Indiana boy Sameer Mishra, 13, wins national spelling bee

Sameer Mishra, 13 wins the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Photo SpellingBee.com.

Sameer Mishra won the grueling 81st edition of Scripps National Spelling Bee contest this year by correctly spelling the word “guerdon”.

Sameer and his sister Shruti tried this contest three times before and couldn’t win, but with his sister coaching him this time he aced the Scripps National Spelling Bee contest and earned the trophy for his family.

After his sister lost, Sameer prepared hard with his sister and had himself one goal to win the trophy. His perseverance paid off.

Sameer told AP:

"I told my mom I was going to do the bee…And if I was going to do it, I was going to win it one day. And I guess it happened."

The 13-year-old from West Lafayette, Indiana correctly spelled the word “Guerdon”, which means "something that one has earned or gained". And just like the word, he earned his trophy.

He beat out Sidharth Chand, 12, from Michigan, who gave Sameer a tough competition for several rounds. Sidharth lost out the trophy when he was unable to spell the word “prosopopoeia”, which relates to a type of figure of speech. Sameer took advantage of this slip and won the next round.

He told AP after the win:

"My parents have been telling me since the beginning that I should always stay calm, cool and collected,"

Sameer along with the trophy won more than $40,000 in cash and prizes. He has interests in playing the violin and the video game “Guitar Hero” and he hopes to become a neurosurgeon.

His sister, Shruti, cried after her brother won. On the same day she also received a happy news, she was accepted to the prestigious Ivy league university, Princeton.

The 288 spellers that entered this year's bee set a record. Forty-five of them made it past the preliminary and quarterfinal rounds Thursday to compete on Friday.

Browse Faces With Awesome Google Face Search Website

Ana Ivanovic. Photo Facesaerch.com.

Facesaerch.com uses Apple's “Cover Flow” interface used in iTunes and in iPhones. You can search and browse images in an efficient manner.

When you search celebrities or persons in Google images, you will get mixed search results with or without faces. In some other cases like Digital Inspiration points out when you search for “Crow” in Google Images, you will get images of “crow” bird and singer “Sheryl Crow”.

But if you just want to just look for faces, then you can try this simple technique by adding imgtype=face at the end of Google search results.

For example if you are trying to search Ana Ivanovic, a rising tennis star in Google, you will type the following:

http://images.google.com/images?q=Ana+Ivanovic

You will still see many images of Ana Ivanovic but if you add &imgtype=face at the end like below, Google will restrict it to just face images of Ana Ivanovic.

http://images.google.com/images?q=Ana+Ivanovic&imgtype=face

Similarly you can try others like Daniel Craig, George Clooney, and Audrey Hepburn and so on.

But remembering this code may be a problem to some, that is where Facesaerch.com comes into picture. It uses Apple’s “Cover Flow” design, where users can browse album pictures in a free flow manner in iTunes, iPhones and iPod Touch.

If you do the same above face search for Ana Ivanovic in Facesaerch.com, you will see a much better alternative than what Google provides. You can see it here.

You can then browse images very easily.

It has a unique misspelled name, probably they couldn’t get the domain Facesearch.com. The above Face Search tool uses Protoflow which is a JavaScript library that emulates the Cover Flow effect in a web browser.

There is another unique image search tool called “Tag Galaxy” you can find faces and many more. You can also look for flowers, animals, and all sorts of things. It has a unique search interface and searches the web using Flickr API.

Another unique use in face search is it helps to identify whether the person is male or female. You can also do this search in Facebook, when you are not sure whether to address the person Mr. or Miss especially with Asian names.

Google Has A New Image

Google Favicons. Photo Blogoscoped.

When you access Google search, you will find the big “G” is gone and the little “g” is present. Google replaced its old favicon icon with a new simpler one.

When you access any site, most of the cases you will see a small icon right next to the URL (http://www...). This small icon is called “favicon”, which is also known as page icon, url icon or website icon. It is to identify a particular website from others.

Here in Hubpages you might have seen this familiar icon right next to the URL.



Google had the familiar “G” in a colored box (in blue, green and red borders) right next to its URL, today the new favicon “g” (purple colored) showed up. You can see it here in Google.


Google Search Page. Photo Google Operating System.

The favicon is usually stored as a 16 x 16 pixel image. If you have a website, here is a simple to create favicons.

Google has not stated publicly the reason behind this change, but Alex Ionut thinks the small g is a symbol for infinity (∞). Google originally was named after “googol” (10¹⁰⁰), but since the web sites have multiplied in large numbers, “infinity” makes more sense to Google to index all those sites.

One of the users in the forum commented about this new favicon image:

“Maybe they’re going to be known as ’the little g’ rather than ’The Big G’ from now on...”

Philip Lenssen adds as Google continues to grow and grow, but one of their self-proclaimed core values is “Think and act like an underdog”. Google wants to remain an underdog and keep innovating.

Oxford will stop publishing multi-volume English dictionary

Oxford University Press announced that it will no longer publish a new printed edition of the Oxford English Dictionary according to a New York Times report.

It must be a troubling for linguists to hear this news but it just shows the change of times and trends. Currently no one seems to refer the hard copy, many prefer online encyclopedias like Wikipedia, Britannica, Encarta and others.

The original Oxford Dictionary was printed in 10 volumes in 1928, after almost 70 years of work by numerous editors and about 2,000 volunteers. Since then, Oxford printed many supplements to the first edition instead of reprinting new editions. Then in 1989, Oxford printed the second edition combining the first edition and the supplements with newer entries. The third edition will be published in 2018 but will be available in digital versions only.

You can access Oxford Dictionary online here for a paid subscription of $300 a year, or $30 a month.

Britannica is the only remaining publisher that prints the dictionary in multi-volumes. They may do the same as Oxford in the future, because printing only a few number of copies will not be economically feasible. With online versions, it is faster to search from anywhere and access the articles easily. Also, it saves trees.

J.K. Rowling Writes a Prequel to Harry Potter

JK Rowling author of Harry Potter novels.

It has been more than a year, since JK Rowling wrote the last book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”. Now she has written a prequel to Harry Potter.

J.K. Rowling has hand written a short story and will auction it off for charity in London on June, 10. It is an 800-word story.

No further details were available regarding the story whether the main character, Potter will make an appearance in the prequel.

Proceeds for this charity will go to English PEN and to Dyslexia Action. Later the same prequel will be made available to the public via Waterstone’s in August.

In her sign-off to the story, Rowling said, "That was fun!"

Previously J.K. Rowling sold her handwritten story, “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” last year for a record price of $3.98 million to Amazon.com. The proceeds were given to “The Children's Voice campaign“, a charity she co-founded to help improve the lives of institutionalized children across Europe.

Rupert Murdoch for Obama?

News Corp founder Rupert Murdoch gave an interview at the D6 conference and seemed to favor Barack Obama for Presidency over John McCain.

At the annual D6 conference, Rupert Murdoch attended and gave his views about MySpace, Youtube, Google, the Yahoo debacle, economy and other topics including the current presidential elections.

Murdoch then talked about the politics with Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg.

Murdoch said both candidates Obama and McCain face problems. The country is in a unique situation today, where the public opinion of the government and politics is at an all-time low. He called the situation “abysmal”. He said Obama has put himself above it all and seems like a rock star and he is fantastic.

Kara asked Murdoch whether he is endorsing anyone at the moment. He told at the interview:

I’m not backing anyone…but I want to meet Obama. I want to know if he’s going to walk the walk. The educational system in the states is a disgrace. If he wins, Obama needs to address that.”

Mossberg asked him whether Obama can overcome the issues, Murdoch believes he can.

Though he has not endorsed anyone publicly, one of his newspapers, New York Post has endorsed Obama. So, Walt asked Murdoch at the interview:

Did you have anything to do with the New York Post’s endorsement of Obama?

Murdoch replied:

“Yeah.”

Murdoch talked about Senator McCain, who he said has been in Congress too long. McCain had to make a number of compromises and no one knows where he stands. He said Senator McCain faces real challenges and problems.

The topic then turned to economy in the country. Murdoch said:

“I think Congress has just mucked it up…The typical family is just being horribly squeezed by taxes, rising food and gas prices. They are living hand to mouth. People are cutting back, and pretty soon we’re going to start seeing unemployment.”

He wants us to rely less on oil and start building Nuclear plants, wind mills, solar plants immediately so we don’t have to send trillions of dollars overseas to buy oil.

Stolen Laptop Tracking Program Adds Google Maps Locator Feature

Laptops are stolen at a rate of almost one every 12 seconds and once lost only 3 percent of them are recovered. A program uses Google tracking capability to locate the lost laptop.

Front Door Software, an Evergreen, Colorado based software maker introduces a laptop retrieving program that will allow users to track their laptops using Google Maps.

The software aptly named “Retriever” is easy to download and install in laptops or computers. Once loaded and when the laptop or computer gets stolen, it sends a message to the laptop:

“THIS COMPUTER IS REPORTED STOLEN,”

If the thief doesn’t enter the pass code (up to 50 characters long), the software shows the location of the laptop in Google Maps to the owner. The user can then notify the police to retrieve it.

For a limited time, Front Door Software will give away “Retriever” free for the first 25,000 customers, otherwise it costs a one time fee of $19.95 according to Carrie Hafeman, chief executive officer of the company.

The installation for the first computer is free, the second one will cost $19.95. For bulk installation of more than 500 computers, they charge $7.95 per computer. Universities and school districts can protect all of their laptops and PCs with a site license that costs $10,000 per year according to Hafeman.

Front Door currently works with universities, school districts, government organizations and corporations worldwide.

They also provided this program free for charity organizations like Visiting Nurse Service in Indiana.

If you use Apple laptops, Apple has “Back to My Mac” program that helps retrieve laptops by capturing the thief’s activities remotely.

I installed "Retriever" in my main computer, it just took few minutes and registers your computer at Front Door Software. If you are using laptops, it is a must have program, either this or something related.

Pisa's leaning tower safe for 300 more years

Pisa's Leaning Tower in Italy. Photo Stonehill.edu

Tourists and enthusiasts can visit the leaning tower of Pisa without fear for at least another 300 years according to an Italian Engineer.

Pisa’s tower one of the architectural wonders of the world, is off the vertical by about 4 meters (13.12 feet). But before it leans further and gets destroyed, Italy government organized an engineering project in 1990 to fix this problem and was completed in 2001.

The project corrected the lean by about 40 centimeters (1.31 feet) from its original position in 1990.

Professor Michele Jamiolkowski, engineer and geologist involved in this project told Corriere della Sera, Italian newspaper, that the building is stabilized now and out of danger for at least 300 more years.

The Pisa tower was closed for nearly 12 years from 1990 when it kept leaning about a millimeter a year due to unstable ground.

The engineers used trapezoidal stones to bring back the structure, but the attempts failed. The structure was then anchored to cables and cement was injected to relieve the pressure on the ground. The position of the tower is currently what it was in the year 1700.

The tower was reopened after the project was completed.

The 14,000-tonne bell tower, built by Astronomer Galileo is an internationally recognized architectural symbol of Italy along with Rome's Coliseum.

The tower was built in several stages between 1174 and 1370. Galileo primarily wanted to use the tower for gravity experiments.

Warren Buffett: U.S. in recession and will be long and deep

Warren Buffett, the world’s richest man told a German magazine that the U.S. economy is already in a recession and will last long and deep.

Warren Buffett recently became the world’s richest man in the Forbes’ Top 100 billionaires list. He is currently on a European tour for possible acquisitions.

He was asked by Germany’s Der Spiegel weekly whether U.S. could avoid a recession.

Buffett told Der Spiegel:

“I believe that we are already in a recession…Perhaps not in the sense as defined by economists. ... But people are already feeling the effects of a recession…It will be deeper and longer than what many think,”

He said for an average person the recession is already there.

The article doesn’t say what remedies he offers to improve the economy. But recently he told AFP why the economy was sliding.

"I think that the US has followed and is following policies which will cause the US dollar to weaken over a long period of time,"

He also said US economy has managed well in the past when faced with a depression period, two world wars and many financial crises.

"They say in the stock market ... buy stock in a business that's so good that an idiot can run it because sooner or later one will…Well, the United States is a little like that. We can take a little mis-management from time to time,"

His company Berkshire Hathaway however is doing more than well despite the economic conditions. Berkshire has about $35 billion in cash, which they plan to invest in European companies.

Berkshire’s stocks include insurance, clothing, furniture, natural gas, corporate jet and candy companies. Berkshire also has major investments in companies such as Coca-Cola Co. and Anheuser-Busch.

One share of Berkshire Hathaway costs a record $123,970 to purchase.

Alisa Miller: Why we know less than ever about the world

Alisa Miller, head of Public Radio International, talks about why -- though we want to know more about the world than ever -- the US media is actually showing less. Eye-opening stats and graphs.

Dr. Robbins: Ask direct questions to those considering suicide

Dr. Kenneth Robbins wants people to take a different approach to family members or friends contemplating suicide. Posing general questions to them doesn't help but direction questions are best.

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S. according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Nearly 90 per cent of those who commit suicide have either depression or mental disorder.

Women tend to commit suicide quickly more than men, while men commit suicide acts more than 2-to-1 compared to women. Men usually commit suicide with firearms, while women usually commit suicide with drug overdoses.

Dr. Robbins advises us to stop asking general questions like "How are you?" or "Are you OK?" Instead, he wants us to ask direct questions, "Are you thinking of committing suicide?" or "With what means are you trying to commit suicide?" If they say they plan to use firearms, then try to remove the guns from the vicinity. And also try to seek professional help for them.

Health.com provides some tips how to spot depression:

Sometimes the people who live with a depressed person are better at spotting the signs of a recurrence sooner than the person himself. Increasing isolation is often a clue, as is sadness, expressions of worthlessness or guilt, and sleeping or eating too much or too little. If you’ve seen this pattern before, you know what you’re looking for. This is the time to suggest that the person might want to call the doctor.

I agree with him -- simple questions are not going to stop them from committing suicide. Even if they don't answer these questions, at least they will be comforted being asked such questions. I would watch their body language also and try to focus on them instead of doing something else, which can be postponed later.

Rudeness a Loud Drum Noise

Sweetheart Cottage by Thomas Kinkade.


"Rudeness is so loud, others can't hear your views clear,
Politeness is so tranquil, others can hear crystal clear."

- Chris Veerabadran from “All Are One”.

Phoenix Lander Arrives at Mars Safely

The Phoenix Lander successfully touched down on Mars today at about 7:40 pm EDT today. The NASA scientists called the descent "Seven Minutes of Peril" and the Lander survived it with aplomb.

The NASA scientists watched the data pouring in from the Lander and were happy to know it landed successfully without any hitch. All the hard work and time spent for this mission paid of well in the end.

It was able to deploy the parachute as planned and it discarded the parachute and fired it thrusters few thousand meters from the Mars’ surface and landed safely.

In the coming days the Phoenix Lander will sample the soil and ice and see whether any organic materials are present now or were in the past.

The video shows the animation sequence of how the Phoenix Lander will arrive at Mars.

No video of its landing was shown but they were able to get data directly from the Lander and from the orbiting Mars Odyssey and the data showed all is well now with the Lander.

It will explore the soil for the next three months.

For more coverage on the Phoenix Lander check the article here.

American Idol winner David Cook conquers iTunes too

David Cook, American Idol, Seventh Season Winner. Photo Flickr.

David Cook, winner of the seventh season's American Idol competition is also winning big in iTunes with four top 10 hits.

David Cook won handily by 12 million votes in this year’s AI competition. He is also enjoying great success in iTunes. Apple and Fox recently signed a partnership to carry songs from American Idol and many of them have reached the top 10 hits.

Yesterday, I saw David Cook’s name in the top three in iTunes, today three of his songs were in the top 4 along with Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”. Cook’s first single “The Time of My Life” was the number one downloaded song.

The song “The Time of My Life” was written by Regie Hamm, the winner of the second American Idol Songwriting Competition.

David Cook is planning to release a rock music album later this year, but will first go on American Idol’s tour with the other eleven contestants. The tour will start on July 1st at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, AZ and will end on September 13th at BOK Center in Tulsa, OK.

Cook told AP:

“Even if it doesn't do well commercially, as long as I can put out a record I am proud of -- that's the goal right now,”

Thanks to iTunes, AI singers are getting more recognition very quickly.

Delay diabetes with a simple change of lifestyle

Diabetes side effects.

Researchers from the U.S. and China find diabetes can either be prevented or delayed with a simple change of lifestyle. Diabetes will affect more than 380 million by 2025.

Researchers from the China-Japan Friendship Hospital and from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention find diet and exercise reduced the incidence of diabetes considerably.

They analyzed 577 high-risk Chinese adults and studied their eating and exercise patterns for more than 20 years. They found that those who changed their diet and exercised more reduced the incidence of diabetes by about 43 percent.

The volunteers were split into three groups, one group was given an improved diet, another was given a better exercise and the third a combination of both. They were compared with a normal group.

In their article in journal Lancet, the researchers didn’t specify what foods they recommended or what exercises they wanted from the volunteers.

Gunagwei Li, China-Japan Friendship Hospital submitted this finding to the journal Lancet:

At the end of the 20 years, 80 percent of those who changed what they ate and exercised more had diabetes, compared with 93 percent who made no changes. This study has shown that ... group-based interventions targeting lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise produce a durable and long-lasting reduction in incidence of type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes affects more than 246 million adults worldwide and accounts for nearly 6 percent of all global deaths. Studies like this will help to reduce these numbers.

Type 2 diabetes forms the bulk (90 percent) of the diabetes cases and is closely linked to obesity and physical inactivity. Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease, which is diagnosed at an early age.

The International Diabetes Federation estimates more than 380 million people will have a form of diabetes by 2025 as more developing nations adopt a Western lifestyle.

If diabetes is not controlled, too much glucose or blood sugar can damage the eyes and kidney. It also leads to heart disease, stroke and amputations.

Now the next step is to translate these research findings into practice. They should devise the best methods, eating habits and exercises to combat diabetes.

Clint Eastwood tells Spike Lee to go 'study American history'

Flags of Our Fathers, movie trailer.

Letters from Iwo Jima, movie trailer.

Clint Eastwood has rejected Spike Lee’s criticism over the fact Eastwood did not use black actors in his two films, “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters from Iwo Jima”. Eastwood says he didn’t because there were none.

Director Spike Lee raised some criticism yesterday against Hollywood great, Clint Eastwood. Lee said Eastwood failed to use the contribution of many black soldiers during Iwo Jima by not casting black actors for the film.

Lee told an audience in Cannes, where he is promoting his own film “Miracle at St. Anna”, a story about an all-black U.S. division based in Tuscany, Italy.

Very few Hollywood films deal with black soldiers…For the most part, if you look at the history of Hollywood cinema they haven't dealt with anybody other than white Americans. If you think Hollywood and World War Two, you think John Wayne -- the great white male that saved the world.

Eastwood who is also in Cannes promoting his movie “Changeling” dismissed Lee’s statements today. Eastwood said it's absurd to argue he “erased the role of black GIs from history”. He pointed out the fact that there were no black actors in the two movies because there were no African-American soldiers involved in the actual events.

Eastwood told Focus, a German magazine:

Does he know anything about American history?...The U.S. military was segregated till the Korean War, and the blacks in World War Two were totally segregated. The only black battalion on Iwo Jima was a small munitions supply unit that came to the beach.

"The story was about the men who raised the flag and we can't make them black if they were not there. So tell him: Why don't you go back and study your history and stop mouthing off!

"Flags of Our Fathers" deals with U.S. soldiers who raised the flag in Iwo Jima, and "Letters from Iwo Jima" looks at the same battle from the Japanese perspective.

Love is a Investment, Hate is a Debt

Bora Bora, French Polynesia. Photo of Yann Arthus-Bertrand.



"Love is like an investment, it pays dividends for a long time,
Hate is like a debt, you pay dearly for a long time."

- Chris Veerabadran from “All Are One”.

Don’t Emulate Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Create Your Own

Gordon Ramsay, Celebrity Chef. Photo Gordonramsay.com.


We all are ambitious, we aspire to start one that is as good as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple and others. But it is a tough bar to reach, not everyone can achieve it. Like 37signals says these are exceptions and are the rarest of rare cases that achieved success in the business world.

That’s not to say they aren’t worth paying attention to, dreaming about, and otherwise admiring, but it’s handy to have success stories that are a bit more common scale. A company doesn’t have to earn billions to be a great inspiration for budding entrepreneurs.

Learn from these mega companies but chart your own course. There are so many other companies who are as successful in their niche markets. I can point a few, Burt’s Bees, Family-To-Family, American Choppers (Owned by Paul Teutel Sr., a former drug addict turned his life around and became a huge success), Gordon Ramsay (Everyone knows his volatile character, but he backs it up with his accomplishments), Mother Teresa, James Dyson (he made 5,217 prototypes before he made the successful Dyson Vacuum), Kiva.org and many others who are as successful with happy owners and customers.

Create your own course and soon others will emulate you and your work.

If you know any small or medium company that inspires you, please leave a comment.

June Issue of Canadian Geographic to be made with 100% Wheat Straw Paper

Canadian Geographic Magazine made with 100% Wheat Straw Paper. Photo Tree Hugger.

Canadian Geographic magazine plans to issue an environmental friendly issue next month by making the whole magazine with wheat straw paper.

This will be the first issue in North America that will be totally printed on paper made from wheat straw.

Chinese make most of the paper from wheat straw. This special paper is called “wheat sheet”.

Alberta Research Council developed this “wheat sheet” paper after 10 years of research. The paper is made from a blend of wheat straw (20%) and recycled paper (40%).

The researchers claim that this “wheat sheet” rivals any gloss paper made from virgin timber and appears the same as other papers. For non-glossy papers a higher wheat straw content could be used and save more trees according to Tree Hugger.

Canada is the world's largest producer of commercial pulp, but the industry has shown little interest in wheat straw, which is used primarily in China. In fact, the wheat straw pulp used to create the wheat sheet was imported from China because there is no facility in North America able to process wheat into pulp.

Alberta Research Council hopes with this news more would be interested in using wheat straw to produce the paper. And some industries will modify their factories to produce such wheat sheets. It costs $50 million to $200 million to invest additional steps in the existing paper factory. But after the initial high investment, wheat straw paper requires less energy compared to the existing paper producing facilities.

Nicole Rycroft, executive director of Markets Initiative, said that just for Canada, the 15 million tones of cereal waste that agriculture creates annually could be used to make 7.5 million tones of pulp, equivalent to about 80% of all the newsprint used in Canada in a given year.

If they implement it across the board in North America, then it will save plenty of trees.

It is a neat idea, but if they really want to help the environment Canadian Geographic can e-mail an electronic version of the magazine to their readers.

Lost parrot gives owner's name and address to vet

African Grey Parrot: Eddielogic.com

The parrot flew out of the cage and got lost in the city of Tokyo, but was smart enough to let the vet know the owner’s name and address.

Yosuke, the African grey parrot was lost in the streets of Tokyo two weeks ago from its original home in the city of Nagareyama, which is near Tokyo. The local police rescued it and took the parrot to a nearby veterinary hospital until they could find the rightful owner.

The police tried their best to communicate with the parrot to know more about it, but it kept quiet and ignored them.

But after a few days at the hospital, it became chatty again and it told the vet according to Associated Press:

"I'm Mr. Yosuke Nakamura".

Then the parrot gave detailed information about the owner, Nakamura, his address including the street number.

The police verified the address and were stunned to find the exact address of the owner. Policeman Shinjiro Uemura told AP:

"We checked the address, and what do you know, a Nakamura family really lived there. So we told them we've found Yosuke,"

The Nakamura family told the police that they have trained the bird to tell their name and address for the last two years.

All that training paid off, otherwise Mr. Yosuke would have remained in the shelter area for a long time. If only we could teach other pets to do the same when they run away.

Microsoft will give you Cashback when you use 'Live Search' site

Microsoft wants to gain more share in search, so it is trying to buy more customers with their new cash back policy in Live Search.

Microsoft will launch today a cash back program to those who buy shopping stuff after using their “Live Search” site. Besides the web search, Live Search also offers shopping search. This program will be applicable to only shopping search.

Microsoft states this new cash back policy as follows:

Microsoft Live Search cash back is "The Search That Pays You Back". Find great deals on millions of products from hundreds of brand name stores that you know and trust. You will be able to earn cash back savings based on a percentage of the product price. Your savings will be paid to you via your choice of a deposit to your PayPal account, direct deposit to your bank account, or a check in the mail. It's that simple!

It is open only to U.S. residents for now, no word on other countries in the article or in the FAQ page. To be eligible for this new program, the users must meet the following terms:

* Provide us with a valid email address and password for account access.
* Are a U.S. citizen or legal resident, and at least 18 years of age.
* Have a valid mailing address (a P.O. Box won't work).
* Create or have an active Windows Live ID and cash back account.
* Adhere to the Microsoft Service Agreement.

Once you join the program and after you search for a product in Live Search, Microsoft will show an icon in the items when they are eligible for cash back. The cash back will be a percentage of the total shopping value when you click the link from Live Search.

News.com reports that Microsoft is due to show off its latest enhancements to its search product at the Advance 08 advertising conference here. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is set to offer the main address of the event on Wednesday. They say Microsoft will reveal more programs besides the “cash back” policy.

Previously Microsoft provided incentives in its Live Search Club and offered reward for those that used its search. There was initial increase in the search share for Microsoft, but it dipped soon after. How will this new cash back program will perform, we have to wait and see.

The news was reported earlier Tuesday by Search Engine Watch and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

According to the reports, Live Search Cash Back, is based on Microsoft's acquisition last year of Jellyfish, which has been piloting such a program, the reports said. Jellyfish said on its Web site Tuesday night that it was "currently offline to perform necessary service upgrades and enhancements."

There are similar cash back programs in the web such as Ebates, Amazon Affiliate, Commission Junction, where they give back a percentage of the total shopped value.

This is a desperate way of trying to gain shares in the search category in my opinion. Microsoft has huge financial resources and employees, they can do better than this.

But if you still like to shop and want to gain a discount, you can try this cash back program.

OLPC Will Launch Next Generation XO-2 Laptop in 2010

XO-2, OLPC's Next Generation Laptop and E-book reader. Photo PCworld.com

Nicolas Negroponte, chairman of OLPC announced today that they will soon launch a next generation touch screen laptop for $75 within the next few years.

The nonprofit One Laptop Per Child is not done yet, wants to produce a second generation version of the current XO notebook. The new XO-2 will boast a touch screen display and will act both as an e-Book reader and laptop.

PC World announced this news about the next version of XO laptop.

Negroponte showed images of XO-2 at an OLPC event at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.



The new XO-2 will be half the size of XO notebook and will have two 16 x 9 touch screen displays. It won’t have a keyboard like its previous version but will have a touch sensitive keyboard with software built in.



Negroponte said that XO-2 will be sold primarily as an e-book reader with the capacity of holding more than 500 e-books. explains that the XO-2 is meant to be shaped like a book and will be first promoted as an e-book to developing nations. But he pointed out that it is much more than an e-book, it is a fully functional laptop.

He told at the event:

Currently developing nations such as China and Brazil are spending $19 per student per year on books…Investing in the XO-2 at $75 should be an easy decision for these countries.

Negroponte didn’t reveal too many details about the XO-2 but he said the price will be $75 per unit. They expect the prices for the display screens to be lower around 2010, so they think they will be able to meet the price target. Currently the XO costs $188 to manufacture one unit.

Negroponte added:

"we are aggressively working to lower the cost, power, and size of the XO laptop so that it is more affordable and usable by the world's poorest children,"

Reporters at the event asked him about the operating system behind the new XO-2, Negroponte didn’t confirm but he said they will be testing both Windows and Linux and may offer dual boot option.

OLPC announced at the event that they will again come up with a promotion of Give One, Get One (G1G1) laptop program. The program will be available next in August in the U.S. and for the first time in Europe.

Children would love to use this new gadget. If Microsoft just sets aside their profit motive for this noble project, this program will be a much bigger success.

Google Health launches stores user’s basic medical history online

Google Health Personal Page. Photo Google Operating Sytem.

Google officially launched Google Health Monday. With Google Health users can share their medical data with doctors, medical testing labs and pharmacies and access it from anywhere.

Google Health launched a pilot program this February with Cleveland Clinic and was able to work with patients and doctors and shared the data electronically. After this successful pilot program, now Google is making it available for everyone and has added a number of hospitals and pharmacies.

Dr. Michael Roizen, the chief wellness officer for the Cleveland Clinic, a major private U.S. medical group, said during the news conference at Google headquarters.

"If anyone can demystify what health is, and make it fun ... Google can,"

What can Google Health do for us?

Google Health allows you to store and manage all of your health information in one central place. And like other Google program, it is free, all you need is a Google account.

* Keep your doctors up-to-date
* Stop filling out the same paperwork every time you see a new doctor
* Avoid getting the same lab tests done over and over again because your doctor cannot get copies of your latest results
* Don't lose your medical records because of a move, change in jobs or health insurance

Google Health Features:

Build online health profiles: You can enter health conditions, medications used, allergy information, lab results etc., into your health profile. You can create multiple profiles, one for every member of the family.



Import medical records from hospitals and pharmacies: You can link your health profile to your hospital and share records with them. You can get a complete record of the transaction you received at the hospital or from the pharmacy. You can log on to the their websites and transfer information about your medical records or prescriptions to your Google Health profile for your records. Some of the partners are Cleveland Clinic, Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center, Long Drug Store, Walgreens, CVS, RxAmerica, Quest Diagnostics, Medco and more.



View your medical history: Google Health will help track your medical history over the years. Use your profile to view a summary of your medical history, or drill down to see the details close up. Having all your health information organized and centrally located will help keep your doctors up-to-date when you visit them.



Find out how medications might interact: Once you enter all the medications, Google Health will check for any potential interactions between your drugs, allergies, and conditions and warn you. Then you and your doctor can see what is the best strategy.



Search for doctors and hospitals: Once you find out what your condition is, you can search for a doctor near you and you can add that doctor to your profile or visit the doctor’s site or find directions with the help of Google Maps.



Some are concerned about privacy problems, Marissa Mayer, Google’s vice president for search services and user experience, wants to allay those fears. She said Google will store personal health information on computers that are separate from Google’s other properties and also added an additional layer of security. Only the user will have the access to their records and only they can allow to share that information with their doctors or pharmacies.

I have started using this, very easy to use, and they have so many features which will be helpful for us. The site allows patients to schedule appointments with doctors, refill prescriptions, receive diagnostic results online and do research on health topics.

Just like we have Quicken and Money for financing, we need such a service for Health so we can maintain complete records in one place.

Microsoft also recently introduced HealthVault but is not as comprehensive as Google Health.

It is a great start for Google Health. Now we can avoid confusions with doctors and hospitals and exchange data with doctors and pharmacies easily and store them for future reference.

French landlords demand sex for rent from cash strapped students

Voulez vous pay the rent ce soir? Would you pay the rent tonight? Photo:L Russiatoday.ru

Landlords in Paris are willing to negotiate with student renters provided they offer sex in exchange. Some cash strapped students are taking up this offer.

There is severe housing crisis in France and property prices in Paris have increased tremendously making it impossible for many to rent or own the properties. As a result there is a surge in “sex-as-rent” phenomenon in France.

Students who come to Paris are the most to suffer from such high housing prices and they are prime targets for the exploiting landlords.

One property in Paris which measures 10.2 square meters (109 square feet) rents for .€600 a month according to the “De Particulier a Particulier” weekly rental magazine.

A militant housing rights pressure group calls itself Jeudi Noir - Black Thursday. Thursday is the day in which all these rental magazines provides the new rental housing information. The group is fighting for a fair housing policy for students.

Leila Chaibi from Jeudi Noir told AFP:

“It’s terrible that we have to spend more than half or even three quarters of our income for accommodation – the most basic need. What’s worse is that now students are having to resort to paying with their bodies. How far is this going to go?”

The students in order to meet the high costs resort to prostitution and nearly 40,000 students are involved in prostitution according to some estimates.

One of them, Laura D. was a modern languages student. She had a part time job in telesales, but the income was not enough to justify her rental costs and other expenses. She tried to find other suitable jobs but ended up in prostitution when she was 18 years old.

Laura D., told AFP:

“Since the man has the money, he’s in a dominant position, so he keeps pushing the boundaries and trying to abuse the initial agreement. You can find yourself being subjected to horrible and violent things,”

Laura D. has written a book about her experiences, ‘Mes Chers Etudes’ (‘My Dear Studies’).

In the book, she narrates an incident when she asks a client for a laptop as payment. He subjected her to a sadistic and violent sex game.

No one in her family or friends knows about her prostitution. She said she wrote this book to raise awareness about this crisis. She wants to prevent other students from falling into the trap.

If the government subsidizes education and provides affordable places to live during education, we won’t see this problem. Instead of concentrating on just the studies, the students have to worry about the living conditions.

Funny "Going Away Party" Cake from Wal-Mart

I saw this funny picture at Natuba. A customer ordered a going away party cake from Wal-Mart for a friend. The customer probably ordered this cake through the phone and must have told the Wal-Mart rep to write the following message:

"Best Wishes Suzanne" underneath that "We will miss you".

Instead of the above message, the Wal-Mart employee wrote the message shown in the picture that too with the word "underneath" misspelled as "under neat".

Funny. I hope the customer got a refund from Wal-Mart.

Honda's ASIMO robot conducts Detroit Symphony

ASIMO robot conducts an orchestra. Photo Wired.com.

For the first time, a robot has conducted a live orchestra with an admirable performance. Members of the Detroit Symphony were impressed with Honda's robo-conductor.

The robot, ASIMO (acronym for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) designed by Honda Motor Co., conducted the Detroit Symphony last Tuesday and performed “The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha."

ASIMO displayed all the skills of a human conductor; gestured with both hands moved like a pro. It even nodded at various directions to spur others to play the music. After the performance ASIMO bowed to the enthusiastic audience.

Later, cellist Yo-Yo Ma joined ASIMO to receive an award for his efforts in music education. Ma also performed on the program separately.

Honda spokeswoman Alicia Jones told the audience it was the first time ASIMO conducted an orchestra and it may be the first time any robot conducted a live performance.

ASIMO's engineers programmed the robot to mimic Charles Burke, the Detroit Symphony's education director, as he conducted the piece in front of a pianist about six months ago. However, ASIMO can’t respond to the musicians or any variations in the music tempo.

Leonard Slatkin, the orchestra's musical director told Wired.com:

It's not a communicative device. It simply is programmed to do a sense of gestures…If the orchestra decides to go faster, there's nothing the robot can do about it. Hopefully, I keep that under control.

But several musicians in the orchestra said ASIMO performed great and it was more realistic than expected. Hutchinson, the bassist told Wired: "The movements are still a little stiff, but very humanlike, much more fluid than I thought."

In addition to its popular cars, Honda has been working on robotics for a number of years. There are many versions of ASIMO that display a variety of skills such as running, walking on uneven slopes, navigating cross walks, recognizing faces using cameras for eyes and responding to simple voice commands.

Honda brought this new version of ASIMO to Detroit to show off these skills. Honda also donated $1 million to the orchestra for a music education fund.

Gmail will get themes soon?

Themes for Gmail?

Google will soon launch themes, custom layouts to personalize its mail client. There will be as much as 12 new themes in Gmail.

Gmail is plain and simple to use like its main search page at Google.com, but many users are demanding themes for the mail client like the themes in Google’s iGoogle.com, a personalized web search start page.

Users currently can personalize Gmail with third party themes like the “Stylish”, a custom user style sheets as shown in the title picture and with Greasemonkey scripts.

According to Google Blogoscoped, initially there will be 12 new themes, so the users can pick any one of them and will range from a black and green “terminal” view as well as a flowery view.

In my opinion, Gmail will probably have themes similar to iGoogle’s themes as shown below:
Themes for iGoogle.com. Photo iGoogle.com.

Google Blogoscoped believes they will hire Meomi for creating custom themes for Gmail. Meomi had earlier created some themes for iGoogle.com.

Gmail also has added another feature "basic HTML option" to browse the mail faster. But if you want added features like the following, then it is better to keep the current default view which uses AJAX.

* Integration with Google Docs and Google Calendar
* keyboard shortcuts
* integrated chat
* composing options: spell checker, rich formatting, address auto-complete, custom From address
* ads (useful feature?), related pages, tracking packages and addresses
* contact management
* web clips.

Themes will certainly enhance the Gmail. Some may not like it but Gmail offers a choice to the user, whether to add a theme or not.

President Mbeki Condemns Xenophobic Attacks in South Africa

Map of South Africa. Photo Theodora.com.

The violence in South Africa against immigrants has increased tremendously and has left many dead and displaced. President Thabo Mbeki calls these attacks “Xenophobic”.

South African citizens are blaming their economy and loss of jobs on more than three million immigrants from other African countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Somalia.

The violence started early this week in Alexandra and spread to Johannesburg, country’s capital reported here in Digital Journal by Can Tran and has escalated even more.

Angry mobs are marching the streets and are demanding the foreigners to leave. They blame the loss of jobs on immigrants.

According to the latest reports, at least 14 people have died and thousands injured. The police have arrested more than 200 people so far for various offences including rape, robbery and public violence. All these measures however have not stopped the violence. Many are demanding a national emergency to stem the riots.

Many immigrants have sought refuge in churches and police stations.

South Africa’s President Mbeki condemned these xenophobic attacks that have spread across the nation. He told reporters:

"You can not allow people to go around beating up other people for [any] reason…We have to look into this matter and see what lies behind it. We are interested to find out what could have sparked it off, and maybe we could find out if a particular person instigated it."

He wants the police to act firmly against the attackers.

President Mbeki will announce a panel of investigators to find the root causes of the attacks on foreigners.

In my opinion, the real blame lies on the poor economy of the country and disparity of rich and the poor, which is pronounced in South Africa. Blaming it on foreigners is the easiest thing to do for the politicians and others.

Many Zimbabweans have left their country to the neighboring South Africa for a better future. And now they are caught in between high inflation in their country and xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

Google Helps Indian Government With Arrest

Google recently helped the Indian government with identifying a man who wrote vulgar messages on its social network. The man was saying derogatory things about one of the main leaders in India.

Rahul Krishnakumar Vaid is a 22-year-old IT professional and a member of Google's social network Orkut. Vaid set up a group on Orkut named “I hate Sonia Gandhi”. Sonia Gandhi, not related to Mahatma Gandhi, is one of the prominent politicians in the ruling Congress party in India.

Vaid apparently wrote lots of hate and obscene messages about Sonia Gandhi. The police later found out about these messages and were trying to arrest him. The Cyber crime division in India contacted Google to request details about Vaid.

Google refuses to reveal private information of third parties, but in this case the company was forced to comply with Indian laws. They provided Vaid’s address information to the police.

Vaid was charged under section 292 of Indian Penal Code and section 67 of the Information Technology Act because he created a profile and then posted content in vulgar language about Sonia Gandhi in the community. He faces a prison sentence of up to five years and also may have to pay a fine of up to 100,000 Rupees ($2,358 USD).

Earlier in February, a Moroccan man was arrested for impersonating the King’s brother on Facebook. Facebook provided his information to the government of Morocco.

Last year, Yahoo provided information about a blogger to the Chinese government after the blogger wrote anti-government statements. He was given a 10 years prison sentence.

In the U.S., MySpace agreed to provide information about sexual predators.

Unless there is a special international law for privacy or freedom of speech, Google and others are forced to comply with local laws. It is against users' privacy, but they have to obey the rules of the country in which they operate.

Is Google right in providing the personal information of its users to the government?

Swiss Man Flies Over the Alps on Homemade Jet Wings

Yves Rossy flies over the Swiss Alps. Photo Wired.com

A Swiss pilot and adventurer managed to fly over Alps with homemade jet-powered wings strapped on his back.

Yves Rossy, 47 is an experienced military pilot and has flown Hunter, Tiger F-5 and Mirage III jets. He also has piloted Swiss International Airlines. With that experience, he has been working to fly solo for a number of years by assembling his wings powered by jet engines.

He developed a carbon fiber wing, which is eight feet long and features four German jet engines that provide 200 pounds of thrust. He was able to build this thanks to his sponsors such as the Swiss watch company Hublot. He has spent $190,000 for this project but has no plans to bring this product to the market, but may inspire others to develop this project further.

He stepped out of an airplane at 7,500 feet, unfolded his wings and glided over the Swiss Alps. He then activated the wing’s jet engines and accelerated to more than 180 mph.

He made some dives to show the wing’s capabilities and also did a 360 degree barrel roll. After five minute he landed at an airfield near Lake Geneva with the parachutes.

Rossy’s mother doesn’t seem to be worried about her daring son. She told AP that he knows what he is doing.

Rossy plans to fly over English Channel later this year and also has a dream to fly over the Grand Canyon.

You can check out Rossy's site (in French language) and there are plenty of pictures and videos of his exploits.

This will be the closest experience to fly like a bird, it is too bad it is not commercially viable.

Tips For Getting Good Night Sleep

Conquering sleep is like climbing a mountain for some. Everyone needs at least 8 hour sleep so that you will feel better the next day. If you are cranky, nervous the next day, one main reason is lack of good sleep.

Gretchen Rubin from Huffington Post offers the following tips to get good sleep. Based on my own experience, I have added some additional tips that will help you gain a good sleep.

Sixteen tips for getting good sleep.

1. Exercise most days, even if it's just to take a walk.
2. No caffeine after 7:00 p.m.
3. An hour before bedtime, avoid doing any kind of work that takes alert thinking. Addressing envelopes--okay. Analyzing an article--nope.
4. Adjust your bedroom temperature to be slightly chilly.
5. Keep your bedroom dark. Studies show that even the tiny light from a digital alarm clock can disrupt a sleep cycle. We have about six devices in our room that glow bright green; it's like sleeping in a mad scientist's lab. The Big Man has a new pet, a Roomba (yes, he loves his robot vacuum) that gives out so much light that I have to cover it with a pillow before bed.
6. Keep the bedroom as tidy as possible. It's not restful to fight through chaos into bed.
7. Breathe deeply and slowly until you can't stand it anymore.
8. If your mind is racing (you're planning a trip, a move; you're worried about a medical diagnosis), write down what's on your mind. This technique really works for me.
9. Slather yourself with body lotion. This feels good and also, if you're having trouble sleeping because you're hot, it cools you down.
10. If your feet are cold, put on socks.
11. Stretch your whole body.
12. Have a warm drink. Supposedly warm milk contains melatonin and trytophan and so helps induce sleep, but in fact, a glass of milk doesn't contain enough to have any effect. But it's still a soothing drink. My nighttime favorite: 1/3 mug of milk, add boiling water, one packet of Equal, and a dash of vanilla. A real nursery treat.
13. Yawn.
14. Stretch your toes up and down several times.
15. Tell yourself, "I have to get up now." Imagine that you just hit the snooze alarm and in a minute, you're going to be marching through the morning routine. Often this is an exhausting enough prospect to make me fall asleep.
16. If you still can't sleep, re-frame: re-frame your sleeplessness as a welcome opportunity to snatch some extra time out of your day. I get up and tackle mundane chores, like paying bills, organizing books, or tidying up. Then I start the day with a wonderful feeling of having accomplished something even before 6:45 am.

Additional Tips for Good Sleep:

1. Stop any office or business work at least two to three hours before sleep. I shut down my e-mail program and computer after 8 pm. So no more additional stresses, they can wait until the next day.
2. After you go to bed, close your eyes and remain silent and stop thinking or dreaming for the next 5 to 10 minutes. It will soothe your body and relax you. This is suggested by OSHO Meditation techniques.
3. During the day if you feel sleepy, take a short nap if possible instead of resisting it. But don’t take a long sleep during the day it will affect your night sleep.
4. If you are not getting a sleep, read a book in the bed until you fall asleep.
5. Have regular sleeping habits, try to sleep at the same time and wake up at the same time. This will also aid your sleep.

If you have any good suggestions for a good sleep, please leave a comment.

Treasure One

An autumn blush colors trees along a secluded stream in New Hampshire's White Mountains. Photo National Geographic Society.


"If you dig into Earth, you may or may not find gold,
If you dig into yourself, you are certain to find immense talent."

- Chris Veerabadran from “All Are One”.

Einstein's letter about religion sells for $400,000

Einstein Letter about Religion. Photo Southernledger.com

Albert Einstein’s letter to Eric Gutkind about his religious views fetches more than $400,000 at an auction to an anonymous buyer.

In the letter Einstein claimed that he is atheist but in his published works he has slightly different views from the letter.

Einstein wrote the following in the letter to philosopher Eric Gutkind in January 1954 and shared his religious views. The letter is a partial one and is translated from German to English by Joan Stambaugh.

The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this. These subtilised interpretations are highly manifold according to their nature and have almost nothing to do with the original text.

For me the Jewish religion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions. And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people. As far as my experience goes, they are also no better than other human groups, although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise I cannot see anything 'chosen' about them.

In general I find it painful that you claim a privileged position and try to defend it by two walls of pride, an external one as a man and an internal one as a Jew. As a man you claim, so to speak, a dispensation from causality otherwise accepted, as a Jew the priviliege of monotheism. But a limited causality is no longer a causality at all, as our wonderful Spinoza recognized with all incision, probably as the first one. And the animistic interpretations of the religions of nature are in principle not annulled by monopolisation. With such walls we can only attain a certain self-deception, but our moral efforts are not furthered by them. On the contrary.

Now that I have quite openly stated our differences in intellectual convictions it is still clear to me that we are quite close to each other in essential things, ie in our evalutations of human behaviour. What separates us are only intellectual 'props' and `rationalisation' in Freud's language. Therefore I think that we would understand each other quite well if we talked about concrete things.

With friendly thanks and best wishes

Yours, A. Einstein.

This handwritten German letter shown in the picture above was sold to an overseas collector for $404,000 more than 25 times the pre-sale estimate of the seller at the Bloomsbury Auctions on Friday in London. There was a heavy bidding in the auctions which led to this high figure.

Bloomsbury did not disclose the name of the buyer but managing director Rupert Powell told AP the buyer has a scientific background in theoretical physics.

Einstein experts said the letter shows that he had a complex, agnostic views on religion. Everyone knew he rejected organized faith and religion but often spoke in his published works that a spiritual force is at work in the universe.

Whether Einstein is an atheist or an agnostic, there is going to be lot of debate in the coming days. But one thing is for certain, Einstein wouldn't have expected his private letter to be sold and discussed in a public forum.

'Space cockroach' now a proud grandmother of 30

Cockroach. Photo Pestgon.com.

A cockroach that spent 12 days in space is now the grandmother of 30 grandchildren on Earth. They seem to be as healthy as other cockroaches.

Russian space scientists wanted to test the survival skills and endurance of animals, so they used a cockroach named Nadezhda (Hope) along with other animal species. Nadezhda spent 12 days in orbit and survived.

Nadezhda conceived 30 healthy descendants last September in an orbiting laboratory named Foton-M. The children were normal like other cockroaches except they had a faster maturation rate in space compared to normal conditions, according to Dmitry Atyakshin, a scientist at Voronezh Medical Academy, Russia.

The cockroaches were later brought back to Earth and now Nadezhda has 30 grandchildren, who are growing and behaving just like other household cockroaches. The conditions of Space didn't seem to have affected their growth.

Atyakshin told Agence France-Presse:

These are descendants of those cockroaches who were conceived in space and were born after returning to Earth ... In all particulars they accord with standards on Earth.

In the future, mankind has to spend a long time in space, so studies like this will be very useful. The scientists proudly call Nadezhda, a pioneer. The first to orbit the Earth was a dog named Laika, which paved the way for the astronauts to go to the Moon.

Custom Business Greeting Cards For All Occasions

Do you prefer a standard greeting card or a customized Photo Cards? I think many would answer the later choice, because photo cards will communicate the message in a big way and make them feel special. Another reason many dislike standard greeting cards are the emotionless quotes and poor pictures. Whereas with photo cards from CardsDirect.com, you can customize everything in a greeting card, type of card, choose your own quotes add a unique photo or photos, customize fonts and colors.

Once you choose what photo cards you like, you can enter the quantity, orientation of your photo in the card, edit the quotes, choose the greetings and that's it. You can also add logos in each greeting card or print your signatures saving time in the future for a small additional fee. The shipping rates are excellent with a low minimum of $5. Envelopes for the photo cards are free, there are no additional costs.

There are all sorts of cards for businesses, you can get birthday cards, anniversary cards, get well cards, holiday cards, sympathy message cards, and so on. And you can use the same checkout procedure as above. Very simple to use.

You can also get a catalog from CardsDirect and you can choose the various cards for different occasions. The cards look more professional than you get them from local malls.

You can check the disclosure policy about my blog posts here.

Mars is getting a new visitor on May 25th

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander

Mars will be getting a new visitor from Earth, NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander, which will explore the soil and ice in the polar regions for three months.

On the morning of May 25, the Phoenix Mars Lander will land on Mars and will explore the soil to see any signs of life and also study the ice in the North Polar region.

The Mars Lander will land on its three legs and won’t be mobile like its counterpart, the Mars rovers. Landing is very crucial for this mission, since it has to land on three legs and not with air bags like the rovers.

After detailed analysis of pictures of the Mars’ surface by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, scientists have chosen the landing spot in northern part of Mars. The landing site is situated at 68 degree north latitude, 233 degrees east longitude. This site will be further north than other landing sites so far.

Ed Weiler, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington told Reuters:

"This is not a trip to grandma's house. Putting a spacecraft safely on Mars is hard and risky,"

The Phoenix Mars Lander will enter the Mars atmosphere at 13,000 mph and slow down to 5 mph when it reaches the surface and lands, seven minutes later.

Once it lands safely, a 7.7 foot robotic arm will dig for oil and ice samples. When the arm encounters icy patches, a ripper will be used to dig the surface, then serrated blades will scrape the soil. The scoop then will capture the samples.

Onboard laboratory instruments in the Phoenix will analyze the samples. Cameras and a Canadian-supplied weather station will also supply other information about the site's environment.

The mission’s goal is to check whether conditions at the site was once favorable for microbial life or not. They will also test the composition and texture of soil above the ice. They will study the scooped up samples to see whether it contains carbon-based chemicals, which are potential building blocks and food for life

The Lander carries a Surface Stereo Imager, built by the University of Arizona. The camera will provide a high resolution, stereo, panoramic images of the Martian surface. The camera will be located at the top of the Phoenix and take photos with a resolution of 1,024 x 1,024 pixels. It has optical and infrared filters to correct the images.

The Phoenix mission is led by Smith with project management at JPL. The development partnership is with Lockheed Martin, Denver. International contributions are from the Canadian Space Agency; the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland; the universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark; the Max Planck Institute, Germany; and the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

New Aliph Jawbone Headset is Smaller Skinnier Sexier

Aliph's New Jawbone Bluetooth Headset. Photo Jawbone.com

Aliph releases a new version of Jawbone, which is smaller, lighter and sexier. Wired.com says it has the best sound and noise cancelling capabilities.

Aliph introduced Jawbone, a Bluetooth handset at the end of 2006 and was hailed by many as the best noise canceling headset in the world. It had a few minor problems, such as the bulky unit and difficulty in finding the right fit, which the latest model seemed to have fixed it.





The video shows the highlights of the new Jawbone model and a review by Infosyncworld.com. I have also added the video of the previous version which talks about the advantages of Jawbone headset.



It is almost half the weight as the previous version. Jawbone comes with a variety of ear pieces to fit everyone.

Both Wired.com and Infosyncworld.com say the call quality with Jawbone is still very good compared to other Bluetooth handsets.

The new Jawbone version is designed by Yves Behar, who also designed the previous one. The new version claims it has a better noise canceling capacity but Wired.com didn’t notice any difference between it and the old one.

Mark McClusky, Wired.com wrote the following about this new Aliph Jawbone model:

Overall, though, this is truly an upgrade. Aliph has taken the best-performing headset on the market, and made it smaller and easier to wear. Which is pretty much all you can ask for. —

WIRED Great sound. Serious upgrade in wearability, even with fewer options. Doesn’t weight you down like the older model. Easiest syncing headset ever; starts up in pairing mode the first time you turn it on.Jawbone_two_js_10

TIRED Still relies on a proprietary power connector that isn’t the same as the first model, either. Design cues are a little bit Gucci for some wearers (especially Wired geeks). A quick spin through the manual a must to understand how to operate invisible buttons.

If you are an avid mobile user and talk outdoors frequently, then you should have a device like this, it has the best noise canceling capability. If interested you can purchase it here.

Zimbabwe introduces 500 million dollar note

A Vendor in Zimbabwe displays a 50 million dollar note.

To combat cash shortages due to rising inflation, Zimbabwe central bank issues a new half a billion (500 million) dollar bank note.

The inflation problems in Zimbabwe are getting worse by the day, due to complete mismanagement of Mugabe, the current leader and his government. In January, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe issued a 10 million dollar note to combat inflation and issued again a quarter of a billion dollar note as recently as 10 days ago.

A loaf a bread cost $16 million Zimbabwe dollars this April, it will be even higher now. (1 US Dollar = 246,433,371.43 ZWD)

Despite all these measures, the inflation is still growing at a disturbing rate and has led to severe cash shortages in Zimbabwe. To combat this, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe issued a half billion dollar note. It put an advertisement in the state daily, The Herald and announced this new currency and displayed samples of this note.

"Introducing the new 500,000,000 bearer check for your convenience,"

It is equivalent to 2.03 US Dollars.

Recently an election was held in Zimbabwe and Mugabe’s opposition seemed to have won the elections but Mugabe is still dragging the case and hasn’t relinquished his power.

The inflation once rose 165,000 percent in February. The bank has not issued any current inflation rates, but I checked the current bank interest rates here, it charges for overnight loans a 4500.00% Interest rate.

With no signs of relief, nearly 80 percent of the Zimbabwe population are living below the poverty threshold and have to endure severe shortages even for basic goods.

Can you imagine billionaires living in poverty? In Zimbabwe it is a quite common occurrence.

Get Free stuff Today at McDonald's, Dunkin' Donuts and Red Box

Baltimore Sun reports three free offers for everyone from McDonald‘s, Dunkin Donuts and RedBox. You can get an iced coffee, chicken biscuit or sandwich and a movie rental all for free.

If you like freebies, then today is your lucky day, you can get an iced coffee, chicken biscuit or chicken sandwich and a movie rental for free.

Today, Dunkin’ Donuts is giving away a free iced coffee drink from 10 am to 10 p.m. To find the nearest participating Dunkin’ Donuts store, click here.

On the way you can stop by McDonald’s and get a free Southern Style Chicken biscuit during the breakfast hours or get a free Southern Style Chicken sandwich. Only condition you have to order a medium or a large drink. McDonald’s is planning to give away 2 million chicken biscuits and 6 million chicken sandwiches. The offer is available between 7 am to 10 pm.

The third and final free offer is from RedBox, which is similar to Netflix but dispenses movies from vending machines situated in groceries stores nationwide. You can find great movie titles for just $1 a night. To get the free offer, click this link and enter your e-mail address on the website. They also have another great offer, if you subscribe to their SMS movie alerts, then you can get a free one-night DVD rental every Monday. If you have unlimited data plan, then it is a good idea to join.

The above offers are available only for one day, Thursday, May 15, 2008.

Stephen Colbert Spoofs Bill O’Reilly with a Video

Recently a video of Bill O'Reilly, Fox News surfaced showing his rants. Youtube removed it but still the video re-surfaced later on. You can see him go completely nuts, just shows what a whacko character he is. Now Stephen Colbert does the same with a spoof of Bill O'Reilly and goes nuts just like him. It is hilarious. Enjoy.

Car navigator from Panasonic remotely manages home

Panasonic Strada F-Class. Photo Boston.com.

A new car navigation system from Panasonic enables the drivers in Japan to turn lights on in their homes, lock their doors and control the air conditioning, all from inside the car.

The Strada F-Class navigation system by Panasonic besides providing directions via satellites will also allow the drivers to control gadgets at home.

The Strada F-Class will connect to the home via any internet capable mobile phone. Drivers can use the touch screen in the navigation system to control various functions in the home. They can control the lights on or off to make it appear as if someone is still inside the home or they can control the air conditioning or lock the doors. The system costs $3,400.

The system however requires a home server to communicate with the navigation systems, a web-enabled camera and other devices to link the whole home.



According to Naohisa Morimoto, an official from Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Panasonic’s parent company, the home servers cost about $1,900 in Japan and they also make cheaper ones. About 2,000 homes in Japan have the net-linking systems.

Panasonic hopes to sell about 8,000 of the Strada F-Class monthly in Japan after they go on sale June 13. There are no overseas sales plans.

Here is the English translation of the product page in Japanese.

Google Maps Adds Wikipedia Entries and Geo-Coded Photos

Google Maps adds two new features, Wikipedia articles and geo-tagged photos related to the areas you are searching for in maps.

Google Maps so far had “Street View”, “Traffic”, “Maps”, “Satellite” and “Terrain” views and now it adds two options the users would like to see or know more about the place they are interested in.

Google Maps has added “Wikipedia” and “Photos” options in “More” button next to the above ones. To see photos of the place, click the “More” button at the top of the maps and choose “Photos”, you will then see geo-tagged photos provided by Panoramio.


Google Maps with Panaromio Photos.

Similarly to find articles related to the particular location, you can choose “Wikipedia” in “More”.
Click this link here, you will see photos and Wikipedia articles of White House. There is no “Street View” option here probably to protect the area.


Google Maps with Wikipedia Articles.

These two options will be very useful when you travel or visit.

Once Google adds photos from everyone and not just from Panoramio, then we can find more interesting photos. The new cameras have a built-in Geo-tagging feature, so we can see more high definition pictures in the future.

Google Maps also added another feature in the search option, it has integrated real-estate listings in maps. Just type the location and click the “show search options” link, you will search the locations by businesses, user-created contents, mapped web pages, real estate listings and locations.

Strange clouds appear over Sea of Okhotsk, Japan

Strange Clouds over Japan. Photo: Pinktentacle.com

Japanese Airliner crew observed a strange set of clouds over the Sea of Okhotsk. This type of cloud formation occur very rarely in the sky.

The clouds were observed on June 18th last year from a Japan Coast Guard aircraft just off the northeastern coast of Hokkaido. The clouds seem to form parallel channels like the rice fields.

The scientists of the Sapporo Meteorological Observatory say these clouds are known as stratocumulus clouds, which roll into long, distinctive ribbons after becoming trapped in air currents over the area.

Clouds get different shapes because of the wind patterns but the occurrence of the stratocumulus clouds is however very rare in nature and it depends on a number of factors.





The aircraft crew were one of the few ones lucky enough to observe this in person.

There are other type of clouds equally unique in appearance and are shown below:


Noctilucent Clouds


Mammatus Clouds

Google Banned by Myanmar Govt., Still Donates $1 Million and Helps Collect Donations

Google Donation link for Myanmar. Photo Google.com.

Myanmar government has banned Google and Gmail since the summer of 2006, still Google went ahead and donated $1 million to help the victims of Cyclone Nargis.

The military junta overseeing the government banned Google, Yahoo and Hotmail to prevent its citizens from reading the news about Myanmar and disseminating information from inside. The junta wanted to prevent the news and pictures about the uprising by the monks released to the public and the world.

When one accesses Google in Burma, they will get the following error: “Error Number 1045 Access Denied.”

The citizens are thus ended up with limited news offered by the military junta.

After Cyclone Nargis stuck Myanmar, Google put a donation link just below the search results so the users can actively participate in the relief efforts. Normally Google keeps the search page very simple, but in this case it added the donation link.

When you click this donation link it provides two donation options, one to Unicef and the other to Direct Relief International. Google will match these donations and provide up to $1 million to the victims.

The donations have no fees or charges, so 100 percent of the donations will be transferred directly to the relief efforts.

Microsoft is also helping out despite being banned in Myanmar.

If Myanmar is cooperative, Google can do more than donations, can offer their services for free also, which will be very helpful in rebuilding the country.

BlackBerry unveils Bold 9000 3G Smartphone

BlackBerry Bold 9000 SmartPhone. Photo: Infosyncworld.com

Research In Motion (RIM) confirmed today that they will launch the BlackBerry Bold 9000 rivaling iPhone with 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS and other features.

RIM made this announcement today at the WES 2008 exhibition in Orlando Florida. It looks like an iPhone with a keyboard addition.

The new BlackBerry Bold 9000 is an upgrade from its previous version Curve. It will have 1GB on-board storage memory, slightly enhanced media player, and a microSD memory slot (up to 16GB cards, iPhone doesn’t support external memory cards). It will have a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The Bold will be the first BlackBerry to support tri-band HSDPA 3G high-speed networks worldwide and integrates GPS and Wi-Fi in one device. The new iPhones will supposedly support 3G but they won’t have GPS capabilities.

BlackBerry Bold will have broadband connections, so users can browse the Web much faster than iPhone. Broadband speeds may drain the battery; at least the users will have the option to carry an additional one and change it themselves.

It will have DataViz’ Documents To Go, a mobile Office suite which integrates well with desktop Microsoft Office, allowing users to edit documents easily.

Bold will have a 480 x 320 half VGA resolution same as Apple’s iPhone but with a keyboard in addition.

Unlike iPhone’s exclusive deal with AT&T, Bold will be offered by all competing mobile companies. The price is expected to be in the $300 range with a two-year contract.

Bold may provide a good competition for Apple’s iPhone but it will depend on what new features show up in the new iPhone. Business users may still prefer Bold for its speed and versatility.

Elisabeth Fritzl: I never want to see Josef again

Elisabeth Fritzl. Photo BBC.Co.UK

Elisabeth Fritzl, who was held captive for the last 24 years, has spoken out for the first time and said that she never wants to see her father’s face again.

After her emotional reunion with her mother, Rosemarie Fritzl, siblings and her children, she broke out in tears and told her family:

"I can't believe I'm free – is it really you? I can't believe I'm out. I didn't think I would ever see you again. It's all too much for me. I don't ever want to see him again."

Elisabeth was reunited with the three children, who were taken away from her by her father. She was very happy to see them.

Elisabeth was drugged and lured into the cellar beneath her family home in Amstetten, Austria, when she was just 18. Meanwhile her father, Josef Fritzl concocted an elaborate web of lies and convinced his family that she had run away to join a cult.

Elisabeth Fritzl’s sister Gabriele Helm, 35 spoke to the press and told them that Elisabeth is healthy, chatty and doing very well despite the ordeal.

"Every day she gets a bit stronger. I can't say what the family is going through. It's more than anyone can believe. It has devastated us…We are working together to support Elisabeth. She is overjoyed to see her children. She told them they were beautiful and she is spending all the time getting to know them."

Her lawyer Christoph Herbst told Telegraph that Elisabeth is keen to enjoy the outdoors and feel the rain. But they want to take it slowly and only long for a normal life.

"For now they just talk to each other. But Elisabeth and her children who lived in the cellar have no concept of time and of the future. Some people who hear the story think Elisabeth is like something from a horror film. But rumors that she has no teeth and cannot talk are not true.

Herbst said she looks very normal and no one would believe that she has gone through a tough ordeal all these years. The family is very happy now and the children are getting adjusted to life outside captivity.

Herbst added:

"It is really brilliant how Elisabeth has reacted to the outside world. They are all rather fine. Elisabeth is really an impressive person. She is very strong. She's happy now for the first time."

Prosecutor Gerhard Sedlacek is gathering evidences and may file a murder charge against Josef Fritzl for incinerating the baby, who died after birth in the cellar.

Once Elisabeth and her children leave the hospital, I hope the public and the press leave her alone, she deserves a great amount of privacy.

Study: Sitting straight is 'bad for backs'

Scottish and Canadian researchers say sitting up straight is not the best position for office workers and is not the best one for backs‘ health.

Scottish and Canadian researchers analyzed various sitting position including the presumed best position “sitting up straight” and wanted to see which position is good for the backs’ health.

They used a new form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to see how each position produces strains in the back. The research was carried out at Woodend Hospital in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Studies were done earlier and it was known that sitting contributed to lower back pain. When one sits for hours the positions adds strains to the back and causes aches and pain.

British Chiropractic Association did a study on office workers and their data showed that nearly 32% of the population spend more than 10 hours a day seated. An improper sitting position at work will lead to chronic back aches and pains.

They found about half of those surveyed did not leave their desks, even to have lunch. Two thirds of them also sit at home when they get home from work. Hence it is imperative to find the best suitable sitting position.

Rishi Loatey of the British Chiropractic Association told BBC:

"One in three people suffer from lower back pain and to sit for long periods of time certainly contributes to this, as our bodies are not designed to be so sedentary."

My friend once told me that our bodies have been designed for hunting purposes and is meant for moving and active working. Since we get food easy these days we seldom hunt and sit most of the time putting too much pressure on the spine causing back aches.

The researchers for this study showed with the MRI how sitting up straight places an unnecessary strain on one’s back. They told the Radiological Society of North America that the best position to sit on the desk is leaning slightly back at about 135 degrees angle as shown in the picture.

The researchers studied twenty two volunteers with healthy backs and they were scanned using a positional MRI machine, which gives the patients the freedom to move when tested.

In this study, the patients assumed three different sitting positions: a slouching position, in which the body is hunched forward as if they were leaning over a desk or a video game console, an upright 90-degree sitting position; and a "relaxed" position where they leaned back at 135 degrees while their feet remained on the floor.

The researchers then took measurements of spinal angles, spinal disk height and movement across the different positions.

The spinal disk movement occurs when weight bearing strain is placed on the spine, causing the disk to move out of place.

The researchers found there was a pronounced disk movement with a 90 degree upright sitting posture. It was least pronounced with the 135 degree posture, indicating that less strain was placed on the spinal disks, associated muscles and tendons.

The "slouch" position revealed a reduction in spinal disk height, signifying a high rate of wear and tear on the lowest two spinal levels.

The researcher concluded that 135 degree position was the best for backs and recommend others to sit in this position while they work or when they sit at home.

Dr Waseem Bashir of the Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging at the University of Alberta Hospital, Canada, who led the study, told BBC:

"Sitting in a sound anatomic position is essential, since the strain put on the spine and its associated ligaments over time can lead to pain, deformity and chronic illness."

Levent Caglar from the charity BackCare, added:

"In general, opening up the angle between the trunk and the thighs in a seated posture is a good idea and it will improve the shape of the spine, making it more like the natural S-shape in a standing posture.

"As to what is the best angle between thigh and torso when seated, reclining at 135 degrees can make sitting more difficult as there is a tendency to slide off the seat: 120 degrees or less may be better."

Sitting long hours continuously is not a good idea, frequent breaks eases the back as well as refreshes your mind a lot, even a 5 minute break for every one hour helps. But if you are unable to take breaks, then at least try the 135 degree sitting position.

Stolen Mac Laptop Victim uses Built-in Camera to Catch Thieves

A couple of laptop thieves got away easy after taking a woman's laptop, but they couldn’t get away from her cleverness. She uses Apple's software to remotely activate the laptop’s camera and took pictures of the thieves.

The two thieves, Edmon Shahikian, 23, of Katonah and Ian Frias, 20, of the Bronx broke into the woman’s White Plains apartment on April 27 and stole nearly $5,000 worth of electronics including an Apple laptop.

Her friend contacted her and said she appeared to be logged on to the internet. The victim has a .mac account, which allows her to see or transfer files from anywhere and from any computer. She used her .mac’s “Back to My Mac” program and remotely logged on to the laptop from another computer.

She then activated the laptop’s built-in camera to take pictures of the thieves. Initially, she just saw an empty chair but then Shahikian sat in front of the laptop. She immediately took a picture of him and went to the police.

The police were able to identify the thieves from their database and arrested the two men. They were also able to recover most of the stolen properties.

Burmese Children starve as aid is blocked

The Myanmar government has blocked foreign aid workers to help distribute food, this has led to many children starving for food.

Dowla Shwe, a mother of five is sitting at the side of a road in southern Burma and begging for food from every passer-by to feed her children. Ever since Cyclone Nargis struck Burma last week, her children are eating only bananas and coconut.

She told Reuters that they haven’t eaten rice for the past few days:

"We have nothing…They (her children) are getting weak, and I fear they will fall sick and die."

While she and other families have no rice to eat, Burmese government is exporting rice to other countries during this dire situation, read about this in the Can Tran’s Digital Journal article here.

She is angry with her government for not allowing the foreign aid workers to enter the country and help distribute food.

Shwe added:

"I am angry with the Government…If they can't help, why not allow foreigners to come and help us?"

United Nations pressured the government and made them yield to resuming aid deliveries, which was suspended earlier by the ruling junta.

Besides Shwe’s family, countless others are without food, freshwater or shelter, and many may die if deliveries don’t reach in time. Children are joining adults and begging food on the streets. Some are trying to catch fish and crabs from muddy canals, but they are filled with bloated bodies of the dead and decomposing in the heat and filling the air with the terrible smell.

U Pandita, 24, a Buddhist monk told Reuters that he saw more than 600 dead bodies. All the villages near his home have been wiped out. He lost 21 family members.

The Cyclone Nargis did extensive damage with more than 65,000 dead or missing and now due to the government’s stubbornness the toll may reach even higher.

Others have also reported that the government is distributing foreign supplies with their names on it as if they are distributing it. The junta holds a referendum just after the cyclone hit, to get approval from the public for a new constitution, when the country is suffering. It is getting bizarre in Myanmar. As long as China supports them, we will see more of it.

Bee Pollen Cures Allergies?

Bee Pollen. Photo Treehugger.com

A writer claims bee pollen cures allergies. She says her husband, who has chronic allergies tried this remedy and it worked wonders for him.

Sara Snow, a writer for Tree Huggers, claims bee pollen is an effective remedy for allergies. If true, it will be quite useful for nearly 40 million allergy sufferers worldwide.

Allergy is a disorder of the immune system often also referred to as atopy. Allergic reactions occur to environmental substances known as allergens; these reactions are acquired, predictable and rapid. Strictly, allergy is one of four forms of hypersensitivity and is called type I (or immediate) hypersensitivity. It is characterized by excessive activation of certain white blood cells called mast cells and basophils by a type of antibody known as IgE, resulting in an extreme inflammatory response.

With flowers blooming everywhere now, there will be more allergic reactions. Snow said bee pollen strengthens your body and forms a tough defense against the pollen that tries to enter the body system. With a small daily doses of bee pollen, the body builds up its defenses and fights off allergens and avoids the reactions.

Her husband had tried several different methods before but he still had allergies, so he tested this bee pollen method. He was able to manage the whole season without any allergic reactions. Snow says her family uses bee pollen for a number of years to combat allergies.

When you buy bee pollen, she advises us to follow two things. One, to get the pollen with the greatest variety of color, which will indicate that pollen comes from a wide variety of plants and hence it will build a strong defense against allergens. Second, buy the pollen from the local stores, so that it will respond well to the plants around you.

To be safe, don't take bee pollen if you have a history of anaphylactic shock.

She recommends Whole Foods store or local farmer’s market. To find the local farmer’s market near you, click Local Harvest site.

I don’t have allergies, so I haven’t tried this product. But if you have taken this remedy in the past, please leave a comment for other readers.

Award winning garden trashed after Facebook party

Facebook users organized an outdoor party in Leeds, England, more than 350 participated and it went awry. They destroyed an award winning garden built in honor of Nelson Mandela.

UK Facebook users organized a mass water fight near a Leeds City Council, and promoted it in the Facebook group called "Leeds Biggest Water fight 2008" that had more than 9000 members.

More than 350 people participated armed with water pistols and buckets. The group was very happy after the party and the administrator thanked everyone for attending the party and making it a big success. Only problem, the party destroyed the Leeds city’s Millennium Square garden with damages worth thousands of dollars.

This garden was built in honor of Nobel Prize winner Nelson Mandela. The garden also was a awarded a medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2004.

The Leeds city council members told Register, a UK newspaper that plants were trampled, turfs were ripped up, and water tanks were emptied and filled with foam.

Councilor John Procter, executive member for Leisure, said the following in a statement.

"Frankly I'm appalled at the total disregard for people's ongoing enjoyment of this beautiful city oasis…To destroy years of careful cultivation for a couple hours of so-called 'fun' is unforgivable. We will be pulling out all the stops to make sure everything is put right."

The video shows some of the damages by the group and shows the crowd’s reaction when the police arrived at the scene.

After the garden damages were reported in the news, some of the members volunteered to repair the garden.

Also, the organizers for this party are planning to do the same next year.

The police may file a case against the group based on the video evidence and eyewitness accounts.

Facebook organized parties called flash mob are very common, but they usually meet for a few minutes and disperse in silence.

Maybe the same group can organize a donation party and pay for the damages or help them fix the garden place.

Here is a 360 degree view of the garden.

Aeon Colors 2.7 Firefox 3 Theme

Aeon Colors is a fun, colorful theme that is bright and cheery. This is a beautiful theme for Firefox. Check it out.

Home Furnishings decays with time

Looolo Pillows degrade with time. Photo Looolo.ca.

Home furnishings manufacturers are turning green and using biodegradable materials to build furniture and furnishings. When discarded they decay into the surroundings.

Manufacturers are trying to produce “ready to rot” furniture with biodegradable materials such as wood frames from sustainably managed forests, non-coating nails, organic fabrics and stuffings, nontoxic dye paints. So that all these materials will degrade in the environment after they are discarded.

Tim Zyto, chief executive of Montauk, a furniture manufacturer is pursuing this approach so that they have as little impact on the environment as possible and started using more biodegradable raw materials for their furniture. He told New York Times:

“And then I started to think, wouldn’t it be great to have no impact? Then it was, hey, what if the sofa just disappears when you’re done with it?”

Cradle to Cradle, another furnishing company is doing the same, so that their products later can either be recycled or composted.

Umbra, famous for its furnishing designs by Karim Rashid is producing them out of PLA, a corn based plastic, so that they will degrade with time.

LoooLo, a Canadian home furnishing company uses organic raw materials for its pillows, blankets, and scarves. Its products are made with Climatex LifeCycle yarns and felts from Switzerland (free from toxic chemicals and non-hazardous by products), organic cotton and Kapok, a fiber from the rain forest in Malaysia. At the end of their usage, it can be thrown into the compost and they will biodegrade within a year.

Though not everyone endorses this green furniture or furnishings. Bill Brown, chairman of the English Department at the University of Chicago told New York Times:

“Their longevity, in the past, has always been part of the thing that gives them value.”

Joel Mackower another critic told NY Times:

"You also have to ask, Is it reasonable to assume that a product will go into a system that will allow it to degrade? Is there a snowball’s chance it would be put on a compost pile?”

Franklin Getchell, an owner of Moss, the gallery-like design store also doesn‘t believe in this green products. He told Tree Hugger that many in Milan want expensive furniture and craftsmanship and most of them want to pass it on to the next generations. So, he doubts that green products will make a dent in the marketplace.

There may be critics but still these green furniture and furnishings are a great idea. Many are discarding furniture as they move to a new home or location, for them if they want to discard it, green products would be a better option.

GM and Saab use human cadavers in auto crash tests

Saab crash testing. Photo: Autos.msn.com

General Motors and Saab in a joint research project in Sweden used dead human bodies in automobile crash tests last year. General Motors is the parent company of Swedish car manufacturer Saab. GM and Saab finished a multi-year project recently and used dead human bodies for automobile crash tests according to Claes Tingvall, a car safety specialist with the Swedish Road Administration (Vägverket).

He told Expressen, a Swedish newspaper:

“For certain things, it’s important to use cadavers. [The tests] involved people who had donated their own bodies,”

He said both used bodies for experimental purposes to design better crash test dummies and also to investigate the injuries sustained by human bodies in auto accidents.

Tingvall said ten dead human bodies were used in the joint research project and Saab cars were tested.

GM and Saab were contacted about this story, neither responded about the use of dead human bodies. However Saab spokesperson Christer Nilsson told Expressen about working with GM:

“We are with GM through thick and thin. We conduct our own research and try to find other methods to achieve our results, with the help of computers, for example,”

In my opinion they should have just used dummies instead of cadavers, which I think is an act of desecration. I doubt anyone would volunteer themselves to donate their bodies for such a cause.

Do you agree with GM/Saab’s use of dead human bodies for auto crash tests?

A Picture is Worth Thousand Tulips in Holland

A Tulip Farm in Northern Netherlands. Photo Treehugger.com.

German newspaper Der Spiegel posted this beautiful picture of tulip farms in northern Netherlands. It shows an array of colors.

Tulip is a main symbol in Netherlands and is one of the major export products. This farm shown in the picture is probably used to export tulip bulbs for Mother’s Day and other occasions.

The article doesn’t say which location the picture was taken but I think it is somewhere near Keukenhof Gardens in Netherlands. I tried to see this location in Google Maps, but the pictures there seems to be old. If it is more recent Google Maps can spot the colors from the sky.

Flowers from places like this Netherlands tulip farm is a $40 billion industry according to Amy Stewart.

Amy Stewart in her book “Flowering Confidential” reports the following about the flower industry:

• The famous Dutch flower auction at Aalsmeer handles 19 million flowers per day.
• About half the world’s cut flower supply travels through Holland to be sold at one of its large auction houses.
• Americans spend about $6.2 billion on cut flowers and purchase roughly 4 billion stems per year. Put another way: Americans buy about 10 million cut flowers per day.
• Americans spend $1.98 billion on flowers and plants for Mother’s Day.
• Anna Jarvis founded Mother’s Day in 1908 and encouraged people to send white carnations. Because it was so difficult to grow enough white carnations for the holiday, florists encouraged sons and daughters to honor their mothers by sending her favorite flower, whatever it might be.

Some of these tulips from Netherlands will end up making mothers very happy this weekend worldwide.

Monet painting sold for $41 million at Christie's

Le Pont du chemin de fer a Argenteuil by Monet. Photo: Newswine.com.

At Christie’s auction in New York, a Claude Monet painting was sold for more than $41 million dollars, a record sum for a Monet painting.

This Tuesday, Claude Monet’s “Le Pont du chemin de fer a Argenteuil", a painting of a bridge with trains passing each other over the Seine river with pleasure boats floating below, was sold for a record $41,481,000 according to Rik Pike, a Christie’s spokesman.

The previous record for a Monet painting was $36 million for his 1904 “Nympheas” sold last year.

The auction didn’t disclose the buyer, who wanted to remain anonymous. The seller is presumed to be Nahmads, a family of art dealers with galleries in New York and London.

Pike said Christie’s hoped to sell this painting for $35 million to 40 million but exceeded their expectations.

The location, Argenteuil, where Monet drew this painting, affluent Parisians used to visit this area for pleasure boating and are a popular subject for many Impressionist artists. Monet used to rent a house near the bridge and painted it in 1873.

'Greatest Living American' Steven Colbert Wins Webby Person of the Year

Stephen Colbert "Greatest Living American". Photo Comedycentral.com.

Stephen Colbert was named the “Webby Person of the Year” on Monday night, he already owns the title of “Greatest Living American”.

The annual Webby Awards honors the individuals who excel on the internet, including web sites, online film and video, mobile sites and interactive advertising worldwide.

The winners are chosen by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), a global organization of industry experts and technology innovaters, such as David Bowie, Harvey Weinstein, Matt Groening, Jamie Oliver, Internet co-inventor Vinton Cerf, RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser, Chief Creative Officer Alex Bogusky and by popular vote.

This year’s “Webby Person of the Year” goes to the “Greatest Living American” Stephen Colbert.

If you search for the term “Greatest Living American” in Google, you will see the top articles point to Stephen Colbert. Thanks to the efforts of his fans, who attached “Greatest Living American” and “Stephen Colbert” and posted comments and added articles everywhere. This put Stephen Colbert on top of the Google search list.

The Webby Award was given to Colbert for his success and use of the internet. He coined the word “truthiness”, which was later chosen as the “Word of the Year” in 2006 by Merriam-Webster. In Facebook, he became popular when a group wanted him to run for presidential elections this year. He was also able to get many of his fan to offer donations online for DonorsChoose.org. No doubt he made a big impact this year on the web.

Others who received Webby Awards were Black Eyed Peas member “will.I.am”, who won the “Webby Artist of the Year” for his “Yes I Can” video, which enlisted celebrities reciting Barack Obama’s famous speech and tagline.

Other Webby Awards were given to the following:

• Blog-Political: Huffington Post

• Blog-Cultural: PostSecret

• Magazine: National Geographic

• Newspaper: NYTimes.com

• Politics: FactCheck.org

• Community: Flickr

• Do-It Yourself/HowTo-Video: My Damn Channel's "You Suck at Photoshop"

• Weird: Passive-Aggressive Notes (Academy), I Can Has Cheezburger? (Popular Vote)

• Social Networking: Flock The Social Web Browser (Academy), Facebook (Popular Vote)

• Comedy - Long Form or Series: "Wainy Days"

Colbert will be having a field day in his show tonight after this announcement.

Vodafone to distribute iPhone in Australia, India and Egypt

Apple iPhone

British mobile phone giant Vodafone made an announcement today that it will be the main iPhone distributor in 10 new countries.

Vodafone tried to be the exclusive partner in Great Britain but Apple sided with rival O2 as its partner for UK distribution. Now, Vodafone has a chance to sell iPhone in 10 countries.

Vodafone will distribute to the following countries:

Australia, India, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, South Africa, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal and Turkey.

Some of these countries are big markets and Apple can easily reach their goals to sell 10 million phones by 2008.

Previously iPhone were available only in the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Ireland and Austria.

Vodafone said in a statement that they have signed a mutual agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone in 10 countries in 2008

The phones that it sells will be intended to work on the Vodafone network.

Rogers announced recently that they will begin to sell iPhone in Canada this year.

Google Docs Adds Multiple Embedding Options for Presentations

Multiple Embedding Options for Google Docs Presentations. Photo Googledocs.blogspot.com.

Google Docs has added an update to its presentations program, now we can add presentations in multiple sizes in blogs and sites.

Google Docs recently added an embedding tool for presentations but had only one size which didn’t allow resizing options, but now we can add presentations in small, medium and large sizes to fit the various screen sizes in blogs, websites.

Here I have added the same presentation in three sizes.


Small


Medium

Large

Small or medium sizes work best in blogs, while large is most suitable for onscreen viewing and reading.


In the presentations, besides the images and text, you can add Youtube videos. However these videos can be seen online only. If you try to export it to other presentations tools, you won’t see the video. But if you are sharing with clients having a video really helps.



Google Docs is a free, web-based word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation application. Try it now.

Nine Inch Nails give away their new Album 'The Slip' for free

"The Slip" album from Nine Inch Nails. Photo Nin.com.

Rock band Nine Inch Nails are giving away their latest music album “The Slip” for free. There are no pre-requisites; anyone can download it at no charge.

In the past, the Nine Inch Nails (NIN) gave away part of their previous album, “Ghosts I-IV” for free and sold the entire album of 36 tracks for only $5. They had phenomenal success with this novel release.

Now NIN is giving away their entire new album, “The Slip” for free as a thank you gesture.

Trent Reznor of the Nine Inch Nails said the following on his website:

As a thank you to our fans for your continued support, we are giving away the new nine inch nails album one hundred percent free, exclusively via nin.com.

The music is available in a variety of formats including high-quality MP3, FLAC or M4A lossless at CD quality and even higher-than-CD quality 24/96 WAVE. your link will include all options - all free. all downloads include a PDF with artwork and credits.

For those of you interested in physical products, fear not. we plan to make a version of this release available on CD and vinyl in July. details coming soon.

To download this album, enter your e-mail address here and NIN will then send you a link where you can download any of the four formats: MP3, FLAC or M4A lossless at CD quality and even higher-than-CD quality 24/96 WAVE for free.

Young man builds windmill from a textbook, inspiring a nation

Map of Mali.

The young Mali man got inspired after seeing a windmill in a textbook. Gathering a book and some materials, he built a few windmills to power his home and village.

In Mali, Africa, residents have poor electricity connections and most of them rely on candles and generators. William Kamkwamba, 20, however wants to change that. The video above shows how Kamkwamba was able to achieve his dreams.

Kamkwamba dropped out of school because his family couldn’t afford $80 to support his education. But that didn’t trouble him; six years ago he borrowed an old textbook that contained a photo of a windmill. On that day, his life changed forever and he was inspired to build a windmill in his home from old spare parts, blue-gum trees and bicycle parts.

He has built three windmills in his yard that power his family’s 10 six-watt light bulbs, a TV set and a radio. His current project is building another windmill for the village in which he lives. He wants it to pump water from wells and provide lighting for Masitala village in Mali, where 60 families reside.

Kamkwamba told the Wall Street Journal how he got interested in wind power:

"I was thinking about electricity…I was thinking about what I'd like to have at home, and I was thinking, 'What can I do?' "

He has larger dreams to build even more windmills that will power the entire nation. To support his dreams, a group of investors are sponsoring his education.

His parents were originally skeptical about his windmill projects but have become enthusiastic supporters. They no longer buy candles to light the home and two of Kamkwamba’s sisters are now able to study at night.

Kamkwamba has also installed a solar panel and another windmill at his home to provide for the growing power needs of his family.

He also built a windmill for the primary school in Masitala and uses it teach the other students.

Many villagers are trekking to his home and some even power their cell phones with his windmill power.

Last November, Hartford Mchazime, a Malawian educator, heard about the windmill and drove out to Kamkwamba's house with some reporters. After this news was heard and spread around the Web by bloggers, a group of entrepreneurs from Technology Entertainment Design (TED), looking for bright ideas in Africa located Kamkwamba.

He was asked to give a speech at a TED conference. After his moving speech at the conference, many entrepreneurs, African bloggers and venture capitalists offered to help him and his projects.

Kamkwamba’s teacher Lorilee MacLean however wants him to get his education first and not fall into trap of this sudden fame. He seems to be doing just that, as he is now attending a school. While he is away, his sister Dolice and cousin Geoffrey are taking care of his windmills.

Kamkwamba has his own blog and updates his windmill crusade here. Recently, he received a few laptops from the One Laptop Per Child Program as a gift. He gave the laptops away at his school.

Sylvania introduces Micro-Mini CFL with longer life and less mercury content

Gossip Girl Star Kelly Rutherford Introduces CFL. Photo: Susty.TV

Sylvania has introduced the smallest Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) in the word, it lasts for 11 years and has less mercury content than the current CFLs in the market.

Sylvania calls this micro-mini CFL, is only 3.7 inches long compared to the standard fluorescent lamp which is 4.4 inches long. Sylvania introduced this new brand at the annual LIGHT Congress show in New York City. Kelly Rutherford, a Gossip Girl TV show actress helped introduced the micro-mini “Twist” to the market.

Rutherford told the audience:

I replaced a number of the incandescent light bulbs in my house with the Sylvania micro-mini CFL and now I won’t have to think about them for another decade! It was such an easy and quick way to make my home more energy-efficient and I’m happy knowing that I’m doing my part to help the environment.

The micro-mini will work with the same outlets as the 60, 75 or 100 watt incandescent bulb. It is 30 percent smaller than a standard CFL and lasts up to 12,000 hours (or 11 years). Another unique part of this bulb is it has low mercury content, 1.5 milligrams of mercury compared to 5 milligrams in current CFLs. And if they are safely disposed, the mercury content in them can be recycled.

They are currently available at Amazon for $13.99 for a pair.

Here is the size comparison between the standard CFL and the micro-mini CFL. The standard CFL is on the left.



By changing one 60W bulb to a 13W micro-mini CFL, one can save up to $56 on an electric bill over the life of the bulb according to Sylvania. Since we have more than one in homes, the savings multiplies. If you change 5 bulbs, there is a $280 savings. Plus you don’t have to change the bulb for a decade and has lower mercury content, which is recyclable also.

LEDs which are superior than CFL will also become available soon. Till then we can use micro-mini CFLs.

Have you switched to CFLs?

Oregon Offers Full Tuition Waiver for Military Families

Oregon state. Photo: Greenwichmeantime.com

Government of Oregon has passed a state law that will provide a full tuition waiver for students from a military family who died on active duty.

Oregon State Legislature passed a law this week that will provide a full-tuition waver for either a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree program at any of the Oregon University System institution.

This special program will be available for children or spouses of service members, who either died on active duty or became 100 percent disabled in connection with military service or died due to disability sustained on active duty after September, 11, 2001.

To find this information on the tuition waiver as well as to apply to Oregon University, click the “Featured Documents and Links”.

If you are not eligible to apply in Oregon, then try the Military.com Scholarship Finder for other institutions offering either free or more benefits for military families.

Nice effort by Oregon for making this possible for bereaved military families and giving a choice for them to pursue education without a burden. Other states should do the same.

In Japan cats and dogs are more popular than babies

Chihuahua in Japan. Photo: Claudepate.com

Japanese pet industry is a massive one, first it is a 1 trillion Yen industry and second it has more dogs and cats than children under 15.

Japan seems to be moving away slowly moving from a traditional family oriented concept. Now pets are becoming a valuable member of the family, unheard of 30 or 40 years ago in Japan. Before, the Japanese respected animals but were not given too much importance. Now it is very different, there is a massive growing industry just for the pets.

The Shukan Economist newspaper in Japan estimates that nearly 1 trillion yen ($9.5 billion) is being spent for pets. There are an estimated 23 million pets (cats and dogs) more than children under 15. In comparison, the US has 100 million pets (cats and dogs) and spend about $41 billion.

Shukan Economist traced the origin of the pet booms to the 1980s when Japanese economy began to grow. The rich began to have golden retrievers as status symbols. But the economy went bust and the pet boom quickly died also. Then in 2000, there was a popular TV commercial featuring a Chihuahua, it became an instant hit. Everyone craved to have a pet Chihuahua and the best thing is anyone could afford it. So this time the pet boom stayed and kept growing to what it is now.

Lately the miniature dachshunds have gained popularity in Japan. The Japan Kennel Club estimated that there were more dachshunds than Chihuahuas 88,615 to 82,658. The toy poodles are the next favorites with 78,725.

Shukan Economist said because these dogs are tiny and cute, the owners love to give them lavish attention and care. There are special pet spas, pet gyms, pet nursing care, pet hotels, cafes, health clubs, gourmet food, clothing, jewelry and pet health insurance.

There are also pet funerals, which are as elaborate as human funerals and some owners suffer from “pet-loss syndrome” and end up seeking counseling.

The journal says because the Japanese are spending lavish attention on the pets, they are no longer interested in having children. There is a marked decline in the birth-rate of newborns.

Since many shops depend on new born babies and children are having a tough time with declining birth rate and some of them are switching to cater to pet markets according to Shukan Economist.

Masahiro Yamada, Chuo University literature professor gave the following reason for the pet boom to the human longing to be needed, a longing ironically undermined by society's greatest triumphs — freedom and independence. Independence breeds indifference, which is contagious. Only our pets need and love us unconditionally.

Yamada said in pre-modern village life, there were built-in social networks and everyone had a place in it. There was lifetime employment, stable working conditions and family and friends provided ample support. Whereas now there is casual employment, weakened family ties have led to this pet boom.

Japan has a significant aging population and if this trend continues it may affect its future.

Cuba lifting ban on home computers

Ever since Raul Castro took over the presidency in February, he has removed a number of restrictions and with this one many Cuban civilians would love to have a computer in their homes.

Cuban government has lifted a ban to sell computers at home for the first time but the ban to connect to the internet still remains.

After the ban was lifted, crowds swelled at the local Carlos III shopping center in Havana to browse the computers but only a few could afford it.

The desktop computers cost about $800, while the average worker earns less than $20 a month.

But with expatriates sending money from overseas to their family, some Cubans are able to afford computers.

With Raul Castro removing the restrictions, the Cubans are now able to buy many electronic goods such as mobile phones and DVD players.

Though the citizens are able to buy computers, internet access is not available to home, only at workplaces, schools and universities.

Cuba also doesn’t have underwater fiber-optic cables to connect to other parts of the world because of US trade embargo. They are able to connect only via satellites, but the connections are slow and expensive.

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez is now helping Cuba by laying underwater cable in the Caribbean.

The walls are tumbling down in Cuba one brick at a time, maybe they will see democracy soon after Castro’s reign.

The Worst Food in America: Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with 2900 Calories

Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with 2900 calories. Photo Menshealth.com.

Just eating one food item will fill all your calories needs not only for the day but for a few days and is rightly named the No.1 Worst Food in America.

In their article, Men’s Health names “Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing” as the No. 1 Worst Food in America.

Aussie Cheese Fries has a massive 2,900 calories, 182 grams fat and 240g carbs.

Even if you are unable to eat the whole thing and split it with friends or family, you still will have high calories more than the daily requirement. And since not everyone eats just fries, so if they have a steak, other side items, dessert, then it may exceed 3,500 calories for one meal.

To calculate your daily calories requirement, click here.

Here is the sample recipe of Aussie Cheese Fries. In the actual recipe Outback restaurant uses fresh potatoes not frozen fries.

Ingredients:

• 1 (2 lb) bag of frozen French fries
• 1 cup shredded colby-monterey jack cheese (An excellent suggestion is to use the cheese that is labeled as "Taco Cheese", cheese for Tacos.)
• 6 pieces bacon, cooked

Directions:

1. Divide the fries into half, and use the other half later.
2. Heat oil to 350 degrees.
3. If you do not have a thermostat, make sure the oil is hot enough, so that when you set a French fry in there it will cook immediately.
4. If the French fry sinks to the bottom, and barely bubbles, it is not hot enough.
5. Fry the potatoes in small batches, they are done when they are golden brown, and float to the top of the skillet.
6. Be sure to drain the potatoes on paper towels.
7. You can keep them warm in the oven while the other fries are done.
8. When all French fries are done cooking, and drained place them onto a platter.
9. Salt the French fries if you like, and sprinkle on cheese and cooked bacon.
10. Pop these back into a warm oven until the cheese begins to melt.


It may look tempting but watch out for the calories. If you still want to eat this Cheese Fries, then Men’s Health suggests starting the meal with a high protein dish like the Seared Ahi or the Shrimp on the Barbie.

Fast Foods look lame compared to this.

James Bond "Quantum of Solace" Official Movie Trailer

James Bond "Quantum of Solace" movie. Photo: IMDB.com.

Here is the official trailer of the movie James Bond “Quantum of Solace”, which will be released in November, 2008.

You can find complete details in IMDB but if you don’t want to see spoilers then you should skip reading the full synopsis here.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE continues the high octane adventures of James Bond (DANIEL CRAIG) in CASINO ROYALE. Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M (JUDI DENCH) interrogate Mr White (JESPER CHRISTENSEN) who reveals the organization which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.

MIT creates the 'intelligent' Post-It note

Quickie - MIT's Post-it Note. Photo courtesy of Tfot.info

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed the "intelligent stickies" that does more than a Post-it note could ever hope to do.

Post-it notes still comes in handy for quick reminders or references. Many have tried to replace it with a variety of inventions but nothing became a success. Scientists at the "Ambient Intelligence Group" at MIT have come up with a novel way that takes Post-it notes to a totally different level. It combines artificial intelligence (AI), RFID tags and ink recognition technologies.

The scientists call them a Quickie, which is a simple Post-it note using a special digital pen to capture the written data digitally and transfer it to the computer for later processing. The data is converted into readable text via handwriting-recognition algorithms.

Once the notes are saved in the computer, they can be searched at any time using keywords or names. Artificial intelligence techniques are then used to analyze the message content and assign them to various categories like messaging to the recipient or marking it in the calendar, etc. The video shows some of their uses.

The inventors of this Quickie system said in their research paper: "The system uses its understanding of the user's intentions, content, and the context of the notes to provide the user with reminders, alerts, messages, and just-in-time information."

The Quickie also carries an RFID tag so that it can be easily located in the house or the office.

Cave in to Knowledge

Tundra Village, Moriusaq, Greenland, 2006. Photo National Geographic.

"We should never cave in to Ignorance or Hatred,

We should cave in only to Knowledge or Love."

- Chris Veerabadran from “All Are One”.

Trucks double the gas mileage to 70 mpg using 'hypermiling' technique

Highway. Photo courtesy Rstack.com

To cope with high fuel prices, US motorists are employing “hypermiling” technique to increase gas mileage and are able to double the mileage of gas guzzling vehicles.

The “hypermiling” technique is suddenly gaining popularity. It is a technique by which the drivers can optimize the fuel economy of their vehicles by modifying their driving habits. The energy in fuel spent during driving is lost by many ways such as the engine inefficiency, aerodynamic drag, rolling friction, potential energy required to climb hills, and kinetic energy lost to braking (absent regenerative braking).


By following the “hypermiling” tips, users are able to double the gas mileage even in gas guzzling trucks.

Some of the tips to save fuel consumptions are:

* pumping up tires to the maximum rating on their sidewalls, which may be higher than levels recommended in car manuals
* using engine oil of a low viscosity
* the controversial practice of drafting behind other vehicles on the highway to reduce aerodynamic drag -- a practice begun a few years ago by truck drivers
* keeping speed down
* accelerating gently
* avoiding excessive idling
* removing cargo racks to also cut down on aerodynamic drag.

For more tips click here.

The current gasoline price is an average $3.60 per gallon. Based on a poll, gas prices are considered to be more serious than jobs and health care according to Kaiser Family Foundation.

So many are switching their cars to hybrids or driving fuel economy vehicles or skipping driving.

Once you follow these hypermiling suggestions, your vehicle exceeds in gas mileage more than recommended by your vehicle manufacturer.

Wayne Gerdes, a former nuclear plant operator from Wadsworth, Illinois, invented this concept of “hypermiling”. Gerdes told Reuters that he gets 40 to 70 mpg out of his Ford Ranger pickup truck almost twice the official consumption of 25 mpg.

He said he was able to save more than $15,000 in fuel costs.

He started involving in hypermiling after September 11 to rely less on foreign oil.

He told Reuters:

"If every vehicle in the U.S. got 45 miles per gallon, we would not import any oil,"

Deron Lovaas, vehicles campaign director at environmental group the Natural Resources Defense Council, also recommends this hypermiling technique. He however warns the users to be sensible like drafting behind fast moving trucks may pose more harm than save fuel.

Hypermiling can even make fuel-sipping gas-electric hybrid cars more efficient. Chuck Thomas, 50, a computer programmer from Lewisville, Texas, said he has been getting 71 mpg from his Honda Insight, a hybrid whose EPA rating is 58 mpg, in the two years since he has been hypermiling.

Thomas uses “pulse and glide” hypermiling technique. He accelerates the vehicle at first and then drives with the engine off until it drops down to 15 mph. He then starts the engine back again and accelerates and repeats the process.

Check the hypermiling site for more tips.

Links for Google's Help Files

Here is a complete list of help files from Google's Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Desktop and others. You will find answers for your various questions and also tips. The links contain information about features, tutorials, trouble shooting guides and more.


Gmail Help: http://mail.google.com/support/?fulldump=1

Google Calendar Help: http://www.google.com/support/calendar/?fulldump=1

Google Docs Help: http://docs.google.com/support/?fulldump=1

Google Spreadsheets: http://docs.google.com/support/spreadsheets/?fulldump=1

Google Presentations: http://docs.google.com/support/presentations/?fulldump=1

Google Reader Help: http://www.google.com/support/reader/?fulldump=1

Google Video Help: http://video.google.com/support/?fulldump=1

YouTube Help: http://www.google.com/support/youtube/?fulldump=1

AdSense Help: https://www.google.com/adsense/support/?fulldump=1

Analytics Help: http://www.google.com/support/googleanalytics?fulldump=1

Google Desktop Help: http://desktop.google.com/support/?fulldump=1

Picasa Help: http://picasa.google.com/support/?fulldump=1

Google Toolbar for IE: http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/?fulldump=1

Google Toolbar for Firefox: http://www.google.com/support/firefox/?fulldump=1

Google Earth (PDF): http://earth.google.com/userguide/v4/google_earth_user_guide.pdf

Verbarius - An 'It is what it is' clock

Verbarius Clock. Photo courtesy of Artlebedev.ru

A Russian based designing company has come up with a clock that will tell time like the way people do. No more digital or analog display just time in words.

We wonder what else they can do with a clock or a watch, whatever needs to be done seems to have been done already by the Swiss and others. But then come clocks like this “Verbarius” that shows time whatever the current time is in words.

For example instead of displaying the time in analog or digital display, it shows time in the form of “Thirty nine minutes past four”, “Ten past one”, “Quarter to six”, “Ten minutes to five” and so on just like people tell time.

Verbarius is made by Art Lebedev Studio, a Russian designing company.

The clock comes in five preloaded languages: English, German, Spanish, French and Russian..

Specifications for the clock:

* Dimensions (W × H × D): 7.9 × 2.8 × 1.7 in (200 ×70 ×42 mm)

* AC Voltage Power supply 110/220V.

* CR2032 battery in case of power failure.

* 512MB SD Card included.

* USB Connector to PC to download other languages from the internet.

The price for this Verbarius is 148.57 Euros ($184.92).

We saw in an earlier article, a clock that bends with time and space, a $300,000 watch that doesn’t show time just day and night and now this. What is next, a clock that will tell us to get out of bed?