Ore collection was an elaborate process in the asteroid belt. The unpredictable trajectory of the rocks required a pilot who was able to read movement and react instantaneously, and a lot of luck. The ore was basic iron, and would be purified in reactors down on the mother planet. The refineries paid good money and ore collectors needed plenty of it.

Another dive, and a swerve to the left. That was close! Kira looked back. The dragnet was just about full. One more. He arched his back and yanked at the helm. His pod pitched up in response and swung over a looming space rock. There! A glint of light. A fancy roll and a burst of speed. Kira held the pod steady and targeted the light. He fired two shots and circular blade cutters flew out of the pod's battery towards their target, spinning with jagged edges. They hit and spliced the ore loose from the base rock. Kira banked to one side, and scooped up the ore with the dragnet. That's done it. Now. Home.

The Freiahdim: Prologue

"All men must die". This was the carved inscription on the ground at the foot of the Rock of Delmonutha, a mountain of pure diamond. A giant, solitary monolith on the surface of the infamous desert asteroid Durathane. Travellers came from all the corners of the known Universe to witness this spectacular sight. Every rotation cycle, the rays of the setting Durathanian sun cut into the enormous gem and splayed out in a multi-colored fanfare. It is said that the eyes that beheld this reflected glory will from then on look upon the universe with supernatural clarity. Some devout pilgrims have left this place enlightened, and used their newfound wisdom to save many from folly. Other eager visitors, while no less passionate, were not so favored and the intensity of the revelation, the starkness of the reality, simply drove them to utter madness.

No one knows who carved the words there into the diamond rock. Even less understood is the purpose of the words. The mountain structure itself had been studied for millennia. Using magic and science, scientists and mystics tried to probe its inner contents. But the mountain of diamond remained impregnable. "All men must die", it said. They always have.

Though technically an asteroid, Durathane was large enough to contain a basic atmosphere. However, it was not spherical like the other planets, and it belonged to the asteroid belt that orbited its mother planet, Sardis. Legend has it that the asteroid belt used to be a whole planet even larger than Sardis. But a terrible war amongst the inhabitants on the planet eventually ended with its total destruction.

Identity Phones

Mobile phones that use fingerprint and retina scan to verify our identity. They can therefore contain our credit card info, our bank account info...even the "cash" we have withdrawn from our bank into our phones...and info for all the various cards we carry...train passes, office passes, discount vouchers, etc.

So all we have to do is scan the info into our phones, and if we need to make a purchase or use the info which is secure, just place our fingerprint and retina scan for access and then the money or info is accessed accordingly by the relevant external devices...

No need to walk around with big fat wallets!

iTable

Picture this, a table with the desk surface as a touch screen monitor so you can write on it with a stylus, or use your hands and fingers to "move" paper. Moreover, have the desk hot-wired so that the CPU is integrated into the drawers. Have the port built into the table too. You can have a USB port on the table, a phone or ethernet port for physical network connectivity, a built in wireless. Have all the cables fabricated into one cable, so that the user just needs to plug-in one cable for power and/or for networking.

Cool looking.