Can We Get Drone under US$100?

A pocket size drone

Like professional, those who amateurs also want to have a drone to photos taken from sky or selfie purposes.

The “simple” professional drone may cost from US$ 1,000 to US$ 3,000. Quite expensive, especially for beginners

In addition to cheap, the amateurs require the following features:

- good quality camera (video of bird’s eye view)

- portable (easy to carry)

- light weight

- easy to use

- fly up to reasonable high

Is it possible to have above features with price US$ 100 or even less? The answer is YES. 

Illustration of photo taken by an amateur’s drone (credit to Google)

I saw a website (pcmag) gave list of US$ 100 drones, few are:

- Eachine E010 Mini UFO Quadcopter Drone

- QCopter HD Camera Drone

- Ryze Tello

- UFO 3000 LED Drone Quadcopter

- Cheerwing Syma X5SW-V3

A drone is flying

Currently, some friends of mind are talking about “drone x pro” brand name. The price is US$ 100.

If we diligent enough to search through “Google,” few companies sell below US$ 100. I saw US$ 64 and even US$ 54.

However, I don’t know for quality and whether include shipping cost or not. 

Illustration of photo was taken from sky

Drone x pro can fly up to 150 feet (50 m). In my opinion that the height is excellent, below regulation set by Aviation authority.

In order to avoid conflict with private and commercial aircraft, USA aviation authority has a rule to drone that it recommended to fly below 121 m (400 feet).

From 50 m (150 feet), we can take very clear photos with 720p camera.

Interestingly, drone can take-off and landing automatically by pushing a pair of buttons on the remote control. It is perfect for beginner.

Do you want to have a drone? If so, what are you purpose for?

Why Medical Students Need Specific Social Media? - Part 2

Illustration of puncture wounded

First part of this post may be seen at: “Why Medical Students Need Specific Social Media? - Part 1”

Host and co-host discuss about the content of “Figure 1 app.” The feel that the content so gruesome and gross for common people to see the website.

The guest, John Herrman comments that “Figure 1 app” is one of 100 list of things he regrets to see in internet, unfortunate the site to be popular right now.

John Herrman feel strange of Doctors make a joke about punctured by a nail and how the patient nailed it.

It is not wrong, but just so strange to see (the picture) and to talk about it.

Then, the host interviewed Lauren, his friend who is a first year resident in an emergency room.

Lauren and her friends do use “Figure 1 app.” It’s really popular, particularly among medical students.

But, Lauren think the images are worst, gross and horrible. Lauren said, for her, “Figure 1 app” was not a useful educational tool.

She just see the images when kind of boring with other things. It is least tangentially related to medicine.

Illustration for gangrene (credit to Google)

However, one medical student, Nick DeVito is a third-year resident at Tufts Medical Center working toward a career in hematology and oncology has own opinion.

He favors to particularly beautiful photos of growths, gashes, and gangrene from Figure 1 app (Popper, 2015).

Illustration of skin layers (credit to Google)

Many other student thinks that a picture is worth, it is because the image is sharing and connect with everyone.

In addition, Doctors would post images along with a description of the patient and the condition.

Reference

Popper, B. 2015. I'm addicted to the gruesome and beautiful photographs on Figure 1, an Instagram for doctors. The Verge. Retrieved from http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/6/8341217/figure-1-medical-images-sharing-app

Reliefs on the Largest Buddha Temple in the World, Borobudur – part 1

Top View of Borobudur temple

As on previous post: “What is the Largest Buddha Temple in the World?” That there are 3 important parts of temple.

We talking about reliefs now. At the body of the temple, we could find many reliefs. As said by Raezer and Raezer (2016), the total number of relief is 120 big pieces (around 1500 small panels).

Reliefs are sculptures on the wall (body) of the temple, they depicted:

- Buddha life (critical to understand the faith)

- the daily life of people surrounding the temple around 1,200 years ago.

Buddha life consists of:

- Buddha descend from the Tushita heaven

- Buddha enter Maya’s womb

- Maya travel to Lumbini

- Buddha cuts hair

- Buddha meditates with 5 ascetics

- Mara’s daughter tempt Buddha

- Siddhartha achieve enlightenment become Buddha

- Buddha gives first sermon

Relief of Buddha (Siddhartha) cut hair

Cutting hair is a symbol to embrace new (ascetic) life. Some said the symbol as represent of:

- Love

- Courage

- Sacrifice

- Discipline

Siddhartha cut his hair when he reached 29 years old while in the process to be Buddha. 

Since then, he cut the tie between his current life to his former status as a prince. 

Relief after meditation Siddhartha achieve enlightenment.

One process to become Buddha is meditation. Siddhartha meditated under the tree for 49 days or 7 weeks without changing position.

He “deeply absorbed in meditation” to penetrate the true of life. At this stage, he got enlightenment and then become Buddha.

Borobudur entrance

Observing reliefs on the temple wall is one of attractive reasons to visit Borobudur. The largest Buddha temple in the world.

Reference

Raezer, D and Raezer, J. 2016. The Temples of Java: Borobudur & Prambanan.

Retrieved from http://www.approachguides.com/ebook-previews/Preview-ApproachGuides-Indonesia-Java-Borobudur-Prambanan.pdf

Why Salvador Dali Museum as a Wish List to Visit before Die?

The unique design of Salvador Dali Museum

Many friends of mine have “wish list” before they die. Their favorite places or objects to visit are:

1. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

2. Douro valley, Portugal

3. Machu Picchu, Peru

4. Marrakech, Morocco

5. Great Wall, China

6. Pyramid, Egypt

Surprisingly, quite plenty friends of mine have included Salvador Dali Museum, St Petersberg, Florida as their wish list to visit before they die.

It is because the building is unique. It was built based on principle of science, math and proportion. Represent of Salvador Dali see the world with 1000 ways.

The artist observed the world as combinations of:

- progressive

- classic

- fantasy

Museum locates at Water front

The museum has collected art works of Dali, the biggest outside of his country, Spain:

- 96 oil paintings

- 2000 pieces of art works

List of some Dali’s painting are:

- The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory

- The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus

- Daddy Long Legs of the Evening — Hope

- Eggs on the Plate Without the Plate

- Portrait of My Dead Brother

One of corner inside museum

Inside the 3 floor building, we can go from first to third floor through spiral staircase. Staircase reflects the Dali interests in science, DNA helix.

In addition to galleries which displays Dali’s painting, the museum also has sections of:

- theater

- gift shops

- library

- Gala cafe (named for respect of Dali’s wife)

- meeting room

Melting watch, one of Dali famous paintings

Around 400,000 visitors come to Dali Museum in Florida per year. They are from 30 different countries.

Museum is considered as one of the most visited in America. Entrance ticket is US$ 24 for an adult (18 to 64 years). US$ 22 for:

- Seniors

- Fire fighters

- Military

- Educators (teachers)

- Police

Have you visited or arranged to come to Dali’s Museum in Florida?

Are there Jobs With Salary US$80,000 Without College Degree?

One of Mississippi river cruise ships (credit to Google)

Just to give an idea that average salary for college degree is US$48,00 in the USA. Off course depends very much on the:

- majors (medical relate degrees, nurse and engineering are different to social relate degrees)

- places of work (profit companies, public or non-profit institutions).

- occupation (teacher, employee, business owner, supervisor or manager).

The question then, are there Jobs With Salary US$80,000 Without College Degree? The answer is YES.

There are jobs without college degrees with higher salary. Annual average salary US$80,000. Sure, the higher could reach more than US$100 thousands per-year.

Two of trending jobs with high school diploma, but higher salary are:

- Water vessel pilot and associates

- Operator at nuclear power reactors

An inter coastal boat (credit to Google)

Based on area of operations, water vessels (cargo, cruise, oil tanker and others) include:

- Deep ocean ships

- Coastal boats

- Lake transportation

- Inland water vessels

In addition to vessel captains, other supporting occupations get higher salary as well, especially at managerial or supervise levels.

Interestingly, who works in the shipping industries fell their jobs are:

- 75% satisfy

- 67% meaningfulness

A nuclear power plant (credit to Google)

Operators at nuclear power reactors work 24 hours cycle with 8 hours shift. Thus, they need life adjustment.

It is reported that operators view about their jobs are:

- 63 satisfy

- 72% feel meaningfulness of their jobs.

In addition to high school diploma, both water vessel captains and nuclear power plant reactors need specific license and rigorous training.

Do you know occupations with higher pay, more than US$80,00 per year without 4 years college degrees?

An Orphan Baby Girl Dugong Needs a Warm Hug

An orphan baby Dugong calms down in the arms of a marine biologist (credit to Google)

What make world exciting recently is that Thailand Marine biologists found a lonely orphan baby girl of Dugong nearby Phuket water.

When she saw marine biologists, the 5 months orphan girl approached the scientists. She hugs one of scientists who she taught of her mother.

Frightening fact that 200 Dugong left only in Thailands, and similar trend in other South East Asian countries. Dugong Population near extinct

Dugong (Dugong dugon) in South East Asia similar to Manatee (Trichechus sp) in America. They are also known as “sea cow.”

In fairy tales, they are called as mermaid or queen of sea or “putri duyung” in many countries.

I myself may found Dugong in the fisherman markets in South East Asian Countries about 30 years ago.

Marine biologists are milking orphan baby dugong (credit to Google)

Governments in South East countries included Dugong as endangered species around 15 years ago or later. The countries are:

- Thailand

- Philippine

- Malaysia

- Indonesia

- Vietnam

They are not only endangered species, but International Union of Conservation for Nature considered Dugong as “vulnerable” species, almost disappear from earth.

Baby girl Dugong is approaching a biologist (credit to Google)

The extinct is not due to commercial hunting for meat, skin or bones. Man activities are the main reasons of Dugong population to deplete.

Human activities destroyed food sources and habitat of this critters. The activities include:

- Fishing vessels with their fuel contaminated Dugong’s habitat

- Fishing tools (nets, cages, trawl, grates) destroyed sea grass beds as source of foods.

- Mining cause “sediment build up” and degrading marine habitat.

Have you seen Dugongs or Manatees in the nature? 

Why “Blue Blood” is Cost for US$ 60 Thousand per Gallon?

Horseshoe crabs on the beach (credit to Google)

What? “Blue blood?” Expensive? I am quite surprising when reading an article about price of blue blood of a horseshoe crab, a primitive marine creature.

When I was a little kid, I found these creatures on the beach while low tide. The horseshoe crabs are older than dinosaurs in term of evolutionary time.

They were appearing about more than 200 million years ago, thus categorized as “living fossil.”

In the USA, if we lucky enough, we may spot this living fossil along the coastline of Maine to Florida to Texas and then to Mexico in the summer season.

The scientific name for American horseshoe crab is Limulus polypemus. Other three species are found in tropical Indo-Pacific, mainly in South East Asia countries:

- Tachypleus gigas

- Tachypleus tridentatus

- Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda

Blue blood was taken by bleeding horseshoe crabs (credit to Google)

Based on scientific name, horseshoe crab is not really crab. Close to spider and scorpion than to crab.

Why their blood color are blue? To carry oxygen in the blood, horseshoe crabs use hemocyanin, and hemocyanin contains copper to cause blood to be blue.

As comparison that mammals use hemoglobin to carry oxygen in their blood. Hemoglobin contains iron which make red color of blood.

Male on the top of female when they are breeding (credit to Google)

Price tag is US$ 60 thousands equal to Euro 53 thousand or US$ 16,000 per liter. So expensive.

It is because highly demand of horseshoe crabs blood by pharmaceutical companies. The companies catch the living fossil, and brought to lab to drain up the animal blood.

Around 30% of animals blood are taken, then released back to ocean. List of companies collect the blue blood are:

- Associates of Cape Cod

- Wako Chemical

- Lonza

- Charles River Endosafe

- Limuli Labs

Blue blood is extracted for Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL). The LAL then applied to detect virus, bacteria and toxin in the substances.

Have you seen horseshoe crab on the beach?