優柔不断

Interestingly enough, there is no Japanese equivalent to procrastination (優柔不断 comes close, which means indecisiveness).

This post is just an update as to what's to come. Next month will be my personal hell. I can only prepare so much ahead of time (This preparation in the form of doing homework a week before it's due). Doing 6 courses means 4 final exams, as well as a final English research paper (1500 words). In addition to a final chemistry lab midterm tomorrow, and a Biology lab final exam the following week.

But I did this to push myself to the limit, and see if I have what it takes for my ultimate goal. If I can't handle something as minute as this, then it's time to reconsider my life goal.

So in short, the in-depth posts that usually happen will be on hiatus next month. That doesn't mean I won't post everyday as my New Year's Resolution is intending (Which at this point, has probably lasted longer than most peoples' resolutions). It will be "clever" to say the least.

ルーンスケープの自然淘汰

In RuneScape, there's an area called the Herblore Habitat, which is a great example of Darwin's theory of natural selection.

The Herblore Habitat is home to 10 species of "Jadinkos" (Some reptile/dinosaur thing; for theory purposes just think about Darwin's finches) as well as 3 species of God "Jadinkos", but we will only consider the 10 species. The objective for the player is to hunt and capture at least one of each species. In order for the player to do this, they must alter the environment in order to attract a certain Jadinko species.

The player can alter the environment in 5 ways:
- Alter flower color (red, green, or blue)
- Apply Hunter Potion on flowers (essentially modifying the flowers, but this warrants its own section)
- Alter "habitat" (see below for list of habitats)
- Alter bush type (Kalferberry or Lergberry)
- Alter tree type (apple, orange, or banana)

The different habitats are listed below:
- Boneyard
- Abandoned House
- Thermal Vent
- Tall Grass
- Pond
- Standing Stones
- Dark Pit

The first Jadinko is the "common" kind; we could consider this the ancestor of which the other species have diverged from (Granted my terminology is rusty, since ancestors have to be extinct). These are the easiest to attract, requiring only flowers to be planted; any kind of flower at that.

The other 9 species have diverged from the common kind, each occupying their own niche. There is variation in the color of flower they prefer, what habitat they inhabit, as well as their food source (berries and fruit). Some species are even intelligent enough not to appear unless a special potion is applied to the flowers (Perhaps this potion has strong aphrodisiac effects to attract them). Below is a table of how to attract each kind.

Now I list the variation between the species
- 4/10 species require Hunter Potion

- 2/10 species are uninterested in flowers
- 3/10 species prefer red flowers
- 2/10 species prefer green flowers
- 2/10 species prefer blue flowers

- 2/10 species prefer the "pond" habitat
- 2/10 species prefer the "boneyard" habitat
- All other species occupy a different habitat

- 3/10 species are uninterested in berries
- 3/10 species prefer Kalferberries
- 4/10 species prefer Lergberries

- 7/10 species are uninterested in fruit
- The remaining 3 species each have a different fruit preference

If you look at the above numbers, you can conclude that there is absolutely no conflict in regards to niche.(although since the common Jadinko has no preference to anything may raise an eyebrow).

From the above table, the Diseased and Camouflaged Jadinko are uninterested in flowers. However, the Camouflaged are interested in Lergberries, while the Diseased feed on bananas, which the other species don't seem to care for. Perhaps this species has some adaptation which allows them access to bananas on the tall trees.

Let's look at the red flower competitors next: Shadow, Aquatic, and Draconic. Shadow's only preference are red flowers; this could mean that their primary source of food (as well as the other species') are the flowers. The Diseased variant mentioned previously probably lives in areas lacking any flowers or berry bushes, thus forcing them to feed on bananas. If the red flowers are their primary source of food, then there is some competition in that regard. However, notice that Aquatic prefers Kalferberries, while Draconic prefer Lergberries. The berries could be their secondary source of food. Finally, Aquatic also prefers Apples; fruit would be their third source of food.

Similar logic can be applied to the green flower competitors: Cannibal and Carrion. This is where the "habitat" comes into play. Since they both prefer green flowers, and the same berry, there would be direct competition if they lived in the same area. But the Cannibal's live in Tall Grass, while the Carrion live in the Boneyard. The Diseased variant also live in the Boneyard, but no conflict arises, since they feed on bananas.

Finally, the blue flower competitors: Igneous and Amphibious. They also share the same berry preference: Lergberry. However, Igneous have access to Oranges; once more due to this, there is no direct competition.

Let's summarize each species' food preferences:

Common: Blue Flowers*
Shadow: Red Flowers
Igneous: Oranges
Cannibal: Green Flowers / Kalferberries
Aquatic: Apples
Amphibious: Blue Flowers
Carrion: Green Flowers / Kalferberries
Diseased: Bananas
Camouflaged: Lergberries
Draconic: Red Flowers


It seems that if Cannibal / Carrion and Shadow / Draconic would compete against each other if they didn't live in different habitats. But they do; you can consider each "habitat" analogous to the different islands Darwin's finches inhabited.

*In regards to common Jadinkos, blue flowers would be the best source of food, as there is the least amount of competition for this kind.

Finally, I mentioned 3 God "Jadinkos". They change their preferences every week, so what the player used to attract them last week won't be the same the following one. To be able to change their niche and adapt to it so rapidly is truly deserving of giving them a "God" title.

立直

One of the things that intrigue me about the Japanese style of Mahjong is the Riichi system. If anything, it is a system which balances risk vs. reward. At the cost of 1000 points, you can declare Riichi, which basically gives you a win condition. Of course you can only do this if your hand is completely concealed, with the exception of a self Kan. Therefore, with Riichi, players will tend to be divided into two play styles, which I will shortly evaluate now.

1) The "Win Any Way Possible" players

Most beginners and those that are unfamiliar with Japanese Mahjong fall under this category. These are the players who don't care about points; only about winning, even with the worst hands imaginable. Sure it's fun to win, but half the fun of winning is the challenge. Playing Chicken or using the easiest win condition (Pon of a dragon, or seat/round wind) can get dull fast. Granted everyone starts in this category, but only those dedicated move on to the second category.

2) The "Win Elegantly" players

What do I mean by elegantly? I think it's just a word to encompass the players that go for complex hands, attempt to Riichi, pay attention to the Dora indicators, change their strategy based on the flow of the game, and in general, not just try to win, but to WIN.

Category 2 players will focus heavily on Riichi, since it changes the flow of the game completely. Let's review what Riichi does on a broad scale:

- Riichi player forgoes 1000 points
- They discard the tile that isn't part of a Tenpai wait
- They then discard any new tile they draw unless that tile grants a Tsumo

At first it may seem that declaring Riichi is a stupid thing to do. Not only do you LOSE points, but you also tell everyone you're in Tenpai, thereby changing the way they play (in the regard of what they discard, etc). In addition, you can't alter your hand, which in a sense makes it harder to win. Is that worth the "free" win condition? Most category 1 players would say no, while most category 2 players would say yes. What causes this distinction? That would be the mentality that each category player holds.

Since category 1 players are so obsessed with winning, they don't want to give their opponent any kind of "advantage" per se. Category 2 players know that even if the opponent knows they're in Tenpai, for the most part it won't alter their chances of winning.

But how is that so if the good player will change from being offensive (constructing their hand), to defensive (discarding safe tiles instead of focusing on their own hand)? Think about it. The defensive player has a much lower chance of winning, since they cater to you, the aggressive Riichi player. Even if you don't win, you're still in Tenpai, so you'll get most, if not all your points back.

One thing about Riichi I have neglected to mention until now, is that if you win, you get access to the Under Dora, which is basically a Dora indicator under the regular Dora indicator. If any Kans had been obtained during that game, then you get access to Under Dora up to the amount of regular Dora indicators. Basically, you double your Dora indicators. So even if the only win condition you have is Riichi, Dora can help boost your score.

Hopefully you (the reader) will now consider becoming a category 2 player. One last thing to keep in mind about Riichi is when to declare, and when not to. Most players will get very excited that they can declare Riichi (since it isn't something you can do every game obviously), and will automatically declare when they can. For the most part, this is a mistake. Two reasons for this:

1) No alteration of waits

Say you draw your next tile, and now you're in Tenpai, with an all concealed hand. Before deciding to declare Riichi, examine your waits. Your waits should always be in your favor. Consider things like:

- The pool, what has or hasn't been discarded
- Terminal waits
- Furiten

The first point is common sense; if the pool consists of 3 of the tile you are waiting for, then it is highly unlikely that you will get the last of that tile.

The second point is also common sense. If you have a 1 and 2, then you are stuck waiting on a 3. On the other hand, if you have a 2 and a 3, you can wait on either 1 or 4, which essentially doubles the chance of winning. Therefore, the best waits for Riichi are sequences with two ends, (such as the aforementioned) or two pairs of any tile. For the latter, this is a good wait, since most of the time there would be little correlation on your waits (You could be waiting on 1 Pin and North wind for example). It helps to prevent your opponents from predicting your wait.

The final point is something I've mentioned previously very extensively. Even if you have a 2 and 3 Pin, waiting on 1 and 4 Pin, if you had discarded 1 Pin at any point in the game, you cannot win if someone discards that tile. It doesn't stop you from declaring Riichi however; it merely lowers your chances of winning.

2) Duration of game

This is a no-brainer. It's best to declare Riichi as early as possible; that way there won't be many discards in your pool for your opponent to read safe tiles from. Declaring Riichi late game is a mistake, since not only do you only have a few rounds of discards to win off of, but your pool is massive, which makes it easy for your opponent to discard safe tiles.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is to use common sense. Riichi is a privilege that shouldn't be abused.

カンタレラ

カンタレラ (Cantarella)

見つめ合う　その視線　閉じた世界の中

mitsumeau sono shisen tojita sekai no naka

気づかない　ふりをしても　酔いを悟られそう

kizukanai furi wo shite mo yoi wo satoraresou


焼け付くこの心　隠して近づいて

yaketsuku kono kokoro kakushite chikazuite

吐息感じれば　痺れるほど

toiki kanjireba shibireru hodo


ありふれた恋心に　今罠を仕掛けて

arifureta koigokoro ni ima wana wo shikakete

僅かな隙間にも　足跡残さないよ

wazukana sukima nimo ashiato nokosanai yo


見え透いた言葉だと　君は油断してる

miesuita kotoba dato kimi wa yudan shiteru

良く知った劇薬なら　飲み干せる気がした

yoku shitta gekiyaku nara nomihoseru kigashita


錆びつく鎖から　逃れるあても無い

sabitsuku kusari kara nogareru atemonai

響く秒針に　抗うほど

hibiku byoushin ni aragau hodo


たとえば深い茂みの中　滑り込ませて

tatoeba fukai shigemi no naka suberikomasete

繋いだ汗の香りに　ただ侵されそう

tsunaida ase no kaori ni tada okasaresou


ありふれた恋心に　今罠を仕掛ける

arifureta koigokoro ni ima wana wo shikakeru

僅かな隙間　覗けば

wazukana sukima nozokeba


捕まえて

tsukamaete


たとえば深い茂みの中　滑り込ませて

tatoeba fukai shigemi no naka suberikomasete

繋いだ汗の香りに　ただ侵されてる

tsunaida ase no kaori ni tada okasareteru 

Short and sweet; another song I'd consider covering. Not to mention my pitch is a great match for a song this high, except maybe for the part after the violin solo where it's one octave lower; I'll work on that.

And of course, sexy covers:

【clear】カンタレラを歌ってみた【nero】

【蛇足】カンタレラ【歌ってみた】

【ヤマイ】 『カンタレラ』 を二人で飲み干してみた 【プリクマー】

『カンタレラ』　歌ってみた　【リツカ】

My favorite of course being clear x nero.

ボランティア 十日目

1:18 - Bad start is bad. Lunch was a slice of pizza, which I didn't finish due to time restraints. Lots o complaints; elaboration later

 

1:50 - So hungry

 

2:04 - Someone trying to learn English by reading the directory board. I admire their ambition, but I think it would be better not to start with medical terms with a Latin origin

 

2:09 - Some guy was singing "I Want it that Way" by the Backstreet Boys out loud. Funny stuff.

 

2:30 - Family dispute over; explain later

 

2:35 - Labbbbbbb!

 

2:44 - Why do the lights stay on at night in this building. What a random question, but any random question can be answered with Science!

 

3:00 - Wheelchair time! But there aren't any in this building so I went to the next closest to get one. When I got back I got tipped. I'm not allowed to take money, but I did to avoid the inevitable dispute that would follow if I didn't. So I took it and put it in the change purse for future wheelchair endeavors

 

3:24 - Most people who don't want help will politely say no, as they should. This one rude fellow replied "Do you think I'm ****ing stupid?" Of course after that I kept silent to keep my job. But I do think he is of lower intellect if he has to resort to profanity to emphasis a reply. Guy pride; my worst enemy

 

3:39 - Suddenly, an influx of lab questions

 

 

Today started out pretty rotten. I received various complaints from visitors, all of which were out of my control. It's not my fault that two other volunteers misguided you, and it's not my fault your lost agenda was at the information desk and not with security; these things I was not present for, and I cannot take any responsibility.

That's the thing about being a volunteer at a highly respected institution (In this case, the hospital). People expect you to know everything, and that is simply too much to expect from a volunteer.

An interesting aside, there was this rebellious kid, most likely in the lower numbers of grade school. Apparently the situation was that he stole something from the Shopper's Drug Mart, but since I was busy with the job I didn't pay attention to much of the details. Nothing too big, but a pleasant distraction.

"Why do the lights stay on at night in this building?" is probably the most interesting question I've received on the job. I proceeded to explain circuits, the properties of a light bulb, and how constant turning on/off of the switch can result in more power wasted over time. That's Physics for you.

So overall it was a pleasant day, but the pleasantries were ruined by a very rude man. It's my job to ask if you need any assistance, and a simple "No thanks" would suffice to reject that offer. Saying "Do you think I'm ****ing stupid?" only shows that you are, because your vernacular is too incompetent to articulate a more sophisticated response. If I were not on the job, or if I could say that without risk of losing the volunteer position, I would totally. Like I mentioned before, most people are very polite rejecting my offer for help, but there's still the rare anomaly of this sort.

物理学もう一度: 式シートない

Really getting tired of no formula sheets. Oh well, last midterm anyways:

Physics Review Day 2

Circular Loop

A piece of wire is formed into a circular loop of radius 23 cm. The loop has a resistance of 141 Ω. A magnetic field of 0.9T is applied perpendicular to the plane of the loop and then increased at a constant rate by a factor of 2.2 in 17 s. Calculate the magnitude of the induced emf in the loop during that time.

We are informed that there is a change in magnetic field; this indicates flux, and we apply Faraday's Law:

|ε| = ΔΦ / ΔT where Φ = BAcosθ and cos0 = 1

We don't know B exactly, but we are given a constant factor of increase; therefore we can treat B as 1.

|ε| = (2.2B - B)[π(23.0 cm * 1 m / 100 m)²] / 17 s
|ε| = (1.2 T)[π(0.23 m)²] / 17 s
|ε| = 1.06×10^-2 V 

Calculate the current induced in the loop during that time.

Simple application of Ohm's Law:

I = ε / R
I = (1.06×10^-2 V ) / 141 Ω
I = 7.49×10^-5 A 

Calculate the average induced emf when the magnetic field is constant at 1.98 T while the loop is pulled horizontally out of the magnetic field region in 6.5 s.


Back to Faraday's Law. This time, the area changes as opposed to the magnetic field, but the same concept applies:

|ε| = ΔΦ / ΔT where Φ = BAcosθ and cos90 = 1
|ε| = (1.98 T)[0 -  π(23.0 cm * 1 m / 100 m)²] / 6.5 s
|ε| = 5.06×10^-2 V

Rotating Square Coil

What is the peak emf produced by a 74-turn square coil (of side l = 26.0 cm, as shown in the diagram below,) rotating on an axis with a frequency of 37.0 Hz in a uniform magnetic field of 0.695 T perpendicular to the coil's axis of rotation? 

Use the equation for a rotating coil (AKA an electric generator), considering the fact that peak emf is when the magnetic field is perpendicular to the coil:

ε = NABωsin(ωt) where ω = 2πf
ε = (74)(26.0 cm * 1 m / 100 m)² (0.695 T) * (2π*37.0) sin90
ε = 8.08×10² V 

Coiled Wire

You have a piece of thin wire that is 15.5m long, a constant uniform magnetic field of 0.155T, and a device that can rotate a coil at a fixed frequency of 87.5Hz. What is the radius of a circular coil made from this length of wire that will produce an AC e.m.f of maximum voltage 116V? (Neglect the amount of wire used in the connections.)

Once again, we use the rotating coil equation:

ε = NABωsin(ωt) where ω = 2πf

However, we don't know N, the number of turns. However, we do know the length of the wire L;
we can equate and find N:


L = 2πrN (Since the length is equal to the circumference times the number of turns)
N = L / 2πr


We can now plug in the second equation into the first, and solve:

ε = NABωsin(ωt) where ω = 2πf
ε = (L / 2πr)ABωsin(ωt)
116 V = (15.5 m / 2πr)(πr²)(0.155T)(2π*87.5 Hz)
r = 116 V / (15.5 m * π * 0.155 T * 87.5 Hz)
r =  1.76×10^-1 m 

Wavetrains

If light is emitted from an atom in little wavetrains, each lasting up to 2.90 × 10^-8 s, how long, at most, is such a disturbance in space? 

Wavelength is equal to the speed of light multiplied by the time:

L = ct = (3.0E+08 ms^-1)(2.90E-8 s)
L = 8.70 m 

If we approximate the wavelength as 510 nm, roughly how many waves long is the train? 


The number of waves is simply the length divided by the wavelength:

# Waves = L / λ = (8.70 m) / (510 nm * 1.0E-9 m / 1 nm)
# Waves = 1.71×10⁷ 

Laser Pulses

A laser that emits pulses of UV lasting 2.25 ns has a beam diameter of 2.25 mm. If each burst contains an energy of 2.70 J, what is the length in space of each pulse?

The length in space is simply the speed multiplied by the time (Kinematics):

l = ct = (3.0E+08) * (2.25 ns * 1.0E-9 s / 1 ns)
l = 6.75×10^-1 m

What is the average energy per unit volume (the energy density) in one of these pulses?  
 

A laser is a cylindrical beam, so the volume of that beam is the length in space:

V = πr² l 

V = π[(2.25 mm * 1.0 m / 1000 mm) / 2]² * 6.75×10^-1 m
V = 4.77E-3 m³

We can now find energy density by dividing the energy by the volume:


= 2.70 J / 4.77E-3 m³
= 1.01×10⁶ J/m^3 

Irradiance of a Candle


The irradiance 1 m from a candle flame is just about 4.65 × 10^-3 W/m². How much energy will arrive in 1.25 s on a disk having a 3.95- cm² area held as close to perpendicular as possible 1 m from the flame? 

Energy is related to irradiance by the following formula:

E = IAt = (4.65 × 10^-3 W/m²)(3.95 cm² * 1.0 m² / 1.0E+4 cm²)(1.25 s)
E = 2.30×10^-6 J