Listening to the data by sonification

When you get a good chunk of data, what do you do first?

You probably plot different aspects of the data, trying to identify the patterns and characteristic signatures in it. Well, that is very helpful for visual people. 

What would auditory people do? they listen...
"Shhhh. Listen to the data." A Physics Today article by Toni Feder.
The process of converting the data to streaming sound is called data sonification. Sometimes the visual data is too noisy. Ear may be able to pick out the subtle structures in the data.
A quote from the article:
“When Voyager 1 flew by [Jupiter’s moon] Io in 1979, we detected whistlers”—low-frequency radio waves. “That was first detected by hearing. Your ears are amazing at picking out fine signals. In frequency–time spectra, you can choose the resolution when you process the data. If you choose the wrong resolution, you may not detect anything. You have to match what you are processing to the time resolution. Your ear does that automatically.”
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Student/ J-1 Visa, USA: International students

INSTRUCTIONS FOR NEWLY ADMITTED INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
(Obtaining the U.S. visa and Entry to the United States)

Students who are applying for the *F-1 or the *j-1 visa in their home country;
(*Note: If you have the I-20 form, you will apply for the F-1 visa. If you have the DS-2019 form, you will apply for the J-1 visa.)
Documents needed:
- Valid passport from your home country
-Certificate of eligibility:*I-20 form[3 pages] or *DS-2019[2 pages]
-Letter of admission from the University and any other official letters that may have been sent to you by the University.
-Evidence of financial support (bank statements, letters of assistantship, sponsorship, and any other proof that you have sufficient funds for educational and living expenses)
-Any evidence that you might have to demonstrate that you have strong ties to your home country and that you plan to return to your home country at the conclusion of your study and any period of authorized employment.

After receiving your Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20 for F-1 students, or Form DS-2019 for J-1 students or scholars) from the University Admissions Office, you must obtain (or already possess) a passport from your own government , and the United States (U.S.) visa from the U.S. Embassy or Consulate nearest your place of residence.

The earliest you can apply for the U.S. visa is 90 days prior to the starting date on the certificate of eligibility (I-20 or DS-2019).

If your dependents (spouse or/and children) travel to the U.S. with you, each dependent must have a separate I-20 or DS-2019. Students should budget for at least $4000 per dependent per year for living expenses. If you did not request an I-20 or DS-2019 for your dependents at the time of admission, please contact the appropriate (Graduate or Undergraduate) Admissions office:
How to obtain the U.S. visa:
1. Contact the United States Consulate or Embassy near your residence in your home country to learn the correct procedure and to make an appointment, if necessary.
2. Pay the SEVIS I-901 fee required of all new students and exchange visitors with a form I-20 or DS-2019 issued on or after September 1,2004. (For a general overview of the fee payment process, see http:/www.ice.gov/graphics/sevis/i901/faq4.htm#_Toc81222043.)
3. When you arrive at the consulate/embassy, make sure that you have all of the above documents (including a receipt for the fee) to present to the officer who is processing your visa request.
4. If you are granted the visa, it will be affixed to your passport. It will state the number of entries that you have been granted and an expiration date. If an “M” appears under the number of entries, it means “multiple” entry.

This was one of the document I received with my I-20. Please feel free to share with your friends.
Thanks to my wife for typesetting it.
The information provided here might not be complete. Please use the information with caution. Good Luck!

End of mission for Envisat declared by ESA

Environmental Satellite or Envisat, launched in 2002, is one of the most successful earth observing (remote sensing) missions. With 10 optical and radar instruments onboard, it celebrated 10 great years in orbit. However, on 8th April 2012, it lost communication to its command center.

The last image from the satellite. Credits: ESA

The team had been trying hard to re-establish the communication; no success. Therefore, ESA has declared end of the mission for Envisat. In the press release, they said that they will keep trying for next two months. We would like to wish them a success!

More at ...
ESA Portal - ESA declares end of mission for Envisat:
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@Linkedin App for iPad: Review

TL;DR: I liked it, try!

Here is a longer version:
Well, linkedin has emerged as a useful tool in academic circle. It not only helps one to connect and keep in touch, but also get new connections.

They have recently introduced an iPad app, iPhone app was already there. My first feeling about this app is that it is absolutely good app.

Number one: the "home" layout is as if there are  three cards on a table.
"You", "All updates" and "Inbox".
This helps focus whenever we go to the app.

Number two: I find that "linkedin daily" style of updates section impressively drawn out. They could probably use little bit more contrast over the user's comment versus the web contents. Also, when I was sliding through few news pages, back and forth, it felt slightly slower.
Moreover, there is calendar inside the updates section, which I have not used yet.
To linkedin: Do you use Machine Learning to tune up the news section to people? that could be awesomely awesome! ;)

Number three: the inbox, it brings the latest message. Again, just brings the items in focus.

It is a good app, and thanks to linkedin team for a good app. Keep up the good work.

Few snapshots:

No, you can't "friend" students in NYC

Social Media Rules Limit Student-Teacher Contact - NYTimes.com: "New York City public schoolteachers may not contact students through personal pages on Web sites like Facebook and Twitter, but can communicate via pages set up for classroom use, the city’s Education Department said on Tuesday after it released its first list of guidelines governing the use of social media by employees."