China Harnesses Wind Power

In the mountains above the southwestern Chinese town of Dali, dozens of new wind turbines dot the landscape -- a symbol of the country's sky-high ambitions for clean, green energy.

At an altitude of 3,000 metres (9,800 feet), Dali Zhemoshan is the highest wind farm in China, where renewable energy has become a priority for a government keen to reduce its carbon emissions and which has taken full advantage of the global trade in carbon credits.

"Wind resources in Yunnan province are not the best in the country," says Zhai Cheng, a project manager at the farm for the Chinese group Sinohydro.

"But at altitude, it becomes more interesting," he adds, gesturing at the line of 48 metre-high turbines.

China, which relies on coal for more than 70 percent of its energy, is the world's largest emitter of the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

But it has set a target of generating 15 percent of its energy fromrenewable sources -- mainly wind and water -- by 2020.

In Yunnan, the wind turbines -- which operate at full tilt between October and April -- are there to boost the region's enormous hydroelectric power resources when productivity falls during the winter months.

"China is redoubling its efforts, with the 2020 target for wind power generation rising from 30 to 100 gigawatts," said Zhai.

The rapid boom in wind farming in China -- where installed capacity doubled in 2008 for the fourth year running to sit at 12.2 gigawatts -- places it behind only the United States, Germany and Spain.

"In terms of the scale and the pace of the build-up of the Chinese wind industry, it's without parallel anywhere in the world ever," said Steve Sawyer, secretary general of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).

"They went from very little installed capacity and almost no industry five years ago to the point where they will be the number one market in the world this year" in terms of new capacity, he said.

"At the current rate, they will be the number one in the world in cumulative capacity by the end of 2011, early 2012," Sawyer predicted.

As well as major wind farms in the north of China, such as those in Gansu province, smaller projects -- like the one in Dali -- are multiplying, almost always relying on the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

The CDM, which was created as part of the Kyoto Protocol, allows industrialised countries to fulfil part of theirgreenhouse gas reduction commitments by investing in clean energy technology in developing countries.

With a generating capacity of 30.75 megawatts, the 41 turbines in Dali produce the same amount of energy as the burning of 20,000 tonnes of coal -- thereby preventing the emission of 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxideper year.

The carbon credits produced by the Dali pilot project, funded with a 30-million-euro (45-million-dollar) loan from the French Development Agency, will be purchased by Dutch bank Rabobank, Zhai said.

Those credits should amount to between seven and eight percent of annual income, he added, predicting that the project should pay for itself in 10 to 15 years.

"The wind industry in China and India is one of the biggest success stories of the CDM," said GWEC's Sawyer.

"The Chinese example is a very good example: the only way you can make use of the market mechanism is if you have very clear and effective policies and measures to support the industry at the same time."

The challenge for China now, he says, is one of quality.

"They have had this rapid build-up and now they have to focus on the quality rather than just the quantity. Grid extension and connection is one issue, the performance of the turbines themselves is another."

Swine Flu?!!, Don't fear my Brethren

SWINE FLU FACT FILE What are the symptoms? Swine flu symptoms are similar to the symptoms of regular flu and include fever of over 100.4°F, fatigue, lack of appetite, and cold. Some people with swine flu have also reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Nearly everyone with flu has at least two of these symptoms. So, how do you know if you have flu or just cold? There is one clue: when you have the flu, you feel flu symptoms sooner than you would cold symptoms, and they come on with much greater intensity. With the flu, you may feel very weak and fatigued for up to 2 or 3 weeks. You'll have muscle aches and periods of chills and sweats as fever comes and goes. You may also have a stuffy or runny nose, headache, and sore throat. Can I compare flu symptoms with cold symptoms? Yes. The following chart can help you compare flu symptoms with cold symptoms. Use it to lean the differences and similarities between flu and cold symptoms. Then, if you get flu symptoms, call your doctor and ask about an antiviral drug. Symptoms You cannot confirm if you have swine flu just based on your symptoms. Like seasonal flu, pandemic swine flu can cause neurologic symptoms in children. These events are rare, but, as cases associated with seasonal flu have shown, they can be very severe and often fatal. Doctors may offer a rapid flu test, but what you need to understand is a negative result doesn't necessarily mean you don't have the flu. Only lab tests can definitively show whether you've got swine flu. State health departments can do these tests. Source: WebMD Can it be prevented? Influenza antiviral drugs also can be used to prevent influenza when they are given to a person who is not ill, but who has been or may be near a person with swine influenza. When used to prevent the flu, antiviral drugs are about 70% to 90% effective. When used for prevention, the number of days that they should be used will vary depending on a person’s particular situation. Follow this general procedure to reduce the risk of catching or spreading the virus, you should: Cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, using a tissue Throw the tissue away quickly and carefully Wash your hands regularly with soap and water Clean hard surfaces (like door handles and remote controls) frequently with a normal cleaning product Keep away from others as much as possible. This is to keep from making others sick. Do not go to work or school while ill Stay home for at least 24 hours after fever is gone, except to seek medical care or for other necessities. (Fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Drink clear fluids (such as water, broth, sports drinks, electrolyte beverages for infants) to keep from being dehydrated Wear a facemask – if available and tolerable – when sharing common spaces with other household members to help prevent spreading the virus to others. Source: CDC, National Health Service, UK website Will it help to wear a mask? Information on the effectiveness of facemasks and respirators for decreasing the risk of influenza infection in community settings is extremely limited. So, it is difficult to assess their potential effectiveness in decreasing the risk of Swine Flu virus transmission in these settings. However, a well-fitted, FDA-approved mask together with other preventive measures MAY reduce the risk of contracting the flu. Those who are sick or caring for someone who is ill should consider using a mask or respirator if leaving the house becomes necessary. Source: CDC What precautions should one take at home? Two things - soap and water can reduce the chance of infection by 30 per cent. All you need to do is keep washing your hand with soap and water frequently. Wash hands frequently with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand cleaner when soap and water are not available. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth Eat healthy: Proteins are essential to help your body maintain and build strength. Lean meat, poultry, fish, legumes, dairy, eggs, and nuts and seeds are good sources of protein. The Food and Drug Administration recommends that adults eat 50 grams of protein per day. Pregnant and nursing women need more. By eating foods high in protein, we also get the benefit of other healing nutrients such as vitamins B6 and B12, both of which contribute to a healthy immune system. Vitamin B6 is widely available in foods, including protein foods such as turkey and beans as well as potatoes, spinach, and enriched cereal grains. Proteins such as meats, milk, and fish also contain vitamin B12, a powerful immune booster. Minerals such as selenium and zinc work to keep the immune system strong. These minerals are found in protein rich foods such as beans, nuts, meat, and poultry. Exercise: Regular exercise may help prevent the flu. According to recent findings, when moderate exercise is repeated on a near daily basis, there is a cumulative immune-enhancing effect. That is, your strong immune system can fight flu better. When you exercise, your white blood cells -- the blood cells that fight infections in the body -- travel through your body more quickly, fighting bacteria and viruses (such as flu) more efficiently. To maintain good health, experts recommend at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity such as walking, swimming, biking, or running each day. Source: Flu India website, CDC, WebMD What precautions should one take at schools? Avoid close contact with people who are sick People who are sick with an influenza-like illness should stay home and keep away from others as much as possible, including avoiding travel, for at least 24 hours after fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Fever should be gone without the use of fever-reducing medicine). Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing Wash your hands often Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth Source: CDC Is it safe to travel? Avoid traveling unnecessarily. However, if you must travel, check how the country you're going to handles swine flu. Although, the WHO doesn't recommend travel restrictions, many countries have set up their own H1N1 policies, and some travelers have been screened or quarantined in other countries because of swine flu concerns. Source: WebMD.com

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How To Remove Scratches from Any DVD

Indo researcher unveils biodegradable scaffold to fix damaged knees

A research team at Hospital for Special Surgery, including an Indian-origin scientist, have developed a biodegradable scaffold that can be used to treat patients with damaged knee cartilage.
Dr Asheesh Bedi, a fellow in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery, has revealed that his team's invention is a Trufit plug that has mechanical properties similar to cartilage and bone.
"The data has been encouraging to support further evaluation of this synthetic scaffold as a cartilage repair technique," he said.
Damage to so-called articular cartilage can occur in various ways, ranging from direct trauma in a motor vehicle accident to a noncontact, pivoting event on the soccer field.
The Trufit plug has two layers. The top layer has properties similar to cartilage and the lower layer has properties similar to bone.
The bilayered structure has mechanical properties that approximately match the adjacent cartilage and bone.
During the study, surgeons inserted the plug in the knees of 26 patients with donor lesions from OATS procedures and followed up with imaging studies (with MRI and T2-mapping) at various intervals for a period of 39 months.
"Quantitative MRI, when combined with morphologic assessment, allows us to understand the natural history of these repair techniques and define those patients who are most likely to benefit from the surgery," said Hollis Potter, M.D., chief of the Division of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, director of Research in the Department of Radiology and Imaging at Hospital for Special Surgery and lead author of the study.
"We gain knowledge about the biology of integration with the host tissue, as well as the repair tissue biochemistry, all by a noninvasive imaging technique," he added.
"What we found was that the plug demonstrated a predictable process of maturation on imaging studies that paralleled the biology of their incorporation," Bedi said.
The findings were presented at annual meeting of the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine.

New Indian Software breakthrough

A new software designed by two Indian electronic engineers gleans clear pictures out of hazy or blurry images.
S.Uma, from the Coimbatore Institute of Technology, and S. Annadurai from the Government College of Technology, Coimbatore, have turned to neural networks to help them clean up their image.
Uma and Annadurai have developed a modified network that builds and extends the work of others to allow them to quickly process an image reducing distortion, noise and blurring.
An analysis of the before and after shows that quality is improved by between 39 percent and 67 percent using the team's approach and results take half the time compared to other methods.
The approach could significantly reduce information loss while reversing blurring caused by lens aberrations and faults, and could reduce noise that distorts the appearance of an image.
The team suggests that distortions in an image due to atmospheric disturbances between camera and distant subjects could be unravelled and a photo taken on a hot, hazy day made acceptable.
The researchers point out that earlier attempts at this kind of inverse filtering of an image relied on the image having a high signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio.
Other approaches require huge amounts of computing power and are generally untenable. This is especially true in the fledgling field of artificial vision, whether robotic or prosthetic. However, some success with neural networks has been achieved.
Errant pixels and blurry regions in a photo, whether digital or scanned, are the bane of lensmen, worldwide.
Moreover, in vision processing research, degraded photos are common and require restoration to a high-quality un-degraded state.
These findings have been published in the International Journal of Signal and Imaging Systems Engineering.

A City that Emits no waste ??

The futuristic city to come up on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi will meet its entire energy requirements from renewable sources, producing neither carbon dioxide nor waste.
Masdar City is to be constructed on a six square km area, 30 km east of the capital Abu Dhabi. It is designed to support a population of about 50,000.
The planned carbon-neutral city will be supplied entirely by renewable energy. It will use systematic recycling techniques and will be nearly waste-free. In addition, the city will have significantly reduced water consumption.
Thanks to an underground transportation system, this eco-friendly city will have car-free streets.
On June 21, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (Germany) and the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, representing the Masdar City Project, signed a cooperative agreement for a strategic partnership.
The goal is to establish a close cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development and building planning, said a release from Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.

How does your Brain Process Speech

A review of human and non-human primate studies suggests that scientists are very close to forming a conclusive theory about the brain processes speech and language.
Dr. Josef Rauschecker of Georgetown University and his co-author Sophie Scott, a neuroscientist at University College, London, say that both human and animal studies have confirmed that speech is processed in the brain along two parallel pathways, each of which run from lower- to higher-functioning neural regions.
The authors describe these pathways as the "what" and "where" streams, which are similar to how the brain processes sight, but are located in different regions.
Both pathways begin with the processing of signals in the auditory cortex, located inside a deep fissure on the side of the brain underneath the temples - the so-called "temporal lobe".
Information processed by the "what" pathway then flows forward along the outside of the temporal lobe, and the job of that pathway is to recognize complex auditory signals, which include communication sounds and their meaning (semantics).
The "where" pathway is mostly in the parietal lobe, above the temporal lobe, and it processes spatial aspects of a sound - its location and its motion in space - but is also involved in providing feedback during the act of speaking.
Rauschecker says that auditory perception - the processing and interpretation of sound information - is tied to anatomical structures.
"Sound as a whole enters the ear canal and is first broken down into single tone frequencies, then higher-up neurons respond only to more complex sounds, including those used in the recognition of speech, as the neural representation of the sound moves through the various brain regions," he says.
"In both species, we are using species-specific communication sounds for stimulation, such as speech in humans and rhesus-specific calls in rhesus monkeys. We find that the structure of these communication sounds is similar across species," he adds.
Rauschecker believes that the findings of this research may ultimately yield some valuable insights into disorders that involve problems in comprehending auditory signals, such as autism and schizophrenia.
"Understanding speech is one of the major problems seen in autism, and a person with schizophrenia hears sounds that are just hallucinations. Eventually, this area of research will lead us to better treatment for these issues," Rauschecker says.
The study is published in the June issue of Nature Neuroscience.

Scientists makefirstdirect measurement of lunar backscatter from Solar Wind

A team of scientists has for the first time observed energetic neutral atoms scattered off the Moon from the incoming solar wind ion beam.
When the solar wind, made up mostly of ionized hydrogen, hits the Moon, most of it is absorbed, but some is reemitted as energetic neutral atoms.
This lunar backscatter and neutralization had been predicted but not directly measured until now.
Using NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer satellite, launched on 19 October 2008, D. J. McComas and colleagues from Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, US, have for the first time made the measurement of this lunar backscatter from solar wind.
They found that about 10 percent of solar wind ions hitting the Moon result in the emission of neutral atoms, corresponding to about 150 metric tons of hydrogen emitted from the Moon per year.
They also showed that the energy spectrum and numbers of neutral atoms emitted from the Moon trace the variations in the incident solar wind.
The researchers suggest that the findings could shed additional light on the solar wind's interactions with other objects in the solar system, such as dust grains, asteroids, and moons of other planets, and could provide clues to the evolution of dust and rocky moons in other planetary systems.

Sony Walkman Named Numero Uno music invention of last 50 years

The Walkman used to be the perfect companion for whole generation of music lovers, and now the clunky portable cassette player by Sony has been named the best musical invention of the last 50 years, by a leading magazine.
Sony's music player has even beaten the Dolby sound, compact discs, and the ubiquitous iPod to top the list of 'ten most important musical innovations of the last 50 years', published by T3 magazine.
The Walkman's victory has comes in the same week in which it has celebrated its 30th birthday. he first Walkman was the blue-and-silver model TPS-L2, which went on sale in Japan on July 1, 1979, and started a musical revolution as it went on to become one of the world's first truly global gadgets.
"It changed the way we access music, changed how often we could access music, and changed a generation," the Telegraph quoted Kat Hanniford at T3 as saying.
The MP3 digital music format came in second, while the iPod music player was placed at the third spot on the list.
The Compact Disc was ranked fourth, followed by Napster, the ground-breaking illegal file-sharing site, at the fifth position.
T3's list of Top Most Important Musical Innovations of the last 50 years:
1. Sony Walkman
2. MP3 format
3. Apple iPod 1st Generation
4. CD
5. Napster
6. Dolby
7. DAB radio
8. Boombox
9. Sonos Multi-Room Music System
10. Panasonic Technics DJ deck

A New Super Sensitive Explosive Detector

Scientists have developed a new explosives detector with incredible sensitivity and a range of up to 100 meters that could save lives and thwart the efforts of terrorists.
The detector, developed by a team of researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is based on photo-induced acoustic spectroscopy (PIAS).
Using PIAS, the military and law enforcement agencies will have an instrument that is one-tenth the size of competing products.
At five pounds, it is one-fifth the weight and is about one-fifth the cost of the competition.
It works by illuminating the suspected explosive with an eye-safe laser and allowing the scattered light to be detected by a quartz crystal tuning fork.
After a series of subsequent steps, the instrument is able to identify a number of explosives without jeopardizing the safety of the operator.
Funding for research work into the development of the instrument was provided by the Department of Energy's Office of Nonproliferation Research and Development and the Office of Naval Research.

Andy Murray crashes out of Wimbledon

Andy Murray vowed to return to Wimbledon a better player next year after Andy Roddick ended his hopes of being a first Briton in the men's final since 1938 with a clinical masterclass of power serving and variation in pace.
Murray hit more winners than Roddick, more aces, and made fewer unforced errors, but was cut down in front of a shellshocked Centre Court crowd 6-4 4-6 7-6 7-6 by the American sixth seed, who now faces Roger Federer for the third time in a Wimbledon final on Sunday.
Murray, the third seed and warm favourite to progress from Friday's semi-final, said he would not dwell on the unexpected defeat and would look to grind out his first grand slam success at the U.S. Open later in the year.
"I'll move on very, very quickly and go and work on my game and improve and come back stronger," said Murray, who was bidding to become the first British man to hold aloft the Challenge Cup since Fred Perry in 1936.
"That's a pathetic attitude to have, if you lose one match and you go away and let it ruin your year.
"I've had a very good year so far. I'm very close to the top of the game," said the 22-year-old Scot, who has won four titles this year including the grass warm-up event at Queen's Club and the Masters Series title in Miami.
Murray held a 6-2 career record against Roddick going into Friday's match, including a straight sets win over the American here in 2006, but Roddick executed his gameplan to perfection, subtly varying the pace, hitting deep corners with relentless regularity and advancing to the net with great effect.
"If someone serves 130 miles an hour consistently throughout the match, and above, it's very tough to break them, especially on a court like this that's quick.
"You always expect your opponents to play well, especially at this stage of the tournament. And he served great. Served really, really well in the tiebreaks. I think he maybe missed two first serves."
Murray will now take a five-week break from tournament competition before focusing on the American hardcourt swing, culminating in the Aug 31-Sept 13 U.S. Open, an event which has held a special place in his heart since winning the junior title there in 2004.
"The U.S. Open I've always said is my best surface, my best chance to win a slam, and I'll give it my best shot there."

A Solar plane which is soon set to fly round the globe

Bertrand Picard, a Swiss adventurer is all set to unveil a prototype of a solar-powered plane he hopes eventually to fly around the world.

According to a report by BBC News, the initial version of the solar plane, spanning 61m but weighing just 1,500kg, will undergo trials to prove it can fly at night.

Picard, who made history by circling the globe non-stop in a balloon in 1999, said he wants to demonstrate the potential of renewable energies.

Picard's Solar Impulse team has invested tremendous energy in trying to find what they believe is a breakthrough design.

"I love this type of vision where you set the goal and then you try to find a way to reach it, because this is challenging," he told BBC News.

Called the HB-SIA, the solar plane has the look of a glider, but is on the scale - in terms of its width - of a modern airliner.

The aeroplane incorporates composite materials to keep it extremely light and uses super-efficient solar cells, batteries, motors and propellers to get it through the dark hours.

Picard will begin testing with short runway flights in which the plane lifts just a few metres into the air.

As confidence in the machine develops, the team will move to a day-night circle. This has never been done before in a piloted solar-powered plane.

HB-SIA should be succeeded by HB-SIB. It is likely to be bigger, and will incorporate a pressurized capsule and better avionics.

It is probable that Picard will follow a route around the world in this aeroplane close to the path he took in the record-breaking Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon - going from the United Arab Emirates, to China, to Hawaii, across the southern US, southern Europe, and back to the UAE.

Although the vehicle is expected to be capable of flying non-stop around the globe, Picard will in fact make five long hops, sharing flying duties with project partner Andre Borschberg.

"The real success for Solar Impulse would be to have enough millions of people following the project, being enthusiastic about it, and saying, 'if they managed to do it around the world with renewable energies and energy savings, then we should be able to do it in our daily life'," said Picard.

A nose which can sniff out a wine's origin

Researchers in France have found a way to identify wine so accurately they can pinpoint where the drink was made and in which barrel it was fermented.

It uses an electronic nose to make even the most well established sommelier a little nervous.

The unique way exploits the complex mix of thousands of compounds found in each bottle of wine that gives the drink subtly different scents and flavours.

Researchers analyzed the compounds in vaporised samples of wine to produce detailed chemical signatures that can be matched against a database of characteristics to identify a wine's source. They did so by using a kind of electronic nose, known as a mass spectrometer, reports The Telegraph.

It means they can tell exactly which variety of grape a wine is made from, the region and vineyard where it was produced and the source of the wood used in the barrel.

Regis Gougeon, from the University of Bourgogne, in Dijon, France, who led the research, said: "In winemaking, several processes can subtly modulate the characteristics of wine.

"Wine experts use their eyes, mouth and nose as detectors and are able to distinguish wines according to their ages, grape varieties, terroirs.

"All we know is that so far, none of the sensory analyses of the wines we looked at could discriminate like we did.

"Our approach reveals the extremely high yet unknown chemical diversity of wine. It was exciting to be able to observe such a diversity at once, where many compounds, even in low concentration, may contribute to the body of the wine."

Charge your phone on the go in the Delhi Metro.

The next time you realise your mobile phone has run out of battery charge and you are commuting by the Delhi Metro, don't fret - just connect your phone to the charging points that will soon be available at stations for free.

For the convenience of its commuters, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will install 134 multiple mobile charging machines at stations by July this year in a phased manner.

'Metro commuters can charge their mobile phones at metro stations as soon as charging points at stations are ready,' DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal said Sunday.

All major metro stations are already equipped with facilities such as bill-drop boxes, ATMs, tea and coffee vending machines, coin vending machines, eating joints, book shops and gift shops. The rent-a-cycle facility is also available at Patel Chowk, Pragati Maidan and Indraprastha metro stations.

Delhi-based Somya Enterprises is installing these machines, which will have multiple sockets to enable commuters to charge mobile phones of different brands and makes for free.

'The mobile phone charging machine will have six sockets or chargers and will be mounted on the walls in the paid area of the station,' Dayal informed.

In addition, charging points will also be available for laptops and mobile phones on board the 131 new trains which are being inducted for Phase 2 of Delhi Metro.

Portugal Star Deco To leave Chelsea

Chelsea midfielder Deco has confirmed that he wants to leave 'the Blues', following his differences with decisions taken by club owner Roman Abramovich.

"Chelsea is kind of his (Roman Abramovich) toy. Sometimes Abramovich makes decisions that go over the head of the director of football," The Sun quoted Deco, as saying.

The Portuguese star also criticised Chelsea for chucking Luiz Felipe Scolari.

"The exit of Big Phil was rash. Chelsea is a special club. . If Big Phil was perhaps at Manchester United or Liverpool, they respect the coach and give him time to work. But Chelsea is different," said Deco.

"Honestly, I did not like the experience at Chelsea. I'm looking for another club where I can feel good," he added.

King of Pop - Michael Jackson is no more.

MIchael Jackson the King of Pop, the Artiste of 'Thriller','Billie Jeans', The Superb Moonwalker is now no more. He died of a Cardiac Arrest in his house in Los Angeles.

One of the most influential artite of all times. Never can anyone match upto his standard of singing with such Fiery Passion, Such Buttering Dance moves and such an energetic and gripping voice.

'Jai Ho, MJ!' said Oscar winner A.R. Rahman, for whom pop legend Mhichael Jackson symbolised limitless energy, perfection and vision, while the death of his 'role model' has left dancing star Prabhu Deva numb.
'MJ, for most of our generation, was an icon who made uncompromising music. He pushed the milestone of pop music to unbelievable levels through the 80s and 90s. I am yet to find an artist with that energy, perfection and vision,' said Rahman, who had recently met the pop superstar following the Oscar awards.
'I met him personally after the Oscars in Los Angeles and we vibed very well. He said that he loved India and the Indian people. He said he heard good things about me and he was praising the chord progression of 'Jai Ho's' chorus.
'He was bursting with energy and told me that every dance move he did came from his soul and did a five second stunning example. It was like a lightning strike,' the composer recalled.
'He was concerned about developmental issues such as global warming and about wars and its damages to the human community. He asked me to compose a unity anthem on the likes of 'We are the World' for him. I nodded in awe ...!' Rahman added.
'I remember my late sound engineer Sridhar had brought me a video of the premiere of 'Remember the Time' when I was recording 'Kadal Rojave' for my first movie Roja. Seeing it inspired all of us that afternoon,' he said.

In a philosophical note, Rahman concluded his condolence statement: 'Life is short..! Artists and their art live for ever. Jai Ho, MJ ! We love you for your music, regardless of all the controversies!'
For Prabhu Deva, who is often called the 'Michael Jackson of India', the death of his 'role model' is more than a personal loss.
'He was my biggest inspiration and actually I idolised him. I am still in a daze and it will take time for me to come to terms with reality', said the choreographer-actor, who was struggling to get the right words.
Said Vidyasagar, another leading Tamil music director: 'MJ had been a youth icon for over three decades. He deserves a special place in history. His demise has robbed us of a great musician and a noble human being.'
The 50-year-old singing sensation died Thursday following a cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles, leaving millions of his fans around the world stunned.

Even during his life he made records crash with millions of cbpies being sold worldwide.

Now even in his death he has made website after website crash.

Twitter which reported this news crashed almost the news spread due to so many people posting messages.

GOOGLE suffered technical problems due to over traffic regarding the news of Death of Michael Jackson.

A flashmob of hundreds of dancing and singing Michael Jackson fans, some donning his trademark single glove, descended on a London train station on Friday to celebrate the life of their late hero.
The crowd at Liverpool Street station, alerted by social networking sites Twitter and Facebook, waved Michael Jackson posters in the air as the party started with "Billie Jean", followed by "Thriller" and "Bad".
After the final song was played, the crowd started chanting "we want more", leading to a "Bad" being played again as dozens of fans showed off their versions of Jackson's famous moonwalk.
Organiser Milo Yiannopoulls, who had contacted the crowd in a matter of minutes, paid tribute to the star, saying: "Obviously everybody's interested in the scandal and controversy, but really I think his legacy is the music, as we're here to enjoy the music."
One of the crowd, Anne Lovett from Normandy in France, said: "A genius of pop music and music in general died and I'm pretty upset about it.
"I'm a classical musician and a trained classical pianist and he really touched my heart as a performer."
For People who wished to see another live moonwalk of the King of Pop, they were blown apart to smithereens.

Pay tribute to the Legend @

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_en412;_ylt=AtfwyfIg4KIv.8jnmQAw0w.s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTJvOHFsaDZjBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwNjI2L3VzX29iaXRfbWljaGFlbF9qYWNrc29uBGNwb3MDMQRwb3MDNwRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3J5BHNsawNwYXl0cmlidXRldG8-

New Eco phone from Samsung

Leading white goods and mobile handset manufacturer Samsung Wednesday launched a low-cost solar-powered mobile phone, and said it was planning to introduce about 20 more models by year-end.

The new handset, launched under its low-cost line of products - 'Guru' - at a price of Rs.2,799, has a solar panel on the back, which can be used to charge the battery anywhere the sun is shining.

'We have developed this phone keeping in minds the needs of the consumers, especially for people in areas where the electric supply is unstable,' said J.S. Shin, president and chief executive of Samsung, Southwest Asia.

The phone, christened the 'Guru E1107', can provide around 5-10 minutes of talk-time with one-hour of solar charging when the handset is turned off and sunlight has adequate intensity.

'Solar charging can give you enough time to make few important calls when there is no electricity or you are not close to a plug point,' said Sunil Dutt, country head of Samsung India.

The battery will attain full power with about 40 hours of solar charging.

'But that is really not the intention behind the launch of this phone. It is to enable customers to make a call when there is no electricity,' said Dutt.

The handset, the 11th model in the Guru series, will be in shops by month-end.

The first few batches of Guru E1107 will be imported from South Korea.

Saumsung has already launched about 20 models this year and plans to take this number to about 40 across categories.

Asked whether the company would consider introducing solar charging features in high-end phones, Dutt said: 'We would definitely consider doing so.'

Samsung, which has invested about $44 million in developing its mobile manufacturing facility in Noida, also has ambitious plans for the huge Indian mobile market.

'Our market share is in the early double digits currently. We plan to increase it by about 5-6 percent this year,' said a company official.

The company is also planning to introduce in India its solar-powered touchscreen mobile handset, Blue Earth - unveiled at a technology conference in Barcelona, Spain early this year.

New Breakthrough that can bind Nano Particles to larger scale structures.

Researchers at New York University (NYU) have created a method to precisely bind nano- and micrometer-sized particles together into larger-scale structures with useful materials properties.

Their work overcomes the problem of uncontrollable sticking, which had been a barrier to the successful creation of stable microscopic and macroscopic structures with a sophisticated architecture.

The long-term goal of the NYU researchers is to create non-biological materials that have the ability to self-replicate.

In the process of self-replication, the number of objects doubles every cycle.

This exponential growth stands in sharp contrast to conventional materials production, where doubling the amount of product requires twice the production time.

At present, this linear scaling poses a major stumbling block for the fabrication of useful quantities of microscopic objects with a sophisticated architecture, which are needed for the next stages of micro- and nanotechnology.

The NYU team, comprised of researchers in the Physics Department's Center for Soft Matter Research and in the university's Department of Chemistry, sought to find a method to better control the interactions and organization of the particles.

To do so, the researchers took advantage of the ability of certain DNA sequences to fold into a hairpin-like structure or to bind to neighboring sticky ends on the same particle.

They found that if they lowered the temperature very rapidly, these sticky ends fold up on the particle-before they can bind to sticky ends on other particles.

The particles stuck only when they were held together for several minutes-a sufficient period for the sticky ends to find a binding partner on another particle.

"We can finely tune and even switch off the attractions between particles, rendering them inert unless they are heated or held together-like a nano-contact glue," said Mirjam Leunissen, a post-doctoral fellow in the Center for Soft Matter Research and the study's lead author.

To maneuver the particles, the team used optical traps, or tweezers.

This tool, created by David Grier, chair of NYU's Department of Physics and one of the study paper's authors, uses laser beams to move objects as small as a few nanometers, or one-billionth of a meter.

The work has a range of possible applications.

Because the size of micrometer-scale particles is comparable to the wavelength of visible light, ordered arrays of these particles can be used for optical devices.

These include sensors and photonic crystals that can switch light analogous to the way semi-conductors switch electrical currents.

Moreover, the same organizational principles apply to smaller nanoparticles, which possess a wide range of electrical, optical, and magnetic properties that are useful for applications.

Climate Change can impact Species Geographic range.

A new study by a team of researchers has provided insights into how climate change might impact geographic ranges of species.

The study, by researchers led by Jessica Hellmann, assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, offers interesting insights into how species may, or may not, change their geographic range - the place where they live on earth - under climate change.

Researchers have hypothesized that populations near the northern boundaries of geographic ranges in the Northern Hemisphere would be pre-adapted to warming and thus will increase with warming, facilitating range expansions.

However, the assumptions underlying this theory have not been previously tested.

If these northern populations do not increase under warming, species may not track changing climatic conditions and instead decline under climate change.

Hellmann and her team describe how they tested the assumption that populations at the northern edge of a species' range will increase with warming and thereby enhance the colonization process by using two butterflies: the Propertius duskywing and the Anise swallowtail.

Hellmann pointed out that by comparing and contrasting two distinct butterfly species in the same geographic area, researchers can obtain general principles to help predict if species will change their geographic ranges under climate change.

Hellmann and her colleagues found that populations at the northern range edge in both butterfly species experienced problems when exposed to warmer conditions - the conditions that they will experience under climate change.

The duskywing performed well in the summer months, initially suggesting that populations could increase with warming conditions.

However, it performed poorly under warmer winter conditions, which would likely offset the summer population gains.

Additionally, range expansion of the species is inhibited by the lack of host plants.

Northern populations of the swallowtail did not benefit from any of the warming treatments.

The species fared badly during heat waves occurring during the summer months when tested under field conditions and fared no better under conditions of steady, moderate warming in the laboratory.

Temperatures at the northern edge of the geographic range also impacted the host plant the species relies on, implying that interactions among species could change under climate change.

The results shed doubt on the assumption that populations near the upward range boundary are pre-adapted to warming and will increase with upward range expansions.

Robot from Japan which displays seven Human Emotions!!!!

Researchers at Waseda University in Japan have unveiled Kobian, a "humanoid" robot, which can express seven human emotions.

The ground-breaking robot can express feelings, including delight, surprise, sadness and dislike.

Kobian also uses motors in its face to move its lips, eyelids and eyebrows into various positions, according to pinktentacle, reports The Telegraph.

The robot, which features a double jointed neck that helps it achieve more expressive postures, can also walk around, perceive its environment and perform physical tasks.

It was developed and unveiled by researchers at Waseda's Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering in Tokyo on Tuesday June 23.

They were led by Professor Atsuo Takanashi, and worked with robot manufacturer Tmsuk, based in Kitakyushu, southern Japan.

Maria Sharapova Crashses out of Wimbledon.

Maria Sharapova's charmed life over three sets was ended as Argentine underdog Gisela Dulko held off a fightback to eliminate the 2004 champion 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 for a place in the third round at the Wimbledon Championships Wednesday.

The Argentine, ranked world No.45, needed five match points in the final game before a Sharapova forehand went long to end the contest after two hour, 13 minutes.

Sharapova had come back for victories over three sets four times at the French Open, but Dulko made sure the past was not repeated on grass.

The win was her first from three attempts against Sharapova, who only resumed playing a month ago after eight months out with a shoulder injury and surgery.

Sharapova, her ranking down to 60th as she slowly regains top form, began to lift, her screech increasing with the fervour of her fight, while trailing a set and 0-3. She won the second set and gave Dulko a huge scare in the third before the Argentine squeezed home a winner.

Russian tenth seed Nadia Petrova advanced over Shahar Peer 6-3, 6-2 while number 14 Slovak Dominika Cibulkova booked her place against Urszula Radwanska 6-2, 6-4.

Daniela Hantuchova upset China's 16th seed Zheng Jie 6-3, 7-5.

In men's play on the second straight day of sunshine and warm summer temperatures, fourth seed Novak Djokovic dispatched German qualifier Simon Greul 7-5, 6-1, 6-4.

Ninth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga didn't have to strike as ball as Italian Simone Bolelli withdrew injured before their match to give the Frenchman a walkover.

Elsewhere in the second round as five-time champion Roger Federer took the court, Mardy Fish beat Serb Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 and Israeli Dudi Sela knocked out 2008 semi-finalist Rainer Schuettler 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-2.

Other than this,

Sania Mirza lost to Sorana Cirstea of Romania 4-6, 4-6 in the second round to bow out of the singles competition of the Wimbledon tennis championships here Wednesday.

Indian Football Team Delayed Because of not getting Visas.

Indian football team's preparatory tour to Dubai and Spain is likely to be delayed by a day as some of the players are yet to get Spanish visa.

The team scheduled to leave for Dubai Thursday, may not board the plane if the players from Maharasthra, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are unable to get the visa by evening.

All India Football Federation (AIFF) secretary-general Alberto Colaco told IANS that the national federation was trying to sort out the visa problem.

'The Spanish embassy in Delhi insisted that the players from the four states must get their passports stamped at its Mumbai consulate. We are trying to get it as soon as possible,' he said.

According to rules, residents of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karanataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, Daman and Diu have to apply to the Consulate General of Spain in Mumbai while other states can apply to the Spanish embassy in Delhi.

Unaware of the stipulation, the AIFF applied for visa for all players here Monday but the passports have now been sent to Mumbai and they are expected back by Thursday or Friday.

The team will practice in Dubai till July 7 and the will travel to Barcelona for a month-long camp at the Nou Camp till Aug 7. They also play against some local teams during their stay in Barcelona.