Good design is subtle, and that’s why it’s actually quite hard to notice it when you see one. Just like when things are working like they should, you don’t actually realize their existence, until they are not.

I was designing quite a number of newsletters recently, and I keep looking for ways to make these newsletter as interesting as possible (which means ‘click-a-licious’) to the readers. And here is one rule of thumb that I find very useful when it comes to creating an effective newsletter (or any print designs)- think road sign.

If you think about it, road signs are essentially the most effective visual communication tool ever. Once you’ve learned it, it’s stuck in your head forever. Some road sign icons are so effective that you don’t even have to learn them, for instance the skull icon that says ‘Pirates Ahead!’.

Basically, the road sign throws away all the unnecessary clutter and compresses every shapes and colors to its essence. Road signs truly live up to the principle of ‘Less is More’.

It effectively conveys the message that the ‘designer’ wanted to, without any ambiguous elements. That’s why it’s very important to start out a design with the message in mind. Otherwise, in my experience, it’s very easy to get carried away by the artistic tendencies that creeps out every now and then. And in todays’ world of computer graphics where graphic tools that produces fancy effects is so easily available, it’s even more easy to get distracted and we might just end up losing the message at the end of the day.

I would like to continue my next point- Instilling Curiosity. Later.

From a retired nuclear engineer US based consultant (if anyone knows his/her name, please give me a tinker).

“First of all, yes, this is very serious, for one reason because there are multiple reactors involved. There are 10 reactors total in that locality; 6 older ones on one site (Fukushima I, units 1 through 6) and 4 larger, newer ones (Fukushima II, Units 1 through 4) sited on property 7 miles to the south. All are located on the oceanfront in order to use sea water for cooling the (non-nuclear) turbine-generators. It looks to me as if the Fukushima I plants are located on a peninsula that sticks out into the ocean. All of the reactors are a type known as BWRs (Boiling Water Reactors). The number of reactors and the similar names are currently confusing the hell out of US television and press reporters.

“At the time the earthquake struck, Fukushima I Units 1, 2, and 3 were operating (the others on that site were shut down for maintenance) as well as all 4 units at Fukushima II. All would have been equipped with seismic triggers which would have scrammed (rapidly automatically shut down) the reactors as soon as the earthquake registered. All shut down normally and their multiple, redundant emergency diesel generators were started as a precautionary measure. Then, within the hour, the tsunami struck. I don’t know for sure, but I doubt any of the plants were designed for an 8.9 earthquake followed by a 33 foot tsunami.

“Nuclear power plants are big machines and require a lot of power to run their pumps and equipment. Under normal operation, power to run the plants is taken off their own turbine-generators. If the plants shut down, the power is taken off the national grid. If the grid fails, large installed backup, redundant emergency generators start up. If the emergency generators fail, there are big emergency batteries, but they only last for about 8 hours and cannot operate big pumps. As in all nuclear plants, there are multiple routings for the power, to guard against single failure problems and make sure the power gets to where it’s needed.

“When a reactor is shut down, the fission process stops, but for several days afterwards significant “residual heat” is given off by the decaying fission products trapped in the fuel. This is normal, and the plants have (multiple, redundant) shutdown cooling systems to deal with removing the unneeded heat, which could damage the fuel if left un-cooled. In a perfect storm of seismic-related events, the shutdown cooling system(s) were damaged (or maybe plugged by debris) and the emergency diesel generators flooded and rendered inoperable for multiple plants at Fukushima by the tsunami. Because of the ruined roads, portable generators and replacement batteries could not be brought in.

“Perhaps due to the lack of power, the operators could not get sufficient cooling water into the reactor immediately after shutdown, which is when the residual heat is at its greatest. The reactor(s) continued to heat up, boiling the water already in the reactors into steam. With no operable main turbine generator to send the steam to, the steam was deliberately vented, per design, into the “containment buildings” which house the individual reactors. This steam, coming as it did from inside the reactors is generally mildly radioactive. These containment buildings are not the massive concrete pressure domes most common for US reactors, but weaker metal-framed concrete-sided designed to shield the reactors inside and prevent any contamination of the outside areas. If only mildly radioactive steam was in the containments, the steam could be filtered and released to the atmosphere and diluted to insignificance. Very slight offsite radiation would be noticed, but nothing dangerous.

“At some point, the water level probably dropped to below the top of the cores, over heating the zirconium alloy tubes that contain the fuel in the core. At 2200 deg F, the alloy begins to break down and one of the products is a lot of hydrogen gas. If the temperature in the core reaches 4000 deg F, the fuel in the tubes will also melt. This is the so-called “meltdown” scenario. Fukushima I, Unit 1, was the first to reach the limit of 2200 degrees. In my opinion, it was probably hot enough to breach the tubes and damage the fuel inside. Now the steam contains explosive hydrogen, and potentially highly radioactive debris, so it cannot be filtered and vented to the atmosphere and the pressure begins to climb in the containment building. At 2.1 times the design pressure, a spark or spontaneous combustion ignites the hydrogen in Unit 1 containment, resulting in the massive explosion seen on television and completely destroying the outside shell of the building. Real bad news, although the reactor is not exposed or damaged by this explosion. The reactor itself is contained inside a 6-inch thick stainless steel “containment vessel”, but it still is not getting enough cooling water. To prevent a complete meltdown situation, the operators have begun to use a fire pump to pump seawater into the core to continue the cooling. This is the nuclear equivalent of a “Hail Mary” pass, because they have run out of other options. Seawater will render the reactor unrepairable. They are sacrificing the plant in order to minimize the potential for wider exposure.

“It remains to be seen if the cooling efforts will be sufficient. Some offsite radioactive contamination in the local area is unavoidable now. A meltdown is possible, but not likely. Breaching of the 6 inch thick reactor vessel and also the 6 inch thick “containment vessel”, which would release large amounts radioactivity into the local environment, is very unlikely. A simultaneous fire, like the one that widely spread the debris after Chernobyl, is not really credible. A huge catastrophe, nonetheless.

“Very unfortunately, the same scenario is developing for Fukushima I, Unit 3. They have core damage, hydrogen production, and possible partial fuel melting as well. They are venting hydrogen to their containment building with the same potential for a hydrogen explosion. They are also now cooling the core with seawater. To make matters worse, Unit 3 is apparently fueled with Mixed-Oxide Fuel (MOX), a mixture of uranium and plutonium fuel. If this reactor core is breached, the presence of plutonium could bring the contamination problem to a whole different level.

“Three of the four larger reactors at Fukushima II are also experiencing similar cooling problems, but perhaps due to newer designs, seem to be under better control. I haven’t seen any reports of core damage from there.

If you want to keep up on what’s really happening, someone is doing a good job of describing the problems on Wikipedia, under Fukushima Nuclear Power Plants.”

My friend Yusno has recently just launched his event management system which he started developing early this year. With a dedicated team of developers, he managed to ship this project and is ready to do business! Yes, the tough part is always to ship. Shipping on time is everything when it comes to software development.

The Log On Screen for Evenesis - the event management system developed by Yusno.

And here’s an email interview I had with Yusno on Evenesis’s BETA launch.

Yow Chuan (YC): What is Evenesis all about?

Yusno (YUS): Evenesis is an online web application that offers a full spectrum of event management features such as event planning, event scheduling, event invitation and event response tracking. It also allows you to design your own floor plan, manage your guests’ seating arrangement to suit your event’s theme and coordinate with the venue’s host. There’s also a feature for you to get evaluation and feedback from your attendees. Finally, there’s an ‘Event Report’ that acts as your dashboard where you can see a summary of your event’s statistics such as number of attendees who turned up or absent in a single view.

The Dashboard in Evenesis also features services that can come in handy for event planners such as florists, photographers and even insurance companies.

YC: What are the type of events that I can manage with Evenesis?

YUS: With Evenesis, you can manage weddings, exhibitions, conferences, birthdays, anniversaries, convoctions, fashion shows, movie premieres, open houses, product launches, seminar, conventions and trainings. We are currently adding more type of events based on our event managers’ feedback. Don’t worry if your event type is not listed here. Do inform us and we will add it to our list.

Adding event in Evenesis is simple and straightforward. Each event is currently priced at 50 credits.

YC: What type of users would benefit most from Evenesis?

YUS: Evenesis would be indispensable for anyone who is involved in event management activities. Hoteliers and Event Management Companies are also welcomed and encouraged to use Evenesis to help with their day-to-day event management operations.

YC: So, how can the public start using Evenesis?

YUS: Evenesis is now on Beta version and it is free. Simply go to www.yus.com.my, click the sign up link, and we will provide you with an account immediately.

YC: What can I do with my BETA account?

YUS: You will have 59 credits in your account to create and manage one event, whereby each event would cost 50 credits. You can send up to 60 email invitations (60 x 0.15 credit = 9 credits). Our SMS invitations is not available yet. However, users can still access to all Evenesis modules and functions.

YC: What is this credit thing that you’ve mentioned? Is one credit equivalent to RM1.00?

YUS: Yes, that’s right, a credit is equivalent to RM1.00. Any transaction in Evenesis will be conducted in credits. For example, to create an event, you must have a sufficient credits.

YC: Where and how do I buy and top-up my credits?

YUS: Credits can be bought in multiple of fifties, for example 50, 100, 150 and 200. If you are low on credits, simply go to ‘My Account’ and click ‘Buy Credits’. We accept payment via credit cards (VISA, MasterCard, American Express-AMEX) and Paypal.

YC: Is there any cost involved when setting up and using Evenesis?

The Floor Plan Design module allows you to create your floor plan with ready-made objects such as Projectors, Tables, Podiums, Walls and Stages. It's like setting up a restaurant in PlayFish's Restaurant City.

YUS: Evenesis is free to use if you sign up as our Beta user (with limitations). You can upgrade to full version (once it is launched) and only pay 50 credits for creating a new event. With a full version account, each email invitation will cost 0.15 credit and each SMS invitation will cost 0.50 credit.

YC: Sounds like Evenesis is going to make life much easier for event management planners. Also, I can see myself DIY my own events since all the information regarding reservations, event venues and rates are easily available on the Evenesis platform. As with everything ‘technology’, I deem support as a very important aspect to ensure a pleasant user experience. I know I can call you directly if all my events disappeared from the Dashboard but how do users contact the support team if they have any problem with Evenesis?

YUS: You can email me directly at support@evenesis.com and I will response to you personally! Also, I am open to any kind of collaboration work that can benefits the public. As a matter of fact, I am now inviting any business owners to advertise their products and services that are related to event management for free for a limited time.

The invitation module gives you the option to send your invitation by email and SMS. At the point of this interview, the SMS module is not yet available.

YC: Thanks bro for your sharing on Evenesis. I wish you great success in your full version launch!

YUS: You are most welcome YC!

Disclaimer: Meshio.com does not have any ownership or direct financial interest in Evenesis. Meshio.com does not guaranty or make any warranties, express or implied, as to the quality of services or products that may be provided by Evenesis. You are advised to contact the owner of Evenesis at support@evenesis.com for further information.

Finally, no more unnecessary headaches when you are renewing your car insurance if you are not sure of your current NCD status.

Insurance Services Malaysia Berhad (ISM) has just launched the Public No-Claim Discount (NCD) Enquiry that allows members of the public to check their latest NCD status.

The direct link is here: https://ncd.ism.net.my/publicncdenq/index.htm

Here’s a table on Malaysia’s petrol and diesel prices for the past 3 decades.

Malaysia Price for RON97, RON95, RON92 and Diesel since 1984. Source: OSK188.com

Moving from A to B is only going to get more expensive if we are to continue our reliance on oil.

We need national policies that can reduce the cost of owning electric vehicles and also to encourage private sector to venture in sustainable logistics. There is so much upside for everyone if we can just stop our addiction to oil and take the leap.

In countries like China, Denmark and Japan, where the transformation is already underway, the government has made electrification a national priority. China has set a goal of becoming the global leader in the manufacture and deployment of electric vehicles, providing rebates of almost $9,000 for the purchase of each vehicle. Denmark has adopted a tax structure that strongly favors electric vehicles over gasoline models. And today in Japan, fully electric taxi cabs already take passengers to and from their destinations in Tokyo, as part of a project by Tokyo’s largest taxi operator, Better Place LLC – a leading provider of electric vehicle networks and services, and the Japanese government. 



Read the full story “The Beginning of the End of Our Oil Addiction”.

Ever wondered how the curvy lines in currency notes are generated? It’s a form of engraving technique named after ‘Guillot’, a French engineer. The curves and lines are based on mathematical equations, and the ones used to prevent currency forgeries is called ‘hypotrochoid‘. Sounds more like a type of dinosaur to me.

And now, you can use this Guilloche Pattern Generator to come up with ‘fractalicious’ patterns for your own currency notes, courtesy of Subblue.com.