Brain teaser

Finally decided to get up today and its already 3:30pm. I was catching up on some jokes and I came across this brain teaser:

Which of the following statements is true?

1. One of these statements is true.
2. Two of these statements are true.
3. Three of these statements are true.
4. Four of these statements are true.
5. Five of these statements are true.
6. Six of these statements are true.

Thinking about this one, I found starting from #6 would be easier rather than number one. For #6 to be true, that means obviously all 6 have to be true including number 6 which contradicts all the other 5 statements so #6 cannot be the true one. Move on to #5, if #5 is true then 4 other statements must be true, since #6 is false then statements 1-4 must be true, but that contradicts with each statement itself so #5 cannot be true. Repeating this until we reach statement #1. By now it is clear that only one of these statements can be true while the rest must be false otherwise that true statement contradicts what is mentioned in the other statements. Thus, statement #1 is the true statement!

Now that was an easy brain teaser. Hmm..what now..?

Flight Simulator?

A few days ago I got this email from the professor I hoped to work with in grad school. He showed me around the robotics lab and it was really cool..lots of neat stuff. Anyway, this email was about if I was interested in helping him program the flight simulator. At first I had no clue what on earth hes talking about but today after I went to meet him...all I could say was "WOW!!"

The department purchased this $250,000 flight simulator with a cockpit that fits 6 and a flat screen tv inside..just like the ones you see at Canada's Wonderland or CN Tower. He wants to setup some joysticks inside and have people control the plane and experience the flight. This cockpit is huge!!, its too big to fit in the room they wanted to put it in, so they had to knock down the wall! Its as wide a a minivan and around 3m high! I am really excited about this, I think I start next week.

I also met with a professor from the Mech. Eng department and they have might sponsor me, which is good because the professor I wanted to work cannot fund me which means I would have to pay for myself. So if the Mech Eng prof accepts, I can work with him on his project, have that as my masters project, have my software prof co-supervise, and I get funding from mech eng. All in all, I hope this works out as well!

The Davinci Code

Yesterday I went to Fortinos for some groceries and finally stocked up the fridge with plenty of good stuff. Me and Ali (my housemate and cousin) were thinking of getting a PS2 to kill all this free time we suddenly have, but then decided to wait it out and get a better deal from a friend of a friend who knows a cousin of someone that may offer us a better deal for this something, i.e. the PS2.
Anyway, I was scanning through the book titles at the store, and I caught a glimpse of The Davinci Code and remembered all the hype this book and soon to be movie has caused. People have said its really good and all, but I never knew how good it really was. At $10.99 you cannot go wrong there, so I bought it. Before going to sleep I started reading it a bit, and the story is really catchy, so catchy I read five chapters before going to bed. I am not even close to finnishing it, but I recommend it to everybody, if you did not already ready it. Lets see, how many have read this book so far? This way I can also see how many actually ready my blog too.

Testing the Mail-to-Blogger address

I finally got to fool around with all the features that come with this
blog and I find this Mail-to-Blogger e-mail interesting. I like the
fact I can send out an email to my blog. I still do not know why anybody would
do this and not through the website. Can someone really be in a hurry to
post a blog? Maybe its for those who use their phones to write blogs. That
would make sense as to why this feature is necessary..but still..I am not
convinced. Regardless, I found it interesting.

I also got my Google's Adsense working and I modified its positions. The
nice thing about this blog is that I get to play around with the template
however I like, unlike other blogs that just force you to use their
templates. I might revamp this whole blog one day if I have nothing better
to do..I am starting to think it is a little bit sketchy.

-------------------------------------
Nael El Shawwa
B.Eng.Mgmt
elshawn-at-mcmaster-dot-ca

Graduation 2006

A couple of months ago I got this email regarding a graduation writing contest. Not that I participate in those all the time, but sometimes I feel like writing a funny poem. I had several attempts at writing funny poems in the past, this is not the funniest of them but one of the judges said and I am quotint "great sense of humor!"

So there you go, Nael is officially a great and funny guy! Heres the poem...laugh it up.

My name is Nael and I am graduating from McMaster.
I came here five years ago but the time couldn’t have passed any faster.
I wrote several humorous poems in the past,
And this will definitely not be my last.
My Software Engineering and Management degree is now almost done.
I can safely say it was difficult yet a lot of fun.
Over the years I learnt so much working with Linux,
But we also had lots of fun at the Phoenix.
I remember my first day here,
My professor described his love for beer.
It was Chemistry 1E03 where I found out about that.
In the back row of BSB 136 is where I sat.
There were so many activities, especially when I lived at Brandon Hall.
I remember when we got lost trying to reach Limeridge Mall.
The bed races, PJ Parade, and the snow ball fight,
And everything else was just a crazy sight.
There are lots of events throughout the year.
The Red Suits and their funky gear,
They helped us first years and showed us around;
They also came with a lot of sound.
My grades in first term weren’t that great,
I studied harder later and I saw my first eight.
Time management is of essence,
And not skipping too many lessons.
I remember those CAPA assignments due Saturday morning.
We all met at Thode Library Friday evening,
And stopped only to grab coffee and some fresh air.
Once we’re done we would catch a movie at Jackson Square.
In my third year I got a job at the computer rooms,
and helped students with their PC dooms.
After eight months I got promoted,
And became a senior consultant, and had to be more devoted.
I met great people at McMaster and working with U.T.S,
Some are my best friends that I am going to miss.
I wish every single one of them the best,
And hope they pursue their goals with zest.
To all my professors, fellow students and friends,
I hope this is not where the road ends.
As I graduate this coming fall,
I say goodbye and good luck to all.



Nael El Shawwa – March 2006

Decisions..Decisions

I was interviewed for a position at McMaster University today with telecommunications as a Systems Analyst / Project Manager. Although the job title makes it sound like a technical position it is more of an account management position. Unfortunately its only a 9 month contract. That still is a good start I think and will give me more time in Canada to find permanent employment, plus I can finally send off my application.

I am also talking with one of the professors regarding grad school which I was accepted into last month. I finally found a way around the funding issue which seems to be the problem with all profs since I am an international student and they cannot obtain much government funding for me. So I can do the masters of engineering which is not funded rather than the masters of science which is funded. Also, he will pay me to work over the summer and then I take 6 courses over the year and I finnish next year...pretty good I say.

It is still May, and I have till September to find a job, and I am pretty sure I will find one...but what am I to do until then?

Razr

So I purchased a new Motorolla Razr since my old phone literally broke in half! Its a pretty cool phone WITH a camera! Yes yes I know they have been around for a while now, but this is the first time I get my hands on one since I do not really switch phone until my current one breaks. In 5 years at Mac I broke 2 phones...not too bad..my last one lasted 3 years so that pretty decent. So after moving my phonebook from the old phone to the new one, I found somehow the numbers got duplicated which really bothered me for a day before I convinced myself to sit down and delete the excess 100 or so numbers...