Yahoo! News Extracts : Father and son film outer space, do-it-yourself style

HAPPY 10.10.10 !! :D

Here is some interesting news I found on Yahoo!

What a father & son will do when they are into space & astronomy..

Read On..

Like many youngsters, and those young at heart, seven-year-old Max Geissbuhler and his dad dreamed of visiting space -- and armed with just a weather balloon, a video camera, and an iPhone, in a way they did just that.

The father-and-son team from Brooklyn managed to send their homemade spacecraft up nearly 19 miles, high into the stratosphere, bringing back perhaps the most impressive amateur space footage ever. The amazing footage starts at 2:35 minutes in the video below.

Homemade Spacecraft from Luke Geissbuhler on Vimeo.

The duo housed the video camera, iPhone, and GPS equipment in a specially designed insulated casing, along with some hand-warmers and a note from Max requesting its safe return from whomever may find it after making it back to solid ground. All told, father and son spent eight months preparing for their homemade journey into space, in hopes of filming "the blackness beyond our earth."

Then, one day in August, Max, his father, and his friend Miles Horner headed out to a nearby park to see their dreams realized. After attaching their equipment to a 19-inch weather balloon and switching on the camera, they watched as their simple craft disappeared high into the sky.

After a little over an hour, the craft reached the stratosphere, 100 thousand feet overhead, and captured some incredible footage of space before the balloon popped and fell back towards earth. They found their spacecraft 25 miles away from where they had let it go -- stuck up in a tree.

Although the camera's battery died some minutes before touching down, the footage the camera returned is impressive. And despite the fact that the craft didn't technically reach the boundaries of space, Max and his father are undoubtedly proud of their accomplishment.

Geissbuhler describes the experience on the video he uploaded to the Internet:

In August 2010, we set out to send a camera to space. The mission was to attach a HD video camera to a weather balloon and send it up into the upper stratosphere to film the blackness beyond our earth. Eventually, the balloon will grow from lack of atmospheric pressure, burst, and begin to fall.

It would have to survive 100 mph winds, temperatures of 60 degrees below zero, speeds of over 150 mph, and the high risk of a water landing. To retrieve the craft, it would need to deploy a parachute, descend through the clouds and transmit a GPS coordinate to a cell phone tower. Then we have to find it.

Needless to say, there are a lot of variables to overcome.

Just as the space-race of the 1960s was driven by a spirit of exploration and ingenuity, so too was the bold idea of Max and Luke Geissbuhler to film the darkness beyond our planet with their homemade spacecraft. And just as mankind was at once emboldened by the success of science and the realm of possibility was widened for an entire generation -- perhaps this father-and-son team can inspire others to follow their dreams, too, do-it-yourself style.

( Extracted from Yahoo! News )

DiGi iPhone 4 Me

21 SEPT 2010 : We had received a message from Agent Codename : Y-M. He sent to us a very unusual cryptic message.

Can you decipher this message?

. . .

Well, if you can't, do not worry because our agents have decoded it and it actually means..

Apple + 4+ Kambing ( Goat ) = Apple iPhone 4 is 'Kambing' To Town.

So, agent Y-M had just discovered one of mankind's greatest inventions; The iPhone 4 .

Well, the news of the iPhone 4 is spreading very fast across the globe.

Everyone wants to get their hands on this sophisticated piece of tech.

But DiGi had already gotten it, and as reward for those that have completed this assignment, they are giving this highly advanced, sophisticated, tech beyond your imagination...

So, you are asking why I want the iPhone 4 ?

The answer is obvious.

It has almost anything you want or have on a phone, the only difference is it is better!

here are the awesome features!!

1. High resolution retina display - sharper images.
2. 960-by-640 resolution
3. 326 ppi
4. Multi-Touch
5. It's new feature- FaceTime ( allows video calling )
6. a 5 MP camera !
7. LED Flash ( what many people want & now its here! )
8. HD Video recording
9. And many other awesome features!

To make you drool even more, here's the video about the features of the iPhone 4:

Well, the iPhone 4 surely will make anyone Happy!!

Tornado Alley.

Tornadoes are one of nature's greatest disasters, yet there are people who would want to see it up close for real !!!

Read On.. an extract from http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/20696/tornado+alley+spawns+new+breed+of+thrill-seeking+tourist/


Which of the following locations does not qualify as a typical vacation destination?:
A) Hawaii, B) Europe, C) the Caribbean, or D) Tornado Alley?

The answer, of course, is "D." But not so fast. An increasing number of people are spending their vacations in Tornado Alley, in the Midwestern United States, to witness up-close one of nature's most powerful and dramatic weather events. Researchers with the University of Missouri label them "Tornado Tourists" and recently profiled them as part of a study that entailed interviews with this unique breed of vacationers and their guides, who charge up to $5,000, besides food and motel costs, for van or SUV tours that can last two weeks. "With the help of movies like 'Twister,' storm-chasing has become an international phenomenon," Carla Barbieri, one of the researchers, said in reference to the 1996 disaster movie, starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton. Barbieri partnered with colleague Sonja Wilhelm Stanis in the study, which found that Tornado Tourists are attracted by the risk associated with being delivered so close in proximity to potentially deadly and unpredictable tornadoes, but also the raw, natural beauty of severe weather events. The guides, who have developed a seasonal industry that lasts through the spring and into summer, are generally meteorologists or veteran storm chasers, who operate between three and 10 tours a season. Nearly two dozen tour operators cover an area from mid-Texas northward into Kansas, Minnesota and Canada.

During the 2009 study period, more than half of their clients were from the U.S., but nearly a third came from Europe; 13% were from Canada and 11% were from Australia. (The 2010 storm-chasing season recently concluded.) Most of these tourists were male, middle-aged
and single, earned higher-than-average incomes, and did not have children. By and large, they were satisfied with their experiences, even though only one-third actually got to witness a tornado.


Half of the clients saw a funnel cloud nearly all of them reported seeing a significant atmospheric event, which might include lightening and hail. "Although tornado tourism is a small niche market, the market continues to grow with help from television shows and movies," Wilhelm Stanis said.

"Storm-chasing tours continue to develop as part of the Midwest's tourism scene, with tours filling up as much as a year in advance." The researchers did not mention whether any of the Tornado Tourists have injured or killed by tornadoes. Mike Meadows, a professional photographer who for the past five seasons has accompanied experts in pursuit of tornado-producing storms, said in an interview that he has witnessed the growth of the tornado tourism industry first-hand, and added that not all storm chasers are part of organized tours. During a recent pursuit of a severe storm in southern Kansas, Meadows and his group were chasing the disturbance at 65 mph on a rain-soaked road. "We counted 77 chasers that passed us going at least 90 mph," Meadows said. The photographer added that the storm stalled, as his group had anticipated, and it was the group that saw what the overly-eager chasers had missed by driving to fast: the spawning of two tornadoes.

Yahoo News Extracts : Meteors Light Up Midwest Sky!

Here's a video from Yahoo! News.

Meteors Light Up Midwest Sky!

People call 911 after witnessing a meteor shower and sonic booms.

Click here to watch.

Okay!
That's All For Now!

Yahoo! News Extracts : Turn it off, take action for Earth Hour

Well, Well..

Earth Hour Had Just Past.

DID YOU TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS??

Alright, about 125 countries & regions took part in this year's Earth Hour.

More Info Below.

What single event will unite 3,500 cities, towns, and municipalities in 125 countries and regions -- along with at least 80 million Americans? What worldwide action is hugely symbolic yet so simple, even a child can participate?

It's Earth Hour, and it happens for the fourth time on Saturday, March 27, 2010, starting at 8:30 p.m. local time. Just turn off the lights, and you're in.

Landmarks like the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Empire State Building in New York, St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Sydney's Opera House, and the Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens will go dark for one hour.

The Empire State Building's lights will
be turned off. (Photo: Brian Nielson)

New monuments turning off the lights this time include Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Toronto's CN Tower, the Burj Khalifa (world's tallest building) in Dubai, and the Bosphorus Bridge that links Asia to Europe in Turkey

Countries like the Czech Republic, Madagascar, Nepal, Panama, Saudi, Arabia, Lithuania, and the Cook Islands will participate in the light's out demonstration for their first time in 2010. They're joining Earth Hour originator Australia and past participants such as Brazil, Hong Kong, Egypt, Great Britain, Switzerland, and Japan.

London Bridge as it is lit every night.


How London Bridge will look during Earth Hour. (Photos: World Wildlife Fund)

In the U.S., New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is turning off his lights, and so is the Phoenix Suns' Steve Nash. Downtown Atlanta, Chicago, and Nashville will dim. The usually glittering Las Vegas Strip will flick off the switch of the iconic "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign along with the marquees for dozens of [ Click here to continue. ]

( Extracted from Yahoo! Green )

Okay!

that's all for now!

Yahoo! News Extracts : Last Chance to Get a Good Look at Mars Until 2012

I was just browsing thorough Yahoo! as usual.

I stumbled upon this post!

On Thursday night, March 25, many people may look up at the sky and ask the question, "What's that bright star next to the moon?"

The answer for Thursday night is Mars, but that answer changes night by night as the moon travels along the ecliptic, the path the sun, moon and planets follow across the sky. If you ask the question again on Monday night, March 29, the answer will be the ringed planet Saturn.

Such conjunctions of the moon and planets are regular reminders of how rapidly the moon moves across the sky.

Mars was in opposition to the Sun on Jan. 29, when it appeared 14 arcseconds in diameter, 1/120 of the diameter of the moon. Two months later, it is much farther away, and has shrunk to only 10 arcseconds in diameter.

This will be your last chance to get a good look at Mars until it approaches the Earth again in 2012.

The sky these spring evenings presents a striking contrast between its western half, filled with the bright stars and constellations of winter, and its eastern half, with Regulus the only bright star. Mars sits in solitary splendor in Cancer, one of the most insignificant zodiac constellations, just above the plane of the Milky Way.

But there is much lurking beyond the dim stars of spring, for we are entering the realm of the galaxies. The constellation Leo alone contains five of the brightest galaxies in Charles Messier's famous 18th century catalog of deep sky objects.

When we look towards Leo, we are looking above the plane of our Milky Way galaxy at the depths of intergalactic space, unhindered by the clouds of dust and gas which fill our galaxy.

( Extracted from Yahoo! News )

Okay! That's All For Now!

Earth Hour 2010

We had EARTH HOUR last year.

NOW, WWF are having it once again this year.

SO, Are you going to switch off YOUR LIGHTS ??

From 8.30 till 9.30; 27th March 2010, The entire world will switch off their lights as a sign possible to take action on global warming..

Official Site >> http://www.earthhour.org/

Okay!
That's All For Now!!!

Yahoo! News Extracts : The world's only immortal animal?

I was just browsing thorough Yahoo! , then this title caught my eyes!!


' The world's only immortal animal? '

Read On...

(Photo: Peter Schuchert)

The turritopsis nutricula species of jellyfish may be the only animal in the world to have truly discovered the fountain of youth.

Since it is capable of cycling from a mature adult stage to an immature polyp stage and back again, there may be no natural limit to its life span. Scientists say the hydrozoan jellyfish is the only known animal that can repeatedly turn back the hands of time and revert to its polyp state (its first stage of life).

The key lies in a process called trans differentiation, where one type of cell is transformed into another type of cell. Some animals can undergo limited transdifferentiation and regenerate organs, such as salamanders, which can regrow limbs. Turritopsi nutricula, on the other hand, can regenerate its entire body over and over again. Researchers are studying the jellyfish to discover how it is able to reverse its aging process.

Because they are able to bypass death, the number of individuals is spiking. They're now found in oceans around the globe rather than just in their native Caribbean waters. "We are looking at a worldwide silent invasion," says Dr. Maria Miglietta of the Smithsonian Tropical Marine Institute.

Bryan Nelson is a regular contributor to Mother Nature Network, where a version of this post originally appeared.

( extracted from Yahoo! Green News )

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That's All For Now!!

Train Your Memory!!

I found out about this game ;

Well, It looks Kind of Easy But Is Actually Very Challenging!!

http://www.photographicmemorygame.com/index.php?

I Only Managed To Get To Level 3...

Okay!
That's All For Now!!

Heat Wave.

The heat is scalding hot these days;

Even construction workers use an umbrella while they're working...

Well, this is very interesting..

THE WEATHER NOW IS REALLY HEATING UP EVERY DAY.....

FASCINATING FACTS!!! ( 2 )

FASCINATING FACTS !!!

• HOW DO YOU SAY ' NOWHERE ' ??

Do You say as :
a) No Where
OR
b) Now Here!!

• STRESSED OUT SOMETIMES??
  

TAKE DESSERTS!!!

WHY??

SPELL OUT ' STRESSED ' Backwards!!!
It spells out as ' DESSERTS!!!!! '

MORE FACTS HERE.

Okay! That's All For Now!!

Out-Of-This-World!! IMAGES - The Unbreakble Pencil !!??

' THE LATEST IN PENCIL TECHNOLOGY!!!!!* '

The Unbreakable Bendable Pencil!!



Looks like an ordinary pencil but it....
.
.
.
BENDS!!!



AND YOU COULD TIE IT ALSO!!!!! lol..

Okay! That's All For Now!!

Burj Dubai - World's Tallest Buiding

The Burj Kalifa aka Burj Dubai ; The World's Tallest Building.

Formerly known as Burj Dubai, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and the tallest man-made structure ever built, at 828 m (2,717 ft).^[2] Construction began on 21 September 2004, with the exterior of the structure completed on 1 October 2009. The building officially opened on 4 January 2010.^[1][8] The building is part of the 2 km² (490-acre) flagship development called Downtown Burj Khalifa at the "First Interchange" along Sheikh Zayed Road, near Dubai's main business district.

The design architect Adrian Smith has said the triple-lobed footprint of the building was inspired by the flower Hymenocallis.^[33]

Burj Khalifa compared to some other well-known tall structures.
( Double-Clcik To View Larger Image )

( Extracted from Wikipedia. )

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Yahoo! News Extracts : World's Fastest Train!

Yesterday, China launched the World's Fastest Operational Train!!

Read All About It From Yahoo! News.

BEIJING (AFP) – China on Saturday unveiled what it billed as the fastest rail link in the world -- a train connecting the modern cities of Guangzhou and Wuhan at an average speed of 350 kilometres (217 miles) an hour.

The super-high-speed train reduces the 1,069 kilometre journey to a three hour ride and cuts the previous journey time by more than seven and a half hours, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Work on the project began in 2005 as part of plans to expand a high-speed network aimed at eventually linking Guangzhou, a business hub in southern China near Hong Kong, with the capital Beijing, Xinhua added.

"The train can go 394.2 kilometres per hour, it's the fastest train in operation in the world, [ Click To Read On... ]

Fireflies @ Kuala Selangor

FIREFLIES; THE 8TH WONDER OF THE WORLD.
I went to Kuala Selangor a few days ago to see the Fireflies there.


REVIEW?? : MAGNIFICENT!!

It looks like lights on Christmas Trees...
They light up very simultaneously!!
BUT they are really real fireflies; one of it flew and landed right on me!!

But, everywhere is pitch dark.the good thing is we can see the fireflies better!
It must be seen by the human eyes..because when I video-ed it, it looks very dark & you can't really see them.

' YOU MUST GO AND SEE THE FIREFLIES FOR YOURSELVES !! '

And did you know; not only the fireflies glow BUT their eggs, larva & pupa too!

P.S. - they are best seen when the night is clear and it isn't raining .

That's all for now!! :)

Yahoo! News Extracts : 100 Icebergs Drifting To New Zealand!

Here Is An Interesting News I Got From Yahoo! News.

SYDNEY (AFP) – More than 100, and possibly hundreds, of Antarctic icebergs are floating towards New Zealand in a rare event which has prompted a shipping warning, officials said on Monday.

An Australian Antarctic Division glaciologist said the ice chunks, spotted by satellite photography, had passed the Auckland Islands and were heading towards the main South Island, about 450 kilometres (280 miles) northeast.

Scientist Neal Young said more than 100 icebergs -- some measuring more than 200 metres (650 feet) across -- were seen in just one cluster, indicating there could be hundreds more.

He said they were the remains of a massive ice floe which split from the Antarctic as sea and air temperatures rise due to global warming. [ Click Here To Read On ... ]

( adapted from Yahoo! News )

Looks Like We 're Now Is Indeed Experiencing Massive Global Warming..

Do Leave A Comment... :) Thanks.

2012.

WE WERE WARNED.

2012.
The Next Upcoming Epic, Heart pounding, Anticipating Movie Of The Year The World's Been Waiting For Is Finally Here!

Info>>

Release Date: 12 November 2009
Language: English
Director: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Amanda Peet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Danny Glover, John Cusack

Synopsis:

Over the decades, many have prophesied that the world will end when the ancient Mayan calendar ceases on 21 December 2012. But before that occurs, the human race is bound to face natural disasters such as massive volcano eruptions, typhoons and other natural calamities. An academic researcher opens a portal into a parallel universe and makes contact with his double in order to prevent an apocalypse predicted by the ancient Mayans.

Official Trailer >>




Info From Wikipedia On The 2012 Apocalyptic Phenomenon.

The 2012 phenomenon is a range of beliefs and proposals positing that cataclysmic or transformative events will occur in the year 2012.^[1][2] The forecast is based primarily on what is claimed to be the end-date of the Mayan Long Count calendar, which is presented as lasting 5,125 years and as terminating on December 21 or 23, 2012. Arguments supporting this dating are drawn from a mixture of amateur archaeoastronomy, alternative interpretations of mythology, numerological constructions, and alleged prophecies from extraterrestrial beings.

A New Age interpretation of this transition posits that, during this time, the planet and its inhabitants may undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation, and that 2012 may mark the beginning of a new era.

A film called 2012, directed by Roland Emmerich, has employed a viral marketing campaign drawing on fears of an apocalypse in that year. This campaign, which masquerades as a public awareness video from the fictitious "Institute for Human Continuity", has been roundly criticised by scientists and sceptics for contributing to popular anxiety on the topic.

( adapted from Wikipedia. )

I am so excited and anticipated over this Blockbuster Movie! I think it is a MUST WATCH!!

World Wonders : The Greenwich Meridien.

The Prime Meridian is the meridian (line of longitude) at which longitude is defined to be 0°.

The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian (at 180° longitude), which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Unlike the parallels of latitude, which are defined by the rotational axis of the Earth (thepoles being 90° and the equator 0°), the Prime Meridian is arbitrary. By international convention, the modern Prime Meridian passes through the Royal Observatory, Greenwich (at 51°28′38″N 0°00′00″E), in southeast London, United Kingdom, known as the International Meridian or Greenwich Meridian.

( adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Meridian )

Laser marking the Prime Meridian from the observatory.

- HISTORY OF THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY. -

The modern Greenwich Meridian, based at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, was established by Sir George Airy in 1851.

By 1884, over two-thirds of all ships and tonnage used it as the reference meridian on their maps. In October of that year, at the behest of U.S. President Chester A. Arthur , 41 delegates from 25 nations met in Washington D.C. , USA, for the International Meridian Conference . This conference selected the Greenwich Meridian as the official Prime Meridian due to its popularity. However, France abstained from the vote and French maps continued to use the Paris Meridian for decades.

The Greenwich Meridian is now marked at night by a Laser beam emitted northwards from the observatory.( as above picture)

I went there last time... it was nice & quite interesting...

Here are a few pictures i search from the Internet...

The Prime Meridian in Greenwich.



The Greenwich Clock.

Okay! That's All For Now!!

History Of Halloween...

Today Is Halloween...

BUT,

Have you ever thought about the origins & the history of how Halloween come about??

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain(pronounced sow-in).

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.

The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.

( adapted from http://www.history.com/content/halloween/real-story-of-halloween )

[ Haunting Historic Stories ]

On April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate forces to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.

Although the last Rebel troops would not surrender until May, the Civil War was effectively over. The Union had held. But, a weary President Abraham Lincoln would not live to see the triumphant march of the Army of the Potomac through the streets of Washington. Just five days later, on April 14, 1865, he was shot by a Southern sympathizer, John Wilkes Booth, in Ford's Theater. He died the next day.

Psychics believe that President Lincoln has never left the White House, that his spirit remains to complete the business of his... [ Click Here To Continue.... ]