Category: Broadcast

Video Broadcast on December 14, 2020

Geology

• Lawrence Dudley Stamp
  Served as Professor of Geology and Professor of Geography at Rangoon University.
  
• Dr. Tha Hla
  Professor Of Geology
  Rector of Rangoon University
  Retired from UN
  Anecdotes
  Defending his protege for States Scholar
  Two incidents with Director Thar Du (Censor Board, Academy Award)
  Led students by example (Protests, Ajala)
  Equal treatment to his visitor (Pro, Anti)
  Provided drinks (whiskey …) to those who heeded his “guidelines on drinking”
  
• Dr. Nyi Nyi
  Deputy Minister of Education
  Supported UCC Project
  Established the then new Education System (including some controversial issues such as ILA)
  Author (Ok Aw)
  Retired from UN
  
• U Ba Than Haq
  Pro Rector, RASU
  RU Sports Council
  
• Dr. Maung Thein
  Professor
  Told students (e.g. Soe Myint) about applying for courses at UCC
  Invited Soe Myint and me to give lecture / seminar during the vacation at MASU
  Some sayas were not delighted with the idea
  Invited UCC to give a short course on Computers at RASU
  
• U Ba Maw
  Senior Lecturer
  He and his students discovered items related to Ramapithicus
  Higher authorities “warned” him for letting a young US researcher take photos of Ramapithicus and reporting in a US magazine

Miscellaneous

• Minor subject for early Civil Engineering students
  
• Option for early Science Scholars
  
• Diploma in Applied Geology (DAG)
  
• Specialization in Gems
  
• NASA astronauts (especially for the Lunar Missions) had to study Geology
  
• Apollo 17 had Dr. H Schmidt (Geologist/ Astronaut, later became a US Senator)

Video Broadcast

Background

• Had to write essays in English and Burmese
• Sometimes only the title is provided
• Sometimes an outline is also given
• Studied “Tom Thumb’s Essays”

Characteristics

An essay usually has three (or more) paragraphs

• Introduction
• Body (one or more paragraph)
• Conclusion

An essay for a test / competition may have a length limitation
(e.g. maximum number of words)

Presentation style can vary

• Descriptive
• Narrative
• Argumentative (Logical reasoning)
• Abstract

I once wrote “My life as a fighter bomber” (trying to bomb the Nazi forces).

Politically Correct?

One writer (some attributed to Sir Winston Churchill) wrote:

An essay should be like a lady’s skirt
Long enough to cover the subject
Short enough to be interesting

In the early days, there was no “political correctness” and “gender sensitivity”.

To lighten the atmosphere, I quoted the tongue-in-cheek definition described above in the “Count Down to the Union” series for SPZP-2000.

A brilliant Sayama Lay (with a foreign doctorate) accused that I was irresponsible and had made fun of women.

Ashin Pannagaveska (Bobby, Myo Tun, A69) wrote :

I remember my sixth standard English teacher, our beloved Headmaster Mr.(later Reverend) Booth’s wife, entered me and a few others into the Essay Writing Competition held by the St. John’s Diocesan Boys’ School + St. Mary’s Diocesan Girls’ School Association. I chose the topic “A Visit to the Zoo” and, to my surprise, won the first prize in the middle school category! Two hardback books, one on Quotations and the other on Synonyms, were awarded in a ceremony held at the Judson Church on Prome Road.Pleasant and proud memories!Another vivid memory is of the essay I chose to write in the GCE ’O’ level English Language exam paper taken at Clifton College in the UK in 1960. The title chosen was “A Book or a Film Read or Seen Recently”. I had a great time writing on my favorite author John Steinbeck’s “Sweet Thursday”, which incidentally, I’ve read at least six or seven times since then!

Video Broadcast

Early Encyclopedias

“Chamber’s Cyclopaedia” was one of the earliest encyclopedias. It covered 40+ subjects.

In our younger days, we had “Pear’s Soap” and “Pear’s Cyclopaedia”. The company was probably building its brand name by supporting the publication of an encyclopedia.

Encyclopedia Britannica

My uncle had a set of “Encyclopedia Britannica”. It covers many topics written by SME (Subject Matter Experts). Yearly supplements were published. The final supplement came out a couple of years ago. There will no longer be printed editions. There will only be on-line subscription.

Wikipedia

• Wikipedia is a collection of encyclopedias in multiple languages.
• The English edition of the Wikipedia is the largest.
• The accuracy of the Wikipedia is comparable to that of the “Encyclopedia” thanks to the countless volunteer contributors and editors.
• I was a volunteer to correct discrepancies (mostly entries on Burmese/Myanmar). For example, a young author wrote that St. Paul’s High School was the first among the De La Salle Schools in Burma. He was unaware that St. Patrick’s High School in Mawlamyaing was the first (and was established a few months earlier than St. Paul’s).

No Absolute Perfection

There is a slight chance that there are errors in an encyclopedia (or an equivalent “book of knowledge”). One author was unaware that Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira Gandhi. He was a pilot and entered politics only when his younger brother Sanjay Gandhi (touted as Indira’s confidante and successor) died in a plane crash.

Collaboration

The advent of Internet and the rise of “Collaborative Work” have lowered the time and cost to maintain encyclopedias.

A few years back, I received a call to submit entries to “Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife”. I emailed to the editors that I was willing to help them on the Burmese section. They sent me four samples and asked me to send back one short article (not exceeding 500 words and with two or more references) on a chosen Head Word (e.g. Burmese American Festivals). They reviewed my article and accepted me. The remuneration was $10. I replied that I would like to have a copy of the 2-volume encyclopedia. A deal was struck. They would give me the encyclopedia if I submit at least 8 articles. Nine articles were accepted. Two articles were merged with the work of other authors. One author was a Burmese College Professor. Another was probably a graduate student, who inserted the wrong date for Martyr’s Day. The Editors promised to correct his error in another edition. I received a 3-volume encyclopedia (initially projected to be 2-volume) and an additional $10.

Google Books

• Some are not aware of “Google Books”.
• If one goes to “Google Books” and search for my name, one can find the nine articles.

Burmese Encyclopedia

In my younger days, my parents bought me “Myanmar Swel Sone Kyan” (Burmese Encyclopedia).

I heard that the “Myanmar Swel Sone Kyan” is under re-development with the help of SME (Subject Matter Experts).

Video Broadcast

Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint (SPHS60)

• Top Paulian in his class
  The Brothers were disappointed when he missed the top five positions by a mark each.
• Founded “Alumni of the Institutes of Medicine in Myanmar” group
  Wrote about his mentors and other trail blazers.
• Wrote several posts

Related Posts

• Paulian Doctors
• Class of SPHS 1960
• Seven Siblings
• U Kyaw Myint
• The Empty Tomb (of ICS U Tin Tut)
• Dr. Tin U
• Dr. Mohan

Video Broadcast

• Medium for Communication
  
• Spoken Language
  e.g. Myanmar Sagar
  
• Written Language
  e.g. Myanmar Sar

• Natural Language
  Natural Language Understanding
  Natural Language Processing
  
• Native Language / Mother Tongue
  
• Foreign Language
  TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
  ESL (English as a Second Language)
  
• Computing
  Formal Language
  
• Chomsky Language Hierarchy
  Context Free Language
  Context Sensitive Language
  …
  
• Programming Language
  Machine Language
  Assembly Language
  High Level Language
  Compiler
  Interpreter
  Script
  
• Esperanto
  Experiment in universal language
  
• Babel
  Biblical story
  
• Rosetta stone
  Key for studying Egyptian hieroglyphs
  
• Special Language
  Sign Language
  Braille
  Meta-language
  Domain specific language

Video Broadcast on December 17, 2020

RIT Graduates in 1974

• Dr. Htay Lwin Lwin (EP74, GBNF)
  RIT Luyechun
  MSc.(CS) from UCC
  Ph.D from Syracuse University
  Passed away in San Jose (where he was teaching at SJSU)
  See my posts about his Last Journey
  
• U Myint Swe (EP74)
  Worked in Singapore and USA
  Vice President, NorCal RITAA
  Spouse : Daw San San Nwe / San San Swe (EC74)
  
• Daw Khin Swe Oo (EC74)
  Retired Associate Professor, YTU
  Moved to Singapore
  Spouse : U Than Lwin (UCC, CSO, Singapore)
  
• Sai Aung Thurein (EC74)
  M.Sc.(CS) from UCC
  Worked in Singapore and Australia
  Spouse : “Swe” (EE74)
  
• Dr. Charlie Than (M74)
  Navy, Maritime University and MEC
  
• U Maung Maung Thant (M74)
  Rowed for Ye Gyaung Lu Nge
  
• U Sann Aung (M74)
  RUBC Gold
  U.S.A Photo Lab
  
• U Win Myint Aung (ChE74)
  Pen name : Win Myint (Myeik)
  Spouse : ChE (daughter of SPHS Saya U Kyaw Sein)

U Thant Ah Yay Ah Khin

• 3rd UNSG and first Asian UNSG
• Passed away in USA
• Body brought back to Burma (for final resting place)
• Dy. Minister who paid respect to the body at Mingalardon air port was dismissed
• Students were dissatisfied at the Higher Authorities for not honoring Burma’s son
• The Ah Yay Ah Khin caused the death, imprisonment and career loss of several innocent young people.
  
• Ko Win Htein (Dat Pon) published a book with rare photos and articles

• I posted an article “Burma’s Son” about U Thant.
• I spoke about U Thant at his Centennial Celebration in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Video Broadcast on October 30, 2020

Routine

• Daily routine
  
• During pandemic
• Research / broadcast selected topics
• Word of the day (Merriam-Webster)
• Free Daily Blink (Blinkist)
• TED / TEDx talks
• English-Burmese and Burmese-English Dictionary (a few words)
• Stationary bike ride (30+ minutes)
• Protective Verses (Pali Seikkha : study of Pali terms and phrases)

Books / Talks

• Seven Habits of Effective People
• Eighth Habit
• The Power of Habit
• Small Changes
• Will Power

Intelligence / Energy

• Mental (Imagination / Vision)
• Physical (Discipline / Health)
• Emotional (Passion)
• Spiritual (Conscience, Dhamma)
• Inergy (Inner Energy)

Breaking a habit

• Requires will power
• Substitution of a habit with “same” rewards

• Factors
• Motivation
• Ability
• Trigger

Broadcast on October 27, 2020

Meaning (several senses)

Jubilation / Joy

Special Anniversary

Silver (25 years) / Ngwe YaDu

Gold (50 years) / Shwe YaDu

Diamond (75 or sometimes 60) / Sein YaDu

Religious term

*****

Golden Jubilee

RU (1970)

Committees
Dr Aung Gyi, U Thet Lwin …
U Hla Tun Aung and team (I was a volunteer) for Zay Nay Yar Cha Htar Yay
Entertainment
Swel Daw Yeik Ah Nyeint
Htee Yein
…
Playboys
…
Commemorative Magazine

Yoke Shin (1970)

Screen classic movies

New Education System (2014)

Institute of Economics

RIT / YIT / YTU
Shwe YaDu Lann
Shwe YaDu Benches
Swel Daw Bins
Celebrations
Exhibits
Commemorative Magazine
…

69er GJ of Admission to RIT

69er GJ of Graduation (2019)
Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe (Assembly Hall)
Reunion Dinner and Entertainment (at Ko Aung Min’s old department)

Apollo 11 (Houston, Texas, US, July 2019)
My poem : Men on the Moon
sent to NASA via USIS Information Officer
Published in Guardian

*****

Rangoon Jubilee Hall
60th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s ascension to the throne

*****

RU Diamond Jubilee
75th anniversary of the establishment of Rangoon University
Commemorative Video by BERB / MERB on “RU Sports”
Narrator : Saya U Nyein
Interviews : U Tun Mra, U Myo Nyunt, Hemar Nay Win …
Commemorative Magazine

Video Broadcast : #

Several definitions

Example : Ability to use tools to create better tools

Types

The list is not exhaustive

• Human Intelligence
• Animal Intelligence
• Military Intelligence
• Machine Intelligence
• Artificial Intelligence

AI / Artificial Intelligence

Word proposed by John McCarthy and colleagues for a new discipline (different from Cybernetics) about five decades (or so)

Early researchers include

• John McCarthy
• Marvin Minsky
• Alan Newell
• Herbert Simon
• Arthur Samuel
• Ed Feigenbaum
• Raj Reddy

Early works

• Logic Theorist (Newell, Shaw, Simon)
• GPS / General Problem Solver (Newell, Shaw, Simon)
• Checkers Program (Arthur Samuel)
• MIT AI Lab (John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky)
• Knowledge Based System (e.g Medical) : Ed Feigenbaum

Decline and resurgence of AI : At least twice

• Fifth Generation Computer Systems
• Neural Networks / Machine Learning/ Deep Learning
• Games to best human Champions (Chess, Go, Jeopardy)
• Turing Test / Modified Turing Test
• Robotics
• Natural Language Understanding / Processing
• Smart devices and applications

Hype / Too much commercialization/ Rewording of old ideas as AI

Some trusted AI systems have features/ bugs (e.g facial recognition)

IQ / Intelligence Quotient

• Measure introduced by Terman
• Relative measure

Other Measures

• Emotional Intelligence / Quotient
• Sasana Intelligence/ Quotient
  suggested by Panditarama Sayadaw
• Technological Savvy
• Resilience to Adversity

Video Broadcast on August 20, 2020

Pillars of Learning

• Learning to know
• Learning to do
• Learning to be
• Learning to live

Life long learning

• Learn something new every day (if possible)
  If not, every month or every year
  
• Sample Daily activities
  Listen to Blinkist
  Listen to Merriam Webster’s Word of the day (podcast)
  Write one or more blogs
  Revise one or more blogs

Fun with learning

• Fun with English
  Word games
  
• Fun with Mathematics
  e.g. Books by W. W. Sawyer
  
• Fun with Physics
  e.g. Coursera course
  
• Learning how to learn
  e.g. Coursera course