Latest It Technology

Shiny gadget, icky name: iPad jokes fly on Web

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:53:00 +0000

SAN JOSE, Calif. – You have to wonder whether there were any women in the room when the marketing geniuses at Apple decided to call the company's new gadget the "iPad." Because the jokes about feminine hygiene products are flying.

"Will women send their husbands to the Apple store to buy iPads?" went one joke on Twitter. And a "MadTV" comedy sketch from several years ago about an electronic sanitary napkin called the iPad went viral on YouTube.

So how did the company come up with the product name? And how could Apple have set itself up for such obvious punch lines?

Apple, a company notoriously secret about its product development process, declined to comment about the name or how many women were involved in the launch. Three Apple execs — all men — introduced the iPad at its unveiling in San Francisco.

But brand experts said the name's not so bad.

"It fits with what Apple's been doing consistently. They take literal words that exist and stick an 'i' in front of it. And it works for them. It's not offensive despite the silly jokes," said Tye Heckler, a vice president at Seattle-based Hecker Associates, which is responsible for the store names Cinnabon, Panera and Starbucks.

Ira Kalb, associate director of the Center for Global Innovation at the University of Southern California's business school, said: "Unless you've been under a rock, you know this is an Apple product just by the 'i' in front, and you know what it does by what `pad' connotes."

Kalb said the jokes are probably good for Apple — more buzz — and will eventually pass.

He said other names floated for the product — iTab, iSlate or iTablet — would have been far worse. ITablet has too many syllables. ISlate is too ancient. ITab is too confusing.

"Apple is all about innovation and ease of use. Those names just don't go with that," he said.

According to the Patent and Trademark Office database, more than 20 people or companies have tried to trademark "ipad," "ipads" or "ipads.com" over the years, for such things as vaccines, stationery, makeup remover, bra padding and a host of electronics.

If the iPad sells, it won't be the first time a company has been mocked for its name, only to have the product fly off the shelves.

Coke Can Camera makes spying easier

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:31:00 +0000

With the growing crime rates, the technology is also growing. You must have never thought that even a person standing beside you with a can of coke might be spying you. These Coke cans have a tiny camera and DVR built inside it which will record every move of yours. This camera also has as a fake bottom that can be removed to reveal a USB port.

The bottom of the can also has the on-off switch. This camera is can also be operated with a remote control. Spying could not have been easier without such cams.

A bouncy, anti-gravity workout with the new AlterG treadmill

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:29:00 +0000

When I finished my first half-marathon last month, I experienced what it felt like to run on the ground for two hours. But what is it like to run in a gravity-reduced vacuum? When AlterG offered me the chance to demo their new "anti-gravity" treadmill, I couldn't resist. I jumped in my car and headed over to the gym at UCSF, down in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco.

A physical therapist named Chris gave me a rubber tube to wear over my running clothes. It looked like a cross between a wetsuit, a tire, and a tutu, and it had a giant zipper going across the top. He told me to step up onto the ramp and then zipped me into the giant rubber veil that covered what otherwise looked like a pretty ordinary treadmill.

The AlterG is no ordinary treadmill, though. It is a super fancy, super-expensive treadmill that isolates the lower body in a vacuum and literally takes off percentages of your body weight using technology developed by NASA. It's meant to help disabled, overweight, and injured people get a solid cardio workout without putting a strain on their limbs, but at this particular gym anybody can sign up to buy time on the machine in 30-minute increments. The AlterG uses air pressure to create the sensation of lost weight — the machine can reduce your body weight by up to 80%, making you feel like you're floating, flying, or bouncing on clouds.
By pushing arrow buttons on the treadmill screen, I was able to change my body weight percentage — air would blow into the vacuum that surrounded my legs, and the tutu-wetsuit became tighter, essentially lifting my body off the ground and making my legs float backwards into a naturally wider gait. It gave me a wedgie, and I could feel my thighs sweating from the tight seal, but none of that mattered. This was so much more fun than normal running! I ran on the AlterG for about fifteen minutes, happily romping through the clouds at a 7.5 min/mile, a near-impossible feat for the ordinary me. I felt like a gazelle.

I didn't realize just how much fun I was having in 20% gravity until my time was up. Chris deflated the air around my legs, unzipped me from the machine, and asked me to step down. As I lugged my now-impossibly heavy legs down from the treadmill ramp, I realized just how heavy I really was. My legs felt like elephants, and my spirits sunk so low that I wondered if I was suffering from a temporary depression.

So why can't all of us work out like this all the time if it's better for our bodies and more fun than real running? Maybe because the thing costs $24,500. And before the new version, the M300, was introduced last Monday, its predecessor cost $75,000. The New York Knicks and J-Lo have been known to work out on the AlterG, but it's unlikely to end up in my fitness room (what fitness room?) anytime soon. Let's not forget, our basic Bowflex costs about a grand, and we can all run for free outdoors.

All-in-One PC: Inside a Keyboard

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:22:00 +0000

This new generation All-in-One PC in a keyboard not only takes up far less desktop space, but also puts an Intel® Core™ 2 Quad CPU with all its features and performance at your fingertips. The new ZPC-GX31™ is a true innovation packing so much power, performance and compatibility inside a normal size keyboard. With features such as Dual Display capabilities, 4GB of DDR2/667MHz RAM, 1Gb LAN and DVI interface you now have a complete personal computer that takes up no more space than a typical keyboard. Simply place it on your desktop, plug in a monitor and you are done. [via- cybernetman]

Who's Typing Your Password?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:38:00 +0000

Passwords can be one of the weakest links in online security. Users too often choose one that's easily guessed or poorly protected; even strong passwords may need to be combined with additional measures, such as a smart card or a fingerprint scan, for extra protection.

Delfigo Security, a startup based in Boston, has a simpler solution to bolstering password security. By looking at how a user types each character and by collecting other subtle clues as to her identity, the company's software creates an additional layer of security without the need for extra equipment or user actions.

The software, called DSGateway, can be combined with an existing authentication process. As a user enters her name and password, JavaScript records her typing pattern along with other information, such as her system configuration and geographic location. When the user clicks "submit," her data is sent to the Web server and, provided that the username and password are correct, the additional information is passed on to Delfigo. The company's system then evaluates how well this information matches the behavior patterns of the appropriate authorized user.

Delfigo's algorithms build up a profile of each user during a short training period, combing 14 different factors. The company's president and CEO, Ralph Rodriguez, developed the necessary algorithms while working as a research fellow at MIT. Rodriguez notes that recording multiple factors is crucial to keeping the system secure without making it unusable. If the user types a password with one hand, for example, while holding coffee in the other, the system must turn to other factors to decide how to interpret the variation, he says. If she does this every morning, the system will learn to expect to see this behavior at that time of day. The idea that a password should completely succeed or completely fail "is an old paradigm that should go away," says Rodriguez. Even if the system sees something strange about the way that a user enters her password, for example, it just assigns a confidence level to that log-in attempt. Access levels can be configured depending on this confidence level. For example, if a user logs in from an odd location, lowering the system's confidence, it might allow her to see her account balance but restrict the funds that she is able to transfer. If the user needs to increase her confidence factor at that moment, Rodriguez says, she could answer additional security questions or have a one-time password sent to her mobile phone or via e-mail.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:35:00 +0000

As mobile phones get more powerful, the threat of serious attacks against such devices increases, security experts warn. This week, cybercriminals moved closer to proving this point--exploiting a weakness in modified iPhones to spread a worm programmed to steal banking information. Some experts say the worm may be a sign that criminals are getting more savvy about hacking mobile devices.

Last Saturday, researchers at several security firms reported that the new worm, dubbed "Ikee.B" or "Duh," spreads using the default password for an application that can be installed on modified versions of the iPhone. Once the device has been compromised, the worm grabs text messages, and searches for banking authorization codes used by at least one bank, before sending the codes to a central server. Earlier this month, another iPhone worm was released. It exploited the same password weakness to spread itself, but did not try to steal personal information.

"The banking [attack] is new to mobile devices," says Chet Wisniewski, a senior security advisor at antivirus firm Sophos. "It goes through your phone, grabbing all your text messages, and sends them off to a server in Lithuania."

Since the attack affects only the small number of iPhones that have been "jail broken"--modified to run nonapproved software--the worm will likely inconvenience only a few people. Yet some researchers say the worm confirms that attacks against mobile users are evolving, and that cybercriminals are targeting the personal and financial information kept on portable devices. The ability to communicate with a central command-and-control server--a characteristic more commonly associated with hijacked PCs--also makes such software more dangerous.

This past summer, at the Black Hat Security Briefings conference in Las Vegas, Charlie Miller, a consultant with Independent Security Evaluators, demonstrated a way to remotely attack iPhones using the short message service (SMS) protocol. Miller says it's only a matter of time before cybercriminals find a way to infect phones that haven't been jail broken, vastly increasing the potential scale of an infection. "A [more serious] worm against an iPhone or any other mobile device is going to happen," Miller says. "It is going to happen to [Google's] Android and iPhone and everything else. As more bad guys do research into the mobile platforms, these devices are going to get attacked."

The evolution of the Ikee.B or Duh worm can be traced back to early attacks against mobile devices. In 2000, Timofonica, a relatively simple virus that spread between desktop computers and servers, also had the ability to spam mobile phones in Spain with text messages. In 2004, Cabir, the first mobile-phone-only worm, was released. Cabir could jump automatically between Nokia handsets.

A More Durable Wind Turbine

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:31:00 +0000

The blades on most turbines use the wind to turn a drive shaft connected to a gearbox. The gearbox manages the rotation of a second shaft that connects to a large electrical generator. The gearbox is the heaviest piece of equipment in a wind turbine's "nacelle" (the section at the top of the turbine tower). It's also a piece that's among the most vulnerable to failure. Sudden wind gusts put the gearbox under tremendous mechanical stress. Over time this can wear down or break the teeth off its metal gears.

CWind's design does away with the gearbox completely. Instead, the drive shaft is connected directly to a large metal flywheel. Hugging the outside of the flywheel are eight smaller secondary shafts, each connected to a 250-kilowatt generator and each lined with several specially designed tires that grip the surface of the flywheel. As the flywheel spins, it engages the generators by turning these tire-lined shafts. "We're using friction. It's not mechanically hard-coupled," says Na'al Nayef, a CWind engineer and co-inventor of the system.

Nayef says the system uses software to control the eight secondary shafts. The tires are also designed to temporarily slip if a wind gust causes the flywheel to suddenly speed up. This feature eases the impact on the generators. Each secondary shaft can also be disengaged from the flywheel if the wind slows down, in effect reducing friction and allowing shafts that are still connected to keep their generators operating at high capacity. Likewise, connecting more shafts, thus adding more friction when the wind increases, will engage idle generators. "We can operate the generators at optimal speed all the time," says Nayef, adding that tests on the smaller, 65-kilowatt prototype show efficiency gains over standard wind turbines of up to 5 percent.

Brain Implant Cuts Seizures

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:30:00 +0000

It sounds extremely promising," says Jaimie Henderson, a neurosurgeon at Stanford University who is not involved with Neuropace or with the clinical trials. "The demonstration that a system like this can be effective is a big step forward."

Some 30 to 50 percent of epilepsy patients cannot adequately control their seizures with medication, a figure that amounts to hundreds of thousands of patients in the United States. Some resort to surgery, in which the part of the brain where the seizure originates is removed. But not everyone has this option--the abnormal activity may start in brain areas responsible for language or vision and thus cannot be surgically destroyed without serious consequences.

The Neuropace system, called the Responsive Neurostimulator, is one of a handful of electrical stimulation devices that are available or in development for epilepsy patients. These devices are designed to counter the uncontrolled electrical storm of a seizure with an externally delivered current.

While other devices stimulate the nervous system continuously or in a predetermined pattern, the Neuropace implant is unique in that it monitors the brain, delivering jolts of electricity only when it detects the abnormal electrical activity that signals the onset of a seizure. "It's like dousing a spark before it becomes a flame," said Martha Morrell, Neuropace's chief medical officer, at a press conference at the American Epilepsy Society's annual meeting in Boston on Monday.

The device consists of a neurostimulator that's smaller than a deck of cards. It's surgically implanted into a hollowed out part of the skull, along with a set of electrical leads that can both record electrical activity and dispense jolts of electricity. The leads are placed either on the surface of the brain or deep in the brain tissue, depending on where a patient's seizures begin. Surgeons locate this spot, known as the "seizure focus," prior to surgery using a combination of brain imaging and electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings, which measure brain activity from surface electrodes on the skull, or electrocorticography (ECoG), in which activity is recorded directly from the surface of the brain.

The device, which contains a battery and a small computer, continuously monitors electrical activity. "As the [electrical activity] becomes higher in amplitude, the device is programmed to identify that as a significant event and deliver a stimulus," said Morrell at the conference. "The system then reevaluates the EEG and determines if further stimulus is needed."

History of Communications Museum opens in Tashkent

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:45:00 +0000

TASHKENT ― The History of Communications Museum, with 400 exhibits showing the development of the telecommunications industry in Uzbekistan, recently opened in Tashkent.

The exhibits include a copy of a Turkish-style post chaise made by craftsmen from the Kokand khanate, which was used for centuries to deliver mail, as well as a model of an ancient fortress from the Timurid dynasty that was guarded using a system of signals.

The collection also includes the mobile telephone used in August 1992 by President Islam Karimov to make the symbolic first mobile telephone call in Uzbekistan. The development of telephones is the subject of a stand exhibiting several phones (some as old as 80 years) that have been restored and linked to the telephone network so that they can be used by visitors to the museum.

The exhibition also contains a model of the lunar lander launched by satellite in August 1974, parts of which were manufactured in Uzbekistan at the Koinot enterprise. The factory continues to manufacture high-tech products today, some of which are on display at the museum.

The history of television occupies a special place in the museum. “I could not have imagined that people used to watch television through a magnifying lens filled with water,” said 16-year-old Ilyas Karabaev after his encounter with the USSR’s first model television set, the KVN-49.

The exhibition also has a large collection of postage stamps issued in Uzbekistan since the country’s independence in 1991, as well as a collection of postcards from the beginning of the nineteenth century. Museum Director Takhir Nazarjanov said both organisations and ordinary people have contributed to the collection by donating items for exhibition. “We will continue to welcome additional donations. The expansion of the museum is an ongoing process, just like the development of the information and communications industry itself,” he noted.

Its a bird its a plane its Qatar Train

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:29:00 +0000

A friend forwarded this mail to me and I thought it would be worthwhile to share. The deal to build the system has already been signed.

Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company, has entered into a JV with German-based Deutsche Bahn AG (DB), one of the world's leading passenger and logistics companies, to create the Qatar Railways Development Company (QRDC).

The signing ceremony took place at the Emiri Diwan in Doha, and included high-level ministerial- level delegations from Qatar and Germany.

Qatar Railways Development Company, a 51-49 joint venture between Qatari Diar, represented by Qatar Railways Company, and DB, will be the sole entity responsible for developing and integrating Qatar’s visionary railway network, encompassing a range of transport modes such as metro systems, long distance passenger travel, and freight transport.

QRDC will unify all planned railways in Qatar, including the Doha metro, Lusail light rail, and West Bay people movers. QRDC will also connect Qatar’s network to neighboring countries via the Bahrain-Qatar causeway, to create the region’s first fully integrated railway system

QRDC has completed an initial study, and agreed on the concept design for the integrated railway network.

These are a few of the railway networks that will be integrated together.

1. An east coast rail link, a passenger and freight railway linking Ras Laffan and Mesaieed via Doha
2. A high speed link between the New Doha International Airport, Doha City Center, and Kingdom of Bahrain via the causeway bridge
3. A freight rail link based on the GCC rail and Doha expressway studies
4. A comprehensive Doha Metro Network based on the Qatar Transport Master Plan
5. Multiple Light-rail people mover networks, such as in Lusail, Education City and Westbay

Now use your laptop while standing or walking

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:51:00 +0000

Like the majority of laptop owners, I want to be able to use my laptop absolutely everywhere I go. This nifty laptop desk holder gives you the ability to use your laptop with both hands free, to type while walking or standing.

Big Bang atom smasher sends beams in 2 directions

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:00:00 +0000

GENEVA – The world's largest atom smasher made another leap forward Monday by circulating beams of protons in opposite directions at the same time in the $10 billion machine after more than a year of repairs, organizers said.

The true test will be in first two months of 2010, when scientists plan to start colliding protons to see what they can discover about the makeup of the universe and its tiniest particles.

The Large Hadron Collider has been advancing faster than expected in its startup phase that began Friday night, said Rolf Heuer, director-general of the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN.

"It went much faster than foreseen," said Fabiola Gianotti, who speaks for the Atlas experiment, one of four major detectors in rooms the size of cathedrals about 100 meters (300 feet) underground. "We're all very happy."

It is possible that some unintended proton collisions began Monday or will occur soon at the places where the two beams cross as a side-effect of trying to synchronize the timing of two beams.

Intentional proton collisions could begin within the next 10 days, mainly to check how the machine is working, said spokesman James Gillies.

Ultimately, the collider aims to create conditions like they were 1 trillionth to 2 trillionths of a second after the Big Bang — which scientists think marked the creation of the universe billions of years ago. Physicists also hope the collider will help them see and understand other suspected phenomena, such as dark matter, antimatter and supersymmetry.

The collider was started with great fanfare Sept. 10, 2008, only to be heavily damaged by an electrical fault nine days later. It has taken 14 months to repair and add protection systems to the machine before it was restarted.

The protons on Monday were traveling at almost the speed of light — 11,000 times a second in each direction around the 27-kilometer (17-mile) tunnel under the Swiss-French border at Geneva.

Initial signs are very good, physicists told a news conference. The beam is of superb quality, with the protons tightly packed into hairlike lines and guided by some 1,600 superconducting magnets — some 15 meters (50 feet) long — operating at temperatures colder than outer space for maximum electrical efficiency.

So far the machine is operating at 450 billion electron volts of energy, which is relatively low compared with its design capability of more than 14 times that. It soon will overtake the world's current most powerful accelerator, the Tevatron at Fermilab outside Chicago, which operates at 1 trillion electron volts, or TeV.

Myers said the CERN collider should be ramped up to 1.2 TeV by Christmas. CERN might decide to make the first collisions at the current low energy or at 1.2 TeV, but that will be more for calibration purposes than for making scientific discoveries, he said.

Physicists said the discoveries could begin in the first half of next year when the collider reaches 3.5 TeV. CERN is hoping to have the first collisions at that energy in January or early February, said Gillies.

"That would really mark the start of the research program," he said.

Myers said the collider may even go up to 5 TeV before the end of 2010.

Tejinder S. Virdee, a physicist from London's Imperial College who represents more than 2,000 scientists on CMS, another of the experiments with its own detectors at CERN, said it could take several years before the collider discovers the elusive Higgs boson, a particle that theoretically gives mass to other subatomic particles, and thus everything in the universe.

That is because the Higgs boson is believed to be hard to see and needs powerful energy to be revealed, Virdee said.

"This is going to take a few years," he said.

Director-General Heuer said CERN was being as cautious as a driver would be with the first production model of a new car.

"We'll never accelerate this the first time with a kick-start to its maximum velocity," he said.

Once it is tested out, he added, "we can open windows into new physics and that could happen already next year. It depends on how kind nature is to us."

google fun and tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:43:00 +0000

The Future of Video Game Input: Muscle Sensors

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:29:00 +0000

Motion control and multi-touch have become common in devices ranging from Nintendo's Wii to Apple's iPhone. But a muscle-sensing system could someday allow gamers to play air "Guitar Hero" without a controller, or help harried parents with full hands open car doors.

Electromyography (EMG) sensors can decode muscle signals from the skin's surface as a person performs certain gestures. Researchers attached such sensors to their forearms, and built a gesture recognition library by monitoring muscle signals related to each gesture. The project emerged as a collaborative effort between Microsoft, University of Washington in Seattle, and the University of Toronto in Canada.

The possibilities become seemingly endless when the muscle sensing system combines with existing gadgets. Joggers can switch songs on their mp3 player by using a few quick hand gestures without breaking stride, and people with full hands might just squeeze whatever they're holding to pop the car trunk or unlock the doors.

The system could also add extra interactive possibilities for future motion control in video games, such as Microsoft's camera-based Project Natal.

Researchers have similarly used the muscle sensing system to add user interface features to the Microsoft Surface, a multi-touch tabletop device. Pressure-sensitive painting allowed Surface users to "draw" on the tabletop and apply more color saturation by pressing down harder. Users could even choose to "pick up" virtual photos using a pinching and lifting motion, and then could "throw" the pictures back on the table.

EMG sensors have previously helped clinical researchers assess muscles during rehabilitation, and have also enabled prosthetic users to directly control their artificial limbs. But the new interface research promises to put the technology in the hands of far more consumers, if it proves flexible enough.

The University of Washington group will present a paper on their latest work at the Interactive Tabletops and Surfaces 2009 conference held in Banff, Canada near the end of November.

How the World's Largest Cruise Ship Floats

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:26:00 +0000

The world's largest cruise ship is making its first transatlantic crossing from Finland to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where it will make its U.S. debut. Though colossal, the ship relies on the same physical principles as its smaller brethren to stay afloat.

The massive ship, called the Oasis of the Seas and built by STX Finland for Royal Caribbean International, stands 20 stories high, is as long as four football fields, and can accommodate 5,400 guests at double occupancy.

The two typical measures of size are length and weight, which is measured as displacement, or the weight of water the ship must displace to stay afloat. "She is 1,180 feet long and displaces 100,000 tons," said Paul Miller of the Department of Naval Architecture & Ocean Engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland, referring to the Oasis of the Seas.

For comparison, the RMS Titanic, which sank in 1912, was 883 feet long (269 meters) and weighed about 58,000 tons.

In terms of space available, the Oasis is nearly five times larger than the Titanic. Specifically, the Oasis can hold 225,282 gross registered tons, while the Titanic could hold 46,329 grt.

This measurement was derived long ago to describe a ship's space for a common cargo — wine. Since wine was shipped in "tuns" that each held 8 barrels or about 242 gallons, a ship that could carry 8,000 wine barrels was considered a 1,000-tun ship. "Tun" evolved into "ton" and then into "gross registered ton."

The Oasis is 50 percent larger than the runner-up, which is a group of Freedom-class ships (such as Freedom of the Seas), according to Royal Caribbean International.

Staying above water

How does such a huge ship float?

"It's just like any other ship. It has to displace an equal amount of water to how much it weighs," said Matthew Collette, assistant professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan. If it didn't, the ship would sink.

To displace this amount of water, and keep the ship stable without having a massive draft beneath the water, the designers created a wide hull.

"To keep it stable they had to make the ship very wide. It's 66 meters (217 feet) wide," Collette said. That means the Oasis can't fit through the Panama Canal, which is just 105 feet (32 meters).

About 30 feet (9 meters) of the ship sits beneath the water, which is a small percentage of the ship's overall height.

Dealing with the elements

The idea of a cruise generally means sunny skies, and such ships will change their ports of call to avoid large storms or hurricanes, Collette said. That's not to say rough seas are out of the question.

"It's hard to know for sure how this ship would ride without knowing the details of its design, but wide, shallow ships such as this tend to be 'snappy' in that they have so much stability they tend to snap back upright after a wave has passed, which can be uncomfortable to be on," Collette said. "The sheer size of this ship will also help it, as larger ships tend to be better rides in rough weather."

Another issue is the superstructure, or the part of the ship that extends above the main deck.

"We have learned how to design and build large ships successfully," said Miller, the engineer with the U.S. Naval Academy. "What is a bit challenging about this ship is the amount of superstructure. That can cause windage problems in hurricanes, but the basic idea of cruise ships is to run away from them."

While this ship will likely stay in warm tropical waters, what if it did stray and come upon a titanic iceberg? "The ship is bigger and generally able to take more damage than a smaller ship," Collette said. "However, as the ship is bigger, it has more kinetic energy to dissipate if it was involved in a collision, which may mean it would also suffer more damage."

And no matter the size of a water craft, rogue waves are always a concern. Rogue waves are rare but towering problems that can soar 100 feet and are known to sink large cargo ships. Scientists have only recently begun to figure out what's behind the once-mythical waves. A study in 2008 suggested that in rare circumstances, waves that would normally cancel each other out can combine to form tall monsters in quick fashion.

The Oasis is no low-riding cargo ship, however.

"If it was struck by one I would expect there to be some local damage at the point of impact — maybe some broken portholes or bent railings, but little else," Collette said. "All ships are designed to make the chance of large-scale structural collapse very remote."

Cozy quarters

And while the ship's behemoth size is garnering plenty of attention, the goal of such a cruise ship is to make it feel small. To do this, the Oasis is divided up into various themed neighborhoods, including parks, such as one themed after Central Park, boardwalks and a sports zone.

"It's an attempt to try to make it feel smaller, because you don't want the passengers to feel like they're just a commodity," Collette told LiveScience.

When you look under the hood, however, the giant cruise ship is pretty basic. "Most of the innovation of the ship is the size and the passenger amenities," Collette said. "In terms of the propelling machinery, the design of the ship, it's all very similar to the cruise ships that have come before. There's not a lot of new ground here."

Such a leviathan presents other issues, including figuring out an evacuation plan for so many passengers and being able to fit into ports.

Should we expect an even larger ship any time soon?

"Whether this ship is the limit I don't know," Collette said. "Because the economy has kind of turned south since they signed the contract for this ship, I don't think anyone is going to challenge it for the record in the next three to four years."

Increase blog traffic with facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:06:00 +0000

Facebook is one of these social networking website. Day by day facebook realize so many the popularity of blogging and therefore it is coming up with lots of application for bloggers.Networkedblog is one of the many application on the facebook to increase your traffic.Networkedblogs previously known as Blog networks has become a popular hub for bloggers on facebook.Networked blog have inbuilt ability to pull up feeds from your blogs once...

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Why You Should Use Adsense On Your Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:03:00 +0000

Adsense is Google’s advertising program for publishers. This means any individual owning a website or blog can display ad blocks on that website’s pages and receive a commission according to the number of times those ads where clicked or viewed.There are a couple of reasons why you should use Adsense on your blog:1. Of course it provides for a steady source of income and this income can potentially grow for thousand of dollars even millions...

Show related posts widget with photo thumbnails

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:58:00 +0000

Blogger mania I want share some information to make your blog beautiful and more tidy, it’s make reader easy to find article they need.in my last article I have share information about make related posts using java script, now this we can make related post will be different using photo thumbnails.How we can make it?Just go this site LinkWithin.comWhat advantage ??Show Related Stories Under Each Post!LinkWithin is a blog widget that appears...

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Free Directory Submitter

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:56:00 +0000

Submit directory? It’s increase your page rank? How many time you spend your time to submit your site?I found free program to submit your site, that called SliQ SubmitterWhat is sliq submitter?SliQ Submitter is a directory submitter tool allowing you to semi-automatically submit your website details to loads of directories with the minimum effort.AdvantageExtremely easy to use!Submit to 1500+ directoriesLow Cost - make as many submissions for as many websites as you like for only $10 for a 3 month licenseNo copying and pasting...

Dell Vostro 1318

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:55:00 +0000

Give people something to talk about. Meet the Inspiron 13 - the slim, brainy new 13.3 inch laptop from Dell. Sexy on the outside, its inner attributes might be even more impressive: wireless and entertainment features that provide pure freedom. Sure, people might gossip. Let them. They ll wish they had this laptop with its high-gloss finish and Pacific Blue exterior. Not to mention the Intel Core 2 Duo Processors, webcam and slot-loading DVD-RW drive. But when you own an Inspiron 13, all of this belongs to you. And that?s all that matters.

Sleek Design

Function is transformed into style with a solid magnesium alloy design and barrel hinges yielding smooth display movement. Pacific Blue on the outside and piano-black, high-gloss finish on the inside adds that perfect touch.
Inner attributes
The 13.3 inch high-definition widescreen display offers brilliant viewing of your photos, movies, and more.
Slot-load Drive
Simple insert your CD or DVD into the slot-load optical drive to burn your files, music and movies.
A simple touch
Capacitive multimedia buttons let you control your music and movies with a simple touch. The buttons are flush with the surface and illuminate when initiated.
Stay Connected Bluetooth
Wirelessly connect keyboards, cameras, phones, mice and more.
Wi-Fi
The latest in Wi-Fi technology allows you to connect to the Internet wirelessly and transfer larger content exceptionally fast. By utilizing MIMO (Multiple In, Multiple Out), the Dell Wireless-N employs multiple integrated Hyperband antennae to handle simultaneous wireless data streams when sending and receiving.
Specifications

Operating System
Windows Vista Home Basic Edition
Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8600
2.40GHz / 1066MHz FSB
3Mb L2 Cache
Ram

Ram 3GB DDR2 RAM
PC2 6400
Hard Drive

Hard Drive 320 GB SATA Drive
5400 Rpm Serial ATA
Optical Drive
DVD Dual Layer Burner
8x DVD/CD Burner (DVD+/-RW)
Display

Screen 13.3 inch Widescreen Display
WXGA with TrueLife, Max Resolution 1280 x 800
Integrated Camera
Graphics
Intel GMA X4500 Graphics Card
Shared Memory
Multimedia
Integrated Digital 8 in 1 Card Reader & Stereo Sound
External media controls placed front & center for easy control of volume, playback, fast forward, and rewind of CDs and DVDs. Next Generation Dell Media Direct provides quick, easy, one-touch access to digital photos, music and video without booting into MS Windows.
Communication
Dell Wireless 802.11 a/b/g
Integrated Bluetooth
Integrated Ethernet
Battery

6-cell 56WHr Li-Ion Battery
Physical Description

Dimensions & Weight
Width: 12.52 (318mm)
Height: 1 (25.4mm) front / 1.51(38.37mm) back
Depth: 9.37 (238mm)
Weight: Starting weight of 4.9 lbs. (2.22 kg)

HP Pavilion DV7t-2040us

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:54:00 +0000

The new HP Pavilion dv7 widescreen panel offers you a new screen size that is ideal for both computing and entertainment modes. Use the ample horizontal space for widget and toolbars and enjoy a great movie experience in their original format.
Specifications

Operating system installed

Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
Processor type

Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q9000 (2.0GHz)
6MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB
Memory

Standard memory 4096MB
Memory layout (2 x 2048 MB)
Maximum memory Supports up to 8GB DDR2 memory
Hard Drive

Hard Drive 500GB
Hard disk drive speed 5400 rpm
Optical drive type

LightScribe Dual-Layer DVD/CD Burner
Capable of Reading and Writing CDs and DVDs
Display size

17.3 Inch Diagonal HD+ High-Definition Widescreen Display
Display resolution 1600 x 900
Graphic

ATI Radeon HD 4650 Graphics
1GB Dedicated Memory along with Shared Memory
External I/O ports

4 USB 2.0(4th shared with eSATA port), HDMI, eSATA Combo, VGA, RJ-11, RJ-45, Expansion Port 3, 2 Headphones out, Microphone in,, Consumer IR, AC Adapter,
Expansion slots

1 ExpressCard/54 Slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)
Audio

Speakers and microphone
Altec Lansing
Webcam

HP Pavilion Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone
Communications

Network interface Integrated 10/100 Ethernet LAN
Wireless technologies 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN
Integrated 56kbps modem
Power

Power supply type 65 W AC Power Adapter
Battery type 6-cell Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery
Physical Description

Product dimensions (W x D x H) 41.26 cm (L) x 27.7 cm (W) x 3.5 cm (min H)/4.32 cm (max H)
Product weight 3.52 kg

Sony Vaio FW 390JAS Price Rupees: 104190

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:52:00 +0000

Broaden your entertainment horizons with the VAIO FW notebook featuring an extra-wide 16.4 inch LCD display. Great for watching widescreen movies or viewing two web sites side-by-side, this entertainment powerhouse is inspired by theater screens, born out of Sony HD expertise, and powered by Intel Centrino processor technology.
Specifications

Operating System :

Genuine Microsoft Windows Vista Home Permium
Processor

Technology : Intel Centrino 2 Processor technology
Type : Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8600
Front Side Bus Speed 1066MHz
L2 Cache 3MB
Speed : 2.40GHz
Memory

Installed 4GB (2GBX2)
Maximum 8GB
Speed 800MHz
Type DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Drive

Capacity : 250GB
Interface : Serial ATA
Speed : 5400rpm
Optical Drive

SuperMulti Drive
CD Support : Read / Write (CD/-R/-RW)
DVD Support : Read / Write (DVD?R/?RW/?R DL/-RAM)
Display

Resolution 1600 x 900
Screen Size 16.4 inch
XBRITE-ECO Technology Yes
Graphics

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 with Total Available 2.2GB Graphics Memory
512MB of GDDR3 dedicated video RAM
Hardware
Camera Built-in 1.3 megapixel MOTION EYE camera and microphone
Keyboard QWERTY, 86 keys with 2mm stroke and 19.05mm pitch
Sound System Dolby Sound Room Audio
Communications

Bluetooth Technology Integrated Stereo A2DP Bluetooth Technology (2.1+EDR)
Ethernet Protocol : 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T (Gigabit)
Modem Type : Integrated V.92/V.90 Modem (RJ-11)
Wireless LAN : Intel WiFi Link 5100AGN (802.11a/b/g/n)
Inputs and Outputs
DC-In : 1
Ethernet Connection(s) : 1
HDMI Output : 1
Headphone Output(s) : 1
Microphone Input : 1
Modem Jack : 1
USB Port(s) : 3 (2.0 compliant)
VGA Output(s) : 1
i.LINK Connection : 1 (4pin) i.LINK connector (IEEE 1394)
Multimedia Card Reader :

One Memory Stick PRO (Standard / Duo) media slot with MagicGate technology One ExpressCard /34 media slot One Secure Digital (SD memory card) media slot
Power
Battery Type : Standard Capacity Lithium-ion Battery (VGP-BPS13/S)
Estimated Battery Life : 1.0-5.5 hours11 Standard Capacity Battery 1.5-8.0 hours11 Large Capacity Battery
Power Requirements : 105W + 10%
Physical Description

Dimensions (Approx.) : 15.1(W) x 1.14-1.46(H) x 10.3(D)7,8 Inch
Weight (Approx.) : 6.7 lbs (with Standard Capacity Battery)

Sony Vaio FW 390NFB Price Rupees: 99190

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:50:00 +0000

Broaden your entertainment horizons with the VAIO FW notebook featuring an extra-wide 16.4 inch LCD display. Great for watching widescreen movies or viewing two web sites side-by-side, this entertainment powerhouse is inspired by theater screens, born out of Sony HD expertise, and powered by Intel Centrino processor technology.
Specifications

Operating System :

Genuine Microsoft Windows Vista Business Edition
Processor

Technology : Intel Centrino 2 Processor technology
Type : Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8600
Front Side Bus Speed 1066MHz
L2 Cache 3MB
Speed : 2.40GHz
Memory

Installed 3GB (2GBX1) (1GBX1)
Maximum 8GB
Speed 800MHz
Type DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Drive

Capacity : 250GB
Interface : Serial ATA
Speed : 5400rpm
Optical Drive

SuperMulti Drive
CD Support : Read / Write (CD/-R/-RW)
DVD Support : Read / Write (DVD?R/?RW/?R DL/-RAM)
Display

Resolution 1600 x 900
Screen Size 16.4 inch
XBRITE-ECO Technology Yes
Graphics

Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500 Graphics Card
Shared Memory
Hardware

Camera Built-in 1.3 megapixel MOTION EYE camera and microphone
Keyboard QWERTY, 86 keys with 2mm stroke and 19.05mm pitch
Sound System Dolby Sound Room Audio
Communications

Bluetooth Technology Integrated Stereo A2DP Bluetooth Technology (2.1+EDR)
Ethernet Protocol : 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T (Gigabit)
Modem Type : Integrated V.92/V.90 Modem (RJ-11)
Wireless LAN : Intel WiFi Link 5100AGN (802.11a/b/g/n)
Inputs and Outputs
DC-In : 1
Ethernet Connection(s) : 1
HDMI Output : 1
Headphone Output(s) : 1
Microphone Input : 1
Modem Jack : 1
USB Port(s) : 3 (2.0 compliant)
VGA Output(s) : 1
i.LINK Connection : 1 (4pin) i.LINK connector (IEEE 1394)
Multimedia Card Reader :

One Memory Stick PRO (Standard / Duo) media slot with MagicGate technology One ExpressCard /34 media slot One Secure Digital (SD memory card) media slot
Power
Battery Type : Standard Capacity Lithium-ion Battery (VGP-BPS13/S)
Estimated Battery Life : 1.0-5.5 hours11 Standard Capacity Battery 1.5-8.0 hours11 Large Capacity Battery
Power Requirements : 105W + 10%
Physical Description

Dimensions (Approx.) : 15.1(W) x 1.14-1.46(H) x 10.3(D)7,8 Inch
Weight (Approx.) : 6.7 lbs (with Standard Capacity Battery)

Compaq Presario CQ61-225EE Price Rupees: 70690

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:48:00 +0000

The 15.6-inch Compaq Presario CQ61-200 with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium or puts the versatility and productivity of notebook computing within your reach.
Specifications

Operating System

Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T6500
2.10 GHz, Level 2 cache 2 MB
Bus Speed 800MHz
Memory

Standard memory 3072 MB
Memory layout (1 x 1024 MB + 1 x 2048 MB)
Maximum memory Supports up to 8 GB DDR2 memory
Internal drives
Hard Disk 320 GB
Storage controller SATA Hard Disk Drive
Hard disk drive speed 5400 rpm
Optical Drive
Lightscribe Super Multi DVD Writer (+/-R +/-RW) with Double Layer support
Lightscribe Create silkscreen-quality disc labels direct from your PC with LightScribe: Just burn, flip, burn.
Display size
15.6 inch Diagonal High Definition HP Brightview Display
Display resolution 1366 x 768
Graphic
NVIDIA GeForce G 103M
Video RAM up to 1790 MB total graphics memory with 512 MB dedicated
Memory card device
5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture cards
Communications

Network interface Ethernet 10/100BT integrated network interface
Wireless technologies 802.11 b/g
Wireless capability Bluetooth wireless networking
External I/O ports
3 USB 2.0 (3rd shared with eSATA port), 1 HDMI connector,1 eSATA+USB, 1 VGA port, 1 RJ45 ethernet connector, 1 headphone-out, 1 mic-in
Webcam
Webcam with integrated microphone
Internal audio
3D Sound Blaster Pro compatible sound 16 bit integrated
Speakers and microphone
Altec Lansing speakers
Keyboard / Pointing device
Full size keyboard with integrated numeric keypad
Touch Pad with On/Off button and dedicated vertical Scroll Up/Down pad, volume control, mute button
Power

Power supply type 90 W AC Power Adapter
Battery type 6-cell Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery
Physical Description

Product weight 2.68 kg
Product dimensions (W x D x H) 37.8 cm (L) x 25.2 cm (W) x 3.51 cm (min H) / 4.12 cm (max H)

Adobe Reader 9.1

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:06:00 +0000

Adobe Reader software is the global standard for electronic document sharing. It is the only PDF file viewer that can open and interact with all PDF documents. Use Adobe Reader to view, search, digitally sign, verify, print, and collaborate on Adobe PDF files. * View, print, and search PDF files, including PDF Portfolios and PDF maps * Author, store, and share documents, and share your screen,...link...