Origami, Kirigami and Papercrafts

Origami: The art of paper folding

In Japanese, the word "oru" means "to fold", and "kami" means "paper". Hence "origami" means “to fold paper”. But there’s more to origami than its name.

The goal of this art is to create a representation of an object using geometric folds and crease patterns. Origami is made preferably without gluing or cutting the paper, and is best using only one piece of paper. Origami only uses a small number of different folds, but they can be combined in a variety of ways to make intricate designs. So intricate, that this art form is qualified to have its own field of mathematical study.

There's also branch of origami known as Technical origami. It is s a field of origami that has developed almost hand-in-hand with the field of mathematical origami. In the olden days, creating new designs was largely a mix of trial-and-error, and luck. With advances in origami mathematics however, the basic structure of any new origami model can be theoretically plotted out on paper before doing any actual folding. This method of designing origami allows for the creation of extremely complex models such as many-legged centipedes, human figures and creatures with details of fingers, claws, etc.






Kririgami: The art of paper cutting

In Japanese, "kiru" means "to cut", and "kami" means "paper". Kirigami is similar to origami in that it is a form of paper art. The major difference is that in origami, you fold paper whereas in kirigami, you fold and cut paper.

It is a variation of origami where the you are allowed to make small cuts in the paper. This enhances the visual presentation of the artwork, at the expense of simplicity.






Papercrafts: 3D paper modelling

Papercrafts, also called paper models or card models, are constructed mainly from sheets of heavy paper or card stock as a hobby. It is a form of crafting in which paper is used to create 3D objects such as models or sculptures. Unlike origami, papercraft involves cutting up paper or cardboard and gluing it back together, although some folding and bending may be involved.

Paper sculptures can get quite elaborate, from replicas of large objects to miniture models of things like trains, boats, and planes. Papercraft objects can sometimes be made with moving parts, which requires a good concentration and a lot of patience.

The structure of the three dimensional object may be supported with stiff paper, cardboard, or even wood, to ensure that it will not collapse, and it may be painted, dyed, or textured with applied materials as well. To prevent warping, some papercraft is covered in a protective coating which will make it even sturdier.





Free stuff:
Canon Creative Park
Papercraft Central
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Real Teleportation

Teleportation has long since been the stuff of science fiction.



The ability to transfer properties of one particle to another without using any physical link has been achieved with laser light. When physicists talk about "teleportation", they are describing the transfer of "quantum states" between separate atoms. Being able to do the same with massive particles like atoms could lead to new superfast computers.

Achievements



So far, physicists have been successful in teleporting particles of light (photons), individual atoms of Caesium (Cs) and Beryllium (Be) up to 100 miles. The next phase is to teleport an atom through the vacuum of space. In a few decades, we may be able to send a molecule, DNA, a virus, or even a living cell. This development is a long way from the transporters seen in Star Trek. We need to wait a few more centuries.

Note: An average human adult body is made up of 50~100 trillion cells.

Our assumption

The classical idea of teleportation is the one method that we are used to. An object disassembles into particles, excites those particles and transfers them at high speeds, then reach the location and each individual particle reassembles back to form a complete object. Which is almost impossible, seeing that the process would required exponentially huge amount of energy, and it's time consuming.

The real thing

What physicists are applying is something known as Quantum teleportation. Each particles in an object has it's own counterparts that have the same properties but also exist in a different space. This is called the Entanglement phenomenon, one of the weirdest scientific mysteries. So in theory, we actually transfer the information of a particle such as temperature, mass, colour, etc.

Quantum entanglement is a quantum mechanical phenomenon in which the quantum states of two or more objects are linked together so that one object can no longer be adequately described without full mention of its counterpart — even though the individual objects may be spatially separated.

Try to imagine

Two electrons exist in different locations but exist in the same frequency, hence they are essentially identical. Like two balls attached to a vibrating string, except one ball that you are holding is "Real" and the ball at the other end is "Imaginary". When you destroy the "Real" ball, the information from the "Real" ball is tranferred to the "Imaginary" ball via the vibrating string. Thus the "Imaginary" ball is now an exact copy of the "Real" ball.

At first, it may sound a photo-copying. But the original does not exist anymore.
The "Imaginary" ball before is now becomes the "Real" ball.



Teleporting an apple with near-impossible even with the Quantum entanglement stuff.
The best with could do is to teleport small amount of data via photons. Let's assume we have achieved Quantum teleportation for human beings. You can teleport from home to office.

Now here's the catch

Ask yourself, are you still you? After you teleport, you're not in your original body anymore, because the original copy is destroyed. You may feel and think the same but your atomic make-up is different. Are you still human when your body is not the original? Can consciousness be teleported? More food for thought.

Personal thoughts

I would like to see the day when I could go to different places in a blink of an eye, but that would not happen in our lifetime. Though I may not be able to experience teleportation, I'm proud to belong to the generation that invented it. Ok, beam me up. Scottie!

Short videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nq6y9P1_yM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5poD3nXdJ8

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Who built the First Robot?

The ancient Greeks may have built a mechanism of what is believed to be the earliest known programmable robot.

Their people had a fascination with autonomous mechanisms. One can find descriptions of robotic creatures in their mythology and philosophy. Greek engineers are also well known for having constructed a number of automata propelled by either wind or steam.

In about 60 AD, a Greek engineer called Hero constructed a three-wheeled cart that could carry a group of automata to the front of a stage where they would perform for an audience. Power came from a falling weight that pulled on string wrapped round the cart's drive axle, and this string-based control mechanism is equivalent to a modern programming language.

The working replica:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyQIo9iS_z0

Some of you may think this automaton doesn't really qualify as a real robot because it can't interact with its environment. Considering that it was designed and built almost 2,000 years ago, it is an impressive feat.

Not to be outdone, the ancient Chinese also may have claims to have built the earliest known humanoid automaton. The account of it is a bit vague, no further records yet to be found. This is said to have occured in the court of King Mu (Zhou Dynasty, 900 BC).

In the 3rd century BC text of the Lie Zi, there is a curious account on automata involving a much earlier encounter between King Mu of Zhou and a mechanical engineer known as Yan Shi (Chinese: 偃師), an 'artificer'. The latter proudly presented the king with a life-size, human-shaped figure of his mechanical 'handiwork'.

If you doubt the ingenuity of the ancient Chinese, then here's a story on a modern-day Chinese farmer with no engineering background. His claim to fame? Yes, builiding robots!

With a university education, he would probably be running the Chinese space program by now.

Farming robots:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4LIThTB8Ww

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World's Earliest Computer, After 2000 Years

This was a hot topic for engineers and historians a few months back. The device mentioned is officially known as the Antikythera mechanism.



Its discovery has puzzled many historians of science and technology. Prompting a number of experts worldwide to undertake a systematic investigation of the mechanism. The investigators suggest that the device may be of Syracusan design, and may have a connection to the works of Archimedes.



The abacus may still hold claim as the earliest computer. However, the abacus is only simple calculating tool when compare to the complexity of Antikythera mechanism.

The Antikythera mechanism is an ancient mechanical calculator (also the first known mechanical computer) designed to calculate astronomical positions or movements of the planets. It was a precision engineered device, that could be programmed by the user. The device appears to be constructed using theories of astronomy and mathematics developed by Greek astronomers.

Here's the modern recontruction of the world's first analog computer. (IT guys take note!)



See the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrfMFhrgOFc

Ponder on all these for a while; you will come to realize that the people of ancient civilizations are much smarter than we credited them with. The only reasons they aren't as successful as us, is because they live in the time of civil and religious wars, superstition, and rampant diseases.

Also visit:
Antikythera Mechanism Research Project
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Looking for Other Intelligent Life?

You guys have probably heard of the SETI programme, seen countless UFO stuff, Hollywood movies, government conspiracy theories, and experienced general paranoia. Instead of readily believing these so-called facts. Let us analyze the science behind the search for aliens in outer space.



Note: Too better understand this article, please read my previous post on Civilizations.

Why not getting any response?

The mathematics of Drake Equation shows that there should be millions of alien civilizations already in outer space. But why can't we find any evidence of these Type I, II, and III civilizations? Perhaps, they didn't make it to Type I. Maybe they are similar to us; waging war and destroying themselves.

If extraterrestrial civilizations do survive their Transition from Type 0 to Type I, where the heck are they? We have been scanning the skies for decades. Why are they not replying to our message signals?

First argument: Let's assume that Type I, II, and III civilizations have the mastery of hyperspatial travel. This implies that their level of science is millions (or thousands) of years more advance than ours. In human terms, it's not like comparing 21th century to 14th century; it's more like comparing 30th century to ape-men (approx 1.4 million years ago).

Second argument: These advance beings wouldn't even bother with us primitive humans. To them, we are just idiotic beings still fighting over silly things like petroleum and religion. We are too proud to think that an advance civilization would just stop they daily business, drop by and send us a greeting.

Let's put this into perspective: Would you tell an ant? "I brought you gifts of Wi-Fi, laser beams, and computer technology. Now, bring me to your leader". No, you'll instead feel like squishing them. More so, if you build a highway beside an ant-hill, would the ants realize that you are building a highway? Do the ants even know what a highway is?

Third argument: Never underestimate the technology of others. The people at SETI are misguided. Why would an advance civilization contact us with just using infra-red, or microwave signals? And why are SETI people listening on electromagnetic frequencies base on the hydrogen atom? There are supernovas, asteroid belts, and black holes that could distort all these signals.

When you send an email, the message would be encrypted, chopped-up, relayed through a series of servers, and combined back to one piece when it's reaches the recipient. And to make sure your friend gets the message, you could send an SMS, IM, or even snail-mail to him/her.

Now, a smart civilization would also relay messages using similar methods. To make sure their messages reach the destination, they would encrypt it and send it thru an array of frequencies. If you only scan and translate a part of it, you'll get only gibberish.

Personal thoughts



Whether or not other intelligent life exist? That is still up for debate. I believe that they do exist, regardless of what the critics says. Otherwise, wouldn't it be sad to think that we are all alone in this infinitely vast universe?

But don't put too much hope into meeting ET's anytime soon in your lifetime. If intelligent life do exist in the far reaches of space, it will be in a couple millions years before we get our first contact. That's when humanity finally rids itself of senseless conflicts.

More info: http://www.mkaku.org/

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Civilizations of the Stars

The Background



When scientists search the skies for signs of alien life, they don't look for 'Little Green Men' or UFOs. What they are looking for is evidence of Type I, Type II, and Type III civilizations according to the Kardashev Scale (ie: level of technological advancement).

So basically it's like this:

1. Type I is a planetary civilization. They fully utilize the energy resources from their home planet (eg: Buck Rogers).
2. Type II is at stellar level. After depleting their planetary resources, they will get energy directly from their mother star (eg: Star Trek and Federation of Planets).
3. Type III is galactic. Once they used up the energy of their sun, they will harness their energy from billions of stars within their home galaxy (eg: Empire of Star Wars).

Where do we currently stand?

What are we on this Scale? We are Type 0. We don't even rate on the scale. Humans don't have the technology to harness energy from stars and galaxies. We get our energy from dead animals and plants; fossil fuels. But we can estimate when we will achieve Type I status. Probably in about a hundred years.

I personally feel privilege to be alive in the most important era in the history of the human race. To witness the transition from Type 0 to Type I.

Each time when you read the news, you'll see the evidence of this Transition:
European Union is a beginning of a Type I economy. United Nations is a beginning of a Type I administration system. The Internet is a beginning of a Type I communication system. The Type I language will probably be English, since it's used in every country. There will also be a Type I culture. Hollywood movies, rap music, jeans, etc which you can find anywhere around the world.

We are the Hope

It is said that going from Type 0 to Type I is the most difficult transition of all time. It's not even clear if we will survive the Transition. It's a delicate balance. On one side, we have forces of multiculturalism, globalization and unity. On the other hand, we have WMDs, religious strife, racism, global warming, and terrorism.

It's not even clear if we will survive the Transition. It's a planetary level of sink or swim. The fate of humankind's future rest on our collection decision. This is no joke. This truly a dangerous race against Time.

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Life Elsewhere in the Universe

Exobiology

Also known as astrobiology, is the study of life in space, combining aspects of astronomy, biology and geology. It is focused primarily on the study of the origin, distribution and evolution of life.

Some major astrobiological research topics include:

• What is life?
• How did life arise on Earth?
• What kind of environments can life tolerate?
• How can we determine if life exists on other planets?
• How often can we expect to find complex life?
• What will life consist of on other planets?
• Will it be DNA/Carbon based or based on something else?
• What will it look like?

Is there alien life?



First allow us make a few assumptions:

• That there is an infinite amount of stars in the universe, only a few billions could be seen through our powerful telescopes.
  
• Our universe is currently in the "child" stage, the Stelliferous Era. Even today, new galaxies are still being born.
• Time is relative, not constant. The flow of time is different for everyone, and for every place.
• Since the universe is vast, there should be at least some simple form of life; plants and animals.
• Among these primitive life forms, some should have evolved to be intelligent, in aspects of communication, logic, culture, etc.
  

Given the statistics, it's very probable that we could find alien life. However, we are searching for intelligent alien life, which is a whole new level. It's possible we may not succeed in our lifetime. Something for future generations.

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