Transfugia Transition, 'the flying car'!!!

Have you ever thought of running on the road and subsequently flying with the same vehicle high in the air! Its not a fantasy now. With Terrafugia, the flying car, all these are possible.

The new wonder vehicle named Transfugia Transition combines the unique convenience of being able to fold its wings with the ability to drive on any surface road in a modern personal airplane platform. The name ‘Terrafugia’ is derived from the Latin for "Escape the Earth".  Stowing the wings for road use and deploying them for flight at the airport is activated from inside the cockpit. This unique functionality addresses head-on the issues faced by today’s Private and Sport Pilots. Now you can streamline your flying experience with the revolutionary integration of personal land and air travel made possible by the Transition Roadable Aircraft.

Terrafugia was founded in 2006 by award-winning MIT-trained aeronautical. The company’s mission is to provide innovative solutions to the challenges facing personal aviation. The result: the Transition® Roadable Aircraft. The Transition is created to provide pilots the convenience of a dual-purpose vehicle. Its unique design allows the Transition to fold its wings and drive on any surface road with a modern personal airplane platform. Once at the airport, the wings extend and the aircraft is ready for take-off. Both folding and extending the wings is done from inside the cockpit.

First customer delivery of a Transition Roadable Aircraft is expected to occur in 2011. To date, Terrafugia remains privately funded by a sophisticated group of accredited individual investors. The company is based just outside of Boston in Woburn, Massachusetts, USA.

Honda Brio, a reply to Toyota Etios?!

If  Toyota comes with Etios how can Honda be stood back? Oh, no stay back! Honda is coming with its small car, may be in the name ‘Brio’. Honda Brio has been unveiled at the 27th International Motor Expo 2010 in Thailand. The small car is supposed to be launched in India before Diwali 2011. In India, the car will likely be priced below Rs 5 lakh, making it a formidable competition between the market leader Maruti Suzuki’s range of small cars and the  Toyota Etios hatchback.

The name  “Brio” means “funny small car.” Honda had showcased the small car concept, codenamed CV2, at the Delhi Auto Expo 2010 in January. The Honda Brio could be powered by a three-cylinder 900 cc engine, to offer higher fuel economy.  The Brio may be equipped with a 5-speed manual and an automatic  transmission option as well. 

The carhas a  futuristic design with rear door handles fixed to the frame just as on the Chevrolet Beat. In the first look the car makes us remember Beat!  

Assange Arrested

At last the one man army fell. Yes, Assange who made many world powers restless for the last few weeks ogt under custody. British police arrested WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on 7th December 2010 on a European warrant issued by Sweden.
Swedish prosecutors issued the arrest order for the 39-year-old Australian who is wanted on suspicion of committing sexual crimes, which he denies. Assange was arrested at 9:30 a.m. local time and was due to appear at City of Westminster Magistrate's Court later in the day, London's Metropolitan Police said.
Assange has been hiding out at an undisclosed location in Britain since WikiLeaks began publishing hundreds of U.S. diplomatic cables online last month. It has been battered by Web attacks, cut off by Internet service providers and is the subject of a criminal investigation in the United States, where officials say the release jeopardized national security and diplomatic efforts around the world.

Assange's lawyer had earlier arranged to deliver him to British police for questioning in the sex-crimes investigation.
Assange is wanted on suspicion of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion in Sweden, and the case could lead to his extradition.
More about Julian Assange

Artificial Kidney an Indian Move!!!

Shuvo Roy, , is the lead designer of an artificial kidney project at Mission Bay.

A good news for those with kidney problems! Artificial kidney has become a reality. A US-based Indian researcher Shuvo Roy has created the world’s first artificial kidney for transplant. This would be able to filter toxins out of the bloodstream, regulate blood pressure and produce vitamin D. The artificial kidney had been reported to be successful during tests in a small number of animals.

This creation is made possible by a team or researchers at the University of California in the leadership of Roy.

If this passes human trials, it could eliminate the need for kidney dialysis and even a transplant.
The new kidney device protoype is made up two parts. First is made up of silicon chips that can filter toxins out of the bloodstream. The filtered material is pumped into the second half of the system which is also made up of silicon chips but coated with human kidney cells. These human kidney cells help reabsorb some of the useful substances like sugars and salts back into the body. It also produces vitamin D and helps regulate blood pressure.
Statistics say that there are more than a lakh new kidney disease patients coming forward for treatement every year in India. Only 3,500 get kidney transplants and 6,000-10,000 undergo dialysis. The rest perish due to an acute shortage of dialysis centres and nephrologists to treat them.

Just imagine what will be the number when take it world wide! Everyone is eagerly waiting to see that Dr Roy's invention is successful and to be made available.
Dr. Shuvo Roy is an associate professor at UCSF.




More about Shuvo Roy

China breaks Train Speed Records!

China sets new record in train speed. The new Shanghai-Beijing bullet train has broken a world speed record, hitting a top speed of 486.1 kilometers per hour in a test run, breaking its own record set just two months ago. The record is the highest speed attained by an unmodified train for commercial use.
The French TGV holds the land speed record for a modified train and track at 574.8 km per hour. The record was achieved under special rail test conditions along with a shortened train, engines with increased power output and larger wheels.
Regardless of where the technology comes from, the new high-speed rail line will cut train travel between Beijing and Shanghai from 10 hours to four. This is comparable to the current two-hour flight between the cities, which is closer to four hours when you factor in travel to the airports, checking in and security checks and the all-too-common delays. The train will be open to commuters only towards 2012.

Toyota Etios Came!

Here comes another good child from the reliable family of Toyota.  Toyota Kirloskar Motor has launched the Etios sedan in India. The base version starts at Rs 4.96 lakh. The mid-level G-variant will cost Rs 5.46 lakh and the same version with the safety pack including airbags will cost Rs 5.96 lakh. The higher end V-variant will retail for Rs 6.41 lakh, while the fully loaded VX version will go for Rs 6.86 lakh.

The car now comes with a 1.5-litre petrol engine which makes 90bhp of power and a torque of 132Nm. The car is fitted  with a 5-speed manual gearbox. For now, both the engine and the transmission will be imported, but the remainder of the car, amounting to 70 percent of the parts, has been localized.

The Etios concept duo was first shown at the 2010 Auto Expo in New Delhi earlier this year. The car has been brought out offering a tough fight to other entry level sedans.  With this pricing, the car is expected to take the fight straight to the Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire, the current leader of the segment which is popular enough to demand long waiting periods. Also in the crosshair of the Etios will be the likes of the Tata Indigo Manza and the Mahindra Logan. 

Toyota also revealed that Etios hatchback will be launched in April 2011, and will be called the Etios Liva. For now, Toyota's plans are to make 70,000 units of the Etios in 2011. 

687.71 million mobile connections in India!!!

You have mobile phone with you, haven’t you? Each and every person you met on the road hold one, aren’t they? Did you ever think how many mobile connectios are there in our country? Its an amazing statistics, hard to believe!

The number of mobile connections in India reached 687.71 million according to recent report. 17.10 million subscribers newly  entered in September only! According to the Telecom RegulatoryAuthority of India, the wireless phone user base grew 2.55 percent to 687.71 million in September, from 670.60 million in the previous month. With this, the total telephone subscriber base in the country, both wireless and wireline connections combined, touched 723.28 million. The total telephone density reached 60.99 percent. The growth in India’s wireless phone category was led by state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited. According to the data, the broadband subscriber base grew 2.08 percent from 10.08 million in August to 10.29 million in September 2010. 

However, the wireline segment declined further from 35.77 million in August-2010 to 35.57 million at the end of September 2010.

A Laptop with two screens!!!

Have you ever seen a laptop with two screens? Don’t worry, such one is ready! Acer has launched the Iconia, a laptop-cum-tablet computer with two touch screens. The new dual-screen laptop has two 14 inch displays, including one in place of a traditional keyboard.

The Iconia, features two touch screens protected by ultra-tough Gorilla Glass. Reports say that the device can be used like a traditional laptop, with the second screen doubling up as a virtual keyboard, or can serve as a tablet-style computer. A tablet computer is a portable computer equipped with a touch screen as a primary input device. Users can spread the desktop across both screens, or use one to watch a video or surf the web, and the other to write an email or edit photos.

The device features palm sensors to detect the position of the user’s hands, and automatically launch the virtual keyboard when needed. The Iconia will come to open market towards next January and will cost around 1 lakh. The device uses Intel Core i5 processors, and a minimum of 4GB RAM and up to 750GB hard drive.

Samuel T. Cohen, Father of Neutron Bomb, passes away

Samuel T. Cohen died who  invented one of history’s most controversial weapons, the neutron bomb.  It was in 1958 that Cohen designed the tactical nuclear weapon intended to kill people but do minimal damage to cities. Cohen studied physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and helped build the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.

According to him,  the inspiration for the neutron bomb was a 1951 visit to Seoul, which had been largely destroyed in the Korean War. In his memoir, he wrote: “If we are going to go on fighting these damned fool wars in the future, shelling and bombing cities to smithereens and wrecking the lives of their inhabitants, might there be some kind of nuclear weapon that could avoid all this?”  But none of the U.S. presidents in the 1960s or 70s were interested in developing Cohen’s weapon, partly out of fear it could violate the test-ban treaty and encourage further weapons proliferation.

In 1981, however, President Reagan ordered 700 neutron warheads built to oppose the massive Soviet tank force that had been strategically positioned in Eastern Europe. He viewed the bomb as the only tactical weapon that could effectively stop the tanks without also destroying much of the continent. The weapons were later dismantled in the face of widespread protests and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. France, China, Russia and Israel are also thought to have produced neutron weapons, but it is not known if they still have any. 


Neutron Bomb

Catholic priest sexually abused 155 children!!!

News is from Germany. that too about a priest. A former Catholic priest was sentenced to seven years' jail on 25th November 2010 for sexually abusing 155 children over several years!!! Back in April 2005, Germany was overjoyed when a native son was elevated to the papacy. But now, the Catholic Church in the country has faced a barrage of criticism from politicians and the media as well as from the faithful.
The 50-year-old former priest, who worked at a school near the city of Kassel, said he had sexually abused six altar boys between 1992 and 2003. Investigators also found pornographic images of children on his computer.

The head of Germany's Roman Catholic Church,
Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Freiburg,
at a press conference at the Vatican on March 12, 2010.

The man, a trained educator, had filmed many of his assaults. He repeatedly applied the same scheme, feigning a medical or scientific examination to approach the children. The priest was suspended from his duties in May, when initial suspicions arose. He has been held in custody since June. His defence lawyer said the priest had managed to end his abusive behaviour in 2003.
What is happening to these clergy? How long these be taken as the representatives of God? Afterall their deeds compel us to think otherwise!

Volvo XC60 in India

The latest news from the vehicle world is Volvo XC60. The latest model to enter the Indian market from the stable of Scandinavian automaker Volvo is the XC60 Crossover.
The XC60 is powered by a 2.4 litre 5 cylinder turbo diesel engine that produces a terrific 205bhp at 4000 rpm. This powerhouse on wheels is having a six speed steptronic gearbox! It’s capable of reaching the 100km/h mark in under ten seconds. Coupled with a permanent all wheel drive system and a rather decent ground clearance, this crossover can behave both like a sedan and an offroader.

An electronically operated sunroof is and the high end audio system are among the interior attractions. The floating panel is a futuristic design which gives the vehicle an ultramodern touch. The interior offers enough and more space for all 5 passengers as well. Build quality is impeccable and so is the fit and finish. The XC60 definitely put forward a tough fight to the BMW X3 and Audi Q5.

Priced at Rs. 39.5 Lakhs (Ex-showroom, Delhi) and Rs. 41.41 lakhs (Ex-Showroom, Mumbai, incl. Octroi), the Volvo XC60 is a brilliant package that will be hard to ignore. Surely this is the Scandinavian reply and challenge to the age old pride of Germans!
See More

70 lakhs! Mukesh Ambani’s House, Antila’s, Electricity Bill!!!

How much is your electricity bill for one month? Is it around 500 or maximum 1000? Let it be there. Can you imagine the electricity bill of Mukesh Ambani’s new ‘house’ in Mumbai.  This is India's richest man's as well as the world's first billion-dollar home!

                      










His Godzilla-sized home in Mumbai, named Antilia, has just notched up another headline. In the one month since he moved in with wife Nita and their three children, the house has generated a power bill of Rs 70,69,488! Don’t get upset!

According to the bill for the month of September, Antilia consumed 6,37,240 units of power. To put it in perspective, an average household equipped with all electronic amenities consumes 300 units per month. Ambani was, in fact, given a discount of Rs 48,354 for prompt payment, so the Rs 70 lakh quoted earlier is minus this amount. Experts say it's is roughly equivalent to the monthly power bill of 7,000 homes!
After all 70 lakhs is not a amount for Mukesh, but is it fair in acountry where lakhs and lakhs live without one time food a day? Meaningless question, isn’t it?
See Mukesh Ambani's Hose 
See Antila’s Features in detail
Know more about Mukesh Ambani

Kiran Kumar Reddy the new Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh!

Kiran Kumar Reddy was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. This is after the resignation of K Rosaiah citing health reasons. The two big challenges for the Congress in Andhra Pradesh, a rebellious Jagan Mohan Reddy and the Telangana issue, will now be tackled by the new Chief Minister. Reddy is a four-time MLA from Rayalseema region and a YSR loyalist.
K Rosaiah stepped down citing personal reasons. Senior Congress leaders from Delhi, including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Law Minister Veerappa Moily, who is also the General Secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, met with Congress MLAs in Hyderabad. At last Sonia Gandhi made the selection of the new leader.
Reddy was the Speaker of the current Assembly, and was the Chief Whip of the Congress in the previous government of YS Rajashekhar Reddy. Reddy was first elected to the state Assembly from Vayalpadu constituency in Chittoor district in 1989 but the lost the election in 1994. In 1999 and 2004, he was elected successively from the same constituency. He had to shift to Pileru constituency in 2009 because of delimitation.
Above all he was cricket player. He has played first-class cricket for Hyderabad. We shall hope that his skills in the cricket field may help him to tackle the opposition in the political field?!

Indira Gandhi among the 25 Most Powerful Women of the Past Century!

Time magazine, the world famous journal placed India’s former prime minister Smt. Indira Gandhi among the most powerful women of the world. Indira Gandhi and Albanian nun Mother Teresa, who made India her home, are among Time magazine's "25 Most Powerful Women of the Past Century."
The US news magazine's survey of "the women who have most influenced our world" is topped by Jane Addams, an outspoken advocate for women's causes. She was the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The list includes US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the sixth place.
Indira Gandhi ranked ninth, figured on TIME cover when she was elected Prime Minister in 1966 with a line reading, "Troubled India in a Woman's Hands." "Those steady hands went on to steer India, not without controversy, for much of the next two decades through recession, famine, the detonation of the nation's first atomic bomb, a corruption scandal and a civil war in neighbouring Pakistan that, under her guidance, led to the creation of a new state, Bangladesh," the magazine said.
"By the time she was assassinated, in 1984, Gandhi was the world's longest-serving female prime minister, a distinction she holds to this day."
Mother Teresa is ranked 22nd in the list. Time said: "Her iconic white garb with its blue stripe trim is now equated with her ideals of service and charity among 'the poorest of the poor. Sometimes criticised for lacking adequate medical training, not addressing poverty on a grander scale, actively opposing birth control and abortion and even cosying up to dictators, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize nonetheless inspired countless volunteers to serve, and will wear her white habit all the way to Catholic sainthood,".
India has more things to cheer.
Know more about Indira Gandhi

'Vuvuzela' the top word of 2010!

The sound of vuvuzelas are still buzzing in our ears. Many criticized  the sound as too much irritating while many others supported it. Anyways vuvuzela and its peculiar  sound have become so popular in all parts of the world. Now ‘vuvuzela’ has bagged another fame.

" Spillcam" and " vuvuzela" are the top words of 2010, reflecting the global impact of the months-long oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the noisy South African horns at the World Cup soccer tournament. The Texas-based survey uses a math formula to track the frequency of words and phrases in the English-speaking world of more than 1.58 billion people. It declared that President Hu Jintao of China and Apple's new iPad were the two top names of the year on a list that also featured "Chilean Coal Miners", reflecting the worldwide fascination with televised rescue in October of 33 men trapped who were deep in a mine. 

"Anger and rage" among political voters from the United States to Greece was deemed the most popular phrase of 2010. "Obamania", one of the biggest phrases of the past two years, ranked in 10th place.

Know Vuvuzela