16 Amazing Science Facts

1. Fingernails grow four times faster than toenails

2. Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people

3. If you rub an onion on your foot – within 30 – 60 minutes you will be able to taste it – this is because it travels through the blood stream

4. You can’t kill yourself by holding your breath (if you hold it until you go unconscious, you begin to breath normally as soon as you do)

5. On one square inch of human skin there are 20 million microscopic creatures

6. Armadillos are the only creatures apart from men that can catch leprosy – there are known cases of armadillo to human transfers of the disease

7. A snail can sleep for 3 – 4 years – during which period it does not need food

8. Giraffes can live longer without water than camels

9. The songs of humpback whales can change dramatically from year to year, yet each whale in an oceanwide population always sings the same song as the others [Source]

10. The forces required to remove a foot from quicksand at a speed of one centimeter per second would require the same amount of force as “that needed to lift a medium-sized car.”

11. To test if a pearl is real, you can rub vinegar on it – the composition of the pearl will cause it to bubble furiously

12. Goldfish kept in a dark room turn much paler – and if it wasn’t for the color in the food they eat, they would turn completely white

13. Unlike normal bees, the Queen bee’s stinger is not barbed and can be used repeatedly without harming her

14. Quicksand doesn’t directly kill humans as it is usually not very deep at all – it is the fact that it can be incredibly difficult to remove yourself from quicksand that causes death by the environment – such as exposure.

15. Oysters can change between being female or male

16. Men are over 30% stronger than women on average, especially in the upper body, and men’s brains are heavier than women’s

Extreme bodybuilders turn into ugly muscled balloons

do u really think this we need actually ?

Innovations that are gonna change our lives

The five innovations that will change people's lives over the next five years are:

1. We will be able to access healthcare remotely, from just about anywhere in the world: Millions of people with chronic health problems such as diabetes, heart, kidney or circulatory problems will be able to have their conditions automatically monitored as they go about their daily lives. Device makers and healthcare professionals will take a proactive approach to ongoing, remote monitoring of patients, delivered through sensors in the home, worn on the person or in devices and packaging.

These advances will also allow patients to better monitor their own health and help clinicians provide the on-going preventive care regardless of a person's location. Hardware and software advances in the field of remote-control healthcare will be a major source of consumer and enterprise innovation by 2012.

2. Mobile phones will start to read our minds: Advanced 'presence' technology will give mobile phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants) the ability to automatically learn about their users' whereabouts and preferences as they commute, work and travel. 'Presence' technology -- used in instant messaging -- already makes it possible to locate and identify a user as soon as the user connects to the network.

In five years, all sorts of mobile devices will have the ability to continually learn about and adapt to your preferences and needs. Your phone will know when you're in class or in a meeting and divert automatically to voicemail. Your favourite pizza joint will know when you're on your way home after a late night and ping you with a special-price, take-home meal just for you.

3. Real-time speech translation -- once a vision only in sci-fi -- will become the norm: The movement towards globalisation needs to take into account basic human elements, such as differences in language.

For example, IBM speech innovations are already allowing media companies to monitor Chinese and Arabic news broadcasts over the Web in English, travellers using PDAs to translate menus in Japanese, and doctors to communicate with patients in Spanish.

Real-time translation technologies and services will be embedded into mobile phones, handheld devices and cars. These services will pervade every part of business and society, eliminating the language barrier in the global economy and social interaction.

4. There will be a 3-D Internet: The popular online immersive destinations, such as Second Life and the World of Warcraft, will evolve into the 3-D Internet, much like the early work by the likes of Darpa, AOL and Prodigy evolved into the World Wide Web.

In this immersive online world, you will walk the aisles of supermarkets, bookstores and DVD shops, where you'll encounter experts you'd rarely find in your local store. The 3-D Internet will enable new kinds of education, remote medicine and consumer experiences, transforming how we interact with our friends, family, doctors, teachers, favourite stores, et cetera.

5. New technologies the size of a few atoms will address areas of environmental importance: Governments and companies are increasingly trying to improve environmental stewardship and secure reliable and cost-effective resources like water, energy, etc. Information technology, materials science, and physics will help meet environmental needs.

Nanotechnology -- the ability to manipulate individual atoms and molecules to form tiny new structures -- has already had a major impact on microprocessors, making electronic products like PCs and mobile phones smaller, better and cheaper.

In coming years, nanotechnology will likely be used for water filtration. This could advance ecology and conservation, helping to address the growing worldwide shortage of potable water supplies. Other areas where IT, physics, and material science will have a big impact are advanced water modeling and improving solar power systems.

These five innovations were selected based on projects from the brains in IBM's Research labs, business research conducted by IBM's business think-tank, and ideas pooled from more than 150,000 people from 104 countries, including IBM employees, their family members, universities, business partners and customers from 67 countries, during a recent online brainstorm called 'IBM InnovationJam.'

Himalayas warming faster than global average

New Delhi, June 4 (IANS) Northwestern Himalayas has become 1.4 degrees Celsius warmer in the last 100 years, a far higher level of warming than the 0.5-1.1 degrees for the rest of the globe, Indian scientists have found.

Scientists from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Pune University's Department of Geology examined the variation in precipitation (snowfall and rainfall) in the region and found that warming has led to a delay in the onset of winter and a reduction in snowfall.

The study published in the International Journal of Climatology from the Royal Meteorological society, Britain, found that northwestern Himalayas have warmed at the rate of about 1.4 degrees Celsius in the last century compared to the global range of 0.5 to 1.1 degrees Celsius.

'The interesting finding of the study is the unusually high rate of increase in both maximum and minimum temperatures in the last three decades in the northwestern Himalayan region (NWH) whereas in other high altitude mountainous regions of the world such as the Alps and the Rockies, the minimum temperature has increased more rapidly than the maximum,' M.R. Bhutiyani, a DRDO scientist who led the study, told IANS.

'The warming on the NWH has been because of both maximum and minimum temperature increasing at a higher rate, with maximum temperature increasing more rapidly,' said Bhutiyani, who is also head of the Department of Geology at the College of Military Engineering, Pune.

The data for the NWH region spread over Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh was collected from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) in Manali and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.

The study also indicated a significant decreasing trend in monsoon and annual overall precipitation during the period 1866-2006.

'The alarming aspect of it is that the winter precipitation consists now of more rainfall and less snowfall. Effective duration of winter has been curtailed with the late onset of winter and the early onset of spring. This, in turn, has directly influenced the ecology of the area,' said Bhutiyani.

The study found that less snowfall followed by early melting of the snow has resulted in a changed water balance in the catchments.

Conforming to the global trends, the study said that the glaciers in the NWH have shrunk considerably in the last three decades, indicating major ice-loss.

'The research points towards the fact that a significant increase in air temperature, coinciding with the industrial revolution and enhanced anthropogenic (human related) activities may have resulted in warming of the region and climate change,'

Upcoming Hero Honda Bikes

Hero Honda is planning to introduce 7 new models including some of the most new CBZ variants of bikes. Hero Honda has more in the pipeline, however the company is not making any formal launch. The latest Hero Honda bikes will be directly put in display in the showrooms.

yamaha VMAX

Another design wonder from Yamaha in the list of its upcoming bikes is the Yamaha VMAX. Yamaha VMAX is a super-powerful bike that comes with a liquid cooled, DOHC, 4 stroke, 4 valve, V4 cylinder, and 1687 cc engine. 

yamaha

Yamaha RZF R1 New Edition

The Yamaha YZF R1 is a powerful bike manufactured by Yamaha. This upcoming bike in India comes with a powerful 1000 cc, 16 valve, liquid cooled, in-line four-cylinder engine. Designed aerodynamically to support its power and efficiency, the all new Yamaha YZF R1 comes in three vibrant colors, namely, Blue, Charcoal Silver, and Candy Red. The multi-function digital console will ensure maximum control and let have better grip on the machine. 

New Upcomming Bikes in india

New launches fro Bajaj

The coming year is going to witness the all new Bajaj Pulsar Woodi DTSi. Basically designed as a sports bike, the all new Bajaj Pulsar Woodi DTSi is a single cylinder, 4 stroke bike, which has the option for both electric and kick start. The upcoming Bajaj bike will deliver a power of 14.9 hp at a rate of 8500 revolution per minute. With 12.70 Nm at 6500 ppm of torque, the latest Bajaj bike will ensure you the maximum control over the machine. The front telescopic suspension and the rear triple rate springs will let you experience a smooth drive on the road. 

more complements on 8 oscar win of SDM

Aamir Khan-
My heartfelt congrats to the team. It’s one of those rare moments of pride to see Rahman and Rasool who worked with me in Ghajini, and all of them go up there and make history. Whether this has paved the way for Indian cinema, we will only get to know when the process begins. But the fact is that talents from our side of the continent have been duly recognised which is great.

Salman Khan -
Mashallah! It’s great news not just for the industry but for the entire nation. I am sure now the world’s seemingly at the feet of Indian cinema. And we must use all the opportunities available to us. With the Oscars as our inspiration, I am sure we will be able to bridge more the gap between the West and us.

Sonam Kapoor-
I haven't slept the whole night and my voice has gone - shouting and screaming when I saw Slumdog lift eight Oscars. Dad looked so handsome on the red carpet. I spoke to him and he was extremely happy that the film has won so many awards. Rahman is a genius, he is to Indian music what Sachin Tendulkar is to Indian cricket.

Kareena Kapoor-
Well done Rahman! Coming from a film family and as someone who loves cinema, I would like to thank Rahman personally for opening the doors internationally for us and for showing the West his talent as an Indian. It is a proud moment for our country and we should all celebrate this event together...

Shilpa Shetty-
I burst out crying when I saw Rahman and Rasool Pookutty get the Oscars. We all knew that Rahman would get one because he has already done so at the Baftas, but Rasool getting an Oscar was really heart warming. Even though the film’s not by an Indian, the fact that Indian nationals are being recognised by the world is a great feeling.

Preity Zinta-
I was 100 per cent sure Rahman was going to win the award. He has given such fabulous music for so many films. All this while he was just knocking at the door. If it wasn’t at the Oscars then where else would it be! Rasool too has captured the sound of Mumbai so fantastically and Gulzarsaab’s lyrics are out of this world. He’s on a different level altogether. With Indians being recognised internationally, all the boundaries between the east and the west are finally being erased. It’s an awesome film and you can’t take that away from Danny Boyle.

Dilip Kumar-
Aise laage jaise kal chand nikla ho. Hamare ghar mein mahaul toh Idd ka hai. We all should congratulate each other. It’s a victory for all Indians. As for Rahman, I all throughout knew he is an outstanding musician. Words will fall short if I have to praise him.

Bipasha Basu-
I am delighted beyond words and really happy, excited and proud. The modesty and graciousness with which Rahman accepted the award, he truly epitomised India and the Indian culture at that moment. It doesn’t matter whether the film was made by an Indian or a British filmmaker. It’s Indian talent that’s won the recogntiton and that’s all that matters.

Madhur Bhandarkar-
It’s an absolutely great moment for all Indians, moreso for Mumbaiites. The film put our Indian talent on the global map and this award is certainly a milestone for all of us. The world cannot not acknowledge our contribution to world cinema any more. At the same time, it’s inspiring and encouraging for the entire film industry.

Subhash Ghai-
I am extremely proud of Rahman and all the Indian talent that’s being recognised at such a level. We have proven that we have the potential to be the best, now we need to keep it up. We need to make films that cater to the sensibilities of the international audiences too. What we need are good scriptwriters and given the existing talent, there’s no reason why we won’t repeat Slumdog’s success.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra-
There is nothing much to say. All that we can do is sit back and savour this historic moment. Raju Hirani A great sense of pride and jubilation has swept the country. I am really happy that there is recognition for Indian talent at an international platform. Congratulations to Gulzaarsaab, A R Rahman and Rasool. They really deserve it.

Sajid Nadiadwala-
It’s celebration time for all of us. Today we are wondering how we managed to cut through the thick competition with the West and made a mark, tomorrow I know there will come a time when we will be shocked if we don’t get the Oscars. This is the true bridging of the gap. Hats off to the Slumdog team.

Priyanka Chopra-
The entire team of Slumdog Millionaire has made India and Mumbai proud. We are all proud.

Karan Johar-
The honour bestowed on genius members of our fraternity is the beginning of an era... an era that will acknowledge and recognise the incomparable soul of our cinema. Today we are no longer in a ‘wood’ that is a rhyme of another industry... we are pioneers of a cinematic jungle... hopefully, we will roar for decades

akshay kumar

What can I say, I am proud to stand here and honour the most famous and memorable Indian movie to be appreciated world wide, even though it took a Britisher to make it. I think he’s made a brilliant movie and we should all join our hands and respect Danny Boyle and his crew for putting India back so highly on the map...

complements

Amitabh Bachchan I feel this win by Rahman and Rasool is most deserving and feel extremely proud to be an Indian. They have done great service in bringing Indian cinema to a recognised international forum. I am most happy that our musicians and technicians have been rewarded.

complements

Fathima (Rahman’s younger sister ) The song Jai Ho is awe inspiring and it gives us the feeling that we are victorious. I thought he’d go international with Lagaan but now, he has got it. He is humble and more importantly, patient. That’s what has got him so far.

Kareeda Begum (Rahman’s mother) My first thanks is to God. He is the one who has made him grow so big. I think it is the reward for the amount of hard work he put into all his musical tracks. This double delight has brought glory to the nation.

slum dog millionaire

Slumdog makes India proud with 8 Oscars
24 Feb 2009, 0000 hrs IST, TEAM BT , TNN

Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:



It's the mother-of-all international recognitions! India has never shone like this before, thank-you Danny Boyle, thank-you Slumdog Millionaire. The 'Slumdog' Team at the Oscars


There’s not a single Indian heart that does not seem to be echoing the sentiment, “Yes, we have done it.” So what if it took a UK director to come here and make a film that not only swept all international awards, but also made the world sit up and notice India, Bollywood and Mumbai! BT spoke to the film industry which celebrated Slumdog Millionaire’s success as if it was their own...

things to be aware of / MANISH GUPTA

1) Don't put your mobile closer to your ears until the recipient answers,Because directly after dialing, the mobile phone would use it's maximumsignaling power, which is: 2watts = 33dbi. Please Be Careful. Please useleft ear while using cell (mobile), because if you use the right one itmay affect brain directly.This is a true fact from Apollo medical team.

2) Do not drink APPY FIZZ. It contains cancer causing agent.
3) Don't eat Mentos before or after drinking Coke or Pepsi coz the personwill die immediately as the mixture becomes cyanide. Please fwd to whom ucare

4) Don't eat kurkure because it contains high amount of plastic if U don'tBelieve burn kurkure n u can see plastic melting.

5) Avoid these tablets as they are very dangerous* D cold* Vicks action- 500* Actifed* Coldarin* Cosome* Nice* Nimulid* Cetrizet-DThey contain Phenyl- Propanol -Amide PPA.Which Causes strokes, and thesetablets are banned in U.S.

6) Cotton Ear Buds... (Must read it) Please do not show sympathy to peopleselling buds on roadside or at Signals..... Just wanted to warn you peoplenot to buy those packs of ear buds you get at the roadside. It's made fromcotton that has already been used in hospitals. They take all the dirty,blood and pus filled cotton, wash it, bleach it and use it to make earbuds. So, unless you want to become the first person in the world to getHerpes Zoster Oticus (a viral infection of the inner, middle, and externalear) of the ear and that too from a cotton bud, DON'T BUY THEM!Please forward, this may be helpful for someone..... ......Please forward to all your near and dear ones.....!Life has more opportunities than challenges, seek n enjoy them

Regards
Manish Gupta

NASA

NASA's Great Observatories Celebrate International Year of Astronomy02.10.09 This image of the spiral galaxy Messier 101 is a composite of the Hubble, Chandra and Spitzer space telescopes.
Larger view Galileo first turned his telescope to the heavens in 1609, marking the dawn of modern astronomy. To commemorate 400 years of exploring the universe, 2009 has been designated the International Year of Astronomy.

In conjunction with Galileo's birthday on Feb. 15, NASA is releasing images from its Great Observatories -- the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory -- to more than 100 planetariums, museums, nature centers and schools across the country.

The selected sites will unveil a large 9-square-foot print of the spiral galaxy Messier 101 that combines the optical view of Hubble, the infrared view of Spitzer, and the X-ray view of Chandra into one multi-wavelength picture. "It's like using your eyes, night vision goggles and X-ray vision all at the same time," said Dr. Hashima Hasan, lead scientist for the International Year of Astronomy at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Participating institutions also will display a matched trio of Hubble, Spitzer and Chandra images of Messier 101. Each image shows a different wavelength view of the galaxy that illustrates not only the different science each observatory conducts but also how far astronomy has come since Galileo.

Messier 101 is a spiral galaxy about 22 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. It is larger than our own Milky Way galaxy but similar in many ways. Hubble's visible light view shows off the swirls of bright stars and glowing gas that give Messier 101 its nickname "the Pinwheel Galaxy." In contrast, Spitzer's infrared-light image sees into the spiral arms and reveals the glow of dust lanes where dense clouds can collapse to form new stars. Chandra's X-ray uncovers the high-energy features in the galaxy, such as remnants of exploded stars or matter zooming around black holes. The juxtaposition of observations from these three telescopes provides an in-depth view of the galaxy for both astronomers and the public.

"The amazing scientific discoveries Galileo made four centuries ago are continued today by scientists using NASA's space observatories," said Denise Smith, the unveiling's project manager at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. "NASA's Great Observatories are distributing huge prints of spectacular images so the public can share in the exploration and wonder of the universe."

The unveilings will take place Feb. 14-28 at 76 museums and 40 schools and universities nationwide, reaching both big cities and small towns. Sites are planning celebrations involving the public, schools and local media.

The Astrophysics Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate supports the International Year of Astronomy Great Observatories image unveiling. The project is a collaboration among the Space Telescope Science Institute, the Spitzer Science Center in Pasadena, Calif., and the Chandra X-ray Center in Cambridge, Mass.

Pak hackers plan attack on Indian cyber networks

Pak hackers plan attack on Indian cyber networks

New Delhi, Jan 06: After the Mumbai terror strikes, anti-India elements in Pakistan are now planning an attack on Indian computer networks, intelligence agencies have warned.

Already Pakistani hackers are trying out a dry run against Indian networks through popular websites registered there after the Mumbai terror strikes, Home Ministry sources said here on Tuesday.

"Every time the relations between the two countries dampen, Pakistanis start attacking Indian computer networks and this has increased after the Mumbai terror attacks," a Home Ministry source said.

Pakistani hackers have created websites such as the www.songs.pk, which are infested with software to hack data from the targeted computers, it said.

"The website www.songs.pk has over 12 lakh Indian users who are downloading stuff from these websites daily," said a cyber expert in the Ministry.

With these websites being highly popular, it will take only a few minutes for the hackers to take command of over 12 lakh computers in few minutes and the number of such computers can multiply in every minute, sources said.

"Instead of the existing less harmful virus, new ones such as Botnet and Zoombie can be easily released into the Indian computers, which later on replicate and make the entire server vulnerable," the expert said.

"Now a days new virus and worms are detected while downloading songs from these websites, which could be just a dry run to manage a bigger attack," he said.

Government websites have been highly vulnerable to hacking and they have been intruded many times by the Pakistani hackers.

"Most of the time, these cases are not reported as the server is based in Pakistan and we cannot do anything in this regard," the expert said.

The anti-virus software, too, cannot work in such situation as the virus used in such cyber wars are usually new and the anti-virus software cannot identity and detect it, he said.

"If anti-virus software cannot identify the signature of the virus coming through Internet, it will not detect it and as a result the virus will be downloaded in the computer in spite of such software available in the network," the expert added.

Bureau Report Pak hackers plan attack on Indian cyber networks

New Delhi, Jan 06: After the Mumbai terror strikes, anti-India elements in Pakistan are now planning an attack on Indian computer networks, intelligence agencies have warned.

Already Pakistani hackers are trying out a dry run against Indian networks through popular websites registered there after the Mumbai terror strikes, Home Ministry sources said here on Tuesday.

"Every time the relations between the two countries dampen, Pakistanis start attacking Indian computer networks and this has increased after the Mumbai terror attacks," a Home Ministry source said.

Pakistani hackers have created websites such as the www.songs.pk, which are infested with software to hack data from the targeted computers, it said.

"The website www.songs.pk has over 12 lakh Indian users who are downloading stuff from these websites daily," said a cyber expert in the Ministry.

With these websites being highly popular, it will take only a few minutes for the hackers to take command of over 12 lakh computers in few minutes and the number of such computers can multiply in every minute, sources said.

"Instead of the existing less harmful virus, new ones such as Botnet and Zoombie can be easily released into the Indian computers, which later on replicate and make the entire server vulnerable," the expert said.

"Now a days new virus and worms are detected while downloading songs from these websites, which could be just a dry run to manage a bigger attack," he said.

Government websites have been highly vulnerable to hacking and they have been intruded many times by the Pakistani hackers.

"Most of the time, these cases are not reported as the server is based in Pakistan and we cannot do anything in this regard," the expert said.

The anti-virus software, too, cannot work in such situation as the virus used in such cyber wars are usually new and the anti-virus software cannot identity and detect it, he said.

"If anti-virus software cannot identify the signature of the virus coming through Internet, it will not detect it and as a result the virus will be downloaded in the computer in spite of such software available in the network," the expert added.

Bureau Report

lesson from SATYAM fiasco..........

The recent debate around the proposal by Satyam Computer Services Ltd to acquire a stake in a company related to its promoters has called into question the role of independent directors on the board.
Shareholders, who rely on the presence of such directors to provide the balance against transgressions of governance must now be wondering whether there are other Satyam-like instances, which pass unnoticed.
Satyams’ independent directors included former Cabinet secretary T.R. Prasad, entrepreneur Vinod Dham, and Harvard professor Krishna Palepu and Indian School of Business dean M. Rammohan Rao, the last two, I have had the opportunity to be taught by (although not about governance).
By any yardstick, these are men of eminence and learning who should be independent. Yet this fiasco took place on their watch. One can well imagine the Securities and Exchange Board of India and the US Securities Exchange Commission wondering, if a board so exalted could not protect the interests of minority shareholders, whether there is hope for governance at all.
Also Read Embattled Satyam faces director exodus
There is hope though for better governance with relatively small changes in regulation.
For a start, the measure of independence, should be altered from how it is defined now.
Clause 49, of the Indian listing agreement deals with the role of independent directors and assumes, that not being related to a promoter or having a direct economic benefit from a company, makes a director independent. This definition ignores the reality, namely that even eminent persons, find their prestige enhanced by association with board membership and some having been CEOs earlier, are empathetic to management. The current regulatory dispensation focuses strongly, on what goes into making an independent director, but makes little effort to assess whether that person continues to remain independent, once he is on the board.
Making such an assessment, in the real world is a challenge given that the mere presence of a related party dealing is not in itself evidence of value eroding behaviour. There can be many situations in which a transaction may not appear to pass the “smell test” of governance, but may still benefit the shareholder.
If, Satyam had to pay only a tenth of the price recommended by the promoters, to buy the two Maytas companies, one could make a cogent case, that, despite there being no obvious synergy between the two businesses, the shareholders would have benefited from a good opportunistic investment, at an attractive price.
When faced with such grey situations, the appearance of opacity or inadequate due diligence can be avoided if shareholders had some way, to infer that directors have fulfilled their fiduciary duties.