Month: June 2008

No More ICE At North Pole

It seems unthinkable, but for the first time in human history, ice is on course to disappear entirely from the North Pole this year.

he North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole
North Pole defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth’s axis of rotation meets the Earth’s surface. The north pole is often credited as having snow. But polar scientists reveal dramatic new evidence of climate change – no more ice at north pole.

The North Pole ice is melting at the highest rate and as a result, there will be no ice. In other words, the pole may be completely ice-free at the surface and composed of nothing but open water by September.

The disappearance of the Arctic sea ice, making it possible to reach the Pole sailing in a boat through open water, would be one of the most dramatic – and worrying – examples of the impact of global warming on the planet. Scientists say the ice at 90 degrees north may well have melted away by the summer.

If it happens, it raises the prospect of the Arctic nations being able to exploit the valuable oil and mineral deposits below these a bed which have until now been impossible to extract because of the thick sea ice above.

=> Exclusive: No ice at the North Pole

New Domain Name Get Approved By ICANN

Big companies with valuable brands fear they will have to spend time and money buying up every possible domain name

ICANN is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. From the BBC article:

A complete overhaul of the way in which people navigate the internet has been given the go-ahead in Paris.

The net’s regulator, Icann, voted unanimously to relax the strict rules on so-called “top-level” domain names, such as .com or .uk.

The decision means that companies could turn brands into web addresses, while individuals could use their names.

Big companies with valuable brands fear they will have to spend time and money buying up every possible domain name – while reaping little gain from the liberalisation of this market.

Ice on Mars

Ice found on mars. Phoenix now seems to have confirmed that similar features on Mars are caused by the same processes as those on this planet.

Scientists say they found evidence of ice on Mars. Nasa’s Phoenix spacecraft discovered evidence of ice in the soil around its landing site on Mars. Following images were acquired by NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander’s Surface Stereo Imager on the 21st and 25th days of the mission, or Sols 20 and 24 (June 15 and 19, 2008). These images show sublimation of ice in the trench informally called “Dodo-Goldilocks” over the course of four days. In the lower left corner, lumps disappear, similar to the process of evaporation.

[Fig.01: Tiny clumps of material in the bottom left of the trench on 15 June (left) are gone by 19 June (right)]

ice found on mars - animated image
[Fig.02: Ice on mars, click to enlarge image]

According to Dr Peter Smith, Phoenix’s principal investigator:

These little clumps completely disappearing over the course of a few days, that is perfect evidence that it’s ice. There had been some question whether the bright material was salt, but salt can’t do that.

Charles Darwin: Story Behind The Origin of Species

Robin McKie tells the extraordinary story behind The Origin of Species (Charles Darwin’s natural selection).

Robin McKie tells the extraordinary story behind The Origin of Species
Charles Darwin is best known for theory of evolution. He proposed and provided scientific evidence that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors through the process he called natural selection. Summary of his theory are as follows:

  1. Species have great fertility. They have more offspring than can grow to adulthood.
  2. Populations remain roughly the same size, with small changes.
  3. Food resources are limited, but are relatively stable over time.
  4. An implicit struggle for survival ensues.
  5. In sexually reproducing species, generally no two individuals are identical.
  6. Some of these variations directly impact the ability of an individual to survive in a given environment.
  7. Much of this variation is inheritable.
  8. Individuals less suited to the environment are less likely to survive and less likely to reproduce, while individuals more suited to the environment are more likely to survive and more likely to reproduce.
  9. The individuals that survive are most likely to leave their inheritable traits to future generations.
  10. This slowly effected process results in populations that adapt to the environment over time, and ultimately, after interminable generations, these variations accumulate to form new varieties, and ultimately, new species.

The guardian has published an interesting information and story behind the origin of species:

It’s 150 years since Darwin made one of the the most significant breakthroughs in scientific history – the theory of natural selection. But if it hadn’t been for a young ornithologist on the other side of the world, his seminal work might never have appeared. Robin McKie tells the extraordinary story behind The Origin of Species

How To Get a Flat Stomach With Toned Abs

Getting six-pack abs is no small task, particularly as you get older. A few tips for improving your abs.

All you need to get a sexy stomach is just five minutes of tummy toning exercise a day. The best and most efficient recommended exercise is the ‘bicycle abs’ to target the six pack. It also helps to tone the waist. It is most effective because you’re continually moving, so muscles never rest and you get the best effect. Checkout following videos:

Ab Crunches Video

Swiss Ball Crunches Video

Roman Ab Crunch Workout Video

See Roman ab crunch workout here.

Also checkout this video for more information.

Mozilla Firefox 3 Download

Version 3 of the popular Firefox web browser has been released for Windows Vista and XP operating system with new security features.

Mozilla firefox final version 3.0 has been released and available for download from official website. This is the biggest release by far of Firefox. Firefox 3.0 is secure browser and it blocks malware. It has inbuilt security to protect you from virus and other harmful elements. Firefox 3.0 warns when users stray on to a booby-trapped page or dangerous website that can steal your personal information and infect computer with a virus.

Download Mozilla Firefox 3

RIP: Stan Winston

Stan Winston, an Oscar-winning visual effects artist, has died at age 62. He was best known for Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and the groundbreaking Jurassic Park movies.


Truly a sad news.

Stan Winston was a legendary Academy Award–winning special effects and makeup artist, and film director. He was best known for his work in the Terminator series, the Jurassic Park series, Aliens, the Predator series, and Edward Scissorhands. He won Oscar for best visual effects for Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

Winston died at his Malibu home Sunday evening after a seven-year struggle with multiple myeloma, according to a rep from Stan Winston Studio.

“Stan died peacefully at home surrounded by family,” a spokeswoman said.

He will be deeply missed :(

Honda FCX Clarity – Zero Emission Car That Runs on Hydrogen & Electricity

Honda’s new zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell car called FCX Clarity rolled off a Japanese production line.

Honda fcx clarity 2008

A hydrogen vehicle is a vehicle that uses hydrogen as its on-board fuel for motive power. Many companies are currently researching the feasibility of building hydrogen cars. But Honda took a lead and now releasing new zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell car from a Japanese production line Monday. The Honda FCX Clarity is a hydrogen fuel cell automobile:

The FCX Clarity, which runs on hydrogen and electricity, emits only water and none of the noxious fumes believed to induce global warming. It is also two times more energy efficient than a gas-electric hybrid and three times that of a standard gasoline-powered car, the company says.

64 People Have Been Arrested For Using Blogs

More bloggers than ever face arrest for exposing human rights abuses or criticising governments, says a report.

According to article published at BBC, Elections in China, Pakistan and the US could prompt more arrests for exposing human rights abuses or highlighting bad practices followed by governments. This is scary.

From the article:

Citizens have faced arrest and jail for blogging about many different topics, said the World Information Access (WIA) report.

Arrested bloggers exposed corruption in government, abuse of human rights or suppression of protests. They criticised public policies and took political figures to task