I *want* this wind visualization app!

It is very useful for education purposes. Or as a screensaver. :D  But it's too expensive for me. $0.99. Hehe. :D

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/windscape/id590200094?mt=8

Urban Heat Islands, and Reclamation on Manila Bay: Unsustainable Development?

The so-called "Urban Heat Island Effect" is not yet a very common concept in the Philippines, mainly because we Filipinos all just understand that it's generally hot in our country. We are in the tropics, after all. Average daily highs are at least 30 degrees, and that's not yet accounting for humidity which makes it feel at least 4 degrees warmer.

How do we get "Site-Specific Wind Loads" in the Philippines?

I was asked this question, and here is how I would answer it.

In the structural engineering community especially in my home country, the interest and knowledge in earthquake engineering and earthquake-resistant design has grown rapidly over the past two decades especially after the 1990 Luzon Earthquake. Some of the recent "buzz words," if I may use that term, in the community are "site-specific seismic hazard assessment," and "performance-based seismic design."

Amplitude-dependent model of structural damping in buildings based on stick-slip mechanism for use in wind-resistant design

On February 9, 2013, I successfully "publicly" defended my PhD dissertation on the topic mentioned above. I will soon be posting the full dissertation manuscript once it is final. I requested my friend to take a video of the whole presentation, including the question-and-answer portion at the end, as well as closing remarks by my PhD supervisor. The video is shown below.