At my first year of college my physics teacher told us this rather amusing story, I’ve never forgotten this story - but I certainly have forgotten everything I learned in that class.

The following question was asked at the University of Copenhagen in a physics exam:

“”Describe how to determine the height of a skyscraper with a barometer.”

One student replied:

“You tie a long piece of string to the neck of the barometer, then lower the barometer from the roof of the skyscraper to the ground. The length of the string plus the length of the barometer will equal the height of the building.”

This highly original answer so incensed the examiner that the student was failed immediately. He appealed on the grounds that his answer was indisputably correct, and the university appointed an independent arbiter to decide the case. The arbiter judged that the answer was indeed correct, but did not display any noticeable knowledge of physics. To resolve the problem it was decided to call the student in and allow him six minutes in which to provide a verbal answer which showed at least a minimal familiarity with the basic principles of physics. For five minutes the student sat in silence, forehead creased in thought. The arbiter reminded him that time was running out, to which the student replied that he had several extremely relevant answers, but couldn’t make up his mind which to use. On being advised to hurry up the student replied as follows:

“Firstly, you could take the barometer up to the roof of the skyscraper, drop it over the edge, and measure the time it takes to reach the ground. The height of the building can then be worked out from the formula H = 0.5g x t squared. But bad luck on the barometer.

“Or if the sun is shining you could measure the height of the barometer, then set it on end and measure the length of its shadow. Then you measure the length of the skyscraper’s shadow, and thereafter it is a simple matter of proportional arithmetic to work uut the height of the skyscraper.

“But if you wanted to be highly scientific about it, you could tie a short piece of string to the barometer and swing it like a pendulum, first at ground level and then on the roof of the skyscraper. The height is worked out by the difference in the gravitational restoring force T = 2 pi sqrroot (l/g).

“Or if the skyscraper has an outside emergency staircase, it would be easier to walk up it and mark off the height of the skyscraper in barometer lengths, then add them up.

“If you merely wanted to be boring and orthodox about it, of course, you could use the barometer to measure the air pressure on the roof of the skyscraper and on the ground, and convert the difference in millibars into feet to give the height of the building.

But since we are constantly being exhorted to exercise independence of mind and apply scientific methods, undoubtedly the best way would be to knock on the janitor’s door and say to him ‘If you would like a nice new barometer, I will give you this one if you tell me the height of this skyscraper’.”

The student was Nils Bohr, the first Dane to win the Nobel prize for Physics. “

Not sure if anybody still checks this, i know i have updated it in yonks but yeah... T_T. Well just when i was about to start studying, i was looking up jokes and stumbled across a perfect example of my position XD.

How	to write a college paper:
	1. Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a well-lighted place with plenty of freshly sharpened pencils. 2. Check your email. 3. Read over the assignment carefully, to make certain you understand it. 4. Walk down to the vending machines and buy some coffee to help you concentrate. 5. Check your email. 6. Stop off at another floor, on the way back and visit with your friend from class. If your friend hasn't started the paper yet either, you can both walk to McDonald's and buy a hamburger to help you concentrate. If your friend shows you her paper, typed, double-spaced and bound in one of those irritating see-thru plastic folders, drop her. 7. When you get back to your room, sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a clean, well-lighted place with plenty of freshly sharpened pencils. 8. Read over the assignment again to make absolutely certain you understand it. 9. Check your email. 10. You know, you haven't written to that kid you met at camp since fourth grade. You'd better write that letter now and get it out of the way so you can concentrate. 11. Look at your teeth in the bathroom mirror. 12. Listen to one side of your favorite tape and that's it, seriously, as soon as it's over you are going to start that paper. 13. Listen to the other side. 14. Check your email. 15. Rearrange all of your CDs into alphabetical order. 16. Phone your friend on the other floor and ask if she's started writing yet. Exchange derogatory remarks about your teacher, the course, the college, the world at large. 17. Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a clean, well-lighted place with plenty of freshly sharpened pencils. 18. Read over the assignment again; roll the words across your tongue; savor their special flavor. 19. Check your email. 20. Check the newspaper listings to make sure you aren't missing something truly worthwhile on TV. NOTE: When you have a paper due in less than 12 hours, anything on TV from Masterpiece Theater to “Sgt. Preston of the Yukon” is truly worthwhile, with these exceptions:     a) Pro Bowlers Tour     b) any movie starring Don Ameche 21. Catch the last hour of “Soul Brother of Kung Fu” on Channel 26. 22. Phone your friend on the third floor to see if he was watching. Discuss the finer points of the plot. 23. Check your email. 24. Look at your tongue in the bathroom miror. 25. Look through your roommate's book of pictures from home. Ask whoeveryone is. 26. Sit down and do some serious thinking about your plans for the future. 27. Open your door and check to see if there are any mysterious, trenchcoated strangers lurking in the hall. 28. Check your email. 29. Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a clean, well-lighted place with plenty of freshly sharpened pencils. 30. Read over the assignment one more time, just for heck of it. 31. Scoot your chair across the room to the window and watch the sunrise. 32. Lie face down on the floor and moan. 33. Check your email. 34. Leap up and write the paper. 35. Type the paper, and while you're at it, check your email. 36. Complain to everyone that you didn't get any sleep because you had to write that darn paper.

Of course its not modelled around an australian environment, but you get the picture. =]

not much has been happening lately...just recently finished my mid-sems last week and i feel quite relaxed. Although, having look at the present time and realising there is only 4 weeks left til the finals come, it doesnt leave much time left for relaxing.

Also, i still have a few tasks that still need to be finished before i can actually completely start focusing on my finals.

As usual though, i always notice things in the foresee-able future quite a few weeks beforehand, but would only end up doing them/studying for them in the last few dying days. Hopefully i'll be able to end that now and start studying a.s.a.p =]

Reading after reading after reading. I knew accounting and microeconomics had a lot of reading, but i didn't realise there was this much reading. Roughly 50 pages a week for each as well as questions and as well as understanding the material.

And after missing out on last weeks reading, it took me the whole weekend just to catch up last weeks and this weeks...cause im a slow reader, but at least im done now. All thats left to do is prepare for my 10min eco presentation as well as 2 of my jap 'plays' that i need to prepare for. Jap is so fun and cool. =]

noooooo! the "mid-sem" break which was at the beginning of the sem is already over and im so not prepared for the upcoming 10 weeks of straight uni T_T

so much to do and so little time to do it in...

I have got to say that the easter show is the most consistent thing ever. Having not been to the easter show for 2-3 years and finally returning back there, all i can say is that little or close to nothing has changed at all. Even though i was unable to get aroudn to everywhere, i can safely say that practically nothing has changed at all. Same as always, go there, see a few shows, ride a few rides and buy a few bags. Of course, going with friends does make the day more enjoyable of course. =D

first week back and although i only had 11 hrs (3 subjects), ive got a planet-load of work that is enough to sink a battleship. T_T

Lets have a look at that load of work shall we?:

JAPN1000:

-Revise notes from lecture

-From textbook: Read Chapter 1-2

-From course notes book: p. 2-5, 7-8, 11-12, 15, 17 

-From Laboratory manual: Chapter 1, p. 2, 4, 6, 185-193, 197, 199-200

Yes, we have 3 main books for jap. 1 course notes booklet made by the uni and then a textbook WITH included laboratory book and also an audio cd included O_O

ECON1101:

-Revise notes from lecture

-From textbook: Read Chapters 1-2

-From textbook: Read p. 36-54 and do tutorial discussion/review questions and exercises from Chapter 2, p. 69, exercises 1-5

ACCT1501:

-Revise notes from lecture

-From textbook: Discussion Questions: 1.1, 1.6-1.8, Problem 1.5, Case 1A parts 2-7 and  lecture question 3.

...and i dont even have the accounting textbook yet T_T...

First day back and im already exhausted and it wasnt even a 9am start either T_T.

Don't know what im gonna do about the rest of the semester though...and just reading through the syllabus, ive got my work cut out for me =/

Oh well, guess i'll just dive in and hope i float XD

Run down of things thats been happening:

- Attended quite a few people's birthdays since i got back, with many more to come

- Had a change of wardrobe (and cleaned it up) with a need of a new designer pair of jeans

- Cleaned up my room

- Getting back into routine

- Ditched engineering in an attempt to get into commerce/business

- Played tennis, poker, pool (aim is gone), keyboard T_T

New Year's Resolution:

- Improve mando/jap/piano

- Credit average for uni

- ...