tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51198122061001765462024-03-08T05:43:22.308-08:00PK Science & TechnologyKamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-72299548711865860572009-09-25T07:45:00.000-07:002009-09-25T07:46:37.354-07:00Water detected on the Moon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://d.yimg.com/hb/xp/afp/20090924/17/1184142929-water-detected-on-the-moon.jpg?x=360&y=275&sig=8WL5Hufmm8XAgUgqvfzWKA--"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 307px; height: 238px;" src="http://d.yimg.com/hb/xp/afp/20090924/17/1184142929-water-detected-on-the-moon.jpg?x=360&y=275&sig=8WL5Hufmm8XAgUgqvfzWKA--" alt="" border="0" /></a><div class="bd"><div class="media"><div class="media-item media-double"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:85%;" ><cite class="caption">Water particles have been detected on the surface of the Moon by three missions, including an Indian</cite><cite class="caption"> probe.</cite></span><br />WASHINGTON (AFP) - – Water particles have been detected on the surface of the Moon by three missions, including an Indian probe.<br /><div style="text-align: left;">The evidence, disclosed in new scientific papers, overturns the long accepted view that lunar soil is dry and comes just two weeks before a NASA probe is to crash into the surface near the Moon's southern pole to see if water can be detected in the dust and debris released by the impact.<br /></div>The new data was gathered by probes equipped with NASA instruments designed to map the Moon's mineral composition.<br />The so-called "Moon Mineralogy Mapper," or M3, uses the reflection of sunlight off the Moon's surface to determine soil composition.<br />In one of the three papers published in the latest edition of the journal Science, researchers said they analyzed light waves detected by an M3 instrument on board an Indian satellite, Chandrayyan-1.<br />The reflected light waves indicated a chemical bond between oxygen and hydrogen -- proof, the researchers said, of the existence of water on the Moon's surface.<br />Larry Taylor of the University of Tennessee, one of the study's co-authors, said the instrument is capable of detecting the composition of the thin upper layer of the Moon's surface only to a depth of two or three inches.<br />Until now, scientists had advanced the theory that there might be ice at the permamently dark bottom of craters at the Moon's poles but that the rest of the Moon was totally dry.<br />Lunar rocks and soil contain about 45 percent oxygen, but the source of the the hydrogen observed by the instruments on the three probes remains to be determined.<br />Taylor and his colleagues believe it may have come from an astronomical phenomenon called the solar wind, which consist mainly of streams of positively charged hydrogen atoms emitted as the sun undergoes nuclear fusion.<br />They estimate that each ton of lunar soil consists of 25 percent water.<br />Two other probes equipped with M3-type instruments also detected the chemical signature for the presence of water.<br />These include data gathered by the American spacecraft Cassini as it passed near the moon a decade agon on its way to Saturn.<br />The third probe, also American, was Deep Impact, which was launched toward the comet Tempel-1 in 2005 to pierce it with a projectile in order to analyze the dust cloud created by the impact.<br />Deep Impact passed near the Moon to gather data with an instrument similar to M3.<br />Samples of lunar rock and soil brought back to Earth by Apollo astronauts in the 1960s also contained traces of water.<br />But the containers in which they were transported were not hermetically sealed so researchers dismissed the presence of water as coming from the Earth.<br />"To some extent, we were fooled," said Taylor, who has studied the original Apollo missions. "Since the boxes leaked, we just assumed the water we found was from contamination with terrestrial air."<br />Indian scientists lost radio contact with the Chandrayaan-1 lunar satellite last month, but it had already collected enough data to provide the firmest evidence so far of water concentrated near the lunar poles.<br />"To find water on the moon was one of the main objectives," mission director Mylswamy Annadurai told AFP in Bangalore.<br />"The baby has done its job," a clearly delighted Annadurai said. "It's a major milestone, although we still have to quantify the findings."<br />"It was a combined team effort and of great significance for international space cooperation," he added.<a href="http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20090924/tts-us-astronomy-moon-science-972e412.html"> link....</a><br /></div> </div> <div class="content"> </div> </div>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-78952996702580080752009-09-23T00:11:00.000-07:002009-09-23T00:14:43.839-07:00Private Companies Compete for the Best Lunar Module<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/armadillo-aerospace-lunar-module.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 273px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/armadillo-aerospace-lunar-module.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">A number of private firms take part in a competition for creating the best <strong>lunar module</strong>. The winner will receive $1 million prize. Currently the leader is considered to be the Texas-based firm called <strong>Armadillo Aerospace</strong> that carried out back-to-back flights of its Scorpius. The competition was launched by <strong>NASA</strong> and participants have time till October 31st.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />All participants will be judged by the accuracy of their vehicles' landings on pads as well as by how long these vehicles will fly. It is worth mentioning that the pads are 60 meters apart and one of them is constructed on rocky, pitted landscape that was developed to resemble the terrain on the lunar surface. It is worth mentioning that Armadillo Aerospace was the 2008 winner of the $350,000 prize for presenting a demonstration flight of its vehicle. Thus $1.65 million remain for the contest's main leg and runners-up.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />The $2 million Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge is just the starting point of a richer competition to create a spacecraft that would actually land of the lunar surface. Up till now 20 teams registered for the competition to win the <strong>$30 million Google Lunar X Prize</strong>.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><em><br />"We feel it's absolutely within the capacity of private industry to land on the moon,"</em> said William Pomerantz, who manages the lunar space contests for the X Prize Foundation. The competition attracted both, aerospace veterans and talented beginners. One of the contest's goals is to prepare the base for <strong>commercial space travels</strong>, which would be less expensive and take advantage of more proficient ways of studying and exploiting space.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><em><br />"Our teams are not wholly dependent on NASA, but certainly they're all viewing NASA as anchor tenant that can help them get to where they want to go more cheaply and more regularly,"</em> Pomerantz was quoted by Discovery News as saying. <strong>Bethesda</strong>, Md.-based Futron Corp., estimated that in ten years the commercial lunar services will represent an industry worth between $1 and $1.5 billion. According to the company's report of July 2009, in the next decade there will be 6 markets that would be involved in commercial lunar services, including: the sale of hardware to governments; services for government customers; products intended for commercial industries and entertainment.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Jeff Foust, Futron analyst, mentioned: <em>"If one or more teams are able to win this prize competition, they will be able to serve markets potentially far larger than the prize purse"</em>. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/hi-tech/private-companies-compete-for-the-best-lunar-module.html">link....</a><br /></span>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-50262138613281801942009-09-23T00:09:00.000-07:002009-09-23T00:11:10.302-07:00Brits Voted Michael Faraday the Greatest British Inventor<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/faraday-greatest-british-inventor.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 293px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/faraday-greatest-british-inventor.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Yesterday a survey revealed that <strong>Michael Faraday</strong> is considered to be the greatest British inventor. It is worth mentioning that the discoveries of the famous English chemist and physicist led to great developments in the fields of <strong>electromagnetism and electrochemistry</strong>. He can be called the father <strong>electric motor technology</strong>.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Around 1,200 people voted Faraday as the greatest British inventor, which is about quarter of all votes. <strong>Isambard Kingdom Brunel</strong>, British engineer who was the first to design propeller-driven steamship, was voted second, with 13 percents of all votes. The third in the list of greatest British inventors was <strong>William Caxton</strong> (9 percent) - he was the one who introduced the printing press into England. As a website with a great number of articles on latest inventions, www.InfoNIAC.com team hopes you will enjoy our latest stories on new inventions from various fields. Feel free to check the links at the bottom of the story.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />The top 20 list continued with the inventor of television <strong>John Logie Baird</strong> (8 percent) and the person who invented the first working telephone <strong>Alexander Graham Bell</strong> (7 percent). Two percent of votes received <strong>Sir Clive Sinclair</strong>, the inventor of the pocket calculator, reports The Telegraph. Among other names in the list there were <strong>Frank Whittle</strong>, who together with Germany's Dr. Hans von Ohain invented the jet engine, and <strong>Percy Shaw</strong>, English inventor and businessman who development the Catseye. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/science/brits-voted-michael-faraday-the-greatest-british-inventor.html">link....</a><br /></span>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-57365600817675490602009-09-23T00:04:00.000-07:002009-09-23T00:08:06.540-07:00General Things to Know About Trojan Horse Viruses<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/trojan-horse-virus-malware.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 303px; height: 244px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/trojan-horse-virus-malware.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">In short, a <strong>Trojan horse virus</strong> represents a malware that infects a system to help its author illegally gain access to a computer for various reasons, including stealing personal information, obtaining passwords and detailed data of bank accounts. Trojan horses differ from common computer viruses and worms by the fact that they do not replicate themselves.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />It is rather easy to get infected by the Trojan horse virus. There are several ways using which Trojan horse viruses manage to penetrate a computer. For example, a Trojan horse can be hidden in an <strong>e-mail attachment</strong>, freeware and shareware programs. Probably the most popular way of getting infecting is visiting websites that feature a Trojan horse, with the latter being downloaded without any notice. It is highly advised to regularly screen your computer and remove Trojan horse using <strong>automated anti-spyware</strong> or <strong>anti-Trojan software</strong>.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />A Trojan horse virus could be included in a program that at first sight appears to be rather harmless. With just a small Trojan horse virus, the hacker can install other computer viruses on the infected computer or enter the system through the back door. Although there are several types of Trojan horse programs, all of them perform (more or less) two main functions: watching and monitoring, and stealing and hijacking.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><br />Watching and Monitoring Trojan Horses</strong></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />These Trojan horses try to gain as much information as possible about the user and his or her surfing habits. Hacker who monitors the Trojan horse will then attempt to use the gathered information for various purposes, like selling the data to parties that might be interested in it. Often such Trojan horse viruses are written carefully and cannot be easily spotted on the infected system, because the longer a Trojan horse resides in a computer the more information its developer receives.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><br />Stealing and Hijacking Trojan Horses</strong></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />These Trojan horses are somewhat more dangerous. Hackers use such viruses to carry out much more dangerous actions. Often these Trojan horses attempt to gain detailed data on banking passwords. In addition, a Trojan horse can be used to run other software programs and launch a Denial of Service Attack. Today DDOS attacks represent a big business with individuals or a group of people providing such services in return for a financial motivation. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/hi-tech/general-things-to-know-about-trojan-horse-viruses.html">link....</a><br /></span>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-90600035484356165022009-09-23T00:01:00.000-07:002009-09-23T00:04:03.961-07:00Swimming Robot to Analyze Biodiversity in Shallow Water<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/gymnobot-robot-fish.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 240px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/gymnobot-robot-fish.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Nature (and namely the <strong>Amazonian knifefish</strong>) served as inspiration for scientists at the <strong>University of Bath</strong>, who are working on their <strong>latest invention</strong> - a new <strong>swimming robot</strong><strong>Ocean Technologies Lab</strong><strong>Gymnobot</strong>. that might revolutionize submersible technology. Researchers from in the University's Department of Mechanical Engineering dubbed their project</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Their latest invention is powered by a fin that operates the length of the underside of the robot's body that undulates in order to produce a wave in the water, thus pushing the Gymnobot forward. Such design is considered to be more <strong>energy-saving</strong> compared to earlier propeller models, making it possible for the robot to swim in shallow water.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Researchers could use their latest invention to film, takes pictures and analyze the rich marine life that evolves near the seashore.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />According to Keri Collins, a postgraduate student, who created the Gymnobot, the goal of using the robot is to observe the evolution of vortices around the fin. She mentioned that some fish make vortices when flipping their tails one way, but after that their tales flick back the other way, thus destroying the vortices. </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><br />"By destroying the vortex they are effectively re-using the energy in that swirling bit of water. The less energy left in the wake when the fish has passed, the less energy is wasted,"</em> said Collins. It is worth mentioning that the Ocean Technologies Lab was given a grant to collaborate with other 6 institutions from Europe in order to develop a robot similar to Gymnobot that could respond to water flow and swim against water currents, reports the official website of the University of Bath. Such machines could be used to study not only the biodiversity in the shallow water, but also <strong>identifying pollution</strong> or examining structures such as oil rings. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/hi-tech/latest-invention-swimming-robot-to-analyze-biodiversity-in-shallow-water.html">link....</a><br /></span>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-5739783652431813852009-09-22T23:57:00.000-07:002009-09-22T23:59:41.140-07:00New Solar Panels Generate Energy from Indirect Sunlight<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/latest-invention-colored-solar-panels1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 323px; height: 259px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/latest-invention-colored-solar-panels1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Commonly used <strong>solar cells</strong> require direct sunlight in order to be able to produce electricity. If these solar cells do not get enough sunlight, their efficiency considerably drops. Recently engineers from <strong>GreenSun Energy</strong>, a company based in Tel Aviv, presented their <strong>latest invention</strong> - a solar cell able to produce power from diffused light. The new solar cell features a specialized colored panel, resembling a colored plexi-glass.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />According to GreenSun Energy, their latest invention has its glass made with <strong>fluorescent dyes and nanoparticle metals</strong>. Besides being more efficient, the new solar cells could also have a lower cost compared to traditional solar cells. Another advantage of the new solar cells is that they require <strong>80 percent less silicon</strong> than the traditional ones (less silicon means a lower cost of production). When sunlight (be it direct or indirect) touches the panels, it disperses across and the metal nanoparticles bring the sunlight to the edges where the silicon is placed.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />The company's latest invention costs $2.10/W and is 12 percent more efficient than the traditional solar cell, which costs around $4.54/W. In addition, the conventional solar cells have efficiency loss because of the heat that doesn't turn into energy, informs CleanTechnica. In the new solar panels, the sunlight is diffused across the entire panel, thus nanoparticles are able to bring light to the edges of the panel where the light is transformed into energy. You can read more about various green technologies and eco-friendly developments here at www.InfoNIAC.com - please check the links at the bottom of the article. Currently the Tel Aviv-based company is working on making its latest invention even more efficient.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Engineers at GreenSun look forward towards <strong>increasing the efficiency</strong> of their new solar cell from 12 percent to 20 percent. They also hope to <strong>reduce the costs</strong> of producing the new panels to $0,94/W. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/environment/latest-invention-new-solar-panels-generate-energy-from-indirect-sunlight.html">link....</a><br /></span>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-90382723973517713832009-09-22T23:53:00.000-07:002009-09-22T23:55:32.689-07:00Rent-a-Friend Agencies Are a Hit in Japan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/wedding-party-cheering.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 274px; height: 195px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/wedding-party-cheering.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">A new trend is rapidly developing in the land of the rising sun. Japan witnesses a great demand for <strong>rent-a-friend agencies</strong> that offer their service for people who are looking for a friend, husband, boss, uncle etc.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><br />Hagemashi Tai (<em>I Want to Cheer You Up</em>)</strong> is one of such agencies. It was opened three-and-a-half years ago by 44-year-old Ryuichi Ichinokawa, who decided to launch his agency after abandoning his goal of becoming a qualified counselor.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Mr. Ichinokawa says that he has had numerous requests since he successfully completed his mission as best man and was applauded for his speech at a wedding.</span><em><br />"People wanted women, old and young people, all sorts, but of course I couldn't play all those roles myself,"</em><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Mr. Ichinokawa was quoted by the Guardian as saying. He decided to hire people to help him with the task and today his agency features 30 agents of both sexes. All of his agents work in different parts of the country, temporarily playing roles of people who are in the right time and at the right place.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />For turning up a wedding party, the agents can charge only 15,000 yen ($162). However, in case agents are asked to do an additional task like singing or making a speech, they will charge extra money. The job requires knowing a lot of details, analyzing every possible situation, otherwise things could get worse and the agent could for example embarrass his client and affect his status. But Mr. Ichinokawa proudly says that since he opened his agency he has never been caught out.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Some of the first rent-a-friend agencies in Japan opened eight years ago and today there are ten agencies like Hagemashi Tai, one of the most popular being <strong>Office Agent</strong>, which can boast with 1,000 people on its books. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/offbeat-news/rent-a-friend-agencies-are-a-hit-in-japan.html">link....</a><br /></span>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-36673900063189029202009-09-22T23:46:00.000-07:002009-09-22T23:52:45.235-07:00The History and Description of Trojan Horse Virus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/trojan-horse-virus-detected.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 214px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/trojan-horse-virus-detected.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">First of all it would be useful to state that a <strong>Trojan horse virus</strong> represents an infectious program able to cause serious damage to a computer. The Trojan horse can infect a user's machine without being noticed. As soon as it penetrates a computer, the Trojan horse scans it with the goal of <strong>stealing personal data</strong>.<br />One of the earliest Trojan horse viruses was detected in the 1980s, when several computers were affected. As it was earlier mentioned Trojan horse viruses are created in order to steal useful information such as passwords. They are developed by hackers, who, after stealing data, can use the information for various purposes, including blackmailing. Some of the first Trojan horse viruses were able to infect <strong>Windows32 files</strong>, but since then these programs evolved, and today they can cause even more harm.<br />The name of the Trojan horse comes from a story from <strong>Greek mythology</strong> about the siege of Troy. Greeks were unable to conquer the city until they built a huge wooden Trojan horse and hid a number of warriors in it. The wooden horse was supposed to be a present from the Greeks, informing that they sailed away and no longer wanted to conquer the city. When the Trojan horse was pulled into the city, the small army of Greeks inside it waited till dark and then invaded the Troy, destroying it, thus leading to the end of the war. In contrast to the wooden Trojan horse, the Trojan horse virus spread worldwide and is still popular today.<br />According to some online sources the first Trojan horse virus was dubbed the pest trap, also known as <strong>Spy Sheriff</strong>. This Trojan horse managed to infect about one million PCs worldwide. It did not damage any files on a computer, instead it led to the appearance of a large number of pop-ups, most of them looking like warnings that warned users about the necessity to installs some kind of software application. As soon as the Trojan horse computer virus was installed on the machine, it was quite difficult to get rid of it. In case the user tried to erase it, the Trojan horse would simply reinstall itself from hidden affected data files on the computer.<br />Often Trojan horse viruses come in packages that at first sight seem to be rather harmless. However, this is exactly what a Trojan horse should do until it affects a computer so hackers could remotely control the programs of the infected machine. There was a popular case that involved a professor who was accused of downloading about 1,000 child porn images, but who was released after it was discovered that the professor's computer was affected by a Trojan horse virus that downloaded the pictures. Despite the false accusations, the outcome of the situation had a serious impact on the professor's reputation.<br />During the 1980s there was an increase of the <strong>Bulletin Board System</strong>, which was computer system running software that permitted users to penetrate the system through a phone line. The BBS contributed to a fast spread of Trojan horse viruses, because after users logged in, they carried out such functions as uploading and downloading software and data sharing (some of which was infected). At that time computer viruses were created to aim popular software traders.<br />A dangerous Trojan horse virus was the <strong>Vundo</strong>, which used a lot of memory of the operating system at different intervals and generated a lot of pop-ups that informed the user about a number of software programs that need to be installed on the computer. The installed software included one or more computer viruses. Unlike the Spy Sheriff, it was rather easy to get rid of Vundo. There is one important thing to remember: a Trojan horse virus cannot be turned on unless a user doesn't activate the program that features the virus. It is important that you do not download unknown programs, especially if someone or something persuades you to do so. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/hi-tech/the-history-and-description-of-trojan-horse-virus.html">link....</a><br /></span>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-28403564424031347002009-09-19T09:23:00.000-07:002009-09-19T09:25:50.530-07:00Artist Builds Biggest Fairytale Sandcastlethis post is quite old but interesting.<br />When he was a kid, <strong>Paul Hoggard</strong> did not get the chance to build a sandcastle, but when he grew up he<img src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/paul-hoggard-and-sandcastle.jpg" alt="" align="right" border="0" /> decided to make his dream come true, and now that he is older, and more experienced, the sandcastle of his dreams should be more than just a small heap of sand.Despite the fact that Mr. Hoggard has been a sand master for over a decade, only recently he managed to finish his most impressive sand creation - a huge fortress that is bigger than three double-decker buses, being <strong>8 meters (26 feet) high</strong> and almost <strong>24 meters (80 feet) wide</strong>.<br />To make his magical fortress, the artist used <strong>300 tons of sand</strong>. The whole project was completed in a week with the help of ten sculptors, who were guided by Mr. Hoggard. The team worked near <strong>Scheveningen, Holland</strong>, which is considered to be the home of sand art. <em><br />"This was certainly one of the biggest sandcastles I've made and it was really fun to see everyone's faces when it was built. I don't think there is any other art form where you can build something this big so quickly,"</em> said the sand artist. <div class="text full"> <img style="width: 427px; height: 355px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/big-sandcastle.jpg" alt="" align="left" border="0" /></div>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-75046363489692085542009-09-19T09:15:00.001-07:002009-09-19T09:22:54.048-07:00Artist Tricks Viewers with Stunning 3D Imagesthis post is not quite old but interesting.<br />Artist <strong>John Pugh</strong> fooled a lot of people by creating stunning lifelike scenes on walls of absolutely intact buildings.<br />If you take a look at the picture below, you might see a hole in the wall and a woman looking inside the room. Neither the damaged wall nor the woman are real, both are <strong>3D images</strong> of Pugh. The scene was painted on a building found on Main Street in the town of <strong>Los Gatos</strong>. Inside you can see jaguar gods, which the Mayans see as the ones who produce earthquakes. <img style="width: 428px; height: 318px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/lifelike-painted-wall.jpg" alt="" align="left" border="0" /><br /><p>The talented artist is expert in <strong>trompe l'oeil</strong>, which means <strong>"trick of the eye"</strong> art. According to Pugh, people enjoy being visually tricked. The works of the California-born artist can be observed in different countries from New Zealand to Hawaii.</p><p>The work below illustrates a huge wave that is about to crash on to a pavement. It can be seen in Honolulu, Hawaii. The entire work was made in about 8 months. Pugh did not work alone, however, with 11 artists helping to accomplish the scene, which <img style="width: 428px; height: 289px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/3d-lifelike-image.jpg" alt="" align="left" border="0" />includes <strong>Queen Lili'uokalani with Duke Kahanamoku</strong>. The former was the last monarch of the Hawaiian Islands and the only queen who ruled the Kingdom of Hawai'i while Kahanamoku is the first person included in the Surfing Hall of Fame.<br /></p><p>Pugh's work is so realistic that once, when it was almost finished, a fire brigade stopped nearby and its members jumped out to save the children in the painting. <em>"They got about 15 feet away and then doubled over laughing when they realized what it was,"</em> said the artist.</p><p>Pugh says that his lifelike scenes help him communicate with a large number of people.</p>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-7485892513281475062009-09-19T09:03:00.000-07:002009-09-19T09:14:31.024-07:00Artist Recreated Mona Lisa Using Burger Grease<span style="font-size:85%;">this post is not quite old but interesting<br /></span>Phil Hansen is an artist who succeeded in recreating the famo<img src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/mona-lisa-from-burger-grease.jpg" alt="" align="right" border="0" />us Leonardo Da Vinci painting of <strong>Mona Lisa</strong> with the help of <strong>14 </strong><strong>grease-laden burgers</strong>.<br />The idea was brought by a <strong>fast food company</strong> that had the goal of showing the amount of fat that featured in the food of its competitors.<br />Over the internet the company posted a one-minute video in which the 29-year-old Hansen illustrates his work on an 11-foot canvas, created from butcher paper.<br />The <strong>advertising video</strong> was created for the US restaurant chain <strong>Arby's</strong>. It is worth mentioning that in 2008 the artist, who is from Minneapolis, made a similar painting using chips. <em><br />"People said it was a nice recreation and there were lots of comments on the nastiness of how it was made. Many of the people who saw it had just eaten a hamburger that day - they were a bit grossed out by the idea,"</em> said Hansen. <div class="text full"> <center><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8zA4gwcIlng&hl=ru&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8zA4gwcIlng&hl=ru&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object></center> <strong><a href="http://www.infoniac.com/"><br /></a></strong> </div><a href="http://www.infoniac.com/offbeat-news/artist-recreated-mona-lisa-using-burger-grease.html"><br /></a>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-21834150692075611162009-09-19T08:46:00.000-07:002009-09-19T08:53:46.938-07:00Artist Helps Create a Hotel From 200,000 Plastic Cards<h1 class="titleRed"><span></span></h1> <div class="text full"><p><img src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/holiday-inn-key-card-hotel-reception.jpg" alt="" align="right" border="0" />In case you don't know what to do with unwanted hotel key cards that this story might just interest you. Recently <strong>Holiday Inn's Key Card Hotel</strong> was presented in <strong>Manhattan, New York</strong>. The hotel features a guest bedroom, bathroom and lobby, but what is really impressive it that everything in the hotel is made of plastic hotel key cards, including <strong>life-sized furniture</strong>. </p> <p>The building weights 2 tons and occupies an area of 400 square feet. Holiday Inn's Key Card Hotel will be opened for business on September 21st. It was created with the help of the famous "card-stacker" <strong>Bryan Berg</strong>. <em>"This is my largest card-stacking challenge to date and the only card creation I have ever made at full human scale,"</em> said the artist and world-record holder. </p> <p>Using Holiday Inn playing cards, Mr. Berg looks forward to create a 9ft copy of the Empire State Building, which will be located in the lobby of the hotel. According to Kevin Kowalski, senior vice president of global brand management at Holiday Inn, the Key Card Hotel is the only hotel on the planet to be made of plastic cards, reports Daily Mail. </p> <p>Previously at www.InfoNIAC.com we wrote about the talented artist, who at the age of 17 managed to break the world record by creating the World's Tallest House of Freestanding Playing Cards that was 14ft 6in high. </p> <img style="width: 431px; height: 293px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/holiday-inn-key-card-hotel.jpg" alt="" align="left" border="0" /><br /><img style="width: 430px; height: 442px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/holiday-inn-key-card-hotel-furniture.jpg" alt="" align="left" border="0" /></div>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-55545338908949556812009-09-19T08:37:00.000-07:002009-09-19T08:44:07.446-07:00System That Allows Robots to Ask Humans for HelpSystem That Allows Robots to Ask Humans for Help<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/pr2-robot-willow-garage.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 252px; height: 307px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/pr2-robot-willow-garage.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Researchers from <strong>Willow Garage</strong>, a robotics company from Palo Alto, California, are currently working on their <strong>latest invention</strong> - a <strong>system that would train a robot</strong> to ask for help. Asking for help might be easy for humans, but it is one of the most difficult tasks in <strong>artificial intelligence</strong>.<br />Scientists look forward to make it possible for a robot to ask humans to help it identify some objects that the machine cannot recognize. If the project proves to be successful, it might be a great step towards developing robots that could operate autonomously and navigate safely across different types of buildings, interacting with various objects. Although computers are able to recognize certain objects, the task gets difficult when there's not enough illumination or the angle is not appropriate.<br />The problem with recognizing objects occurred at Willow Garage when researchers were developing the <strong>Personal Robot 2 (PR2)</strong>. Together with the team from Willow Garage, Alex Sorokin from <strong>University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign</strong> came up with an idea of creating a system that could allow PR2 to ask for help from humans when it cannot identify certain objects. His latest invention takes advantage of <strong>Amazon's Mechanical Turk</strong>, an online marketplace that connects workers and employers that have to accomplish simple tasks.<br />Here's how the system works in PR2: the robot takes a picture of the objects it is unable to recognize and conveys it to Mechanical Turk. Then workers use the software developed by Sorokin to draw an outline around the object in the photo and give it a name. Each processed image is charged between 3 and 15 cents, reports NewScientist. During the first tests, researchers analyzed the abilities of PR2 to move around the company's offices, taking pictures of unidentified objects and sending them every few seconds to be processed and several minutes later the robot received the pictures.<br />According to Sorokin, his latest invention will allow robots to gain knowledge of new surroundings. New types of robots will be able to perform a variety of tasks, for example a <strong>cleaning robot</strong> could analyze a building first, taking images and asking people to process them to help the machine build up a model of the environment and its objects. Practically this means that robots will soon be able to operate for long periods of time without human intervention. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/hi-tech/latest-invention-system-that-allows-robots-to-ask-humans-for-help.html">link....</a><br /></span>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-22764255185857142922009-09-19T08:33:00.000-07:002009-09-19T08:37:01.643-07:00Planck Telescope Sends First Pictures that Offer Clues About the Evolution of the Universe<p>The first images of <strong>Planck observatory</strong>, which was sent into outer space to collect data about the origins of the universe, have been finally received, providing some clues about the past. </p> <img style="width: 428px; height: 258px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/planck-first-images.jpg" alt="" align="left" border="0" />It is worth mentioning that earlier this year the <strong>European Space Agency</strong> launched the telescope 0.9 million miles (about <strong>1.5 million km</strong>) into space. Its goal was to analyze the age, contents as well as the <strong>evolution of the universe</strong>. The first images that were received from Planck illustrate the pieces of ancient light across the sky.Scientists will require two years to study the images and try to find some information about the beginning of the universe. Planck studies the heat left by the Big Bang millions of years ago. Researchers dubbed this heat <strong>Cosmic Microwave Background radiation</strong> (CMB), reports Space.com.<br />Analyzing the heat left by the Big Bang is like trying to measure the heat of a rabbit that sits on the moon's surface from Earth. According to Dr David Clements, of <strong>Imperial College London</strong>, the space observatory is showing promising results, doing better than earlier generations of Cosmic Microwave Background radiation experiments.<em><br />"We've a while to wait before we finish the all sky survey, but these first results show we'll get spectacular results and new insights into the birth of the universe once it's done,"</em> he said.<br />The operational life of the observatory is 15 months and during this time Planck is expected to collect information for two whole sky maps. Researchers believe that when its returns, the observatory will provide huge amount of data that will keep scientists busy for the next few decades. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/science/planck-telescope-sends-first-pictures-that-offer-clues-about-the-evolution-of-the-universe.html">link....</a>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-54892661231606969802009-09-19T08:29:00.000-07:002009-09-19T08:32:58.946-07:00World's Biggest Burger Weights Almost 83Kg<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/biggest-burger-in-the-world.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 237px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/biggest-burger-in-the-world.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>In the picture you can see the <strong>biggest burger in the world</strong>. Weighting over 13 stones, which is about <strong>82.5 kilograms</strong>, the burger was recorded in the <strong>Guinness Book of World Records</strong>.<br />The burger is <strong>available for $499</strong> and anyone, who is not <strong>worried about extra weight</strong>, can purchase the burger at <strong>Mallie's Sports Grill and Bar</strong> located in Southgate, Michigan, USA.<br />Steve Mallie, who owns the restaurant, mentioned that in order to bake the bread roll that would hold the burger the restaurant workers required 8 hours, reports Metro.co.uk.<em><br />"I've worked my entire life to build this restaurant and being able to have the notoriety of Guinness makes it just that bit more rewarding,"</em> said Maillie.<br />It is worth mentioning that before the burger was topped with such ingredients as cheese, lettuce and tomato, and then brought into the restaurant on a trolley, it was baked for 15 hours. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/offbeat-news/world-s-biggest-burger-weights-almost-83kg.html">link....</a>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-23533685605901664152009-09-19T08:26:00.000-07:002009-09-19T08:29:12.075-07:00E-nose That Detects a Smoker<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/e-nose-identifies-smokers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 212px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/e-nose-identifies-smokers.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">A research team at the <strong>University of New South Wales</strong> in Sydney, Australia, recently presented their <strong>latest invention</strong> - an <strong>e-nose</strong> that is able to detect whether a person is a smoker or not. The e-nose features 32 sensors that help it spot the <strong>volatile organic compounds</strong> (VOCs) in an individual's breath in case the person had smoked a cigarette.<br />The electrical resistance of the sensor alters when different VOCs are identified. Researchers tested their latest invention and the results were promising - the device managed to detect 37 out of 39 people who either smoke or those who don't.<br />Led by Paul Thomas, the team of researchers concluded that the e-nose could prove to be very useful due to the fact that it easily identifies smokers without the need of blood or urine test. A high level of interest towards this latest invention was shown by insurers that might use the e-nose to test people who apply for <strong>health or life insurance</strong>.<br />The device could also prove to be <strong>helpful for</strong> <strong>transplant clinics</strong>, due to the fact that it is strictly prohibited for a patient to smoke after a heart transplant. Though it is obvious that smoking after such operation is extremely dangerous, in 2001 about 15 percent of Australians, who received a new heart, continued smoking shortly after the surgery<br />Still, scientists say that their latest invention should pass a number of additional tests before being officially declared commercially available. A spokesman for the <strong>UK Department of Health</strong> mentioned that tests on a larger scale are required to prove the e-nose's clinical effectiveness. In addition, the device has to be accepted by patients. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/hi-tech/latest-invention-e-nose-that-detects-a-smoker.html">link....</a><br /></span>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-59536903080441509242009-09-19T08:19:00.000-07:002009-09-19T08:24:42.729-07:00Precision Urban Hopper that Springs Vertically Over High Objects<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/latest-invention-precision-urban-hopper.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 305px; height: 206px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/latest-invention-precision-urban-hopper.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Meet the <strong>Precision Urban Hopper</strong>, the latest military invention that is able to easily pass through a bumpy terrain and spring vertically over various obstacles as high as 25 feet.<br />The hopper was built by <strong>Boston Dynamics</strong>, a company that specializes in developing advanced dynamic robots. Their previous projects include BigDog and PETMAN. Boston Dynamics managed to sign a contract with <strong>Sandia National Laboratories</strong>, the developer of science-based technologies for national security, to create the next gen Precision Urban Hopper.<br />The company's <strong>latest invention</strong> represents a shoebox-sized unmanned robot that features GPS and most importantly its hopping is 5 times <strong>more fuel-efficient</strong> compared to hovering in case the object that is to be conquered is shorter than 30 feet tall. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/hi-tech/latest-invention-precision-urban-hopper-that-springs-vertically-over-high-objects.html">link....</a> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fVirg8otLpQ&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fVirg8otLpQ&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-73519398539463751672009-09-19T08:11:00.001-07:002009-09-19T08:13:51.166-07:00Top 7 Most Dangerous Computer Viruses of the 20th Century<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/computer-virus-enter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/computer-virus-enter.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The 20th century was a period when computer viruses saw light and managed to cause serious damages to unprepared users and their machines. Millions of users downloaded computer viruses without even knowing about it. To <strong>download a computer virus</strong> one simply needed to click on a certain link or open an email attachment. Hackers used various ways of penetrating the systems of <strong>universities from around the world</strong>, NASA, armed forces and governments. In this article you will find the most dangerous computer viruses of the 20th century. Note that the list includes computer viruses selected by the InfoNIAC team, which means that it represents our subjective opinion. If you have any additional information on the topic you are free to leave your comments at the bottom of the story. Here we go:</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><br />7. Jerusalem - 1987</strong></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />For the first time it was discovered in 1987 on October 1. The virus was dubbed Jerusalem because it was identified in a Hebrew university, but in 1991 antivirus experts found that Italy is the country were the first traces of the computer virus were noticed. Jerusalem is believed to be one of the oldest computer viruses in history, being able to infect both .EXE and .COM files. Initially the Jerusalem virus included a bug that led to a repeat infection of the files that continued until the size of the files overcome computer resources. In addition, each Friday 13 it deleted all programs in the infected system as a result of a malicious payload that set off on the respective day. Jerusalem considerably slowed down the machine. A person could identify the virus but noticing two lines on the monitor.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><br />6. Morris (a.k.a. Internet Worm) - 1988</strong></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Previously at www.InfoNIAC.com we wrote about this computer worm, which is believed to be one of the first worms that spread over the Internet. The name of the virus comes from its developer Robert Tappan Morris, who was a student at Cornell University. The computer worm was set off on November 2, 1988 and after some time it managed to infect 6,000 to 9,000 machines. It overloaded the whole Internet, leading to the failure of a large number of servers. According to its developer, the goal was to discover just how far and fast a computer worm can spread all over the network. Robert Tappan Morris was found guilty and sentenced to 3 years of probation along with 400 hours of community service. In addition, he had to pay a $10,000 fine.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><br />5. Barrotes - 1993</strong></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />This is believed to be the first popular computer virus developed in Spain. As soon as it infected the system, it would remain there until January the 5th, when it would set off showing a series of bars on the screen. It infected .COM, .EXE and overlay files. The Barrotes computer virus represents a resident virus - it becomes a resident of the computer memory each time the machine starts up. Due to a series of vertical lines that appear on the monitor, it was easy to identify the virus. It could also overwrite the Master Boot Record of the HDD, thus making it impossible for the uses to access the hard disk.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><br />4. Solar Sunrise - 1998</strong></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />This is not the name of the computer virus, it is the name of the situation that occurred in 1998 when a team of hackers managed to take control of more than 500 computer system of the army, government as well as private sector of the United States. The name Solar Sunrise comes after the well-known vulnerabilities in machines that run on the Sun Solaris OS. At first the attack was believed to have been organized by hackers from Iraq, but later it was discovered that the ones to blame were two American youngsters from California.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><br />3. CIH (a.k.a. Chernobyl) - 1998</strong></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Our list of the most dangerous computer viruses on the 20th century continues with CIH virus that caused an estimated damage of $20 to $80 million around the globe. After its launch, the computer virus managed to affect huge amounts of data stored on computers. Later it was discovered that the computer virus was launched in Taiwan. It has been recognized to be one of the most dangerous computer viruses in history. It infected Windows 95, 98, and ME executable files. In addition, CIH remained resident in the memory of the machine, being able to carry on infecting other executables. After being activated, the virus overwrote data on the HDD of the infected PC, making the latter inoperable. CIH could also overwrite the BIOS of the infected computer, thus preventing boot-up. The second name of the virus - Chernobyl - was given because some of the biggest damages occurred on the day when the nuclear reactor exploded.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><br />2. Melissa - 1999</strong></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />This computer virus managed to cause a damaged estimated between $300 and $600 million. The famous computer virus gained huge fame on March 26, 1999. Experts claimed that this computer virus managed to infect between 15 and 20 percent of all business PCs on the planet. Melissa virus spread so fast that a number of big companies, including Intel and Microsoft, that used Outlook, had to shut down their email systems to hold up the damage. The computer virus took advantage of Microsoft outlook to send email messages of itself to 50 names on the contact list of a user. The message in the email read: "Here is that document you asked for don’t show anyone else." It featured an attached Word document, which, when opened, unleashed the virus that infected the computer and then repeated the replication. When the virus was activated it changed Word documents by leaving quotes from the popular animated show "The Simpsons".</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><br />1. ILOVEYOU - 2000</strong></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Considered to be one of the most dangerous computer worms in history, ILOVEYOU was for the first time detected in Philippines on May 4. In just one day it spread worldwide, with about 10 percent of all Internet users being affected by the worm. ILOVEYOU also caused $5.5 billion damage. Its name comes from the subject of the email that a user received. The email included an attachment that said "LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs". When activated, the computer worm overwrote all files on the host, attacking a copy of itself to each file. In addition, the worm sent a copy of itself to everyone in a user's contact list. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/hi-tech/top-most-dangerous-computer-viruses.html">link....</a><br /></span>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-75622360902062343162009-09-19T08:05:00.000-07:002009-09-19T08:07:38.144-07:00Light Batteries Created from Salt and Paper<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/paper-and-salt-battery.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 237px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/paper-and-salt-battery.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Scientists are currently testing a new type of battery made of paper and salt. If their <strong>latest invention</strong> proves to be efficient, the eco-friendly battery could be widely used in smart cards, RFID tags and a number of other portable gadgets.<br />The new battery has a number of advantages and disadvantages over the currently popular <strong>lithium batteries</strong>. Researchers from <strong>Uppsala University</strong> in Sweden say that their latest invention is composed of pressed mats of tangled cellulose fibers and salt solution. The former is for electrodes while the latter acts for the electrolyte. Scientists believe that the new type of battery could <strong>replace the lithium battery</strong> in the near future, mainly due to the fact that such batteries are cheaper and easier to make.<br />Currently the team is looking forward to make their battery more comparable to the lithium one in terms of capabilities, reports Technology Review. It is worth mentioning that lithium batteries can bring 4 volt and boast energy density of 200 to 300 milliwatt-hours per gram, while one paper battery cell brings just 1 volt and is able to store up to 25 milliwatt-hours per gram.<br />The cellulose features paper layers and is created using polluting algae that grows in seas and lakes. The cellulose also allows the extremely light battery to be charged 100 times faster that lithium battery. However, scientists say that more research is required to improve the new battery's capabilities. Still the team believes that their latest invention might hit the market in the next 3 years. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/hi-tech/latest-invention-light-batteries-created-from-salt-and-paper.html">link....</a><br /></span>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-45606385329010208652009-09-19T08:00:00.000-07:002009-09-19T08:04:22.845-07:00Technology That Turns a Myriad of Digital Photos into 3D Maps<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/3d-coliseum-rome.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 420px; height: 221px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/3d-coliseum-rome.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Everyone knows that Rome wasn't built in a day. In fact, it took about ten years to construct the Coliseum and about a hundred years to build St. Peter's Basilica. But using latest technology it is possible now to digitize the whole city in just hours.<br />Engineers from the <strong>University of Washington</strong> managed to come up with an algorithm that uses hundreds of thousands of photographs taken by tourists to recreate the whole Rome automatically in one day. On the right you can see the <strong>digital reconstruction of the Coliseum</strong>, where each triangle represents the position from which a person took a photo. The shape of the building is established by analyzing images taken from different perspectives.<br />The <strong>latest invention</strong> developed at UW allows using huge collections of pictures from photo-sharing websites. The digital Rome was built from <strong>150,000 tourist pictures stored at Flickr</strong> and tagged with the words "Rome" or "Roma". Each photo was analyzed by the computer, which in 21 hours managed to build a <strong>3D digital model</strong> of the Italian city. Using this latest invention, one can take a virtual tour around the city and visit its landmarks.<br />It is worth mentioning that previous version of this technology were called Photo Tourism and was licensed to Microsoft in 2006, later being available as a free tool known as Photosynth.<em><br />trying to reconstruct entire cities,"</em> mentioned co-author Noah Snavely, assistant professor at Cornell University and the one who created Photo Tourism as his UW doctoral work, reports Physorg. Mr. Snavely, Rick Szeliski of Microsoft Research, Steve Seitz, UW computer science professor and Ian Simon, UW graduate student, represent the team that besides Rome developed 3D models of the Croatian coastal city of Dubrovnik, where they used 350 computers to process 60,000 photos in almost 23 hours, and Venice, Italy, where 500 computers processed 250,000 photos in 65 hours.<br />The new technology takes advantage of <strong>parallel processing techniques</strong>, which makes it possible to run at the same time on many machines or on remote servers that are connected via the Internet. The code works a hundred times faster than previous versions. With the help of their latest invention, the team will be able to create <strong>online maps</strong> that would provide a virtual tour experience. The technology could also be used in video games and in architecture for <strong>digital preservation</strong>. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/hi-tech/latest-invention-technology-that-turns-a-myriad-of-digital-photos-into-3d-maps.html">link....</a><br /></span>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-44434938196036234202009-09-19T07:53:00.000-07:002009-09-19T07:59:36.465-07:00Huge Green Volcano Construction Built Near Mt. Vesuvius<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/vulcano-buono.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 205px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/vulcano-buono.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">The <strong>Italian city of Nola</strong> witnessed the creation of a huge construction designed by Renzo Piano and called <strong>Vulcano Buono</strong>. The building is located just near the famous <strong>Mt. Vesuvius</strong><br />The design of the construction was inspired by the surrounding scenery. The vegetative layer of the building's roof has more than <strong>2,500 plants</strong> that cover the interior and make Vulcano Buono almost invisible from space.<br />There's a 150 meter-wide space that will be </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/vulcano-buono-inside.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 424px; height: 312px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/vulcano-buono-inside.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">used for outdoor theatre, market and a sloping forest of pine trees. The main commercial areas </span><span style="font-size:100%;">are seen as a concentric series of circles. Special structures, resembling trees, hold the slopes of the building.</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">It is also worth mentioning that the construction's roof is connected with a series of skylights that feature <strong>solar-control double pane glass</strong>. The latter makes it possible for daylight to pass through the mall, cutting the amount energy spent for illumination. Inside the building, visitors can visit various shops, a supermarket, a number of restaurants, a hotel and even a <strong>2,000 seat cinema</strong>.<br />The designer describes his creation as <em>"a contemporary take on a green marketplace, a void as a place for events, meetings, dialogue and the gathering of people."</em></span> and represents a cone-shaped commercial center that features a beautiful sloping green roof. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/hi-tech/huge-green-volcano-construction-built-near-mt-vesuvius.html">link....</a><br /><p> </p>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-9403280374261630272009-09-19T07:37:00.000-07:002009-09-19T07:49:21.865-07:00All-electric Futuristic Taxi for Off Road Terrain<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/odd-electric-off-road-taxi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 242px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/odd-electric-off-road-taxi.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><strong>Eco-friendly vehicles</strong> aren't something new today, but <strong>Taxius Animalus</strong> is a completely different story. This concept car represents an <strong>all-electric taxi</strong> that has <strong>six wheels</strong> and was designed to be able to pass through off road terrain. The design is credited to Francis Gomes from Turin, Italy.<br />The vehicle might be far from being produced for the masses, but its design is definitely worth highlighting. It is worth mentioning that the taxis used today emit a lot of gases everyday and a large portion of those gasses are wasted when taxis wait for passengers or are stuck in traffic jams. Taxius Animalus is not just eco-friendly, it is also capable of transporting people to areas where normal taxis would never pass using its six wheel track resembling that of a tank, informs Tuvie.<br />The vehicle is made using <strong>tough fabric</strong> and <strong>welded hollow tubes</strong>. It features transparent exterior skin (which allows seeing the whole surrounding scenery) and composite panels. Still there is no information regarding the type of battery that the taxi uses and its location, the way the vehicle charges and the time required for a full charge. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/hi-tech/all-electric-futuristic-taxi-for-off-road-terrain.html">link....</a> <object width="400" height="230"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6036572&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6036572&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="230"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/6036572"></a><br /></p>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-27528948180697502132009-09-19T07:32:00.000-07:002009-09-19T07:36:14.816-07:00Researchers Find Electricity Generated by Tree<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/electricity-producing-tree.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 227px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/electricity-producing-tree.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Recently it was unveiled that <strong>maple trees</strong> can be used to <strong>produce electricity</strong> to power small gadgets. A report published in the journal <strong>IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology</strong> says that maple trees produce a rather small but still measurable quantity of electricity.<br />Those of you who have heard about <strong>potato battery</strong> probably are aware that the plant material can produce current. However, the electricity produced but a tree is something completely different. When creating a potato battery, there is a need of electrodes of two different metals in order to create a charge difference, which would make local electrodes flow. In the new study, scientists used electrodes created of the same material, reports Karen Hopkin for Scientific American. When researchers stuck one electrode into a tree while the other one was stuck into the soil, they noticed that big leaf maples produced a steady voltage of <strong>a few hundred millivolts</strong>.<br />In case scientists will continue exploring their finding, in the near future people could use maple trees to power various devices. This is due to the fact that scientist from the <strong>University of Washington</strong> in Seattle discovered that there's quite enough electricity flowing in maple trees in order to run an electronic circuit. More inventions and discoveries are available here at www.InfoNIAC.com - please check the links at the bottom of the story.<br />Because several hundred millivolts is much less than a volt and a half, generated by a AA battery, researchers decided to design a <strong>130-nanometer device</strong> that runs just on tree power. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/science/researchers-find-electricity-generated-by-tree.html">link....</a><br /></span>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-6042637500576943682009-09-19T07:28:00.000-07:002009-09-19T07:32:03.783-07:00Brain Implants to Ease Serious Neurological Conditions<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/medtronic-brain-implant.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 229px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/medtronic-brain-implant.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Recently a team of researchers from <strong>Medtronic of Minneapolis</strong>, Minnesota, announced about the development of a <strong>neurostimulator</strong>. Their <strong>latest invention</strong> represents a device that is implanted in the brain to help people, who suffer from <strong>Parkinson's disease, depression</strong> and <strong>obsessive compulsive disorder</strong><br />Researchers reported about their latest invention at the <strong>Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society</strong> meeting that took place in Minneapolis. Their device takes advantage of electrodes to bring deep stimulation to certain brain areas.<br />It is worth mentioning that neurostimulators are already used to help people suffering to earlier mentioned conditions, but in contrast to the latest invention these devices bring stimulation on a set schedule. According to researchers, their neurostimulator is much more effective because it is able to respond to brain signals. In addition, the battery in the device last longer, which is important for implantable gadgets.<br />Although researchers from Medtronic are far from testing their latest invention on humans, in <strong>NeuroPace</strong>, a new firm based in Mountain View, California, scientists are finishing clinical tests of their RNS smart implant device, which was used by 240 people who suffer from <strong>epilepsy</strong>, reports New Scientist. According to Martha Morrell, chief medical officer at NeuroPace, the results of the trials will be announced in December.<br />The devices developed by NeuroPace are implanted in the human skull where they track electrical activity using electrodes implanted deep in the brain. In case they identify the sign of a seizure, they will bring short and mild electrical stimulation in order to restrain it. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/science/latest-invention-brain-implants-to-easy-serious-neurological-conditions.html">link....</a></span>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119812206100176546.post-49590435498460194822009-09-19T07:26:00.000-07:002009-09-19T07:27:40.234-07:00Drug to Help Wipe Bad Memories<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/drug-erases-bad-memories.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 229px;" src="http://www.infoniac.com/uimg/drug-erases-bad-memories.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Together with his team, Andreas Luthi, of the <strong>Friedrich Miescher Institute</strong> in Switzerland, is close to developing a drug able to clean one's head from unpleasant memories. After successful test performed on animals, scientists look forward to try their <strong>latest invention</strong> on humans and if everything goes well, the pill they created could selectively <strong>wipe bad memories</strong> in humans.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />In their latest study, the team of researchers tested on animals a drug that has the ability to dissolve a barrier around the <strong>amygdala</strong>, which is the almond-shaped organ found in the brain that has the main role of storing memory of emotional reactions. After the treatment, animals stopped being afraid of sounds that were associated with electric shock, which, according to scientists, means that their memories had been erased.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Researchers consider that their latest invention could work on humans, due to the fact that just like animals people have amygdala in the brain. The idea of erasing bad memories sounds attractive, but the latest invention also raised a number of <strong>medical concerns</strong> as well as several <strong>ethical questions</strong>. Some claims that there is a potential danger of the drug misuse, others are concerned about the drug wiping some good memories. </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />According to Joseph LeDoux, professor of neuroscience at <strong>New York University</strong>, our brain had similar sheaths and the new drug could help people 'overwrite' bad memories with happier ones, reports Daily Mail. In addition, the drug treatment could also prove to be effective in <strong>helping soldiers who suffer from</strong> <strong>post-traumatic stress disorder</strong> or those who have <strong>severe phobias</strong> associated with unpleasant memories.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Public mockery is the main memory that the majority of people would like to erase, says Ashok Hegde, a neurologist at <strong>Wake Forest University in North Carolina</strong>. <em>"Public humiliation is a constant source of lingering memories,"</em> she mentioned. However, Dr Hegde considers that a lot of bad memories are forgotten naturally after a while. <a href="http://www.infoniac.com/health-fitness/latest-invention-drug-to-help-wipe-bad-memories.html">link....</a><br /></span>Kamranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18396140410899200754noreply@blogger.com0