Neik Ban Zaw is the pen name of my beloved spouse.
She wrote several articles for the Dhammanda Newsletter.
The astronomers studied and mapped the space objects such as stars and comets first with the naked eye and then with the help of telescopes (optical, radio, …).
Before the advent of the communication satellites and GPS (Global Positioning System), seafarers had to rely on their knowledge of astronomy for navigation.
Greenwich is known for its observatory and the adoption of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). UCT (Universal Coordinated Time) is now preferred.
Edmund Halley is an Astronomer Royal known for the discovery of Halley’s comet. Mark Twain’s birth and death coincided with the two visits of Halley’s comet.
AstroPhysics and AstroBiology are some disciplines using Astronomy.
Some use abacus. There are several variations.
(a) Most abacus has two sets of bead :
Two beads (with a weight of 5)
Five beads (with a weight of 1)
(b) Some use less beads :
One bead (with a weight of 5)
Four beads (with a weight of 1)
(c) Currently, some after-school classes in the USA teach abacus
Mechanical, electro-mechanical and electronic calculators became computational aids. The early calculators were beaten by a proficient abacus user.
Computers, PCs and smart devices are ubiquitous.
Apple Records is a company owned by the Beatles to produce and distribute their music. It sued the Apple Computer for infringement of the Apple trade mark. The judge decided that the two companies were in different domains. He could not envision that the Beatles music would be offered on Apple iTunes.
Apple Computer was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. They might have chosen “Apple” for their computer and their company so that it would be listed ahead of “Atari” (the first entry) in the Yellow Pages.
Google is an accidental misspelling of Googol.
Googol signifies a very large number. The value is 1E100 (or one followed by 100 zeroes).
The iPad trade mark was owned by Fujitsu, which had a project to develop an intelligent pad. Apple had an agreement with Fujitsu to use the trade mark.
The iPhone trade mark was owned by Cisco. Apple had an agreement with Cisco to use the trade mark.
A meaning of Mac is “son of”.
Apple developed the Macintosh computer. Not sure what the name stands for. McIntosh is an apple. Macintosh is a raincoat in British English.
The Burma Broadcasting Service (BBS) was located in Windermere Crescent. It later moved to Prome Road.
U Khin Zaw (“K”) was the founder Director.
He was succeeded by his cousin and assistant U Pe Thaw.
BBS was known as “Myanmar Ah Than”. It evolved into “Myanmar Yoke Myin Than Kyar“.
There were three sessions : Morning, Noon and Night.
The main programs were in Burmese.
There were also programs in English and national languages (e.g. Shan)
The English section of BBS had a program for Local Talents. U Hla Bu (Percy Loonee), Daw Olive, Daw Allison Tun Ngwe and U Aung Thwin (Eddie) helped run the program.
A typical session is allocated 15 minutes. An individual or a group can play or sing about five songs. A typical remuneration is 45 Kyats per session.
Occasionally, BBS holds a Variety Show. Some performers are listed in alphabetical order;
Several performers turned Professional during the Stereo Khit.
Google is a deliberate misspelling of Googol (1E100, or 1 followed by 100 zeros).
It is not the first search engine, but it leveraged the power of multiple processors, “Page ranking”, translation, …
Several books have been written about Google, GooglePlex, and the various products not only through R&D but also through logistic M&A.
Google bought Android and made it open source. Android-based mobile devices are ubiquitous. It is also noted that Google was able to fend off a lawsuit for “copyright violation of Java”.
Google is an active sponsor of ACM and CHM (Computer History Museum). It held company meetings and exhibits (the recent ones being “Google Street Maps” and “Autonomous Vehicles”.
Vint Cerf, Past ACM President, is a co-founder of TCP/IP and the Internet Evangelist at Google.
Google had a few “hits” when it tried to scan books, journals, and documents to make it available.
Per Professor Luc’s remarks, Googlers thinks outside the box and have passion. They not only think, but also enjoy thinking.
HlaMin 