Pages

5/31/12

Scooter in the Sea

Air Container Scooter is for deep-sea divers, to make their underwater ride smoother and enjoyable. With a heavy oxygen tank on the back and both hands occupied with the propeller, a pleasure dive can become quite tedious. Air Container integrates both the functions, giving the diver free hands to take pictures and explore the ocean with ease. Remote controls on the gloves make operations easy. I have only one deep-sea dive to my credit, but next one will definitely be with a scooter!
Designer: Jaehwa Lee




Get On the Awesome Train


The Auto Train aims to provide a sustainable solution for traveling distances too long to drive by car but too short to fly by plane. The fully-automated system accommodates individual passengers and their vehicles. So that it doesn’t need to stop between destinations, a number of train sections are designed to easily merge and diverge from the track at specialized stations, allowing it to work like an automated taxi that automatically drops you off at your destination!
Designer: Marco Gallegos









5/30/12

Want to live Happy ? Say NO to Worries !

Think about happiness, what is the very first thing that comes to your mind? Is it a part of the world’s golden rule, a philosophy or what? Well, the truth is that happiness is a very vital thing that comes from within and is controlled by people themselves.
Happy living does not mean possessing all the things in this material world nor being able to laugh out loud after seeing stupidity of others. That’s not that. Living a happy life means living naturally and simply without carrying any burdens in life and experiencing unwarranted pressures.
In trying to live a happy life, there is no need to make things complicated. The “art of happy living” is not a complicated thing nor is it difficult to learn.  Rather, it is a simple art that involves living well, eating well, thinking well and feeling well. Just tune up your mind to enjoy every moment of life and let happiness follow you around.
Moreover, happiness is purely an internal matter. It has nothing to do with your external circumstances. Most people do the fatal mistake of looking outwards for happiness rather than looking inwards. Only fools worry about the circumstances on which they have no control of. Why worry when the weather would not change if you do? Instead, enjoy everyday whether it’s hot, humid, cold, cloudy, foggy or snowy. Keep your internal weather pleasant all the time. Don’t allow external matters to take your smiles away.
The feeling of happiness is within you. There is something positive within you that keeps you happy and there is something negative within you that makes you unhappy at times. That “something” needs to be looked into thoroughly. If you want to live a happy life then get rid of the negative “something” which makes you unhappy. Negative approach always complicates the problems and increases unhappiness.
Happy living is the reward of positive thinking. Remember, only a positive thinking can bring happiness into your life. If you cannot think positively, you cannot live happily. Be your own coach and adviser. Look everything in a positive angle. Find something good even in most critical moments of your life. Make positive thinking the basis of your happy living.
In brief, happiness is all around. It’s not far away from you. If you do not want to live happy, it’s up to you. It’s your own choice. Don’t blame others. Don’t blame your fate or the external circumstances you face.

Gangtok, capital of the Himalayan state of Sikkim.


The Kingdom of Sikkim which was not a part of India decided to merge its state with the Indian Republic in the year 1975. With that decision, India got a gift of a beautiful hill station know as Gangtok, capital of the Himalayan state of Sikkim. The journey to this stunning place is equally beautiful and 90% of the road is by the side of the river Teesta.

Gangtok is situated at an altitude of 1437 meters above the main sea level. There is hardly any plateau in Gangtok and the entire place is located on different steps at various levels which add a special dimension to the view of the place. The word “Gangtok” has been derived from the Tibetan word for “hillside”. Although Sikkim has taken pains to preserve its history, ancient traditions, culture as well as historic monuments which are of religious significance to them, at the same time, it has taken care to keep pace with the modern age by building hospitals, wide roads and other modern amenities that the new age citizen wishes to have.
beautiful mountains
during the blue hour
kanchendzonga
During the British rule, Sikkim was an important trade centre between India and Tibet. Gangtok has been the capital of the state of Sikkim since 1894. When India gained independence in 1947, Sikkim chose to remain an independent monarchy till 1975 when due to certain internal circumstances; it decided to become a part of the Indian Republic. During the Sino-Indian war when the Nathu La Pass was blocked for trade, Sikkim suffered economically. However, since 2006, the pass has been reopened and it has thrown open new opportunities for trade between India and Tibet and a gateway to the prosperity of the Sikkimese.
Lake Tsomgo
rice field
Sun Sets On Nathu La
Sikkim has a long tradition of association with Buddhism. It boasts of quite a few ancient Buddhist monasteries and temples. The chief amongst them being the Enchey Monastery established in the latter part of the 19th century. These Buddhist temples have made Gangtok an important site of pilgrimage for Buddhists all over the world. The town’s former Royal Palace, the open-air Lall market and the Namgyal Institte of Tibetology also evoke the tourist’s interest. Lush parks and gardens are also spread over the landscape.
enchey monastery
Namgyal institute
Rumtek Monastery
The city of Gangtok is quite cosmopolitan with people of different ethnicities such as Nepalese, Chinese, Tibetans, and Indians living side by side and celebrating the Sikkimese festivals like Losum and Losar enthusiastically. Gangtok also enjoys communal harmony despite the diversity of ethnic backgrounds in its population of about 80,000. Due to the multiplicity of the cultures in its population, Gangtok also offers a multi-cuisine menu to its tourists to satisfy everyone’s culinary habits. Gangtok market also offers a very different kind of merchandise with Buddhist designs right from carpets to wall hangings and many items of handicrafts. Lall Bazaar is one of the best and cheapest areas for shopping.
stupa
valley
wall art inside the monastery
Overall, Gangtok offers a totally different and absolutely satisfying experience to every visitor. The best time to visit Gangtok is from March to late May or October to mid-December.

5/26/12

Persia City, Iowa, USA




 Persia is a city in Harrison County, Iowa, United States.
The population was 319 in the 2010 census, a decline from 363 in the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2), all of it land.

Mars 'has life's building blocks' !

Greeley Haven on Mars, photographed by the Opportunity rover The researchers suggest Mars has "been undertaking organic chemistry for most of its history"
New evidence from meteorites suggests that the basic building blocks of life are present on Mars.
The study found that carbon present in 10 meteorites, spanning more than four billion years of Martian history, came from the planet and was not the result of contamination on Earth.
Details of the work have been published in the journal Science.
But the research also shows the Martian carbon did not come from life forms.
A team of scientists based at the Carnegie Institution for Science, based in Washington DC, found "reduced carbon" in the meteorites and says it was created by volcanic activity on Mars.
Scientists are looking for clues as to how chemistry evolved to create a "common ancestor" of all life on earth
Reduced carbon is carbon that is chemically bonded to hydrogen or itself.
They argue this is evidence "that Mars has been undertaking organic chemistry for most of its history."
The team's leader Dr Andrew Steele told BBC News: "For about the last 40 years we have been looking for a pool of what is called 'reduced carbon' on Mars, trying to find where it is, if it's there, asking "does it exist?"
"Without carbon, the building blocks of life cannot exist... So it is reduced carbon that, with hydrogen, with oxygen, with nitrogen make up the organic molecules of life."
He says the new analysis has answered the first question.
"This research shows, yes - it does exist on Mars and now we are moving to the next set of questions.
MSL The Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity rover) will be next to land on Mars
"What happened to it, what was its fate, did it take the next step of creating life on Mars?"
He hopes the next mission to land on the Red Planet - the Mars Science Laboratory, also known as the "Curiosity" rover - will shed more light on the big question.
"The question 'are we alone' has been a big driver of science but it relates back to our own origins on this planet. If there is no life on Mars why? It allow us to make a more informed hypothesis about why life is here."
So does Dr Steele think there was, or is, life on Mars?
He laughs: "Get me some rocks back, I'll have a look and let you know."

5/25/12

Baby Saved by Smallest Artificial Heart


An artificial heart the size of a pinky finger kept a 16-month-old baby alive for nearly two weeks while he waited for a heart transplant.
The Italian baby, whose name has not been released, had  dilated cardiomyopathy, a disease that stretched the muscular walls of his heart so thin they could no longer contract to pump blood. He needed a transplant. But without a suitable donor on the horizon, doctors had to improvise.
"This patient, he was a mascot for us," said surgeon Antonio Amodeo of Rome's Bambino Gesu Hospital, explaining how the baby had been in the hospital's intensive care unit since he was one month old. "I said, 'He cannot die; I have to do something for him.'"
Amodeo and his team had already tried a Berlin Heart, a scaled-down version of the left ventricular assist device once worn by former Vice President Dick Cheney. But the device, with its tubes that run outside the body, triggered a risky infection. So they turned to a tiny, 11-gram implantable pump invented by American entrepreneur Dr. Robert Jarvik that had only been tested on animals.
"I said, 'Dr, Jarvik, please help me. I don't want to lose this patient," Amodeo said, adding that the hospital needed special permission from from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Italian Ministry of Health before proceeding with the unapproved device. "We knew there were only a few animal experiments, but we knew it could probably work."
And it did work, keeping the baby alive for 13 days before electrical problems forced the doctors to switch back to the Berlin Heart. Two days later, a donor heart became available.
"It's incredible," said Amodeo, adding that the transplant, which took place in April, was successful and the baby will be discharged any day now. "We are all extremely happy because the little boy will be in his mother's hands. He's going to be fine."

And Back To Sammy News

Thank you Laura and Charles for giving us a fresh perspective on tablets!
The Samsung Galaxy One Tablet Projector Concept is a combination of three characteristics from three different devices.
It has the lightness and mobility of tablets, the widescreen of desktops backed with the power of a laptop. With the inclusion of a back kick-stand and projector, the device gets additional functionality and of course Windows 8! Superb!
Specs:
  • 305x195x14 mm
  • Projector
  • Two feet
  • Windows 8
  • Aluminum body
  • Brushed aluminum feet
Designers: Laura Hong and Charles de Belizal