Friday, July 16, 2010

Nailing the look

TODAY, THURSDAY JULY 15, 2010, ENTERTAINMENT, PAGE T12
From: http://imcms2.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/documents/006/PDF/20100715/1507MVP012.pdf
Website: http://www.todayonline.com/Entertainment/Music/EDC100715-0000068/Hey,-doesnt-she-sound-like-Jewel?
05:55 AM Jul 15, 2010 By AP



PHOTO: Jewel pictured in February this year ... Bet the disguise threw you off as well! AFP To play Karen, Jewel was given a prosthetic nose, wig and glasses, and butt padding. One astonished person from the crowd was heard comparing the meeklooking Karen to ‘an American Susan Boyle’.
http://imcms2.mediacorp.sg/cmsfileserver/showimageCC.aspx?450&318&f=1832&img=1832_240332.jpg&h=450&w=318


Hey, doesn't she sound like Jewel?
The singer does 'undercover karaoke' for comedy website

ON A recent Monday night at a Los Angeles karaoke bar, a meek-looking woman in a business suit and glasses was coaxed on stage by her co-workers.



PHOTO: http://multipleverses.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/jewel-staite.jpg


While the boozy crowd readied itself for four minutes of awkward singing, the woman suddenly belted out exquisite, pitch-perfect renditions of the Jewel songs Who Will Save Your Soul and Foolish Games.

Astonished crowd members picked their jaws off the floor and cheered wildly. One person was heard comparing "Karen" to "an American Susan Boyle".

Little did the crowd know, they had been victims of "undercover karaoke".


PHOTO: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ioLRixTvL._SS500_.jpg


"Karen" was really Jewel, and the proceedings had been filmed by funnyordie.com, a comedy video website co-founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. Posted online on Tuesday, the clip was rapidly circulated, with more than 160,000 views that evening.

"I was a bit nervous to do this skit at first because I feared it would amount to little more than showing off some vocals, dressed as someone else," Jewel said. "I was worried it wouldn't be self-effacing enough."



PHOTO: http://www.contactmusic.com/pics/md/valentines_day_red_carpet_6_090210/jewel_2735855.jpg


For the video, created by Funny or Die writer-director Eric Appel, Jewel was given a prosthetic nose, wig and glasses, and butt padding. Only after performing as Karen did Jewel return to the stage of the karaoke joint, the Gas Lite, as herself.

Before the reveal, one audience member says to the camera of "Karen": "They tell me she only sings at Christmas parties."



PHOTO: http://www.bergproperties.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/jewel2.jpg


Though Jewel is principally a singer-songwriter, she has acted before, most notably in the 1999 Ang Lee film, Ride With The Devil. This performance was a bit quicker (Funny or Die contacted her just a few days before taping on June 28) and more comical.


PHOTO: http://images.dailyfill.com/3157318382d14ed9_b414da638031939d/o/jewel-bikini-miami.jpg


"This did not require much, as the costume did most of the work for me," said Jewel. "I love improv and this was a small chance to do that. I would love to do more of it in the future. A dream gig would be a show like Curb Your Enthusiasm."

Jewel also shot another video for Funny or Die that she says involves former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. A spokeswoman for the site said it will be released next week.
AP


PHOTO: http://images1.fanpop.com/images/photos/1200000/Jewel-jewel-1280829-1400-1050.jpg



PHOTO: Jewel
http://imcms2.mediacorp.sg/cmsfileserver/showimageCC.aspx?450&318&f=1832&img=1832_240332.jpg&h=450&w=318



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Sunday, July 11, 2010

Secondary 4 Circle and trigonometry (Hey Math)

From: Hey Math! assignment (E-Maths), July 2010, Question #7, Circle and trigonometry

An arc which subtends and angle of 60° at O is shown below. Find the ratio of r : R.



Select the correct answer from the following choices.
i) 1 : 2
ii) 1 : √2
iii) 1 : √3
iv) 1 : 3


Solutions:

With reference to the following diagram;

The radius ABO passed through the center of the circle ARC and bisects the angle EOD.
Triangle BCO is a right angled triangle with angles 30°, 60° and 90°.

By trigonometry,
if BC = r, then BO = 2r.

Therefore radius of the arc DAE = AB + BO = 3r
Given that the radius of the arc DAE = R,
That is, R = 3r
Therefore the ratio of r : R is 1 : 3.

The answer is (iv).


Reference
  • Hey Math! assignment (E-Maths), July 2010, Question #7, Circle and trigonometry
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Saturday, July 10, 2010

Let’s cross over now live to Paul ...

WEEKEND TODAY JULY 10 - 11, 2010, WORLD CUP 2010, PAGE W3
From http://imcms2.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/documents/006/PDF/20100710/1007WSP036.pdf
By Agencies



PHOTO: Paul is firmly in the Spain camp. AFP
WEEKEND TODAY JULY 10 - 11, 2010, WORLD CUP 2010, PAGE W3



WORLD CUP 2010

BERLIN - Eyes around the world were on Germany’s octopus oracle Paul on Friday as he made his biggest prediction yet in the World Cup: Spain will beat Holland in the final on Sunday (Monday morning, Singapore time).

Paul’s perfect record of prescient picks in the World Cup have propelled him to international fame from obscurity a month ago in an aquarium in the western city of Oberhausen.

TV stations in Germany, Great Britain, Taiwan and elsewhere broadcast live pictures, complete with breathless commentary, of his final decision for the tournament.

Millions watched as the world-famous octopus descended upon on a tank marked with a Spanish flag, sitting for only a few minutes before grabbing a mussel and devouring it, while completely ignoring the Dutch tank, indicating a Spanish victory.

Earlier on Friday, he predicted that Germany will beat Uruguay in the third place playoff on Saturday (Sunday morning, Singapore time).

It was the first time he’d been tasked to pick a game in which Germany wasn’t involved, as the Oberhausen Sea Life aquarium bowed to overwhelming demand to see who he would choose in the final.

The two-and-a-half-year-old Paul correctly predicted Germany’s wins over Argentina, England, Australia and Ghana and the country’s losses to Serbia in the group stage and Spain in the semi-final.

Paul’s handlers say he is coping with fame well. Said Sea Life aquarium manager Stefan Porwoll: “Paul is such a professional oracle, he doesn’t even care that hundreds of journalists are watching and commenting on every move he makes.

“We’re so proud of him.” Paul first started calling matches during the 2008 European Championship in which he got five out of six games involving Germany correctly, but international stardom only arrived with his World Cup prognostications.

Spain’s defeat of Germany in the semifinals, as predicted by Paul, prompted many Germans to wonder about how he would taste grilled for dinner.

Porwoll said the aquarium actually stepped up security but added that Paul gets a lot more fan mail that hate mail.

“We’ve been getting tonnes of requests from around the globe,” said Porwoll. “People want to ask Paul about their marriage prospects, the gender of their future baby or the outcome of upcoming elections.”

German TV stations have offered the eight-legged psychic lucrative contracts for his post-World Cup life, said Porwoll.
Paul has even made waves in the business world. Gary Jenkins, an economist with London’s Evolution Securities, hedged his market analysis note on Friday, conceding “unless Paul says differently”. “We did try and hire Paul the Octopus but we understand he is Goldman’s bound,” said Jenkins, referring to the bank Goldman Sachs.

While Paul is no doubt the world’s most famous animal oracle these days, he is facing competition. Pauline, a female octopus in Dutch captivity, has predicted victory for Holland in the final, her aquarium said on Friday.

“She chose the Netherlands,” said Maaike Schroeder, spokeswoman for the Sea Life aquarium in Scheveningen.

It was, however, only four-year-old Pauline’s first attempt at divination, using a similar method to that employed for Paul.

In Singapore, a World Cup-forecasting parakeet Mani also picked the Oranje, creeping out of his cage to choose between two white cards, one hiding a Dutch flag, the other Spanish.
By Agencies

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Friday, July 9, 2010

Slide Tackle, special edition - Paul the Psychic Octopus

From Website: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/sport/soccer/article_1569722.php/Slide-Tackle-special-edition-Paul-the-Psychic-Octopus
Jul 9, 2010, 15:39 GMT
By © Deutsche Presse-Agentur



PHOTO: http://www.whoateallthepies.tv/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/jabulani-ball.jpg



PHOTO: FIFA World Cup 2010 at South Africa
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSc4FvX2ytCgLasAWhdlpNtgFthAaq8AQ9-LNFKIZGPmDL44axvjXoue4TPzVkpZ89CyWpCIptEw4OVyPeXJHh14hzCPgiuvjH592re_TGW477rkkQqmHHirzzcofNB7Q0j4-0OwI3RUHn/s400/2010-FIFA-world-Cup+mania.jpg


Hamburg - A special edition of the slide tackle column on the occasion of Paul the psychic octopus' final World Cup predictions made on Friday.

BET ON PAUL - The Daily Telegraph says that bookies William Hill are accepting bets on the accuracy of celebrity psychic octopus Paul's prediction for the World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands. However, the number of bets was so colossal even before Paul predicted Spain to win on Sunday that odds were cut from evens to 10/11. William Hill said that if someone had placed a 10-pound accumulator bet on all of Paul's predictions he would have already won 1,426 pounds by now. 'This is the first time we've genuinely had punters coming into betting shops and asking staff about the predictions made by an octopus,' a spokesman said.




PAUL'S NEWS - Paul's final predictions attracted a huge television audience and all the attention of other news gathering bodies as well. Spanish and Dutch television reported live from the Oberhausen aquarium as Paul chose the mussel from the cube bearing the Spanish flag. German television was also also on air among others, and Paul's prediction was even worth an urgent for The Associated Press news agency.

PAUL'S BAD - British professor David Spiegelharter is throwing in the towel over Paul's predictions, according to The Times. 'Curse that psychic octopus. He makes me look a fool,' Spiegelharter tells the paper. Spiegelharter is a Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at Cambridge University and, even though he doesn't consider Paul's predictions remarkable, still fears that students will make life difficult for him in the future by asking him about the psychic octopus during lectures.




PAUL HERE, PAUL THERE - Paul's astonishing World Cup accuracy opens the door for other predictions/choices or simply to steal his name to make the own product more interesting. Twitter user rupertg firmly believes that Paul has the capacity to solve the smartphone war for good: 'Can we sort this out once and for all, and give Paul the Psychic Octopus two boxes - one with an iPhone and one an Android?' British punk rock band Pick Your Weapon, meanwhile believe 'I bet LeBron James, Raoul Moat, and Paul the Psychic Octopus would dig listening to our EP at the British Grand Prix.'

IN SQUID WE TRUST - That is an almost standard remark after Paul's prediction of the final - unless you are Dutch. Reports have surfaced that they have come up with a cephalopod of their own - nicely named Pauline and nicely predicting a Dutch win over Spain on Sunday. Pauline's Sea Life Aquarium in Scheveningen has also offered Paul asylum after angry German reactions. 'We have a free aquarium and maybe he even hits it off with Pauline,' said a spokesman.




GRATEFUL PAUL - Paul is grateful that Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero is ready to send a protective team for him as he is not all too happy with German reactions after the semi-final. Speaking to the Time Magazine website, Paul says 'I'm fighting for my frickin' life here. I've read reports that there were calls over here for me to be roasted with lemon juice and olive oil or even turned into a plate of paella. Don't get me wrong: I can smile at the irony of the paella scenario. But it doesn't mean I want to end up on someone's plate. I will never go against Germany again.'
By © Deutsche Presse-Agentur








11:55 AM Jul 08, 2010
According to Der Western, a newspaper, there have been "a host of comments on Facebook, Twitter suggesting Paul should be fried, barbecued or turned into a seafood salad or paella ... Others wanted to throw him into the shark tank."

"We know that all octopus have nine brains so we know he has exceptional powers."

The container selected by the octopus is assumed to be the predicted winner and so far Paul has a 100-per-cent success rate for all six of Germany's fixtures during World Cup 2010 - including, unfortunately, the semi-final.
By THE DAILY TELEGRAPH








There have been no such death threats for Mani in Singapore who predicted all four winners of the quarter-finals correctly and has pecked for the Dutch.

The bird has rapidly gained cult status among gambling-mad soccer fans who have been flocking to its astrologer owner's shop in the hope of winning big.




Local media reports said Mani - dubbed "magical bird" and "homegrown psychic parakeet" - used its beak to pick a card bearing the flag of the Netherlands over one with Spain's national colours.
By Copyright © 2010 AFP



PHOTO: http://jetztimg.sueddeutsche.de/upl/images/user/to/tobias-moorstedt/384391.jpg



PHOTO: http://images.teamtalk.com/08/06/800x600/Euro-2008-Final-Germany-Spain-Fans-10_991745.jpg



PHOTO: http://cache.deadspin.com/assets/images/deadspin/2008/06/eurofinal.jpg




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Oracle octopus to predict final winner


WORLD CUP 2010

TODAY FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2010, PAGE W2, WORLD CUP 2010
From http://imcms2.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/documents/006/PDF/20100709/0907WCP060.pdf
By AGENCIES

Spanish PM offers ‘psychic’ Paul asylum from angry fans after correctly predicting Germany’s semi-final exit.



PHOTO: Upset German fans turned on Paul after he correctly predicted a win for Spain. AFP
TODAY FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2010, PAGE W2, WORLD CUP 2010


MADRID, Paul the “psychic” octopus, who has become a global star after correctly forecasting all six of Germany’s matches in South Africa, will predict the winner of the World Cup final.

But only if his hefty workload has not exhausted him.

The mollusc medium will today make his prediction for Germany’s third-place playoff with Uruguay tomorrow (Sunday morning, Singapore time).

Paul’s handlers will follow the now familiar routine. Two boxes will be lowered into his tank, each containing a tasty morsel of food and the flags of the two opposing teams. Whichever box Paul wrenches open is adjudged to be the winner.

Afterwards, Paul will be offered boxes with Spanish and Dutch flags, the two teams in Sunday’s showcase final, but only if he is deemed not too tired and still hungry, the aquarium’s spokesman said.

“We do not want to overburden him,” said the spokesman.

The eight-legged oracle, who was four-for-five at Euro 2008, has boasted a perfect record at this World Cup. He forecast German wins over Australia, Ghana, England and Argentina by choosing to eat a mussel from boxes emblazoned with the flags of the German team and their rivals.

And proving he is not just attracted to the German flag, he also correctly predicted losses to Serbia in the group stage and to Spain in the semi-final on Wednesday (yesterday morning, Singapore time).

Paul’s picking of Spain was broadcast live on national TV in Germany. Yesterday, following Spain’s 1-0 win,some angry Germany fans have posted messages on Internet forums suggesting that Paul’s reward for his clairvoyant powers should be a meeting with the barbecue or the paella pot. “Others wanted to throw him into the shark tank,” reported Der Western daily on its website.

On Berlin’s “fan-mile”, some sections of the crowd also turned against their former hero and sang anti-octopus songs.

The Spanish government cheekily responded by offering Paul amnesty.

“I am concerned for the octopus ... I am thinking of sending him a protective team,” joked Prime Minister Jose Luiz Rodriguez Zapatero on Radio Cadena Ser yesterday. Added environment and fisheries minister Elena Espinosa: “On Monday, I shall be at the European Council of Ministers and I shall be asking for a (fishing) ban on Paul the octopus so the Germans do not eat him!”
By Agencies






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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Secondary 4 Preliminary Examination Physics (18th September 2008) II

From: MARIS STELLA HIGH SCHOOL, Secondary 4 Preliminary Examination 2, PAPER 1 MULTIPLE CHOICE, NO. 22, 18th September 2008

A girl of height 1.6m stands 0.5m in front of a vertical plane mirror. What is the minimum length of the mirror which will the girl to see the whole of herself?
A) 0.5m
B) 0.8m
C) 1.3m
D) 1.6m

Solutions:
The minimum length of the mirror is obtained based on the following assumptions.
  • The eye is right at the top of the head.
  • The mirror is placed with its top at eye level, that is, same level as the top of the girl's head.
  • The girl has normal good eyesight.
  • Sufficient light intensity.


PICTURE: http://faculty.etsu.edu/gardnerr/einstein/e-reflection.jpg


According to Laws of reflection
The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal at the point of incidence all lie on the same plane.
The angle of incidence, i, is equal to the angle of reflection, r.

  • The angle of incidence, i, is the angle between the incident ray and the normal.
  • The angle of reflection, r, is the angle between the reflected ray and the normal.
  • The normal is the perpendicular line to the reflecting plane.

Using the laws of reflection, a mirror of half the height of the girl is sufficient for the girl to see the whole of herself. The incidence ray of the lowest part of the girl, the toe, reaches the bottom edge of the mirror and is reflected to the eye of the girl.


PICTURE: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj895tUg8wb4VLpxBTTKg9so7wgjCSMhhT9V3iAHXXDB3A7OjykNcoIKIGiRCibOF58kPkl8TUyzdXCAUqRxSEee9nrZVm0OUhxHhk9br5cVzbry-Y7ZoGQk09QdKGylKvOK0R2LrI84XE/s320/reflection.bmp


If the length of the mirror is shorter, then the angle of incidence ray of the toe will be too great causing the reflected ray to be above the eye and thus not seen by the girl.

The answer is B) 0.8m




Source: http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/refln/u13l2d.cfm

What Portion of a Mirror is Required?

Ray diagrams can be used to determine where a person must sight along a mirror in order to see an image of him/herself. As such, ray diagrams can be used to determine what portion of a plane mirror must be used in order to view an image. The diagram below depicts a 6-foot tall man standing in front of a plane mirror. To see the image of his feet, he must sight along a line towards his feet; and to see the image of the top of his head, he must sight along a line towards the top of his head. The ray diagram depicts these lines of sight and the complete path of light from his extremities to the mirror and to the eye. In order to view his image, the man must look as low as point Y (to see his feet) and as high as point X (to see the tip of his head). The man only needs the portion of mirror extending between points X and Y in order to view his entire image. All other portions of the mirror are useless to the task of this man viewing his own image.



PICTURE: http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/refln/u13l2d1.gif


The diagram depicts some important information about plane mirrors. Using a cm-ruler, measure the height of the man (the vertical arrow) on the computer screen and measure the distance between points X and Y. What do you notice? The man is twice as tall as the distance between points X and Y. In other words, to view an image of yourself in a plane mirror, you will need an amount of mirror equal to one-half of your height. A 6-foot tall man needs 3-feet of mirror (positioned properly) in order to view his entire image.

But what if the man stood a different distance from the mirror? Wouldn't that cause the man to need a different amount of mirror to view his image? Maybe less mirror would be required in such an instance? These questions can be explored with the help of another ray diagram. The diagram below depicts a man standing different distances from a plane mirror. Ray diagrams for each situation (standing close and standing far away) are drawn. To assist in distinguishing between the two ray diagrams, they have been color coded. Red and blue light rays have been used for the situation in which the man is standing far away. Green and purple light rays have been used for the situation in which the man is standing close to the mirror.



PICTURE: http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/refln/u13l2d2.gif


The two ray diagrams above demonstrate that the distance which a person stands from the mirror will not affect the amount of mirror which the person needs to see their image. Indeed in the diagram, the man's line of sight crosses the mirror at the same locations. A 6-foot tall man needs 3-feet of mirror to view his whole image regardless of where he is standing. In fact, the man needs the exact same 3-feet of mirror.

A common Physics lab involves using a tall plane mirror to explore the relationship between object height and the portion of mirror needed to view an image. A student stands a few meters from a planer mirror and views her image. With the student standing upright and still and staring at her feet, the lab partner moves a marker up and down the mirror until the sight location on the mirror is identified. The partner then marks this location on the mirror with an erasable marker. The process is repeated for the student staring at the tip of her head. Of course, being a lab, the procedure is subject to a variety of procedural and measurement error which may yield less than ideal results. The mirrors are occasionally mounted on a wall which is not perfectly vertical. Or a student will lean forward a slight amount, thus reducing his/her effective height. Or the mirror warps over the years leading to one which concave or convex rather than planar. Despite these potential complications, the 1:2 ratio between portion of mirror required to view the image and the height of the object is often observed.


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