Is It So?

This billboard senses your age, gender to change the ad.

2008-07-22T03:26:00.001-07:00

The picture here is a billboard and the bikini clad woman on the billboard probably came on just because a man walks past it.

Please read it to understand what I meant. If you are not up to it, let me explain.

A new high-tech Japanese electronic display can instantly identify people’s sex or age range and target them with advertisements to suit them. A camera on top of the display recognizes on-the-spot the age and sex of viewers who are standing in front of it.

If the device finds viewers are predominantly female in their 20s, it will show cute miscellaneous items sold by Fuji Television for young women or an NEC cellphone designed for the demographic

There you have it! Now you know why that beauty is on the billboard.

The 50-inch plasma display will appear at an annual festival in Tokyo run by Fuji Television network, maker NEC Corp said. The event, which runs from Saturday until August 31, drew more than four million visitors last summer.

Those who are interested in what is being advertised can hold their cellphones over a special device, which feeds them a URL link, coupons and other information on the products.

I love these geniuses for their ideas.

Thanks to Times of India dated 22nd July. (yes, it is today's paper)

Lassi-the king of drinks.

2008-07-18T01:28:00.000-07:00

The news below is heartening to all Indians and especially to Punjabis.

"Punjab’s very own lassi has pipped exotic drinks from around the world to bag the title of ‘best beverage’ at a unique entrepreneurship competition.."

And it competed with world famous wines and even fancy coffees like lattes and cappuccino. Even as I read the news in Dubbagol, I felt like having a cool Punjabi lassi topped with generous malai. I like to drink lassi in earthen ware than glass.

How about you?

Going Green With Windows.

2008-07-16T02:26:00.000-07:00

Isn't this window stunning? You must wait for three more years to see this lighted window in your house.

And this is not a mere show piece dear, it is way to trap solar energy. Yes, it is a new way that is being developed in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

With this, I think I have become some sort of a specialist in reporting about alternative power sources.

Read the new story.

Fire is now water's friend.

2008-07-14T02:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, water and fire go hand in hand in this torch. Doesn't it look like what we have seen movies depicting ancient monarch kingdom?

How it works?
Flowing water is lit by flickering flame to tremendous effect on this Torch Fountain. Adjustable electric pump circulates water over the top of the urn.

The included lamp oil torch adds a dramatic fire and water effect.

Ah, the vase that looks like a stone is not actually a stone dear. "Cast of a lightweight, durable stone/resin compound for an authentic stone look."

Here is another view:

Source: Plow and Hearth

One sixth of your life...

2008-07-10T21:27:00.000-07:00

We hear, read and see strange facts and news almost daily. Our sources are news papers, Internet, magazines, friends and relatives.

Most of what we come across don't stay in our memory for long but there are people who are aware of this human lacuna, write down immediately in a small pocket book and use it in their daily life.

For example, here is a trivia:

Approximately one-sixth of your life is spent on Wednesdays.

If you care to read it again, you can apply this fact for all other days of the week.

Go to Top Five to know about sixty amazing facts.

Just one more fact:

Polar bears can eat as many as 86 penguins in a single sitting.

Spooky bird dance.

2008-07-08T00:16:00.000-07:00

Don't wonder why that car was parked in an obscure place on the highway in the middle of nowhere. The occupants of that car are obviously watching a spectacular scene on the sky.

This somewhat eerie dance on the sky is because of thousands of birds forming a virtual dance in the sky.

Yahoo! named it as Spooky bird dance Thank you Yahoo! for this great experience.

Power from sea waves?

2008-07-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

Well well, here I am writing about alternative power resources to be tapped. In the wake of world oil crisis that affects even a farmer in a remote village in India, more and more news are springing up regarding various available resources for power and energy hitherto untapped.

Now how about this? "Anaconda, an innovative wave energy concept, holds the key to cheaper energy from the sea waves?"

A news story that I read in Times of India dated 5th July (yes, yesterday only) reported that the Anaconda concept is, however, still in developmental stage. The concept has only been proven at the lab scale, so important questions about its potential performance still need to be answered.

I believe this can become the cheapest power ever to be produced-only 6 pence per kilo watt or even less.

But why this is named after the feared Anaconda-the snake?

Read it here.

My life is for sale!

2008-07-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of this auction in eBay? A man whose name is Ian Usher aged 44, put up his life for sale at eBay.

Is it so?

Yes, it is true story and even Yahoo! has reported this in its news. It seems Ian Usher was shattered after his five year old marriage broke up and that's why he had auctioned of all his belongings, including his three-bedroom home in the west Australian city of Perth and a trial for his job at a rug store, after the break-up of his five-year marriage.

Ok, did he get a bid for his auction?
Yes, he got a fairly good price of $399,300 ($380,286). Do you know what the successful bidder got in return?
"Usher's worldly goods, which also include his friends, a motorcycle and a jetski." Hmm... he got something tangible after all.

Tap the power from volcanoes.

2008-06-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

The vastly unexplored power source in the world is geo thermal-the heat that stays latent under the earth or inside the volcanoes.

It is not necessary for me to point out the potentiality of the power that can be tapped when a volcano erupts and spews thermal energy that can even burn an entire nation.

I am sure many scientists in the world would have contemplated on the idea of tapping geo thermal energy as an alternate source of power. Alaskan officials have invited companies to lease the rights to explore geothermal resources beneath Mount Spurr, a snowcapped 11,070-foot volcano that most recently erupted in 1992 showering much of Anchorage with volcanic ash.

Nearly 200 million acres can be powered by this alternate energy.

Full story: Telegraph.co.uk

This skyscaper will spin on its own.

2008-06-25T23:57:00.000-07:00

This picture you see here is about a 80 story building that is going to come up in Dubai.

"So what?"-you ask-right?

Read below and you will ask, "Is it so?"
This building is to going to be taller than the Empire State building.

Its height is going to be 1300 Ft.

And this building is going to move-yes, literally it is going to rotate on its own axis.

The spinning floors, hung like rings around an immobile cement core, would offer residents a constantly changing view of the Persian Gulf and the city’s futuristic skyline.

Each floor is going to prefabricated in a factory in Italy and then shipped to the site to be attached to the core.

Assembling a building in this fashion, he said, will require only 80 technicians and take only 20 months, saving tens of millions of dollars, for a total cost of $700 million to build.

The designer of this sky scraper is David Fisher, an Italian who had never built a skyscraper so far.

"It is fine and good so far but what about the plumbing man?"-someone asked. Fisher said the pipes will connect to the core via attachments similar to the ones used by military aircraft for in-flight refueling.

Source: Times of India

Apes can imagine!

2008-06-23T03:51:00.000-07:00

And we thought we are the only species that can use our mind to imagine and plan for our future? Not any more gentlemen!

Studies supported by evidence have indicated that great apes too can exercise their mental skill and act like humans.

Two Swedish scientists have published articles on their study of apes who have exercised self control, which means the suppression of immediate drives in favour of delayed rewards; and mental time travel, which means the detached mental experience of a past or future event -- facilitate planning for future needs in humans.

What does this imply? So much before humans, the mental capacities that we believed to be exclusive human skill evolved much earlier.

Read the full story.

A monster voretx that concerns us.

2008-06-17T00:16:00.000-07:00

Reading this news about the plastic pollution, I am taken aback by the enormity of the danger that is approaching all of us. I am sorry to sound ominous but the situation warrants an immediate global action.

The news is this:
"Plastic trash and other flotsam that is either directly thrown or washed by the rivers into the North Pacific is swept up by the currents of gigantic swirling vortex called the North Pacific Gyre. In the centre is a trash carpet that scientists calculate has reached the size of Texas".

Read all about it here.

Social media can be a big addiction.

2008-06-16T01:48:00.000-07:00

Web itself is vicious but with advent of web 2.0 technology, browsers find it very difficult to extricate them from the tighter entangles of the web. Social media web sites are real big monsters that virtually swallow browsers.

I mean all of this as a metaphor only folks. I am sure many would agree with me on the line …. Oh, well! Forget it.

A few days before, I was following a thin thread on iPhone and I just entered as many as 73 web sites including Digg that alone made me visit 33 web sites.

When a link landed me on Rabbi Yitzhak Miller profile in Digg, I realized I had spent more time than intended. In his profile, my query on the iPhone zoomed in on an article that was full of statistics on iPhone related stories that were submitted in Digg.com

If you are also an offbeat story chaser like me, I would request you to visit the link above. I am sure you will have an interesting time and if you are also a blogger, you will have a handful of material for your blog’s content.

Air purifier driven by new technology.

2008-06-13T02:57:00.000-07:00

My office was overflowing with parents on June 1^st, the first day of the new academic year. On this day every year, I will be swarmed by parents seeking admission to the children.

My office can accommodate only 35 people but I had to manage with 51 parents on that day. The air was suffocating and the outside heat added to the discomfort.

When finally, all had left, one particular gentleman tentatively opened the necessity to install an air purifier in the class room. It not only eliminates the bad odor caused by 35 students’ breathing but also kills airborne germs.

I agreed to his suggestion but I also requested him to recommend an efficient air purifier. To be honest, I won’t have time to shop around and buy one.

The gentleman explained about a new technology known as ActivePure (RCI), developed by Tennessee-based EcoQuest International. The fresh air purifier and ecoquest international is also reviewed by the popular website .com, the leading health professional directories on the Internet.

I am glad that this air purifier comes with a remote control.

Scary, very scary really.

2008-06-13T02:30:00.000-07:00

Today morning I over slept that caused nearly 30 students of mine waiting outside the gate. They even tried to call my mobile but the sleeper devil in me could not be bothered.

Suddenly, my husband shook me and asked me whether I have class or not. I jumped up, drove my husband to open the gate to allow the students in without bothering about his sleep. It was around 5.33 AM.

But this can't happen again if I have the scary alarm clock cum radio (oh, radios are still in existence?) This radio alarm clock comes with 30 pre-programmed voices that help you wake up in the morning with sounds ranging from a gentle butler to a shrill drill sergeant, and if you hit the snooze buttons too many time, you also get a firm scolding. (Yes, I deserve that man!)

The thing can also tell fortunes, tell the time aloud, play music via AM/FM stations or even through MP3 and iPods, wink, blink, react to light and motion, and basically do everything but fetch you breakfast in bed! Hmmm.. too bad, I would love that.

Korn/Ferry International is looking for you.

2008-06-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

Motherly duties extend beyond the kitchen most of the times. In my case, kitchen takes a back seat and my top priority seems to be always centered on meeting the demands of my son.

He just got his engineering degree in computer science and looking forward to work for a top American firm. Of course, Dennis Carey will not spot him for at least another 5 years as he is right now concentrating on CEOs and top executives.

I am sure many aspiring youth would like to be in the good books of Dennis Carey as he is the Senior Client Partner of Korn/Ferry International, one of the highly reputed talent recruitment firms in America, one of the highly reputed head hunting firms in America.

I read somewhere in the internet (Business Week) that Korn/Ferry International also recruits worldwide renowned and based executives to enhance its global financial services presence

I know my son is determined to work hard and attract the attention Dennis Carey one day.

Twenty20 Champions League launched.

2008-06-11T01:27:00.000-07:00

India, England, Australia and South Africa will each send two teams to participate in the new Twenty20 Champions league launched by England and Wales Cricket Board.

The grand cricket extravaganza will be held during September or October this year either in India or in the Middle East, preferably in Sharjah.

From India, the two teams that are invited are Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings. The tournament will be played for only 10 days (thank you organizers) and the winning team will get $5 million. Yes, you read it right! It is $5 million.

You can read about the other cricket teams by clicking on the link below.

Source: Cribuzz

When you walk, electricity is generated.

2008-06-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

An astonishing news that I read in today's Time of India revealed a new power generating technology.

Noticing that thousands of people walk in and out of railway stations in London, a genius conceived an idea of generating electricity that can light thousands of light bulbs. The basic technology is use the footsteps of pedestrians.

How it works:
"It works by using the pressure of feet on the floor to compress pads underneath, driving fluid through mini-turbines that then generate electricity, which is stored in a battery. Engineers who have modelled the effects of the technology at Victoria Underground station in central London have calculated that the 34,000 travellers passing through every hour could power 6,500 light bulbs. "

"The technology is based on mini-generators built into soldiers’ boots, trialled by the American military. It has been adapted into prototypes for use under floors by the Facility, a company based in London. "

Credit: Times of India

Worlds first looping water slide.

2008-06-06T00:40:00.000-07:00

All those including I who am claustrophobic can never feel the thrill of this sliding ride into the water through a closed tube.

But, as I watched some courageous people including a lady take this water slide, I felt like braving but will I in reality? I doubt it very much.

Even though the entire stride takes just 6 seconds, (Yes, I timed it), it can throw one off. It’s definitely scary for me.

Here, you see a video clip of this slide.

via videosift.com

Alien Appears in Duck X-Ray.

2008-06-03T03:16:00.000-07:00

Sure, this news is about two years (May 30, 2006) old but still it will interest many who love to read about aliens and offbeat news.

It seemed an injured duck gave room for an alien in its body. Just read this news story with some awe and nothing beyond that.

Doctors at the international Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) in Fairfield, California, took the x-ray while treating a mallard duck that had been found with a broken wing.

The x-ray revealed a hazy picture resembling the head of a human or animal in the gut of the injured duck.

The image is surely eerie-isn't it so?

Source: National Geographic

A ride on the million dollar highway.

2008-05-31T01:56:00.000-07:00

Seeing several Hollywood films during my student days, I often imagined myself as a sports car driver, sometimes a detective cop and at times an accomplice of James Bond 007!

That is an age when everyone would like to emulate what they see and admire outside. Among such things, I have fallen in love with those scenic roads in America. Driving along the ocean deep down in an open red colored car... hmm.. what a day dream!

There is a particular drive in the U.S. called 'The Million Dollar Drive'. It is a 75 mile stretch in the high ridges of Colorado.

Shermans Travels explains it more dramatically as follows:
"Breathtaking journey through the majestic mountain passes of western Colorado. Crossing part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway, and following route U.S. 550 between the old mining towns of Silverton and Ouray, the route’s twists and turns wend high above the Red Mountain Pass – an 11,018-foot-high collapsed volcano whose lava flow was found to contain gold in 1860 – and past the deep Uncompahgre Gorge, into which flow several waterfalls."

Clicl on the link above to know why it was named as Million Dollar Drive.

Image taken from Google Images.

The connection between Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.

2008-05-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

You or most of us probably may not know that there was a connection between Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.

The Connection:

"The trucking company Elvis Presley worked at as a young man was owned by Frank Sinatra."

No, don't go about searching in the web; you may not even get the proper keywords to search for this or any other related information.

I got it from Top Five.

This website has plenty of shocking but true facts. I don't know from where they gather all the interesting information but I thank them for giving me some amusement.

Here is an extraordinary fact:
"Manatees possess vocal chords which give them the ability to speak like humans, but don't do so because they have no ears with which to hear the sound."

Do you know Manatee? It is a mammal living in the sea. It is also called sea cow. (how weird!)

From Google Images.

Trivia:
The name manatí comes from the Taino which are the original peoples of the Caribbean, meaning "breast".

Compare credit card offers before applying.

2008-05-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

The flight to San Francisco was delayed by 50 minutes meaning I have to stay awake for some more time.

I don’t understand why the international flights always leave after mid-night. It was very difficult to resist the sleep. But for the sake of my son, who is going to San Jose to join his company, I restrained from complaining about my frustration.

To kill the time, I was telling my son to remember the list of things to do once he is San Jose. After getting his bearings, I told him to apply for credit card. Since his job involves some traveling, I advised to opt for airmiles credit card that will enable him to fly back home free of charge by redeeming points earned for using the airmiles credit card.

But the decision to choose the credit card issuing bank is left to him. By visiting applyfast.com, he can compare various offers from a lot of credit cards and apply for one that is most ideal for him.

I told my son that if I were him, I would opt for Tribute MasterCard. My son can consult his colleagues in San Jose and take their suggestions before applying.

Just then, the flight was announced and I left with tears in my eyes. For once, I thought I would break down as it was the first time I parting with my son.

Donkey sent to prison?

2008-05-25T21:29:00.000-07:00

A donkey has been lodged in a prison-the (ass)aulting news received widespread read from "yes, you are right, the animal lovers".

After reading the story, I suspect the cause for the assault by the donkey might be totally different than reported. Donkey is an extremely patient and harmless animal. t is not easy to provoke a donkey.

So, I will leave it your imagination as to why the donkey has landed in a jail which usually holds people for public drunkenness and other disturbances. (Smile)

Let me brief you on this sensational story:
"The animal was locked up at a local jail that normally after it bit and kicked two men near a ranch in the state of Chiapas.

The two victims accuse it of biting one of them in the chest and then kicking the other as he came to the rescue, fracturing his ankle."

I can’t steal your car!

2008-05-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, I and no one can steal your car. It is not about an innovative lock that prevents your car from being stolen.

It is nothing to with any alarm that alerts you when someone touches your car.

Then what?

Just a few stickers that does the trick!

How it works?

Before that you might want to know the price of the stickers. It costs you only $3.99

Specially made rust and scratch stickers are designed to make your beautiful bike/car look rusted and scratched so that passing thieves assume it's not worth stealing due to its apparent shabbiness.

Is it so?

Well, there is no guarantee of course. Who can read the mind of a robber?

View the image here and you will understand.