The Hunchback Heuristic

Is perception of threat and shooting of Blacks racially motivated? This paper could have the answer: Chip on the shoulder? The hunchback heuristic predicts the attribution of anger to low status groups and calm to high status groups.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23311908.2016.1210998

The Biggest Dinosaur!

360º Virtual Reality - Meet the largest dinosaur ever discovered

360º Virtual Reality - The biggest dinosaur you’ll ever see, with Sir David Attenborough! #GiantDinosaur

Posted by BBC Earth on Monday, February 22, 2016

How to Create Great Slides

I came across this and I thought it was really helpful with tips pointing to useful resources for better slides.

How to create great slides for presentations from Mike Jeffs

28000 Views!

Haha...just got excited seeing that round figure on the tracker this morning.

Thanks everyone for keeping this blog alive. :)

Referencing APA Style

Hey AUSMATians, here is the link for the guide to referencing using the APA format.

http://www.umlib.um.edu.my/publications/APA-Guide.pdf

The Tobacco Atlas (First edition, 2002)

Here's the WHO link to some of the statistics I used in class. It is taken from their Tobacco Free Initiative.

http://www.who.int/tobacco/resources/publications/tobacco_atlas/en/index.html

Anti-Smoking Campaign

Trip to the National Science Centre

Here are the group pictures from the trip as promised. I'm still waiting for more journals to come in. So, if you see the others on these pictures, do remind them that they owe Ms Hema and me the journal.

Welcome 609 Intake!

To all the UNSW Foundation Year and A Level students of June '09 intake, WELCOME!

Don't forget to leave a comment here and do the Multiple Intelligences test ya.

Multiple Intelligences Test

For those who are trying to look for the test I mentioned to you when we talked, try clicking here.

Good University Guide

I'm including a link here to Times Online for their Good University Guide 2009 table. Since it's that time of the year, I'm hoping that this will help those who are applying for universities but are confused about which university to choose. http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/tol_gug/gooduniversityguide.php

You can actually search for the field you're interested in under "Choose subject" and they will provide a comparison of all the different UK universities for that particular field. So you can look for the best university in that particular field or actually compare 2 or 3 or more universities, if you want to.

Teachers' Resource

Just thought I'd share a link for teachers out there who might stumble upon this blog looking for fun resources. I came across this link for a free crossword puzzle maker. It's a very useful tool for fun assessments and it's easy to use. Go check it out! ;)

http://www.eclipsecrossword.com/

More controversial body parts

This time it's the appendix. The function of the appendix, if it even has one, has been long debated by doctors and Bio lecturers alike. ;) The conclusion? More debate!

I decided that I'll just provide these links which I think are credible and let you decide for yourself.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v20/i1/appendix.asp
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=what-is-the-function-of-t
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/10/2055374.htm

Powerpoint presentation tips

I find these presentations very helpful in understanding how to use Powerpoint slides effectively. I'm thankful to the website Slideshare which hosted these presentations and it allows you to download them and also to those who came up with these presentation in the first place. The authors of the presentations are stated on the first slide of each presentation.

I'm hoping that this will help you guys in future presentations ya. Enjoy!

http://www.slideshare.net/thecroaker/death-by-powerpoint

http://www.slideshare.net/satyajeet_02/how-to-make-effective-presentation/

Why can't you tickle yourself?

Picture courtesy of www.kidzworld.com

Yien Hsiu, this is specifically to answer your question in class. Go check out the link. ;)

http://health.howstuffworks.com/question511.htm

What smart are you?

Ever wondered why you learn or pick up certain things very quickly but when it comes to certain other things you're a slow learner? Well, maybe this test can help you find the reason. Try this test by answering a few questions and discover your area of intelligence. Then maybe you can adjust your learning style to suit your intelligence.

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/questions/choose_lang.cfm

Verdict: Addict!

Signs and symptoms of addiction and abuse:
1) Withdrawal symptoms after reducing or stopping chronic drug use
2) Unable to stop using
3) Preoccupation with drug

Ecstasy I tell you! Sheer ecstasy! Lifted my spirit up so high that I had a smile conveniently plastered across my face, the kind that makes people think you've lost your marbles. "That felt great!" I exclaimed and continued smiling. I did not need anything else. Hunger and thirst was forgotten. My adrenal glands burst forth with a flush of adrenalin, keeping that smile fixed firmly from ear to ear.

But the way my body, mind and soul reacted to the 'fix' made me reflect, examine and confess..."My name is Jaya and I am an addict!" Have I been in denial all this while that I did not see this fall from grace? Or was I just indifferent that it did not occur to me? Now it makes sense. All of it. The restlessness, concentration problems and anxiety from the withdrawal, the refusal (more like the inability) to stop despite the fact that many parties have attempted to persuade me to quit and move on to 'better' things, and finally the debilitating preoccupation with this 'fix'.

It's confirmed! I am addicted to teaching! I came to this realisation yesterday, having delivered my first lecture since 2nd October which filled the heart with delight, pure delight.

But it's cold turkey again for me until the 26th of November.

Spleen-ology

Recently, a little boy I know fell from a third floor apartment balcony and suffered some serious injuries. He was bleeding internally due to the rupture of his left kidney and his spleen. The doctors had to perform an emergency surgery to stop the bleeding and remove the kidney as well as the spleen. You must be wondering why I'm posting about this already.

Well, one thing I've noticed from the incident is that not many people actually know the function of the spleen (some didn't even know the existence of the organ). So, I thought I'd at least educate my students or others who read this blog about their spleens. (WARNING: This post assumes that the reader has no knowledge whatsoever about the subject matter. If you feel your intelligence insulted in any way, the author apologises in advance.)


Your spleen is an organ above your stomach and under your ribs on your left side (a prime spot for injury). It is about as big as your fist and that makes it about the size of your heart. The spleen is part of your lymphatic system, which fights infection and keeps your body fluids in balance. It contains white blood cells that fight germs (feel your intelligence insulted yet?). Your spleen also helps control the amount of blood in your body, and destroys old and damaged cells (basically it's your blood cells' graveyard).

The average weight of an adult spleen is 0.44 lbs (that's about 200 grams). However, during and after digestion, the size of the spleen increases. Infection of malaria or mono can also cause the spleen to increase in size. If the increase in size is significant, the spleen can rupture. If the spleen ruptures, immediate medical care is necessary (duh!). You may need emergency surgery to control the bleeding. Other diseases that causes enlargement of the spleen are: rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus, sickle cell amenia, leukemia, and lymphoma.

Apart from diseases, a ruptured spleen is typically caused by a blow to the left upper abdomen or the left lower chest. Sporting mishaps, fist fights and car accidents (and even falling from a third floor apartment) are common triggers. The spleen is soft and is surrounded by a tough covering, or capsule. An injured spleen may rupture soon after the abdominal trauma or, in some cases, days or even weeks after the injury. Not all spleen injuries are the same. There may be a mild bruise, a little tear, making it bleed into its middle, or it may be broken into several pieces.

Traditionally, children with an injured spleen underwent an operation to remove it, a so-called splenectomy (try saying that 10 times very quickly). Over the past 30 years, surgeons have learned that more than 90% of children with an injured spleen can heal without an operation, saving the spleen's important infection fighting role. To get the spleen to heal, the child needs to remain in bed in the hospital until their spleen has stopped bleeding, and they must then restrict their participation in sports or other vigorous activities to keep their spleen from being reinjured. Sometimes, if the child is in shock, or the spleen doesn't stop bleeding on its own, an operation is needed to remove or repair the spleen.

You can live an active life without a spleen (woohooo!). Other organs, such as your liver, will take over some of the spleen's work. Without a spleen, however, your body will lose some of its ability to fight infections (bummer!). Therefore, you're more likely to contract serious or even life-threatening infections. If your spleen is removed, you should get vaccinated (get a "shot") against pneumococcal infection and get a booster shot every 3 to 5 years. Your doctor may also want you to get 2 other shots, one to protect you against Haemophilus infections and another to protect against meningitis. In some cases, preventive antibiotics may be recommended as well — especially if you have any other conditions that increase your risk of serious infections. Children who have a splenectomy might need to take antibiotics for at least 2 years after the spleen is taken out, and sometimes until age 21 (maybe even their whole lifetime).

Now you know! ;)

House keeping!

You can see how bored and sedated I am as I sit in the office without classes from the fact that there's no intelligent posts on the blog but some minor additions here and there. Anyways, don't miss the little addition right at the bottom ya. It can be scary if you stare at it long enough! ;)