For the Iron Man die hard fans, this large hadron collider has been show in the movie Iron Man 2. This is when Stark need to create a new element by constructing a particle accelerator in his workshop using some metal tubes. When he flips on the switch, two beams of light collide, creating a third beam that Stark steers into a brand new arc reactor. But in the movie are only the concept that they are trying to show to world. In reality, the LHC is much more bigger, powerful and scarier than that.

Scene in Iron Man 2. Source: www.popularmechanics.com

Iron Man 2 particle accelerator scene. Source: Youtube

The large hadron collider (HLC) is the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator. It is first started up on 10 September 2008 by CERN.

Inside the accelerator, two high-energy particle beams travel at close to the speed of light before they are made to collide. The beams travel in opposite directions in separate beam pipes – two tubes kept at ultra-high vacuum. They are guided around the accelerator ring by a strong magnetic field maintained by superconducting electromagnets. The electromagnets are built from coils of special electric cable that operates in a superconducting state, efficiently conducting electricity without resistance or loss of energy. This requires chilling the magnets to ‑271.3°C – a temperature colder than outer space. For this reason, much of the accelerator is connected to a distribution system of liquid helium, which cools the magnets, as well as to other supply services (Source: http://home.web.cern.ch/about/accelerators/large-hadron-collider).

Large Hadron Collider. Source: Google Image

Thousands of magnets of different varieties and sizes are used to direct the beams around the accelerator. These include 1232 dipole magnets 15 meters in length which bend the beams, and 392 quadrupole magnets, each 5–7 meters long, which focus the beams. Just prior to collision, another type of magnet is used to "squeeze" the particles closer together to increase the chances of collisions. The particles are so tiny that the task of making them collide is akin to firing two needles 10 kilometres apart with such precision that they meet halfway (Source: http://home.web.cern.ch/about/accelerators/large-hadron-collider).

How LHC works. Source: Google Image

Source: Google Image

Source: Google Image

Source: Google Image

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Technical drawing is very common to engineering subject. Nowadays technical drawing has become simpler with the support of computer system. Designing software like CATIA and Solidwork are being teach in many higher education institution such as UiTM Shah Alam.

Example of technical drawing. Source: Google Image

Back to old days, the technical drawing are done manually. Most of the technical schools are still using the conventional techniques so that the students are very familiar with the designing process. Some schools will also teach the students a little bit about designing with computer software like AutoCAD. Using conventional technique, students need to have a lot of stationeries such as wooden board or plastic board, T-square as the ruler, triangle square, French curve or flexible curve and the most important things is the drawing equipment such as BOFA, Maped or Rotring set.

Maped Technic Set. (Source: www.ryman.co.uk)

Conventional method. Source: Google Image

Then, after the student have mastered the conventional drawing usually the student will exposed to the simpler software suite like AutoCAD. AutoCAD is more to 2D drawing similar like conventional techniques but using a computer. Nowadays, the latest series of AutoCAD can also use to developed the drawing into 3D like the latest version of AutoCAD 2013. It is much more simpler, easier and faster compared to conventional drawing.

2D Drawing in AutoCAD 2013. Source: Google Image

AutoCAD 2013 drawing. Source: Google Image

Then, because of 3D drawing become a demand, most developers are compete to give a better 3D design suite such as CATIA and Solidwork by Dassault Systemes. This two design suite are popular in mechanical engineering course in UiTM.

CATIA 3D model. Source: Google Image

CATIA Rendering. Source: Google Image

Most of the project done in UiTM such as Design I  & II, and also in FYP project. The version that UiTM used also is not the full version of CATIA but only the Student Version. The students also did not learn all the packages inside because of the limitation of time. Learn more »

Based on my experience doing my internship in Korea, I cannot remember anyone still using the old mobile phone back in that country. The smartphone phenomenon has flood their country washing put the mobile phone era. Everyone are using smartphone, primary school student and even the adult cannot get their hand off from their smartphone. 

I already experienced the situation where one day in the subway, my friend and I stand together at the back of the subway couch. The environment inside the subway was very quite with each of the passenger doing their own things like looking at their phone, reading something or listening something. It is the situation where you can see a children playing games at iPhone while their parents doing something else at their iPhone. The children giggling by himself while the parents silently scrolling whatever it is at their phone. No communication happened between them. So, back to us, since we're Malaysian, we talk a lot and laugh a lot, because of that we have been reprimanded by someone to lower down our voice. What is our fault? We are doing the real social life. It is weird isn't it? Where are all the real social life have gone in Korea?

Situation in a subway in Korea. Source: Google Image

Korean's student with their smartphone. (Source: http://www.thestar.com)

If in Malaysia, when we are hanging out together and someone playing with their phone, it is wrong. We were suppose to collect all the phone and put it at the middle of the table. No one can touch the phone and the one the earliest touch their phone must treat the whole table. But it is different in Korea. If you can see in the Korean Drama or movies, the most gadget they like to show is their smartphone and the GPS technology. It is because their technology is very high at the limit they supposed to show off a little bit.

Smartphone by Samsung. Source: Google Image

GPS system that must have in every car in Korea. Source: Google Image

It is also happen to me while I am travelling to Seoul using the KTX (Korean bullet train), we as a group of Malaysian as always, laugh out loud in the train or public transport is normal (the quiet one is not normal), and then a staff came to us and also tell us to lower down our voice. What happen to us when we can't talk louder? We're all fall asleep. Different us to Korean, they are all looking at their smartphone non-stop. That is their culture.

Source: Google Image

So, saw a Korean guy walking with their eye glued on the smartphone screen is normal, but I have seen worse than that. That situation happened in Seoul's subway. There is one person in the subway coach watching Korean's drama via his laptop. I'm standing next to him sneakily watch the free drama. As the train stop at this one station, this person stand up, waiting in front of the door with all other person and rushed out with the laptop open and the drama running. Wonderful situation where we can see how this person walking past between dense of people at the subway. Ninja maybe?

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This is another experience that I want to share with all readers about my time staying in Korea. What good about Korea is the internet connectivity, seriously. I don't know how fast it can go but it is really fast compare to Malaysia, that's it.

The first time I accessing the Internet is at my bedroom. There are no WiFi available that I can reach using my laptop. After asking the college administrator, they said that I need to use a LAN cable. Thanks god that I brought one. Even I don't know how but it is there in my bag.

Because I had used UniFi back in Malaysia, I think the speed is comparable to the one I use at Korea. The download speed is quite fast but the live streaming is very poor. When I am using the internet for Skype either to my friend in Malaysia or New Zealand, the quality is poor. Same happen when I am trying to access live video streaming for football match. Based on my experience, UniFi is better.

Korean citizen use their internet even in the subway station. Source: Google Image

My other experience happened when my first time to go the the second internship's company in Korea. Because the first company to busy with their work to put an eye on me, I need to transfer to another company.

So, the story begin like this, to reach at my new company, i need to take a bus in front of the University gate after walking about 300 hundred meter from my room. After that, I need to stopped by in front of school and then continue walk another 50 meters to the post office. That is where I need to wait someone to fetch me.

After a few hours, that 'someone' didn't fetch me at that exact location. The problem is, he didn't recognize me and the worse is even me didn't recognize him. I don't know whether he already pass around me looking for me or not.

Without any hand phone to make a call. I wait for another hour. Then, I bring out my laptop to play something so that i can fill my time waiting. As my habit, as started as my laptop on, I will press the WiFi on. Surprised me, there are a lot of accessible WiFi around there. Without wasting my time, I contact another friend that have the phone that we share to contact the Professor that supervised us.

After 30 minutes waiting, my supervisor came and bring me to the company that I supposed to go. So, after explaining the situation, actually, me and the person that suppose to fetch me up already at that place in front of the post office. Because we are not recognize each other, he left first.

So, the moral of the story is we must bring laptop or any smartphone everywhere in Korea since the internet connection is everywhere.

Internet speed in Mbps between top three countries. Source: Google Image

Source: Google Image

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The most famous public transport use by Korean is buses and subways. Based on my experience staying there for a while doing my internship, I am also having fun using the public transport. The public transport is very systematic and efficient compare to Malaysia.

KTX, Korea bullet train. Source: Google Image

So I will share a little bit of my experience using the public transport in Korea. I almost tried all the public transport includes, bus (is the most usual), subways and KTX (bullet train). In order to use it conveniently, you must have the transportation card. The transportation card differs between town, for example, I have been using Daegu transportation card since I am staying in Daegu while when I am travelling to Seoul, I need to purchase another new card which is the Seoul transportation card.

Seoul public bas. Source: Google Image

Of course when I am using the bus for the first time, I am not using the transportation card because I even don't know its existence (Malaysian style). I am paying the bus fare for cash. The concept is, paying using cash is much more expensive compared by paying using the card. For example, using cash is W1,100 while using card it is only charge is only W950 for adults like me. Therefore, every passengers will have their own transportation card either they integrated it with their ID card, or bank card or even their smart phone.

One more thing is the fare is fixed no matter how far you have travel. For example, if I am using the bus from the university gate which is where i am staying to the next bus stop, the fare is W950 (using the card) and if I am stopped at the fifth bus stop also need to charge W950.

Example of Korean Smart Card. Source: Google Image

Another speciality is you can transfer to another public transport (bus and subways) for free if your delay time do not exceed 30 minutes. For example, I am charged for W950 for my first bus trip, then I am stopped at the subway station to take the subway. If the moment I am going out from the bus and swapped the card at the subway gate within 30 minutes, I am taking the subways for free of charge.

To make the wait as smooth as possible, their public transportation system has implemented electronic sign that will indicate the arrival times by the minute of each bus. The best is, it help me know when the bus is coming. Instead of just waiting there for five to 10 minutes, I can schedule my time according to the bus arriving time.

This is where the bus information system is all controlled. All the buses that are running can be seen on the LCD screen at the bust stop. Don't be surprised, the LCD screen is not broken down or chained or even being stolen as long I am staying there. When the bus move, a GPS satellite track the bus’s location and shows the current bus location to the waiting passengers at the bus stop.

The LCD screen show the location of each bus. Source: Google Image

The most don't like about the public transport especially bus either in Daegu or Seoul is the driver driving skills, they are too expert in driving so that they are driving fast like crazy. Never heard about an accident before, but it is scary for the newbie user like me. Everything must be fast even when you push the stop button, you must get ready in front of the back door. If not, the driver will scold you.

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I did my internship a Daegu, South Korea. Therefore, later you will notice why there are a lot of information about Korea because of I want to share a little bit of my experience there with all the readers.

So, for the start, I will show you what I did at Korea.

This is my workplace, Saeah Eng. Co. Ltd.

As you can see, the company divided into two buildings, on the right is where the office, toilet and wash room located at the first floor and on the second floor is where the dining room, store and locker room.

On the left side is where the factory is, where all the equipment, stamping die and technical workers works (including me there).

Saeah Eng signboard.

Clean this stamping die back to the normal shape

After a several time of usage, the manufacturer company like Hyundai will send this back to our company for the maintenance. So, our task is to clean all the burr and dirt so that it will produce a high quality of stamping.

and test it here before return it to the owner

This is the hydraulic press machine. Very huge machine purposely to test the quality of stamping after the die has been repaired.

See? Hardworking isn't?

Another one...

This is what I have done in Korea. Actually this is my second company since I the first company were having a problem to take care of us.

There is actually a thousand of picture to share for you, but privacy come first!

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