Now That's What I Call Blog!

iPhone's triumph at British Technology Awards 2008

2008-10-14T11:01:00.005+01:00

Here is the list of the winners of the British Technology Awards 2008.

Best Gaming Technology
Nintendo Wii

Best Home Entertainment Technology
BBC iPlayer

Best Kids Technology
Nintendo DS

Best Mobile Technology
Apple iPhone

Best Music Technology
Apple iTunes

Best Online Technology
BBC iPlayer

Business Technology of the Year
Asus Eee PC

Gadget of the Year
Apple iPhone

Greenest Technology
Toyota Prius

Most Indispensable Technology
Google Maps

Most Stylish Technology
Apple iPhone

Retailer of the Year
Amazon

Technological Innovation of the Year
Apple iPhone

Source: britishtechnologyawards.co.uk

Britney Spears - Womanizer (brand new video!)

2008-10-12T21:33:00.001+01:00

Genre: electropop

About the song:
"Womanizer" was recorded for Britney's forthcoming sixth studio album, Circus. The song was produced and co-written by Nikesha Briscoe and Rapheal Akinyemi of Atlanta-based production team, The Outsyders. They were relatively unknown before the release of "Womanizer", which is their first major commercial collaboration.
Spears talked about the song in a live radio interview with New York's Z100: "It's basically saying, 'We know what you're up to.' It's about guys cheating on girls," "...It's a girl anthem. That's why I like it."
The video for the song would feature "erotic" choreography. The director is Joseph Kahn, who worked with Spears for "Toxic" and "Stronger", with part of the video being shot in the Elevate Lounge in Los Angeles.
Source: Wikipedia

Welcome to a Sleepy Bed Concert

2008-10-12T20:50:00.004+01:00

International ice-cream makers Haagen Dazs in Tokyo went all out to attract people to come to a concert they organized.

One hundred couples in Tokyo were invited (by entering a Haagen Dazs prize drawing) to a private concert, “Dolce Heavenly Concert”, by three top-notch classical musicians. They offered them lavish beds, costing 350,000 yen each, and unlimited ice cream to watch a classical concert in maximum comfort.

Source: imprinttalk.com

Make yourself more attractive

2008-10-11T22:45:00.006+01:00

Is the woman pictured on the right more attractive than the woman on the left? Do her wider-set eyes, the longer distance between her hairline and the bridge of the nose, and the rounder shape of her face make her more beautiful?

The photograph on the right was doctored by the “beautification engine” of a new computer program that uses a mathematical formula to alter the original form into a theoretically more attractive version, while maintaining what programmers call an “unmistakable similarity” to the original.

The software program, developed by computer scientists in Israel, is based on the responses of 68 men and women, age 25 to 40, from Israel and Germany, who viewed photographs of white male and female faces and picked the most attractive ones.

Scientists took the data and applied an algorithm involving 234 measurements between facial features, including the distances between lips and chin, the forehead and the eyes, or between the eyes.

Essentially, they trained a computer to determine, for each individual face, the most attractive set of distances and then choose the ideal closest to the original face. Unlike other research with formulas for facial attractiveness, this program does not produce one ideal for a feature, say a certain eye width or chin length.

They ran the photographs of 92 women and 33 men through the engine, creating before and after shots — essentially, a computer-generated version of hot or not. Changes were made only to the geometry of the faces; unlike the digital retouching done for fashion magazines, wrinkles were not smoothed and hair color was not changed.

Tommer Leyvand, who developed the “beautification” software with three others at Tel Aviv University and who works in development for Microsoft in Redmond, Wash., said the goal was not to argue that the altered faces are more beautiful than the originals. Instead, he said, it was to tackle the challenge of altering a face according to agreed-upon standards of attractiveness, while producing a result that left the face completely recognizable, rather than the product of cosmetic surgery or digital retouching.

“This tool shows in the most simple fashion how easy it is to manipulate photographs and make people more attractive,” Mr. Leyvand said. “But the difference is so subtle that it just shows how insignificant it is. We’re talking about a few inches maybe and a slightly changed perception.”

For most faces, the software made subtle changes, with the person’s essence and character largely intact. In the case of the woman pictured above, the changes were more striking, probably because her features, Mr. Leyvand said, do appear more ethnic than many of the other women and men he photographed. (The researchers have not yet created a program that would be designed with what they call a beauty estimator for nonwhite racial and ethnic groups.)

The woman, Martina Eckstut, 25, an account executive for Kay Unger New York/Phoebe Couture, volunteered to be photographed for this article and have her image beautified by Mr. Leyvand’s computer program. She said she was struck by how different she looked in the second shot.

“I think the after picture looks great, but it doesn’t really look like me at all,” she said. She added, “I would like to keep my original face.”
Source: nytimes.com

10 Reasons You're Not Rich

2008-10-11T22:37:00.003+01:00

Many people assume they aren't rich because they don't earn enough money. If I only earned a little more, I could save and invest better, they say.

The problem with that theory is they were probably making exactly the same argument before their last several raises. Becoming a millionaire has less to do with how much you make, it's how you treat money in your daily life.

The list of reasons you may not be rich doesn't end at 10. Caring what your neighbors think, not being patient, having bad habits, not having goals, not being prepared, trying to make a quick buck, relying on others to handle your money, investing in things you don't understand, being financially afraid and ignoring your finances.

Here are 10 more possible reasons you aren't rich:

You care what your car looks like: A car is a means of transportation to get from one place to another, but many people don't view it that way. Instead, they consider it a reflection of themselves and spend money every two years or so to impress others instead of driving the car for its entire useful life and investing the money saved.

You feel entitlement: If you believe you deserve to live a certain lifestyle, have certain things and spend a certain amount before you have earned to live that way, you will have to borrow money. That large chunk of debt will keep you from building wealth.

You lack diversification: There is a reason one of the oldest pieces of financial advice is to not keep all your eggs in a single basket. Having a diversified investment portfolio makes it much less likely that wealth will suddenly disappear.

You started too late: The magic of compound interest works best over long periods of time. If you find you're always saying there will be time to save and invest in a couple more years, you'll wake up one day to find retirement is just around the corner and there is still nothing in your retirement account.

You don't do what you enjoy: While your job doesn't necessarily need to be your dream job, you need to enjoy it. If you choose a job you don't like just for the money, you'll likely spend all that extra cash trying to relieve the stress of doing work you hate.

You don't like to learn: You may have assumed that once you graduated from college, there was no need to study or learn. That attitude might be enough to get you your first job or keep you employed, but it will never make you rich. A willingness to learn to improve your career and finances are essential if you want to eventually become wealthy.

You buy things you don't use: Take a look around your house, in the closets, basement, attic and garage and see if there are a lot of things you haven't used in the past year. If there are, chances are that all those things you purchased were wasted money that could have been used to increase your net worth.

You don't understand value: You buy things for any number of reasons besides the value that the purchase brings to you. This is not limited to those who feel the need to buy the most expensive items, but can also apply to those who always purchase the cheapest goods. Rarely are either the best value, and it's only when you learn to purchase good value that you have money left over to invest for your future.

Your house is too big: When you buy a house that is bigger than you can afford or need, you end up spending extra money on longer debt payments, increased taxes, higher upkeep and more things to fill it. Some people will try to argue that the increased value of the house makes it a good investment, but the truth is that unless you are willing to downgrade your living standards, which most people are not, it will never be a liquid asset or money that you can ever use and enjoy.

You fail to take advantage of opportunities: There has probably been more than one occasion where you heard about someone who has made it big and thought to yourself, "I could have thought of that." There are plenty of opportunities if you have the will and determination to keep your eyes open.

Source: thestreet.com

It's porn, just without the sex

2008-10-11T22:23:00.004+01:00

Hilarious parody for all porn movies starring Nathan Fillion ("Firefly") and Aria Giovanni (porn star) and directed by James Gunn ("Slither").

It started when three brothers joked about making pornography for fans of the genre who happen to be offended by on-screen sex. Out of that joke came an idea for a website, and they called it PG Porn.

In creating pornography that appeals to viewers who want their titillation toned down, brothers James, Sean and Brian Gunn are banking on web-surfers' growing acceptance of porn. Their latest production, a short spoof called Nailing Your Wife, premiered on October, 8, at their site.

With pornography all over the internet and the video store, the Gunn brothers rely on viewers' familiarity with all its conventions - the goofy acting, the bad music, the lace-thin plots - to create movies that look like the real thing but skirt nudity. Comedy substitutes for hard-core sex.

The principals behind PG Porn take the name "PG" from the rating "Parental Guidance Suggested" given to movies largely free of objectionable content. But they do not expect viewers to watch their webisodes with their parents. Instead, they said they expect men to visit the site in greater numbers than women - at least initially - and they assume most men see plenty of porn.
Source: theage.com.au

Scorpions vs cancer

2008-10-09T22:40:00.004+01:00

Radioactive scorpion venom sounds like the ultimate poison but it is now being tested as a treatment for malignant brain cancer.

Scientists have discovered that a non-toxic extract from the venom seeks out and locks onto malignant cells after it is injected into the body. By irradiating it before it goes in the body it can be used to target the cancer cells with killer radiation but at the same time leave the healthy cells unharmed.

The scorpion Leiurus quinquestriatus lives in the Middle East and among the powerful cocktail of neurotoxins packed into its venom is a peptide that is non-toxic to humans but binds to tumour cells. In laboratory experiments, the peptide has invaded tumours in breast, skin, brain and lung tissue, but left healthy cells untouched.

"It's as if the tumours collect it," Michael Egan of the company TransMolecular in Cambridge, Massachusetts, told the New Scientist.

To see if the peptide could deliver lethal doses of radioactivity to cancer cells, researchers at the company have attached radioactive iodine isotopes to it. In a trial last year, they injected this agent directly into the tumours of 59 people suffering from inoperable brain cancer. All the patients have now died, but those receiving a higher dose lived for three months longer, on average.

In recent weeks, researchers at the University of Chicago in Illinois have begun injecting the substance into the bloodstream of people with different types of malignant brain cancer. This latest trial will allow the company to test whether it can seek out and kill secondary tumours throughout the body, as well as known primary ones.
Source: telegraph.co.uk

Utah Saints - Something Good 08

2008-03-14T22:15:00.002Z

Friday Night came fast and traditionally here's a hot dance track of the moment for your private party! Enjoy - it's really Something Good! ;)

Dutch to legalise gay sex in public park

2008-03-14T22:00:00.002Z

Dutch council officials will permit gay sex in public areas but fine dog owners who let their pets off the leash in Amsterdam's Vondelpark.

Paul van Grieken, an Alderman in the Oud-Zuid district of the city, has startled many Amsterdammers, despite their famously liberal attitudes, with plans to allow public sex as part of this summer's new rules of conduct for the country's best-known park.

"Why should we try to impose something that is actually impossible to impose, which also causes little bother for others and for a certain group actually means much pleasure?", he said.

Amsterdam's beautiful Vondelpark in the centre of city draws hordes of summer visitors, families, skaters and joggers. But the park's rose garden has become famous as a trysting spot for gay men looking for uncomplicated sexual encounters.

Mr van Grieken stresses that tolerance to "cruising" gays, aimed at protecting homosexuals from violence, will have "strict rules attached".

"Thus, condoms must always be cleared away, it must never take place in the neighbourhood of children's playgrounds and the sex must be restricted to the evening and night-time," he said.

The new park rules have the blessing of the Dutch police, who have urged all Dutch parks to follow Amsterdam's lead.

But Amsterdam's dog owners are less impressed. The new park code of conduct will set out stiff fines for dogs that are allowed to run around the Vondelpark off the leash.

"Research showed that many people find this disturbing," said Mr van Grieken.

One dog owner protested: "As long as the park has existed, we've been allowed to let our dogs run freely. It's outrageous that we will be punished from now on but public sex won't. If they can drop their trousers, why can't I let my dog loose?" CREDIT: Telegraph.co.uk

Freeze, Paris!

2008-03-14T21:52:00.001Z

Great flashmob!

New 5 dollar bill issued

2008-03-13T20:23:00.003Z

The United States Department of Treasury has updated and incorporated into circulation the new five dollar bill. It now features heightened security components, subtle background colors and images of American symbols of freedom.

Here you can find out more about its secure advantages.

Britney Spears - Break The Ice

2008-03-13T14:13:00.005Z

Video for upcoming Britney Spears single "Break the Ice" shows anime Britney as a futuristic, bodysuit-clad superhero. According to the U.K.'s The Sun, the cartoon treatment was Spears's idea and based on her steamy "Toxic" clip.

Last Harry Potter film to be split into two

2008-03-13T13:56:00.003Z

The last film of the Harry Potter series will be split into two parts and will be directed by David Yates.

Filming of the seventh book "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will be made into two blockbuster films - with the first part released in November 2010 and the last instalment in May 2011.

While some might accuse the film's bosses of milking the extremely lucrative cash cow - producer David Heyman insists the split is to service the book properly. However, he did admit that he was nervous telling J.K Rowling about his decision.

"I went to Jo and she was cool with it and that was quite a relief. The question will be, where do you break it? And how do you make them one but two separate and distinct stories? Do you break it with a moment of suspense or one of resolution? These are the interesting challenges. But each book has presented its challenges."

And despite rumours that Steven Spielberg or Guillermo Del Toro would be directing the last part - helming duties have once again gone to British director Yates, who filmed 2007s The Order Of Phoenix and the forthcoming The Half-Blood Prince. CREDIT: Yahoo!Movies

All you need to know about LOST

2008-03-13T13:15:00.002Z

All 3 seasons of LOST in 8 minutes 15 seconds! Catch up with the sensational series.

New blockbuster from Jet Li & Jackie Chan

2008-03-12T20:03:00.004Z

"The Forbidden Kingdom" is the first film collaboration between martial arts veterans Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

The plot is. An American teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung-fu classics makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King. With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself traveling back to ancient China to join a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King.

Production began in early May 2007 in the area around the Gobi Desert in China. When the two martial arts veterans (Chan and Li) did film action scenes together for the first time, they both expressed how easy it was to work with one another.

"The Forbidden Kingdom" in theatres from April 18, 2008. Gonna be big!
Visit the website: http://forbiddenkingdommovie.com/

Erotic dance for the dead

2008-03-12T19:16:00.007Z

A Taiwanese man hired an erotic dancer to perform at his 103-year-old father's funeral.

The stripper danced in front of Cai Jinlai's coffin for more than ten minutes at the funeral in Taizhong town. Son, Cai Ruigong, paid her more than £80 to dance in memory of his late father. Cai Ruigong says he promised his father a stripper for his funeral if he lived beyond the age of 100.

His son said his father was famous locally for his interest in strip clubs: "He would travel around the island with his friends to see these shows," he added. CREDIT: Ananova

Control video games by your thoughts

2008-03-12T12:01:00.004Z

The future is here! Playing video games by thought alone will soon be possible with this brain controlled headset.

Emotiv has developed technology it believes could have as profound an effect on our relationship with the material world as anything since we began to use machines to improve our lives. Although this technology will first be seen next year in video games, the company is talking about extending its use to almost every aspect of our lives.

Emotiv is no fly-by-night outfit. Its founders include Allan Snyder, a renowned Australian neuroscientist. Randy Breen, the chief product officer, was previously head of development at LucasArts, the video games company of Star Wars director George Lucas.

The prototype headset has 16 sensors that attach to various points on the head so it can pick up the complex of electrical signals from the millions of neurons in the brain. If it sounds similar to an electroencephalogram (EEG) – the medical technique that measures the electrical activity of the brain – it is. But Emotiv has found a way of taking it out of the clinical setting and making it cheap enough for consumer use. Once the headset has read the brain’s signals, it feeds the information through a computer using algorithms developed by Emotiv and transforms those thoughts into actions.

To appreciate how revolutionary this is, think about how we interact with machines, from light switches to televisions to mobile phones to computers. Imagine being able to make these machines do what we want – turn them on or off, change a TV channel to one that suits our mood or choose which music we want to listen to on our iPods. “Our vision for the next generation of man-machine communication will not be limited to just conscious communication,” says Nam Do, co-founder and chief executive officer of Emotiv. “Nonconscious communication between man and machines will play a big part.”

For the moment, though, Emotiv is developing the technology for video gaming. There are two reasons. The first is that video gamers are early adopters of new technology and Emotiv is hoping they will help it spread. The second is that the Emotiv technology transforms the gaming experience into something almost magical: you can make things happen, move things, shoot things, kill people even, almost anything really, just by thinking about it.

Emotiv is developing three different applications. The first is called Expressiv. With this function if you wink, an avatar on the computer or video-game screen winks too. If you smile, she smiles; if you frown, she frowns. At the moment with video games, if you want an avatar to smile, you have to type in a symbol for smile. This will allow game players a far greater level of freedom – a bit like using a Nintendo Wii but with nothing in your hand.

The second function is called Affectiv. This measures the emotions, such as the level of excitement or calmness and represents these as a graph visible on the screen. Measuring this allows the game to respond to the emotion, for instance by ramping up the action if you appear to be bored.

The third is called Cognitiv, and it detects the conscious thoughts, which allows to move and manipulate objects on a screen, for instance pushing a cube away or making it rotate. It does this by taking a reading for 10 seconds of the brainwaves in a resting state, then for 10 seconds as I concentrate hard on making the cube do what you want. The more you repeat the process the more the computer learns and the easier it becomes.

The incredible thing is this: it works. When you put it to use in a Harry Potter video game adapted to take advantage of the technology, the effect is astounding. While you make Harry move by using a joystick, you can make him perform certain actions, like lifting a huge stone or throwing fire sticks, simply by thinking him to do it. It’s stunning.

“We’ve had 12-year-olds playing the game and they really think it’s magic,” says Le. “They really believe they are Harry Potter making these things happen.” CREDIT: The Sunday Times

The deadly sins updated

2008-03-11T19:17:00.003Z

In olden days, the deadly sins included lust, gluttony and greed. Now, the Catholic Church says pollution, mind-damaging drugs and genetic experiments are on its updated thou-shalt-not list. Also receiving fresh attention by the Vatican was social injustice, along the lines of the age-old maxim: "The rich get richer while the poor get poorer."

In the Vatican's latest update on how God's law is being violated in today's world, Monsignor Gianfranco Girotti, the head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, was asked by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano what, in his opinion, are the "new sins."

He cited "violations of the basic rights of human nature" through genetic manipulation, drugs that "weaken the mind and cloud intelligence," and the imbalance between the rich and the poor.

"If yesterday sin had a rather individualistic dimension, today it has a weight, a resonance, that's especially social, rather than individual," said Girotti, whose office deals with matters of conscience and grants absolution.

It's not the first time that the Vatican has sought to put a modern spin on sin. Last year, the Vatican took on the problem of highway accidents, issuing a kind of "Ten Commandments" for drivers against the sins of road rage, alcohol abuse and even rudeness behind the wheel.

Vatican officials, however, stressed that Girotti's comments broke no new ground on what constitutes sin.

On the environment, both Pope Benedict XVI and the late Pope John Paul II frequently expressed concern about the fate of the Earth. During Benedict's papacy, Vatican engineers have developed plans for some Holy See buildings to use solar energy, including photovoltaic cells on the roof of the auditorium for pilgrims' audiences with the pontiff.

John Paul also dedicated much of his long papacy to condemning the gap between have and have-nots in speeches in his travels throughout the world as well as in writings.

"The poor are always becoming poorer and the rich ever more rich, feeding unsustainable social injustice," Girotti said in the interview published Sunday.

Closer to home, Girotti was asked about the many "situations of scandal and sin within the church," in what appeared to be a reference to allegations in the United States and other countries of sexual abuse by clergy of minors and the coverups by hierarchy.

The monsignor acknowledged the "objective gravity" of the allegations, but contended that the heavy coverage by mass media of the scandals must also be denounced because it "discredits the church."

Benedict has been leading the Vatican's campaign against abortion, and Girotti was asked about the "widespread perception" that the church doesn't consider the "difficult" predicament for women.

Girotti rejected that view, saying that Catholic organizations help unwed mothers, educating "their children who come into the worth because of their lack of foresight" and facilitating adoption. CREDIT: AP

Highlight the personality

2008-03-11T10:29:00.003Z

Great advert from India! Awesome!

Product : Luxor Highlighters
Agency : Leo Burnett Mumbai
Country : India
Typographer: Kunal Mhabadi, Santosh Padhi
Creative Director: Santosh Padhi
Creative Director: KV Sridhar
Copywriter: Santosh Padhi, Russell Barrett
Illustrator: Kunal Mhabadi

One way ticket to Mars

2008-03-11T09:46:00.005Z

Will humans ever really go to Mars? Let’s face it, the obstacles are quite daunting. Not only are there numerous, difficult, technical issues to overcome, but the political will and perseverance of any one nation to undertake such an arduous task just can’t be counted on. However, one former NASA engineer believes a human mission to Mars is quite doable, and such an event would unify the world as never before. But Jim McLane’s proposal includes a couple of major caveats: the trip to Mars should be one-way, and have a crew of only one person.

McLane worked at NASA for 21 years before leaving in 2007 to work for a private engineering firm. Being able to look from afar at NASA’s activities has given him a new perspective, he says.

But McLane was still at NASA when he originally had an idea for a one-way, one-person mission to Mars. He calls his proposal the “Spirit of the Lone Eagle," in deference to Charles Lindbergh’s solo flight from New York to Paris in 1927.

McLane’s idea came from his acquaintance with a Russian cosmonaut. “I noticed the cosmonaut seemed to be a slightly different type of person than the American astronaut," McLane said. “Cosmonauts are primarily pilots, and like test pilots, they are very focused on getting the job done. The current American astronauts are picked for things such as their speaking ability and social skills, and most of them have advanced degrees. But the cosmonaut struck me as an adventurous, get-things-done-type person, like our original astronauts back in the 1960’s."

A return to the “get it done" attitude of the 1960’s and a goal of a manned landing within a short time frame, like Apollo, is the only way we’ll get to Mars, McLane believes. Additionally, a no-return, solo mission solves many of the problems currently facing a round-trip, multiple person crew.

“When we eliminate the need to launch off Mars, we remove the mission’s most daunting obstacle," said McLane. And because of a small crew size, the spacecraft could be smaller and the need for consumables and supplies would be decreased, making the mission cheaper and less complicated.

While some might classify this as a suicide mission, McLane feels the concept is completely logical. “There would be tremendous risk, yes," said McLane, “but I don’t think that’s guaranteed any more than you would say climbing a mountain alone is a suicide mission. People do dangerous things all the time, and this would be something really unique, to go to Mars. I don’t think there would be any shortage of people willing to volunteer for the mission. Lindbergh was someone who was willing to risk everything because it was worth it. I don’t think it will be hard to find another Lindbergh to go to Mars. That will be the easiest part of this whole program."

And like Apollo, such a mission would stimulate new technology and reinvigorate science. McLane feels a mission to Mars should be international in scope, encompassing contributions from multiple nations to represent a milestone for the whole human race. CREDIT: Universetoday.com

Fiat 500 - European Gay Car of the Year

2008-03-10T14:23:00.008Z

Fiat 500 has picked up the LeDorga 2008 Gay Car of the Year award.

It is the first time the gay community voted for a non-convertible and stayed ahead of cars like the Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione, Audi R8, Aston Martin DBS and new BMW 1 Series coupe. For the very first time in the history of the election of the Gay Car of the Year, the present winner is not a convertible! The FIAT 500 has won the election hands down, outdistancing distinctly more prestigious contenders such as Aston Martin or Alfa Romeo. CREDIT: Autoreader.net

The whole top 10 is:
1 Fiat 500
2 Alfa 8C
3 Volvo C30
4 Aston Martin DBS
5 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
6 Audi R8
7 Maserati Granturismo
8 Rolls Royce Drophead coupe
9 Audi A5
10 Renault Twingo

Previous winners:

2007
1 Alfa Romeo Spider
2 Bentley Continental GTC
3 Mini
4 BMW Z4 Coupe
5 Audi TT
6 Volvo V70
7 Jaguar XK
8 Volkswagen EOS
9 Bentley Azure
10 Mitsubishi Colt

2006
1 Aston Martin DB9 Volante
2 Alfa Romeo Brera
3 Nissan Micra C+C
4 Citroen C6
5 Mazda MX-5
6 Bugatti Veyron
7 Peugeot 407 Coupe
8 Peugeot 1007
9 Porsche Cayman S
10 Bentley Continental Flying Spur

Russia to present Timbaland's song at Eurovision 2008

2008-03-10T09:34:00.004Z

Dima Bilan will once again represent Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest, having just won the 2008 Russian national final with the song Believe.

The Russian national selection, held in Moscow, was one of the longest of the 2008 season so far, no fewer than 27 competing songs. Dima's winning song Believe was produced by world renowned producer Timbaland, who had also previously worked with Dima on his recent hit Number One Fan.

Dima Bilan, born Viktor Belan is of course no stranger to the Eurovision Song Contest, having ultimately finished in second position in the Final of the 2006 Contest in Athens with his song Never Let You Go, losing out only to Lordi from Finland. Since then, Dima has hired t.A.T.u.'s former PR manager, Sasha Tityanko, to help him to try and break out in the western market.

In 2008 Dima is planning to record three albums, a Russian, English and Spanish one. Now he is working on his English album, for which some tracks were produced by Timbaland. In February 2008, Dima went to Los Angeles and recorded a Spanish album with famous producer Rudy Perez, which will include a duet with Nelly Furtado, and a Spanish version of his first international single Number One Fan.

Russia will participate in the first Semi-Final of the Eurovision Song Contest on Tuesday 20th of May in Belgrade. CREDIT: Eurovision.tv

Boo Boo - the smallest dog in the world

2008-03-10T09:04:00.004Z

Chihuahua breeder, Lana Elswick, of Raceland, Ky., just found out her dog Boo Boo is now the world's smallest dog in height, that's according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Boo Boo stands 4-inches tall at the shoulder, is 6 and a half inches long and weighs 1.5 ounces. Her human mother said the 1-year-old long haired chihuahua is a total diva, and her favorite food is Lays potato chips. "She has the attitude of a big dog she would let me know if anyone was around and she would try to guard me if she could," said Elswick.

10,000 BC - a prehistoric number 1 action movie

2008-03-10T07:59:00.003Z

"10,000 BC," a widely ridiculed prehistoric action movie boasting a menagerie of exotic beasts, trampled the competition at box offices around the world. According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, the Warner Bros. Pictures release sold $61 million worth of tickets during its first weekend. The North American contribution was $35.7 million from 3,410 theaters, an easy No. 1 ahead of fellow rookie "College Road Trip" with $14 million. The film, which cost "slightly north" of $100 million to make, was almost unanimously ripped by critics. USA Today described it as a "bombastic bore" and The New York Times as "sublimely dunderheaded."

Looting in Belgrade, Serbia

2008-03-08T20:29:00.004Z

Shocking! This is the city to hold main international music contest - Eurovision 2008 - in few months time!