Incredulity and Tragedy of Flight MH370

(image credit)

Eight months now since the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines MH370, incredibly the flight is still missing.  In an era where it seems that every move, every search, and every e-mail of ours cannot escape sophisticated tracking apps and monitoring algorithms, I wonder how an enormous thing like an airplane can simply disappear and not be found (yet).  Now the errant Airlines has another lawsuit on its hands: 2 boys sue Malaysia Airlines, government agencies over loss of father on MH370.  If it weren't for the tragedy of losing a loved one, I'd snicker at such a lawsuit from a 13- and an 11-year old boys.  This matter is certainly no laughing matter, and I pray that airplane is found soon. 

Alibaba Boss Jack Ma Knows China

Jack Ma says that he's always in love with the government, but doesn't want to marry them.
At the heels of a record $25 billion Alibaba IPO with the New York Stock Exchange, Founder and Executive Chairman Jack Ma is fast becoming a household name in Western media and circles.  Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg have had several profiles and clips on the even wealthier billionaire from China.  I wanted to see about penetrating this market with my management consulting services, so I spoke to a Chinese friend one time.  Basically he said that one would have to be Chinese to really get in what truly seems like an inscrutable, insular world.  But not only does Ma have intimate knowledge of what goes on in that (his) world, but also he clearly has an engaging, knowledgeable demeanor about him that, I'm sure, endears him to the West.

Cabbies Weigh in on Hong Kong Occupy

Occupy Central in Hong Kong affects business for cabbies, so WSJ asks them what they think.

I really appreciate learning about what is going on across the world, far from where I sit.  In particular, I also really appreciate what the Wall Street Journal did in reporting on these cabbies.  Pro-democracy protestors have, I imagine, have a noble cause for their occupation of major arteries in Hong Kong.  But their actions have a direct impact on these cabbies' livelihood.  It's fine to enlist experts or outsiders to weigh in on the occupation, but Theory of Algorithms and The Core Algorithm encourages us, as best as possible, to find out from those who are directly involved in the situation.  It isn't categorically positive or negative, but an enlightening mix of both, as far as cabbies' experiences are concerned.

My profile photo for Dr. Ron on the Internet

I felt very privileged and grateful for having been invited to many conferences, events and shows, when I lived in Dubai.  This photo was from a radio program on jobs and career, which my friends Art and Rachel hosted and they were founders of Filipino Excellence Middle East.  They had a late evening slot, and as you can see I'm a bit bleary eyed.  Still it was a lot of fun.  I use this photo for my Dr. Ron on the Internet blogs, including this one, and social media.

My profile photo for Dr. Ron Art

Art Dubai was one of my favorite events of the year, as artists from Europe, Asia and Middle East were very well represented among those exhibiting.  I gained entry via my friend Hamdan one year, then once on the e-mail list I could invite another friend Tina to join me in subsequent years.  This photo is one of a number that she took, from the 2011 show, which I really like.  I am not a selfie fiend by any means, and in general I don't crave to have my photo taken.  If someone asks, no problem.  If no one asks, no problem, either.  Fittingly, this photo graces my Dr. Ron Art website, blogs and social media.

My profile photo for sportsPond53

I took an acting class in Dubai five years ago, and made really good friends with a number of classmates.  One afternoon we met up at one of their villas to practice our acting skills with some fun improvisational scenes.  I had no designs on becoming an actor, as some friends did.  I simply wanted to gain some acting skills, as part staging my Shakespeare Talks! projects.  Interestingly, because I'm wearing my coveted Tour de France hat, I've used this photo for my sportsPond53 blog and social media.

A Perfectly Still, Mirroring Pond

In recent years, I've taken more photos and videos simply by using my trusty iPhone (before) and Galaxy Note (now).  The latter has better resolution, but unless there is plenty of light and I hold the phone steady, it is a blurry image.  Thankfully both were at my disposal, as I walked through a neighborhood nearby at mid-afternoon.  I was impressed with how still this little pond must've been to be such a perfect mirror for its surroundings.  By the brick retainer on the other side, the actual wall and its reflected image look virtually the same in terms of light, detail and color.  Impressive.

My Mindfulness and the Loud Crickets

Simple repetitive activity is meditative for me.  It was late one afternoon recently that I was raking our backyard, and I noticed how loud the crickets were.  Maybe I simply hadn't noticed that level of loud before, but I believe the mindfulness that came out of raking made me more attuned and sensitive to that sound.  The air was more humid than warm, and in fact it was a tad cool.  But as I finished, then went for a walk, the loud was reached throughout the neighborhood.  It was not at all pleasant, and it seemed almost deafening.  Further out into my walk, though, the sound dissipated, and it was soft at worst when I returned.

The sound emitted by crickets is commonly referred to as chirping; the scientific name is stridulation. Usually only the male crickets chirp, however some female crickets do as well. The sound is emitted by the stridulatory organ, a large vein running along the bottom of each wing, covered with "teeth" (serration) much like a comb. The chirping sound is created by running the top of one wing along the teeth at the bottom of the other wing. As the male cricket does this, he also holds the wings up and open, so that the wing membranes can act as acoustical sails. It is a popular myth that the cricket chirps by rubbing its legs together. 

There are four types of cricket song: The calling song attracts females and repels other males, and is fairly loud. The courting song is used when a female cricket is near, and is a very quiet song. An aggressive song is triggered by chemoreceptors on the antennae that detect the near presence of another male cricket and a copulatory song is produced for a brief period after a successful mating.

Reference: Cricket.