e BULLETIN of PENANG TAM

Issue Nos. 3/2013

**************
In this Issue: Branch Chairmans Message Editorial Message Branch Activities New Technologies Environment Do you Know Quotation of the month Humors Health Matters How to contact us

QUOTE:

A negative mind will never give you a positive Life.

Dear TAM members, Welcome to our branch eBulletin 3 Issue which is also our last Issue for 2013/2014 session. I would to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year and have a great horse year ahead. I would like express my gratitude to all our committee members who have given me the full support and trust for my first term as Chairman of Penang. Mr Cheok is instrumental for the success of these eBulletin Issues and we hope to produce more interesting and exciting eBulletin in coming issues. Hope to see most of you at our next branch AGM meeting in March 2014. Best Regards & Thank you.
rd

Danie Wong Nei Chin Chairman, TAM Penang

As we wind down towards the end of another year, it is time to take a look back at some of the TAM activities carried out that helped make 2013 an unforgettable year for our members. A summary of our branch KPI is produced below for your scrutiny. Globally, in 2013 we saw many new technologies being introduced and a few of them were produced in this issue as well as past issues of our e-Bulletin. On 5th. December 2013, we saw the passing of Nelson Mandela. To honor his memory, we publish some inspiring quotes by this great former South African freedom fighter. During the 1980s, due to rapid industrialization in the state of Penang, there was a shortage of charge men in the industrial sectors. To overcome this shortage, TAM Penang in collaboration with Penang Penang Skills Development Centre started the Industrial charge man training course. Since then we have trained more than a thousand charge men for the local industry. However this year, we are indeed very sad that we lost our cash cow as we were no longer able to conduct the charge man training course in spite of numerous attem pts to continue it. Rest be assured your Penang Committee will be working hard to look for another cash cow soon. Members are also invited to suggest new possibilities to the committee on what type of profitable business venture to explore. We are still not sure what to expect in 2014 but nevertheless cheers to a happy New Year 2014. Let us be strong and wake up to the reality in 2014. BM Cheok, Hon. Editor, TAM Penang

Please consider your environmental responsibility before printing this eBulletin. SAVE TREES and
REDUCE POLLUTION.
2

Penang Branch Activities Report :1. March -December 2013 - Held 10 Committee meetings 2. 23rd Mar 2013 Initial dialogue with IEM Penang to discuss collaboration on seminar/training program 3. 16th Mar 2013 - Dialogue with CEO of PSDC to discuss our Charge man Course technical training program 4. 3rd Apr 2013 Sub-committee meeting to discuss Charge man Course technical training program 5. 22nd May 2013 Initiated 1st wave of Email Drive to obtain email address from existing members 6. 27th Jun 2013 Launch Penang Branch e-Bulletin 1st Issue 7. 14th July 2013 Created Face book Page and Face book Group to improve connection among TAM Penang members 8. 16th July 2013 Face book training for members on how to setup FB account and connect to TAM Penang Face book 9. 21st Aug 2013 Continuous Dialogue with IEM Penang to establish collaboration on seminar/training activities 10. 26th Aug 2013 Visited HRDF Penang to find out procedures & requirements for trainings claimable 11. 11th Sep 2013 Dialogue with Head of TAR-UC branch at Penang to discuss collaboration and facilities for training/seminar venue 12. 17th Sep 2013 2nd Email Drive with members adoption method by each committee member to complete the project 13. 23rd Sep 2013 2nd Issue of e-Bulletin 14. 5th Oct 2013 Medical Talk by Specialist doctor from Gleneagles Hospital. 15. 5th. Dec 2013 Technical visit to TNB Gelugor Power Station 16. 12th. Jan. 2014 Technical talk and workshop on car maintenance 17. 14th. Jan. 2014 3rd. Issue of e-Bulletin.

Up and coming Activities:18. 21 Feb. 2014 Technical talk on new refrigerant technology for Air Conditioning Systems 19. March 2014 Technical talk on Building Management Systems
20. March 2014 -- Penang Branch AGM 21. 13 April 2014 -- National AGM in KL

OBITUARY
We were saddened to hear of the passing of Ir Chin Joo Negan on 24 December 2013. He was the Chairman of Penang branch from 1999 till 2001and the National President of TAM from 2001 till 2003. We express our sincere condolence to his family. TAM HQ as well as TAM Penang Branch expressed our sympathy with fitting floral tributes at this emotional time. May his soul rest in peace.
3

Dr Fong Chan Onn: Skilled technicians should register with TAM/Afeo.

The Star Malaysia 28 Sep 2013 KUALA LUMPUR: Youths interested in being skilled technicians and able to work in the Asean region should register as technical skill graduates with the Asean Federation of Engineering Organizations (Afeo).

Proud members: Students of Kojadi Institute (from left) Kuah Chen Keong, Leong Chee Oon, Yoong Yuen Man, Lee Chee Loon and Tan Kai Shen showing their TAM and Afeo membership certificates after the presentation ceremony.

This is timely as the Asean services sector is set to be liberalised in 2015, said Kojadi Institute chairman Tan Sri Dr Fong Chan Onn. He added that many countries, especially Singapore and recently Malaysia, are gearing towards registration of competent technicians. Technicians are required in many service industries such as oil and gas, telecommunications and computer appliances. These industries constantly need maintenance, repair and upgrading work and multinational corporations require graduates to be skilled technicians before they are hired, he said before presenting the TAM/Afeo membership certificates to graduates of the Malaysian Skills Certificate Level 3 who had signed up for it. Technological Association of Malaysia (TAM) deputy president Tang Heap Seng said being a member of TAM/Afeo would enable young people to work and travel within Asean countries as skilled workers. On concerns over technicians from the Philippines and Indonesia coming to Malaysia and competing with the locals come 2015 with the service sector liberalisation, Dr Fong said Malaysian technicians were ahead in technical skills and need not worry as they, too, could go to the Philippines and Indonesia to work.

Sin Chew national edition 28 Sep 2013

Health Talk by Dr. Srinivas at Heritage Hotel, Penang

On 5 October 2013, 50 members from TAM Penang and their spouses attended a health talk given by Dr. P Srinivas, Consultant Geriatrician / Chest Physician of Gleneagles Medical Centre. This was followed by a dinner after the interesting and beneficial talk.

Technical visit to TNB Power Station at Glugor, Penang

On 5th. December 2013, from 9am till 1pm, 22 members from TAM Penang visited the TNB Power Station to study the generation of electricity in Penang.

Scientists make LiFi progress

ZoomSharePrintListenTranslate

Lightbulbs may one day be used for connecting to Internet

SHANGHAI: Successful experiments by Chinese scientists have indicated the possibility of the countrys netizens getting online through signals sent by lightbulbs (LiFi), instead of WiFi. Four computers under a one-watt LED lightbulb may connect to the Internet under the principle that light can be used as a carrier instead of traditional radio frequencies, as in WiFi, said Chi Nan, an information technology professor with Shanghais Fudan University. A lightbulb with embedded microchips can produce data rates as fast as 150 megabits per second, which is faster than the average broadband connection in China, said Prof Chi, who leads a LiFi research team including scientists from the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

With LiFi cost-effective as well as efficient, netizens should be excited to view 10 sample LiFi kits that will be on display at the China International Industry Fair that kicks off on 5 Nov 2013. The current wireless signal transmission equipment is expensive and low in efficiency, said Prof Chi. As for mobile phones, millions of base stations have been established around the world to strengthen the signal but most of the energy is consumed on their cooling systems, she said. The energy utilisation rate is only 5%. Compared with base stations, the number of lightbulbs that can be used is practically limitless. Meanwhile, Chinese people are replacing the old-fashioned incandescent bulbs with LED lightbulbs at a fast pace. Wherever there is an LED lightbulb, there is an Internet signal, said Prof Chi. Turn off the light and there is no signal. However, there is still a long way to go to make LiFi a commercial success. If the light is blocked, then the signal will be cut off, added Prof Chi. More importantly, according to the scientist, the development of a series of key related pieces of technology, including light communication controls as well as microchip design and manufacturing, is still in an experimental stage. The term LiFi was coined by Harald Haas from the University of Edinburgh in Britain and refers to a type of visible light communication technology that delivers a networked, mobile, high-speed communication solution in a similar manner as WiFi. Xinhua

Solar charging while parking

Starpath spray-on coating lights up the road

October 21, 2013

UK company Pro-Teq's glow-in-the-dark spray coating could prove a cheaper alternative to conventional street lighting (Photo: Pro-Teq) UK company Pro-Teq has developed a new water-resistant, spray-on coating that absorbs UV light during the day and releases it at night, adapting to the lighting conditions in its surroundings. The technology is being given a test run at the Christ's Pieces park in Cambridge, and could prove a cost effective alternative to conventional street lighting. We're used to seeing solar-harvesting technology being installed primarily on rooftops, but other sufficiently irradiated surfaces, including sidewalks, are also being explored for their energy harvesting potential. Starpath doesn't produce electricity, but it does offer a possible alternative to street lighting, with very low installation and maintenance costs, as it can be just sprayed onto an existing surface and then further coated to make it waterproof. According to the company, the coating absorbs and stores UV light during the day and releases it at night, when its particles are able to adjust to the available natural light, and glow with the appropriate level of intensity.
8

The coating is currently being trialled in Christs Pieces, a park in the centre of Cambridge, UK, where it has been sprayed on a total area of 150 sq m (1,600 sq ft). Pro-Teq says the coating took only 30 minutes to apply, with the surface being ready for use after only four hours. "Our surface works best over tarmac or concrete, predominantly tarmac, which is the main bulk of the UK path network," explains Pro-Teq sales director Neil Blackmore. "When it's coming to the end of its useful life, we can rejuvenate it with our system, creating not only a practical, but a decorative finish." Starpath has anti-slip properties, and can help users avoid collisions at night, without resorting to artificially-painted lines to divide the path. The coating is also non-reflective, and the company website lists a choice of 11 different colours. On the flipside, problems might be encountered during the winter months, with less light available during the day and the possibility of snow blocking out light from the path. The video below details how the resurfacing technology works and explains how quickly the coating can be laid out onto a path. Source: Pro-Teq

US Navy launches drone from submerged submarine

December 5, 2013

Sequence photo of the launch of the XFC (Photo: NAVSEA-AUTEC)

9

Today, the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) announced that it had successfully launched a drone from a submerged submarine. The all-electric eXperimental Fuel Cell Unmanned Aerial System (XFC) was launched in the Bahamas from the Los Angeles-class nuclearpowered attack submarine USS Providence (SSN 719) using a system that allowed the drone to be deployed without modifications to the boat, or requiring it to surface. The XFC unmanned aircraft was developed by the NRL in less than six years from initial concept to current stage. Its all electric and powered by a fuel cell that allows it to stay aloft for more t han six hours. According the NRL, the UAV is relatively low cost, flies at low altitude, and is designed for Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. The craft has folding wings and is designed to be launched from a pickup truck or small surface vessel. For the submarine test, the XFC was placed inside of a Sea Robin launch vehicle. The Sea Robin fits inside of a standard vertical Tomahawk missile launch tube, such as those aboard the USS Providence. After launching, the Sea Robin rose to the surface and took on the appearance of a spar buoy. After the Sea Robin opened, the XFC used its electrically-assisted take-off system to raise itself vertically out of the container, and after reaching operating speed and altitude unfolded its wings for horizontal flight. The XFC flew for several hours as it beamed back a video feed to the Providence. It then returned to the submarine and its surface support vessels before landing at the Naval Sea Systems Command Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Centre (AUTEC), on Andros Island in the Bahamas. Source: US Naval Research Laboratory

10

Oil spill-absorbing material inspired by cactus needles By Ben

Coxworth .August 8, 2013

Cactus needles draw moisture to the plant, just like the new material draws in oil droplets from the water

When an oil spill occurs at sea, there are already a number of possible options for gathering the oil that floats in a layer on the waters surface. Some of the oil also forms into tiny suspended droplets, however, which have proven much more difficult to gather. Now, Chinese scientists have developed what could be a solution and it owes a debt to the humble cactus needle. Although it may seem that the only purpose of cactus needles is to protect the plants from peoples bare feet, they also help provide the cacti with water. They do so by collecting moisture from the desert air, which forms into droplets and is carried to the base of each needle via surface tension. There, it can be absorbed through pores in the plants surface. A team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has recently taken that same principle, and applied it to a material that shows promise as a means of absorbing the oil spill droplets. At first glance, the material appears to simply have a rough surface. Upon closer inspection, however, it can be seen that the surface actually consists of an array of tiny conical copper spikes. These spikes are affixed to a flexible synthetic substrate that is known for its tendency to absorb oil, but not water. When the material is placed in oil-contaminated water in a lab, micron-sized droplets gather on the spikes and are then drawn to the substrate just like the water droplets do on cactus needles. Its reportedly able to remove up to 99 percent of the droplets from water samples, and it gathers oil continuously. A paper on the research was recently published in the journal Nature Communications. Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences via Phys.org
11

Eco Friendly Toilet

DO YOU KNOW THAT ..

Beer contains all 13 essential nutrients of life. Having positive thoughts increases your brains ability to make better decisions. Music is able to repair brain damage as well as return lost memories. Ignorant people are more likely to believe they are brilliant, while intelligent people are more likely to underestimate themselves. When a drunken person is talking, 75% of whatever he/she says is true. Singing helps reduce feelings of depression and anxiety. It increases oxygen to your lungs and helps better posture Due to increased brain activity, people with higher intelligence tend to have a harder time falling asleep at night! The average woman smiles 62 times a day. The average man smiles only 8 times. The growth of cancer cells can be slowed down by smoking marijuana. Sharks are the only animals that never get sick. They are even immune to every known disease including cancer. Daytime naps improve memory; and also cut the risk of heart disease.

12

Over 90% people make their important decisions of the day while taking shower! It is estimated that millions of trees in the world are accidentally planted by squirrels that bury nuts and then forget where they hid them. The wedding ring goes on the left ring finger. Because it is the only finger with a vein that connects to a heart! Chocolate lowers cholesterol, relieves stress, strengthens the immune & reduces anxiety. Your brain is more active when youre dreaming than it is when youre awake. It would take more than 1000 years to watch every video currently on YouTube.

THE TECHNOLOGY OF FUTURE BABIES.

THE PACIFIER OF FUTURE BABIES.

13

Chinese Proverb:
'When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, You have a moral obligation to share it with others.'

5 Nice Little Beliefs!

1. Once, all villagers decided to pray for rain, on the day of prayer all the People gathered but only one boy came with an umbrella. THAT'S FAITH! 2. When you throw a baby in the air, she laughs because she knows you will catch her. THAT'S TRUST! 3. Every night we go to bed, without any assurance of being alive the next morning but still we set the alarms to wake us up. THAT'S HOPE! 4. We plan big things for tomorrow inspite having zero knowledge of the future. THAT'S CONFIDENCE! 5. We see the world suffering... But still we get married? THAT'S OVER CONFIDENCE!!

14

Inspiring Quotes by the Great Nelson Mandela

We were saddened, together with the rest of the world, to hear of the passing three for of Nelson in for Mandela, a man who spent almost prison decades fighting

freedom, to emerge and lead his country to a better future. He died at age 95, and will be missed by many. To honor his memory, African here are some fighter, quotes of the former South freedom writer, politician and leader.

RIP Nelson Mandela ~ July 18, 1918 - December 5, 2013 ~

15

Photos That Move The Human Spirit

12 year old boy playing the violin at the funeral of the teacher who helped him escape poverty.

16

Photos That Move The Human Spirit

Heart surgeon after a 23 hour heart transplant operation with very little resources and only one assistant (sleeping in the corner).

Father and son after 60 years (1949-2009).

17

Leo the dog sits for the 2nd consecutive day at the burial site of its owner, who died in a landslide.

18

Interesting info to share

19

20

Eat fruits and greens every day to stay healthy

ZoomSharePrintListenTranslate Two servings of fruits and three of vegetables a day will help keep the doctor away, according to the Nutrition Society of Malaysia. Its president Dr Tee E Siong advised people to eat adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables daily to keep healthy. Fruits and vegetables play an important role in the prevention of diseases. They have micronutrients and phytonutrients which are not found in animal food. Supplements cannot replace fruits and vegetables, he said. To fight rising prices, Dr Tee said people could buy seasonal fruits or plant fruits in their garden.

21

HOW TO CONTACT US.

Persatuan Teknologi Malaysia
TECHNOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF MALAYSIA
PENANG BRANCH C/o:- Intelligence Technology Services Sdn. Bhd. 560 & 562, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah Sungai Nibong, 11900 Penang Tel: 04-658 2658 (Ms. Lim) Fax: 04-658 4452

Email: tam.penang@yahoo.com TAM website: www.tam.com.my

OFFICE BEARERS FOR 2013/2014

CHAIRMAN IMM. PAST CHAIRMAN VICE CHAIRMAN : : : : HON. SECRETARY HON. TREASURER HON. EDITOR COMMITTEE MEMBERS : : : : : : : : HON. AUDITOR : : MR. DANIE WONG NEI CHIN IR. TANG HEAP SENG MR. ALEX POO TENG SOO MR. SOON YIN LOU MR. BALASUBRAMANIAM SANYASI MR. WONG MENG THIM MR. CHEOK BOH MING MR. DANIEL RAPHAEL MR. OOI BENG HUAT MR. RANJIT SINGH MR. NG KUM LOKE MR. VIJAENDRE SELVEN MR. MOY FOOK WAH MR. ONG KOOI WAH

22