Tuesday, November 24, 2009
New Theory of Gravity Decouples Space and Time
"Petr Horava, a physicist at the University of California in Berkeley, has a new theory about gravity and spacetime. At high energies, it actually snips any ties between space and time, yet at low energies devolves to equivalence with the theory of General Relativity, which binds them together. The theory is gaining popularity with physicists because it fits some observations better than Einstein's or Newton's solutions. It better predicts the movement of the planets (in an idealized case) and has a potential to create the illusion of dark matter. Another physicist calculated that under Horava Gravity, our universe would experience not a Big Bang but a Big Bounce — and the new theory reproduces the ripples from such an event in a way that matches measurements of the cosmic microwave background."
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Star Trek-like Replicator? Electron Beam Device Makes Metal Parts, One Layer At A Time
A group of engineers working on a novel manufacturing technique at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., have come up with a new twist on the popular old saying about dreaming and doing: "If you can slice it, we can build it."
That's because layers mean everything to the environmentally-friendly construction process called Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication, or EBF3, and its operation sounds like something straight out of science fiction.
"You start with a drawing of the part you want to build, you push a button, and out comes the part," said Karen Taminger, the technology lead for the Virginia-based research project that is part of NASA's Fundamental Aeronautics Program.
She admits that, on the surface, EBF3 reminds many people of a Star Trek replicator in which, for example, Captain Picard announces out loud, "Tea, Earl Grey, hot." Then there is a brief hum, a flash of light and the stimulating drink appears from a nook in the wall.
In reality, EBF3 works in a vacuum chamber, where an electron beam is focused on a constantly feeding source of metal, which is melted and then applied as called for by a drawing -- one layer at a time -- on top of a rotating surface until the part is complete.
While the options for using EBF3 are more limited than what science fiction allows, the potential for the process is no less out of this world, with promising relevance in aviation, spaceflight -- even the medical community, Taminger said.
Commercial applications for EBF3 are already known and its potential already tested, Taminger said, noting it's possible that, within a few years, some aircraft will be flying with large structural parts made by this process.
To make EBF3 work there are two key requirements: A detailed three-dimensional drawing of the object to be created must be available, and the material the object is to be made from must be compatible for use with an electron beam.
First, the drawing is needed to break up the object into layers, with each cross-section used to guide the electron beam and source of metal in reproducing the object, building it up layer by layer.
"If you take a slice through a typical truss, you can see a couple of dots in each cross-section that move as you go from layer to layer," Taminger said. "When complete, you see those moving dots actually allowed you to build a diagonal brace into the truss."
Second, the material must be compatible with the electron beam so that it can be heated by the stream of energy and briefly turned into liquid form, making aluminum an ideal material to be used, along with other metals.
In fact, the EBF3 can handle two different sources of metal -- also called feed stock -- at the same time, either by mixing them together into a unique alloy or embedding one material inside another.
The potential use for the latter could include embedding a strand of fiber optic glass inside an aluminum part, enabling the placement of sensors in areas that were impossible before, Taminger said.
While the EBF3 equipment tested on the ground is fairly large and heavy, a smaller version was created and successfully test flown on a NASA jet that is used to provide researchers with brief periods of weightlessness. The next step is to fly a demonstration of the hardware on the International Space Station, Taminger said.
Future lunar base crews could use EBF3 to manufacture spare parts as needed, rather than rely on a supply of parts launched from Earth. Astronauts might be able to mine feed stock from the lunar soil, or even recycle used landing craft stages by melting them.
But the immediate and greatest potential for the process is in the aviation industry where major structural segments of an airliner, or casings for a jet engine, could be manufactured for about $1,000 per pound less than conventional means, Taminger said.
Environmental savings also are made possible by deploying EBF3, she added.
Normally an aircraft builder might start with a 6,000-pound block of titanium and machine it down to a 300-pound part, leaving 5,700 pounds of material that needs to be recycled and using several thousand gallons of cutting fluid used in the process..
"With EBF3 you can build up the same part using only 350 pounds of titanium and machine away just 50 pounds to get the part into its final configuration," Taminger said. "And the EBF3 process uses much less electricity to create the same part."
While initial parts for the aviation industry will be simple shapes, replacing parts already designed, future parts designed from scratch with the EBF3 process in mind could lead to improvements in jet engine efficiency, fuel burn rate and component lifetime.
"There's a lot of power in being able to build up your part layer by layer because you can get internal cavities and complexities that are not possible with machining from a solid block of material," Taminger said.
That's because layers mean everything to the environmentally-friendly construction process called Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication, or EBF3, and its operation sounds like something straight out of science fiction.
"You start with a drawing of the part you want to build, you push a button, and out comes the part," said Karen Taminger, the technology lead for the Virginia-based research project that is part of NASA's Fundamental Aeronautics Program.
She admits that, on the surface, EBF3 reminds many people of a Star Trek replicator in which, for example, Captain Picard announces out loud, "Tea, Earl Grey, hot." Then there is a brief hum, a flash of light and the stimulating drink appears from a nook in the wall.
In reality, EBF3 works in a vacuum chamber, where an electron beam is focused on a constantly feeding source of metal, which is melted and then applied as called for by a drawing -- one layer at a time -- on top of a rotating surface until the part is complete.
While the options for using EBF3 are more limited than what science fiction allows, the potential for the process is no less out of this world, with promising relevance in aviation, spaceflight -- even the medical community, Taminger said.
Commercial applications for EBF3 are already known and its potential already tested, Taminger said, noting it's possible that, within a few years, some aircraft will be flying with large structural parts made by this process.
To make EBF3 work there are two key requirements: A detailed three-dimensional drawing of the object to be created must be available, and the material the object is to be made from must be compatible for use with an electron beam.
First, the drawing is needed to break up the object into layers, with each cross-section used to guide the electron beam and source of metal in reproducing the object, building it up layer by layer.
"If you take a slice through a typical truss, you can see a couple of dots in each cross-section that move as you go from layer to layer," Taminger said. "When complete, you see those moving dots actually allowed you to build a diagonal brace into the truss."
Second, the material must be compatible with the electron beam so that it can be heated by the stream of energy and briefly turned into liquid form, making aluminum an ideal material to be used, along with other metals.
In fact, the EBF3 can handle two different sources of metal -- also called feed stock -- at the same time, either by mixing them together into a unique alloy or embedding one material inside another.
The potential use for the latter could include embedding a strand of fiber optic glass inside an aluminum part, enabling the placement of sensors in areas that were impossible before, Taminger said.
While the EBF3 equipment tested on the ground is fairly large and heavy, a smaller version was created and successfully test flown on a NASA jet that is used to provide researchers with brief periods of weightlessness. The next step is to fly a demonstration of the hardware on the International Space Station, Taminger said.
Future lunar base crews could use EBF3 to manufacture spare parts as needed, rather than rely on a supply of parts launched from Earth. Astronauts might be able to mine feed stock from the lunar soil, or even recycle used landing craft stages by melting them.
But the immediate and greatest potential for the process is in the aviation industry where major structural segments of an airliner, or casings for a jet engine, could be manufactured for about $1,000 per pound less than conventional means, Taminger said.
Environmental savings also are made possible by deploying EBF3, she added.
Normally an aircraft builder might start with a 6,000-pound block of titanium and machine it down to a 300-pound part, leaving 5,700 pounds of material that needs to be recycled and using several thousand gallons of cutting fluid used in the process..
"With EBF3 you can build up the same part using only 350 pounds of titanium and machine away just 50 pounds to get the part into its final configuration," Taminger said. "And the EBF3 process uses much less electricity to create the same part."
While initial parts for the aviation industry will be simple shapes, replacing parts already designed, future parts designed from scratch with the EBF3 process in mind could lead to improvements in jet engine efficiency, fuel burn rate and component lifetime.
"There's a lot of power in being able to build up your part layer by layer because you can get internal cavities and complexities that are not possible with machining from a solid block of material," Taminger said.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Portege 2000 Laptop, SD Card OS (Experiment)
Been working on a Portege 2000 Laptop. Started by pulling the hard drive completely out. This reduces noise of course as well as battery life. The problem was, what are you left with. A laptop that will only boot to the bios. To install an operating system is already difficult enough on a Portege 2000 as the laptop comes with no cd-rom drive or any other internal drive. It is equipped with an SD card slot though. Like what camera's and cellphones use to store ringtones etc. The goal was to make an SD card my hard drive. This would allow awesome battery life as well as NO MOVING PARTS. No spinning hard drive, no noise, and hopefully a fast read write speed to the flash memory.
I had previously booted pendrive linux from a network via PXE and TTFTP on the same laptop, so I knew it could be done. The pendrive linux was booted via PXE over a network as the portege has no bios settings for usb boot or even supports for external cd-rom drive or floppy drive. The problem was pendrive linux nor dsl linux could properly install due to no hard drive storage. I could trick them into running though. Those distros need something to copy to.
After playing with a 4 gig CF card and 1.8" to CF adapter, I could get the bios to recognize the CF, but not able to install to it. I partitioned to FAT,FAT32,and then NTFS with no avail. Still was not able to install to the disk. I gave up on that idea and moved to the forgotten SD card. I had a 128mb a 512mb and a 2 gig stick to play with.
The hard part was making the SD bootable. After multiple tries, I managed to install EEEUbuntu on the 2 gig SD card, setting aside the extra 1200mb or so for the persistant drive. This allows you to save stuff to the drive. Got it bootable via DOSOSOAR and an executable .bat file. The Portege does not support booting via usb so I had to PXE boot from a network and load a plbt boot file or (GRUB) to allow various boot options. I plugged in the network cable, started the ttftp server, set the portege to boot via usb and she fired up. Load time on the Ubuntu was a little slow. The SD card speeds are not up to say a 7200 rpm hard drive but I have no moving parts. To top that off I can remove the SD Card, put it in my pocket, take it to any other computer and boot my stuff on it. This make the portege a paperweight. Without a hard drive, and SD card in my pocket, the laptop is useless to a theif. I have all my info in my pocket, they have a useless piece of metal.
After configuring Ubuntu speeds started increasing. I still have caching on the SD set up so I dont expect the actual life of the card to last long. You would really need support for UDMA to increase life on the read write side. The principle is there though. I am working on making the display through xrandr scripts and manipulating the /etc/x11/xorg.conf file to set the display to 1024x768_60.00 for some reason the ubuntu default must be 800x600_59
I have started by adding the new mode with this string #!xrandr --newmode "1024x768_60.00" etc. etc. etc. <--(diff modes)but have been unsuccessful due to the permissions. Ubuntu has something screwy with the root logon and allowing permission to edit some files. The #!chmod 755 /etc/x11/xorg.conf still will not allow me to get access.
Overall, the whole process has been fun. Other than the display problems, ubuntu is a great distro. It supported my audio, mouse, etc. and even recognized the usb wifi adapter right off. Still running tests on the battery life and possibly making the SD a little faster. I have read multiple forums stating that a computer cannot boot nor run from SD. It is the same principle as booting from usb, just with a twist. SUPERGEEK 5000 OUT!
I had previously booted pendrive linux from a network via PXE and TTFTP on the same laptop, so I knew it could be done. The pendrive linux was booted via PXE over a network as the portege has no bios settings for usb boot or even supports for external cd-rom drive or floppy drive. The problem was pendrive linux nor dsl linux could properly install due to no hard drive storage. I could trick them into running though. Those distros need something to copy to.
After playing with a 4 gig CF card and 1.8" to CF adapter, I could get the bios to recognize the CF, but not able to install to it. I partitioned to FAT,FAT32,and then NTFS with no avail. Still was not able to install to the disk. I gave up on that idea and moved to the forgotten SD card. I had a 128mb a 512mb and a 2 gig stick to play with.
The hard part was making the SD bootable. After multiple tries, I managed to install EEEUbuntu on the 2 gig SD card, setting aside the extra 1200mb or so for the persistant drive. This allows you to save stuff to the drive. Got it bootable via DOSOSOAR and an executable .bat file. The Portege does not support booting via usb so I had to PXE boot from a network and load a plbt boot file or (GRUB) to allow various boot options. I plugged in the network cable, started the ttftp server, set the portege to boot via usb and she fired up. Load time on the Ubuntu was a little slow. The SD card speeds are not up to say a 7200 rpm hard drive but I have no moving parts. To top that off I can remove the SD Card, put it in my pocket, take it to any other computer and boot my stuff on it. This make the portege a paperweight. Without a hard drive, and SD card in my pocket, the laptop is useless to a theif. I have all my info in my pocket, they have a useless piece of metal.
After configuring Ubuntu speeds started increasing. I still have caching on the SD set up so I dont expect the actual life of the card to last long. You would really need support for UDMA to increase life on the read write side. The principle is there though. I am working on making the display through xrandr scripts and manipulating the /etc/x11/xorg.conf file to set the display to 1024x768_60.00 for some reason the ubuntu default must be 800x600_59
I have started by adding the new mode with this string #!xrandr --newmode "1024x768_60.00" etc. etc. etc. <--(diff modes)but have been unsuccessful due to the permissions. Ubuntu has something screwy with the root logon and allowing permission to edit some files. The #!chmod 755 /etc/x11/xorg.conf still will not allow me to get access.
Overall, the whole process has been fun. Other than the display problems, ubuntu is a great distro. It supported my audio, mouse, etc. and even recognized the usb wifi adapter right off. Still running tests on the battery life and possibly making the SD a little faster. I have read multiple forums stating that a computer cannot boot nor run from SD. It is the same principle as booting from usb, just with a twist. SUPERGEEK 5000 OUT!
Time-travel doesn't imbue quantum computers with superpowers
After spending the past two months on sabbatical, I've returned to a deluge of science that I had missed out on. Almost three years ago, a company called D-Wave made waves by announcing that it was about to unveil one of the first-ever functioning adiabatic quantum computers, a device it heralded as being capable of solving NP problems in P time—a claim that doesn't really hold up to scrutiny.
This piqued the interest of many about the actual applications and science behind quantum computers, and we at Nobel Intent dove in and tried to shine some light on the discussion. Even with a fully functional, scalable quantum computer, nobody's large integers are in danger of being factored in polynomial time—it has been shown that integer factorization, via Shor's algorithm, is solvable in bounded error quantum polynomial (BQP) time. So, quantum mechanicists and quantum computer theorists started looking for ways to improve upon the performance of quantum computers and arrived at a question only a theorist could come up with. What if the quantum computer was capable of traveling through time?
A paper that was published in the October 21st edition of Physical Review Letters (PRL) examines this very question. The writers attempt to see if a quantum computer that exists on a closed timelike circuit (CTC)—a timeline that travels to the past before looping back onto itself—experiences an increase in its computational ability. A previous paper in PRL this year suggested that it was possible for a CTC-assisted quantum computer to map a set of pure states into an orthogonal set of states, an impossibility in standard quantum mechanics. This would imply that a CTC would allow a quantum computer to distinguish two identical quantum states—the philosophical or physical meaning and implication of this being entirely unclear.
Aware that something must have been wrong—either with the procedure or assumptions of the previous work—the authors of this paper from the IBM Watson Research Laboratory and the Quantum Computing Department at the University of Waterloo revisit the problem with a highly critical and pedantic eye. Their new analysis shows that "CTCs do not improve state discrimination," contradicting what was previously reported. The problem now becomes how to reconcile these results. The answer lies in the fact that 2 + 2 doesn't always add up to 4.
In a linear system, the properties of a mixture are simply equal to the (weighted) sum of the properties of the individual components. In fact, quantum mechanics is mathematically founded on the idea of a linear set of equations and linear independence of solutions. It turns out that a CTC does not represent a linear operation, rather a nonlinear one where the outcome is not merely the sum of the components. Computationally, this means that a quantum computer traveling through a loop in time would only see a computational benefit with a specific subset of inputs, not the more general case of every possible input as has been previous postulated. For that general case to be possible, the operation of the computer looping in time would need to be linear.
The fact that quantum mechanics could have some nonlinearities has been soundly rebutted in past literature, but this is a new proposal which may shed new light onto the subject. It would also change the way we need to think about quantum problems: not only would the particles in a given system need to be considered, but every particle in the universe, even those that do not participate, would need to be taken into account. It would also mean that a complex problem of two or more systems would need to take into account the entire history of the universe that each subsystem exists in from the begining of time to the present to accurately calculate a result.
While this paper has, in my opinion, an excellently mind-bending postulate, it is not something that one needs to lose sleep over. It does highlight (again, in my opinion) why theory is so much more elegant than experimental work. Where else can entire papers and fields of study be carried out where no realistic quantum computer has ever been developed, and no method of time travel has ever been shown to be physically possible (note that is also has not been shown to be physically impossible), yet can work out what would happen if they had a time traveling quantum computer? Awesome.
This piqued the interest of many about the actual applications and science behind quantum computers, and we at Nobel Intent dove in and tried to shine some light on the discussion. Even with a fully functional, scalable quantum computer, nobody's large integers are in danger of being factored in polynomial time—it has been shown that integer factorization, via Shor's algorithm, is solvable in bounded error quantum polynomial (BQP) time. So, quantum mechanicists and quantum computer theorists started looking for ways to improve upon the performance of quantum computers and arrived at a question only a theorist could come up with. What if the quantum computer was capable of traveling through time?
A paper that was published in the October 21st edition of Physical Review Letters (PRL) examines this very question. The writers attempt to see if a quantum computer that exists on a closed timelike circuit (CTC)—a timeline that travels to the past before looping back onto itself—experiences an increase in its computational ability. A previous paper in PRL this year suggested that it was possible for a CTC-assisted quantum computer to map a set of pure states into an orthogonal set of states, an impossibility in standard quantum mechanics. This would imply that a CTC would allow a quantum computer to distinguish two identical quantum states—the philosophical or physical meaning and implication of this being entirely unclear.
Aware that something must have been wrong—either with the procedure or assumptions of the previous work—the authors of this paper from the IBM Watson Research Laboratory and the Quantum Computing Department at the University of Waterloo revisit the problem with a highly critical and pedantic eye. Their new analysis shows that "CTCs do not improve state discrimination," contradicting what was previously reported. The problem now becomes how to reconcile these results. The answer lies in the fact that 2 + 2 doesn't always add up to 4.
In a linear system, the properties of a mixture are simply equal to the (weighted) sum of the properties of the individual components. In fact, quantum mechanics is mathematically founded on the idea of a linear set of equations and linear independence of solutions. It turns out that a CTC does not represent a linear operation, rather a nonlinear one where the outcome is not merely the sum of the components. Computationally, this means that a quantum computer traveling through a loop in time would only see a computational benefit with a specific subset of inputs, not the more general case of every possible input as has been previous postulated. For that general case to be possible, the operation of the computer looping in time would need to be linear.
The fact that quantum mechanics could have some nonlinearities has been soundly rebutted in past literature, but this is a new proposal which may shed new light onto the subject. It would also change the way we need to think about quantum problems: not only would the particles in a given system need to be considered, but every particle in the universe, even those that do not participate, would need to be taken into account. It would also mean that a complex problem of two or more systems would need to take into account the entire history of the universe that each subsystem exists in from the begining of time to the present to accurately calculate a result.
While this paper has, in my opinion, an excellently mind-bending postulate, it is not something that one needs to lose sleep over. It does highlight (again, in my opinion) why theory is so much more elegant than experimental work. Where else can entire papers and fields of study be carried out where no realistic quantum computer has ever been developed, and no method of time travel has ever been shown to be physically possible (note that is also has not been shown to be physically impossible), yet can work out what would happen if they had a time traveling quantum computer? Awesome.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Bypass passwords on WinBlows XP
Here’s a quick and easy way to change your administrator password on Windows XP.
1. Place your Windows XP CD in your cd-rom and start your computer (its assumed here that your XP CD is bootable as it should be – and that you have your bios set to boot from CD)
2. Keep your eye on the screen messages for booting to your CD Typically, it will be Press any key to boot from cd.
3. Once you get in, the first screen will indicate that Setup is inspecting your system and loading files.
4. When you get to the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER to Setup Windows now
5. The Licensing Agreement comes next – Press F8 to accept it.
6. The next screen is the Setup screen which gives you the option to do a Repair.
It should read something like If one of the following Windows XP installations is damaged, Setup can try to repair it
Use the up and down arrow keys to select your XP installation (if you only have one, it should already be selected) and press R to begin the Repair process.
7. Let the Repair run. Setup will now check your disks and then start copying files which can take several minutes.
8. Shortly after the Copying Files stage, you will be required to reboot. (this will happen automatically you will see a progress bar stating Your computer will reboot in 15 seconds
9. During the reboot, do not make the mistake of pressing any key to boot from the CD again! Setup will resume automatically with the standard billboard screens and you will notice Installing Windows is highlighted.
10. Keep your eye on the lower left hand side of the screen and when you see the Installing Devices progress bar, press SHIFT + F10. This is the security hole! A command console will now open up giving you the potential for wide access to your system.
11. At the prompt, type NUSRMGR.CPL and press Enter. Voila! You have just gained graphical access to your User Accounts in the Control Panel.
12. Now simply pick the account you need to change and remove or change your password as you prefer. If you want to log on without having to enter your new password, you can type control userpasswords2 at the prompt and choose to log on without being asked for password. After you’ve made your changes close the windows, exit the command box and continue on with the Repair (have your Product key handy).
13. Once the Repair is done, you will be able to log on with your new password (or without a password if you chose not to use one or if you chose not to be asked for a password). Your programs and personalized settings should remain intact.
1. Place your Windows XP CD in your cd-rom and start your computer (its assumed here that your XP CD is bootable as it should be – and that you have your bios set to boot from CD)
2. Keep your eye on the screen messages for booting to your CD Typically, it will be Press any key to boot from cd.
3. Once you get in, the first screen will indicate that Setup is inspecting your system and loading files.
4. When you get to the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER to Setup Windows now
5. The Licensing Agreement comes next – Press F8 to accept it.
6. The next screen is the Setup screen which gives you the option to do a Repair.
It should read something like If one of the following Windows XP installations is damaged, Setup can try to repair it
Use the up and down arrow keys to select your XP installation (if you only have one, it should already be selected) and press R to begin the Repair process.
7. Let the Repair run. Setup will now check your disks and then start copying files which can take several minutes.
8. Shortly after the Copying Files stage, you will be required to reboot. (this will happen automatically you will see a progress bar stating Your computer will reboot in 15 seconds
9. During the reboot, do not make the mistake of pressing any key to boot from the CD again! Setup will resume automatically with the standard billboard screens and you will notice Installing Windows is highlighted.
10. Keep your eye on the lower left hand side of the screen and when you see the Installing Devices progress bar, press SHIFT + F10. This is the security hole! A command console will now open up giving you the potential for wide access to your system.
11. At the prompt, type NUSRMGR.CPL and press Enter. Voila! You have just gained graphical access to your User Accounts in the Control Panel.
12. Now simply pick the account you need to change and remove or change your password as you prefer. If you want to log on without having to enter your new password, you can type control userpasswords2 at the prompt and choose to log on without being asked for password. After you’ve made your changes close the windows, exit the command box and continue on with the Repair (have your Product key handy).
13. Once the Repair is done, you will be able to log on with your new password (or without a password if you chose not to use one or if you chose not to be asked for a password). Your programs and personalized settings should remain intact.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Shop Goodwill Brings the Thrift Store's Best Online
Shop Goodwill is an online marketplace that auctions off Goodwill-donated items eBay-style. We've always been big fans of thrift-store shopping, but we hadn't previously realized that our favorite thrift store is selling their prized goods online.
Photo by Valerie Everett
Goodwill Industries has listed items for sale from all across the nation in an online auction format at ShopGoodwill.com. Just like the brick-and-mortar counterparts, all proceeds from each item purchased go towards established community involvement programs such as education, training, and job placement.
If you feel like you've seen a lack of "cool" items in your local Goodwill recently, this might help explain it. The site lists everything from electronics to clothing, and lighting to collectibles—most of which is less vintage than you think. Sure you won't have the thrill of wading through aisles of polyester pants, or experiencing that dusty basement smell, but online bidding does save you time and money when it comes to finding what you want.
Would you prefer shopping online to a trip through an actual thrift store? Sound off in the comments.
Lake Eufaula Hot Spots (WiFi)
Most of Eufaula looks to be secured via WEP. Even that is easy to get through, just time consuming. Look how many are not secured. Default settings even. That is why you always change from the out of the box settings on the router. This war drive was from home to work. Will post to google maps soon.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
MTV’s Andy Milonakis: "I Just Gave Weed To A Homeless Man In Front Of Paparazzi"
Andy Milonakis looked like he had had the munchies, as he entered Katsuya, a Los Angeles, California restaurant on Tuesday night.
As the 33-year-old MTV star entered, he brandished a bag containing a mysterious green substance, handing some of it to a beggar nearby.
Better yet, let’s just let Milonakis say it himself: "I just gave weed to a homeless man in front of paparazzi," Andy Tweeted. "What was I thinking?"
The news comes as little surprise, as the comedian has been a staunch advocate of pot for some time, and has been photographed many times showing off his collection of bongs and other marijuana-related paraphernalia.
'Bachelor' Jason Mesnick Gets Engaged to Molly Malaney
Hopefully the second time's the charm for former "Bachelor" star Jason Mesnick, who popped the question to his girlfriend, "Bachelor" contestant Molly Malaney on Tuesday night during a promotional trip to New Zealand. Mesnick famously dumped his first choice of future bride, Melissa Rycroft, while the two were taping a post-show special, only to take up with Malaney, the season’s runner-up. Rycroft went on to find love after all, announcing her own engagement to Tye Strickland in June. According to reports, Malaney "giddily accepted" Mesnick's proposal.
Mesnick and Malaney will beat the odds if they make it to the altar, as the long-running matchmaking show franchise has resulted in exactly one wedding: that of first "Bachelorette" Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter, who welcomed their second child last spring. Of the remaining "Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" alumni, only three couples remain together: Byron Velvick and Mary Delgado from Season 6, whose relationship weathered a domestic dispute, and Charlie O'Connell and Sarah Brice from Season 7, who got back together after a breakup in 2007. The most recent "Bachelorette," Jillian Harris, has been in the news ever since allegations surfaced that her choice, Ed Swiderski, cheated on her while the show was being taped.
Mesnick and Malaney maintain a long-distance relationship (Jason in Seattle with his son, Ty, and Molly in Milwaukee) for now. Last month former "Bachelorette" star DeAnna Pappas, who rejected Jason on her show, said of Jason and Molly: "They are so happy, and I do think that they are going to get married. They really just get each other. It works for them."
2011 Honda CR-Z
This spiritual successor to the venerable Honda CR-X originally made its debut as a concept car two years ago at the Tokyo Motor Show. And now, at this year’s show, Honda has revealed a new CR-Z, a 2-seat hybrid sports coupe that looks very much like the final production version scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. in the second half of 2010.
"Beyond great styling and features, the CR-Z will bring new levels of engagement and fun to customers interested in a small car or a hybrid vehicle," says Eric Berkman, Honda’s vice president of planning.
Fitted with a 6-speed manual transmission and sport-tuned suspension, the upcoming CR-Z certainly will be engaging for the driver, the first hybrid sports coupe on the market. Although the car on display at Tokyo has a tiny back seat, the production CR-Z (which makes its worldwide debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January) is a sporty 2-seater, one with the added practicality of a hatchback.
Conveying its fun-to-drive nature, the CR-Z boasts a bold grille, slit openings for the headlamps and strong character lines that give this Honda an aggressive, angular look. It’s taller and less rounded that the original concept, making it much more practical and ready for production.
One styling cue that connects the CR-Z to the highly entertaining original CR-X is the shape of the rear quarter glass. Beneath the hood, the front-wheel-drive CR-Z is powered by a stronger version of the Insight's 1.5-liter 4-cylinder hybrid powertrain. Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist works like an electric supercharger, effectively boosting both off-the-line response and fuel economy.
The CR-Z concept's interior features more glitz than the production model will, but the layout will remain the same, with the main instrument bezel positioned behind a 3-spoke steering wheel flanked by pods for the auxiliary controls. With the CR-Z—which goes into production at Honda’s Suzuka factory in February—it appears that we will now be able to mix a healthy dose of driving fun with environmental consciousness.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Apple bows new iMacs with upgraded displays, touch-sensitive "Magic Mouse"
On the heels of announcing blockbuster earnings for the past quarter, Apple unveils a slew of new products, including a pair of iMacs with razor-sharp, 16:9 displays, a redesigned plastic MacBook, and a new mouse that you can swipe with your fingertip, à la the iPhone.
First up: Meet the "Magic Mouse," a touch-enabled successor to the tepid, trackball-toting Mighty Mouse. A sleek, smooth sliver of plastic, the wireless Magic Mouse comes without dedicated buttons or wheels; instead, you perform simple multi-touch gestures (like tapping, swiping, and "zooming" on the iPhone) on the mouse's curved surface to select, rotate, or otherwise manipulate items on the screen. Lefties and righties can also configure the Magic Mouse as they see fit, according to Apple. I've yet to try the new Magic Mouse in person, but Engadget says that the new peripheral "feels much thinner than its predecessor," and that "the whole front of the unit provides a satisfying, unified click." Interesting. The price tag: $69.
Next: the new iMacs, including a 27-incher and a 21.5-inch model. Both retain the basic, all-in-one iMac design, but the upgraded models arrive with what look to be gorgeous new LED-backlit displays, complete with 16:9 aspect ratios ideal for movie fanatics. The new 21.5-inch iMac boasts a 1920 by 1080-pixel display, same as on your standard 1080p flatscreen, while the 27-inch model comes with a whopping 2560 by 1440 pixels ... or in other words, 1440p. Nice.
The two new iMacs also deliver upgraded graphics chipsets, with the choice of integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400M or dedicated ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics in the 21.5-inch model, or discrete ATI Radeon HD 4670 or 8850 graphics in the 27-inch iMac.
As usual, the new iMacs don't come cheap, but even the priciest 27-inch model starts south of $2,000, with the 3.06GHz, 4GB 21.5-inch iMac (with a 500GB hard drive) beginning at $1,199, while the cheaper of two 27-inch configurations (with a 3.06GHz processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 1TB hard drive) starts at $1,699. Not included in the mix: Blu-ray support.
Moving right along, we've got a redesigned white plastic MacBook, which now takes on the "unibody" design of its bigger MacBook Pro brothers. The MacBook's new polycarbonate shell weighs in at about 4.7 ounces and measures 1.8 inches thick, and it also comes with a non-replacable seven-hour battery—again, same as with the updated MacBook Pro line. Other improvements include an LED-backlit display and a bigger multi-touch glass trackpad. Prices still start at $999, though (for the 2.26GHz model with 2GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive).
Last but not least: an upgraded Mac Mini, now with a faster processor (up to 2.66GHz) and more memory (up to 4GB), with prices starting at $599. Power users can also snap up a 2.53GHz Mini with dual 500GB hard drives and Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard pre-installed, for $999.
So, what do you think: Ready for the touch-sensitive Magic Mouse? How about the new, cinema-ready iMacs? Still chafing at Apple's high prices, or do the new price points sound reasonable?
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
How not to play Wii, courtesy of the Home Shopping Network
Remember that spate of flying-remote, broken-TV mishaps that accompanied the launch of the Wii back in '06? A recent sales pitch on TV's Home Shopping Network ended in disaster when the host accidentally demonstrates why cheap plastic controller attachments can be a liability.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Sheriff: Balloon boy hoax may have conspirators
The lawyer for the man accused of perpetrating the balloon boy hoax to promote a reality show said Monday that he expects authorities to bring charges against his client in the next day as investigators analyze e-mails that show Richard Heene and an associate discussing the stunt months ago.
"These folks are absolutely willing to turn themselves in, so I don't want to see a perp walk done for media consumption," lawyer David Lane said on the "Today" show on NBC as he made the rounds on the morning talk shows.
In addition to drawing up possible felony charges against Heene, investigators say they want to question an associate of his after e-mails surfaced showing the two had discussed a balloon hoax months ago as part of a public relations campaign for the reality show.
Robert Thomas of Denver claimed Heene had told him he was planning a media stunt to promote a proposed reality show. Thomas, a self-described researcher, sold his story to Gawker.com and provided the Web site with e-mail exchanges between him and Heene. Thomas said the show would feature Heene as a mad scientist who carries out various scientific experiments.
"This will be the most significant UFO-related news event to take place since the Roswell Crash of 1947, and the result will be a dramatic increase in local and national awareness about The Heene Family, our Reality Series, as well as the UFO Phenomenon in general," according to a copy of the show's proposal provided to the site by Thomas.
Gawker.com editor-in-chief Gabriel Snyder confirmed the New York-based Web site paid Thomas, but declined to say how much for the story billed with the headline: "Exclusive: I Helped Richard Heene Plan a Balloon Hoax."
Snyder said Thomas was planning to meet with investigators, though sheriff's officials did not return messages seeking confirmation.
Messages left for Thomas by The Associated Press were not returned.
Thomas, 25, said in his Gawker.com story that the plan he knew about did not involve Heene's children.
The alleged stunt temporarily shut down Denver International Airport, and the National Guard provided two helicopters in an attempt to rescue 6-year-old Falcon Heene, who was believed to be inside the flying-saucer shaped homemade balloon that hurtled more than 50 miles across two counties.
The drama played out on live television to millions of viewers worldwide. When the balloon landed without the boy, officials thought he had fallen out and began the grim search for his body.
Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden announced Sunday that he's seeking charges, including felonies, against Richard Heene and his wife, Mayumi. Alderden said the stunt two weeks in the planning was a marketing ploy by the Heenes, who met in acting school in Hollywood and have appeared on ABC's reality show "Wife Swap."
"We certainly know that there's a conspiracy between the husband and wife, you've probably seen some of the e-mails and some of the things on the Internet suggesting that there may be other conspirators," Alderden said.
Alderden said documents show that a media outlet has agreed to pay money to the Heenes with regard to the balloon incident. Alderden didn't name the media outlet but said it was a show that blurs "the line between entertainment and news."
It wasn't clear whether the deal was signed before or after the alleged hoax, or whether the media outlet was a possible conspirator.
"Let's call it (my statement) short of speculation that a media outlet was in on the hoax, but let's not discount the possibility," he said.
In an e-mail Sunday to the AP, Snyder said editors at Gawker.com had not contacted the Heene family or offered them money for their story, referring to Alderden's reference to a deal being struck by a media outlet.
"No, that wasn't us," Snyder said.
The parents weren't under arrest, the sheriff said. He said he expected to recommend charges of conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, making a false report to authorities and attempting to influence a public servant. Federal charges were also possible.
The most serious charges are felonies and carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $500,000 fine. Alderden said they would be seeking restitution for the costs, though he didn't have an estimate.
The cost for just the two military helicopters was about $14,500.
As Alderden told reporters Sunday that the whole thing was a hoax, the Heenes were shopping for snacks at Wal-Mart, where Richard Heene told the AP he was "seeking counsel."
"This thing has become so convoluted," Heene said, tears welling in his eyes. He said his wife was holding together better than he was.
In a statement issued Sunday, Lane he has advised the family against making public statements and said Heene is willing to turn himself in.
"I don't think it's humane to arrest someone in front of their children," Lane also said Monday, appearing on "The Early Show" CBS. "We're not sure what charges he's looking at yet."
Once investigators got a good look at the "flying saucer" they determined that the thin mylar balloon covered with foil and held together with duct tape would not have been able to launch with the 37-pound-boy inside, according to Colorado State University physics professor Brian Jones.
Other parts of the story, including whether the 6-year-old had been hiding in the rafters of the family's garage during an intense five-hour search also weren't true, Alderden said.
"For all we know he may have been two blocks down the road playing on the swing in the city park," the sheriff said.
The sheriff said all three of the Heenes' sons knew of the hoax, but likely won't face charges because of their ages. The oldest son is 10. One of the boys told investigators he saw his brother get in the balloon's box before it launched.
Alderden said Heene, a 48-year-old storm chaser, inventor and self-described amateur scientist, has a high school education and most recently earned a living by laying tile.
Alderden said investigators had an "aha" moment that the story was a hoax when Falcon turned to his father during a CNN interview Thursday and said what sounded like "you had said we did this for a show" when asked why he didn't come out of his hiding place.
On Friday, Falcon got sick during two separate TV interviews when asked again why he hid.
Alderden said they didn't question the family Friday because they wanted to keep the family's cooperation by maintaining the appearance that they believed their story.
Records show that police have responded to the house at least twice in the past year, including a possible domestic violence incident in February. No charges were filed.
Alderden said officials tried Saturday to persuade Mayumi Heene, 45, to go to a safe house, but she declined.
Alderden said the children were still with the parents Sunday and that child protective services had been contacted to investigate their well-being. On "Wife Swap," Heene was portrayed as erratic, at one point throwing a glass of milk on a participant on the program.
"Clearly, from all indications, Mr. Heene has somewhat of a temper," Alderden said.
Lane described the Heenes as a loving family.
"I met the three boys and they were in my office yesterday for a good long time and I have three kids of my own ... and these are by all appearances well loved, well taken care of, well adjusted and happy little boys," Lane said on ABC's "Good Morning America."
The producer of "Wife Swap" said it had a show in development with the Heenes but the deal is now off. TLC also said Heene had pitched a reality show to the network months ago, but it passed on the offer.
"These folks are absolutely willing to turn themselves in, so I don't want to see a perp walk done for media consumption," lawyer David Lane said on the "Today" show on NBC as he made the rounds on the morning talk shows.
In addition to drawing up possible felony charges against Heene, investigators say they want to question an associate of his after e-mails surfaced showing the two had discussed a balloon hoax months ago as part of a public relations campaign for the reality show.
Robert Thomas of Denver claimed Heene had told him he was planning a media stunt to promote a proposed reality show. Thomas, a self-described researcher, sold his story to Gawker.com and provided the Web site with e-mail exchanges between him and Heene. Thomas said the show would feature Heene as a mad scientist who carries out various scientific experiments.
"This will be the most significant UFO-related news event to take place since the Roswell Crash of 1947, and the result will be a dramatic increase in local and national awareness about The Heene Family, our Reality Series, as well as the UFO Phenomenon in general," according to a copy of the show's proposal provided to the site by Thomas.
Gawker.com editor-in-chief Gabriel Snyder confirmed the New York-based Web site paid Thomas, but declined to say how much for the story billed with the headline: "Exclusive: I Helped Richard Heene Plan a Balloon Hoax."
Snyder said Thomas was planning to meet with investigators, though sheriff's officials did not return messages seeking confirmation.
Messages left for Thomas by The Associated Press were not returned.
Thomas, 25, said in his Gawker.com story that the plan he knew about did not involve Heene's children.
The alleged stunt temporarily shut down Denver International Airport, and the National Guard provided two helicopters in an attempt to rescue 6-year-old Falcon Heene, who was believed to be inside the flying-saucer shaped homemade balloon that hurtled more than 50 miles across two counties.
The drama played out on live television to millions of viewers worldwide. When the balloon landed without the boy, officials thought he had fallen out and began the grim search for his body.
Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden announced Sunday that he's seeking charges, including felonies, against Richard Heene and his wife, Mayumi. Alderden said the stunt two weeks in the planning was a marketing ploy by the Heenes, who met in acting school in Hollywood and have appeared on ABC's reality show "Wife Swap."
"We certainly know that there's a conspiracy between the husband and wife, you've probably seen some of the e-mails and some of the things on the Internet suggesting that there may be other conspirators," Alderden said.
Alderden said documents show that a media outlet has agreed to pay money to the Heenes with regard to the balloon incident. Alderden didn't name the media outlet but said it was a show that blurs "the line between entertainment and news."
It wasn't clear whether the deal was signed before or after the alleged hoax, or whether the media outlet was a possible conspirator.
"Let's call it (my statement) short of speculation that a media outlet was in on the hoax, but let's not discount the possibility," he said.
In an e-mail Sunday to the AP, Snyder said editors at Gawker.com had not contacted the Heene family or offered them money for their story, referring to Alderden's reference to a deal being struck by a media outlet.
"No, that wasn't us," Snyder said.
The parents weren't under arrest, the sheriff said. He said he expected to recommend charges of conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, making a false report to authorities and attempting to influence a public servant. Federal charges were also possible.
The most serious charges are felonies and carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $500,000 fine. Alderden said they would be seeking restitution for the costs, though he didn't have an estimate.
The cost for just the two military helicopters was about $14,500.
As Alderden told reporters Sunday that the whole thing was a hoax, the Heenes were shopping for snacks at Wal-Mart, where Richard Heene told the AP he was "seeking counsel."
"This thing has become so convoluted," Heene said, tears welling in his eyes. He said his wife was holding together better than he was.
In a statement issued Sunday, Lane he has advised the family against making public statements and said Heene is willing to turn himself in.
"I don't think it's humane to arrest someone in front of their children," Lane also said Monday, appearing on "The Early Show" CBS. "We're not sure what charges he's looking at yet."
Once investigators got a good look at the "flying saucer" they determined that the thin mylar balloon covered with foil and held together with duct tape would not have been able to launch with the 37-pound-boy inside, according to Colorado State University physics professor Brian Jones.
Other parts of the story, including whether the 6-year-old had been hiding in the rafters of the family's garage during an intense five-hour search also weren't true, Alderden said.
"For all we know he may have been two blocks down the road playing on the swing in the city park," the sheriff said.
The sheriff said all three of the Heenes' sons knew of the hoax, but likely won't face charges because of their ages. The oldest son is 10. One of the boys told investigators he saw his brother get in the balloon's box before it launched.
Alderden said Heene, a 48-year-old storm chaser, inventor and self-described amateur scientist, has a high school education and most recently earned a living by laying tile.
Alderden said investigators had an "aha" moment that the story was a hoax when Falcon turned to his father during a CNN interview Thursday and said what sounded like "you had said we did this for a show" when asked why he didn't come out of his hiding place.
On Friday, Falcon got sick during two separate TV interviews when asked again why he hid.
Alderden said they didn't question the family Friday because they wanted to keep the family's cooperation by maintaining the appearance that they believed their story.
Records show that police have responded to the house at least twice in the past year, including a possible domestic violence incident in February. No charges were filed.
Alderden said officials tried Saturday to persuade Mayumi Heene, 45, to go to a safe house, but she declined.
Alderden said the children were still with the parents Sunday and that child protective services had been contacted to investigate their well-being. On "Wife Swap," Heene was portrayed as erratic, at one point throwing a glass of milk on a participant on the program.
"Clearly, from all indications, Mr. Heene has somewhat of a temper," Alderden said.
Lane described the Heenes as a loving family.
"I met the three boys and they were in my office yesterday for a good long time and I have three kids of my own ... and these are by all appearances well loved, well taken care of, well adjusted and happy little boys," Lane said on ABC's "Good Morning America."
The producer of "Wife Swap" said it had a show in development with the Heenes but the deal is now off. TLC also said Heene had pitched a reality show to the network months ago, but it passed on the offer.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
HP jump-starting Compaq brand with ultra-cheap machines
Remember Compaq? Hewlett-Packard acquired the venerable computer company way back in 2002, but it's kept the name alive as a secondary brand ever since, mainly relegating Compaq to overseas markets (Compaq is particularly popular in Asia) and as second-tier PCs sold on the cheap at warehouse-style stores.
But now HP is looking to breathe a little new life into the Compaq brand, positioning it not just as a label for extremely cheap computer equipment but also as one with mainstream appeal in the U.S.
Today the company is announcing the rollout of a line of ultra-inexpensive PCs, both laptops and desktops, with extreme budgets in mind.
Consider first the Compaq CQ61z (pictured), a 15.6-inch laptop with an AMD Sempron CPU, 2GB of RAM, DVD burner, 160GB hard drive, and discrete graphics. Running Windows 7 Home Premium, the machine costs a nearly unfathomable $399. That price point probably sounds familiar -- it's the usual cost for your average netbook, which in comparison offers a tiny screen, minimal hard drive, and an ultra-low-power Atom CPU.
With the $400 laptop's arrival, Compaq wants potential buyers to ask: Why not jump up to a much larger and more capable system for exactly the same price? I'm having a hard time seeing any reason not to. Seriously, it even has a numeric keypad.
Even better bargains abound for desktop shoppers. The attractive Compaq Presario 4010f has similar specs (with a 250GB hard drive) and starts at just $309 after a $100 rebate.
Both systems are available on Windows 7 launch day, October 22.
Compaq's aggressively inexpensive hardware -- particularly the $399 laptop -- could have massive ramifications for the computer market. Will netbooks finally feel the pinch that they've been giving to standard laptops for two years now? And what kind of pressure will machines like this bring to bear on more expensive notebook PCs?
But now HP is looking to breathe a little new life into the Compaq brand, positioning it not just as a label for extremely cheap computer equipment but also as one with mainstream appeal in the U.S.
Today the company is announcing the rollout of a line of ultra-inexpensive PCs, both laptops and desktops, with extreme budgets in mind.
Consider first the Compaq CQ61z (pictured), a 15.6-inch laptop with an AMD Sempron CPU, 2GB of RAM, DVD burner, 160GB hard drive, and discrete graphics. Running Windows 7 Home Premium, the machine costs a nearly unfathomable $399. That price point probably sounds familiar -- it's the usual cost for your average netbook, which in comparison offers a tiny screen, minimal hard drive, and an ultra-low-power Atom CPU.
With the $400 laptop's arrival, Compaq wants potential buyers to ask: Why not jump up to a much larger and more capable system for exactly the same price? I'm having a hard time seeing any reason not to. Seriously, it even has a numeric keypad.
Even better bargains abound for desktop shoppers. The attractive Compaq Presario 4010f has similar specs (with a 250GB hard drive) and starts at just $309 after a $100 rebate.
Both systems are available on Windows 7 launch day, October 22.
Compaq's aggressively inexpensive hardware -- particularly the $399 laptop -- could have massive ramifications for the computer market. Will netbooks finally feel the pinch that they've been giving to standard laptops for two years now? And what kind of pressure will machines like this bring to bear on more expensive notebook PCs?
Arctic ice cap 'to disappear in future summers'
The Arctic ice cap will disappear completely in summer months within 20 to 30 years, a polar research team said as they presented findings from an expedition led by adventurer Pen Hadow.
It is likely to be largely ice-free during the warmer months within a decade, the experts added.
Veteran polar explorer Hadow and two other Britons went out on the Arctic ice cap for 73 days during the northern spring, taking more than 6,000 measurements and observations of the sea ice.
The raw data they collected from March to May has been analysed, producing some stark predictions about the state of the ice cap.
"The summer ice cover will completely vanish in 20 to 30 years but in less than that it will have considerably retreated," said Professor Peter Wadhams, head of the polar ocean physics group at Britain's prestigious Cambridge University.
"In about 10 years, the Arctic ice will be considered as open sea."
Starting off from northern Canada, Hadow, Martin Hartley and Ann Daniels skied over the ice cap to measure the thickness of the remaining ice, assessing its density and the depth of overlying snow, as well as taking weather and sea temperature readings.
Across their 450-kilometre (290 mile) route, the average thickness of the ice floes was 1.8 metres (six feet), while it was 4.8 metres when incorporating the compressed ridges of ice.
"An average thickness of 1.8 metres is typical of first year ice, which is more vulnerable in the summer. And the multi-year ice is shrinking back more rapidly," said Wadhams.
"It's a concrete example of global change in action.
"With a larger part of the region now in first year ice, it is clearly more vulnerable. The area is now more likely to become open water each summer, bringing forward the potential date when the summer sea ice will be completely gone."
Doctor Martin Sommerkorn, senior climate change adviser for the World Wide Fund for Nature's international Arctic programme, said the survey painted a sombre picture of the ice meltdown, which was happening "faster than we thought".
"Remove the Arctic ice cap and we are left with a very different and much warmer world," he said.
Loss of sea ice cover will "set in motion powerful climate feedbacks which will have an impact far beyond the Arctic itself," he added.
"This could lead to flooding affecting one quarter of the world's population, substantial increases in greenhouse gas emission from massive carbon pools and extreme global weather changes."
"Today's findings provide yet another urgent call for action to world leaders ahead of the United Nations climate summit in Copenhagen in December to rapidly and effectively curb global greenhouse gas emissions."
It is likely to be largely ice-free during the warmer months within a decade, the experts added.
Veteran polar explorer Hadow and two other Britons went out on the Arctic ice cap for 73 days during the northern spring, taking more than 6,000 measurements and observations of the sea ice.
The raw data they collected from March to May has been analysed, producing some stark predictions about the state of the ice cap.
"The summer ice cover will completely vanish in 20 to 30 years but in less than that it will have considerably retreated," said Professor Peter Wadhams, head of the polar ocean physics group at Britain's prestigious Cambridge University.
"In about 10 years, the Arctic ice will be considered as open sea."
Starting off from northern Canada, Hadow, Martin Hartley and Ann Daniels skied over the ice cap to measure the thickness of the remaining ice, assessing its density and the depth of overlying snow, as well as taking weather and sea temperature readings.
Across their 450-kilometre (290 mile) route, the average thickness of the ice floes was 1.8 metres (six feet), while it was 4.8 metres when incorporating the compressed ridges of ice.
"An average thickness of 1.8 metres is typical of first year ice, which is more vulnerable in the summer. And the multi-year ice is shrinking back more rapidly," said Wadhams.
"It's a concrete example of global change in action.
"With a larger part of the region now in first year ice, it is clearly more vulnerable. The area is now more likely to become open water each summer, bringing forward the potential date when the summer sea ice will be completely gone."
Doctor Martin Sommerkorn, senior climate change adviser for the World Wide Fund for Nature's international Arctic programme, said the survey painted a sombre picture of the ice meltdown, which was happening "faster than we thought".
"Remove the Arctic ice cap and we are left with a very different and much warmer world," he said.
Loss of sea ice cover will "set in motion powerful climate feedbacks which will have an impact far beyond the Arctic itself," he added.
"This could lead to flooding affecting one quarter of the world's population, substantial increases in greenhouse gas emission from massive carbon pools and extreme global weather changes."
"Today's findings provide yet another urgent call for action to world leaders ahead of the United Nations climate summit in Copenhagen in December to rapidly and effectively curb global greenhouse gas emissions."
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Ford adds 4.5M vehicles to recall of defective cruise control switch that could cause fires
Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday it will add 4.5 million older-model vehicles to the long list of those recalled because a defective cruise control switch could cause a fire.
The latest voluntary action pushes Ford's total recall due to faulty switches to 14.3 million registered vehicles over 10 years, capping the company's largest cumulative recall in history involving a single problem.
The recall covers 1.1 million Ford Windstar minivans that had a small risk of fire due to internal leaking from the switches. Ford said in a letter to federal regulators that it found a small number of reported fires linked to the problem during an internal investigation that began last year, but did not specify how many.
The remaining 3.4 million vehicles are Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models. Ford said there were no reports of fires with those models, most of them trucks and sport utility vehicles, but that they were included in the recall because they use the same switches. All vehicles covered by the recall are from the 1992 to 2003 model years.
Ford advised owners of all vehicles covered by the recall to park them outside until they are mailed instructions by the end of the month on how to get repairs.
The Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker has struggled for a decade with the problem, which has prompted hundreds of complaints and dozens of lawsuits over fires allegedly caused by faulty switches. A small number of injuries have also been linked to the problem, though none were reported in the latest recall. Previous recalls included some of Ford's most popular brands, like the popular F-series of pickup trucks.
Ford began an investigation of Windstar vehicles in February 2008 after receiving a growing number of reports of fires under the vehicles' hoods, according to a letter the company sent to the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency late last week announcing the recall. In June 2008, NHTSA began its own probe of the problem.
Investigators found that the switches, made by Texas Instruments, could leak internally, overheat and potentially ignite. NHTSA also identified four reports of leaking fluid damaging the antilock brake control module, resulting in a fire. The module is charged with electrical current and can ignite the fluid in rare cases, said Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood.
Even some vehicles without cruise control are part of the recall because they still have the switches with brake fluid routed through them. To repair the problem, dealers will install a harness to help prevent the fluid from flowing anywhere it could be ignited.
Ford stopped using the Texas Instruments switch in 2003, according to Sherwood. The latest group of vehicles recalled is the last batch still on the road that had the switch installed.
Texas Instruments said in a statement that it manufactured a switch "to meet and exceed Ford's specifications" and that it is only one component of Ford's cruise control deactivation system. The company cited a 2006 NHTSA investigation that found multiple factors were to blame for fires. Texas Instruments no longer owns the division that made the switches.
NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson said Ford "is to be commended for stepping forward to resolve this issue."
The recall covers the following model years: 1995-2003 Ford Windstar; 2000-2003 Ford Excursion diesel; 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 Ford F-Super Duty diesel; 1992-2003 Ford Econoline; 1995-2002 Ford Explorer; 1995-2002 Mercury Mountaineer; 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 Ford Ranger; and 1994 Ford F35 Motorhome vehicles.
The latest voluntary action pushes Ford's total recall due to faulty switches to 14.3 million registered vehicles over 10 years, capping the company's largest cumulative recall in history involving a single problem.
The recall covers 1.1 million Ford Windstar minivans that had a small risk of fire due to internal leaking from the switches. Ford said in a letter to federal regulators that it found a small number of reported fires linked to the problem during an internal investigation that began last year, but did not specify how many.
The remaining 3.4 million vehicles are Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models. Ford said there were no reports of fires with those models, most of them trucks and sport utility vehicles, but that they were included in the recall because they use the same switches. All vehicles covered by the recall are from the 1992 to 2003 model years.
Ford advised owners of all vehicles covered by the recall to park them outside until they are mailed instructions by the end of the month on how to get repairs.
The Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker has struggled for a decade with the problem, which has prompted hundreds of complaints and dozens of lawsuits over fires allegedly caused by faulty switches. A small number of injuries have also been linked to the problem, though none were reported in the latest recall. Previous recalls included some of Ford's most popular brands, like the popular F-series of pickup trucks.
Ford began an investigation of Windstar vehicles in February 2008 after receiving a growing number of reports of fires under the vehicles' hoods, according to a letter the company sent to the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency late last week announcing the recall. In June 2008, NHTSA began its own probe of the problem.
Investigators found that the switches, made by Texas Instruments, could leak internally, overheat and potentially ignite. NHTSA also identified four reports of leaking fluid damaging the antilock brake control module, resulting in a fire. The module is charged with electrical current and can ignite the fluid in rare cases, said Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood.
Even some vehicles without cruise control are part of the recall because they still have the switches with brake fluid routed through them. To repair the problem, dealers will install a harness to help prevent the fluid from flowing anywhere it could be ignited.
Ford stopped using the Texas Instruments switch in 2003, according to Sherwood. The latest group of vehicles recalled is the last batch still on the road that had the switch installed.
Texas Instruments said in a statement that it manufactured a switch "to meet and exceed Ford's specifications" and that it is only one component of Ford's cruise control deactivation system. The company cited a 2006 NHTSA investigation that found multiple factors were to blame for fires. Texas Instruments no longer owns the division that made the switches.
NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson said Ford "is to be commended for stepping forward to resolve this issue."
The recall covers the following model years: 1995-2003 Ford Windstar; 2000-2003 Ford Excursion diesel; 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 Ford F-Super Duty diesel; 1992-2003 Ford Econoline; 1995-2002 Ford Explorer; 1995-2002 Mercury Mountaineer; 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 Ford Ranger; and 1994 Ford F35 Motorhome vehicles.
A Halo Over Moscow
And you thought rainbows were cool. A few days ago, a mysterious cloud shaped like a halo appeared over Moscow, and the buzz has yet to break.
We're the first to admit that a photograph of the heavenly cloud appears to be photoshopped. It's just so...perfect. But meterologists have spoken up and said the cloud wasn't digitally altered. However, it wasn't exactly what it appeared to be, either.
When the cloud initially formed, some UFO enthusiasts declared it to be a "true mystery." Some even compared it to the giant spaceship hovering over Earth in the movie "Independence Day." Reality quickly dashed any predictions of an alien invasion. An article from the Daily Mail explains that the "luminous ring-shaped cloud" was simply an optical effect.
An official spokesperson for Moscow's weather department said, "Several fronts have been passing through Moscow recently, there was an intrusion of the Arctic air too, the sun was shining from the west — this is how the effect was produced."
The cloud loomed last week, but the searches are still soaring. Lookups on "halo cloud" and "moscow cloud" are both booming.
We're the first to admit that a photograph of the heavenly cloud appears to be photoshopped. It's just so...perfect. But meterologists have spoken up and said the cloud wasn't digitally altered. However, it wasn't exactly what it appeared to be, either.
When the cloud initially formed, some UFO enthusiasts declared it to be a "true mystery." Some even compared it to the giant spaceship hovering over Earth in the movie "Independence Day." Reality quickly dashed any predictions of an alien invasion. An article from the Daily Mail explains that the "luminous ring-shaped cloud" was simply an optical effect.
An official spokesperson for Moscow's weather department said, "Several fronts have been passing through Moscow recently, there was an intrusion of the Arctic air too, the sun was shining from the west — this is how the effect was produced."
The cloud loomed last week, but the searches are still soaring. Lookups on "halo cloud" and "moscow cloud" are both booming.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Many Americans Still Leery of Swine Flu Vaccine
Even as the H1N1 swine flu vaccine is distributed coast to coast, many people say they have safety concerns that may stop them from getting vaccinated. Although experts say those fears are unwarranted, a recent Associated Press-GfK poll found only about half of Americans said they are planning to get the vaccine. Most of those are older people -- so far among the least vulnerable to the virus.
Almost three-quarters of respondents said they were concerned about the vaccine's safety (although many of these said they still were going to get the shot).
A University of Michigan poll found that only 40 percent of parents wanted to get their children inoculated.
And a survey released Tuesday -- commissioned by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists that polled pharmacy directors at 341 hospitals across the country -- found that many hospital employees are asking if the H1N1 vaccine is safe.
In response, experts and officials continue to stress that not only is the vaccine safe, it's the surest way to protect yourself from the H1N1 swine flu virus.
"The H1N1 vaccine is made in exactly the same way, using the same material, the same companies, the same process as the seasonal flu vaccine we make every single year and give to tens and tens of millions of people," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Fauci explained that even the seasonal flu vaccine is changed slightly each year, with slightly different strains.
Had the H1N1 virus emerged just a little bit earlier, it would have been included in this year's regular flu shot, he stated.
"We wouldn't be talking about safety now if [the H1N1 vaccine] were given within the context of the seasonal flu," Fauci continued.
Nor has the vaccine been made too quickly, as some have worried. In fact, "it hasn't been faster at all," said Dr. Robert Frenck, a professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on infectious diseases.
The seasonal flu vaccine goes into production around March and is available around August. The H1N1 virus was isolated in May and became available this month.
Side effects from the H1N1 vaccine have been mild, including tenderness and swelling at the injection site and a mild fever. In China, four of 39,000 people vaccinated reported muscle cramps and headaches.
"We've had experience with this particular variety of killed vaccine for 20 years, and the risks are primarily swollen arm and low-grade fever," said Dr. Nathan Litman, director of pediatrics at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. "There are some very, very rare other events, but some of them happen naturally even in those who don't have the vaccine. The risk of disease and complications of disease is far greater than the vaccine."
Some concerns were precipitated by an earlier experience with swine flu vaccine. In 1976, the U.S. government vaccinated 43 million people against swine flu following an outbreak at Fort Dix in New Jersey. Some 500 of those vaccinated developed a rare neurodegenerative condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome, which many experts believe was linked to the shot. Twenty-five of those 500 died.
But the equation for this year's swine flu pandemic is already vastly different. The 1976 virus never spread beyond 240 soldiers stationed at the base, while the current outbreak has already sickened more than 340,000 people worldwide, killing 4,100 or more, according to the World Health Organization.
Almost three-quarters of respondents said they were concerned about the vaccine's safety (although many of these said they still were going to get the shot).
A University of Michigan poll found that only 40 percent of parents wanted to get their children inoculated.
And a survey released Tuesday -- commissioned by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists that polled pharmacy directors at 341 hospitals across the country -- found that many hospital employees are asking if the H1N1 vaccine is safe.
In response, experts and officials continue to stress that not only is the vaccine safe, it's the surest way to protect yourself from the H1N1 swine flu virus.
"The H1N1 vaccine is made in exactly the same way, using the same material, the same companies, the same process as the seasonal flu vaccine we make every single year and give to tens and tens of millions of people," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Fauci explained that even the seasonal flu vaccine is changed slightly each year, with slightly different strains.
Had the H1N1 virus emerged just a little bit earlier, it would have been included in this year's regular flu shot, he stated.
"We wouldn't be talking about safety now if [the H1N1 vaccine] were given within the context of the seasonal flu," Fauci continued.
Nor has the vaccine been made too quickly, as some have worried. In fact, "it hasn't been faster at all," said Dr. Robert Frenck, a professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on infectious diseases.
The seasonal flu vaccine goes into production around March and is available around August. The H1N1 virus was isolated in May and became available this month.
Side effects from the H1N1 vaccine have been mild, including tenderness and swelling at the injection site and a mild fever. In China, four of 39,000 people vaccinated reported muscle cramps and headaches.
"We've had experience with this particular variety of killed vaccine for 20 years, and the risks are primarily swollen arm and low-grade fever," said Dr. Nathan Litman, director of pediatrics at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. "There are some very, very rare other events, but some of them happen naturally even in those who don't have the vaccine. The risk of disease and complications of disease is far greater than the vaccine."
Some concerns were precipitated by an earlier experience with swine flu vaccine. In 1976, the U.S. government vaccinated 43 million people against swine flu following an outbreak at Fort Dix in New Jersey. Some 500 of those vaccinated developed a rare neurodegenerative condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome, which many experts believe was linked to the shot. Twenty-five of those 500 died.
But the equation for this year's swine flu pandemic is already vastly different. The 1976 virus never spread beyond 240 soldiers stationed at the base, while the current outbreak has already sickened more than 340,000 people worldwide, killing 4,100 or more, according to the World Health Organization.
China's super-rich bounce back from financial crisis
BEIJING (Reuters) – China's super-rich have bounced back from the financial crisis with a vengeance, and China now has more known dollar billionaires than any other country bar the United States, according to a new report released on Tuesday.
The annual Hurun Report said China has 130 known dollar billionaires, up from 101 last year. The number in the United States is 359 while Russia has 32 and India 24, according to Forbes magazine.
China's rich are getting richer, with the average wealth on the list $571 million, up almost one-third from last year, said compiler Rupert Hoogewerf.
"With the greatest wealth destruction in the west of the last 70 years, we've seen China buck the trend and the wealth seems to be still growing," Hoogewerf told Reuters on the sidelines of an event to unveil the 2009 rich list.
"They've put the credit crunch behind them," he said. "The key driver has been urbanization. You've got all these cities being built, and that requires property developers, iron and steel manufacturers. The latest thing is cars."
Topping the list was Wang Chuanfu, chairman of electric car and battery maker BYD Co Ltd in which U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett holds a stake, with an estimated personal wealth of $5.1 billion. He was also the fastest riser from last year, up 102 places.
Second place went to Zhang Yin and family, owner of paper recycler Nine Dragons Paper, while in third place was Xu Rongmao and family, owner of Shimao Property Holdings Ltd.
Huang Guangyu, who founded GOME Electrical Appliances Holdings Ltd and owns unlisted property businesses, sank to 17th place from the top position he held last year. He is currently being probed for alleged financial irregularities.
Hoogewerf said the actual number of dollar billionaires could be higher than estimated.
"Either they are super-discreet, or perhaps they haven't come to the surface," he said. "Having said that, the transparency of wealth ... is now very much in the open. There's many more listed companies."
Hoogewerf said people who probably should have been listed, but about whose wealth not enough in known, included Liu Chuanzhi, chairman of the world's No. 4 PC maker Lenovo, and Chen Feng, founder of Hainan Airlines.
China's ruling Communist Party once condemned entrepreneurs and private business people as capitalist exploiters, but now welcomes them since late reformist leader Deng Xiaoping began landmark economic reforms in the 1970s.
One third of the people on the 1,000-name rich list are estimated to be Party members, according to the report.
Still, one famous name fell off the list this year -- NBA basketball player Yao Ming, who has struggled with a foot injury for the last few months.
The annual Hurun Report said China has 130 known dollar billionaires, up from 101 last year. The number in the United States is 359 while Russia has 32 and India 24, according to Forbes magazine.
China's rich are getting richer, with the average wealth on the list $571 million, up almost one-third from last year, said compiler Rupert Hoogewerf.
"With the greatest wealth destruction in the west of the last 70 years, we've seen China buck the trend and the wealth seems to be still growing," Hoogewerf told Reuters on the sidelines of an event to unveil the 2009 rich list.
"They've put the credit crunch behind them," he said. "The key driver has been urbanization. You've got all these cities being built, and that requires property developers, iron and steel manufacturers. The latest thing is cars."
Topping the list was Wang Chuanfu, chairman of electric car and battery maker BYD Co Ltd in which U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett holds a stake, with an estimated personal wealth of $5.1 billion. He was also the fastest riser from last year, up 102 places.
Second place went to Zhang Yin and family, owner of paper recycler Nine Dragons Paper, while in third place was Xu Rongmao and family, owner of Shimao Property Holdings Ltd.
Huang Guangyu, who founded GOME Electrical Appliances Holdings Ltd and owns unlisted property businesses, sank to 17th place from the top position he held last year. He is currently being probed for alleged financial irregularities.
Hoogewerf said the actual number of dollar billionaires could be higher than estimated.
"Either they are super-discreet, or perhaps they haven't come to the surface," he said. "Having said that, the transparency of wealth ... is now very much in the open. There's many more listed companies."
Hoogewerf said people who probably should have been listed, but about whose wealth not enough in known, included Liu Chuanzhi, chairman of the world's No. 4 PC maker Lenovo, and Chen Feng, founder of Hainan Airlines.
China's ruling Communist Party once condemned entrepreneurs and private business people as capitalist exploiters, but now welcomes them since late reformist leader Deng Xiaoping began landmark economic reforms in the 1970s.
One third of the people on the 1,000-name rich list are estimated to be Party members, according to the report.
Still, one famous name fell off the list this year -- NBA basketball player Yao Ming, who has struggled with a foot injury for the last few months.
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