Interesting posts

Sorry for the Pause...

2011-12-14T12:12:00.001+02:00

Hello, dear Reader!

This is a short post with an explanation of me not posting for more than a week. Currently, I have to re-do the mathematics-test and there is only a month left to study. Which is why, I probably will need another week or so to strengthen my knowledge.

Thanks ahead for understanding. :)

Yours,
Ardorm

Switchblade Kamikaze Drone - An Impressive Lethal Scout...

2011-11-28T04:51:00.001+02:00

US Army has represented another "Lethal Tool" based on low-cost technology. 'Switchblade Kamikaze' drone is a light unmanned aerial vehicle which functions perfect as a scout and a killer at the same time.

These news are great for USA and it's allies. 'Switchblade Kamikaze' is electric, a quality that makes it really silent and taking in account it's size, it can hardly be detected at night.

Of course, these qualities are completely true if we talk about people. I guess that if you use anything related to radar-technology, it won't be that difficult to spot this "bird".

In addition, you shouldn't forget about it's eliminating option - the warhead. Based on the latest technology capabilities, 'Switchblade Kamikaze' is an impressive killer. It can "follow" the target and the attack itself has a low-range damage. Which means you destroy only the target and nothing else that is close.

However, the low cost and simpleness can surely cause "the other side of a coin to appear". 'Switchblade Kamikaze' can be carried in a bag and the navigation-system is just a "small rectangle". Which means, it suits the terrorists who want to make an explosion without carrying the bomb to the epicentre.

I really hope that the drone is equipped with some kind of self-destructing system (in case it is stolen or goes missing on the enemy's territory). Otherwise, such a technology may bring a lot more trouble that benefit...

Image&News Source: Gizmag.

Graphene Foam - Detecting Explosives Became Ten Times Effective

2011-11-27T08:36:00.001+02:00

Unfortunately not all people like living in piece. Some of them kill for a reason and others not; the bottom line here is - they kill. There are many ways to do this, but the most destructive is a terract.

Which is why, I am always really thankful to scientists who manage to use technology and create something that can protect us from the terrorists.

This time I would like to tell you about the invention of researchers from New York's Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. According to Gizmag, they managed to create a stamp-size piece of foam which is ten times more sensitive than traditional polymer sensors. The not less exciting fact is that the scientists managed to cope with various problems of the previous technology (see details).

In my opinion, this is truly awesome news! The "Graphene Foam Sensor" is tiny and can bring a lot of tactical benefit to the security. You see, there is no way you can hide metal detectors in your pocket or place there a dog.

However, with this graphene technology you don't even have to look like a guard. You can just spot a suspicious person and walk by with the new sensor in your jacket. The potential law-breaker won't be alarmed at all and the place will stay secure.

Image&News Source: Gizmag.

Facebook Phone - Main Step in turning Internet into Your Reality?

2011-11-24T08:10:00.001+02:00

The other day I have read interesting news in the technology field about Facebook launching it's own phone. After reading the post it turned out to be rumours, however, that is not the main theme of my article.

The author wrote on 'PcWorld' that he was totally "Against the cellphone with Facebook integrated as the core of it's being". After reading some comments on Digg, I figured out the general reason for this.

Most of the users are afraid that if people get Facebook Phone, they will get completely "cut off" the real life. Among all available technologies, cellphone is the only one that is with us 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

This isn't surprising, since it is not used only for communication, but also as a scheduler, alarm, another way to "surf" the Internet, games etc. Considering all smarphone's capabilities, you can safely call it a "mini-reflection of yourself".

Now think about it, what will happen if smartphone "evolves" into the most comfortable, specially designed source of Social Activity on the Internet? The answer to this question is what troubles sceptics the most.

However, I totally do not agree with them. Launching the Facebook Phone, doesn't mean stopping our brain activity. Every user has his own power of will and common sense of "How much socializing via Internet is Too Much".

In addition, Facebook will have to challenge the "Technology-Giants", like Google, Apple, Microsoft. The competition will be tough which means that consumers will be exposed to the company's best ideas and concepts.

I am totally not against getting another great gadget, And You? ;-)

Image source: Gizmodo.

Volkswagen eT! - Lightweight Commercial Vehicle of Decade's Second Half?

2011-11-22T05:20:00.001+02:00

Technology-news site Gizmag, has published last week an interesting post about "fresh" concept from German auto-company. According to the source, Volkswagen has designed a vehicle that has all the chances to become:

"Lightweight commercial vehicle of this decade's second half."

The same as you, I have been astonished by such a statement. There are many improvements and upgrades in the auto industry this days; plus, adding technology tools like portable computers to the vehicles isn't an innovation neither. Which is why, the above quote seems too optimistic.

However, as I kept reading and looking at the images on the site (19 images), my opinion gradually changed. Volkswagen eT! (the name of the vehicle) represents a mini-van that was originally constructed for the mail-deliverers. It has a beautiful outside and inside design with elements of autonomous control.

For example, Volkswagen eT! "understands" the following commands: "Follow me!" and "Come to me!". In addition, it has an exciting option of driving it from the passengers sit using a special 'Drive Stick' (more characteristics you can find on Gizmag).

In my opinion, Volkswagen eT! is a perfect combination of human power and technology. Since it most likely will be used also by none-mail deliverers who work for many hours without a rest, I hope that Volkswagen's mechanics won't forget to place a speed-limiting device and some kind of autonomous brakes that will activate in case of an accident.

The image&news source: Gizmag.

Does Digital Piracy Only Damage or Also Contributes?

2011-11-20T09:37:00.001+02:00

In the technology-advanced age the information becomes more and more precious. There are many tools, like CDs, Flash-Cards etc. that allow us to download and transfer important files.

When it concerns private material of a certain person or company, sharing it with the so-called "Third-Part" is illegal. A lot of people get caught because of this and most of them end up in a jail.

However, research material and documents aren't the only information we have. Videos, songs and books also represent information. The main way of sharing it with others is (and I am sure will stay) the Internet.

Millions of users download enormous amount of data every minute and government doesn't like that. Authorities say that you have no right to watch the full version of a movie or download a song without buying it first. Otherwise, you infringe the rights of the creator.

But with the spreading access to the Internet police can do nothing about "Digital Piracy". The reason is simple - there are just too many people who illegally download whatever they want, whenever they want via sites like ThePirateBay.

So, the question is - Does digital piracy actually infringe the rights of the creators and damage their income?

On the one hand, most of people won't buy a DVD with a poor-quality movie. In this case, the creator will indeed suffer some financial damage because of the illegal downloads. But, hey, it is only logical that you don't get revenue if you do not make enough effort.

On the other hand, after getting familiar with the product via Internet, consumers just get the option to decide whether it is worth the money.

If the movie or song is good, Digital Piracy becomes just another way of promoting the product. All of us will be glad to pay for a great and thoughtful film just to see it in the better quality (even after watching it on the Internet).

In addition, there are still cinemas and concerts that bring a descent income to the "Stars". This makes the problem with the money unreasonable. When you get hundreds of thousands of dollars from shows over a single night, losing a couple of thousands because of illegal downloads isn't that big deal...

The image source: Ecolife.

Stein's; Gate - Anime Review

2011-11-18T19:01:00.001+02:00

Title: シュタインズ・ゲート.
Year: 2011.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Psychological, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller.

Number of episodes: 24.
Running time: 00:30:00

Director: Hiroshi Hamasaki, Takuya Satō.
Series compositor: Jukki Hanada.
Script writers: Jukki Hanada, Masahiro Yokotani, Saizo Nemoto.

Web-source: Anime News Network.

Trailer

Review

"Stein's; Gate" shows us a story about crazy ambitious young man whose dream is creating a real time machine. Although Rintaro Okabe is a self-proclaimed scientist, he has a small team that helps him in realizing his abnormal ideas (time machine is the most important, but not the least).

The anime has a really weird opening, so do not judge the whole series by the first look. Although you can conclude that the initial "time-jump" takes place already in the first episode, main characters seem to not notice that. They continue on living their regular life, which mainly circles around Rintaro Okabe's extravagant behaviour.

However, such a strange development only contributes to the effect when the team actually creates the long-desired time machine. As characters collect more information about their invention, their team increases and each member causes the plot to get more complicated and things more dangerous.

Stein's; Gate gradually develops into a thriller, leaving the funny moments behind as Rintaro Okabe and the rest of the characters have to face the results of interfering the "Order of The Things" itself. Murders, by the way, aren't rare in this series.

The anime is unique due to it's scientific explanations that can be considered as "close to be real". Time travelling isn't an easy process and is strongly limited by time and "size". In fact, the only thing that can be sent back (and only to the past) is information (a thought or short message). I have to admit that these details really impressed me, since most of other anime releases are close to fiction and unrealism.

The last thing that I also liked about Stein's; Gate is the drawing. It is close to the style of Soul Eater anime or D. Gray-Man where characters and surroundings seems too "flexible". I don't know why, but this "flexibility" seems to perfectly suit any anime that belongs to thriller or mystic genre.

My overall rating of Stein's; Gate is 10 out of 10. It really belongs to those rare anime that cause you to unconsciously pronounce "Wow!" after you finish watching it.

LiminAID Light - Inflatable Lamp?

2011-11-17T10:42:00.001+02:00

An original concept, LuminAID Light, has been invented by a group of enthusiasts from Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture. This new technology tool works great and doesn't cost a lot, plus it is "environment-friendly".

According to the inventors, the idea of LuminAID Light was inspired by their strong wish to help those who suffer from dangerous nature disasters, like Tsunami or Earthquakes.

Thanks to today's technology abilities, LuminAID Light is an easily-built device and is simple in use. It consists of Solar panel with 2 coin cell rechargeable (up to 800 times) batteries that are covered with outer water-proof shell that works as light diffuser at the same time. It also has a handle and PVC inflatable valve.

In order to activate LuminAID Light, all you have to do is keep it under Sun light for 4-6 hours, inflate (like a matrass) and press a button. The generated light is sufficient for a comfortable reading up to 4 hours or works as a night-light for 6 hours.

Taking in account these features, LuminAID Light becomes popular among general population, as well. In fact, many hikers, campers and travellers find it really useful for their journeys.

The News source: Membrana.

The Image source: LuminAID Lab.

Waldseilgarten - Extreme Camping

2011-11-16T10:18:00.001+02:00

This posts isn't really related to technology, though it did contribute in a certain way to... camping.

Yes, you have read it correctly. I guess your question will be: "How exactly camping is related to a blog about movies and technology?". Well, you see the answer is that right now we aren't talking about just camping, but an extreme camping.

According to Gizmag, there is a certain interesting company, Waldseilgarten, in Germany. I am way not familiar with German; however, judging by what I have read on Gizmag and photos on the company's site, it provides various services in the camping area.

The most exciting about Waldseilgarten is the following two options: spend a night within a hand-built igloo and suspended over a cliff or a tree. In my opinion, this is the "core" of an extreme camping, mainly because I have never heard about any other crazier way to sleep! :)

If you go to Waldseilgarten's site or visit Gizmag, you can catch up with blood freezing pictures of people sitting literally a couple of hundred meters above nothing, next to the cliff top! Of course, they have security belts and all, but I bet it is still scary to sleep while your next turn may cause you to fly down.

Nonetheless, I definitely want to try this extreme camping at least one time! :)

Image&News source: Gizmag

A Woman Lost $500 000 to an Internet Scammer...

2011-11-12T16:23:00.001+02:00

How often do you visit sites like Facebook to see what's going on with your friends or just check out their latest photographs? I guess whoever answers, it won't be "From time to time"...

Internet has become the most important technology over the decades to everybody. Nowadays even grown ups have their bookmarked sites that they visit frequently. The most funny thing is that kids who are about 8-9 years old already have a Facebook account (I personally know a couple of them).

While "little ones" can't get any real harm while surfing the Internet, except for downloading a virus or looking at the non-appropriat content, adults surely can suffer some serious damage. And everything is thanks to the "Scammers".

A couple of decades ago, technology brought benefit mainly to the justice. Ordinary swindlers or thieves had to face new "obstacles", like cameras or metal-detectors. Though professional criminals did continue their work, no doubt. But when such a person wants to steal something from you, you're pretty much defenceless unless you're a President no matter the century you are in.

However, Internet became today one of the "best gifts" to ordinary swindlers, as well as to the law-abiding citizens. Thanks to the technology level, everybody can easily access the "Virtual World" anywhere they want in the civilized areas. For example, various home-routers that have an access-range of 10 meters, Internet coffee houses, Net-sticks etc.

As a result, more often you can meet innocent users who complain about Internet Scammers. The most popular zone for such incidents is online games. Players often get messages from an "administrator" who asks their password to fix a problem in their account and the next day there is no account and all the money invested (we are not even talking about time) is gone...

video platform video management video solutions video player

And yet, that is not an end of the story. The following article, posted on ABCNews, strongly shocked me. Just click the link (or watch the video above) and read a dramatical story where a 55-year old woman lost almost $500 000 to an Internet Scammer. I sincerely feel so sorry for her.

The most disappointing fact is that police probably won't find that person, because it could be anyone from anywhere around the globe. Which is why, you should be 100% sure who are you chatting with on the Internet before you consider sharing even a small photograph of yourself...

The image source: AntonioGoodManNews; LayOutSparks

Parkour and FreeRun video - November 2011

2011-11-12T14:16:00.001+02:00

This video is a sum up of all the tricks we've done and learnt during October and the beginning of November. Hope you will enjoy!

Bosco Verticale - Two "Living" Towers

2011-11-09T11:17:00.001+02:00

Would you like to spend $87.5 million on making our planet cleaner? I doubt the answer will be "Yes, I will!", or at least you'll think before agreeing no matter how you love ecology. Stefano Boeri surely took the time to plan everything and created an unique project named Bosco Verticale.

According to the TGDaily, Bosco Verticale represents two "living" towers. The buildings can be used as housing area or rented by offices the moment they are built. In fact, these are regular towers with one unique feature - they will be "covered" with trees and other plants!

Right now, Bosco Verticale is still in the development stage and there are no trees yet. However, you can check out the video below and see for yourself where plants will be placed to guard the city's (Milan, by the way) ecology:

It looks awesome, doesn't it? The first time I read the news, I was really amazed and thought it was just another idea. However, the moment I saw the video all my doubts went away.

All I can add is that it will be perfect if every city in our world will have at least one "Bosco Verticale". I am sure that it will dramatically lower the threat to the planet's ecology which is one of the most important problems nowadays.

The news source: TGDaily.

The image source: Archipelagoes.

A Settlement on Another Planet - Do We Need to Wait Longer?

2011-11-09T11:17:00.000+02:00

Last week I have read an interesting post on Gizmag related to Chinese space program. In a nutshell, it says that on November 2, 2011 two of Chinese spacecraft successfully rendezvoused and docked 340 km above Earth. Plus, there are details about the space-ships and plans of China to complete a 60-tonned space station by 2020. This last part about manned space station was the one that inspired me to write this article...

Have you ever thought about buying yourself an apartment literally on another planet? I am sure that the answer would probably be "No!"; however, you definitely had to hear here and there about colonizing other planets.

On the one hand, some scientists and space experts say that it is a not a crazy, but impossible-to-accomplish idea. And there should be no problem to understand them:

First of all, scientists haven't discovered an appropriate planet that is like Earth yet. I am saying "Yet", because there should be at least one among thousands of thousands of space objects.

Humanity still lacks the right technology, for example to make space travelling shorter. I am sure that nobody wants to leave as a young man and start settlement as a grandpa.

In addition, planets that have already been discovered are whether too close to the Sun, or too far from the Sun, or have no atmosphere etc. In fact, the list of the problems is endless.

On the other hand, there are optimists among "brightest minds" who do believe in the possibility of colonizing a planet. To be honest, you can even now search for the articles with the explanations of how everything should be done. Some people say that we already possess the necessary technology for such a step.

In my opinion, optimists have their point. In the movie, The Sixth Day (with Arnold Schwarzenegger), the city on Mars was a closed area. In other words, you could say that the colony was a group of connected manned space-stations that were not in the open space, but on the surface. I understand that it would be much more fun to live under the open sky, but hey, I'd live anywhere just to visit another planet. :)

If you look it this way, maybe China, Russia and America should start working on the united project to build such a settlement in the near future (if they aren't already working on one)?

Image source (according to the sequence): China-Secrets, Astronet, Galspace.

05/11/11 - Update

2011-11-05T16:08:00.000+02:00

Hello, dear Reader!

This was a one busy week. As you could see, I have changed the update schedule to two times a week; which means you can enjoy more articles more often. :)

It also means that there was a lot work to be done. Hopefully, I enjoy writing and it was enjoyable to post more article. I hope that will stay the same in the future.

And, here's the list of the links to the new things you can read on Interesting Posts:

Safest Electric Vehicle in the World?
Artificial Skin with Tactile Sense. This one seems really beneficial to the humanity
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. This is a review of a good comedy with Robert Downy Jr. and Val Kilmer in the main roles
Babylon A.D. An awesome movie with awesome actor, Vin Diesel
These Friends. Just a funny video
Popular - Comes after being Respectful. A guest post by me about the importance of acting responsibly towards your readers.

I hope you will have a great and productive week!

These Friends...

2011-11-05T12:58:00.000+02:00

Oh, how I like friends who die because of laughing so hard at your fail. :D

Babylon A.D. - Review

2011-11-01T20:39:00.000+02:00

Title: Babylon A.D.;
Year: 2008;
Genre: Action, Drama, Science Fiction;

Duration: 01:30:00;
MPAA-rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some sexuality;

Director: Mathieu Kassovitz;
Screenplay writer: Mathieu Kassovitz, Eric Besnard, Maurice Dantec;
Producer: Avram Kaplan, David Valdes, Alain Goldman, Selwyn Roberts;
Starring: Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, Mélanie Thierry (II), Gérard Depardieu, Charlotte Rampling and others;

Country: France;
Web-sources: Yahoo! Movies

Trailer:

Review:

"Babylon A.D." shows us a story about not so distant future where technology level allows humans to "play a partial role of God". Which means that people have the ability to create or re-create complicated organisms like animals.

However, the progress doesn't stop at that level. In fact, there is a scientist who was able to advance further in the cloning field and created something that brings a lot of troubles to the main hero of the movie - Toorop (Vin Diesel)...

Aside from the descent plot with a few, but important, ethical questions; Babylon A.D. has another advantage - the way it is filmed. At the beginning we are shown a couple of hours of Toorop's life in the futuristic world. We get to know the character not by words, but by the way he acts, eats and treats other people; which is unusual and exciting to watch.

In addition, the locations that are visited by the characters are filmed from different angles. I mean, the director has provided the surroundings with more attention than other movies and it did pay off.

I really recommend you to watch Babylon A.D., because it is a descent movie with a great actor, Vin Diesel. :)

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Review

2011-11-01T16:43:00.002+02:00

Title: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang;
Year: 2005;
Genre: Comedy, Thriller, Drama;

Duration: 01:43:00;
MPAA-rating: R for for language, violence and sexuality/nudity.;

Director: Shane Black;
Screenplay writer: Shane Black;
Producer: Susan Downey, Steve Richards III and others;
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, Corbin Bernsen, Dash Mihok and others;

Country: USA;
Web-sources: Yahoo! Movies

Trailer:

Review:

"Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" isn't an ordinary film. It is totally filled with action and surprise effect, except for some "love-connected" scenes. Seriously, there was a couple of moments when I thought that the fun part was over and the movie was slowly approaching the end when BANG and the plot took another direction...

There are people who tell that "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" is too complicated. There are two parallel killings that seem unconnected at first; however, at the end you get a clear picture of all that happened.

Of course, I also have to mention the good acting of both Val Kilmer and Robert Downy Jr. They really match even if they played roles of two totally different characters.

In my opinion, you shouldn't miss this movie especially if you are in a bad mood. It is funny, interesting and not complicated which is a perfect mixture to cheer you up! :)

Artificial Skin with Tactile Sense sensors

2011-11-01T16:34:00.002+02:00

In the 21st century we "make big steps" in improving our technology level. You can often read in the news about "enormous break" and shortly after it there is another one...

One of the most interesting fields is electronics. People conduct new researches every day and as a result we get gadgets that bring us a lot of benefit. I think the most important is saving our time and helping people who have certain problems with health (like inability to walk).

This time I want to speak about a team from Stanford University. According to Wired.com, these guys managed to create an artificial skin with tactile sense sensors. The concept of such a technology isn't complicated and is alike to iPhone or any other touch mobile's screen (more details are here).

In my opinion, this is an important invention. If everything works fine and researches get the desirable results, the humanity will be able to "copy" one of man's essential feelings. While tactile sense isn't as important as ability to see, who knows, maybe the next thing to be invented will be a gadget that allows to do so?

News source: Wired.

Image source: Chungwei-90.

The Safest Electric Vehicle in The World?

2011-11-01T16:34:00.001+02:00

Yesterday I was "surfing" the Internet for interesting news and found out an unusual post on TechnaBob. It was about a new electric car, more exactly vehicle, "iSAVE-SC1". It is said that it was produced by Hiroshima University alongside the Humanix company.

The most exciting part of this story is the developers' statement that iSAVE-SC1 is safest electric vehicle in the world. I have to confess that I haven't done any additional research to find out the reason; however, I assume that it is given such an "honour" due to the outside air-bags.

While I can somewhat agree that a frontal crash may not be a problem for a passengers, I have serious doubts about many other aspects. For example, how come there are no doors in iSAVE-SC1? Any car is called so because it is a closed "box"; otherwise, the vehicle looks more like a motorcycle.

In addition, why does it have three wheels? Even basic geometry rules prove that an object with four bearing parts have much higher chances to keep the balance than the one with three bearers.

Although I did like the design, I wouldn't dare buying such a vehicle. Would you?

The news source: TechnaBob.

The image source: TechnaBob.

Parkour&FreeRun Video - Ashdod meeting October 2011

2011-10-29T13:04:00.000+02:00

How are you today? :)

As I have promised the last time, here is a new video. It was filmed last week during the parkour&freerun meeting in my city. We had a lot of fun and I hope so you will do by watching it:

A small vacation this week

2011-10-24T16:01:00.002+02:00

Hello, dear Reader!

This week I am taking sort of vacation from posting and site-promotion. I have almost broken my knee, so now I better do more light-exercise like every 2-3 hours to recover faster and miss less parkour trainings in the future.

However, I will post a new video of Parkour&FreeRun Meeting in Ashdod next Saturday. It is going to be a long one, so look forward to it! ;-)

Yours,
Ardorm

Parkour&FreeRun video - September-October 2011

2011-10-23T10:12:00.000+02:00

I have finally passed my Psychometry test this month and was able to edit some stuff. This is our team's summarize of Parkour and FreeRun training during September-October in two different cities - Ashdod and Rehovot.

The video is short, because two of our members (me and Dima DTwist) were injured. Hopefully, we have totally recovered by now and the next video will be better. Enjoy! :)

Recumbent Tricycle - Most Comfortable Sport

2011-10-23T10:06:00.000+02:00

Have you ever dreamed about going on a long trip without necessity to get off your bike before the finish? If you have, you should consider buying a recumbent tricycle.

I don't want to say that it possesses some kind of outstanding technology that provides you with every thing you may need. However, judging by Jim Artis "Silk" (that's the name of his recumbent tricycle); he literally "cycles" on the house without roof and fences. Just look at the images on Gizmag and then the list of 14 "tools" Jim added to his "Silk"...

Looks impressive, doesn't it? I think that investing $6000 wasn't that crazy, after all. I mean, just imagine travelling on such a recumbent tricycle across not loud locations with beautiful landscapes. Though it weights around 16 kg, it shouldn't be too tiresome. In fact, I'd like to spend at least one vacation cycling that thing.

By the way, here's a video of not "upgraded" version of the tricycle (that weights approximately 12 kg):

Would you enjoy riding a recumbent tricycle? Or would you rather stay close to the traditional bikes?

The source: Gizmag.
Image source: Gizmag.

Battle: Los Angeles

2011-10-23T10:05:00.002+02:00

Title: Battle: Los Angeles;
Year: 2011;
Genre: Science Fiction, Action;

Duration: 01:56:00;
MPAA-rating: PG-13 for sustained and intense sequences of war violence and destruction, and for language;

Director: Jonathan Liebesman;
Screenplay writer: Christopher Bertolini;
Producer: Ori Marmur, Neal H. Moritz, Jeffrey Chernov and others;
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Bridget Moynahan, Michelle Rodriguez, Will Rothhaar and others;

Country: USA;
Web-sources: Yahoo! Movies

Trailer:

Review:

Battle: Los Angeles was directed by Jonathan Liebesmen and released in 2011.

The movie lasts 116 mins and shows us a tough battle between humans and aliens who came to Earth in order to steal water. For a strange reason aliens started attacking us without even trying to negotiate, which isn't a surprise. According to most of the films, the more non-human creatures are advanced, the stronger is their desire to kill us. o_O

I agree that such a concept isn't new due to a large number of other similar movies. However, Battle: Los Angeles has it's own, more or less "fresh", ideas: the action is frequently seen from the 1st person; the camera is placed between heroes most of the time; the story is shown from the point of view of soldiers and not civilians, which I have never met before. Those three features cause you a feeling like you're inside the screen and your life is in danger, as well. I was simply attached to my seat during all 116 minutes. :-)

The last left thing that creators of the movie needed was a good cast.
On the one hand, all second-role characters were played by appropriate actors. I really enjoyed watching Sgt. Elena Santos (Michelle Rodriguez) and Cpl. Lee Imlay (Will Rothhaar) along with the others.

On the other hand, I don't think that Aaron Eckhart who played the main character, Sgt. Michael Nantz, was the best choice. Michael attacks alone aliens and even alien spacecrafts several times in the movie, which surely can't be done by a regular man.
That's why, I think that such a character should look more or like a "beast" (a strong fighter whose braveness and strength make him look a bit different from others). Now, I don't want to say that Mr. Eckhart is a bad actor. It's just that I see him suitable more for roles of politicians or secret agents. And Michael Nantz should have been played by someone like Vin Diesel.

Anyway, Battle: Los Angeles is a descent movie; I rate it with 9 stars out of 10. If you are a science fiction fan, you surely shouldn't miss this one...

Technology You'll Like - Self-Cleaning Clothes

2011-10-23T10:04:00.000+02:00

Do you like wearing fresh, clean clothes? I bet there is nothing more pleasant, than putting on a warm sweater during a rainy cold day and feel the warmth that "scents" good. However, with all the technology that we have nowadays there is no way to prevent sweat or an accidental cup of coffee on the trousers...

Unfortunately, the only way to to bring things back is doing laundry. Though it is not as hard and annoying as 30-40 years ago, most of us still hate it. What if we only could posses a technology that would allow us to wear self-cleaning clothes?

According to TechnaBob, a team of researches from University of California, Davis seems to have one! Ning Liu came up with an idea to create a special compound, called 2-ACQ. It can be hardly removed once placed on a cloth and when exposed to the Sun, it produces elements that "combat" bacteria and dirt.

In my opinion, this is a really useful and, more important, pleasant invention. I will totally buy self-cleaning clothes the moment they are available in my town. :)

Will you? Or do you think this is too fantastic to be true?

Original source: TechnaBob.
Image source: Eurobit