Enigmatic

TCFS vs Alphington FC

2011-09-03T10:10:00.000+10:00

Over a special weekend (14 August 2011), we took the train to Alphington to play against their team. Of course, the Trinity College Foundation Studies team won! :D

Here are a few snapshots of special moments of the game.

For more photos of the game, visit the album at PicasaWeb.

Programming the Future

2011-09-02T15:26:00.000+10:00

Before I delve into this topic, just a quick indication that I have no authority as a High School teenager, and I'm sure some of the ideas I'll present would have clear flaws or mistakes that I'm unaware of in my early years of programming.

Lets look a little bit into the history of programming. The very first high level programming language invented was FORTRAN, in 1954. This programming language included 32 statements, which one would say are the basics, or the 'axioms' of programming nowadays. Since then programming has of course developed and new programming languages have been formed. However are we really in a position to say that programming has evolved at the speed that we anticipated?

I mean, compare software development over the past years to something like, say, CPU speed, which to this day doubles every two years, following a trend known as Moore's Law. In the past decades we developed from vacuum tubes to silicon transistors, and are nearing quantum transistors using technology such as the Quantum Point Contact to detect qubits (it's of course all still a theory, but a very probable theory).

However, switching over, software development, one may argue, has developed from punch-cards to single-line coding to methods to frameworks. But we are still using the same damn old command line and text documents to code! Sure there are visual ways of programming, such as the Google App Inventor, or LEGO Mindstorms NXT, but behind the scenes they are all representations of text coding, only simplified for the user.

And of course what one considers the best program is the one that is completely documented (almost obsessively, to a point where the documentation is ten-fold the size of the program itself). Why is this? Is understanding programming universally so difficult? In mathematics we give a problem, and the solution is entirely understandable except for small sections here and there which can be substituted with a written explanation. Programming however requires for every line to be explained, every method described and every class reasoned. Sounds like a bit too much!

Our views of programming in the next 25 years has dimmed remarkably. Anders Hejlsberg in "The Future of Programming Languages" reminisces on his early 80's when he joins Turbo Pascal, and his optimistic vision of the future of programming which included such luxurious thoughts of using voice-recognition to write code. This fantasy quickly dissipates into reality when he takes the current usage of programming and projects it into the future, saying that over the next few years programming will begin to merge together. Wait what? You mean there still isn't one universal way of programming? Everybody understands x + y = z, but in programming not every compiler would understand x + y = z.

Why have the programmers stopped dreaming? Why has programming come to a complete standstill? Why does the 'hello world' application look the same as it did almost forty years ago? Maybe we're not thinking hard enough. Software engineering sure teaches programming and how to write code, but it also teaches us how to think logically, how to write down every step, and how not to deviate from what works.

Maybe a solution can be found at the very core of programming: The axioms. Maybe by changing the way programs function, we can improve the speed and efficiency of programs. Stay tuned for a further exploration of this topic =)

5 Tips for Being Successful at University or College

2011-07-06T14:53:00.000+10:00

1. Involve yourself
Be sure to be involved in as many extra-curricular activities as possible. These could be anything from the Yearbook team to a sport that you like to play. Try something new, and widen your comfort zone. Being involved will expand your friendship circle, and you'll meet great new friends from a variety of backgrounds. Also, it's a well known fact that having a sport that you play regularly will improve your academic results. University is a time for experimentation, so throw yourself at as many activities as possible, and pick your favourite ones later!

2. Stay organized
Having a messy room would translate to having a messy mind. Keep your room clean, and you'll be motivated throughout the years. Staying organized doesn't just apply to your room, it also applies to the books and notes that you keep. Find some sort of organization system that works, and keep unnecessary items out of the way in your small room. Keep your electronic documents organized, and efficiently backed up with Dropbox, a folder that synchronizes all your efiles that you need across your workspace and the internet cloud.

3. Keep an eye on your expenses
I'll have to admit, many of us in our first taste of true freedom tend to spend far more than is necessary to survive as a student. Sort out the things that you want from the things that you need, and use your money on the things that you need, while saving up for the things you want. You will be respected for being able to distinguish between the two categories.

4. Find the best student deals and bargains
For me, I found OZBargain, a bottom-up approach to finding the best deals around Australia. This probably saves me about a hundred dollars a month, as I now have access to the craziest deals and freebies! If you want to save money, find a deal website or a bargain newsletter. There is one for almost every country in the world! If you can't find any, ask the locals.

5. Skype your family and friends often

Most importantly, ENJOY YOURSELF!

Changing to a different environment can be rather stressful, and skyping back home can always ease the tension, not just for you but also for your family and friends. Even if you have had an open mind, and find that you enjoy the place you've gone to for university, staying in touch is important as a means of maintaining an image of home: an anchor for yourself.

Securing your Twitter account from password sniffers

2011-06-11T13:14:00.000+10:00

One of my previous posts features sniffing Facebook passwords through Android phones, and how to prevent this.

I went through Twitter to find out how to secure a Twitter account, and it was relatively easy for me to find the https switch.

Just navigate over to your Twitter settings, and under the Account tab scroll all the way to the bottom. Then check the HTTPS checkbox. Very easy!

Enjoy!

Sniffing Facebook passwords (and other popular services)

2011-06-11T00:52:00.000+10:00

It would seem very unlikely for a hacker to be sitting on your local network, stealthily stealing passwords using scripts through Wireshark or sifting through your files. But with the new Android program FaceNiff, password sniffing becomes a very real possibility.

FaceNiff can be downloaded straight off the internet onto an Android phone, and with the press of a button it will start 'sniffing' passwords off Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Amazon and Nasza-Klasa from the local network. I decided that this was too easy to be true, and gave the program a shot. Sure enough, within seconds I could gain access to Facebook accounts. By pressing one of these accounts, you are taken to their Facebook home page, and I even tested it out by posting as my friend. Everything worked perfectly!

Of course, with any Android user now having the ability to gain access to Facebook, this brings up the issue of security. Not only is this application extremely easy to use, it has made hacking portable, and thus increases the risk exponentially.

To prevent an Android user from gaining access to your Facebook, you can increase the security of your Facebook account simply through the account settings.
1. Log onto Facebook.com

2. In the upper right-hand corner, click on 'Account' and press 'Account Settings' from the drop-down menu

3. Look for "Account security" and press the 'change' button to the right. Then scroll down and ensure that the checkbox next to 'Browse Facebook on a secure connection (https) whenever possible' option is checked, and press save.

You're done! You will know if this setting is activated if the URL shows 'https://www.facebook.com'

This should prevent hackers from sniffing your password on Facebook, and thus gaining access to your account. I haven't played around with the other popular services, but I know there is a Firefox extension for helping out with securing your connection whenever possible called HTTPS Everywhere. I don't use Firefox though, so I hope something similar will eventually be rolled out to Google Chrome.

Note: All password sniffing was done with the permission of my local network group.

Forwarding Zimbra email to your personal email account

2011-05-25T22:26:00.001+10:00

Hey all,

Trinity College Foundation Studies uses Zimbra email, and many people were asking me how to

forward Zimbra email to their personal accounts so that they didn't have to check the Zimbra email anymore.

Click here to access the PDF which is a tutorial to forwarding your Zimbra email to your personal email. This tutorial demonstrates it in five simple steps!

Hope this is useful to you all!

Cheers for now,

Nihal Mirpuri

Melbourne, The Liveable City

2011-05-17T12:03:00.000+10:00

Six hard months have passed since my last post, which, I have to admit, was posted because I was procrastinating doing my work. In February I moved to Melbourne to study at Trinity College Foundation Studies. I've got a lot more time on my hands now, so I can start blogging again =)

According to The Economist, Melbourne is the second most liveable city in the world. I can certainly see a difference between Melbourne and Jakarta:

It's not hard at all to guess which one is Melbourne, and which one is Jakarta!

If you ever come to Melbourne, you have to check out Menya, the Japanese restaurant that sells excellent Japanese food for a very affordable price. Their speciality is Gyu-tan Don, so if you are a first timer there ask for that (it's grilled beef tongue)!

More on things to do in Melbourne will come up soon! Stay tuned!

Tales of Music

2010-11-27T22:53:00.000+11:00

We see people who rise being overtly talented in music from very young ages, picking up that violin as if it's an extension to their arm, or singing perfectly to match a professional singer. However, Robbie Pyburn, a student currently at Jakarta International School, was a subtle guitarist at heart. He tried both violin and piano when he was little, but it wasn't until High School when he realized his guitar potential after acing "Message in a Bottle" by The Police on Guitar Hero on easy difficulty.

His immediate passion for guitar attracted him to start the first band in 9th grade. He got together with Eric Stephens, another guitarist, and Arya Harsono, a bassist, to form a band called the Alternate Angle.

This band grew eventually after the first few practices to include Christian Blair on drums, and by Halloween 2007 they performed their first cover "Monster" by The Automatic

for a private party in a cafe. The momentum from this performance strengthened the band, and I joined them eventually as a keyboardist, and they brought in a singer Mauree

n Weiller briefly for a few songs.

Robbie was the core of this band, and made sure that everybody did their part. However, due to Christian Blair leaving at the end of 9th grade and me dropping out due to the increase in time I spent in traffic, the band broke up.

Of course Robbie would not let his passion of guitar leave him hanging for the rest of his High School career, and he started performing with Eric Stephens and Arya Harsono again in 10th grade for acoustic performances. Little did he know that he was on his way to becoming the school's most renowned guitarist, breaking school records that had been covered with cobwebs.

After a dozen or so of these minor performances, he became close friends with Alex Jonsson and Dalmar Jibril, whom also performed at these events occ

asionally. Eventually Robbie suggested a jam session with the three of them, with Dalmar on guitar, and Alex on percussion.

"As the jam sessions slowly continued, a vocalist was clearly becoming a necessity. We chose Katya Kamdani to be our female vocalist for a numbe

r of our songs. We realized later that a male vocalist was also required and so found Marty Borch." - Arya Harsono

The band this time had big potential, and they performed their first public performance on the rooftop of Pyburn's home for a teacher farewell party with an additional former band member rejoining them: Arya Harsono on bass.

"With the experience and the talent behind their belt, now the band needed a name. Robbie Pyburn and Nihal Mirpuri simultaneously came up with 'The Causeway', which is the main road in Pyburn's town of Burwell, UK. The
Causeway is also the bridge connecting Singa
pore and Malaysia, which strengthens the band's message of unity previewed through the multi-national members." - Alex Jonsson

Soon after the first few gigs, The Causeway felt that they were missing someone. They encountered Winnie Chen, keyboardist and back-up vocalist of Kyra's Band, and took her in for one of their own. By this time Robbie had begun
to gain a bit of fame amongst the students and teachers alike, and was invited to perform for the last day of 11th grade. Robbie knew that this performance would be the turning point, exposing them as the best band in High School, and revealing many opportunities for the band to perform in the future. Sure enough, after the performance there were already multiple requests for music at private and public gatherings alike. The band is now performing at high standards for many parties, all thanks to Robbie's efforts.

"Robbie Pyburn is the center of The Causeway. If it weren't for his efforts, the band would be nowhere near where it is currently." - Winnie Chen

Hoobastank in Jakarta

2010-07-29T19:18:00.000+10:00

It was such a pleasant surprise to come back from London one day, and find out that Hoobastank is playing at Hard Rock Cafe (2 minutes from my house) the very next day!

So of course I grab a group of friends overnight, and go to see the concert =)

It was excellent! And at the end Winnie (our friend) got to talk to the band and ask questions and get her CD signed. So lucky!

It felt like a proper welcome-back-to-Jakarta thing for me. My holiday was rather long.

If you don't know Hoobastank, check out their music video on The Reason, the most famous song by them.

A Collection of Inhuman Portraits

2010-07-26T01:15:00.000+10:00

And finally, here is my album from Taman Safari, featuring interesting close-ups of animals.

(I'm still uploading a few photos. There should be 15 in the album. If not, check back tomorrow.)

It's a recommended drive-through zoo for all of you guys out there!

The path of an Eagle

2010-06-30T02:51:00.000+10:00

It's been almost 6 months since I became an Eagle Scout, but every time somebody asks me what an Eagle Scout means, I have to sit down and think about it. Being an Eagle Scout really isn't about obtaining privileges and opportunities, I feel that it's more about the self-development throughout the journey.

I have been a Boy Scout for 6 years, starting at the age of 11. I started my journey to Eagle Scout in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia under Troop 818. After 3 years, I changed to Troop 455 at Jakarta, Indonesia.

With weekly meetings, I grew up with the scouts, and developed many skills that I know will stay with me for life. And I know that all Eagle Scouts have those skills. But to be a scout, one has to enter the program with a positive attitude, and a passion for learning. I saw that those who weren't inspired by scouting were the ones who didn't advance as fast as others, and they never changed. Whereas those who were really into the club (especially the nerds and geeks) succeeded in growing; both in the scouting community and within themselves.

So what exactly did you learn?

This is the complicated part; being able to figure out and extract those life skills from what has been integrated within myself throughout the years. There is a certain spark that only Eagle Scouts carry. It's this spark which distinguishes them from the rest of the crowd. The spark is so distinct that we can say "Oh. That makes sense for you to be an Eagle Scout. I could see it in you."

But I will try my best to explain in further details what we learn.

Independence - Being a scout really sped up the transition phase between being a child and being an adult. We learn to take care of ourselves in situations where it's necessary. One of the biggest lessons that we learn is that independence is not our ability to do things, it's our ability to make the right decisions. One sees this happening all the time - Wanting to be an adult, by drinking and smoking, is an example of doing something, but being independent means being able to say no and to resist peer pressure. However, understanding independence comes later, when one watches the younger scouts during camping. One'll always hear the "I can cook my own food!" and the "Lets go throw stones at the monkeys!" during these camp-outs, which come from the youngest, doing things because they can. Hearing this from somebody whom you used to be at one point in your life flicks a switch somewhere, and all of a sudden you understand how

to be independent.

Respect - From the early scouting years, one of the vital points of the scouting law is to respect. Respect animals, your environment, the teachers you learn from, the books you read from, the water you drink from, and so on. We learn outdoor codes and little sayings such as "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints", and I'm sure all of you have seen the brilliant movie UP, where a young scout helps an elder, and eventually comes to respect the elder. Respect is important in shaping one's personality, and building relationships with each other. During the path to Eagle, one understands people, places and other important things, and come to respect it. A careful examination of the way that scouts treat elders, compared to the way other young kids treat elders reveals that the scouts are definitely much more respectful - they listen to the elders and respond in an appropriate manner.

Being Prepared - The Boy Scout motto is "Be Prepared", and this motto has ineffably helped us through life. We learn to be prepared for the worst situation to come, whether it is having a hole in your tent, not bringing enough clothes for a holiday, or walking into a taxi not knowing where to go. We automatically memorize exit routes out of a building, and we always look back on an unknown street so that we can find our ways back. I believe that this is one of the biggest ways that Boy Scouts has affected me.

Leadership - Before becoming an Eagle, all of us have to demonstrate leadership through leading the scouts, whether it's the troop meetings, or during the Eagle Project. Leadership is vital, and it can only be learnt through experience. I had to lead the younger scouts for a few years, and had to guide many through my Eagle Project. I was often the only elder scout at camp-outs or meetings, and would have to take the responsibility of leadership. That means understanding the younger scouts, guiding them the right way without helping them too much, and setting a good example for the rest. I brought leadership outside of the Scout club, and use the techniques that I learnt in my everyday life.

Of course, there are many more things which I learnt from being an Eagle Scout. I can't write all of them down in just a few minutes!

Scouting was a key factor that shaped me during my developing years into a sensible and down-to-earth human being (I hope).

Day at Taman Safari

2010-06-29T01:29:00.000+10:00

Many of us have been up to Taman Safari in Puncak, so I'll just go through the highlights of the day =)

Apart from buffalo scratching up our car, elephants sneezing on us and escaped tigers, we had a

pretty fun time. Lara (my youngest cousin) was terrified of the orang-utan, and I managed to catch a pretty cute photo of the two of them looking at each other!

Eventually, the orang-utan came up to me, and bit me on the hand.

Then we went up further and tried SFC (Safari Fried Chicken) which actually turned out pretty fun.

Ah enough of Taman Safari :P

All this work is finally getting to me. I've been working throughout the summer, but dad still thinks that I haven't even picked up my books. He's right, as all my work's on the computer xD

I still have to complete the cartoon concepts for the cartoonist to review, and I have to ask WWF about my intern. The problem is that there were many events one after the other, which has put me behind schedule, from an accidental format (don't ask) of my computer to Hong Kong to having Lara and my aunt and uncle in the house. I have actually thought of a new tactic. I'll use the time in between the first and second game of the World Cup to work a bit... (and blog :S) since there'll be nobody around to annoy me then.

And now, I shall take off my Cochlear Implants, put my phone away, and get quite a bit of work done. Hmm. Perhaps my next blog should explain what a Cochlear Implant is xD

Not quite my first post

2010-06-27T21:18:00.000+10:00

It's true. The first post is always the most awkward one.

But then again, it's not really my first post, as my previous blog got quite a bit messy.

I just returned from Hong Kong, where I was part of the Hong Kong University Taster Day Programme.

Basically, three selected students from my school went to HKU, to learn about the engineering program and the university itself. This was the first time that the University has done this, so we were pilots xD

Personally, I was looking forward to this to learn more about the courses within engineering, because I was still unsure of what I wanted to do in university (all I know is that I'm interested in engineering). However, I think it was a waste of time, as we were split up into groups, and only did a section of engineering (Our group did Civil Engineering). It might have been better if the groups could try all the different sections... Oh well. Here's a picture of a group trying to make a spaghetti bridge. The formula for the best spaghetti bridge was (Weight that the bridge can support)/(Weight of the bridge itself).

We came second! xD

Hmm... I better get back to fine-tuning this blog (being a perfectionist) and go down for dinner eventually.