Author Archives: Faith In Geeks

My Kind of Superwoman- Maggie Aderin-Pocock

Posted on by
Reply

Happy Monday Geeks,

Last-night my alarm on my phone went off and reminded me to sit-down in-front of the TV and watch Satellites on BBC 2 (if you missed it, you can catch it on BBC i-Player). Why I hear you ask? because it was being presented by my personal geek black female scientist role model. I went to a talk of hers at UCL many years back and have developed a secret career crush on her ever since (not so secret now, Maggie if you are reading this, please call me 🙂 )

This immense woman has achieved so much that today’s headline in the evening standard was “Maggie Aderin-Pocock: A woman on a mission, proving science isn’t just for rich, white men”.  YES.YES.YES. I GEEKED OUT.

Maggie Aderin-Poncock was born in Britain to Nigerian parents who separated when she was four. She grew up in a council flat in Camden, north London, and was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of eight. This did not stop her from going to university, earning a PhD in physics from Imperial College London, propelling a career developing space instruments at UCL and beyond, and embarking on a second career as a television science presenter. She is on a personal mission to explain science to the sort of kids she mixed with as a child in inner-city London. OOOOF. SHE IS AMAZING.

Click here for the link to the full article. My favorite part is when it reads:

“she mentions that at some point in the interview she may have to breastfeed her baby daughter, Lauren”.

Proof that you can do both ladies, you can nurture a strong career and a baby, it is possible. I LOVE IT.

Here is a snippet of her show, press play;

–

And here is an endearing interview with her I also wanted to share;

–

–

I want to be her (minus the physics lol), and I will be with god’s blessings but in the meantime I wanted to say;

Thank you to Maggie for helping pave the way for young female black scientists, you inspire me. Here is your musical tribute, it presents inspiring superwomen like yourself-Gladys Knight, Patty LaBelle, Dionne Warwick and Oprah! POW

Until next time, be inspired.

E

There’s No Hiding Now- A Camera that can “see” behind walls

Posted on by
1

Hey Geeks,

This one is for all my tech and camera geeks. Scientists at the Institute of Technology in Cambridge have  handed us the ability to see behind walls using a camera! WHAT! Like Superman, this camera could be invaluable in dangerous or inaccessible locations, such as inside machinery with moving parts, or in highly contaminated areas. However, as with any innovation, the worry is if Lex Luther got a hold of it and gave it to his troops, who knows what could happen…fill-in-the-gaps.

Back to the science. Click play and watch this pretty dope video to see for yourself how it works:

–

Remember, a normal camera can only see objects that are right in front of it. Light that reaches the sensor from beyond the direct line of sight is too diffuse to convey useful information about the hidden scene, having been scattered by multiple reflections.

The new set-up, described today in Nature Communications (Hardcore tech geeks, click on the link for hard-core science), overcomes this problem by capturing ultra-fast time-of-flight information ( Love this Phrase, it basically means how long each photon has taken to reach the camera). This information is then decoded by a reconstruction algorithm developed by team member Andreas Velten. Currently, the whole process takes several minutes, but researchers hope that in the future, it will be reduced to less than 10 seconds.

10 Seconds! WOW, faster than a Polaroid picture , sha sha shake it, shake it, shake it like a Polaroid picture. EVERYONE NEEDS A LITTLE OUTKAST IN THEIR LIFE. ENJOY.

Until next time. Hope the sun is shinning where you are and you catch some sunspiration (my made up word that is a hybrid of sun and inspiration, I want to be included in your life, share it, Tweet it, Re-Tweet, blog it).

Ex

Drug Wars-India Saves Lives

Posted on by
1

Happy Monday Geeks,

This Geek Out Post is a little different but I geeked out nevertheless. I cannot tell you how happy I was to read in the news that India has taken a stand and wrestled with the pharmaceutical companies that monopolise life saving drugs.

India has decided to end the monopoly of pharmaceutical giant Bayer by overturning its patent of anti-cancer drug Nexavar. A domestic company, Natco, will now be allowed to produce a copy-cat version of Nexavar, and sell it for a fraction of the price. The decision means thousands of Indian cancer patients who would not otherwise be able to afford the drug, now have a realistic chance at treatment.

WELL DONE INDIA.

Very early on in my career I worked for one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world, I lasted a total of three months. Pharmaceutical companies say overruling patents inhibits innovation of new medicines. I say that is a bunch of BS! excuse my french. Unfortunately, or fortunately, my heart was way too soft for that industry, and I made the decision to jump out while I still could.

Click here to read more about it and press play before for Al-Jazeera’s Inside Story

–

I think India, Brazil, and Thailand deserve a clap for this, life saving drugs should not be policing peoples lives. Lets Evolve for the better.

–

–

Discuss. Share. Thoughts. Please.

E

Q- To Caffeine or Not To Caffeine?

Posted on by
3

I am a self-confessed Tea addict, everyone that knows me, KNOWS I’m a tea addict, and a tea snob, in-fact if you can’t make a good cup of tea, I am either never going to accept another cup from you or I will have to teach you myself.  This cartoon says it all.

I keep hearing things like:

“You shouldn’t drink too much tea, it is not good for you”

“Let’s switch to de-caffeinated coffee or tea, it is better for you”

Conjuring images like this in peoples head!!!

–

–

–

I mean, it is really not that bad and not to be rude but do you actually know what tea and caffeine do? or why it is not good for you? Sometimes…ofttimes, I am pretty sure most people don’t, so I am going to break it down for you here (even tho I am biased, but this is my blog so I choose pro-tea lol).

Caffeine actually stops the breakdown of energy so you have a surplus! In simple terms, ATP is what gives your body energy. Food is broken down and stored as ATP which is used as energy. When you start to feel yourself dragging, it is because you’ve used up all the ATP, because ATP cannot be stored for long term (hence why you need to eat more than once during the day, especially if what you are doing requires the use of energy)

So basically, it helps you “save” up some energy for things like, a evening run post work, or playing with the kids after-work, or a night on the dance floor or bedroom floor, as long as you don’t wait too long to get home…do I need to go on?

What’s even better is that, say you do run out of energy or ATP because, maybe you didn’t have breakfast or you are having back to back meetings/high-workload and missed lunch? Caffeine blocks the signal in your body, Adenosine, from binding and letting the body know you are out of energy. It tricks your body into thinking that there is energy there. The effects of the caffeine can kick in within 10 minutes and last up to 4-6 hours! Much faster than waiting for food to be broken down and stored as ATP. That’s why you crash from caffeine, when the effect runs out, your body tries to use ATP and there’s none there! Something like what’s happening below

Final thoughts: Caffeine can be your friend when ATP has failed you, saving you from that fatal crash. So its not all bad, it has a purpose in life and its purpose works in 10mins, much quicker than that super smoothie! LOL.

I rest my case, with the help of this BRILLIANT British parody song and video by Elemental.  Please, put the kettle on and press play.

–

This is not my normal Knock Knock but I do often get asked if caffeine is good for you or not. Some say it is good, some say it is bad for you but it does have a purpose and people have been consuming tea and coffee throughout the ages for this purpose.

Thank you for reading and please share the post if you enjoyed it.

Until next time.

E

A Doctors Rant 3

Posted on by
1

Hi Geeks,

It is Monday and sometimes it is helpful to get it all of your chest at the beginning of the week. Like I said before, I asked some of my Dr friends to let off some steam and tell me 5 things they would like to say to us but cant. Well this Dr went in and I got back 12 steam reducing rants! So I’m posting the first 6 and will post the other 6 next-time.

1-Medications – if your on regular medications and you have to see a doctor that’s not your GP, please carry a list with you if you can’t remember them (with doses). It really is not as easy ‘looking in the notes’ or figuring it out from you telling me it’s the ‘blue, green or purple’ tablet.

2. Getting Personal  – If we ask you personal questions please either tell the truth or just state that you don’t want to answer but for the love of all things healthy, please DO NOT LIE.  And, please don’t be offended, certain questions we have to ask regardless of who you are, believe me it is not my favorite past-time (tho sometimes fun lol)

3. Medical history – Please be responsible for your health. Know your medical history a little beyond a ‘heart/lung/kidney problem’. It really helps us figure out what you have come in with so we can help you and if you write it down you wont have to try and sound out the medical terms!

4. Painkillers– If ever in pain (toothache, period pains, headache etc..) and what your taking isn’t working, don’t take more than the stated dose. It makes NO difference to your pain, it just increases your chances of getting side effects. Try two different groups e.g ibuprofen and paracetamol together. You probably noticed the price difference on the market. If it’s the same drug, it does the same thing.

5. Nose bleeds – sometimes they just happen, for no reason. Yes, no reason at all, that doesn’t make me bad at my job and won’t make me make one up to make you feel better! Because I’m nice, here are some tips to help you out; Tilt your head FORWARD (never back) and pinch ur nose (fleshy part) for at least 15-20mins (this will feel like a lifetime but seriously keep time). Of course if it continues get some medical help.

–

–
6. Ear Wax Attacks – DO NOT clean the inside of your ears (ear canals) with cotton buds, yes don’t. Instead of cleaning all you do is push more wax back in there and in the long run cause more problems. Go an see a professional for a proper ear wax clean. But please, you can use the Q-tip cotton buds to keep the outside canal and ear area clean, it’s just nasty when you don’t!

–

–

WOW AMAZING, Q-tip cotton buds are BAD for your ears and don’t even help, I had no idea, all this time and I hate that feeling of the bud inside my ear (it makes me automatically cough like a crazy person, don’t ask me why? I have no idea but my sister knows when I’m cleaning my ears in the bathroom, it’s that bad!)

Hope you gained some knowledge and that you will share it post reading. Until next time, get on-top of your medical records!

Health, Love and Life

E

The Only Constant is Change

Posted on by
1

Sunday Morning Geekish Rambling,

I’ve had this quote on my mind lately, so thought I would share it with you on this sunny Sunday morning 🙂

Change is constant! This is a well known philosophical and scientific theory, discussed over many centuries by many different types of scientists and philosophers. Darwin was just one of them, and he related it to evolutionary biology and genetics.

Change is constant. Such a conundrum.  It makes me think of clocks and time because when you look at a clock, the time changes but the face of it is always constant… hmmmm maybe coldplay can help.

DISCUSS, leave me a comment with your thoughts.

Have a great Sunday everyone

Ex


The Universe in a Flash

Posted on by
Reply

Hey all,

I completely geeked out over this website lastnight, to the amusement of my friends. The site is called scale2 and shows the scale of the universe using Flash technology. GREATNESS.  An absolutely brilliant teaching tool for parents, god-parents, babysitters, teachers and friends alike.

Please take a moment, click on this link and explore it, then share it with your people.

I’m gonna share with you one of my favorite artists and songs, for some reason whenever I hear this song I actually visualise being in a startship and heading straight to the moon. Click play and let it take you where ever you want.

Have a great Saturday

E

Your Man Reminder- Brilliant

Posted on by
1

Hey Geeks,

How are you all? Sorry I have not posted anything for a while. The story of why that is, is a little bit surreal/crazy/T.I.A/notsurehowtotellawholebunchofnewpeopleit. So I am not going to tell you the whole story but I will tell you that I learned a range of new skills and lessons about myself. One of the things I learned was how easy it is to ignore your own health in a middle of a surreal/busy/crisis/stressful period!

For example, I logged onto my blog and checked the stats and noticed that lots of people are still reading the post on breast cancer and then I remembered that my reminder to check my own boobs went off last-week in the middle of this surreal episode of my life and I ignored it because I was too busy. Not good. I also got a private message from a follower of the blog who thanked me for reminding her, she found a lump and also came across this BRILLIANT advertisement campaign. She wanted me to share it with you all.

I LOVE IT. GENIUS APP. ALMOST AS GOOD AS MAN ON A HORSE. FUNNY. SEXY. ENJOY LADIES

PSSSSTT LOOK OUT FOR THE BODY-ROLL AT THE END, ITS UHM… VERY INSPIRING LOL

–

This is a reminder, have you checked your boobs yet? If not, go to my Boobs and That Friday Feeling post and follow the steps and then add the step below:

Added Step: Download rethink breast cancer man reminder app.

Trust me, it makes it so much more fun lol I have checked mine now with the help of my app man and all is well and I sleep better knowing my man reminder on my phone will ask me to check them again once a month 🙂

Share this post, you will be helping someone, I promise you.

Health, Love and Life and TLC

Ex

Angry Birds Gets Geeked

Posted on by
Reply

Hello Geeks,

How many of you have the game Angry Birds on your mobiles or have played it on someone elses? Personally, I am not a Angry Birds Nerd, they are the ones who will only move onto the next level after they have achieved the 3 stars (I have friends who are like that, you know who you are lol) but I am an Angry Birds and all things Apple Geek.

If you don’t know, Angry Birds is a strategy puzzle mobile game developed by Finnish computer game developer Rovio Mobile and was first developed by Apples iOS in December 2009. Since then, over 12 million copies of the game have been purchased from Apples App Store. The success of this highly addictive and fun game has prompted the company to design versions for other touchscreen-based smartphones, of-course and why not!

In the game, players use a slingshot to launch birds at pigs stationed on or within various structures, with the intent of destroying all the pigs on the playfield. As players advance through the game, new birds appear, some with special abilities that can be activated by the player.

The game has spawned two-sequels, but Rovio has now announced what it’s describing as its biggest launch since the original game. Angry Birds Space will be released on March 22nd, and the company has enlisted NASA and National Geographic as launch partners for the game. GEEKED OUT.

What that means, no-body knows just yet but I am guessing things like zero gravity and  “lightspeed destruction” birds. Rovio promise it to be BIG and plan to reveal more details as March draws nearer and they better coz the trailer below doesn’t give much away, it just teases. Roll on March.

Have a great Sunday All

Ex

Boobs and that Friday Feeling

Posted on by
Reply

Happy Friday All,

Last week I received an e-mail from a friend and this is what it said:
” I’m emailing you all because my sister has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and I want to remind all the women I know to check their breasts for lumps once a month.

My sis found a small lump near her armpit by chance and luckily she found it whilst the cancer is in it’s early stages. The NHS have been really on it and she’ll be having the lump removed this month (within 4 weeks of being diagnosed) then will have to have radiation and chemo. She’s being so positive – really amazing attitude – and has been discussing possible wigs and headscarves with her 2 kids. Obviously she’s shocked, but just relieved she found it early and has a good chance of fighting it.

My friend’s mum used to have a transparent vinyl sticker on her bathroom wall with diagrams showing how to check your breasts for lumps, which I thought was a genius breast cancer awareness reminder – but I can’t find one. So if any of you find one of these, let me know. Basically a good time to remember to self check is at bath-time or when creaming yourself. I’ve just set a reminder in my calender”

I read this and my first thoughts were ones of support, prayers and love for her family. My second thought was, when was the last time you did a breast exam E? and I realised that it has been almost 6 months since I checked my breasts for lumps! 6 months! and I should know better. I have seen the effects of all types of cancer first-hand, have witnessed the pain that families and individuals go through to fight this disease. I should know better. I used to do it once a month and but somehow I let life and it’s super-fast pace allow me to forget and not do it. I was in shock. But, I’m human and I am so very grateful for the reminder.

This is what I want you to do:

1- Set a reminder on your i-phone, BB, HTC or old school nokia to remind you once every month to check your breast.

2- I mean it, SET THE REMINDER NOW!

3- If you are a MAN who has a female partner, SET A REMINDER TO REMIND your partner or better still, make it fun, help her do it, it’s always good to get a little feel right? lol

4- Take a moment and share this with your networks, it could be the reminder that saves someones breasts

5- Take some time and read all the information below, it is important and will help you, you and/ or your partner, boobs are precious.

Click on this link to show you how you do a breast exam

Click on this link to understand what changes to look for

Click on this link to learn about prevention

Click on this link to understand the risks

I really cannot think of a better song to post here but STILL by Eric Roberson. I lost one of my best friends at 18yrs of age to cancer. RIP Israa, I think of you always, especially when TuPac gets played :-), see you on the other-side, we still have a date.

Please share this post geeks and have a great weekend.

Life, Love and Health to all.

Ex