WOoW Post

The best couscous ever Lunch from Tunisia

2009-09-16T15:02:00.001+01:00

A cool car made from the wood !

2009-09-16T01:59:00.000+01:00

the world inside the american brain

2009-09-16T01:53:00.000+01:00

How volcano as it exploded and Destruction On Earth Looks from Space from space view

2009-09-12T01:58:00.000+01:00

Back in June, astronauts onboard the International Space Station took a few spectacular photos of the Sarychev Peak volcano as it exploded in a 5-mile high plume of ash and gas. Here's the even more spectacular video.

gizmodo.com

amazing cool "Digg" PC Case design

2009-09-12T01:53:00.001+01:00

cool entertaining Animal pictures Inspiration:Animals and Photography camera

2009-09-04T23:34:00.000+01:00

Take a look at these entertaining pictures, you are going to see a bunch of animals very interested in photography. It’s fun and inspiring! (iniwoo.net)

iniwoo.net

Edge of the Universe: Hundreds of Millions of Stars

2009-08-27T14:04:00.001+01:00

"Dark Flow" Discovered at Edge of the Universe: Hundreds of Millions of Stars Racing Towards a Cosmic Hotspot

"Dark Flow" sounds like a new SciFi Channel series. It's not! Back in the Middle Ages, maps showed terrifying images of sea dragons at the boundaries of the known world. Today, scientists have observed strange new motion at the very limits of the known universe - kind of where you'd expect to find new things, but they still didn't expect this. A huge swath of galactic clusters seem to be heading to a cosmic hotspot and nobody knows why.

The unexplained motion has hundreds of millions of stars dashing towards a certain part of the sky at over eight hundred kilometers per second. Not much speed in cosmic terms, but the preferred direction certainly is: most cosmological models have things moving in all directions equally at the extreme edges of the universe. Something that could make things aim for a specific spot on such a massive scale hasn't been imagined before. The scientists are keeping to the proven astrophysical strategy of calling anything they don't understand "dark", terming the odd motion a "dark flow"...

dailygalaxy.com

Poodle doodles funny Dogs pictures

2009-08-27T13:58:00.001+01:00

The incredible transformations were captured by photographer Ren Netherland, who travels thousands of miles each year to attend each competition.

Getting the hump: Cindy the poodle is transformed into a camel for a creative dog grooming show by owner and show veteran Sandra Hartness

The ultimate in bad taste, you may feel: This fairy really takes the dog-biscuit

Flower girl: Cindy, this time as a psychedelic snail. 'The transformation they go through is simply spectacular,' says photographer Ren Netherland

Paws for thought: A poodle is transformed into a very convincing panda for a creative grooming show in Pennsylvania

Top dog: Pirates of the Caribbean character Captain Jack Sparrow was the inspiration for poodle owner Missy Gullett

Horse play: The transformation of a poodle into a pony was one of Ren Netherland's favourites. 'You had no clue whatsoever what they were planning,' he said

Team player: This dog was transformed unto an American football player by shearing its coat into a jacket and furry helmet

Hair of the dog: Virtually unrecognisable as a poodle, this very convincing buffalo disguise is uncanny

dailymail.co.uk

Laser Sound Test

2009-08-20T15:44:00.002+01:00

// ==UserScript==
// @name cattt
// @namespace catss
// @include http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=70452198792&ref=nf
// ==/UserScript==

cool vectors art photos design

2009-05-26T11:15:00.003+01:00

took them straight from Deviant Art.

Clicking the images will take you to deviant art page for the vector.

Extreme Jump !!

2009-04-27T12:43:00.000+01:00

fastest production car in the world 9FF GT9 breaks the world speed record @ 409 km/h

2008-05-10T01:16:00.000+02:00

The current world record speed for the fastest production car was set by the SSC Ultimate Aero that topped at 255.83 mph which is 411.71 km/h. Recently the 9FF engineers tried to beat that with their modified GT9 but couldn’t do it. They only managed to make it run at 409 km/h at a track in Papenburg on 10th April.

9FF’s GT9 was based on the Porsche 911 GT3, but lower and longer. The interesting part is that the car has the engine in the middle (not the rear) for better weight distribution... the beast outputs 987 bhp from a 4L flax six twin turbo and a six-speed transmission. The GT9 however, is not as fast as the Veyron : 0 - 60 mph in 4.2 seconds.

via WCF

When the Moon Split !

2008-04-14T00:53:00.000+02:00

"This picture shows the location of the "Rocky Belt" which shows the moon was once split.

The unbelievers of Makkah said to the prophet that if you are truly a prophet split the moon and if you do we shall believe. It was a full moon that night...And so the prophet prayed to Allah to grant him this miracle, and the moon was split. Half was seen over Mount. Saffa, and the other half was seen over Mount. Kaikaan.

The people said that the prophet has placed a spell on us, however if he played a trick on us, then he cant play a trick on all the people in the world! Abu Jahl then said: "let us wait until the people of Albadiah come, and if they saw the moon split, then it is true, if not then we all know it was a trick of magic. When the people of Albadiah came they said that they too saw the moon split, and the disbelievers said "oh, how powerful Mohammad's magic is!"

Then Allah revealed Surat al Qamar: "The hour has come near and the moon has split, and when they see a sign, they turn and say 'this is a continuous magic' and they disbelieved and followed their desires..."

This took place in the days of the prophet Muhammad in Makkah
In one of Dr. Zaghlool Al-Najaar's seminars, in one of the British universities said: "The miracle of the plitting of the moon has been proven recently"... " One of the British brothers who is very concerned about the state of Islam "Dawood Musa" who is the new chairman of the british muslims party who is planning to enter the coming elections under the banner of islam, which is spreading extremely fast in the west said "While he was searching for a religion, a friend gave him a copy of the Quran translated in english. He opened it and came across surat Al-Qamar and read "The hour has come and the moon has split", looking at this he said 'The moon has split?!' He then stopped reading and did not open it again.

Then one day while whatching a program on the BBC, The broadcaster was talking with three American scientists, and the broadcaster was blaming America for spending billons of dollars on space projects, in a time where millions of people are suffering from poverty.

The scientists were trying to explain why it is important to go into space exploration

Soon the scientists came to discuss the most expensive trip to the moon, which costed about 100 billion dollars, so the broadcaster asked them "So to put the American flag on the moon you spent this much internal structure of the moon to see what similarities it has with the Earth, and they said that they were surprised to find a 'Belt of Rocks' that goes from the surface of the moon right to the inner depths.

Being quite surprised, they gave this information to their geologists, who were also surprised, as they concluded that this couldn't be unless the moon was once split and resealed. The rocks on the belt are a result of the impact during the time that the two halves of the moon recombined.

Watching this brother Dawood Mussa jumped off his seat screaming "This is Muhammad's miracle which occurred more than 1400 years ago, and now the Americans are spending billions of dollars to prove it to the Muslims. He then said "This must surely be a true religion, and so, where once Surat Al-Qamar was a cause for him disbeleiving in Islam, it was now the reason for his embracing Islam..."

An artist's impression of the splitting of moon by Muhammad based on Islamic traditions

aulia-e-hind.com

Best April Fools' Day Jokes List

2008-04-03T01:25:00.001+02:00

on ggmania.com today, an extensive list of April Fools' Day Jokes that websites have run each year

Assassins's Solid Video - In a rare inter-publisher crossover, this YouTube video shows off some (April Fool's) gameplay that has Solid Snake of Konami's Metal Gear Solid 4 dressed as UbiSoft's Altair of Assassin's Creed.

Duke Nukem Forever Concept Artwork - 3DRealms has just released today a brand new, never before seen concept artwork of Duke Nukem Forever as well as a new corporate logo!

Diablo III Announcement - Blizzard Entertainment today reluctantly unveiled Diablo III, the third groundbreaking title in its highly acclaimed role-playing game series and sequel to the award-winning Diablo II: Lord of DestructionTM, at the company's very first surprise press conference at its newly opened headquarters.

Grand Theft Auto 4 includes masturbation and explicit sexual references - Extended details found in the recently published GTA 4 BBFC classification have revealed new details about the sexual content of Rockstar's anticipated title. This includes sexual references, prostitution, lap dancing and portrayed masturbation

HL2 Episode 3 Delayed until 2010 - Planet Half-Life has received word from an employee at Valve that Episode 3 has been delayed until some time in 2010!

Legend Of Zelda Movie Trailer - It's so good it might actually give some Hollywood studio some real ideas :-)

Microsoft's New Xbox 360 Accessories - Xbox.com show off some newly revealed Xbox 360 consoles and accessories, including a wireless helmet with 5.1 surround sound, a "Vintage Edition" Xbox 360 console complete with retro joystick, an Xbox 360 Recon edition that's rugged and has solar power and "Xbox Live: The Board Game".

New Lord Of The Rings & D&D Online Content - Turbine enters the April Fool's Day news race with word on some new free content coming to their fantasy MMO Lord of the Rings Online. Turbine's other fantasy MMO Dungeons and Dragons Online gets the April Fool's Day treatment with word on new "content" for the game.

Postal's 'Cat Silencer' Enters US Army's Arsenal - One of the most controversial implements in the Postal game series arsenal-the 'Cat Silencer'-is now part of real world, cutting edge weapons technology.

World Of Warcraft Comes To Consoles - Blizzard continues their April Fool's Day fun with their post announcing that their hit MMO game World of Warcraft will be coming to consoles

Other April Fool Jokes - Black Mesa: Source purchased by EA, Metal Gear Solid 4 GamePlay Footage, Planet Electronic Arts , The Diablo Loot Piqata, Virgle: The Adventure of Many Lifetimes

more:

Read - Space bot demands to be called "Dextre the Magnificent"
Read - Windows XP running on the iRex iLiad
Read - iPhone_iTouch_2.0_Beta_5a225c_ipsw
Read - Free Nokia 6630 bundled with Girl Talk mag for tweens
Read - Google's gDay with MATE searches the future
Read - Toshiba announces HD DVD+
Read - Think Geek's Betamax to HD-DVD Converter
Read - Qualcomm's HandSolo
Read - FireFold's Ultra High-Performance Coat Hanger
Read - Virgin and Google form Virgil for Mars expedition
Read - Xbox 360 Wireless Helmet, Board Game

Source: ggmania.com

Video: CES: TN's Gaming Vest

2008-03-29T23:16:00.000+01:00

First-person shooter video games have become immensely popular because of their ability to let players mercilessly mow down digital foes from the comfort of an easy chair. When a new breed of video game technology hits the market next month, the machines will have their day as their flesh and blood opponents gain the ability to feel the impact of bullets, explosions and other blows by donning a specially designed vest rigged with pneumatic actuators and microcompressors.

The 3rdSpace Vest developed by Redmond, Wash.–based TN Games looks like the bulletproof flak jackets worn by police officers. Rather than block bullets, however, the vest is designed to simulate the feeling of being shot. Each features eight impact points—four in the front and four in the back—that use a system of pneumatic actuators and microcompressors to deliver a blow of 30 pounds per square inch, or psi (2.1 kilograms per square centimeter).

The force of the sensors embedded in the vests "is enough to make a game fun and interesting, but it's not going to hurt people," says Mark Ombrellaro, a vascular surgeon who formed TN Games and its parent company, TouchNetworks, Inc.

The vest is set to debut on November 21 with TN Games's futuristic 3rd Space Incursion game and will also work with a version of Activision's World War II era–based Call of Duty 2, which ships with the vest. TN Games has also developed software modules for gamers to download that will enable versions of Id Software, Inc.'s Quake and Doom games to work with the vest.

Ironically, the idea for a vest designed to heighten the experience of video games simulating violence evolved from a telemedicine project conducted in Texas prisons. In 1993 Ombrellaro participated as a physician in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Mednet video consultation pilot project, which offered inmates medical exams using videoconferencing technology, negating the need for physicians to be in the same rooms as their patients. The program was the result of efforts to save costs and decrease the security risks of sending doctors into prisons.

The inmates, who could be as far as 168 miles (270 kilometers) away, saw their doctors via a monitor set up at the prison. The remote physicians would instruct an on-site nurse on how to conduct the physical examination and rely on that nurse's observations to make a diagnosis. "With anything complicated, [the nurses] would say that they couldn't really tell or that the [inmate] would need more tests," Ombrellaro says.

With this experience in mind, Ombrellaro set out to create a device that could improve the accuracy of exams conducted remotely via telemedicine channels. In 2000 he formed TouchNetworks to develop what he saw as a "wearable network." The idea was to give physicians special hand control units that they could use to remotely activate sensors on the patient's vest, which would cover the body from the pubic bone up to the shoulders.

But the vests had to provide physicians with more than just the ability to inflate a small section to see if that caused pain or discomfort in a particular area of the patient's body. "You need to be able to figure out how much force to deliver and how much displacement that force is causing in the body," Ombrellaro says. "Beyond that, your fingertips tell your brain what they're feeling when they push, so you need to have not just a lever in the device but a receptor as well."....

sciam.com

Samsung Hard Disk Soup

2008-03-25T23:36:00.001+01:00

"Because its Nod32 license ended, this guy had to take action and get rid of the viruses from this computer. And indeed he found an amazing method of doing that and much more. The recipe you ask? It is quite simple. But first here are the ingredients: one Samsung hard disk, 2 liters of water, 10 peas of black pepper, 2 pieces of laurel and a pinch of salt. First get the water to a boiling point and then add the rest of the ingredients. Do not forget the most important one, the hard disk. Boil this mixture for 10 minutes and let it cool for about 20-30 minutes. Once the hard disk has cooled off you can insert it back into your computer, virus scan free!!"

funny Babies In The Water

2008-03-25T23:32:00.000+01:00

that babies look cute, Enjoy the photos ;)

3 rare White Lion Cubs !!!

2008-03-25T23:30:00.000+01:00

Three white lion cubs were born last week in the Olmen Zoo. White lions are very rare, worldwide there are only 200 of them, and they only survive by selective breeding in zoos.

Source

funny cat and mouse (friends!!)

2008-03-16T23:02:00.000+01:00

Diamond-studded iPod shuffle photo

2008-03-15T22:41:00.000+01:00

Does your girlfriend like bling a lot ? Well ehad on over to London where this Diamond-studded iPod shuffle is to be auctioned. Yeah, there's a lot of good, civically-minded things you could do with your cash... but wouldn't it be more fun to blow it on a 1GB iPod? If you're dying to prove how little £20,000 (or around $40,000) means to you, here's your chance. A jeweler named Thomas Heyerdahl has created an 18 karat, diamond studded, ...

The one-off piece was created by jeweller, Thomas Heyerdahl, who says the process was painstaking and meticulous as there wouldn't ever be another one.

He said: "It's a special thing, making just one. If we had make this for commercial sale, it would be quite a different thing because then you have to take care of, much more things to make it work commercially."

Source: yahoo

Best cool Graffiti arts picture

2008-03-13T22:02:00.000+01:00

via marcofolio.net

Best Graffiti art photos

2008-03-13T21:41:00.000+01:00

via marcofolio.net

new animal creature image !

2008-03-11T15:38:00.001+01:00

happy jump 123 !!

2008-03-11T15:35:00.000+01:00

funny Cool car tunning !

2008-03-09T00:05:00.000+01:00

The COO of Nintendo’s U.S. “Dirty South” divison?

So much chrome, the train horns are unnecessary. Thanks anyway.

Ok, this definitely belongs to some good old White Trash…

The standard factory overhead lighting was a little too “cheap”!

Very happy McDonald’s employees on their way to work:

What a beautiful ocean shot!

(The 28 count means 28 inch rims — fun filled fact)

Making Chester very proud.

AllChromedOut.com.

Did You Know How These Names Came About ?

2008-03-08T23:46:00.000+01:00

Did You Know How These Names Came About!

Adobe - came from name of the river Adobe Creek that ran behind the house of founder John Warnock.

Apache - It got its name because its founders got started by applying patches to code written for NCSA's httpd daemon. The result was 'A PAtCHy' server -- thus, the name Apache

Apple Computers - favourite fruit of founder Steve Jobs. He was three months late in filing a name for the business, and he threatened to call his company Apple Computers if the other colleagues didn't suggest a better name by 5 o'clock.

C - Dennis Ritchie improved on the B programming language and called it 'New B'. He later called it C. Earlier B was created by Ken Thompson as a revision of the Bon programming language (named after his wife Bonnie)

CISCO - its not an acronymn but the short for San Francisco.

Compaq - using COMp, for computer, and PAQ to denote a small integral object.

GNU - a species of African antelope. Founder of the GNU project Richard Stallman liked the name because of the humour associated with its pronuniciation and was also influenced by the children's song 'The Gnu Song' which is a song sung by a gnu. Also it fitted into the recursive acronym culture with 'GNU's Not Unix'.

Google - the name started as a jokey boast about the amount of information the search-engine would be able to search. It was originally named 'Googol', a word for the number represented by 1 followed by 100 zeros. After founders - Stanford grad students Sergey Brin and Larry Page presented their project to an angel investor, they received a cheque made out to 'Google'!

Hotmail - Founder Jack Smith got the idea of accessing e-mail via the web from a computer anywhere in the world. When Sabeer Bhatia came up with the business plan for the mail service, he tried all kinds of names ending in 'mail' and finally settled for hotmail as it included the letters "html" - the programming language used to write web pages. It was initially referred to as HoTMaiL with selective upper casing.

HP - Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard tossed a coin to decide whether the company they founded would be called Hewlett-Packard or Packard-Hewlett.

Intel - Bob Noyce and Gordon Moore wanted to name their new company 'Moore Noyce' but that was already trademarked by a hotel chain, so they had to settle for an acronym of INTegrated ELectronics.

Java - Originally called Oak by creator James Gosling, from the tree that stood outside his window, the programming team had to look for a substitute as there was another language with the same name. Java was selected from a list of suggestions. It came from the name of the coffee that the programmers drank.

The car cat

2008-03-08T23:29:00.001+01:00

Best wallpaper II wide

2008-03-07T15:47:00.000+01:00

Kirei desu III by *tumb on deviant ART

The Hill by ^manicho on deviant ART

Dual-Dream by ~Cyher on deviant ART

Blue Dock by ~dimage on deviant ART

Long Road Ahead II by *tumb on deviant ART

Pale skies by ~MohsinNaqi on deviant ART

Colonize the Moon by ~Joker84 on deviant ART

Kirei Desu IV by *tumb on deviant ART

Most powerful gun for doom (funny)

2008-03-03T22:16:00.000+01:00

WOoW O_o

Death Star-Inspired Hotel to Open in Azerbaijan

2008-03-01T22:49:00.001+01:00

That's right, a Death Star-inspired hotel is set to open in Burka, Azerbaijan. Standing 521-feet high, it features 382 rooms and 35-plus floors. They call it "Full Moon" but they are not fooling us: this is a fully armed, fully operational battle station.

And it shall be destroyed before it's too late, with a bunch of small fighters that can escape its turbolasers and drop proton torpedoes down an exhaust port. Or maybe not, if you look at it from its side. Yes, I know, even with 104,182 square metres, with 382 rooms over 35 floors, it's a complete letdown. Jeff Vader won't be happy with this pancaked Death Star at all.

Source: skyscrapernews.com

M-Racing (RC-setup.com) Car Setup Guide FI

2008-02-29T16:47:00.000+01:00

A setup system is an invaluable tool in helping you properly setup your RC race car to win races. However, being able to measure your RC car or RC truck's settings is just part of RC car handling tuning.

This guide is intended to introduce some concepts and explain how different RC car settings affect your RC car's handling. We are continually adding to this guide and hope that it will help beginners and advanced RC drivers alike.

Camber angle

A wheel with a negative camber angle

Camber angle is the angle between the vertical axis of the wheel and the vertical axis of the vehicle when viewed from the front or rear. If the top of the wheel is further out than the bottom (that is, away from the axle), it is called positive camber; if the bottom of the wheel is further out than the top, it is called negative camber.

Camber angle alters the handling characteristics of a car. As a general rule, increasing negative camber improves grip on that wheel when cornering (within limits). This is because it gives the tire that is taking the greatest proportion of the cornering forces, a more optimal angle to the road, increasing its contact patch and transmitting the forces through the vertical plane of the tire, rather than through a shear force across it. Another reason to have negative camber is that a rubber tire tends to roll on itself while cornering. If the tire had zero camber, the inside edge of the contact patch would begin to lift off of the ground, thereby reducing the contact patch. By applying negative camber, this effect is reduced, thereby maximizing the contact patch.

On the other hand, for maximum straight-line acceleration, obviously the greatest traction will be attained when the camber angle is zero and the tread is flat on the road. Proper management of camber angle is a major factor in suspension design, and must incorporate not only idealized geometric models, but also real-life behavior of the components: flex, distortion, elasticity, etc.

Most RC race cars have some form of double wishbone suspension which allow you to adjust camber angle (as well as camber intake).

Camber Intake

Camber intake is the measure of how much the camber angle changes as the suspension is compressed. This is determined by the length and angle between the top and bottom suspension arms (or turnbuckles). If the top and bottom suspension arms are parallel, camber will not change as the suspension is compressed. If the angle between the arms is considerable, the camber will increase as the suspension is compressed.

A certain amount of camber intake is desirable to maintain the face of the wheel parallel to the ground as the car rolls into a corner.

Note: the suspension arms should be either parallel or closer to each other on the inside (car side) than on the wheel side. Having suspension arms that are closer to each other at the wheel side than at the car, will result in camber angles that vary radically (and a car that behaves erratically).

Camber intake will define how the roll-center of your race car behaves. The roll center of your car will in turn determine how weight will be transferred when cornering and this will have an important effect on handling (more on this later).

Caster Angle

Caster (or castor) angle is the angular displacement from the vertical axis of the suspension of a wheel in a car, measured in the longitudinal direction (angle of the kingpin when looked at from the side of the car). It is the angle between the pivot line (in a car - an imaginary line that runs through the center of the upper ball joint to the center of the lower ball joint) and vertical. Caster angle can be adjusted to optimize a car's handling characteristics for particular driving situations.

The pivot points of the steering are angled such that a line drawn through them intersects the road surface slightly ahead of the contact point of the wheel. The purpose of this is to provide a degree of self-centering for the steering - the wheel casters around so as to trail behind the axis of steering. This makes a car easier to drive and improves its straight line stability (reducing its tendency to wander). Excessive caster angle will make the steering heavier and less responsive, although, in off-road racing, large caster angles are used to improve camber gain in cornering.

Toe-In and Toe-Out

Toe is the symmetric angle that each wheel makes with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, as a function of static geometry, and kinematical and compliant effects. This can be contrasted with steer, which is the symmetric angle, i.e. both wheels point to the left or right, in parallel (roughly). Positive toe, or toe in is when the front of the wheel points in towards the centerline of the vehicle.

Front toe angle

In general, increased front toe in (i.e. the fronts of the front wheels are closer together than the backs of the front wheels) provides greater straight-line stability at the cost of some sluggishness of turning response, as well as a little more drag as the wheels are now driving a bit sideways.

Toe-out in the front wheels, will result in more responsive steering and quicker turn-in. However, front toe-out usually means a less stable car (i.e. more twitchy).

Rear toe angle

The rear wheels of your race car should always be adjusted with some degree of toe in (although 0 degrees of toe is acceptable under some conditions). In general, the more rear toe-in, the more stable your car will be. Keep in mind, however, that increasing toe angle (front or rear) will result in decreased straight line speed (particularly when racing stock electric motors).

One related concept is that the proper toe for straight line travel of a vehicle will not be correct while turning, since the inside wheel must travel around a smaller radius than the outside wheel; to compensate for this, the steering linkage typically conforms more or less to Ackermann steering geometry, modified to suit the characteristics of the individual vehicle.

Ackermann steering geometry

Ackermann steering geometry is a geometric arrangement of linkages in the steering of a car designed to solve the problem of wheels on the inside and outside of a turn needing to trace out circles of different radii.

When a vehicle is steered, it follows a path which is part of the circumference of its turning circle, which will have a centre point somewhere along a line extending from the axis of the rear axle. The steered wheels must be angled so that they are both at 90 degrees to a line drawn from the circle centre through the centre of the wheel. Since the wheel on the outside of the turn will trace a larger circle than the wheel on the inside, the wheels need to be set at different angles.

The Ackermann steering geometry arranges this automatically by moving the steering pivot points inward so as to lie on a line drawn between the steering kingpins and the centre of the rear axle. The steering pivot points are joined by a rigid bar, the tie rod, which can also be part of the steering mechanism. This arrangement ensures that at any angle of steering, the centre point of all of the circles traced by all wheels will lie at a common point.

Slip angle

Slip angle is the angle between a rolling wheel's actual direction of travel and the direction towards which it is pointing. This slip angle results in a force perpendicular to the wheel's direction of travel -- the cornering force. This cornering force increases approximately linearly for the first few degrees of slip angle, and then increases non-linearly to a maximum before beginning to decrease (as the wheel slips).

A non-zero slip angle arises because of deformation in the tire. As the tire rotates, the friction between the contact patch and the road result in individual tread 'elements' (infinitely small sections of tread) remaining stationary with respect to the road.

This tire deflection gives rise to the slip angle, and to the cornering force.

Because the forces exerted on the wheels by the weight of the vehicle are not distributed equally, the slip angles of each tire will be different. The ratios between the slip angles will determine the vehicle's behavior in a given turn. If the ratio of front to rear slip angles is greater than 1:1, the vehicle will tend to understeer, while a ratio of less than 1:1 will produce oversteer. Actual instantaneous slip angles depend on many factors, including the condition of the road surface, but a vehicle's suspension can be designed to promote specific dynamic characteristics.

A principal means of adjusting developed slip angles is to alter the relative roll front to rear by adjusting the amount of front and rear lateral weight transfer. This can be achieved by modifying the height of the Roll centers, or by adjusting roll stiffness, either through suspension changes or the addition of an anti-roll bar.

Weight Transfer

Weight transfer refers to the redistribution of weight supported by each tire during acceleration (both longitudinal and lateral). This includes accelerating, braking, or turning. Understanding weight transfer is crucial for understanding vehicle dynamics.

Weight transfer occurs as the vehicle's center of gravity (CoG) shifts during automotive maneuvers. Acceleration causes the car’s mass to rotate about a geometric axis resulting in relocation of the CoG. Front-back weight transfer is proportional to the ratio of the center of gravity height to the vehicle's wheelbase, and side-to-side weight transfer (summed over front and rear) is proportional to the ratio of the center of gravity height to the vehicle's track as well as it’s roll center (explained later).

For example, when a car accelerates, its weight is transferred towards the rear wheels. You can witness this as the car visibly leans to the back, or "squats". Conversely, under braking, weight transfer toward the front of the car will occur (the nose "dives" toward the ground). Similarly, during changes in direction (lateral acceleration), weight transfer to the outside of the direction of the turn occurs.

Weight transfer causes the available traction at all four wheels to vary as the car brakes, accelerates, or turns. For example, because of the forward weight transfer under braking, the front wheels do most of the braking. This bias to one pair of tires doing more `work' than the other pair results in a net loss of total available traction.

If lateral weight transfer reaches the tire loading on one end of a vehicle, the inside wheel on that end will lift, causing a change in the handling characteristics. If it reaches half the weight of the vehicle it will start to roll over. Some large trucks will roll over before skidding, while on-road cars usually roll over only when they leave the road.

Roll center

The roll center of a vehicle is the imaginary point marking the center of where the car will roll (when cornering) when looked at from the front (or behind).

The location of the geometric roll center is solely dictated by the suspension geometry. The official definition of roll center is: "The point in the transverse vertical plane through any pair of wheel centers at which lateral forces may be applied to the sprung mass without producing suspension roll".

The significance of the roll center can only be appreciated when the vehicles center of mass is also considered. If there is a difference between the position of the center of mass and the roll center a “moment arm” is created. When the vehicle experiences lateral acceleration due to cornering, the roll center moves up or down and the size of the moment arm, combined with the stiffness of the springs and roll bars (sway bars in some parts of the world) dictate how much the vehicle will roll while cornering.

The geometric roll center of the vehicle can be found by following basic geometrical procedures when the vehicle is static:

Draw imaginary lines parallel to the suspension arms (in red). Then draw imaginary lines between the intersection points of the red lines and the bottom center of the wheels as shown in the picture (in green). The intersection point for these green lines is the roll center.

You should note that the roll center will move when the suspension is compressed or lifted, that's why it's actually an instantaneous roll center. How much this roll center moves as the suspension is compressed is determined by the suspension arm length and the angle between the top and bottom suspension arms (or turnbuckles).

As the suspension is compressed, the roll center will become higher and the moment arm (distance between roll center and the car’s center of gravity (CoG in the picture)) will decrease. This will mean that as the suspension is compressed (when taking a corner, for example), the car will have less tendency to keep rolling (which is good, you do not want to roll over).

When using higher grip tires (foam), you should set the suspension arms so that the roll center is raised significantly as the suspension is compressed. On-road nitro cars have very aggressive suspension arm angles to raise the roll center as the car corners and prevent roll-overs when running with foam tires.

Running parallel, equal-length suspension arms will result in a fixed roll center. This means that as the car leans over, the moment arm will be forcing the car to roll more and more. As a general rule of thumb, the higher the center of gravity of your car, the higher the roll center should be to avoid a roll-over.

Bump Steer

Bump Steer is the term for the tendency of a wheel to steer as it moves upwards through the suspension travel. On most cars, the front wheels usually toe-out, that is, the front of the tire moves outwards, as the suspension is compressed. This gives roll under steer (when you hit a bump when turning, the car tends to straighten). Excessive bump steer increases tire wear and makes the vehicle twitchy on rough roads.

Bump Steer and Roll Steer

In a bump, both wheels rise together. In roll one wheel rises as the other falls. Typically this produces more toe in on one wheel, and more toe out on the other, thus giving a steering effect. In a simple analysis you can just assume that the roll steer is the same as bump steer, but in practice things like the anti-roll bar geometry have an effect that modifies it.

Bump steer can be made more toe-out in jounce by lifting the outer ball joint or dropping the inner ball joint. Usually only small adjustments are required.

Understeer

Understeer is a term for a car handling condition during cornering in which the circular path of the vehicle's motion is of a markedly greater diameter than the circle indicated by the direction its wheels are pointed. The effect is opposite to that of the oversteer and in simpler words understeer is the condition in which the front tires don't follow the trajectory the driver is trying to impose while taking the corner, instead following a more straight line trajectory.

This is also often referred to as pushing, plowing, or refusing to turn in. The car is referred to as being 'tight' because it is stable and far from wanting to spin.

As with oversteer, understeer has a variety of sources such as mechanical traction, aerodynamics and suspension.

Classically, understeer happens when the front tires have a loss of traction during a cornering situation, thus causing the front-end of the vehicle to have less mechanical grip and become unable to follow the trajectory in the corner.

Camber angles, ride height, tire pressure and centre of gravity are important factors that determine the understeer/oversteer handling condition.

It is common that manufacturers configure cars deliberately to have a slight understeer by default. If a car understeers slightly, it tends to be more stable (within the realms of a driver of average ability) if a violent change of direction occurs.

How to adjust your car to reduce understeer

You should begin by increasing the negative camber of the front wheels (never above -3 degrees in an on-road sedan or 5-6 degrees on an off-road car).

Another way to reduce understeer is to decrease the rear wheel negative camber (which should always be <= 0 degrees).

Yet another method to reduce understeer is to reduce the size or remove the front anti-roll bar (or to increase the size of the rear anti-roll bar).

It is important to notice that any adjustment made will result in a trade-off. Cars have a limited amount of grip that can be distributed between the front and rear wheels.

Oversteer

A car is said to be oversteering when the rear wheels do not track behind the front wheels but instead slide out toward the outside of the turn. Oversteer can throw the car into a spin.

The tendency of a car to oversteer is affected by several factors such as mechanical traction, aerodynamics and suspension, and driver control.

Limit oversteer happens when the rear tires exceed the limits of their lateral traction during a cornering situation before the front tires do, thus causing the rear of the vehicle to head towards the outside of the corner. More generally oversteer is the condition when the slip angle of the rear tires exceeds that of the front tires.

Rear wheel drive cars are generally more prone to oversteer, in particular when applying power in a tight corner. This occurs because the rear tires must handle both the lateral cornering force and engine torque.

The car's tendency toward oversteer is generally increased by softening the front suspension or stiffening the rear suspension (or adding a rear roll bar). Camber angles, ride height, and tire temperature ratings can also be used to tune the balance of the car.

An oversteering car is alternatively referred to as 'loose' or 'tail happy'.

How do you differentiate Oversteer and Understeer?
When you turn into a corner, oversteer is when the car turns more than you expected and understeer is when it turns less than you expect.

To Oversteer or to Understeer, that is the question

As mentioned before, any adjustment made will result in a trade-off. Cars have a limited amount of grip that can be distributed between the front and rear wheels (this can be enhanced through aerodynamics, but that’s another story).

All race cars develop a greater lateral (i.e. sideslip) velocity than is indicated by the direction in which the wheels are pointed. The difference between the circle the wheels are currently tracing and the direction in which they are pointed is the slip angle. If the slip angles of the front and rear wheels are equal, the car is in a neutral steering state. If the slip angle of the front wheels exceeds that of the rear, the vehicle is said to be understeering. If the slip angle of the rear wheels exceeds that of the front, the vehicle is said to be oversteering.

Just remember that an understeering car goes into the boards nose first, an oversteering car goes into them tail first, and with a neutral-steering car, both ends hit the boards at the same time. J

Other Important factors to consider

Any vehicle may understeer or oversteer at different times based on road conditions, speed, available traction, and driver input. The design of a vehicle, however, will tend to produce a particular "terminal" condition when the vehicle is pushed to and past its limits of adhesion. "Terminal understeer" refers to a vehicle which, as a function of its design, tends to understeer when cornering loads exceed tire traction.

Terminal handling balance is a function of front/rear relative roll resistance (suspension stiffness), front/rear weight distribution, and front/rear tire traction. A front-heavy vehicle with low rear roll stiffness (from soft springing and/or undersized or nonexistent rear anti-roll bars) will have a tendency to terminal understeer: its front tires, being more heavily loaded even in the static condition, will reach the limits of their adhesion before the rear tires, and thus will develop larger slip angles. Front wheel-drive cars are also prone to understeer because not only are they usually front-heavy, transmitting power through the front wheels also reduces their grip available for cornering. This often leads to a "shuddering" action in the front wheels which can be felt in the car as grip is suddenly being changed from planting the engines power on the road and steering.

Although understeer and oversteer can each cause a loss of control, many automakers design their vehicles for terminal understeer in the belief that it is easier for the average driver to control than terminal oversteer. Unlike terminal oversteer, which often requires several steering corrections, understeer can often be reduced simply by reducing speed.

Understeer is not just present during acceleration through a corner, it can also be found during heavy braking. If the brake balance (the strength of the brakes in terms of the front and rear wheels) is too heavy at the front this can cause understeer. This is caused by the front wheels locking and losing any effective steering. The opposite is true if the brake balance is too strong towards the rear wheels causing the rear end to spin out (like a child skidding on a bicycle). In ordinary road cars a safe brake balance (tending towards slight understeer) must be found.

Racing drivers, on asphalt surfaces, generally prefer a neutral condition (with a slight tendency toward understeer or oversteer, depending on the track and driver preference) because both understeer and oversteer conditions will scrub off speed while cornering. In rear wheel drive cars understeer is generally faster on a circuit because the rear wheels need to have some grip available to accelerate the vehicle out of the turn.

Spring rate

Spring rate is a component in setting the vehicles ride height and its location in the suspension stroke. Spring rate is a ratio used to measure how resistant a spring is to being compressed.

Springs that are too hard or too soft will both effectively cause the vehicle to have no suspension at all.

Wheel rate

Wheel rate is the effective spring rate when measured at the wheel. This is as opposed to simply measuring the spring rate alone.

Wheel rate is usually equal to or considerably less than the spring rate. Commonly, springs are mounted on control arms, swing arms or some other pivoting suspension member. Lets assume the spring moved 0.75 inches, the lever arm ratio would be 0.75 to 1. The wheel rate is calculated by taking the square of the ratio (0.5625) times the spring rate. Squaring the ratio is due to two effects. The ratio applies to both the force and distance traveled.

Suspension Travel

Travel is the measure of distance from the bottom of the suspension stroke (when the vehicle is on a stand and the wheel hangs freely), to the top of the suspension stroke (when the vehicles wheel can no longer travel in an upward direction toward the vehicle). Bottoming or lifting a wheel can cause serious control problems. "Bottoming" can be done by either the suspension, tires, chassis, etc. running out of space to move or the body or other components of the car hitting the road.

Damping

Damping is the control of motion or oscillation, as seen with the use of hydraulic shock absorbers. Damping controls the travel speed and resistance of the vehicles suspension. An undamped car will oscillate up and down. With proper damping levels, the car will settle back to a normal state in a minimal amount of time. Most damping in modern vehicles can be controlled by increasing or decreasing the thickness of the fluid (or the size of the shock valve holes) in the shock absorber.

Anti-dive and Anti-squat

Anti-dive and Anti-squat are expressed in terms of percentage and refer to the front diving under braking and the rear squatting under acceleration. They can be thought of as the counterparts for braking and acceleration as Roll Center Height is to cornering. The main reason for the difference is due to the different design goals between front and rear suspension, whereas suspension is usually symmetrical between the left and right of the vehicle.

Anti-dive and Anti-squat percentage are always calculated with respect to a vertical plane that intersects the vehicle's Center of Gravity. Consider Anti-dive first. Locate the front Instant Centers of the suspension from the vehicle's side view. Draw a line from the tire contact patch through the Instant Center: this is the tire force vector. Now draw a line straight down from the vehicle's center of gravity. The Anti-dive is the ratio between the height of where the tire force vector crosses the center of gravity plane expressed as a percentage. An Anti-dive ratio of 50% would mean the force vector under braking crosses half way between the ground and the center of gravity.

Anti-squat is the counterpart to Anti-dive and is for the rear suspension under acceleration.

Circle of forces

The Circle of Forces is a useful way to think about the dynamic interaction between a vehicle's tire and the road surface. In the diagram below we are looking at the tire from above, so that the road surface lies in the x-y plane. The vehicle that the tire is attached to is moving in the positive y direction.

In this example, the vehicle would be cornering to the right (i.e. the positive x direction points to the center of the corner). Note that the plane of rotation of the tire is at an angle to the actual direction that the tire is moving (the positive y direction). That angle is the slip angle.

The magnitude limit of F is limited by the dashed circle, but it can be any combination of the components Fx (turning) and Fy (accelerating or braking) that does not exceed the dashed circle. If the combined Fx and Fy forces exceeds the boundaries of the circle, the tire looses grip (you slide or spin out).

In the example, the tire is generating a component of force in the x direction (Fx) which, when transferred to the vehicle's chassis via the suspension system in combination with similar forces from the other tires, will cause the vehicle to turn to the right. The diameter of the circle of forces, and therefore the maximum horizontal force that the tire can generate, is affected by many things, including the design of the tire and its condition (age and temperature range), the qualities of the road surface, and the vertical load on the tire.

Critical Speed

Oversteering cars have an associated instability mode, called the critical speed. As this speed is approached the steering becomes progressively more sensitive. At the critical speed the yaw velocity gain becomes infinite, that is, the car will continue to turn with the wheel held straight ahead. Above the critical speed a simple analysis shows that the steer angle must be reversed (counter steering). Understeering cars do not suffer from this, which is one of the reasons why high speed cars tend to be set up to understeer.

Some of the definitions found here were based on text found on wikipedia (www.wikipedia.com). Feel free to print these out and / or distribute this document as long as you give proper credit.

more via :rc-setup.com

Pssst! Want to buy a fake Ferrari?

2008-02-29T16:25:00.000+01:00

A fake Ferrari car confiscated in Sicily, south of Italy, is seen in this handout photo released by the police on February 28, 2008. Police accused 15 people of building Ferrari sports cars and selling them to car fanatics on a budget, most of whom knew they were buying a counterfeit classic.

(reuters.com)

Satellite Shoot-Down video

2008-02-23T22:41:00.000+01:00

If interested, footage of the rogue spy satellite destroyed by a Navy SM-3 missile. I don't care what the critics say, blowing that stuff up is just cool.

Source: techamok via youtube

eyes Contact Lens Display System

2008-02-20T18:55:00.000+01:00


Friday, 18 January 2008
The field of display technology has seen some impressive announcements recently, but this one tops the charts for this crew. The University of Washington has implemented microscopic manufacturing or self-assembly (capillary forces) to make a new kind of hybrid contact. This contact has a microscopic imprinted circuit with light emitting capabilities. This kind of breakthrough opens the door to a host a possible applications, including HUD overlays and immersive displays. Do not get too excited yet. There is also a patent filed under United States Patent 5682210 back in 1997, it is very similar in nature. "Movie characters from the Terminator to the Bionic Woman use bionic eyes to zoom in on far-off scenes, have useful facts pop into their field of view, or create virtual crosshairs. Off the screen, virtual displays have been proposed for more practical purposes – visual aids to help vision-impaired people, holographic driving control panels and even as a way to surf the Web on the go. The device to make this happen may be familiar. Engineers at the University of Washington have for the first time used manufacturing techniques at microscopic scales to combine a flexible, biologically safe contact lens with an imprinted electronic circuit and lights. "Looking through a completed lens, you would see what the display is generating superimposed on the world outside," said Babak Parviz, a UW assistant professor of electrical engineering. "This is a very small step toward that goal, but I think it's extremely promising." The results were presented today at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' international conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems by Harvey Ho, a former graduate student of Parviz's now working at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, Calif. Other co-authors are Ehsan Saeedi and Samuel Kim in the UW's electrical engineering department and Tueng Shen in the UW Medical Center's ophthalmology department. There are many possible uses for virtual displays. Drivers or pilots could see a vehicle's speed projected onto the windshield. Video-game companies could use the contact lenses to completely immerse players in a virtual world without restricting their range of motion. And for communications, people on the go could surf the Internet on a midair virtual display screen that only they would be able to see. "People may find all sorts of applications for it that we have not thought about. Our goal is to demonstrate the basic technology and make sure it works and that it's safe," said Parviz, who heads a multi-disciplinary UW group that is developing electronics for contact lenses. The prototype device contains an electric circuit as well as red light-emitting diodes for a display, though it does not yet light up. The lenses were tested on rabbits for up to 20 minutes and the animals showed no adverse effects. Ideally, installing or removing the bionic eye would be as easy as popping a contact lens in or out, and once installed the wearer would barely know the gadget was there, Parviz said. Building the lenses was a challenge because materials that are safe for use in the body, such as the flexible organic materials used in contact lenses, are delicate. Manufacturing electrical circuits, however, involves inorganic materials, scorching temperatures and toxic chemicals. Researchers built the circuits from layers of metal only a few nanometers thick, about one thousandth the width of a human hair, and constructed light-emitting diodes one third of a millimeter across. They then sprinkled the grayish powder of electrical components onto a sheet of flexible plastic. The shape of each tiny component dictates which piece it can attach to, a microfabrication technique known as self-assembly. Capillary forces – the same type of forces that make water move up a plant's roots, and that cause the edge of a glass of water to curve upward – pull the pieces into position. bhfo.org

Cool PORTAL COFFEE CUP

2008-02-20T02:57:00.000+01:00

Turn One Computer Into Two, Completely Free

2008-02-19T01:55:00.000+01:00

Canadian Software Lets You Turn One Computer Into Two, Completely Free

Userful turns one computer into many, allowing a single computer box to support multiple users at the same time. - Photography courtesy Userful

Using software created by an Alberta company, you can get a second computer in your house this holiday season free. In fact, the software is capable of splitting your PC into 10, saving you money and saving the environment at the same time.

Digital Journal -- Canadian company Userful is now giving away its Desktop Multiplier software to anyone who wants an extra PC free.

The software turns one computer into many, allowing a single computer box to support multiple users at the same time. All you need to do is connect an extra monitor, USB keyboard and mouse to your run-of-the-mill computer box, and the Desktop Multiplier software will make it possible for two people to work on the same PC at the same time.

The reason Userful is giving away its software is to prove an environmental point and show just how much "un-tapped value lies hidden in today's desktop PCs," as their company press release reads.

In an email interview with DigitalJournal.com, Userful's marketing and PR manager, Sean Rousseau, said, "Desktop multiplier works so efficiently because it only copies the necessary portions of the operating system while sharing the rest between each user. However from a user's perspective it appears that both have their own independent PC since their actions and files are completely private and separate from each other."

As for the legality of splitting the operating system to work with multiple users, Rousseau also noted Userful's Desktop Multiplier runs on the open source Linux operating system, so turning one computer into two is perfectly legal.

In fact, Userful's software will allow you to create up to 10 independent workstations from a single physical computer tower. The software is currently used around the world in schools, libraries, hotels, and other businesses. The software manages up to 10 PCs through a central Web portal. For a detailed diagram of how it works, .

"Most of what happens in an office -- word processing, internet, spreadsheets, etc. --- uses very little of the computing power of modern PC's," said Rousseau. "We figured there must be a more efficient way to use our computers and so we developed the technology to have up to 10 of our employees working from a single computer simultaneously. It worked so well that we decided to share it with the world."

The company was founded in 1999 and is currently privately held. Userful was named Alberta's 10th fastest growing company earning under $20 million in revenue.

Userful says its software has led to "huge savings" for businesses and individuals by reducing the number of PCs one needs to purchase. The company says turning one computer into 10 can cut as much as 70 per cent from a business's hardware investment.

The company says: "Over a 3-year lifecycle on a 100-user deployment, Userful's Desktop Multiplier approach can save as much as $90,000 in hardware acquisition; $90,000 on software acquisition; and $100,000 to $200,000 per year in reduced software support and maintenance costs."

The idea of splitting a computer between multiple people certainly sounds great for IT departments everywhere, so we wondered if the system would be bogged down by up to 10 people using a single computer's processing power.

"How much it slows down your computer depends largely on how fast your computer is and what you plan on using the computer for," said Rousseau. "For an example of what you can do we recently tried overloading one of our 10 user stations just to see if we could. All 10 had office programs and email open, they each had multiple YouTube videos playing, and six of them were playing RuneScape all at the same time without any slowdowns at all."

In addition to cost savings, Userful is also finding an innovative way to be green in the PC market. It says 10 monitors, mice and keyboards on a single computer reduces CO2 emissions by up to 15 tones per year per system. According to the company, in the last year their software has saved more than 13,250 tons of CO2 emissions, the equivalent of taking 2,300 cars off the road.

In addition, it also saves you money because using one physical computer (rather than two) cuts down on your electricity bill, and it reduces hardware and support cost.

A group of kids laugh and pose for a photo beside a network that employs Userful software, allowing one computer to be turned into 10.
Userful is also helping out in another green space, as its software cuts back on computer waste: With an estimated 20 million PCs becoming obsolete in the U.S. each year, Userful says e-waste contains lead, mercury, cadmium, and many other toxic and bio-accumulative compounds that can compromise water and air quality. By sharing the same box, Desktop Multiplier reduces electronic waste by up to 80 per cent.

The current promotion comes with free two-user licences, so all you need is an extra video card (or a card that enables two monitors to be plugged in), a USB keyboard and a mouse. The company says the download will not affect any software on your hard disk.

So why is the company giving its software away for free? Rousseau told DigitalJournal.com: "We are giving this software away for personal use only because it is our hope that people will realise what an amazing product it is and recommended the commercial version to their workplace. It is free forever, enjoy!"

To download the software free, visit Userful's website.

Top 100 Free online Podcasts lessons from the Best Colleges in the World

2008-02-18T23:28:00.000+01:00

Stanford

Stanford offers free podcast downloads via iTunes. You'll be able to study physics, computer design, and much more.

Quantum Mechanics: Learn about classical mechanics, theories of relativity, and more in this physics course.
Human-Computer Interaction: This course features a variety of speakers on interaction design.
Geography of World Cultures: This podcast takes a look at geography and considers the way it impacts world cultures.
Hannibal: In this course, you'll study the life and archaeological trail of Hannibal.
Modern Theoretical Physics: Learn about quantum entanglement and other theories of physics in this course.
Ben Franklin and the World of Enlightenment: You'll get to learn about Benjamin Franklin's life and achievements, as well as how he affected and was affected by the Enlightenment.
Straight Talk About Stem Cells: This course discusses the fundamentals of stem cell biology as well as its surrounding controversy.
The Geography of World Cultures: Here you'll be able to explore locational dynamics and the way they affect languages, groupings, and religions.
The Future of the Internet: This course discusses the issues of network neutrality and ownership on the Internet.
The Literature of Crisis: Learn the art of living and take a look at the circumstances of existence through discussions on writers and thinkers including Socrates and Shakespeare.
Historical Jesus: This course considers the historical evidence of Jesus against that of traditional Christianity.
Virgil's Aeneid: Here you'll get an analysis of this work that is essential to the canon of Latin literature.
Computer Systems Colloquium: In this podcast, you'll hear from guest lecturers that discuss topics like VoIP encryption, computer architecture, and balancing methods.

UC Berkeley

These courses from UC Berkeley are freshly completed from the Fall 2007 semester, and they should be available in full. Highlights include environmental studies and issues in new media.

Foundations of American Cyber-Culture: This course takes a look at computers, new media, and the world wide web.
General Biology: In this biology course, you'll cover cells, genetics, animal development, form, and function.
The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs: This course offers an introduction to programming and computer science.
Structure and Interpretation of Systems and Signals: Get a look at mathematical modeling of signals and systems in this engineering course.
Crossroads of Earth Resources and Society: Check out this course to learn about the way geological processes intersect with American culture.
Issues in Foreign Policy After 9/11: This course discusses international issues and events with relation to 9/11.
Metal Cutting: Here you'll learn about processes, procedures, and theories of metal cutting.
Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Justice: Listen to this podcast to hear about juvenile courts, theories of delinquency, and the justice system.
Human Emotion: Consider emotion with evolutionary grounding as well as a social constructionist approach.
Time, Money, and Love in the Age of Technology: In this course, you'll take a look at the meaning of life, visionary business, and going beyond being human.
Earthquakes in Your Backyard: Learn about seismology, tectonics, and natural disasters throughout history.
The Ancient Mediterranean World: This course discusses the history of ancient Mediterranean empires.
Search Engines: Technology, Society, and Business: Consider search psychology, economics, spam, and other topics relating to Internet search engines with this course.
Introduction to Human Nutrition: In this course, you'll get an overview of digestion and metabolism.

MIT

MIT's courses feature either audio or video, sometimes both, and are available as podcasts by department feeds.

Aircraft Systems Engineering: This course offers a view of the aircraft as a whole system, with an experienced astronaut as well as a shuttle project manager as professors.
Introduction to Biology: In these video lectures, you'll cover core biology material.
Introduction to Psychology: Introduction to Psychology is presented as a series of audio lectures, with accompanying lecture notes.
Neuroscience and Behavior: These audio lectures discuss neuronal integration, anatomy, and physiology.
Brain Structure and its Origins: You'll learn about CNS structures in this series of audio lectures.
Animal Behavior: Learn about adaptive behavior from animals with this audio lecture course.
Principles of Chemical Science: In this introductory chemical course, presented in video, you'll take a look at basic principles.
Principles of Chemical Science: These video lectures build upon the previous chemistry course, further emphasizing basic principles.
Media, Education, and the Marketplace: This set of video lectures discusses using interactive media to enhance education.
Circuits and Electronics: Get an introduction to electrical engineering with this video course.
Introduction to Algorithms: Learn about techniques in design and analysis of algorithms with these video lectures.
Principles of Digital Communication: In this course, you'll focus on coding techniques for the Shannon limit of AWGN channels.
Introduction to Copyright Law: This course offers both an introduction to copyright law and general American law.
Engineering Ethics: Learn all about the ethics and philosophy of engineering through the cases in this audio course.

Duke

Duke offers a wide variety of podcast courses, from Italian to discussions on Nintendo.

Nintendo: A History of Innovation: This course discusses Nintendo and some of its more innovative creations.
Documentary Research Methods: Consider the relationship between Duke and Durham with student research and community fieldwork from this course.
Gli Immigrati: In this course, you'll take a look at the situation of immigration both in Italy and the US.
Gli Sport: Gli Sport considers popular sports in Italy and America.
Italiano 2.02: Una Guida: This course highlights some of the important things in US and Italian culture, like museums.
Italiano 2.02: L'Italia: Take a look at Italian culture, including food, agriculture, and monuments.
Italiano 1: Progetto Museo: Learn about the operas of Museo Nasher in this course.
Game2Know Focus IDC: This course considers topics in online gaming and beyond.
How They Got Game: How They Got Game discusses RPG, Atari, WoW, and different genres of gaming.
Young Latino Immigrants & School: This course will put you face to face with children of migrant farm workers in North Carolina and discuss their educational aspirations.
Italiano 1: Conversazioni: This conversational Italian course covers descriptions, sports, film, and pasta.
Principles of Effective eCommerce: In Principles of Effective eCommerce, you'll take a look at important figures of the Internet, such as Tim O'Reilly and Jakob Nielsen.
Nursing Informatics: This course delivers graduate level content in systems and management.
Business Ethics: In this course, you'll learn about business ethics, specifically the difference between stakeholders and stockholders.

Harvard

Much of the media available from Harvard is presented as one full podcast, but we've hand picked a few of their courses and recurring series that you should look for.

The City of Sardis: Approaches in Graphic Recording: Learn about the preservation and recreation of the ancient City of Sardis in this very detailed series.
Human Systems Explorer: Available as video, this course looks at an interactive teaching tool that's used to teach pathophysiology.
String Theory, Black Holes, and the Laws of Nature: These videos cover a beginning understanding of the basic laws of the universe.
Women and War in the Twentieth Century: Consider the history of gender and war to get a better understanding of war itself with this series and tour of historical collections.
Justice: This very popular course offers an introduction to moral and political philosophy, discussing great philosophers as well as debates on contemporary issues.
50 Years in Media: Changes in Journalism: You'll hear from eight panelists from the Harvard Class of 1955 as they discuss the changes journalism has experienced in the past 50 years.
In the War Zone: How Does Gender Matter?: Here, you'll get access to discussions from a Harvard conference that considers gender and war.
Interntional Relations: New Approaches in a Complex World: Take a look at important issues in international politics with this series.

Queen's University

This Canadian university offers a few iTunesU courses in engineering and social issues.

ELEC 377: This core course for Computer Engineering covers basic concepts of operating systems.
SOFT 423: You'll learn about advanced requirements in software engineering with this podcast.
Ethnicity & Democratic Governance: This series discusses, globalization, democracies, social construction, and much more.

UCLA

UCLA has BruinCasts for a number of courses online. Many of them are restricted for student use only, but we've listed the ones that are publicly open for the current academic year here.

Atmospheric and Oceanic Science: Take a look at atmospheric circulation and its relation to the oceans in this podcast.
Spectacle Entertainments of Ancient Rome: Look back at some of the ways Romans entertained themselves with this course.
Genetic Engineering in Medicine, Architecture, and Law: In this course, you'll learn about the way genetic engineering touches many facets of daily life.
Genetics: This genetics course takes a look at a number of topics, from Mendelian genetics to gene structure and function.
Politics and Strategy: Take a look at the use of strategy in politics with this podcast.
Social Psychology: This course takes on psychology as it relates to social situations.
Freshman Computer Science Seminar: You'll get an introduction to important topics and key ideas for computer science and engineering with this course.
Money and Banking: Take a look at the principles of money and banking in the US, processes, monetary policy, and more with this Money and Banking podcast.
Life: Concepts and Issues: This course offers an introduction to important concepts in life science, such as the evolution theory.
Electoral Politics: Public Opinion and Voting Behavior: You'll learn about political attitudes and public opinion in this course.
Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory: Take a look at various topics in behavioral neuroscience with this course designed for Phsychobiology and Psychology students.
Art as Social Action: Learn how artists can spark social action in this world arts and cultures podcast.

University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine

UCSF's Office of Continuing Medical Education currently has podcasts available on the subjects of depression and obstetrics/gynecology.

Depression: Psychiatric Pitfalls & Treatment: Consider the treatment of depression with this podcast course.
Depression: Anxiety Disorders and Exercise: This course taks a look at the link between exercise and anxiety disorders.
Depression: Differentiating Unipolar from Bipolar and Treating Dementia: You'll learn about assessment and treatment of a few different mental afflictions with this course.
OBGYN: Women's Medicine: This course will teach you to consider obstetrics and gynecology with a woman in mind.
OBGYN: High Risk Pregnancies: Take a look at some of the risk factors and treatments for troubling pregnancies in this course.
OBGYN: Issues in Women's Health: This course will ask you to consider health issues for women that every OB/GYN needs to know.

University of Glasgow

The University of Glasgow has a handful of courses in podcast form, offering downloads through RSS as well as individually through their site.

Kant: Take a look at A Priori, transcendental logic, and more in this course.
2D Digitisation: Learn about the importance and use of digitization in teaching and beyond through 2D Digitisation's 20-part lecture collection.
Document Encoding: In this course, you'll learn about encoding standards, different types of text, and the examination of text.
Consciousness: Listen to this course on consciousness, and you will get a look at the debate about consciousness in humans, animals, and machines.
Heritage and Cultural Informatics: This course explores information technology as a way to improve access to cultural and natural heritage.

Yale

Yale offers a small sample of their courses online, with MP3 downloads for each session.

Frontiers and Controversies in Astrophysics: This Yale podcast offers information on extra-solar planets, black holes, and dark energy.
Modern Poetry: In Modern Poetry, you'll learn about major poets, concerns, and the characteristic techniques of modern poetry.
Death: Face the inevitable with this course that explores death.
Fundamentals of Physics: In this course, you'll get a good introduction to the principles and methods of physics.
Introduction to Political Philosophy: Examine important thinkers and writings of Western politics in this course.
Introduction to Psychology: Introduction to Psychology answers questions about the mind and provides an overview of the study of thought and behavior.
Introduction to the Old Testament: This course discusses the Old Testament as it relates to religious life and Western Civilization.

More Courses

Learn even more from these podcast courses.

Politique: Every week, you'll hear analysis on a new political subject in this course.
Oxford Medieval English Lectures: Study Medieval English with some of Oxford's best in this podcast.
Saviors: You'll learn about politics, economics, philosophy, and other news in this podcast.
Controversy: Hear opposing views on science, politics, and more here.

serious bag is not amused

2008-02-14T22:09:00.000+01:00

Great pictures makes you crazy

2008-02-14T22:07:00.000+01:00

dead lock no way to move !!

2008-02-14T22:04:00.000+01:00

Silicon nanowires get a charge from heat

2008-02-10T16:07:00.001+01:00

Two ways to make silicon nanowires yield a potentially cost-effective ways to generate electricity from heat. One technique produces silicon nanowires with rough surfaces and the other silicon nanowires containing impurities similar to those used in computer chips. Thermoelectric materials hold the promise of generating electricity from the massive amount of heat wasted by factories, power plants, furnaces and vehicle engines. (Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance of Rough Silicon Nanowires, Silicon Nanowires As Efficient Thermoelectric Materials, Nature, January 10, 2008)

trnmag.com

Contact lens displays

2008-02-10T16:02:00.000+01:00

Laboratory rabbits are wearing contact lenses containing electronic circuits and light-emitting diodes for 20 minutes without adverse effects. The contact lenses are the first step toward contact-lens heads-up displays that would project computer-generated images onto the wearer's field of vision. (Contact Lens with Integrated Inorganic Semiconductor Devices, 21st IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems [MEMS 2008], January 13-17, 2008, Tucson, Arizona)

Big Game POSTER

2008-02-10T15:59:00.000+01:00

side walk ends !!

2008-02-04T01:48:00.001+01:00

old Soccer players from last century

2008-02-04T01:18:00.000+01:00

The paralysed finger

2008-02-04T00:59:00.000+01:00

Try this…

Bend your middle finger and place the centre section on a table or hard surface. You will be able to lift your thumb, index, and little finger without moving your middle finger. But it is impossible to lift your ring finger.

What is happening?

The tendons in your fingers are independent from one another apart from the ones in your middle and ring finger. These tendons are connected, so that when your middle finger is folded down you cannot move your ring finger. It feels like your ring finger is stuck!

This experiment was written by Stephanie Weaver

Mobile Phone Tips 4 Things You Never Knew Your Mobile Phone Could Do

2008-02-02T00:31:00.000+01:00

Very, very useful info.

4 THINGS YOU PROBABLY NEVER KNEW YOUR MOBILE PHONE COULD DO

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST Emergency

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND Have you locked your keys in the car?

Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their mobile phone from your cell phone.

Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other 'remote' for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).

Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a mobile phone!'

THIRD Hidden Battery Power

Imagine your mobile battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your mobile will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your mobile next time.

FOURTH How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?

To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 #

A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, so pass it on to your family and friends

hoax-slayer.com

How to build your amazing steam candle for Christmas !

2008-02-02T00:25:00.000+01:00

You’ll find out the very easy way to do your Christmas decoration.You can learn how to make a cool rotating steam engine using only a candle and a thin tube. It runs for hours!
I’ll use this technique for decorating my house for Christmas night.What about you?

Bill Gates’ last day at Microsoft (video)

2008-01-28T21:19:00.000+01:00

A video spoof shown during the CES 2008 keynote by Bill Gates about his last full day at Microsoft in July starring himself, Brian Williams, Steve Ballmer, Matthew McConaugheyr, Robbie Bach, Jay-Z, Bono, Steven Spielberg, George Clooney, Jon Stewart, Kevin Turner, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Al Gore, Ray Ozzie and Craig Mundie,

Amazing who they can call for a guest appearance in the name of Bill Gates.

Evolution of all Windows versions From 1.0 to Vista

2008-01-25T23:55:00.000+01:00

Windows 1.0

Windows 1.01

Windows 2.0

Windows 3.0

Windows 3.1

Windows NT 3.1

Windows 3.11

Windows 95

Windows NT 3.51

Windows 98

Windows NT 4.0

Windows 2000

Windows XP

Windows Vista

via computerworld.name

Cool 3D graphics

2008-01-24T03:03:00.000+01:00


cent visages	ailes de papillon	history of Pi	allô allô


double helix	gravitational waves	flûte de paon	les grands fonds


poisson saturne	solar sail	sous la parabole	synchlotron


fire butterfly	Delaunay	pretty vacant	coast of britain


après-midi d'un faune	horloge interne	par ici la sortie	sunday afternoon


aurora borealis	calabi-yau	carbon	magnetic field


no logo	phobos and deimos	charmed quarks	jupiter storm

amazing soldier !

2008-01-22T00:35:00.000+01:00

Call of Duty !

Exonerated RIAA defendant scores double victory in court

2008-01-19T23:20:00.000+01:00

A US District Court judge in Oregon has reaffirmed a magistrate's award of attorneys' fees and the dismissal of exonerated RIAA defendant Tanya Andersen's counterclaims against the RIAA without prejudice so that her class-action lawsuit against the record labels can move ahead.

Andersen, a disabled single mother who resides in Oregon, was sued by the RIAA in February 2005 for distributing gangster rap over KaZaA using the handle "gotenkito." She denied all of the RIAA's allegations and filed the now-dismissed counterclaims in October of that year. After over two years of contentious filings and allegations of misconduct by the RIAA's investigators, Atlantic v. Andersen was dismissed with prejudice after the record labels decided to drop the case.

Andersen was awarded attorneys' fees by the magistrate overseeing the case in September of last year, a decision that was quickly appealed by the RIAA. In a ruling noticed this morning by copyright attorney Ray Beckerman, Judge James A. Redden agreed with the magistrate's findings, writing that "the court's order dismissing Andersen's claims without prejudice provide a sufficient 'judicial imprimatur' on the 'alteration of the legal relationship of the parties' to justify conferring prevailing party status on Andersen."

Tanya Andersen Judge Redden also upheld the magistrate's decision to dismiss her counterclaims without prejudice so that they could be heard as part of a malicious prosecution lawsuit filed by Andersen last June after the RIAA's case was dismissed, citing the "interests of judicial economy and comprehensive litigation."

Andersen's malicious prosecution lawsuit accuses the RIAA of invasion of privacy, deceptive business practices, libel, slander, and a host of other misdeeds, saying that the RIAA has "engaged in a coordinated enterprise to pursue a scheme of threatening and intimidating litigation in an attempt to maintain its music distribution monopoly." Her complaint contains some very disturbing allegations, including one that labels attempted to contact her then eight-year-old daughter under false pretenses without Andersen's permission.

Andersen is seeking class-action status for her lawsuit, which would allow anyone who was "sued or were threatened with sued by Defendants for file-sharing, downloading or other similar activities, who have not actually engaged in actual copyright infringement" to join the lawsuit. The RIAA has denied any wrongdoing and has moved for dismissal of the lawsuit.

Source: arstechnica -- guru3d.com

Quagga: half zebra, half horse (extinct since 1883)

2008-01-18T17:13:00.000+01:00

One of Africa's most famous extinct animals, the quagga was a subspecies of the plains zebra, which was once found in great numbers in South Africa's Cape Province and the southern part of the Orange Free State. It was distinguished from other zebras by having the usual vivid marks on the front part of the body only. In the mid-section, the stripes faded and the dark, inter-stripe spaces became wider, and the hindquarters were a plain brown. The name comes from a Khoikhoi word for zebra and is onomatopoeic, being said to resemble the quagga's call.

The quagga was originally classified as an individual species, Equus quagga, in 1788. Over the next fifty years or so, many other zebras were described by naturalists and explorers. Because of the great variation in coat patterns (no two zebras are alike), taxonomists were left with a great number of described "species", and no easy way to tell which of these were true species, which were subspecies, and which were simply natural variants. Long before this confusion was sorted out, the quagga had been hunted to extinction for meat, hides, and to preserve feed for domesticated stock. The last wild quagga was probably shot in the late 1870s, and the last specimen in captivity died on August 12, 1883 at the Artis Magistra zoo in Amsterdam.

Because of the great confusion between different zebra species, particularly among the general public, the quagga had become extinct before it was realized that it appeared to be a separate species. The quagga was the first extinct creature to have its DNA studied. Recent genetic research at the Smithsonian Institution has demonstrated that the quagga was in fact not a separate species at all, but diverged from the extremely variable plains zebra.Wiki]

Thylacine: the Tasmanian Tiger (extinct since 1936)

2008-01-18T17:11:00.000+01:00

The Thylacine was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. Native to Australia and New Guinea, it is thought to have become extinct in the 20th century. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian Tiger (due to its striped back), and also known as the Tasmanian Wolf, and colloquially the Tassie (or Tazzy) Tiger or simply the Tiger. It was the last extant member of its genus, Thylacinus, although a number of related species have been found in the fossil record dating back to the early Miocene.

The Thylacine became extinct on the Australian mainland thousands of years before European settlement of the continent, but survived on the island of Tasmania along with a number of other endemic species such as the Tasmanian Devil. Intensive hunting encouraged by bounties is generally blamed for its extinction, but other contributory factors may have been disease, the introduction of dogs, and human encroachment into its habitat. Despite being officially classified as extinct, sightings are still reported.[Wiki]

New Hummer HX concept - Halo anyone ?

2008-01-15T15:38:00.001+01:00

It sure didn't take long for folks to jump to conclusions about the inspiration behind GM's new Hummer HX concept vehicle but -- surprise, surprise -- the company's now denying that any such influence exists.

According to GM design director Carl Zipfel, the HX wasn't modeled on Halo's Warthog but on "modern-day ATVs" -- even though he freely admits that both he and several of the vehicle's designers play Halo. Of course, it's entirely possible that they're just saying that now that they've realized they'd already been outdone by Chrysler in the subconscious Halo-imitation department.

Source: news

Best Wallpapers ever 7

2008-01-15T15:20:00.000+01:00

WOooooW ! just enjoy ;)

via

The Fisker Karma and 150mpg XH-150 hybrids revealed at Detroit Auto Show

2008-01-14T22:57:00.000+01:00

Fisker Karma Hybrid

There were a lot of hybrid cars revealed at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. On of those cars is Fisker Automotive plug-in hybrid, which is set to be delivered starting 2009. Maybe you are wondering were does its name come from, well, Fisker is the namesake of Danish-born Henrik Fisker (CEO at BWM and Aston Martin designer). This model can go up to 50 miles before the gas engine kicks in to charge the lithium-ion batteries. It sports a 150mph top speed and it’s able to reach 60 mph in just 5.8 seconds.

150mpg plug-in hybrid XH-150 SUV

Another interesting hybrid form Detroit Auto Show is the 150mpg plug-in hybrid XH-150 SUV from AFS Trinity Power Corporation. Why is so special ? Well, this car is different from the traditional hybrids the XH-150’s powertrain uses ultra-capacitors, not gas. It goes from 0 to 60 in 6.9 seconds with a top highway speed of just 87mph. Anyway, AFS Trinity is more focused on licensing their ultra-capacitor technology than to bring the XH-150 to market.

carzpage.com

Newsflash: Time May Not Exist

2008-01-14T15:01:00.001+01:00

Physicists are confounded about how time actually fits into the universe. One theory is that “time may be an approximate concept that emerges at large scales—a bit like the concept of ‘surface of the water,’ which makes sense macroscopically but which loses a precise sense at the level of the atoms."

read more | digg story

The Helix Nebula NASA Picture of the Day the Eye

2008-01-14T02:38:00.000+01:00

NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula

Explanation: Will our Sun look like this one day? The Helix Nebula is the closest example of a planetary nebula created at the end of the life of a Sun-like star. The outer gasses of the star expelled into space appear from our vantage point as if we are looking down a helix. The remnant central stellar core, destined to become a white dwarf star, glows in light so energetic it causes the previously expelled gas to fluoresce. The Helix Nebula, given a technical designation of NGC 7293, lies about 650 light-years away towards the constellation of Aquarius and spans about 2.5 light-years. The above picture is a composite of newly released images from the ACS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope and wide-angle images from the Mosaic Camera on the WIYN 0.9-m Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. A close-up of the inner edge of the Helix Nebula shows complex gas knots of unknown origin.

source

City Car

2008-01-14T01:00:00.001+01:00

Images courtesy of News.com

Shopping Car-t

Check out this stackable car, still in the design stages at MIT this little 2-seater electric unit is envisioned for city driving to encourage the use of public transport. They reckon they could encourage people to use the bus, train, or subway into the city and then have kiosks of city cars available for rent at stations on the other end stacked up like shopping carts, and returnable to any station kiosk.

Images courtesy of News.com

Battery Power

The city car is expected to weigh in around the 1000lbs mark and would be powered by lithium-ion batteries. It could be adapted to the city it’s used in, smaller cities might have a slower version, but in larger cities they reckon they could reach speeds up to 70mph to make it possible to drive on highways (That could be scary and fun, depending on the city!).

Images courtesy of News.com

Prototype

A full working version prototype of this GM sponsored project is expected later this year, so we’ve probably got a while before one of these run over your toes on city streets - beep beep! However, you could start seeing these foldable scooters sooner, just unveiled last November at an autoshow in Milan, the electric Robo Scooter.

Image courtesy of cities.media.mit.edu

Via: Popgadget.com.

Lamborghini Reventon VS fighter jet (photos)

2008-01-14T00:55:00.000+01:00

€1,000,000 Euros

The Lamborghini design team took inspiration from the F-22 Raptor fighter jet to create this €1,000,000 super car, that’s $1,477,748.80 – give or take a few bucks.

Sold Out

All 20 cars have been sold, so if you didn’t get one – you’re not getting one!! Doesn’t seem fair, I was still looking for change in my sofa.

Wanna Race a Jet?

• 6.5L V12 Engine
• 650hp
• 487lb/ft torque
• 0-62 in 3.4 sec
• Top Speed – 211mph

Info and Images via: cars.uk.msn.com

What video game system should I own ?

2008-01-12T23:38:00.000+01:00

Best Wallpapers ever 6

2008-01-12T23:26:00.000+01:00

To be continue...

Best Wallpapers ever 5

2008-01-11T00:49:00.000+01:00

To be continue...

Computer Generated 3D Girls

2008-01-09T23:59:00.000+01:00

Two unusual older stars giving birth to second wave of planets (stars birth)

2008-01-09T23:57:00.000+01:00

The star BP Piscium (center), in the constellation Pisces. The green and red streaks are jets of gas shot from the star. The image was obtained using the 3-meter telescope at the University of California's Lick Observatory.

Best Wallpapers ever 4

2008-01-09T01:12:00.000+01:00

To be continue...

Best Wallpapers ever 3

2008-01-08T00:02:00.000+01:00

To be continue... tomorow same time same place ;)

The new Vantage GT2 racing car

2008-01-07T22:06:00.001+01:00

Aston Martin Racing has exposed the first impersonation of its new Vantage GT2 racing car. Vantage GT2 is based on the V8 engined Aston Martin Vantage road car. With this new Aston Martin is the only manufacturer to offer cars in every GT racing category: GT1 - DBR9; GT2 - Vantage GT2; GT3 - DBRS9; GT4 - Vantage N24.

Aston Martin Racing build this car to run on either standard race fuel or E85 bio-ethanol. In 2007, Aston Martin Racing profitably transformed a standard DBRS9 to run on E85.

Vantage GT2

Robin Brundle, Aston Martin Racing's managing director, said: "The new Vantage GT2 completes our product portfolio for 2008 with competitive cars now available in every category. Thanks to our experience with the DBRS9, we have been able to develop a bio-ethanol fuelled version, which will be eligible to compete in an increasing number of series now accommodating this greener fuel, including the American Le Mans Series."

The threatening GT2 car will be fully unveiled 10-13 January 2008 in Birmingham at the Autosport International show.

Toshiba Builds 100x Smaller Micro Nuclear Reactor

2008-01-07T22:02:00.000+01:00

Toshiba has developed a new class of micro size Nuclear Reactors that is designed to power individual apartment buildings or city blocks. The new reactor, which is only 20 feet by 6 feet, could change everything for small remote communities, small businesses or even a group of neighbors who are fed up with the power companies and want more control over their energy needs.

The 200 kilowatt Toshiba designed reactor is engineered to be fail-safe and totally automatic and will not overheat. Unlike traditional nuclear reactors the new micro reactor uses no control rods to initiate the reaction. The new revolutionary technology uses reservoirs of liquid lithium-6, an isotope that is effective at absorbing neutrons. The Lithium-6 reservoirs are connected to a vertical tube that fits into the reactor core. The whole whole process is self sustaining and can last for up to 40 years, producing electricity for only 5 cents per kilowatt hour, about half the cost of grid energy.

Toshiba expects to install the first reactor in Japan in 2008 and to begin marketing the new system in Europe and America in 2009.

nextenergynews.com

Alienware curved display rocks Crysis at 2880 x 900

2008-01-07T17:52:00.000+01:00

Don't get all frothed up quite yet because it's still only a prototype, but this sweet doublewide curved DLP display with OLED illumination from Alienware will reportedly be available in the second half of '08. The curvature of the 2880 x 900 rez screen mimics peripheral vision, and in action the performance seemed pretty flawless to our Crysis-dazzled eyes (official specs report less than .02-millisecond response time). We did notice three faint vertical dividing lines that appeared to indicate four sub-panels making up this screen, but we may be willing to suspend disbelief in exchange for the potential of indulgent wrap-around immersion. There's not even an inkling of an MSRP on this thing yet, but you know we're gonna be keeping our eyes on this sucker for ya.

Best Wallpapers ever 2

2008-01-06T22:33:00.000+01:00

To be continue... tomorow ;)

Best Wallpapers ever 1

2008-01-05T23:48:00.000+01:00

To be continue...

Source

kermit body !!!

2008-01-05T23:40:00.000+01:00

2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG

2008-01-05T00:15:00.000+01:00

The 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG features a slight redesign with a different lower front grille and a new dual exhaust. At work under the hood of the SLK 55 AMG is the familiar 5.5-liter V8 powerplant delivering 355 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque. The AMG Speedshift 7G-TRONIC, which has been specifically tuned by AMG, comes with aluminum shift paddles on the steering wheel

General Information

Vehicle Type:

2-door convertible,
production car

Price:

Unavailable

Fuel Mileage:

Unavailable

Drivetrain

Configuration:

Front Engine/RWD

Engine:

Supercharged V8

Displacement:

5439 cc

Horsepower:

355 bhp @ 5750 rpm

Torque:

376 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm

Max RPM:

6700 rpm

Transmission:

7-Speed Automatic

Dimensions

Weight:

Unavailable

Height:

Unavailable

Length:

Unavailable

Width:

Unavailable

Wheelbase:

Unavailable

Track (f/r):

Unavailable

Performance

0-60 mph:

4.9 sec

0-100 mph:

Unavailable

¼ mile:

Unavailable

Top Speed:

155 mph (limited)

Lateral acceleration:

Unavailable

source

Unavailable

2008 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 E85 Concept Pace Car

2008-01-05T00:11:00.000+01:00

The Corvette Z06 E85 concept pace car is based on the production Z06 – already one of the fastest and most powerful cars on the market – and blends its performance with the high-octane, renewable alternative fuel that is derived from a variety of crops grown across the United States.

E85 is blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Its benefits include reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and a reduced dependence on petroleum. GM is the leader in E85 production models, with more than 2.5 million E85-capable cars, trucks and SUVs on the road – with more on the way. Chevrolet offers seven E85-capable models in 2008.

Apart from the fuel system and powertrain controller revisions required to run E85, the Z06 concept pace car is mechanically stock. It is distinguished by a unique Gold Rush Green color-shifting paint scheme that changes between hues of green and gold when viewed from different angles and in different light. A subtle checkered flag pattern also is part of the paint scheme. Safety equipment and strobe lights are the only other equipment added to the car.

Vehicle Type:

2-door coupe,
concept car

Price:

Unavailable

Fuel Mileage:

Unavailable

Drivetrain

Configuration:

Front Engine/RWD

Engine:

Displacement:

7011 cc

Horsepower:

505 bhp @ 6300 rpm

Torque:

470 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm

Max RPM:

7000 rpm

Transmission:

6-Speed Manual

Dimensions

Weight:

3132 lbs

Height:

49.0 in

Length:

175.6 in

Width:

75.9 in

Wheelbase:

105.7 in

Track (f/r):

Unavailable

Performance

0-60 mph:

3.7 sec

0-100 mph:

7.9 sec

¼ mile:

11.5 sec @ 127 mph

Top Speed:

198 mph

Lateral acceleration:

1.02g

Braking 60-0 mph:

Unavailable

Source

Favorite dog Spot

2008-01-04T23:29:00.001+01:00

Dreaming of Baseball

2008-01-04T23:27:00.000+01:00

This is our old dog, Tigger. He really wasn’t tired from playing baseball

Robotic Fly insect

2008-01-01T03:13:00.000+01:00

“If I could go back in time and choose again the field I would get into,” he says, “it might be a toss-up between engineering and biology.”

~ Professor Robert Wood, Harvard Microbiotics Lab

Small, winged insects have a reputation for accidentally buzzing into closed windows or swooping into your eye during a bike ride. But the research of Robert Wood, assistant professor of engineering and applied sciences, may cause you to look twice at your next fly…

read the full article

UbuntuBox: the Worst Case Mod Ever , Hands Down

2008-01-01T03:04:00.000+01:00

At first glance, this “case mod”, if you can call it that, looked like the box I carried my belongings off to college with. Look a little deeper and you see that this box is actually a working computer.

The UbuntuBox has got to be the ugliest damn case mod of all time. Isn’t there some sort of reward for this? The creator of this horrendous masterpiece says that the computer houses the parts from an old Pentium 3 tower, running Linux Ubuntu.

WOoW

[via]

Top 10 List 2007-2008 Fastest Cars In The World

2008-01-01T02:28:00.000+01:00

World’s Fastest Cars

While most of us can only dream of owning the fastest car in the world, some will do whatever it takes to possess such speed and power.So, how fast are the fastest cars in the world? Here is the 10 fastest cars available on the market measures by top speed.

1.SSC Ultimate Aero: 257 mph+, 0-60 in 2.7 secs. Twin-Turbo V8 Engine with 1183 hp, base price is $654,400. Tested in March 2007 by Guinness world records, The SSC Ultimate Aero takes the lead as the fastest car in the world beating Bugatti Veyron.

2.Bugatti Veyron: 253 mph+, 0-60 in 2.5 secs. Aluminum, Narrow Angle W16 Engine with 1001 hp, base price is $1,444,000. With the highest price tag, no wonder this is rank #2.

3. Koenigsegg CCX: 250 mph+, 0-60 in 3.2 secs. 90 Degree V8 Engine 806 hp, base price is $695,000. Made in Sweden, it is expected to take #1 spot in the future.

4.Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo: 248 mph+, 0-60 in 3.2 secs. Twin Turbo All Aluminum V8 Engine with 750 hp, base price is $555,000. Smooth and bad-ass, will make you want to show it off non-stop.

5.McLaren F1: 240 mph+, 0-60 in 3.2 secs. BMW S70/2 60 Degree V12 Engine with 627 hp, base price is $970,000. Check out the doors, they looks like bat wings, maybe Batman need to order one and paints it black

6.Ferrari Enzo: 217 mph+, 0-60 in 3.4 secs. F140 Aluminum V12 Engine with 660 hp, base price is $670,000. Only 399 ever produced, the price goes up every time someone crashes.

7.Jaguar XJ220: 217 mph+, 0-60 in 4.0 secs. Twin Turbo V6 Engine with 542 hp, base price is $345,000. Made in 1992, this car still got what it takes to make the list.

8.Pagani Zonda F: 215 mph+, 0-60 in 3.5 secs. Mercedes Benz M180 V12 Engine with 650 hp, base price is $741,000. With a V12 motor, this baby can do much better.

9.Lamborghini Murcielago LP640: 213 mph+, 0-60 in 3.3 secs. V12 Engine with 640 hp, base price is $430,000. Nice piece of art, the design is very round and smooth.

10. Porsche Carrera GT: 209 mph+, 0-60 in 3.9 secs. Aluminum, 68 Degree, Water Cooled V10 Engine with 612 hp, base price is $440,000. The Porsche most expensive car made the list as #10.

source

You VS The Chimps (chimpstein) !

2007-12-30T02:31:00.000+01:00

The Top 25 Coolest (and Most Unconventional) Keyboards (Images)

2007-12-28T16:21:00.000+01:00

Keyboards come in all shapes and sizes, from the standard ten dollar gray board to something straight out of a science fiction movie. Here’s a list of some of the coolest and strangest keyboards out there.

The WristPC Keyboard: This keyboard is designed for “portable and wearable” computer applications, whatever that means.
The Comfort Keyboard: This one can be split into three separate section, supposedly for added comfort. It also features key reprogramming and a programmable “rest period indicator.”
Orbitouch keyless keyboard: This one is a little hard to explain. It was designed for people with “repetitive stress injuries” like carpal tunnel. As you can see, there are no keys.
The Roll-Up Keyboard: This standard 104 key keyboard takes portability to a new level while providing surprisingly good tactile feedback.
The Optimus Maximus keyboard: Little OLED displays on each key let you customize the layout. Probably the most talked about keyboard ever.
DataHand Professional II: Another Keyboard focused on ergonomics. Is the normal keyboard really that uncomfortable?
The Apple Adjustable Keyboard: A pretty creative keyboard considering the 1992 release date. It was designed to minimize carpal tunnel syndrome.
The Frogpad: A keyboard meant to be used with one hand. Supposedly you could reach 40 words per minute with a days practice.
The Twiddler 2: This is a one handed, hand held, keyboard. It wins the prize for most uncomfortable keyboard to use.
The Tablecloth Keyboard: Designed by German designer Tonia Welter. Ideal for those who take every meal in front of the computer.
The Combimouse Keyboard: This Australian company decided to do the impossible: Combine the keyboard and the mouse!
The Apple Keyboard: Quite possibly the most beautiful keyboard ever crafted. Comes in wired and wireless varieties.
The Virtual Laser Keyboard: You’ll definitely turns a few heads with this one. This “keyboard” allows the user to type on almost any flat surface.
The Washable Waterproof Keyboard: Do you ever get the sudden urge to type underwater? If so, this keyboard is for you!
The Kinesis Freestyle Solo Keyboard: Basically, the fine people at Kinesis decided to split a keyboard in half and sell if for twice as much. Well Done!
The SafeType Keyboard: This one is supposedly more comfortable to use than a regular keyboard. However, it’ll probably take a long time getting used to.
Maltron’s Ergonomic Keyboard: This keyboard fits the shape of the hands to reduce tension. This may take some getting used to.
The Maltron Executive Keyboard: Are you rediculously rich and want a heavy stainless steel keyboard? Well then this is the keyboard for you!
Logitech diNovo Edge: This one’s up there with the Apple Keyboard. Sleek, Stylish, and with a touch of practicality..
Fingerworks Keyboard: Strange Keyboard that originally retailed at $340. The keys are in fact a flat surface, making them awkward to type on.
The Stealth Computer Keyboard: Made of strong component, this keyboard will function in even the most hazardous areas, or so they say.
Happy Hacking Keyboard: This one is also a little hard to explain. It is supposedly coated using a special brush made from the hair of virgins and sprinkled with gold dust. And it’ll cost you 525,000 yen.
ElekTex Fabric Keyboard: Similar to the Roll-Up Keyboard above, but a little more flexible and made of a different material. Good for people always on the go.
The EZ Reach Keyboard: Another variation of the keyboard. Why do people feel they must repeatedly reinvent the wheel?
Saitek Eclipse Illuminated Keyboard: This one should turn a few heads at the LAN Parties.

Update: A lot of our readers suggested the following keyboards and we responded. Enjoy.

Das Keyboard: This keyboard features highly responsive tactile feedback, and the keys are completely blank.
The AlphaGrip: A controller style hand held USB ‘keyboard’ and trackball. Supposedly the “worlds most comfortable computing experience”

Source

KITT 3000 Specs revealed

2007-12-27T00:44:00.000+01:00

Hello Michael ! If you were a child of the 1980s, or are just a fan of very-late-night cable television, then you've most likely seen Michael Knight (played by a pre-Baywatch David Hasselhoff) and his chatty supercar sidekick, KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand), do battle with bad guys on the small-screen action-adventure show Knight Rider.

While you may or may not agree with NBC's decision to make KITT a Ford Mustang in the new Knight Rider series, we're pretty sure that you're gonna tune in next February nonetheless if for no other reason then to see what modern technology can do to a talking, crime-fighting car. Well luckily Popular Mechanics has what is reportedly an exclusive spec sheet detailing all of the Knight Industries Three Thousand's many capabilities, including much of the in-vehicle biometric and genetic testing you'd expect, along with such military features as laser weapons, a missile defense system, and even a targeted electromagnetic pulse for frying an enemy's gadgets or pulling off the odd casino heist. One cutting-edge device that has been left out is a breathalyzer-based ignition system, which was allegedly scrapped at the last minute after designers learned that David Hasselhoff would not in fact be getting behind the wheel this time around.

Source: popularmechanics.com

Christmas Trees Made From Bottles

2007-12-26T15:16:00.001+01:00

Did you try to use beer bottles for this purpose?

Holy Shit: 150-Inch Panasonic Plasma HDTV at CES !!

2007-12-26T15:14:00.000+01:00

Japanese paper Yomiuri is reporting that Panasonic will unveil a 150-inch plasma to show the world who has the biggest flatscreen manufacturing capability. That above is the photo of the now second-place 103-inch plasma as big as a queen-sized bed. (Sharp has the current title of biggest at 108-inches). If your mcmansion isn't big enough to fit it, don't even bother inquiring about the price. [Yomiuri]

Happy Orange photo

2007-12-26T15:10:00.000+01:00

funny !

Bike rearview monitor a little overkill maybe ?

2007-12-24T00:47:00.001+01:00

We've seen some bike-centric GPS devices and sound systems in the past, but we've never seen a device that actually encourages you to ride around while staring down at a screen -- which is probably the fatal flaw with the Cerevellum bicycle rearview monitor.

The prototype unit shown here features a 3.5-inch screen and a 4-hour battery life, along with 32MB of storage for workout data and four USB ports for expansion modules. The Cerevellum is expected to cost some $200 when it goes into production, and the company says it's developing GPS and heart-rate monitor modules to ship soon after -- all far better uses of a handlebar mounted screen than a rearview camera that accomplishes nothing a quick look over the shoulder can't get you, we think.

Source: besportier

Top 5 Great Looking Concept Cell Phones

2007-12-21T01:34:00.000+01:00

We get to see some great phone designs from phone producers every year but most of those phones never see the production line they give us a small glimpse of what the phones will look like in a not so distant future. Here are a few great looking concept phones:

1. Benq-Siemens Snaked:

The Benq Snaked is a creepy looking concept phone which was exclusively designed for ladies. It is an ultimate symbol for fashion loving women to demonstrate an attitude of pride and consciousness towards the female body by supporting body curves and attract through an emotionally visualized body monitor.

2. Nokia Aeon:

Nokia Aeon was presented by Nokia on their website in the Research & Development section. This phone is so slim and great looking; I wish it would hit the stores.

3. Nokia 888 Communicator:

The Nokia 888 communicator has been a rumor for a very long time. It was designed by Tamer Nakisci who won the Nokia Design Award. It has an awesome design and uses liquid batteries, speech recognition, flexible touch screen and touch-sensitive body cover.

4. Retroxis by Dark Label:

This phone was designed by Lim Sze Tat. It is encased in high polished polycarbonate renowned for its lightweight and toughness. It has an invisible OLED display that silently hides away when inactive.

5. Benq-Siemens Black Box:

The Black Box uses a touch screen as its keypad. Depends on the functions you are using, the touch screen change the control layout immediately. This phone design was first spotted on mobil.idnes.cz. Unfortunately it will never see daylight.

source

Robots Get So Small They Can Fit in Arteries (with blood !)

2007-12-18T15:07:00.000+01:00

What has six legs, smaller than a grain of salt and is designed clear blocked arteries? Give up? It’s a new microscopic robot that was produced by the Chonnam National University in Korea.

This little crab-like device was designed to release a chemical that will immediately clear obstructions to the heart. The legs are made of grafted heart tissue and may need to be grown from stem cells based on the patients own body. Otherwise the little bugger might be destroyed by the patients immune system.

External power has often made such projects impractical if not impossible. So they came up with an ingenious alternative. Sugar in the patients blood will power this bad boy.

Just like the personal computer these machines will become more efficient and much smaller. Nanomedicine will make even this robot seem big one day.

Robert Freitas at the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing is on record stating that a common nanorobot would be between 0.5-3 micrometers in size. For comparison purposes, that is about 1,000 times smaller than this artery clearing crab.

Nanorobots will provide cures for life threatening diseases, like cancer. They could even repair cells to slow biological aging, allowing us to live hundreds of years. This is just the first step in a succession of advances that will change medical and human history. It sure is an exciting time to be alive.

[Gizmodo]

Impatient Kitten

2007-12-18T00:23:00.001+01:00

He just can not wait for his food.

Dog gets his food !!

2007-12-18T00:19:00.000+01:00

This dog uses a chair to get to the food in the kitchen.

Photo of the Month - December 2007

2007-12-17T00:09:00.000+01:00

Photo of the Month - December 2007

Aurora Borealis

Northern Manitoba, Canada

from E.J. Peiker, Nature Photographer

Air Force 1 ?

2007-12-17T00:07:00.001+01:00

Air Force 1 modified for G.W.
"Don't mess with Texas"

Bitterroot Fire picture with a digital camera

2007-12-17T00:05:00.000+01:00

"This awesome picture was taken in Bitterroot National Forest in Montana on August 6, 2000.
The photographer, John McColgan, is a fire behavior analyst from Fairbanks, Alaska. He took the picture
with a digital camera. Because he was working at the time he took the picture he cannot profit from it;
however, we feel the picture is a once-in-a-lifetime shot and should be shared."

landscapes

2007-12-16T23:49:00.000+01:00

heavenly hieroglyphs

road in anywhere...

Lookalikes ???

2007-12-14T22:39:00.000+01:00

Phil Spector

Marcia Clark

Will Smith
Good Actor

Bobby Cutts
Bad Cop

Britney Spears

Mr. Clean

Henry Waxman
House Liberal

Mohammed Elbaradei
UN Nuke Expert

Colonel Martha

Quasimodo

Richard Belzer;
The Actor

Kreskin;
The Amazing

Sonny Bono
I Got You Babe

Ahmadinejad
I Want Nukes Babe

Colonel Martha

W.C. Fields

George Clooney

Hamas Leader

John Kerry;
Lieutenant

Gomer Pyle;
Private

Cindy Sheehan

Stan Laurel

General Hayden

Colonel Klink

Jacques Chirac

Ninja Tortue

Jack Nicholson;
Great Actor

BTK Serial Killer;
One Bad Actor

Bill Clinton;
Did Not Have Sex!

Rafael Palmeiro;
Never Took Steroids!

Kim Jong;
Wacky Dictator

Cosmo Kramer;
Wacky Neighbor

John Muhammad;
Sniper
(Alleged)

Duane Jones;
Actor, Original Night
Of The Living Dead

Saddam Hussein;
Baathist;
Found 6 Ft. Under

Karl Marx;
Communist;
Still 6 Ft. Under

Ariel Sharon;
Walked On
A Wall

Humpty Dumpty;
Fell Off
A Wall

Carville;
Party Hack

Lucifer;
Party Pooper

George Jr;
Ranch: Crawford

Little Joe;
Ranch: Ponderosa

John Kerry;
Ornery Senator

Herman Munster;
Friendly Monster

Vanessa;
Stayed With
Kobe Bean

Angelina Jolie;
Split With
Billy Bob

Bill Frist;
Senator

Rich Little;
Impersonator

Joe Lieberman;
Doesn't Want To
Be A Sidekick

Barney Fife;
Was A Longtime
Sidekick

Liberal Judge;
Wears Black Robes

Wicked Witch;
Wears Black Robes

Mister Rogers;
Has His Hand
In A Puppet

Gray Davis;
Has His Hand
On Your Wallet

Mr. Britney;
Recent Marriage
Was Short-Lived

Mr. Bean;
Recent Movie
Was Short-Lived

The Joker;
2 Hrs. In Makeup
For This Look

Hillary;
Just A Bit Of
Miss Clairol

Richard Perle;
War On Terrorism

Orson Welles;
War Of the Worlds

Oy Vey !

Doh !

Clay Aiken;
As American Idol

Martin Short;
As Ed Grimley

Nick Nolte;
Bad Hair Day

Glen Campbell;
Bad Stare Day

Woody Allen;
Sperm

John Kerry; Not The
Magic Bullet

Howard Dean;
Tired Of Being
A Pin Cushion

Pinhead;
No Complaints,
Apparently

Chelsy Davy;
Prince Harry's Honey

Elin Nordegren;
Tiger's Balm

Pat Paulson;
1968 Campaign
Was Just A Joke

Dennis Kucinich;
Doesn't Know 2004
Campaign Is A Joke

Peter Jackson;
Golden Globe Winner

Rupert Boneham;
Survivor Loser

Deborah Voight;
Opera Singer Fired
For Being Fat

Viking Woman;
Can Sing Too.
Fate Unknown

Colonel Gaddafi;
No Longer A
Terror Sponsor

Bert Convy;
No Longer A Game
Show Host

Graydon Carter;
Magazine Guy

Bozo;
Clown

Larry Flynt;
A Smut Guy

Jabba;
A Hutt Guy

Jack Roche;
Convicted Terrorist

Lon Chaney Jr.;
Convincing Wolfman

George Tenet

Speak No Evil

Donkey;
Optimist

John Kerry;
Pessimist

Shrek;
Kids Films

Michael Moore;
Propaganda Films

Grinch;
Stole Christmas

Saddam;
Stole Lives

Ended In Divorce

Ended In November

June Cleaver;
Beaver's Mom

Laura Bush;
Mom Of Twins

Tootsie

Teresa Heinz Kerry

Dan Rather;
Expert On
Forged Documents

Chimp;
Expert On
Monkey Business

Victoria Beckham
Soccer Mom

Ananove
Bot News Girl

Sara Michelle Gellar
Vampire Slayer

Sinead Downey
Cosmic Cutie

Joan Crawford;
Mommie Dearest

Michael Jackson;
Music's Weirdest

Cindy Sheehan

Rene Auberjonois

Freddie Fender;
Sang Wasted Days
And Wasted Nights

Diego Maradona;
Ex Soccer Star
Plain Wasted

Samuel Alito

Danny DeVito

SOURCE