tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45723359757240708722024-03-20T10:41:26.016+08:00www.acauso.comAlbert Causo's Personal WebsiteAlberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05906399099114474763noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572335975724070872.post-27172943339326434632020-05-16T00:06:00.003+08:002020-05-16T13:35:46.648+08:00Post-COVID normal - Shopping EditionWhile the WHO is predicting that the virus may stay with us, it could also disappear as quickly as it came. We are in the midst of producing disinfection robots post-haste in order to provide clients with the means to fight COVID-19. In the post-COVID normal, will disinfection robots be a common sight? Will precautions such as social distancing, temperature checking, and sanitizing become permanent too? <div><br /></div><div>As with other technology, I expect an initial high demand for disinfection robot for at least a couple of years followed by a tapering off as it become more common. I expect the initial purchasers, or early adopters, to be institutions, companies, and rich individuals. The robot would then evolve into a nice-to-have instead of a must-have, for example as a marketing tool to attract patrons to malls or places which can afford the machine. </div><div><br /></div><div>But this could also go the other way -- disinfection robots could become commoditized and go the way of vacuum cleaners and washing machines. It becomes such a necessity that it is easily available at an affordable cost; simply go to any appliance store to pick up one for home use. </div><div><br /></div><div>For now, let's see how this upscale mall in Bangkok is wooing its well-heeled patrons with images of safe (virus-free) shopping experience. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yUFyoVEtVTg" width="320" youtube-src-id="yUFyoVEtVTg"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">/ first appeared on www.acauso.com </div><div><br /></div>Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05906399099114474763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572335975724070872.post-6557289272270643012020-05-01T12:24:00.026+08:002020-05-26T22:17:42.306+08:00Hardware Setup for Online Meetings, Classes, and Webinars<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="My personal setup for online meetings, classes, and webinars. Copyright © 2020 Albert Causo www.acauso.com" border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lL44CrdeTgnnW000aPbCaWXBPeVPJo788bc3xNdzoKaXFpeC4aqGVEv7_tDQZMKlNN6KnLpOCf6zIWuTVg6UxyA6uwBOeCqJ1-4F7QgDVq-td1xXejANaF82vO6SQn3a8v1q9wi5_ps_/w400-h194/1590380908537236-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="My personal setup for online meetings, classes, and webinars. Copyright © 2020 Albert Causo www.acauso.com" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My personal setup for online meetings, classes, and webinars. Copyright Albert Causo 2020.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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Everything is moving to online these days including classes and meetings. I actually appreciate this as it saves time and money. Don't get me wrong though, I know the value of face to face meetings. But most of the time, online meetings should suffice.</div>
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My pet peeves during online meetings include dark video, spotty microphone, and spotty internet connection. These problems when solved will improve the meeting<span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.75); font-family: "source serif pro" , serif; font-size: 20px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>experience for every participant. </div>
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So here's my list of the hardware tech setup needed to run online meetings successfully, based on my experience.</div>
<div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Computer or laptop</li>
<ul>
<li>Doing online meetings from a mobile phone is not advisable, especially since people on mobile tend to be moving around in a noisy environment. </li>
</ul>
<li>Internet connection</li>
<ul>
<li>Ensure that you have a good connection! Mobile internet using your phone may not provide the best connectivity unless you use the wifi mode. </li>
<li>At home, ensure that your computer has a good wifi connection. Consider plugging your computer/laptop to your router using an ethernet cable or invest in an extender or mesh. It doesn't matter if you have gigabit service from your telco if your computer has a spotty connection to your router. </li>
</ul>
<li>Camera </li>
<ul>
<li>Most laptops have cameras. Just make sure they are clean and angled properly. You may want to put a post-it on it when not in use for extra security. </li>
<li>Webcams are enough. No need to use high-resolution or professional cameras. In fact, a high-resolution camera can choke a low-bandwidth internet connection. Plus, you would not want all those facial blemishes appearing prominently on the screen. </li>
</ul>
<li> Microphone & Speaker</li>
<ul>
<li>Laptops have a built-in mic and speaker. Use them especially if they are of good quality. </li>
<li>Invest in a good mic/speaker. If possible consider ones with noise-cancelling feature. Wireless (mostly Bluetooth) headsets are good if you need to move around during your meetings. It's very helpful for long meetings although battery life can limit the duration of use. </li>
<li>For comfort, consider over-the-ear instead of on-ear or in-ear headsets. Over-the-ear covers your whole ear and is very comfortable. On-ear is cheaper but it rests on your ear while in-ear is the small ones you insert in your ears. It looks good and very futuristic but can be uncomfortable with long use like the on-ear. </li>
<li>Bluetooth headphones, even the noise-cancelling ones, tend to have 2 issues which create a grating experience to the other parties -- </li>
<ol>
<li>Their mics are sensitive and tend to pick the smallest annoying sound like the whirring and whooshing of an electric fan. Turn off these sources of sound when using this kind of headset/mic. Do not stir a glass of juice with lots of ice or coffee in a metal mug using a metal spoon as the high-pitched banging gets amplified over the mic. </li>
<li>When Bluetooth connection is not proper, the spotty connection between your computer/phone and the headset creates a lot of static noise. Reset your phone/computer and its connection to your headset. If it is still there, consider using a wired connection instead. </li>
</ol>
<li>Two more notes -- </li>
<ul>
<li>I have a wired headset, the one that comes with mobile phones, as a back up in case my wireless headset does not work for some reason. It is not ideal but sound connectivity is a priority over convenience. </li>
<li>If you are in a noisy room, consider putting your mic in mute at all times except when you need to speak. Your meeting mates will thank you for being considerate. </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<li> Lighting</li>
<ul>
<li>If your laptop or monitor is close enough to your face, you may not need this. However, your camera will be all chin and nose (or forehead and eyes) if you are too close to your camera. </li>
<li>But consider putting a light source in front of you, preferably beside or behind the camera position. A desk lamp or a study lamp directed at your face is usually enough. Ring lamps are okay but they tend to be expensive and it could block your view of your computer monitor. </li>
<li>If you need your whole body to be shown on-screen (sometimes needed for online classes or webinars), consider turning on the ceiling light and adding a few lamps around the room to increase the ambient light and illuminate your whole body. Again, it might be best to put the lamp in front of you behind the camera for optimum lighting. </li>
<li>Two notes on lighting -- </li>
<ul>
<li>Consider using warm lamps instead of fluorescent or white lights as you will appear ashen on screen. A warm lamp (similar to a light bulb) gives you a nice glowing tone on-screen. </li>
<li>Do not direct or point the light source at your face or you will appear with a bright spot on-screen. It is best to have diffused lighting, which is why I recommend a desk lamp, which usually has a skirt that diffuses the light. A ring lamp scatters the light in a radial manner so you do not get a very bright nose. </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<li> Extra screen </li>
<ul>
<li>This is entirely optional but would help a lot. It is usually an extra monitor connected to your computer or laptop via HDMI or VGA cable, </li>
<li>This screen helps you to see your meeting mates or students on another monitor while your computer's main screen has the call app with controls and your camera view. Shared presentations can also be shown on the extra screen, </li>
<li>If needed, you can use a big TV or even a projector, if you need to see all of your 45 students all at once. </li>
</ul>
</ol>
<div>
These are my tried and tested hardware setup advice for online meetings, webinars, or classes. I have advice on do's and don't's during online meetings but that's for another time. </div>
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/first appeared on acauso.com</div>
Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05906399099114474763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572335975724070872.post-4383036012173298392020-04-27T02:11:00.002+08:002020-04-27T02:16:27.207+08:00What else to automate for the logistics industry?<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIfIyN1zkWoKh_hh3ZcFcIyeapM_k35eia9rWz2fcHd_nD6GzbW27sICrosh1sDv8cFfkowsp9VYqmZHRtov8XqBL3BPjLAKz6hobp9imoDHcMGYQ7vFmuVBo2vmpEaWSbLT_qbhwKsmM/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Hand Plus Robotics" border="0" data-original-height="3750" data-original-width="3750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIfIyN1zkWoKh_hh3ZcFcIyeapM_k35eia9rWz2fcHd_nD6GzbW27sICrosh1sDv8cFfkowsp9VYqmZHRtov8XqBL3BPjLAKz6hobp9imoDHcMGYQ7vFmuVBo2vmpEaWSbLT_qbhwKsmM/w320-h320/Picker.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robot Picking for E-Commerce (© Hand Plus Robotics 2020)</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">A recent </span><a class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink" href="https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4572335975724070872/438303601217329839#" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">DHL Insights & Innovation article</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> has highlighted three use cases of robotics for the logistics supply chain:</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">1) Container unloading</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">2) Outdoor goods movement within a warehouse compound</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">3) Sorting - although perhaps robot arm manipulators may not be suitable for this kind of work due to the high throughput</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I would like to add a few more to this list:</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">4) Item random packing (after picking and before shipping)</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">5) Box kitting</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">6) Reshelving</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">7) Tight item packing</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Based on what I have witnessed in warehouses, packing lends itself to robotic automation because at this stage, items from an order basket are simply transferred to a poly mailer bag or carton box before shipping. At this stage waybill is verified by scanning the items before they are packed.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Box kitting is a more challenging form of packing since products are placed in tight configuration (usually in some sort of a mold) inside a box. This kind of robotic motion requires higher precision motion and even force control.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">For e-commerce fulfillment centers reshelving is as tedious as picking. Reshelving is not simply replenishment of the shelves. In reshelving, items have to be placed properly on a shelf. While a picking robot may be suitable to be used for reshelving, the need for pre-picking tasks such as the opening of carton boxes could make this problem even more difficult than kitting. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">And the most challenging problem of all -- tight item packing. When a group of items of varying shapes, sizes, and properties are to be packed tightly in a box or bag, ordered placing becomes paramount. Items cannot just be dropped into the box, they have to be laid down carefully, ensuring that the rest of the ordered would fit in and that the whole box is packed such that it will survive transport handling. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">My company, Hand Plus Robotics, specializes in making picking easy for robots. If you'd like to see how we solve the use cases shared above, reach out to me at acauso@handplusrobotics.com.</span></p><div><br /></div><div>/ First posted at www.acauso.com</div>Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05906399099114474763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572335975724070872.post-12573498640516691542020-04-26T03:48:00.001+08:002020-04-26T03:49:31.608+08:00XDBot: eXtreme Disinfection Robot<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">Robots for disinfection have proliferated recently in the fight against COVID-19. </span><span style="font-size: 16px;">These robots can address the risk reduction and cleaning manpower shortage problems. Through the start-ups, Transforma and Hand Plus, this is my small contribution to the fight against COVID-19.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-mXGxFHbL-UbwWoGx9eFKWUOqotWkEvXP30XoKZ5knsFuuj4r6vSpt1lGjjgp7t0mi1DNr4tg4fDFSFjT1Y4lKIcq8w-pG6S8itml2qBdJBqZYdB6_t7lzZ6z_7iVWYkejRpi_aQ0rb1/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="780" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-mXGxFHbL-UbwWoGx9eFKWUOqotWkEvXP30XoKZ5knsFuuj4r6vSpt1lGjjgp7t0mi1DNr4tg4fDFSFjT1Y4lKIcq8w-pG6S8itml2qBdJBqZYdB6_t7lzZ6z_7iVWYkejRpi_aQ0rb1/s320/xdbot-ntu1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">XDBot being tested at NTU. Photo by NTU.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="text-align: start;">NTU has created a nice video about XDBot:</span><a href="https://youtu.be/ABotcF6YeoM" style="text-align: start;" target="_blank"> https://youtu.be/ABotcF6YeoM</a></div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ABotcF6YeoM/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ABotcF6YeoM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<br />Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05906399099114474763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572335975724070872.post-78104307445100004312015-04-04T21:37:00.004+08:002020-04-26T02:02:32.445+08:00How to use phone or tablet as travel camera: is it really a good substitute to point-and-shoot or DSLR?On this trip to Australia, I decided to not bring a camera with me. Instead, I opted to use my iPhone 4S and my iPad mini as travel camera. I have never owned a DSLR or a mirrorless camera, even when I had the money to buy one. I have borrowed friends' DLSR and mirror-less camera before and it felt good to use them and I was also able to shoot better photos.<br />
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However, considering how much additional gadgets I would have to lug around when I use those cameras (battery, charger, extra lenses, flash, etc), I thought it was not worth the hassle especially since I like traveling light.<br />
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I am not an aspiring photographer anyway (never had the illusion). I realized long time ago that I wanted to take photos, especially during travels, so that I could document and make it easier for me to tell stories. I also want proof of odd or interesting things I find. Making photos look good is not really my goal.<br />
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So what's my verdict? Yes, you can use a smartphone or tablet as travel camera. After all, the best camera is the one you have when you needed it. Here are some of the reasons why I said yes:<br />
<br />
1) It's lightweight and easily available. Just pull it out of your pocket. That said, battery life might be an issue. So in my case, I used my iPad as my main camera since it has longer battery life, and used my iPhone as a back-up.<br />
<br />
2) It's not so goofy using an iPhone to take photos. I thought I'd look stupid, but then again I didn't really care about what other people would say. And I don't really block other people when I take photos. Whether you are using a tablet or a DLSR, you are bound to block someone's lens if you stand between him and the object he is trying to shoot.<br />
<br />
3) Smartphone and tablets are multitasking -- I was able to take photos, videos, panoramic shots, selfies (no tripod needed!), edit photos, and upload photos! Also, when internet is available, I can share photos in social media immediately. <br />
<br />
4) You don't need a lot of accessories, making it easier to bring along! No extra chargers, no extra cables. The only issue is, if your phone has small storage capacity, then you have to transfer the photos from your phone to another media or online storage.<br />
<br />
There are limitations, of course. But I think I can live with them:<br />
<br />
1) Low quality -- some phones are good with night shots, some phones have better lenses. But all in all, I just try to adjust my expectations. In the situation where taking photo is not advisable, I take videos instead. The point is, I could still capture the moment, just not in still.<br />
<br />
2) Battery anxiety - when I saw my iPad's battery drop to 20%, I started heading back to the hotel to recharge. Well, that's the reason I had my iPhone as a back-up in case I couldn't recharge my tablet in time.<br />
<br />
3) Usage problems - dirty or cloudy lense, finger covering the lense, shaky hands, etc<br />
<br />
4) It takes practice to get good selfie!<br />
<br />
Anyway, here are some photos I took during my recent trip, using my iPad mini or iPhone:<br />
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<br />
Lastly, here are some tips I found online that might help you use your iPhone as a travel camera:<br />
1) <a href="http://www.adventurejo.com/turn-your-iphone-into-the-ultimate-travel-camera/">http://www.adventurejo.com/turn-your-iphone-into-the-ultimate-travel-camera/</a><br />
2) <a href="http://connect.dpreview.com/post/2863436371/leaving-my-dslr-at-home-iphone-experiment">http://connect.dpreview.com/post/2863436371/leaving-my-dslr-at-home-iphone-experiment</a><br />
3) <a href="http://iphonephotographyschool.com/light-sources/">http://iphonephotographyschool.com/light-sources/</a><br />
4) <a href="http://iphonephotographyschool.com/focus-tips/">http://iphonephotographyschool.com/focus-tips/</a><br />
5) <a href="http://iphonephotographyschool.com/travel-photography/">http://iphonephotographyschool.com/travel-photography/</a><br />
<br />
To sum it up, let me quote a statement from one of the articles above:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Using a phone camera freed-up my head. No settings to fuss over, no gear
to shepherd. It became about seeing pictures, rather than creating
pictures. When I saw good things, I got good pictures. When I didn’t,
there was no technical wizardry to save the day. - Dean Holland </blockquote>
<br />Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05906399099114474763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572335975724070872.post-90102805680500968232014-08-04T13:59:00.004+08:002020-04-27T02:24:08.253+08:00Robots in a dairy farmI saw this video from Bloomberg about the use of robots in dairy farms. It's always a challenge to work in an environment that constantly changes such as a farm. However, that didn't stop the company in the video to create 3 robots for tasks that used to be the domain of human workers:<br />
<ul>
<li>Feed moving</li>
<li>Dung cleaning</li>
<li>Milking</li>
</ul>
Of the three tasks above, I consider milking the most challenging as it involves a moving creature with non-rigid body. Issues such as force control (to prevent cow discomfort or injuries) and dynamic visual servoing (to catch the moving udders) are some of the control issues that come to mind. Other engineering problems would be the robustness of the robots, battery life or power (for the mobile robots), and cost.<br />
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The robotic solutions doesn't come cheap (USD 200K per robot).<br />
<br />
Maybe full automation is not really necessary? If the goal is to increase productivity, would providing farm workers with tools that could assist in executing his job at high speed be more cost-effective?<br />
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<br />Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05906399099114474763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572335975724070872.post-86908901685505868942014-08-01T16:00:00.009+08:002020-05-16T01:24:08.095+08:00The irony of social media -- as pondered by Simon & Garfunkel 50 years earlierA video is going around social media titled, "Look Up". The video essay speaks of how social media (mobile phone?) actually makes people unsocial. With eyes glued to mobile phones, opportunities to connect to one another just pass us by. It's a call to pry ourselves away from our phones, hence, the title. <br />
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Half a century ago in 1964 the duo Simon and Garfunkel, through their song The Sound of Silence also warned of technology that could cause isolation -- television. <br />
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I learned about the real meaning of this song in a poetry class in university, 32 years after the song was released. I couldn't relate to the song because I grew up in a generation when watching television is a norm (even necessary for some as it is one of the cheapest forms of entertainment). It felt like what the singing duo warned about didn't really take place or maybe it did, but a fish wouldn't really know what water is.<br /><br />Humans in general would adapt to any given situation. Whether it's for the worse or the better is a matter left to future generations to find out. As for mobile phones, I think we just have to remember, "too much of something is bad enough".Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05906399099114474763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572335975724070872.post-76523333772288706902014-04-26T13:07:00.009+08:002020-05-16T01:27:50.983+08:00Nature of work has changed... and so should our concept of work-life balance<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back when I was a university student, I was scolded by a senior for being a too busy and worry-wart that lines started to appear on my forehead at the age of 17. I was told that I should take a breather and not work all the time. That maybe I should stop letting work define me.<br />
<br />
Well, she was right. I had to take a breather. But her statement on equating my self-worth with work is something that bothered me ever since. I couldn't agree with it, but I didn't disagree with it either. I hold it as a reminder not to overwork myself. However, I did enjoy what I was doing.<br />
<br />
Two recent articles from the economist brought back this issue to my attention:<br />
<a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/02/dont-end-your-career-with-regrets-in-your-personal-life/" target="_blank">Harvard Blog Review: Don't let career cause regrets in your personal life</a><br />
<a href="http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21600989-why-rich-now-have-less-leisure-poor-nice-work-if-you-can-get-out" target="_blank">Economist: Nice work if you can get out</a><br />
<br />The first article's gist is clear from the title. However, the author mentioned that maybe, we can mix personal and work life. We don't have to have a very clear separation of the two.<br />
<br />
The second article shows some statistics that people who earn more tend to take fewer vacations (leisure time). He posed a question though -- has work become enjoyable that people do not need to take as much leisure time as before? Interesting.<br />
<br />
Back in high school, I learned of Dignity of Labor from <a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_14091981_laborem-exercens_en.html" target="_blank">Laborem Exercens, an encyclical by Pope John Paul II </a>that<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
THROUGH WORK man must earn his daily
bread<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><sup><a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_14091981_laborem-exercens_en.html#$1"></a></sup></span> and contribute to the continual advance of science and
technology and, above all, to elevating unceasingly the cultural and moral
level of the society within which he lives in community with those who belong
to the same family. And work means any activity by man, whether manual or
intellectual, whatever its nature or circumstances; it means any human activity
that can and must be recognized as work, in the midst of all the many
activities of which man is capable and to which he is predisposed by his very
nature, by virtue of humanity itself. Man is made to be in the visible universe
an image and likeness of God himself<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><sup><a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_14091981_laborem-exercens_en.html#$2"></a></sup></span>, and he is placed in it in order
to subdue the earth<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><sup><a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_14091981_laborem-exercens_en.html#$3"></a></sup></span>. From the beginning therefore he is <i>called to
work. Work is one of the characteristics that distinguish </i>man from the rest
of creatures, whose activity for sustaining their lives cannot be called work.
Only man is capable of work, and only man works, at the same time by work
occupying his existence on earth. Thus work bears a particular mark of man and
of humanity, the mark of a person operating within a community of persons. And
this mark decides its interior characteristics; in a sense it constitutes its
very nature.</blockquote>
My friends and I used to tease each other with this teaching by saying, "<i>dangal sa paggawa</i>" (dignity of labor), to mean that we have no choice but to do whatever it is that we have to do (ie, we cannot wish away our problems and tasks). It was a juvenile perspective on work, but something that I continue to strongly believe in.<br />
<br />
It is good to be reminded not to ruin personal life with work, otherwise, we would suffer for it. After all, the most important things in life involve your loved ones, not work. (But what if your loved ones are part of your work?). I hope you would find time to read the <a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/02/dont-end-your-career-with-regrets-in-your-personal-life/" target="_blank">HBR article</a> as it has a few interesting points. <br />
<br />
However, I must admit that I enjoy the guilty pleasures of work, especially since I can mix my work time with personal time (I can work from home, I can work anywhere, and I don't have to work 8am-5pm). I may be one of the lucky few who can do this. Or I may be part of the statistics mentioned in the <a href="http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21600989-why-rich-now-have-less-leisure-poor-nice-work-if-you-can-get-out" target="_blank">Economist article</a> that has a work that is enjoyable.<br />
<br />
Just a reminder:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>The Choice </b></i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i> The intellect of man is forced to choose<br />perfection of the life, or of the work,<br />And if it take the second must refuse<br />A heavenly mansion, raging in the dark.<br />When all that story's finished, what's the news?<br />In luck or out the toil has left its mark:<br />That old perplexity an empty purse,<br />Or the day's vanity, the night's remorse. </i> <i><br />- William Butler Yeats</i></blockquote>
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<span id="goog_1415697588"></span><span id="goog_1415697589"></span><br />Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05906399099114474763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572335975724070872.post-90591964081814547532013-03-08T17:34:00.006+08:002020-05-16T01:19:33.240+08:00So, what's the story?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back in Japan, I used to assist in Technical Presentation and Technical Writing courses. Students were
taught how to make their presentations/papers better.
Topics covered range from grammar to powerpoints to proper pronunciation; they learned details of how to produce good materials. At
the end of the semester though, most of them still delivered
mind-numbing presentations and undecipherable papers. I thought the
students were struggling with the language as they were mostly Japanese,
but then when I moved to Singapore, where the medium of instruction is
English, I still encountered the same drudging presentations and papers.
It's not the language and it's not the technique. It's even simpler than that. In most of those materials, there is no story.</div>
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<br />
I've sat through a couple of presentations this week and reviewed two papers for an international conference. In all instances, I was bored to death. I almost fell asleep at one of the presentations and it took me two days to get through a 6-page paper as I couldn't get past the first two incomprehensible pages. While listening/reading, I kept asking myself, what's the story? Tell me a story instead of giving a
bunch of technical mambo-jumbos.<br />
<br />
Why is it
too difficult to make a presentation that presents a technical topic in a story format? I realized presentations and papers can even follow the fairy-tale format, something that even young kids will understand.
Consider these parallels between a fairy-tale and a technical
presentation as a complete story arc:<br />
<ul>
<li>In a land far far away... >> Current situational context (social, technical, etc)</li>
<li>Then an evil witch suddenly appears... >> The problem to be solved (technical, social)</li>
<li>But there's a reluctant hero who can save the land... >> State of the art but with gaps</li>
<li>The reluctant hero needs to get a magic sword... >> The proposed
method that can improve state-of-the-art and solve the problem</li>
<li>The reluctant hero battles the witch... >> Experimental or simulation details/results</li>
<li>The hero prevails and the witch is vanquished... >> Discussion</li>
<li>And they live happily ever after... >> Conclusion</li>
</ul>
If that seems too many to follow, consider these:<br />
<ul>
<li>What's the current situation and what seems to be the problem?</li>
<li>Why do you want to solve it and what's your solution?</li>
<li>Convince me with your result.</li>
</ul>
Dear
students, please heed this advice. The next time you write a paper or prepare a presentation, ask yourself, what's the story that you want to share? And then write/tell it like a fairy tale.<br />
<br />
As
I strongly believe, proper story-telling is fundamental to sharing,
discussing, and discovering ideas, which is what research is all about.Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05906399099114474763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572335975724070872.post-28567250110391676302011-04-25T13:44:00.001+08:002020-05-16T01:15:32.656+08:00Fukushima tragedy: where are the Japanese robots?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEias3pI5t5MBBSrrIjzKi_nHOfqZlUdlWWFLV6ZWZqZLiU52ZhK5A7LYeGcFfu4jBs2NTFJdCzUO9x1JjzObIkjx7BI7AFEECDkTeswFf-wK9NFvGFL1wW6mog2_ZWiTWzYnAxlhODIL4DF/s1600/p.txt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEias3pI5t5MBBSrrIjzKi_nHOfqZlUdlWWFLV6ZWZqZLiU52ZhK5A7LYeGcFfu4jBs2NTFJdCzUO9x1JjzObIkjx7BI7AFEECDkTeswFf-wK9NFvGFL1wW6mog2_ZWiTWzYnAxlhODIL4DF/s1600/p.txt.jpg" height="226" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm puzzled by the absence of Japanese robots in Fukushima right now.
I mean, given the country's prowess in robotics research, where have
all the robots gone? How come none are in use to monitor the interior of
the damaged nuclear reactor buildings? None are being used for search
or rescue either.<br />
<br />
So far, only British and American robots are in action. Companies such as <a data-mce-href="http://www.qinetiq.com/" href="http://www.qinetiq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Qinetiq (UK)</a> and <a data-mce-href="http://www.irobot.com/" href="http://www.irobot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iRobot (US)</a>
have been flexing their robot's muscles on the scene. Some of the robots currently deployed in Fukushima are pictured above (taken from BBC
<<a data-mce-href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13114310" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13114310" target="_blank">link here</a>>).<br />
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Societies
like the Robotics Society of Japan (RSJ) have initiated discussions with
TEPCO on how to use robots in the site. An article in Japan Times (<a data-mce-href="http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110423f1.html" href="http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110423f1.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Japanese Robots Await Call to Action</a>, 23-Apr-2011) said that so far, only <a data-mce-href="http://www.tmsuk.co.jp/" href="http://www.tmsuk.co.jp/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tmsuk</a>'s Enryu robot is waiting for deployment.<br />
<br />
Premature cancellation of developments of rescue robots have been a problem:<br />
<blockquote>
The
central government initially contributed ¥3 billion in subsidies for
the robot project but its funding did not last long and the development
process was halted before any units were perfected for actual use. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
An
official of the Manufacturing Science and Technology Center, which was
in charge of the development at that time, said, "There was a strong
sense among us that those types of robot would never have a real-life
chance to flex their muscles." </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div id="paragrah">
Some prototype robots
developed in the process have been put on display at Sendai Science
Museum. A museum employee said of the halted development initiative, "It
was like stopping premium payments for a nonrefundable insurance
policy."</div>
</blockquote>
Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05906399099114474763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572335975724070872.post-36735310223465513932011-03-13T18:28:00.000+08:002020-04-27T02:26:03.500+08:00Trailblazing papers from the Royal Society<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://trailblazing.royalsociety.org/" href="http://trailblazing.royalsociety.org/" target="_blank">The Royal Society has made public a lot of very old papers</a> (some recent ones actually), including:</div>
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<em>1666: “Tryals Proposed by Mr. Boyle to Dr. Lower, to be Made by Him, for the Improvement of Transfusing Blood out of One Live Animal into Another”</em></div>
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<em>1671: “A Letter of Mr. Isaac Newton, Professor of the Mathematicks in the University of Cambridge; Containing His New Theory about Light and Colors”</em></div>
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<em>1677: “Observations, Communicated to the Publisher by Mr. Antony van Leewenhoeck, in a Dutch Letter of the 9th of Octob. 1676. Here English’d: concerning Little Animals by Him, Observed in Rain-Well-Sea. and Snow Water; as also in Water Wherein Pepper Had Lain Infused”</em></div>
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<em>1752: “A Letter of Benjamin Franklin, Esq; to Mr. Peter Collinson, F.R.S. concerning an Electrical Kite”</em></div>
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<em>1822: “Account of an Assemblage of Fossil Teeth and Bones of Elephant, Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, Bear, Tiger, and Hyaena, and Sixteen Other Animals; Discovered in a Cave at Kirkdate, Yorkshire, in the Year 1821: With a Comparative View of Five Similar Caverns in Various Parts of England, and Others on the Continent” </em></div>
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<em>1920: “A Determination of the Deflection of Light by the Sun’s Gravitational Field, from Observations Made at the Total Eclipse of May 29, 1919″</em></div>
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<em>1965: “The Fit of the Continents Around the Atlantic” </em></div>
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One thing I was able to confirm is that Benjamin Franklin didn't attach a key at the end of the kite's string. It was just a myth!</div>
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The papers are really worth exploring. Aside from reading about groundbreaking ideas directly from the men who made or discovered them, it's simply fun. Oh, plus the language and typography are really challenging! Check them out.</div>
Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05906399099114474763noreply@blogger.com