Apple White iPhone 4

Apple White iPhone 4


Since getting confirmation last week from Apple that the white iPhone 4 is absolutely, positively going to launch in the very near future, we've been flooded with rumors about just when the smartphone will finally be available. We've seen it in Verizon's computers, and heard from Europe that the phone might be showing up on April 26. Now there's one more date to throw in the running, with a report out of England saying the iOS device may arrive this week, on April 20.

ThreeUK is offering the white iPhone 4 on pre-order, advising interested customers that the earliest they should expect the device to ship would be this Wednesday, the 20th. There is some concern that this information may be a typo; after all, Apple only confirmed the phone a few days ago, with nothing more committal than saying it would be out this spring. You'd think that if the company bothered to make a statement regarding the phone's release just a week before its launch, it would have something a little more concrete to reveal regarding the phone's availability.

It's probably not a smart move betting on this rumor, but it's one more possibility of which you should at least be aware.
from - http://pocketnow.com

What is Global Warming?

Global Warming is the increase of Earth's average surface temperature due to effect of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels or from deforestation, which trap heat that would otherwise escape from Earth. This is a type of greenhouse effect.

Is global warming, caused by human activity, even remotely plausible?

Earth's climate is mostly influenced by the first 6 miles or so of the atmosphere which contains most of the matter making up the atmosphere. This is really a very thin layer if you think about it. In the book The End of Nature, author Bill McKibbin tells of walking three miles to from his cabin in the Adirondack's to buy food. Afterwards, he realized that on this short journey he had traveled a distance equal to that of the layer of the atmosphere where almost all the action of our climate is contained. In fact, if you were to view Earth from space, the principle part of the atmosphere would only be about as thick as the skin on an onion! Realizing this makes it more plausible to suppose that human beings can change the climate. A look at the amount of greenhouse gases we are spewing into the atmosphere (see below), makes it even more plausible.

What are the Greenhouse Gases?

The most significant greenhouse gas is actually water vapor, not something produced directly by humankind in significant amounts. However, even slight increases in atmospheric levels of  carbon dioxide (CO₂) can cause a substantial increase in temperature. 
Why is this? There are two reasons: First, although the concentrations of these gases are not nearly as large as that of oxygen and nitrogen (the main constituents of the atmosphere), neither oxygen or nitrogen are greenhouse gases. This is because neither has more than two atoms per molecule (i.e. their molecular forms are O₂ and N₂, respectively), and so they lack the internal vibrational modes that molecules with more than two atoms have. Both water and CO₂, for example, have these "internal vibrational modes", and these vibrational modes can absorb and reradiate infrared radiation, which causes the greenhouse effect. 
Secondly,  CO₂ tends to remain in the atmosphere for a very long time (time scales in the hundreds of years). Water vapor, on the other hand, can easily condense or evaporate, depending on local conditions. Water vapor levels therefore tend to adjust quickly to the prevailing conditions, such that the energy flows from the Sun and re-radiation from the Earth achieve a balance. CO₂ tends to remain fairly constant and therefore behave as a controlling factor, rather than a reacting factor. More CO₂ means that the balance occurs at higher temperatures and water vapor levels

from - http://www.nmsea.org/Curriculum/Primer/Global_Warming/fossil_fuels_and_global_warming.htm

wii2: specs and features

wii2: specs and features



18 March 2011 10:47 GMT / By Libby Plummer
If the internet rumourmill is to be believed, we could be seeing the Nintendo Wii 2 as early as June 2011 at the E3 gaming expo in Los Angeles. While the Wii led the way in motion-controlled gaming it has been rather outshined lately by Sony's PlayStation Move and Microsoft's controller-free Xbox Kinect system. So, in that case, what would we like to see on the Nintendo Wii 2 to help it stand up to its rival consoles? Read on to find out.

Blu-ray

The idea of putting a Blu-ray drive into the PS3 was an absolute masterstroke by Sony. Not only did it help Blu-ray to defeat HD DVD in the high-def disc format war, it also set the PS3 apart from its gaming console rivals. Blu-ray may have been more of an early adoptor technology when it first appeared in the PS3, but with players now a hell of a lot cheaper, the inclusion of one on the Wii 2 could give it a much-needed boost. Whether Nintendo would hand this concession to their rival is another question

Improved processing

Out of the three main consoles (Xbox, PS3 and Wii), the Wii is the least powerful, having been largely marketed at families and casual gamers, rather than hardcore enthusiasts. One thing that any new console is almost sure to have is an improved graphics processor. According to the blogosphere, the Wii 2 is rumoured to be getting a quad-core processor which would up its game considerably, replacing the IBM Broadway 720MHz processor and ATI Hollywood GPU. To put that into perspective, a quad-core chipset could put the Wii 2 in the same league as the Xbox 360 and its tri-core processor

More gesture controls

When the Wii first came out, it didn't take us long to figure out that despite the enthusiastic jumping around in the adverts, it was entirely possible to have a game of tennis or ten-pin bowling on the Wii simply with a flick of the rest while sitting comfortably in a chair, rather than leaping around like a loon. We've already mentioned the Xbox Kinect and the fact that it offers a motion-based gaming experience without even needing a controller, relying instead on your own body movements. We'd like to see something similar on the Wii 2 so that games can be controlled using various gestures, so that you're not limited to just Wiimote play.

from - http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/39060/nintendo-wii-2-specs-features

what is the best food in english

what is the best food in english

Spaghetti Bolognese


Originally from Italy, ‘spag bol’ has acquired a uniquely British taste of its own. According to the survey, 6 out of 10 British people can cook spaghetti bolognese without a recipe.
Roast dinner


Good old meat and two veg is still high on the list
Beef casserole

Casseroles have made a comeback in British cooking and now feature on the menu of many gastropubs
Meat, fish or vegetable curry

Loosely based on Indian cuisine, the ‘curry’ is now a staple in the British kitchen. As a proof, it can even be served with chips

Revenue cinema business in hollywood

Movie ticket sales may have been flat in the U.S. and Canada last year, but Hollywood's international cinema business soared to new heights in 2010.
Global box-office receipts for all films released last year reached a high of $31.8 billion, an increase of 8% over 2009, according to a newly released report from the Motion Picture Assn. of America.
The theatrical market statistics report, which the MPAA conducts annually, found that though ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada remained unchanged at $10.6 billion, international revenue jumped 13% between 2010 and 2009.
The largest growth occurred in Latin America and the Asia Pacific region, which grew 25% and 21%, respectively, and accounted for $10.8 billion in box-office revenue. It marked the first time that Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which generated $10.4 billion in box-office revenue, accounted for less than half of all international ticket sales.
China accounted for more than 40% of the Asia Pacific box office, although it remains a "highly restrictive market for foreign film distribution," the report notes.
"Despite a weak economy, shifting business models, and the ongoing impact of digital theft, we had another record year at the box office driven by growth outside of the U.S. and Canada,"  said Bob Pisano, president and interim chief executive of the MPAA.
Although the number of people who saw movies was up 3% last year at 223 million, each person saw fewer movies on average -- six in 2010 down from 6.5 the previous year. As a result, the total number of tickets sold in the U.S. and Canada dropped 5% to 1.34 billion, returning to the 2008 level.
The survey also provided the clearest indication yet of the effect of premium-priced 3-D movie tickets on box-office receipts. Movies in 3-D accounted for 21%, or $2.2 billion, of the total, nearly doubling 2009's level. One in three people in the U.S. and Canada saw a movie in 3-D in 2010.
Revenue from 2-D movies dropped 11% in 2011 to $8.4 billion.
Though the number of screens worldwide remain unchanged at about 150,000, the proportion of digital screens increased dramatically, with one-quarter of all screens now digital.
-- Richard Verrier

After Divorce, Stable Families Help Minimize Long-Term Harm To Children

After Divorce, Stable Families Help Minimize Long-Term Harm To Children
A new study found that children who lived in unstable family situations after their parents divorced fared much worse as adults on a variety of measures compared to children who had stable post-divorce family situations.


“For many children with divorced parents, particularly young ones, the divorce does not mark the end of family structure changes – it marks the beginning,” said Yongmin Sun, co-author of the study and associate professor of sociology at Ohio State University’s Mansfield campus.
“A stable family situation after divorce does not erase the negative effects of a divorce, but children in this situation fare much better than do those who experience chronic instability”


The study appears in a recent issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family.  Sun conducted the study with Yuanzhang Li of the Allied Technology Group.
Data for this study came from the National Education Longitudinal Study, which surveyed thousands of students across the country beginning in 8th grade in 1988, when they were about 14 years old.  They were surveyed again in 1990, 1992 and then again in 2000 when they were about 26 years old.
The study compared children who grew up in three different situations:

• Children who grew up in always-married households (5,303 children).
• Children whose parents divorced before the study began, but who lived in a stable family structure between ages 14 and 18(954 children).
• Children whose parents divorced prior to the beginning of the study, and whose family situation changed once or twice between ages 14 and 18(697 children).

In the two divorced family groups, children may have lived in single-parent families or ones with a stepparent.  The key for this research was whether that arrangement – whichever it was -- changed between ages 14 and 18).
The researchers compared how children in these groups fared on measures of education, income and poverty in 2000 when they were 26.
Results showed that young adults who grew up in stable post-divorce families had similar chances of attending college and living in poverty compared to those from always married families.  But they fared less well on measures of the highest degree obtained, occupational prestige and income.
However, the young adults who lived in unstable family situations after their parents divorced did worse on all measures.  In fact, they fared more than twice as poorly on most measures compared to their peers who had stable family situations.
For example, adults from stable post-divorce families earned about $1,800 a year less than similar adults from always-married families.  But those adults whose family situations changed one or more times between ages 14 and 18 earned about $4,600 less.
Sun noted that some of the children in the unstable family group also underwent a custody change between ages 14 and 18.  An analysis showed that they did not fare significantly differently from those who were in unstable families, but did not experience a custody change.
There were also no significant differences between how boys and girls responded to family stability after a divorce, Sun said.
Why do children of divorce fare less well than those who grew up with parents who stayed married?
This study found that for those in stable post-divorce families, the difference in adult well-being was mostly due to a shortage of economic and social resources.  Compared to always-married parents, divorced parents had a lower level of income, didn’t talk to their children as much about school-related matters, had fewer interactions with other parents, and moved their children to new schools more often.


“As many previous divorce studies point out, divorce reduces social resources within families because children have fewer interactions with the non-custodial parent, and in many cases, don’t get the quantity and quality of parenting from the custodial parent,” Sun said.
“In addition, after a family disruption, parents may not invest as much time with teachers and other parents in the community, all of which lead to a lower level of child well-being.”
For children in unstable families, the decline in social and economic resources was only part of the reason for the shortfalls they experienced in adulthood.
“These children probably experience a lot of stress and disruption from sources that we didn’t measure in this study,” he said.
These findings provide a clear message about how parents who are divorcing can best help their children, Sun said.
“A stabilized post-divorce family environment is clearly helpful for children, particularly for adolescents, such as those we studied, because stability allows children to focus on their own developmental needs rather than on continual family crises,” he said.
The study was supported by grants from the Ohio State University Initiative in Population Research and a population research center grant awarded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

from - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507132910.htm

How to Keep Your Heart Healthy

How to Keep Your Heart Healthy
How to Keep Your Heart Healthy

By Michelle Meadows (staff writer for FDA Consumer)

Sixty-two-year-old Jack Andre says having a heart attack in March 2003 was like getting hit in the head with a baseball bat. "It brought a lot of things to my attention that I never thought about before," he says. He was overweight, didn't exercise, and often ate high-fat foods. But he never connected his lifestyle to his heart.

"Six months before the heart attack, my doctor told me I had borderline high cholesterol and high blood pressure," says Andre, of Rockville, Md. "But I didn't think much of it."

That all changed after he experienced heart attack symptoms--extreme fatigue, dizziness, and back pain. Tests revealed that Andre had three clogged coronary arteries. "Now I walk every day at lunch, eat smaller portions, and I'm a food label reader," he says.

Bonnie Brown, 50, of Baltimore, says she also didn't change her life until she had a heart attack in 1997. "I used to smoke, ate cold-cut subs for breakfast, and had lots of fried foods, all the time, any time," Brown says. But her heart attack--which she initially mistook for a bad case of indigestion--led her to give up cigarettes, improve her diet, and sign up for weekly water aerobics and line dancing classes.

"There's nothing that motivates people like having a heart attack or bypass surgery," says Christopher Cates, M.D., director of vascular intervention at the Emory Heart Center in Atlanta. "I've found that people think that heart disease always happens to someone else, until it happens to them." Experts say that until Americans change their way of thinking from one of damage control to one of proactive prevention, heart disease will remain the No.1 killer of men and women in the United States.

"In many ways, I think we've become insulated by high-tech care," Cates says. "As physicians, we are partners in the health care of our patients, which means we need to educate them about their risk factors for heart disease. And they need to have some sense of ownership about what they can control. They can't simply look to their doctors or to the FDA or to Medicine, and say, 'Cure me, but I'm going to eat fatty foods, smoke, and be sedentary.'"

One of the reasons that some people may shrug off the possibility of developing heart disease is that it's a gradual, lifelong process that people can't see or feel. About the size of a fist, the heart muscle relies on oxygen and nutrients to continually pump blood through the circulatory system. In coronary artery disease, the most common type of heart disease, plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, the vessels that bring oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle. As the walls of the arteries get clogged, the space through which blood flows narrows. This decreases or cuts off the supply of oxygen and nutrients, which can result in chest pain or a heart attack. Damage can result when the supply is cut off for more than a few minutes. It's called a heart attack when prolonged chest pain or symptoms (20 minutes or more) are associated with permanent damage to the heart muscle.

Every year, more than 1 million people have heart attacks, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). About 13 million Americans have coronary heart disease, and about half a million people die from it each year.

from - http://www.mamashealth.com/heart/healthyheart.asp

Sony 'S1' PlayStation tablet

Sony 'S1' PlayStation tablet
Sony 'S1' PlayStation tablet
By Thomas Ricker
Think for a second, what major consumer electronics company doesn't have a tablet to show? Right, Sony. In fact, the rumor womb has been conspicuously barren of salacious Sony tablet tattle ever since Apple's iPad was announced back in 2010. Oh sure, Sony's owned-up to the development of prototypes that fill a "very important position" somewhere in between its own Vaio PC lineup and the Xperia Play byproduct of its Ericsson commingling. But beyond that: zilch, nada... until today.

We have a couple of tablets we'd like to tell you about, starting with a 9.4-inch honeypot of an Android 3.0 tablet. Details of which have been confirmed by two highly trusted and independent sources. Known by its "S1" codename internally, Sony is busy customizing Matias Duarte's Honeycomb interface to its own specification. Although, we're skeptical of Sony's software capabilities, we've been assured that Sony's work is cutting edge stuff created by a talented engineering team spanning Sony's VAIO, Reader, PlayStation, and Sony Ericsson product groups. The team is lead by the VAIO organization but will probably launch as a Sony product without VAIO branding, according to one source. Sony's custom-built transitions and UI elements have created a user experience that rivals and at times improves upon the iPad's renowned experience. The tablet itself, we're told, is 100 percent focused on Qriocity, Sony's music, games, ebooks, and videos on demand service that's just been launched in Europe. It comes preloaded with Sony PS One games, a Bravia Media Remote, and yes, PlayStation integration -- though it's unclear if that'll be limited to Remote Play or if the Android tablet will be PlayStation Suite certified. One source speculates that it could very well get the PlayStation gaming seal of approval by the time it ships -- but that's just an educated guess.

Update: We now have confirmation that the S1 is indeed PlayStation Certified making this a full-blown media and gaming tablet. We've also revised the illustration above to make the top less pronounced.

So what about that curvaceous mockup above? A design described to us as "beautiful, the best thing" one source has ever seen from Sony. Click through the break and we'll explain.

The tablet's "wrap" design is meant to remind the owner of something personal in the way that it mimics an open paperback stuffed into the back pocket, or a magazine folded backward upon itself such that only a single page is visible to read. A design that also gives the tablet's display enough angle to comfortably touch-type when placed on a table. It also makes one-handed operation a bit less taxing on the wrist by shifting the center of gravity to the bulbous edge of the device as in our mock-up above. A trick meant to reduce the torque that makes 10-inch tablets uncomfortable to hold one-handed for an extended length of time (when reading an ebook, for example). So even though the S1 is about the same size and weight as Apple's iPad, we're told that it feels lighter since most of the weight is shifted directly into the user's hand and over the wrist. Naturally, the screen UI rotates allowing for right- or left-handed use and we're told that it's still comfortable to hold in landscape mode where the bulging edge is typically held at the top.

Although the tablet looks like a hollow 9.4-inch capacitive touch panel sporting a 1,280 x 800 pixel resolution from the distance, the space between the front and back wrapped panels is actually stuffed with a battery and circuitry including a Tegra 2 processor. As such, you won't be hanging it from the towel rack. It also features both front- and rear-facing cameras as well as a USB-A port that plays host to USB thumb drives or media devices. The only physical buttons -- volume and on / off -- are located on the edge of each indented side. There's also the possibility that the S1 will feature a "Q" (for Qriocity) button but that decision has not been finalized, according to one of our sources. Oh, and there's an IR port built-in allowing you to control devices other than your Bravia TV. The front face is finished in a high-gloss black that sits flush with the display and continues in one unobstructed sweep to the back of the tablet where a subtle dot matrix texture is applied to enhance the grip. The underside is a matte-silver color creating a nice contrast. All materials, we're told, feel very premium though it's unclear if we're talking plastic, aluminum, or something else.

So, price and ship date? We're told that the target price for the WiFi-only version of the S1 was meant to match the iPad but has recently been bumped to $599 (a $100 premium) with a planned September ship -- a date that has already slipped several times. Of course, any or all of this could change before then, or maybe the whole project gets canned. We don't know. What we can tell you, is that Sony has another Honeycomb tablet in the works which we'll reveal soon enough. Until then, this patent application is a hint of what's to come.

from - http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/exclusive-sony-s1-brings-qriocity-to-9-4-inch-honeycomb-table/