tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76071203920204435042024-03-12T18:24:52.757-07:00MOST IMPARTIALNews about gadgets, design, gizmos, tech and consumer electronics.
gadgets, design, gizmos, tech, electronics, games, usb, craft, newsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-26684908157712556392009-09-21T13:32:00.000-07:002009-09-21T13:39:04.758-07:00Awesome Mouse works in air<span style="font-family:arial;">To use the mouse Gyration Air Mouse Elite, you do not need a mat on the desktop, not enough - you do not need and the table itself. Gyration Air Mouse Elite Gyration Air Mouse Elite is designed to work in the air!</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">С Windows Internet Explorer, PowerPoint With the help of motion sensors and software MotionTools she picks up the slightest movement of the brush, allowing the user to work with different applications Windows (such as Internet Explorer, PowerPoint, etc.). And she does this even at 30 m from the computer, and despite the wall. The mouse weighs slightly less than 100 grams, so that the wave it will not be hard. Gyration Air Mouse Elite By the way, Gyration Air Mouse Elite can be used as a normal mouse - it provides built-in laser sensor.Worth $ 100, complete with wireless keyboard - $ 150.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QYd_pItgxVM/SrfkEM_G1bI/AAAAAAAAEis/oFYOom3Ej3A/s1600-h/4585_1253307429_9430.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 102px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QYd_pItgxVM/SrfkEM_G1bI/AAAAAAAAEis/oFYOom3Ej3A/s400/4585_1253307429_9430.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384022640401241522" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QYd_pItgxVM/Srfj0_Itv6I/AAAAAAAAEik/OLh4qVfDqE0/s1600-h/Mouse+works+in+air+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 365px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QYd_pItgxVM/Srfj0_Itv6I/AAAAAAAAEik/OLh4qVfDqE0/s400/Mouse+works+in+air+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384022378985406370" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QYd_pItgxVM/Srfj0bkQKxI/AAAAAAAAEic/Dj0pYAMUz2Q/s1600-h/Mouse+works+in+air+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QYd_pItgxVM/Srfj0bkQKxI/AAAAAAAAEic/Dj0pYAMUz2Q/s400/Mouse+works+in+air+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384022369437231890" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QYd_pItgxVM/Srfjz-O989I/AAAAAAAAEiU/8Tlxp_bud84/s1600-h/Mouse+works+in+air+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QYd_pItgxVM/Srfjz-O989I/AAAAAAAAEiU/8Tlxp_bud84/s400/Mouse+works+in+air+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384022361563329490" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QYd_pItgxVM/SrfjzexMErI/AAAAAAAAEiM/TwB4Gpozy10/s1600-h/Mouse+works+in+air+4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QYd_pItgxVM/SrfjzexMErI/AAAAAAAAEiM/TwB4Gpozy10/s400/Mouse+works+in+air+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384022353116926642" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-61297292295535590972009-09-21T13:19:00.001-07:002009-09-21T13:26:29.123-07:00Awesome Rabbit USB Hands Warmer<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SrfgHdEbvvI/AAAAAAAAiHk/UBKf9seKzEs/s1600-h/Rabbit+USB+Hands+Warmer+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SrfgHdEbvvI/AAAAAAAAiHk/UBKf9seKzEs/s400/Rabbit+USB+Hands+Warmer+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384018298211647218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Here’s something that would fit nicely in an updated version of the 10 USB Gadgets to Help You Through the Winter article – the rabbit USB hands warmer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> Just plug it into the USB port to heat up the hand warmer. Moreover, you can unplug the USB cable if you are not working in front of the computer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> Its separated USB cable design allows you to wear it freely.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> Product Specifications:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Cutie rabbit design</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Warm your hands while you are working</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Wrist support for supporting your tired wrist when using Mouse or Keyboard</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Built-in heating pad</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * 5 mins up to 46 degrees</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Plug and play</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Powered by USB</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Suitable for hand size: 170*110mm (approx.)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Cable length: 150cm (approx.)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Size: 210*130*40mm</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Weight: 150g</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Rabbit USB Hands Warmer </span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SrfgG6tXQ6I/AAAAAAAAiHc/ex4NssvmSUc/s1600-h/Rabbit+USB+Hands+Warmer+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 297px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SrfgG6tXQ6I/AAAAAAAAiHc/ex4NssvmSUc/s400/Rabbit+USB+Hands+Warmer+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384018288988079010" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-70048575194422443312009-08-10T14:13:00.000-07:002009-08-10T14:19:47.106-07:00Beautiful Nintendo DS Chocolate Case<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SoCOVJm53JI/AAAAAAAAhu0/7aRAR0tphks/s1600-h/Nintendo+DS+Chocolate+Case+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 174px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SoCOVJm53JI/AAAAAAAAhu0/7aRAR0tphks/s400/Nintendo+DS+Chocolate+Case+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368447249833122962" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Yes, you have probably seen them before; the chocolate inspired cases – like this one for iPod Shuffle or this one for iPhones and iPods. The latest addition to this yummy line of cases is one for the Nintendo DS Lite handheld game console.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> A hard plastic case is designed in sweet chocolate shape. It turns your NDS into a bar of chocolate.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> Product Specifications:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Special chocolate design</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Best fit size</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Weight: 50g</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SoCOU0jLU4I/AAAAAAAAhus/OePaLolEXik/s1600-h/Nintendo+DS+Chocolate+Case+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 295px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SoCOU0jLU4I/AAAAAAAAhus/OePaLolEXik/s400/Nintendo+DS+Chocolate+Case+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368447244180345730" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-78267366558078245272009-08-07T15:43:00.000-07:002009-08-07T15:46:56.321-07:00Awesome Motorcycle Helmet USB Aromatherapy Humidifier<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SnyukzdqK2I/AAAAAAAAhpE/QL4DZNAZ-cA/s1600-h/helmet-humidifier2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 395px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SnyukzdqK2I/AAAAAAAAhpE/QL4DZNAZ-cA/s400/helmet-humidifier2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367356803231918946" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This USB aroma humidifier, designed to look like a motorcycle helmet, will help you increase the humidity in a room and it can also be used as a fragrance oil burner for aromatherapy.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Features:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Motorcycle helmet shape design humidifier</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Relieve your breath, eyes, month, throat and skin in dry seasons</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * You can also add few drops of essential oil and enjoy aromatherapy</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * USB/battery operated for your best convenient</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Generates moisture by cool ultrasonic waves, safe and quiet</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Excellent vision effect, LED light illuminate to water tank when operating</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * On/Off switch</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Water tank capacity: 185ml (approx.)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Ultrasonic frequencey: 2.4Mhz ~ 2.7Mhz</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Dimension: 135 x 120 x 110mm (approx.)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Weight: 284g</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SnyukoiGFBI/AAAAAAAAho8/Xc9RF2Zobys/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SnyukoiGFBI/AAAAAAAAho8/Xc9RF2Zobys/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367356800297735186" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-60090979234265244072009-07-31T15:30:00.000-07:002009-07-31T15:31:11.996-07:00Awesome Batman Cufflinks<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SnNwZZud0II/AAAAAAAAhk0/fFM861PC8_U/s1600-h/batman-cufflinks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 221px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SnNwZZud0II/AAAAAAAAhk0/fFM861PC8_U/s400/batman-cufflinks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364755162833211522" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">We have already featured a bunch of superhero cufflinks here at GeekAlerts, like Captain America, Wolverine Spiderman and Superman, so let’s throw in a nice Batman pair as well.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Each pair is made of finely polished platinum/rhodium alloy to ensure optimum smoothness of surface. Comes with a free gift box.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Dimensions approximately: 1.1 cm x 2.0 cm. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-14583691846421967972009-07-29T05:14:00.000-07:002009-07-29T05:31:51.768-07:00Awesome Flower Webcam with 12 LEDs<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QYd_pItgxVM/SnBAxcSJhbI/AAAAAAAABLg/pvk1vHmgzSQ/s1600-h/Flower+Webcam+with+12+LEDs+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 236px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QYd_pItgxVM/SnBAxcSJhbI/AAAAAAAABLg/pvk1vHmgzSQ/s400/Flower+Webcam+with+12+LEDs+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363858374348342706" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Yes, believe it or not, it’s yet another flower inspired gadget. This time it’s a lotus USB 2.0 web camera that will look great together with the daisy flower baby camera monitor.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> This Lotus-Shaped USB Webcam will give you a 640×480 resolution at 30 frames per second. It comes with a built-in microphone and 12 bright white LED lights. This allows you to use the web camera without any problems in low light conditions.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> Features:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Built-in 12 LED lamp and microphone.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Large Window Capture Size: 640 x 480</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Frame Rate: VGA, 30 frame/second</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * White Balance: Automatic</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Exposal Control: Automatic</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Flash Control: Automatic</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Interface: USB 2.0</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Microphone Plug: 3.5mm</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Flexible metal neck for any angle adjustment.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Separated switch for LED light and bottom suction cup.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * System Requirements: Windows XP, VISTA.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Cable Length: ~124cm</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Dimension: ~7.6(D) x 20.1(H)cm</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> * Weight: 260g</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The Flower Webcam with 12 LEDs is available over at the Uxsight.com website for $24.69.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-91631156767170996542009-05-16T23:49:00.000-07:002009-05-16T23:59:25.095-07:00Awesome Heart-Shaped USB Webcam<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/Sg-1LiWEGOI/AAAAAAAAey8/SVfqZ1gFAAY/s1600-h/Heart-Shaped+USB+Webcam+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 307px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/Sg-1LiWEGOI/AAAAAAAAey8/SVfqZ1gFAAY/s400/Heart-Shaped+USB+Webcam+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336683293259864290" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This heart-shaped USB 2.0 compliant web camera will give you a 640×480 resolution at 30 frames per second. Simply clip the cam on your monitor or let it stand on your desk.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> The left side of the web cam is rotatable to be a heart shape. It is designed with a microphone and a touch sensitive LED lights. Let you chat freely in the dark environment. Get one today and start chatting away with your family and friends. </span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/Sg-1LllSjhI/AAAAAAAAey0/0H4vtF23qHM/s1600-h/Heart-Shaped+USB+Webcam+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 185px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/Sg-1LllSjhI/AAAAAAAAey0/0H4vtF23qHM/s400/Heart-Shaped+USB+Webcam+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336683294129032722" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Features:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Frame Rate: VGA, 30 frame/second</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * White Balance: Automatic</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Exposal Control: Automatic</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Flash Control: Automatic</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Resoultion: 640 x 480</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Capture high-quality VGA (640 x 480) video</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Send video e-mails anywhere</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Excellent still image capture</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Video recording</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Video conference</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Record the moving image</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Security function</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * With the tilt swiveling base</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * USB 2.0 interface</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Driver free for Windows XP/Vista</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Dimension: 50 x 75 x 68mm</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Weight: 120g</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/Sg-1LTLzTcI/AAAAAAAAeys/474rcWqHKuk/s1600-h/Heart-Shaped+USB+Webcam+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 327px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/Sg-1LTLzTcI/AAAAAAAAeys/474rcWqHKuk/s400/Heart-Shaped+USB+Webcam+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336683289190288834" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-22907037262507906322009-05-11T14:03:00.000-07:002009-05-11T14:07:10.302-07:00Cute little cow USB Hub design<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SgiTDXo7A-I/AAAAAAAAeqs/LS67f3YtOr8/s1600-h/cow-hub+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 285px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SgiTDXo7A-I/AAAAAAAAeqs/LS67f3YtOr8/s400/cow-hub+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334675444714898402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Here’s a fun new USB 2.0 compliant 4-port hub for those of you who enjoyed the colorful USB cow speaker that we wrote about here at GeekAlerts late last year.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Product Specifications:</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">* USB 2.0 backward compatible with USB 1.1</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Cute little cow design</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * It will sound 3 cow calls when you plug it into the USB port</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Size: 90*50*48mm</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Weight: 50g</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SgiTDZ4wr0I/AAAAAAAAeqk/OpgFfSD0-1c/s1600-h/cow-hub2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 277px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SgiTDZ4wr0I/AAAAAAAAeqk/OpgFfSD0-1c/s400/cow-hub2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334675445318201154" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">The CowCow USB 4-Port Hub is available in white, blue, gold or yellow and the product can be purchased through the Gadget4all.com website for $12 a pop.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-58165285716609025202009-05-10T13:24:00.000-07:002009-05-10T13:26:54.082-07:00Cool Puppy Speaker<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/Sgc4brDtuRI/AAAAAAAAemU/uk2rEZccTi4/s1600-h/puppyspeakers_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/Sgc4brDtuRI/AAAAAAAAemU/uk2rEZccTi4/s400/puppyspeakers_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334294331709569298" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">They are the WONSPUSB from Japan trust technology. With Dalmatian on the right and Charles Spaniel on the left, these USB-powered computer speakers deliver an output of 2W x 2ch. It also comes with a wired remote control that comes in the shape of a guitar. The WONSPUSB puppy speaker is available in Japan for 3980 Yen ($40). More pictures after the break.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/Sgc4bf7DBGI/AAAAAAAAemM/95HhCWq5190/s1600-h/puppyspeakers_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 380px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/Sgc4bf7DBGI/AAAAAAAAemM/95HhCWq5190/s400/puppyspeakers_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334294328720426082" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/Sgc4bMgqMyI/AAAAAAAAemE/XdfV1YKC66Q/s1600-h/puppyspeakers_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/Sgc4bMgqMyI/AAAAAAAAemE/XdfV1YKC66Q/s400/puppyspeakers_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334294323509474082" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/Sgc4a0uYvxI/AAAAAAAAel8/HDSUCrPRHmo/s1600-h/puppyspeakers_4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/Sgc4a0uYvxI/AAAAAAAAel8/HDSUCrPRHmo/s400/puppyspeakers_4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334294317124599570" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-41604366813744997332009-05-09T15:06:00.000-07:002009-05-09T15:11:44.427-07:00Beautiful USB Bamboo Fountain<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SgX_Y70wFcI/AAAAAAAAehc/JZ2Zw2Bd-xQ/s1600-h/usb-bamboo-fountain.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SgX_Y70wFcI/AAAAAAAAehc/JZ2Zw2Bd-xQ/s400/usb-bamboo-fountain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333950137531110850" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">If you want to try to add a little zen to your workplace, this USB bamboo fountain with flowing water might give you a nice relaxing and soothing effect - or, maybe it won’t.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Features</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * USB operated</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Flowing waters create a calm, soothing effect</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Create a relaxing peaceful environment</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Material: durable Polyresin</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Dimension: 16 x 12.5 x 12.5cm (H x W x D)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> * Weight: 363g</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Here’s a video of the USB bamboo fountain in action:</span><br /><object style="font-family: arial;" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hBKTjMyKSfo&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hBKTjMyKSfo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The USB Bamboo Fountain is available over at the USB Geek website for $25. They also have a USB Illuminated Bamboo Fountain with multicolored LEDs for the same price.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-30822837179049368292008-12-17T04:43:00.000-08:002008-12-17T04:59:13.617-08:00Drillers strike scientific gold after breaking into magma chamber by accidentA crew drilling on the Big Island of Hawaii has struck scientific gold after accidentally breaking into a molten lava chamber underground for the first time.<br /><br />Magma - the molten rock that is the central ingredient in the evolution of planets, has never been found in its natural habitat before now.<br /><br />The chance discovery far beneath the Earth's surface gives scientists an unprecedented opportunity to study the important substance.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SUj2CHxfxII/AAAAAAAAWY4/Cq4MR5RAnZQ/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 371px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SUj2CHxfxII/AAAAAAAAWY4/Cq4MR5RAnZQ/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280741079398728834" border="0" /></a><br />As scientists, we've hypothesized about the nature and behavior of magma in literally countless studies, but before now the real thing has never been found or been physically investigated,' Professor Bruce Marsh from The Johns Hopkins University said.<br /><br />Magma reaches temperatures of more than 1,000C underground before it is ejected from the earth in volcanoes in lava spouts.<br /><br />'Once magma erupts, it begins cooling unusually quickly and it loses any gases that it may contain, so it really is a different animal,' Professor Marsh said.<br /><br />'We've never seen, until now, the real animal in its natural habitat. And it's not going anywhere: it's caged, so to speak.'<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SUj2CEkwFKI/AAAAAAAAWYw/HMFaRvgfIIw/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 275px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SUj2CEkwFKI/AAAAAAAAWYw/HMFaRvgfIIw/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280741078539965602" border="0" /></a><br />The chamber also contains a highly unusual type called 'dacite', which is not common in the geology of Hawaii. It is believed to be made by, in effect, distilling basalt, the material which makes up the floor of the ocean.<br />Professor Marsh, nicknamed the 'Magma PI,' has spent his career investigating the processes by which magma is forced from the bowels of the planet to the surface and creates the geologic features - continents, mountains, valleys - among which we live.<br /><br />He is collaborating on the find with William Teplow, a consultant to Nevada-based Ormat Technologies. They announced the discovery yesterday at the 2008 meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.<br /><br />The company discovered the magma during drilling operations at its Puna Geothermal Venture power plant in October 2005.<br /><br />They hit a chamber of the magma about a mile and a half down while drilling an injection well. The substance quickly rose about 20 feet up into the drill hole before becoming glasslike as it cooled. Ormat workers redrilled the area several times, with the same result.<br /><br />The company has installed a permanent seismic and ground monitoring network to provide early warning of any impending volcanic activity for the power plant andUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-86594518752861334212008-11-17T13:29:00.000-08:002008-11-17T13:36:04.463-08:00Buried in each other's arms: Scientists discover remains of world's most ancient nuclear family<span style="font-family: arial;">The Flintstones may not have been so far-fetched after all.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A team of archaeologists have discovered the remains of the earliest known nuclear family - a Stone Age mother, father and two sons who lived more than 4,600 years ago.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The find sheds tantalising new light on the life of our prehistoric ancestors living at the dawn of civilisation in Europe. It also suggests that modern family values have been thriving since before the time of Stonehenge.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SSHi_q0VJlI/AAAAAAAAVKk/uXu2enF60pA/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 289px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SSHi_q0VJlI/AAAAAAAAVKk/uXu2enF60pA/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269742622453605970" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The family - who appear to have been slaughtered in a raid by a rival tribe - were identified from fragments of DNA in their skeletons. The boys were aged eight and four.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">They were buried near three other graves containing the skeletons of nine others.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Many of the bodies had injuries - suggesting that they were victims of a violent raid from a rival tribe or village. One women had a stone projectile point in her spine, and another had a fractured skull. Several bodies had injuries on their arms and hands.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Dr Alistair Pike, head of archaeology at the University of Bristol, who took part in the study, said: "This is a particularly significant find because it is the first time we can conclusively prove a family has been buried together.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">"Graves which have been discovered pre-dating this find show mass collections of maybe hundreds of skeletons thrown together.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">"This grave could be a watershed in the rise of the significance of the family, as previous evidence shows that around this time inheritable wealth became an important factor in family life.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">"Whoever buried the family obviously knew they were family and deemed it important they were buried together facing one-another."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The burials took place in Germany around the same time that Stonehenge was being erected in England.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The family were buried near three other graves containing the skeletons of nine other people in a Stone Age cemetery at Eulau in Saxony-Anhalt.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">They were discovered in 2005, but the DNA tests have only just been completed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The mother was aged around 35 to 50 - old age for those days. She was carefully laid to rest on her left side with her head pointing towards the rising sun. The father - who was between 40 and 60 - was placed in a mirror position.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SSHi_VIeGWI/AAAAAAAAVKc/tgwxWpzCHOo/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 261px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SSHi_VIeGWI/AAAAAAAAVKc/tgwxWpzCHOo/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269742616632498530" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">However, unusually for the period, the boys were positioned facing their parents, the scientists report in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Another 13 bodies were buried near by around the same time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Other couples nearby were touchingly buried face-to-face with their arms and hands interlinked.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Each of the graves contained at least one child - ranging from newborn babies to children aged ten years old. There were no teenagers or young adults.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Dr Wolfgang Haak of the University of Adelaide, who led the study, said: "By establishing the genetic links between the two adults and two children buried together in one grave, we have established the presence of the classic nuclear family in a prehistoric context in Central Europe - to our knowledge the oldest authentic molecular genetic evidence so far.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'Their unity in death suggests a unity in life.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">As well as discovering the family ties between the bodies, the researchers also studied the chemical make up of their teeth to find out where they spent their childhood.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Growing teeth contain tell-tale traces of the minerals and metals in the food that a child eats.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">They found that many of the women spent their childhoods in a different region from the men and children. That suggests that women were marrying out of their families and moving to the location of their new male partners.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Dr Alistair Pike said: 'Such traditions would have been important to avoid inbreeding and to forge kinship networks with other communities.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The remains are now on permanent display in the Landesmuseum Sachsen-Anhalt in Germany.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The changes faced by our prehistoric ancestors</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The third century BC was the end of an era for our prehistoric ancestors.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It was the dying days of the Stone Age, a time when the old bone and flint tools which had served mankind for millennia were being replaced with new-fangled metals like copper.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">New farming techniques - and new livestock - were arriving from the warmer lands of the south and east.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">And people were on the move - crossing the English Channel, exploring the islands off Europe's coast and trekking across the continent. </span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SSHi_djkx2I/AAAAAAAAVKU/ngr9c_T124E/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SSHi_djkx2I/AAAAAAAAVKU/ngr9c_T124E/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269742618893666146" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The Neolithic farmers of Germany lived in small villages in rectangular homes made of wooden posts and twigs, covered in a thick layer of clay and chalk.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The roofs were thatched allowing smoke from the central fire to escape. The huts were large enough for a big family to huddle around the central fireplace.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">By 2600BC prehistoric families had been farming for thousands of years.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">They were skilled at growing wheat and barley, and keeping pigs, cattle and sheep.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Dogs had been domesticated and would have been used as companions as well as protection.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">They used the wheat to make bread and cakes, and possibly even beer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">They still gathered what food they could from the wild - apples, nuts, cherries, honey, peas and berries.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Although Neolithic means new stone age, it should really be called the copper age. Copper axes and knives were used by the wealthy - although stone tools and arrow heads were more common.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The clothes were simple. They wore leather coats and jackets, woollen leggings and maybe even simple shoes made from animal skins tied up with twine. They made pots and beakers, and decorated them with a distinctive cord design.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Almost nothing is known about their culture and beliefs. But the tender way they treated the dead, placing tools and jewellery around the carefully positioned body, suggests a belief in the afterlife.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">In Britain at this time, society was organised enough to arrange the creation of the huge monuments of Stonehenge - using vast slabs dragged from Wales - and Silbury Hill, a vast mound of earth 130ft high.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-67732577294739975342008-11-16T01:35:00.000-08:002008-11-16T02:00:11.792-08:00Thousands flee as wildfires scorch LA and threaten to plunge the city into darkness<span style="font-family: arial;"> Wildfires threatening Los Angeles could plunge the entire city and its 3.8million inhabitants into darkness.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A massive blaze in the heavily populated San Fernando Valley broke out on Thursday night, destroying dozens of properties and threatening vital power supply lines.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Fanned by 70mph winds, the fire has spread over 2,600 acres, forcing 10,000 residents to evacuate.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_sRrYd_9I/AAAAAAAAVCc/cU6qXZnkI_8/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 232px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_sRrYd_9I/AAAAAAAAVCc/cU6qXZnkI_8/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269189877494054866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has declared a state of emergency. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">He said: 'This is the worst fire we've had for more than a dozen years. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'People should prepare for rolling blackouts throughout the city.' </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">As these pictures show, the blaze has left some of the most sought-after addresses in southern California looking like the aftermath of a nuclear attack.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_sRpcAozI/AAAAAAAAVCU/If6JJiB9VbI/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 230px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_sRpcAozI/AAAAAAAAVCU/If6JJiB9VbI/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269189876972036914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Yesterday, West Wing actor Rob Lowe, whose family was among the residents evacuated in the face of 200ft-high flames, described the bushfire transformation of the wealthy neighbourhood of Montecito as ‘like something from Armageddon’.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Mr Lowe told how he and his son were forced to flee their home after a phone call from his wife telling them to 'Get out'.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">She said the Californian town of Montecito, a favourite celebrity hideaway where the actor's neighbours include Oprah Winfrey and John Cleese, was going up in flames.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'We got in the car and pulled out of the driveway and the entire mountain behind us was in flames 200 feet high, shooting into the air,' he said.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'It was like something from Armageddon.'</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Neighbours in the posh suburb were last night still coming to terms with the damage wreaked by what started as a small fire in the hills above the town. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Within five hours 100 luxury homes – one belonging to Back To The Future actor Christopher Lloyd – had been reduced to ashes. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Cars were left charred, their alloy wheels melting in the inferno. Fanned by 70mph winds, known locally as ‘sundowners’, the fire raged out of control over 2,000 acres of prime California real estate. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">More than 1,000 firemen, supported by water-dropping helicopters, fought the fire as temperatures reached in excess of 70C (158F). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The only consolation was that just 13 people were injured.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">So far the huge wildfire has destroyed at least 70 multi-million dollar mansions in the town.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Rosie Neeley, 31, fled with her parents before their house was consumed by fire overnight.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'When we saw the flames coming down the canyon, we knew it was too late.' she said.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_sRTfFfrI/AAAAAAAAVCM/C4zo9I-gVlo/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 242px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_sRTfFfrI/AAAAAAAAVCM/C4zo9I-gVlo/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269189871079358130" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_sRcLjVDI/AAAAAAAAVCE/l5VsOBraaT4/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 248px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_sRcLjVDI/AAAAAAAAVCE/l5VsOBraaT4/s400/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269189873413346354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Longtime residents Cheryl and Gary Jensen, both 59, said they, too, were first alerted to the danger by a phone call and drove away as flames neared.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">They returned yesterday to find their $2million home leveled, a half-melted refrigerator still visible in the remains of their kitchen.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_sQ10PrnI/AAAAAAAAVB8/9AEhgKaRa34/s1600-h/5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_sQ10PrnI/AAAAAAAAVB8/9AEhgKaRa34/s400/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269189863115042418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">'It's all dust now,' said Mrs Jensen.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The brush fire engulfed more than 800 acres in about six hours on Thursday, ripping through entire blocks of mansions in a community dubbed 'America's Riviera.'</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_rioOUR-I/AAAAAAAAVB0/Wwit18joae8/s1600-h/6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 230px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_rioOUR-I/AAAAAAAAVB0/Wwit18joae8/s400/6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269189069192316898" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_riZHTOuI/AAAAAAAAVBs/tAsZsceHV90/s1600-h/7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 226px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_riZHTOuI/AAAAAAAAVBs/tAsZsceHV90/s400/7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269189065136356066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">TV helicopters showed several large homes in flames on the steep hillsides of the town around five miles south of the city of Santa Barbara.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Firefighters were largely powerless to stop the destruction.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Montecito is about 90 miles from Los Angeles in coastal Santa Barbara County.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_riP4dQQI/AAAAAAAAVBk/pvK15SKxPTM/s1600-h/8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 233px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_riP4dQQI/AAAAAAAAVBk/pvK15SKxPTM/s400/8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269189062658179330" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_rh1XoAnI/AAAAAAAAVBc/mVBG1uKREME/s1600-h/9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_rh1XoAnI/AAAAAAAAVBc/mVBG1uKREME/s400/9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269189055541150322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Comedian Cleese recently listed his £6m oceanfront Montecito home, he co-owns with his third ex-wife Alyce Faye Eichelberger, for sale.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The Monty Python star also had an equestrian ranch in the town which he sold in July for £8.3m.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_rhk1VUNI/AAAAAAAAVBU/oTylsRZXUS8/s1600-h/10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_rhk1VUNI/AAAAAAAAVBU/oTylsRZXUS8/s400/10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269189051102351570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">About 2,500 residents were forced to flee the flames, and 20,000 people in the wider area were without power.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'From just watching, it’s grown significantly in size. It’s a very serious situation.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'Emergency personnel are in the area. We’ve got calls out for additional emergency personnel,' Santa Barbara county spokesman William Boyer told theThe Santa Maria Times.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_rEBsRNcI/AAAAAAAAVBM/TSoYSkfvZqA/s1600-h/11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_rEBsRNcI/AAAAAAAAVBM/TSoYSkfvZqA/s400/11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269188543452886466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">'It looked like lava coming down a volcano,' Leslie Hollis Lopez said as she gathered belongings from her house.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'It’s very tenuous. We’re hoping the winds are favorable.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Michaelo Rosso told KCAL TV as he prepared to leave his home: 'You can just hear the explosions ... of vehicles, homes,' . 'It sounds like the Fourth of July out here.'</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_rD-1tvuI/AAAAAAAAVBE/ESD_LTzTWGo/s1600-h/12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 234px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_rD-1tvuI/AAAAAAAAVBE/ESD_LTzTWGo/s400/12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269188542687198946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">A residence hall and several classrooms were destroyed at Westmont College, a private Christian university, and about 800 students were evacuated to the school's fireproof gymnasium, where they were out of harm's way.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">By early Friday, the relentless fire had spread five miles north to the fringes of Santa Barbara city, where at least 20 homes were damaged, officials said.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_rDpGfhjI/AAAAAAAAVA8/RWiJPcLqLlE/s1600-h/13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 251px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR_rDpGfhjI/AAAAAAAAVA8/RWiJPcLqLlE/s400/13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269188536851990066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">In an unusual - and risky - move, three water-dropping helicopters were dispatched to the area. Such missions are not normally undertaken at night.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Many of the homes in the area are holiday or second homes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Other residents include mobile-phone pioneer Craig McCaw, and Google Inc chief executive Eric Schmidt, who reportedly paid about $20m for comedian Ellen DeGeneres' compound earlier this year.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-46076451180248975772008-11-15T09:32:00.000-08:002008-11-15T09:39:36.892-08:00Moon mission inspires India to launch own version of Google Earth<span style="font-family: arial;">Space-hungry India is planning to launch an improved version of Google Earth using its own satellite system, just weeks after conquering the moon.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Its space agency hopes to unveil a prototype of Bhuvan - the Sanskrit for Earth - by December and launch the programme to the public by March.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Officials claim the mapping system will generate clearer images and zoom into a distance of just 10m.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR8IOkbzZGI/AAAAAAAAU_k/T5UfZWRuOT8/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 385px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR8IOkbzZGI/AAAAAAAAU_k/T5UfZWRuOT8/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268939135438251106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">The state-owned service, which will initially cover only India, will be free to use on the web.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'We've created a lot of value added products out of satellite data of the Indian region', Dr. V. Jayaramna, a director at Isra, told the Financial Times.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'We will introduce Bhuvan in phases. Over the next three to four months, the first lot [of map data] will come out and then more in a systematic manner.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The move comes just weeks after India stepped up its position in the space race with the blast-off of the country's first unmanned space mission to the moon. </span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR8IOeTujhI/AAAAAAAAU_c/mRerADaeLMs/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 316px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR8IOeTujhI/AAAAAAAAU_c/mRerADaeLMs/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268939133793766930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Chandrayaan-1, which was built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), will create a 3D map of the lunar surface over two years.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">India is following in the footsteps of rival China, after the emerging Asian power celebrated its first space walk in September.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'What we have started is a remarkable journey,' G. Madhavan Nair, chairman of ISRO, said.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Chandrayaan-1 lunar orbiter is expected to mark the achievement tomorrow as it drops a probe, painted in the colours of the Indian flag, on the moon's surface.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR8IOL1yQkI/AAAAAAAAU_U/o0xQhb2BVco/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 229px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SR8IOL1yQkI/AAAAAAAAU_U/o0xQhb2BVco/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268939128836342338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">But critics argue that India should address the poverty at home before competing with space leaders including China and Japan.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The latest project has sparked speculation that India will develop its own global positioning system, providing for TomTom-like devices for cars.</span><br /><h1 style="font-family: arial;"><br /></h1><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It is already working towards a satellite-based global aviation navigation system.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">And scientists revealed earlier this week that designs for an Aditya spacecraft to study the sun are nearly complete.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Google Earth displays satellite images of varying resolution of the Earth's surface, giving users a bird's eye view of things like houses and cars.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-11636068772478379512008-11-13T07:57:00.000-08:002008-11-13T08:22:07.803-08:00Mysterious glowing aurora over Saturn confounds scientists<span style="font-family: arial;">A stunning light display over Saturn has stumped scientists who say it behaves unlike any other planetary aurora known in our solar system.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The blueish-green glow was found over the ringed planet's north polar region just like Earth's northern lights.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It was discovered by the infrared instruments on NASA's Cassini spacecraft.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRxPfk88gCI/AAAAAAAAU-c/GgxZ8TkT9_Y/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 318px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRxPfk88gCI/AAAAAAAAU-c/GgxZ8TkT9_Y/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268173068030476322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">'We've never seen an aurora like this elsewhere,' said Tom Stallard, a scientist working with Cassini data at the University of Leicester.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'This aurora covers an enormous area across the pole. Our current ideas on what forms Saturn's aurora predict that this region should be empty, so finding such a bright aurora here is a fantastic surprise.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Auroras are caused by charged particles streaming along the magnetic field lines of a planet into its atmosphere.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Particles from the sun cause Earth's auroras. Many, but not all, of the auroras at Jupiter and Saturn are caused by particles trapped within the magnetic environments of those planets.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRxPfmxb5HI/AAAAAAAAU-U/qgYYqrPh6Yw/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 310px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRxPfmxb5HI/AAAAAAAAU-U/qgYYqrPh6Yw/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268173068519072882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Jupiter's main auroral ring is caused by interactions in Jupiter's magnetic environment and remains constant in size. Saturn's main aurora is caused by the solar wind, and changes size dramatically as the wind varies. However, the newly observed aurora at Saturn doesn't fit into either category.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The new infrared aurora appears in a region hidden from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Cassini observed it when the spacecraft flew near Saturn's polar region.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">In infrared light, the aurora sometimes fills the region from around 82 degrees north all the way over the pole. This new aurora is also constantly changing, even disappearing within a 45 minute-period.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'There is something special and unforeseen about this planet's magnetosphere and the way it interacts with the solar wind and the planet's atmosphere,' Cassini scientist Nick Achilleos from the University College London said.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-61027680242094588082008-11-12T10:53:00.000-08:002008-11-12T11:02:11.189-08:00Ancient Rome rises from the ruins thanks to Google Earth<span style="font-family: arial;">Ancient Rome has risen from the ruins thanks to a new version of Google Earth that lets you tour the city on your computer in 3D.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Visitors can explore the capital of the Roman Empire as it was in 320 AD - regarded by many historians as its heyday.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The three dimensional world - created by Google and available to download for free - lets users stand in the centre of the Forum, stroll across the arena of the Colosseum or fly through the Arch of Constantine.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRsm3Bv-Q1I/AAAAAAAAU-M/8SvsVnEdnXo/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 364px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRsm3Bv-Q1I/AAAAAAAAU-M/8SvsVnEdnXo/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267846915944235858" border="0" />,</a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRsm24EnEZI/AAAAAAAAU-E/q3_tFcxuSBg/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 254px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRsm24EnEZI/AAAAAAAAU-E/q3_tFcxuSBg/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267846913346441618" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Each building has been carefully reconstructed and positioned using historical records, perfectly recreating the biggest and most important metropolis of the ancient world.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Google claims the site will be invaluable to historians, students and school children - as well as helping to bring the city to life for tourists.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Although some city centres such as San Francisco and Munich and famous landmarks have been recreated in three dimensions, this is the first time users have been able to walk around an ancient city.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Only 300 original ruins of the great capital are still standing today but Google created the computer model based on 6,700 buildings reconstructed by students and scholars from the time of Emperor Constantine - the first Roman Christian emperor. Pop-up 'information bubbles' provide extra detail at 250 sites around the ancient city.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRsm26Y7XMI/AAAAAAAAU98/Uxn_4Hu2AD0/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRsm26Y7XMI/AAAAAAAAU98/Uxn_4Hu2AD0/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267846913968528578" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRsm2qww6mI/AAAAAAAAU90/BO5lZrJE2tg/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRsm2qww6mI/AAAAAAAAU90/BO5lZrJE2tg/s400/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267846909773539938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Bernard Frische, director for the Institute of Advanced Technology in the Humanities at the University of Virginia who was involved in recreating the virtual Rome, said: 'The project is the continuation of five centuries of research by scholars, architects and artists since the Renaissance who have attempted to restore the ruins of the ancient city with words, maps and images.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'The partnership with Google Earth is another step in creating a virtual time machine which our children and grandchildren will use to study the history of Rome.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Google joined forces with the Rome Reborn Project and Past Perfect Productions to create the computer graphics.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It is based on a physical model - the Plastico di Roma Antica - created by archaeologists and model makers between 1933 and 1974 and which is housed in a Roman museum.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The biggest building is the Colosseum - the elliptical amphitheatre at the heart of the city where Gladiatorial battles were fought for up to 80,000 spectators.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The model also reveals how Trajan's Column - a 125ft monument at the centre of the Forum - can be seen from across the city - and lets explorers tour Ludus Magnus - the gladiatorial training school.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The Mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno added: 'Ancient Rome 3D is a great opportunity to rediscover the importance of Ancient Roman culture, which is at the base of the Italian, European and, more generally, Western identities.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">More than 400 million people have downloaded Google Earth since it was launched in June, 2005.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-7262313860289570472008-11-11T12:05:00.000-08:002008-11-11T12:10:42.779-08:00The Earth at night: Stunning images of the cities that light up the globe<span style="font-family: arial;">It may look like an intriguing star constellation far away in space, but these lights are actually far closer to home. This image shows London at night as viewed by the International Space Station.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Taken by astronaut Donald Pettit on his last mission on the ISS, it shows England's capital shortly after 7.22pm on a cloudy February 4, 2003. He is due to return to space for the second time on the shuttle Endeavour later this week and no doubt looks forward to capturing yet more stunning images.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRnmcpsK8JI/AAAAAAAAUxM/VR3EElnSZA0/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRnmcpsK8JI/AAAAAAAAUxM/VR3EElnSZA0/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267494619088351378" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRnmcc1SG3I/AAAAAAAAUxE/BtWRm5SErlE/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRnmcc1SG3I/AAAAAAAAUxE/BtWRm5SErlE/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267494615636908914" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">London's orbital motorway, the M25, is most clearly running south of the city. The darkened Thames river estuary fans out to the east, while dark pockets slightly west of the densely packed lights in the centre reveal Hyde Park and Regent's Park.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Mr Pettit captured his images after he constructed a device called a camera mount called a barn-door tracker on board the station.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Enlarge window</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It is commonly used by astronomers on the ground to capture images of the stars, which compensates for the rotation of the Earth relative to the stars. However, Mr Pettit used it to compensate for the movement of the space station relative to the Earth below.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The careful coordination kept the target city in the same position during a long exposure, producing detailed photos. The astronauts have now captured hundreds of images of cities from around the world with this technique with a level of detail of about 60 metres.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Border cities like Ciudad Juaréz, Mexico and El Paso, Texas, show cultural differences influencing city planning.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">On the U.S. side of the Rio Grande, El Paso is marked by the brightly-lit Interstate Highway that cuts through the city. The American-style grids of the city differs markedly from Ciudad Juaréz, which has a European inspired pattern of curved streets.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRnmcAWWM5I/AAAAAAAAUw8/v6mXC2prv1Y/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRnmcAWWM5I/AAAAAAAAUw8/v6mXC2prv1Y/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267494607990961042" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRnmcHpXESI/AAAAAAAAUw0/bMyhGtmLgtQ/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 219px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRnmcHpXESI/AAAAAAAAUw0/bMyhGtmLgtQ/s400/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267494609949757730" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Cities from different regions of the Earth can also be identified by the different colours that the lights throw off. Japanese cities such as Tokyo glow a cooler blue-green than other regions of the world and patches of orange along the shore of Tokyo Bay reveal more advanced orange sodium vapour lamps, compared to the light green mercury vapour lamps inland.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">As populations expand and urban areas grow, individual cities will merge into ever larger bright blobs. More roads will connect those cities to form an illuminated, lace-like web across the continents. And the snappers on the ISS no doubt hope there will be someone up in space to chart the changes.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-12606744036824457262008-11-08T00:39:00.000-08:002008-11-08T00:46:54.012-08:00Pictured: The eco-friendly power plant that uses 624 giant movable mirrors to create electricity<span style="font-family: arial;">From a distance it looks like an elaborate laser light show.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">But this tower wreathed in light is the first part of a massive solar energy project to provide an alternative to burning fossil fuels.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The 'solucar' solar park, near Seville, Spain, produces 11 megawatts of electricity from the sun's rays, collected by 624 giant movable mirrors.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRVQTnhNU4I/AAAAAAAAUX0/pVy41_x8nXg/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 232px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRVQTnhNU4I/AAAAAAAAUX0/pVy41_x8nXg/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266203637235667842" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The mirrors, known as heliostats, concentrate the rays onto the top of a 100 metre tower, where it is used to produce steam to drive a turbine, which then produces electricity.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">With around 320 days a year of sunshine, there's no shortage of fuel, and the entire park was created by Spanish engineering companies.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It is the first of a set of solar power generation plants aimed at generating 300 megawatts of electricity by 2013.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRVQTmkyxcI/AAAAAAAAUXs/hUwmemzkY5A/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRVQTmkyxcI/AAAAAAAAUXs/hUwmemzkY5A/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266203636982269378" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-72175152591465936702008-11-06T12:44:00.001-08:002008-11-06T12:46:46.281-08:00Cops find crack pipe in woman's buttocks<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRNXayyJWKI/AAAAAAAAUTc/w-WEgXyBoBc/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 366px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRNXayyJWKI/AAAAAAAAUTc/w-WEgXyBoBc/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265648507146557602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Police who arrested a woman for stealing money from a car found a glass crack pipe hidden between her buttocks.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Cops made the surprise discovery during a routine search on Evelyn Russo while she was being booked for taking $2 in change.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Russo, 38, of Palm City, Florida, had denied having any drugs or drug paraphernalia on her.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">She was charged with auto burglary and introducing contraband into a detention facility. Russo was being held on $5,000 bail on Wednesday. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-21348884057079911342008-11-05T11:42:00.000-08:002008-11-05T11:47:12.877-08:00The flawless flautist: The musical robot that plays Flight Of The Bumblebee perfectly<span style="font-family:arial;">Classical musicians could have good reason to be worried as scientists have developed a musical robot that makes no mistakes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Waseda University’s robotic flautist can play the challenging musical score of the ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ almost flawlessly.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">And the robot has been designed with a human-like quality that allows it to engage with the audience, making in a contender for concert performances.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRH3faTOjFI/AAAAAAAAUMk/Eme6VKGizg4/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRH3faTOjFI/AAAAAAAAUMk/Eme6VKGizg4/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265261558380792914" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The Waseda Flutist No. 4 Refined IV was unveiled at the BioRob 2008 conference in Arizona two weeks ago.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Thanks to a series of technical advances, the latest version makes smoother transitions between notes than the original model built in 2003.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The robot’s mouth and lungs have been carefully designed to mimic the expert air control of a professional flautist.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRH3fNcMcnI/AAAAAAAAUMc/hUv_cj2K-rc/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 168px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRH3fNcMcnI/AAAAAAAAUMc/hUv_cj2K-rc/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265261554928743026" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The scientists created artificial lips with the elasticity of human lips and embedded pins, which control their shape.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The robot’s tongue has been redesigned to enable the double-tonguing technique – the high-speed playing used throughout the famous ‘Flight of the Bumblee’.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It even has an in-built mechanism to create vibrato, which can take human players years to master, that changes the amplitude and frequency of the robot’s airflow.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRH3fOpSIbI/AAAAAAAAUMU/R0EsCQhx0YQ/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 223px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SRH3fOpSIbI/AAAAAAAAUMU/R0EsCQhx0YQ/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265261555252076978" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The lungs are composed of two air-tight acrylic cases, with a bellow that allows them to breathe in and out.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">And the robot's eyes have two cameras that allow it to interact with the audience and other musicians, so we could soon see it playing duets with people.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Research on the musical robot began in 1990, with the aim that it would eventually rival human musicians.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But the WF-4RIV is more than just a gimmick. The makers hope to make it sophisticated enough to achieve better human-computer interaction and then teach music to pupils.</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jx8U1FgILCE&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jx8U1FgILCE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-25698789477744466122008-11-03T11:26:00.000-08:002008-11-03T11:28:56.636-08:00Rocket woman builds 300mph jet car in her back garden<span style="font-family: arial;">Speed demon Carolynne Campbell has built a 300mph rocket car in her back garden that goes from 0-100mph in less than half a second.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The fearsome motor is 10 times more powerful than Lewis Hamilton's F1 car. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Its four hybrid rockets are fuelled by nitrous oxide and bio-fuel and produce a total 8,000lbs of thrust - equivalent to the power of a Red Arrows jet fighter.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQ9Qp06gCFI/AAAAAAAAUGk/FUjXaxpoXec/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQ9Qp06gCFI/AAAAAAAAUGk/FUjXaxpoXec/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264515168928270418" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Carolynne, 57, has spent £40,000 and five years designing and building the 400kg monster from scratch. She had to apply for an explosives licence before firing up the engines - which reach an incredible 2,500 degrees C.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Carolynne started the dream project with partner David Knight, 64, after seeing a dragster car fitted with a rocket at the Santa Pod race track, in Northants.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">But David was forced to take a back seat after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour, leaving designated driver Carolynne to do the bulk of the construction.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The full-time carer, from Rushden, Northants., who is trained in graphic design, has been tinkering with cars since she was a child.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQ9QpaRgYvI/AAAAAAAAUGc/vJ0h0cElqgg/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 227px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQ9QpaRgYvI/AAAAAAAAUGc/vJ0h0cElqgg/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264515161777005298" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">She managed to muddle through with the advice of David who has been involved in drag racing and building cars for 30 years.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">She said: 'I've mucked around with cars and engines since I was a kid, and I studied design, so between us, we worked it out.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'Our original model had just one engine but I thought it was a bit slow, so instead of just one rocket, we've fitted four.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The car - called 'Laffin Gas' - costs £500 to take for a spin, using 35kg of nitrous oxide.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Carolynne's hybrid rockets are fired into life by a small firework that ignites nitrous oxygen, splitting the oxygen and nitrogen into separate gases.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The oxygen burns a solid fuel, rape seed oil, that is soaked into dense cardboard tubes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Carolynne can throttle up and down and shut the rockets off quickly by controlling the flow of liquid nitrous into the rocket.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The chassis of the car is made of aeroplane grade aluminium, titanium and chromium molybdenum steel. It is brought to a halt with two parachutes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Constrained by the cost, Carolynne only puts Laffin Gas through its paces four or five times a year on a quarter mile dragster track at the Shakespeare County Raceway, Warwickshire.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">She has so far reached speeds of 200mph but hopes to hit 300mph on their next trial in January - which would make her the fastest woman in UK.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQ9QpaxaI0I/AAAAAAAAUGU/tGK9oK9-WHg/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 237px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQ9QpaxaI0I/AAAAAAAAUGU/tGK9oK9-WHg/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264515161910813506" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Carolynne is unfazed at driving at high speeds.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">She said: 'I get nervous before I drive but only because we always have spectators and I worry the rockets won't work.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'Its actually quite a smooth ride and not too noisy.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Financing Laffin Gas - which would have cost £250,000 if built by professionals - has been a struggle, especially after David was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2004.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The mechanical engineer has since undergone seven operations to remove the tumour which have damaged his short term memory and impaired his movement.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The money for materials and fuel has come from restoring and selling old cars and motorbikes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Essential safety equipment, such as a helmet and a fireproof suit has been donated by well wishers.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Carolynne said: 'Working on the car and raising the dosh to buy parts has helped me take my mind off David's illness.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'I used it as a form of stress relief to cope with visiting him in hospital every day.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Carolynne hopes to be able perform with the rocket car in the future, touring Europe.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-17850861466472956882008-11-02T11:59:00.000-08:002008-11-02T12:06:34.256-08:00How I discovered the finer points of acupuncture<span style="font-family: arial;">With growing clinical evidence of its effectiveness in treating everything from post-operative pain and nausea to backache, acupuncture has gained acceptance in mainstream medicine.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">But to those who have never tried it, the treatment, in which the skin is pricked with needles at key points of the body, may still seem strange and mysterious.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">According to acupuncture theory, points lie along meridians of the body - or channels - through which chi, a vital energy, is said to flow.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQ4H0w1vHFI/AAAAAAAAUBk/JNjTf5-KAK0/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 287px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQ4H0w1vHFI/AAAAAAAAUBk/JNjTf5-KAK0/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264153617487567954" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Although there is no physical basis for this concept in Western medical terms, over thousands of years (and patients) Chinese doctors have discovered certain effects when a needle is inserted into these points.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">And the British Medical Association, it seems, agrees. In 2000 it approved acupuncture for conditions that included back and dental pain - and it is routinely offered on the NHS.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I first visited a Chinese doctor ten years ago. I was 25, a yoga teacher, and despite countless tests, dermatologists could find no cause for the eczema I had suffered for eight years on my face, back, chest and legs. </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I hoped acupuncture would provide what I was looking for. But needles scared me and I hated blood tests.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">After my first session I could barely believe it. I'd hardly felt a thing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I walked out with seven bags of 'herbs', which I was to brew up like tea and drink twice a day. The acupuncture cost £35 and the herbs, to last a week, were a further £30.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">After six weeks my eczema began to clear up.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I visited a doctor for acupuncture once a month for two years and the treatment ended when I decided my condition was under control.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It was this incredible experience that led me to train as a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) at the University of Westminster in London.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I worked as an acupuncturist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, treating HIV and AIDS patients, before moving into private practice.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Life at the sharp end</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Q: What does 'acupuncture' mean?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A: It comes from the Latin acus, meaning 'needle', and pungere, to 'prick'. The technique is more than 2,000 years old, although there is evidence of similar practices from the early Bronze Age, around 3,000 BC.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Q: How does it work?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A: Some studies suggest that the pain-killing action is associated with the release of natural endorphins, and others that inserting needles into certain points 'switches off' electrical nerve pathways that make the brain recognise pain. Despite more than 10,000 published papers there is no conclusive answer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Q: What does acupuncture treat?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A: It can be effective in the treatment of chronic lower back pain, neck pain, post-operative nausea and vomiting, headaches, and other nerve pain relief. Combining acupuncture with conventional infertility treatments such as IVF greatly improves the success rates. In China, it is used to treat skin conditions, digestive or sleeping problems, depression and stress.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Q: Does it hurt?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A: No. The needles are much finer than those used to draw blood. A dull ache or heaviness around the needle is a normal sensation to expect. It should never feel sharp.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Q: What are the needles made of?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A: Traditional needles were made of bone, stone, or metal. Modern disposable ones are made of stainless steel with a smooth rounded end.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Q: Are there any adverse effects?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A: Minor bleeding is seen in about three per cent of patients, which stops after a few minutes. Around two per cent will experience bruising.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Q: Can you have acupuncture alongside conventional medicine?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A: Yes. China devotes 25 per cent of its annual health budget to TCM therapies, used in conjunction with modern Western medicine. Here it is part of a treatment 'package'.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Q: How long does treatment usually last?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A: A single treatment lasts about an hour. Five weeks of one-a-week treatment, with a review, is standard.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Q: What ages is it suitable for?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A: Any age, even babies. But with children under seven finger-tapping is used, not needles. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-35847000033708571222008-10-31T11:17:00.000-07:002008-10-31T11:23:00.215-07:00Formula Zero: As Hamilton gears up for the Grand Prix, McLaren unveil the radical F1 car of the future<span style="font-family: arial;">With Lewis Hamilton poised for glory this weekend, the McLaren driver's team has unveiled its spectacular take on the F1 car of the future.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The sleek Formula Zero Racer would race on steep, transparent tracks, allowing spectators a clear view of the action - even from below.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The concept car, designed by Mercedes, is one of nine ambitious designs entered in the LA Design Challenge 2008.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQtMKysQWYI/AAAAAAAAT5g/IRYktqm87Z4/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQtMKysQWYI/AAAAAAAAT5g/IRYktqm87Z4/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263384337802353026" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Nine Southern Californian studios will go head to head in the contest to develop the best racing car for ‘Motorsports in 2025’.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Formula Zero Racer is designed to mix the thrill of F1, the dynamics of bobsledding and the efficiency of yachting.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQtMKIfLQQI/AAAAAAAAT5Y/sZ7qJXZLjOE/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQtMKIfLQQI/AAAAAAAAT5Y/sZ7qJXZLjOE/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263384326473203970" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQtMKOpcukI/AAAAAAAAT5Q/EQVVw1FxXB0/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 249px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQtMKOpcukI/AAAAAAAAT5Q/EQVVw1FxXB0/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263384328126904898" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Mercedes says the design is reminiscent of the Mercedes Benz racing heritage of the 1930s.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">But Formula Zero, geared to form part of F1’s green revolution, would be loaded with high-tech features to extract the maximum thrust from electric motors, with an aero-efficient solar skin and an aerodynamic rigid sail.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">So while Hamilton will be hurtling towards the finish line on Sunday, racing stars would also score vital points for energy efficiency in the revamped sport of 2025.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Each team would be allocated the same amount of stored energy, with winners determined not only by time but also energy efficiency.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-43149337993099947362008-10-30T06:18:00.000-07:002008-10-30T06:38:25.647-07:00Google's rival to iPhone and Blackberry go on sale in UK today<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQm4CFovqqI/AAAAAAAATsw/EcOvqNqkfgQ/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 344px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQm4CFovqqI/AAAAAAAATsw/EcOvqNqkfgQ/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262939985571457698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Google's first mobile phone will go on sale in Britain from today.</span><br /><div style="text-align: left; font-family: arial;"><br />The G1 is aimed squarely at competing with Apple's iPhone and RIM's Blackberry. It will be available exclusively from TMobile.<br /><br />The handset is the first of several expected to use Google's software, called Android.<br />A Google T-Mobile G1 mobile telephone is seen on display at a T-Mobile store in New York<br /><br />The Google G1 phone: Experts believe it lacks the 'cool factor'<br /><br />The company hopes that by linking the handset to its email and websearch products, it can drive traffic and lucrative advertising to its site.<br /><br />Unlike the iPhone, Google has allowed developers to create free software for the handset. Although Apple does let consumers download extra software, it is tightly controlled and many applications must be paid for.<br /><br />The G1 will be available for free to customers signing up for T-Mobile's £40-and-above tariffs, which include unlimited data for web surfing.<br /><br />But some analysts claim the phone may struggle to compete with the iPhone. Ernest Doku of mobile phone comparison site Omio.com said: 'Despite the popularity of the Google brand, the G1's design lacks the inherent cool factor that made the iPhone 3G such a mass-market success.'<br /><br />He believes Google could tarnish its brand if the phone fails: 'The launch of the G1 is important not only because it's Google's first foray into the mobile market, but because it's also the launch of an entirely new mobile phone operating system.<br /><br />'Android is the equivalent of releasing an alternative to Microsoft's Windows - and equally as risky.'<br /><br />The phone went on sale in the US last week, and the Evening Standard has tested the American version which is very similar to the British model.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left; font-family: arial;">Users navigate either touching the screen or via a small trackpad. Under the screen hides a full qwerty keyboard, which does give it an edge over the iPhone.<br /></div><p style="font-family: arial;">But the G1 doesn't have the slickness of its Apple rival.<br /></p><p style="font-family: arial;"> With Google's might behind it, it's well worth keeping an eye out for future versions - but for now, it's really one for internet addicts rather than average consumers.</p><p style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">TECH KNOW: GOOGLEPHONE'S RIVALS</span><br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">When Google's G1 mobile phone going on sale tomorrow, it faces tough competition from the rest of the phone industry. Here are its main competitors:</p><p style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">APPLE IPHONE:</span></p><p style="font-family: arial;"> Superb touchscreen and the best music player around - but the on screen keyboard can be fiddly. From free on contract, 2 megapixel camera, 16gb memory.<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">5/5, apple.com</p><p style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >BLACKBERRY BOLD: </span><br /></p><p style="font-family: arial;">Excellent email phone, although doesn't quite have the web browsing capabilities of the iPhone. From free on contract, 2 megapixel camera, 1gb memory (expandable via memory card).</p><p style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">5/5, blackberry.com</p><p style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">NOKIA N96:</span></p><p style="font-family: arial;"> The best here for phone features, and a decent all rounder with a superb camera.<br />From free on contract, 5 megapixel camera, 16gb memory (expandable via memory card).</p><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQm0XB_sH1I/AAAAAAAATsY/f3ylFXfIQfQ/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 148px; height: 183px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQm0XB_sH1I/AAAAAAAATsY/f3ylFXfIQfQ/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262935947324694354" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQm0XBdg-YI/AAAAAAAATsQ/kcyNqWrh7Tc/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 148px; height: 183px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQm0XBdg-YI/AAAAAAAATsQ/kcyNqWrh7Tc/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262935947181357442" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQm0XDIf_ZI/AAAAAAAATsI/xBXPE-Kjyqk/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 148px; height: 183px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SQm0XDIf_ZI/AAAAAAAATsI/xBXPE-Kjyqk/s400/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262935947630083474" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607120392020443504.post-81871214398973419172008-10-20T13:48:00.000-07:002008-10-20T14:01:36.404-07:00U.S. fighter pilot: 'I was ordered to fire 24 rockets at UFO flying over East Anglia'<span style="font-family: arial;">Former US Air Force fighter pilot Milton Torres is convinced he had an encounter with an alien spaceship in the skies over England in the 1950s.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">He was warned to keep quiet about the incident, but eventually talked about it 31 years later, the newly-released Ministry of Defence files show.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">On the night of May 20 1957, Dr Torres, then aged 25, was on standby at RAF Manston in Kent when he received an urgent order to scramble.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">He was told to intercept a UFO with "very unusual flight patterns" over East Anglia that ground radar operators had been tracking for some time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It was so cloudy he could not see anything, but the object showed up clearly on his radar as similar in size to a B-52 bomber.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">He was then ordered to fire a full salvo of 24 rockets at the object - something that came as a sobering shock to him.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SPzvXBGjmPI/AAAAAAAATJA/bbYwZoQsyME/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SPzvXBGjmPI/AAAAAAAATJA/bbYwZoQsyME/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259341643573860594" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">But before he could carry out this instruction the UFO suddenly darted off and disappeared from his scope in a matter of seconds.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The next day a man claiming to be from the US National Security Agency threatened him with losing his flying status if he told anyone what happened.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Dr Torres, now 77 and living in Miami, Florida, said he was flying at about Mach 0.92, while the UFO was travelling at over Mach 10.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">He said: "I think it was an alien spacecraft. It had a propulsion system that was beyond us - either magnetism or anti-gravity."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Until 1967 the MoD had a policy of destroying UFO files every five years because they were considered of "transitory interest".</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This means the incident could have vanished without a trace had Dr Torres not been moved to mention it at a USAF veterans reunion in 1988.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The retired civil engineering professor urged people with more information about the strange encounter to come forward.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">"There are people who are still alive on Earth who know about this. I'm talking about the RAF, USAF, whatever," he said.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Dr David Clarke, a UFO expert and journalism lecturer, suspects the US military may have been testing a top-secret machine designed to project phantom aircraft on to Soviet radar.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">"I think the most likely explanation is that he was basically a pawn in some sort of exercise involving electronic spoofing warfare," he said. </span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SPzvXyqwE_I/AAAAAAAATJI/Ga9geQDnKu4/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SPzvXyqwE_I/AAAAAAAATJI/Ga9geQDnKu4/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259341656879010802" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">But Dr Torres remains convinced what he saw on the radar came from beyond our solar system, insisting: "This is something that's not man-made."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Secret MoD documents released for the first time also show how the captain of Flight AZ 284 had a similar close encounter to Milton Torres.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">As the pilot began his descent into Heathrow, he saw something alarming overhead.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Shaped like a missile, the object suddenly veered across the airliner's path causing the pilot to shout 'Look out!' as he attempted to avert a mid-air collision 22,000ft above the Kent countryside.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Travelling at an estimated 120mph, it passed less than 1,000ft from the passenger jet before disappearing from radar screens, leaving the pilot and accident investigators baffled.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SPzvXy0tAyI/AAAAAAAATJQ/O5rJxnW-5H8/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SPzvXy0tAyI/AAAAAAAATJQ/O5rJxnW-5H8/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259341656920752930" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The documents reveal that Ministry of Defence staff accept that an Unidentified Flying Object zooming above Lydd caused the near miss.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The incident took place at 7.58pm on April 21, 1991, and was investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority and military experts.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Having ruled out the possibility of it being a missile, weather balloon or space rocket, the MoD was forced to conclude that it was a genuine UFO and close the inquiry.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The unexplained close encounter is one of many recounted in military UFO documents released today by the National Archives.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The Alitalia aircraft was on a routine flight from Milan to Heathrow with 57 people on board when the ten-foot long object, which had no exhaust flame, was spotted by pilot Achille Zaghetti.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">He told accident investigators: 'I saw for about 3.4 seconds a flying object, very similar to a missile, light brown coloured.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'At once I said, "Look out, look out" to my co-pilot, who saw what I had seen.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'As soon as the object crossed us I asked the ACC (area control centre) operator if he saw something on his screen and he answered, "I see an unknown target 10nm ( nautical miles) behind you".'</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SPzvYFjSQgI/AAAAAAAATJY/OEDFGhANT24/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JmpkIMgnzIE/SPzvYFjSQgI/AAAAAAAATJY/OEDFGhANT24/s400/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259341661947970050" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">At 10.25pm that night there was a report to Brentwood police in Essex of a dark flying object in the sky which had no engine noise or lights.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Southern TV also broadcast a story about a 14-year-old boy who reported seeing a missile flying at low level before climbing through the cloud and disappearing on the same evening.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Radar images of the object showed that the UFO was initially labelled 'cruise missile??' but checks on Army firing ranges and U.S. and British naval ships established that it was not a military weapon or 'space related' activity.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">On July 2 a secret MoD report concluded: 'These departments have not been able to confirm the identity of the object sighted by the Alitalia crew.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">'In the absence of any clear evidence which could be used to identify the object, it is our intention to treat this sighting like that of any other Unidentified Flying Object and therefore we will not be undertaking any further investigation into the sighting.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Other incidents recorded in military files the same year include a 'wingless projectile' seen on June 17, 1991.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Four passengers on board a Boeing 737 saw it pass beneath the airliner as it climbed from Gatwick Airport headed for Hamburg.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Gatwick air traffic controllers were alerted but said they were 'unaware of anything unusual occurring at that time'.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A weather balloon had been released in the area around this time, but the description and timing did not match the wingless object, according to military files.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">On July 15 the crew of a Britannia Airways 737 descending into Gatwick at 14,000ft reported seeing a 'small black lozenge-shaped object' travelling at high speed just 100 yards from the aircraft.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Air traffic control confirmed a 'primary contact' visible on the radar ten nautical miles behind the 737 travelling at 120mph.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Immediately air traffic controllers warned a following aircraft to turn left to avoid the object, although the pilot said he never saw it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">An investigation completed in April 1992 was unable to explain the incident but suggested the unidentified object could have been an escaped balloon. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0