Photoshop CS5

According to Photoshop CS5 .co.uk
They claim that it will be released on March 2010

Does anyone else think this is realistic date release for CS5?

http://www.photoshopcs5.co.uk

Video of Google Internet Browser Chrome!

Google has been keen for a long while to make its name in the browser world.
Chrome is the name of the browser Google is now launching to compete with Internet Explorer and Firefox.



Chrome browser is a fully open source web browser. It is designed to be lightweight with your computers RAM and therfore freeing up more Ram for the operating of the system in a similar way to Firefox 3, so the Google browser should be very fast

Googles Chrome will launch as a beta for Windows machines in 100 countries, with Mac and Linux versions to come.
Google spokesmen claim they needed to completely rethink the way the browser works. It expected to cope with the next generation of web applications that rely heavily on graphics and multimedia. Google browser should take advantage of developments it is pushing online in rich web applications that are challenging traditional desktop programs. So off-line applications like Outlook and Excel (in fact Google can cover the coplete Office suite) will gradually become a thing of the past
It's certainly the biggest news in the browser space since Firefox started to dent Internet Explorer's lead and many people see this as a re-ignition of the browser wars





The launch of a beta version of Chrome on Tuesday will be Google's latest assault on Microsoft's dominance of the PC business. The firm's Internet Explorer program dominates the browser landscape, with 80% of the market.

Googles Blog claims "This is just the beginning -- Google Chrome is far from done. We're releasing this beta for Windows to start the broader discussion and hear from you as quickly as possible. We're hard at work building versions for Mac and Linux too, and will continue to make it even faster and more robust".

No doubt this will be another move in the right direction from ever growing Google.

3D Televison for real - NOW?

I just clicked on an adwords link claiming that without 3d glasses a true 3d televison was now available. Now that did take my interest. I thought this was only a pipedream and that unless you wear funny green and red glasses it would never happen. It even claims an out of screen effect - now hang on i really can't see this being true, but i decided to read on.

Having looked a little closer though it seems it is now available as a 42 inch set with Philips. It's known as Philips 42" 3DWOW - WOWvx Technology
It's claimed to have 3D Intelligent Display Solutions along with HD autostereoscopic multiview displays. So what does that all mean?

So to use quotes from their catalogue on this product
"The 3D televison offers a 42” autostereoscopic 3D display family, and claims to offer today’s best 3D viewing experiences. The slanted multi-view lenticular lens technology affords full brightness and full contrast and allows multiple users to view 3D content at the same time,






within a large comfort zone. Moreover, a true colour representation is ensured by the lenticular lens technology. The display is based on a High Definition panel and thus enables great picture quality in 2D and 3D mode. Integrated advanced display signal-processing offers content creators and end-users full control over the quality and depth-effect characteristics of the picture. Furthermore, a flexible 3D data interface, in the form of 2D-plus-depth, allows easy creation or adaptation of applications and content for the display".

Exciting out-of-screen true stereoscopic effects immediately grab the attention of the viewer.

Specifications include:
The display requires no need for 3D glasses has multiple users experience 3D at the same time
large 3D viewing zone. It also has true colour representation. 2D high-definition video playback autosensing between 2D and 3D mode. Also they claim integrated intelligent signal processing, flexible 3D data format through 2D-plus-depth, 3D application performance and distribution bandwidth close to 2D. OpenGL Vizualizer and Control, Real-time stereoscopic video to 3D conversion, Plugin-ins for popular 3D animation software available (3DSMax) and Semi-automatic 2D to 3D conversion post-processing software

Guide: Venues for Olympic Events London 2012

Venues for Olympic Events London 2012
So where exactly will they take place in 2012. If you are keen to see sport at its highest quality then it's useful to know where you will need to go and what sports will be nearest to you.

The Olympic Park will be the focus of attention during the 2012 games. It will allow 180,000 spectators a day and is based in the Lower Lea Valley. After the Games the area will be transformed into the largest urban park created in Europe for more than 150 years.Building work began three months early with the start of construction of the Olympic Stadium in May 2008.

This is the latest guide:
In Olympic Park:

Aquatics
New venue
17,500 seats, Swimming and Diving events; 5,000 Water Polo
Located in the south east corner of the Olympic Park, the Aquatics Centre will be the ‘gateway’ to the Park during the Games.

Basketball; Wheelchair Basketball; Wheelchair Rugby; Modern Pentathlon
New venue
12,000 seats, Temporary/relocatable; The Basketball Arena will be a temporary venue in the northern part of the Olympic Park

Canoe/Kayak Slalom
New venue
12,000 seats
Temporary and permanent at Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre

Volleyball
Existing venue at Earls Court, London
15,000 seats, Permanent, will return to existing use after 2012 Olympics.

Rowing and Flatwater Canoe/Kayak, Paralympic Rowing
Existing, with enhancements to the warm-up lane and additional access points for Canoe/Kayak racing.
20,000 seats
Permanent at Eton Dorney: Near Windsor Castle, around 25 miles west of London.

Paralympic Archery and Wheelchair Tennis
New venue at Eton Manor, the Paralympic Archery and Wheelchair Tennis venue, will be at the north of the Olympic Park.
10,500 seats for Wheelchair Tennis; 2,000 seats for Paralympic Archery
Becomes Tennis Centre and Hockey Stadium after 2012

Boxing, Fencing, Judo, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Boccia, Paralympic Table Tennis, Paralympic Powerlifting, Wheelchair Basketball
Existing venue
Permanent venue: ExCeL London is situated near London City Airport in east London’s Royal Victoria Dock.

Football
Existing Stadiums throughout UK
How many seats in 2012: Various
Permanent venues: Football will be held at several stadiums throughout the country, with finals held at Wembley Stadium in London.

Equestrian; Paralympic Equestrian; Modern Pentathlon
New venue
23,000 seats at temporary venue
Greenwich Park includes the Old Royal Naval College and National Maritime Museum, which, together with Greenwich Park, are part of a World Heritage Site.

Mountain Bike Cycling
New temporary venue
3,000 plus standing around the course
Hadleigh Farm in Essex has been chosen as the alternative to the original site for the Mountain Bike competition, Weald Country Park. The alternative was found after a change in requirements for the sport that resulted in the need for a more technical and challenging course.

Handball, Modern Pentathlon, Goalball
New permanent venue
7,000 seats at The Handball Arena will be towards the west of the Olympic Park, to the south of the Hockey Centre, within four minutes of the Olympic Village.

Hockey, Paralympic Five-a-side Football, Paralympic Seven-a side Football
New venue with 20,000 seats
Moves to the north of the Park after the Games
The Hockey Centre will be to the north west of the Olympic Park, next to the International Broadcast Centre/Main Press Centre and north of the Handball Arena.

Beach Volleyball
New temporary venue for 15,000 seats
Located at the Horse Guards Parade. It dates from 1745 and takes its name from the soldiers who have provided protection for the monarch since the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.

Triathlon, 10km Open Water Swim
New temporary venue with 3,000 seats
Located in the largest of London’s Royal Parks, Hyde Park. It has been open to the public since 1637.

Archery
Existing venue for 6,500
Permanent cricket ground in London
Lord’s Cricket Ground has been home to cricket since 1814 and regularly hosts both test matches and one day international matches.

Gymnastics, Basketball
Existing permanent venue with 20,000 seats
Originally built for the Millennium celebrations, North Greenwich Arena 1 has been transformed into a sports and entertainment arena with shops, restaurants and more. It opened to the public in June 2007.

Badminton, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Volleyball (sitting)
New temporary venue?seating 6,000
North Greenwich Arena 2 will be next to the North Greenwich Arena 1, at the tip of the Greenwich peninsula opposite the mouth of the River Lea.

Athletics, Paralympic Athletics
New permanent venue seating 80,000 - converts to 25,000 seat stadium after 2012
The Olympic Stadium design allows for an 80,000 seat Athletics stadium to be converted into a more easily maintained 25,000 seat venue after the Games. The design enables a roof to stretch around the Stadium to provide cover and support the lighting and sound systems used to stage the Games. It will also provide a base for special effects during the ceremonies. The Stadium will be built to international track and field standards for athletes. Since 22 May 2008 construction started at the south of the Olympic Park on an island site surrounded on three sides by waterways, within easy walking distance of the Olympic Village and warm-up facilities.

Road cycling
Existing temporary venue seating 3,000
Taking place atone of London’s famous Royal Parks, the Regent’s Park has been open to the public since 1845.

Shooting, Paralympic Shooting
Existing temporary venue seating 7,500
The Royal Artillery Barracks is on the edge of Woolwich Common in south east London, close to World Heritage Site of Greenwich Park.

Track Cycling, BMX, Paralympic Track Cycling
New temporary venue seating 12,000
The VeloPark will be built in the north of the Olympic Park and is made up of a Velodrome and BMX Circuit.

Sailing, Paralympic Sailing
Existing permanent venue? No seats at venue
Weymouth and Portland Harbour on the South coast of England will be the venue for the Olympic and Paralympic Sailing competitions.

Tennis
New permanent venue for 30,000
Wimbledon is the home of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and the setting for the famous Wimbledon tennis tournament since 1877. It is the only remaining major grass-court Tennis venue in the world. Based in South West London.

So whether you're watching Aquatics, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Canoe and Kayak, Cycling, Equestrian, Fencing, Football, Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Modern Pentathlon, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Weightlifting or Wrestling you now know where to go!

F1 Drivers are Trulli Concerned about Racing at Night!

F1 Drivers are Trulli Concerned about Racing at Night!

After this weeks race at Valencia where Massa, Raikkonen and Hamilton look to make the Formula One calendar an exciting 3 horse race until the end of the season. While Kimi seems to loose another chance to defend his title, the drivers are concerned about the new Singapore night race.

In an interview at the weekend Toyota's Jarno Trulli revealed the Grand Prix Drivers' Association are worried about the first ever night race at Singapore. The night Grand Prix takes place without pre-race testing under floodlights and the the timetable for the Singapore race affords little evening practice for the drivers.

Trulli declared in the Valencia paddock: "We are a little bit concerned. When We go to Singapore, we haven't tested, we don't have any idea what the tracks like. It's going to be a night race, it's going to be the rainy season, so it's not exactly what you really want from a safety point of view. It doesn't look comfortable so far."

Why a night race?
In this very commercial sport, it seems to be more and more dictated by advertising revenue, particularly from television coverage. The sport has a huge following in Europe. Thus an evening in Singapore makes a convenient TV coverage time in Europe. Bigger viewing audience, brings in bigger sponsors.

Ask any racing fan from the the United States and they will wonder why all the fuss. Nascar and Cart racing has been taking place under floodlights for years. In fact i guess that after the initial two minutes novelty of a slightly different light, no-one will know any different.

Gas Pump Icon Theory - Untrue!

I was sent a very interesting email the other day from a friend. It claimed to unravel the mystery of knowing which side the petrol cap sits on a car - without having to look a wally brain and poking your head out of your window or parking on the wrong side of a pump and having to stretch the the nozzle across half the petrol forecourt. Of course this is only an issue when you first buy a car or hire a car for a few days.

Now in theory this sounds brilliant - in practice it appears untrue

What is the theory?
Next time you're in your car, take a look at your fuel gauge. This icon indicates whether you need to choose the left or right pump. How? The email claimed that if its on the left, then fill up on your left, if its on the right, then fill up on the right. A simple and brilliant theory, but i don't think its true.

Why is the theory untrue?
Take a image search on Google for "petrol gauge" or "gas icon" - you will not find an image with a left hand nozzle on, they are all on the right. Law of average says they would be around 50% spread as that is the way cars are made for an even spread at gas stations.

That's another good question, why don't cars all have a filling cap on one side?
Well as implied above, the even distribution of half the cars on the road with a filling cap on the right and half on the left helps keep an easier moving queuing system at the pump.

So next time you fill up and use our cool easy guide to calculate your cars fuel efficiency , have a quick check at your fuel icon and see if I'm right.

If you are a car designer and you want to adopt this amazing idea - go ahead, i think it would be far better as a reality rather than a has been theory.

Jeremy Clarkson is to be made Uk Prime Minister...

Jeremy Clarkson is to be made UK Prime Minister. Well we're not serious but you would think the government were as Downing Street have made a reply to it. Downing Street has been accused of wasting taxpayers' money after making a you tube video in response to a petition for Jeremy Clarkson to be made Prime Minister a few weeks back.



That was the idea put to Clarkson a few weeks back and of course no-one took it seriously including Jeremy Clarkson himself. he said he has little responsibility for the influence he had as a journalist, Clarkson argued that he had no influence and the Top Gear banter was just fluff.

Clarkson dumbed down any involvement in Downing Street when asked at the Hay Festival in Powys about a 1,000-strong Facebook group calling for him to get his job. Clarkson hates health and safety rules and bureaucracy and would strongly move to end such nonsense.

Clarkson also spoke about his abhorrence of bad manners and lateness and joked that if he did become prime minister he would make people arrive on time.


The You tube clip thanks everyone who signed the online petition and says officials have "thought long and hard" about it.

The 55-second clip, on Number 10's You Tube site, was created after nearly 50,000 people backed a call for the Top Gear presenter to be prime minister.

How to Successfully Pitch on Dragons Den: 12 steps

How to Successfully Pitch on Dragons Den: 12 steps

Could you pitch on Dragons Den? Well many have failed, but here is a list of the ten areas you'll need to succeed in to stand a chance of an investment.

1. What would you do with the invest money?
Don't say spend it! Or pay my wages! The Dragon's want to hear at least 3 broken down areas: Marketing, Stock and Development. Also make sure the 3 totals do add up to the total investment!

2. What orders do you have?
Friends and family really count for nothing as they are no doubt buying as a charitable gift and then laughing when you’re gone. Produce hard facts or documented promises from big companies, this always gets the Dragon's interest.

3. Make sure it's patented
If it's not protected then what's to stop the Dragon himself copying it. They love to feel the item or invention is exclusive and unique. So get it patented before going into the dragons den.

4. Know your potential market.
How large is the market? You must know the market potential as you may have a product that provides 200% profit, but if no-one wants it then how will the Dragons ever make a return on their money. Be realistic, is there a true hole in the market?

5. What is the profit margin?
The dragons are most interested in profit. If you can't answer this question then don't embarrass yourself by turning up. Net profit, profit margins, turnover are all essential elements of the preparation for the den and no matter which way round they are asked they must add up.

6. Be upfront about other business and debts.
No Dragon likes outstanding debts or other businesses tied up with the entrepreneur. If this is the case be upfront, Dragons will tare into you if they discover these hidden skeletons in the cupboard, and they'll be out before you get a chance to explain your defence.

7. Justify a sensible valuation of your company.
The rule of the den is to pitch the investment required for a percentage of the company. This gives a clear figure as to the value of the company. We all know that dragons want a serious chunk, but they'll refuse to invest if you aren’t realistic in the first place.

8. Know your projected profit.
Generally they will want to see a good return within a maximum of 3 years, so its best you have a good idea as to what you can accomplish with their money within a 3 year time line.

9. Never take more than 3 minutes pitch.
The dragons are an impatient lot, and loose interest very quickly, so get them involved from the start and always speak with enthusiasm and confidence. You'll answer a lot more than 3 minutes worth of information if they are showing an interest in the entrepreneur.

10. Have "business accruement" or a friend
This is one of the most failed areas on Dragons Den. If you aren’t good with figures then under the dens rules you can invite a financial expert to provide you support. The worst case scenario is having wrong answers. The dragons aren’t stupid, so don't ever think you can pull the wool over their eyes.

11. Does it solve a real problem?
Some inventions supposedly solve a problem that doesn’t exist. Or they solve one problem but cause an even bigger problem. You will be interrogated and grilled, so make sure you have found a real answer to a real problem.

12. Don't argue!
If there is a disagreement or misunderstanding, keep it professional, never argue or fly accusations at the dragon as they don't suffer fools gladly and they won't want to work with someone they can't get on with, so smile sweetly and explain calmly.

Both BBC Top Gear Stigs Identified : Revelation

Who is the stig? That question has been asked a thousand times on the web and everyone has an opinion on the answer. Below are my current findings....

My Strategy: Deduction, clues and facts

My Conclusion:
New Stig : Julian Bailey
Original Stig : Perry McCarthy

New Stig : Julian Bailey

Original Stig : Perry McCarthy



For those in the UK or who tune into BBC Top Gear they will be aware of a masked (actually helmeted - if that's a word) racing driver. He is the one that drives fast cars around a Top Gear track and records a faster time than anyone else (including Lewis Hamilton!). He also drives round with chosen celebrities so they get to know the track for a couple of laps and then are able to put in a fast time themselves. He is only ever seen in a white helmet and driving overall - so no one can actually see who he or she is.

For a few years now, avid viewers have been trying to identify who is behind the white helmet of the New Stig.

History: The Old Stig
Firstly lets make this clear - there has been two Stigs. The old Stig was Perry McCarthy - The former racing driver - he was the first Stig - Confirmed in his Autobiography, this is nothing new and has been known for some time.
This first (black-suited Stig) was ‘killed off’ a few years back. Perry McCarthy is a little-known F1 driver who qualified in a handful of Formula One races and few will remember.

What we know about the New Stig that's worth knowing
The clues each week from the Top Gear team are of no help, like his favorite food is raw meat, he likes Elton John singing the song "Daniel" and his current ring tone is Coronation Street - all these things are red herrings dreamed up by Jeremy Clarkson and team - ignore.

Now to a few facts:
He is a very fast racing driver
He has a passport as he has joined the team in Europe on more than one occasion.
He can't be the drivers that have already been seen racing against him on the show as that would be silly (though i wouldn't put that beyond the Top Gear team).
He must have a racing driver's licence to drive the F1 cars.
He's a slender man - so James May and Mark Blundell are out of the running!


The New Stig Shortlist:

Ben Collins - an experienced single seater and Sports car driver

Simon Cowell - again due to great lap times, some have said it could be him but he is too committed to other shows like Pop Idol.

This leads to:
Julian Bailey - Another rapid but little known F1 driver who could be the new Stig as he is a similar driver in fame ranking to the original Perry McCarthy. Bailey made 20 Grand Prix starts but, like McCarthy, didn’t qualify for most of them because his cars were too slow. He stopped racing in F1 when he ran out of money, but he is definitely quick enough to perform the lap times of the Stig and has a similar build.

When you look at Julian Bailey and take into account the first Stig was of a similar caliber it becomes obvious that this is your man!

Of course - you may have your say on the matter...

Guide to 2 Easy Ways to Calculate Your Cars Fuel Efficiency

With the price of Petrol Gas increasing and green issues raised on every news item, your cars MPG (Miles Per Gallon) is an essential piece of information, as it could save you a barrel load of money as well as provide an efficient comparison to whether your next car is worthy of purchase. Fact : The higher the MPG, the more efficient your car is, and the cheaper it'll be to keep it fueled. Once you have calculated your car's MPG, you can do many useful things, like calculate how much a small rise in petrol/gas prices will affect your monthly budget, or how getting a car with better MPG will lower your monthly costs. Below we will provide 2 of the simplest ways to calculate this.



Most drivers won't calculate the MPG as they think it will be too complicated or just hugely inaccurate - wrong!. It's so easy and may easily surprise you how varied cars can be even with the same size engine.

For the European market the formula 1 mile per gallon = 0.354006044 kilometers per liter may prove useful if you intend to work it out in miles per liter on one car and mpg on another.


1. Easy Fuel Efficiency Calculation

Step 1 - Fill her up
Go to the gas station and fill up the fuel tank.

Step 2 - Record Mileage X
Grab a sheet of paper and enter the mileage, before even pulling away from the Gas station. We will call this Mileage X in this example.

Step 3 - Drive your car like normal!
Drive around under your normal day to day routine to the point where you start to think about filling the car up again(you don't need to drive it right down to empty).

Step 4 - Fill Her Up Again form the same pump and note the amount of Gallons!
It may sound bizarre, but for accuracy sake fill up the car tank from the same petrol station. This time, pay attention to how many gallons it takes to fill up the tank. This is usually shown at the pump and make a note of it on the paper - we'll call this figure G.

Step 5 - Record Mileage Y
Record the mileage again, just like before. We will call this Mileage Y.

Step 6 - Find Mileage Z (miles Driven since you last filled up)
Subtract the figure X from the figure Y to provide you with a figure Z. This will give you the number of miles you drove since your last filled the tank up.

Final Step - Calculate MPG
Divide figure Z by the number of G, the number of gallons it took to fill up your tank in step 4. This will give you your car's Mile Per Gallon.

Summary above: X - Y = Z / G
or
original mileage - current mileage = mileage done / Gallons filled up

Once you have this, you can compare to other car models.


2 Easy Fuel Efficiency Calculation from 3rd party web sites

there are some useful web sites around that will also help in this
You can download all sorts of spreadsheets and databases for all the latest car models and their expected fuel efficiency levels here:
http://www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk/downloads/may2006.asp

There is a Gas price checker here for USA :www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/gasprices/states/index.shtml

There is a Petrol price checker here for UK :www.petrolprices.com/

Also GasDandy gas mileage calculator records important data that keeps your vehicle healthy. Track Fuel Expenses, Record Gas Mileage, Odometer Readings, Fuel Costs, Fuel Purchase Dates, Oil Changes, Tire Rotations and Business Mileage. This is found here:www.gasdandy.com/

Spare UK Apple iPhone? Top 4 Things You Can Do With It!

Spare UK O2 Apple iPhone? Top 4 Things You Can Do With It!

Do you have a first-generation iPhone and are about to purchase the new iPhone 3G. When someone does that, what's the best way to use the old model? In the UK O2 have the distrubution rights to the UK phone market. Their web site provides a few good alternatives for the UK market.

I suppose it could be decided alone on what your motive is, to make money? Put it to good use, help out a mate? Use it with a previous contract and so on.... In effect if you leave it as it is its a pretty smart piece of kit as it is in effect a top iPod or more accurately the iPod Touch

Choice 1. Find a friend...
Assuming this isn't that difficult, this could prove to be a great gift to a friend.
Even without an O2 contract, this can be easily activated by inserting a Pay as you go sim - these are currently free from the O2 shops, on-line and the Carphone Warehouse. There is also an opportunity to make the most of the iPhone features, you can add the O2 Web and Wi-Fi Bolt On for £10 a month giving you unlimited browsing and Wi-Fi access. To add the Bolt On you'll need to either call 2425 free or text WWW to 21300 free or visit your local iPhone dealer.

The iPhone SIM card is set to the Favourite Place tariff, so gives you unlimited calls to any UK landline or O2 mobile from your chosen postcode when you top-up £30 or more a month. If you don't like the sound of this tariff, you'll be able to switch to one of our other Pay & Go tariffs.


Choice 2. Selling Your iPhone on eBay or local Exchange and Mart
After the launch of the iPhone 3G, the market for iPhones has decreased slightly, though not as much as One might expect. Some 8 GB models are still selling on eBay for around £200, with quite a few hitting £250 depending on add-ons and packaging etc


Choice 3. Convert to iPod Touch
Depending on what your current iPod item is this could be a real sensible move - purchasing an original iPhone and using it as an iPod Touch. It means you have the best of both worlds especially if you have a local Wifi signal in reach, you can almost have the same functionality of an Iphone at best and Touch at worse with no contract!

Choice 4. Go For Jailbreak
Jailbreaking your iPhone or unlocking it is an option i wouldn't reccommend, but it is an option. Though i hate the way every company locks you in, you will loose out on some facilities and you may loose the ability to upgrade using iTines etc. reccomend you look into this in great detail before going along this avenue.

brought to you by http://www.topphonedeals.co.uk/

for iPhone comparisons and reviews http://www.topphonedeals.co.uk/show.asp?hs=iphone3g

These Pictures Will Humble Anyone - Guaranteed!

These Pictures From Space Should help us View Things in Perspective!

Stage 1 - Where we are at....

Antares Is The 15th Brightest Star In The Sky.
It Is More Than 1000 Light Years Away.

Stage 2 - Now Try To Wrap Your Mind Around This.....

This Is A Hubble Telescope Ultra Deep Field Infrared View Of Countless
'Entire' Galaxies Billions Of Light-Years Away.

Below Is A Close Up Of One Of The Darkest Regions Of The Photo Above.

Now How Big Are You?
And How Big Are The Things That Upset You Today?

Will Eco Pedal Change Your Driving Style?

The simple answer is yes!
But will it really catch on? Nissan has said it has developed an accelerator pedal that is designed to assist drivers to become more fuel-efficient. So in many ways it appeals to purse and planet conscious drivers. It claims a world-first for the technology which could improve fuel efficiency by at least 10% and be introduced on some models as early as 2009. Soaring fuel prices and global warming concerns are pressuring automakers such as Nissan to introduce more eco-friendly products and they are also trying to add value by improving safety features on all newer model designs.

How does the eco pedel work?
Well, the technology involved will make the pedal press upward whenever the vehicle is moving too quickly for your own good. According to Nissan, this system is able to improve fuel efficiency. The Eco Pedal has been programmed to calculate the most efficient rate of acceleration in a vehicle, and it might cause the driver to be frustrated with their cars especially when they feel like a quick overtake. A meter on the dashboard flashes and changes colours to help drive the message home and it can be over-ridden if things are really just getting too much for you.


Other Developments
Nissan has also developed a test model packed with additional sensor technology to make vehicles crash-free. The collision-free prototype has sensors at the sides and rear that activate alarms and brake the car to help avoid collisions. The system also helps the vehicle maintain a safe distance from the car in front and prevents it from veering off its lane. Nissan has said it hopes to cut the number of traffic accidents by 50% on serious injuries involving Nissan vehicles in Japan by 2015, compared to 20 years ago.

Larrabee - Intel details Share the Details...

Intel shared details with the press about their discrete GPU chip - Larrabee at San Francisco recently. It was a shame that Intel didn't share the number cores in Larrabee and how they'll be different from the graphic chips used by Nvidia and AMD-ATI. The video card containing Larrabee is expected to compete with the GeForce and Radeon lines of video cards from NVIDIA and AMD/ATI. Details are sketchy although we do know that the Larrabee chips are scalable from 8 to 48 cores, and it's enhanced with vector processing unit, multi-threading, 64-bit extensions, and pre-fetching.

Larrabee Benefits?
Larrabee is the codename for a discrete graphics processing unit (GPU) chip that Intel is developing separately from its current line of integrated graphics accelerators. As part of Intel's Tera-scale research program, the Larrabee will be a standalone graphics chip to deliver stream processing performance, enabling full CPU programmability and support for OpenGL and DirectX APIs carrying many x86 architecture-based cores.

The x86 design will offer full support to current graphical APIs. With support for highly parallel computing applications, developers can develop new highly specialised graphics APIs as well as generic CPU APIs for new features. Larrabee will fully support IEEE standards for single and double precision floating-point arithmetic.

Up In Down Out : Modern Art

Eureka Tower Parking
When it comes to modern art and perception , this takes some beating. The design team consisting of Garry Emery who was the principal in charge of the project, Axel Peemoeller, Job van Dort, David Crampton, put together an unusual way to spice up the concrete walls of the Eureka Tower Parking Area in Melbourne Australia. The team were inspired by the work of Swiss artist Felice Varini, whose perspective in pavement art and his defying installations look a lot like giant vector art superimposed on buildings or interior architectural spaces. Challenging as the team designed colorful forms that are both two and three dimensional.

Why did they do it?
This is known as an anamorphic approach wherein the images seem distorted until the viewer's vantage point is perfect, the words "In," "Out," "Up, " and "Down" snap into alignment to convey information at key decision-making points along the way. For drivers, the result is more engaging than the typical boring journey through a colorless concrete jungle.

How do you anamorphic?
So how did they do it? The simplest way to get this right is to use a projector. That's exactly how they did it, how easy is that?

Robots Do Have Emotions You Know!

It's known as the "Heart Robot" and has recently gone on display at London's Science Museum.

It is the first robots built to show emotional feelings or in effect replicate these feelings as a machine. The Heart Robot is the main attraction at the Emotibots exhibition at the Science Museum.

Inventors claim it's developement is for medical treatment and enjoyment. It has a beating heart which rises when the body is shaken, but slows down when treated calmly. It's a robot that actually enjoys being cuddled and stroked and responds to this interaction from its number of sensors. Treat him rough and he tenses, his hands clench, he blinks with alarm. He can also register volume: he knows when you are shouting at him, but irony passes him by. Heart Robots' eyes flutter or blink in response to a touch.

It's predicted this part-puppet, part-machine creation is an example of how robots will increasingly adopt human characteristics in the coming years.

Pirates vs BT, Virgin, Orange, Tiscali, BSkyB and Carphone Warehouse

Ding ding round one. well this has been brewing for years and it seems the fight is now turning into a full on fight with six broadband providers unifying to tackle piracy once and for all time. As they are the biggest of the major ISPs in the UK, it will no doubt have some punching power and may even deliver a knockout blow to the pirates.

The agreed plan with the music industry to tackle piracy online will see thousands of letters sent to net users suspected of illegally sharing music, with warnings of
their broadband connections slowed, under measures proposed by the UK government.
BT, Virgin, Orange, Tiscali, BSkyB and Carphone Warehouse have all signed up.

Some casual pirates could ask the question if i have already purchased a U2 album on vinyl LP, and then cassette, and recently CD why should i have to pay a forth time?

Educational efforts and limited legal action in recent years has been used by the BPI but this hasn't had the desired effect in the UK, in contrast to the US, which has embarked on tens of thousands of lawsuits against alleged file sharers.

Do you think there are two sides to the fight?

Should a purchase of an album enable the person to have more freedom in thier use of it?

Top Gear Another Crash

Ever popular BBC2 Top Gear has made headline news again, This time Richard Hammond is safe. The superb Nissan GT-R press car was used by the team in Great Britain for filming of the show. Apparently it was involved in a fender bender in the Isle of Man after a photo shoot for Top Gear magazine. It seems that the GT-R wasn't damaged too badly and the same exact car ran up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed only a couple days later. Right after they did the amazing review with it achieving the fastest lap time for a non modified production vehicle, tied with the F430 Scudería.

Apparently the GTR was being reversed by a senor member of Top Gear magazine and the driver reversed at pace into an Audi R8 also being used on the test. This is the GTR that Top Gear used for the Stig power lap, as its the only official Nissan UK imported car.

Even so the crew are a bit tight lipped on the news as it is becoming a regular expectation each season. remember the Stig took the Koenigsegg CCX on an off-track excursion, and of course Hammond's horrific crash in the jet dragster.

"Ironing Shirts" May Be The Next Big Video Game

With the success of the Nintendo's Wii Fit - where everyday activities such as exercising or balancing are being turned into video games, it's quite possible that every thing in life will soon potentially provide the basis for a new game.

Interstingly, video gaming has become such a massive market that the adults are now turning to the kids to find out what they want next. So while "Ironing shirts" and "Mowing the Lawn" won't be high on the agenda.The kids are being trained about the industry and encouraged to learn basic game design skills with some areas offering summer workshops which teach kids game design basics.

According to The Charlotte Observer, it was reported that these library classes filled up shortly after they were first announced. The workshops are open for students between the ages of 8 and 18, lasting for four days.
It's easy to see how these free, public courses could help a young mind get inspired enough to learn more advanced techniques on a home computer or in college level courses. The classes work on creating platforming titles initially, reminiscent of 8-bit classics like Mario and Sonic. There is the possibility of staying longer than one workshop, as particularly-talented students may stay on as interns. The classes normally consist around 8 pupils.

A few years back if any kid was found excelling in programming the Vic 20 or Commodore 64 he was just a geek, now the kids are encouraged to highlight on their cv application their gaming skills.

Finding and encouraging young talent is crucial for the continued growth of the industry, and these programs are a great first step towards actually creating a game. So what will these young game developers come up with.

My guess is a game that can do the homework or better still bring in pocket money, which may very well be the case in the coming years!

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Webxact is bright, refreshing and intends to bring all the latest news and views in the field of science, computers and other brainiac categories.

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