Wireless Inductive Ironing

If you’ve ever had that freak out moment when you can’t remember if you left the iron on then you’ll appreciate this cordless high-tech design. The Smooth Inductor is an energy-saving iron that utilizes a ferromagnetic sole plate system that only heats when in contact with the included induction board. The semitransparent body offers a clear view of the plate and the fact that it’s wireless means it’s free of a cumbersome electric cord. Designer: Kristine Erdmann -

Skin Your Apple Keyboard in Wood

Crafty people with nimble fingers would love this. Lazerwood makes thin wood veneers that turn those slick aluminum keys into rich, tactile wood. Time consuming yes but the results look amazing. Each piece is laser cut so if anything is off, you have no one to blame but your hands. Available in walnut or cherry for all MacBook unibody models and wireless keyboards with English layouts. Would any of you do this? Maybe we can do a giveaway for someone willing to try. Designer: Lazerwood Buy it here

Mouse With A Clip!

Although tablets are the way to go, many folks still rely on their laptops for their meetings. Designer Frank Guo innocently muses at the thought of using a laptop mouse, which can be cumbersome. As a solution he’s drawn up on the Clip Mouse, which requires no carrying. Its unique ‘C’ shape and flexible material provide an easy way to affix the mouse to a laptop. Simply slide it on from the side and it attaches to the laptop securely.

Clip Mouse is a 2012 LiteonAward Entry.

Designer: Frank Guo

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Proba-2 soaks up three solar eclipses

Proba-2 soaks up three solar eclipsesby Staff Writers

The total solar eclipse of 13/14 November 2012. The clouds cleared in time for observers at Palm Cove, Australia, to experience totality as the Moon totally obscured the Sun for around two minutes, revealing the Sun's bright corona. Credits: Anik De Groof.

ESA's Sun-watching Proba-2 satellite experienced three partial solar eclipses last night while lucky observers watching from northern Australia were treated to a total solar eclipse. During a total solareclipse, the Moon moves in front of the Sun as seen from Earth, their alignment and separation such that the much closer Moon appears large enough to block out the light from the much more distant Sun.

Since Proba-2 orbits Earth about 14.5 times per day, it can dip in and out of the Moon's shadow around the time of a solar eclipse. The constant change in viewing angle of Proba-2 meant that the satellite passed through the shadow three times during the eclipse yesterday, as shown in the video presented here.

As the Sun was never completely covered up from Proba-2's vantage point, each eclipse was only partial.

imager, which snaps the Sun in ultraviolet light. Stormy active regions on the Sun's face are revealed, including sunspots, the roots of some large solar flares and coronal mass ejections that are occasionally directed towards Earth.

The apparent noise in the movie results from high energy particles hitting Proba-2's electronics as the spacecraft passes through the South Atlantic Anomaly. The dimming in the movie is an effect as part of the satellite's orbit passes through the shadow of the Earth.

At the time of the total eclipse as seen from the ground, Proba-2 saw the full disc of the Sun.

"The satellite also spent hours collecting data of the solar environment further away from the Sun before and after the main eclipse event, providing context for the ground-based observations," said Joe Zender, Proba-2 mission manager.

Observing in visible light extremely close to the solar surface is only possible from the ground during eclipses when the bright solar disc is temporarily obscured, briefly exposing the Sun's bright atmosphere, or corona, and the red glow of the chromosphere.

"Combining visible light observations with the extreme ultraviolet images from Proba-2 gives us a unique opportunity to access difficult-to-see regions of the Sun at different wavelengths, during a rare event such as a total solar eclipse," added Joe.

Observers on the ground watched in awe as darkness swept across the land for a little over 2 minutes. Proba-2 scientist Anik De Groof watched the event with thousands of others along the Australian coast at Palm Cove.

"We got all a bit nervous when after sunrise the partially eclipsed Sun was covered by a big cloud, but 5 minutes before totality, the cloud dissolved and we could watch 'Baily's beads' form - the effect where beads of sunlight shine through the rugged lunar landscape," said Anik.

"At totality we could see the red chromosphere and the corona in the most beautiful conditions - it was fantastic!"

Australians will have another chance to see a solar eclipse in May 2013, although because the Moon will be slightly further away from the Earth, it won't block the whole Sun, resulting in an 'annular eclipse'. Europe will have to wait until November 2013 before the opportunity arises to see a partial solar eclipse across much of the south.

Meanwhile, ESA's fleet of Sun-watching spacecraft will continue to monitor the Sun's stormy behaviour as it unleashes its plasma load out into space and towards Earth.

Scientists will get even closer to the action in 2017 with the launch of Solar Orbiter, which will travel to observe the Sun from a daring distance of just 42 million kilometres, inside the orbit of planet Mercury.

Award Winning Amateur Photography::Beauty lies in the mind’s eye Read more: http://www.funonthenet.in/forums/index.php?topic=98358.0#ixzz2C8UIFTMO

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1st Place - Outstanding Achievement 
Julio Hardy - Spain

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Gothic city

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Berlin Museum

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soccer

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Penitents

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Parking

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shadows

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2nd Place - Merit of Excellence 
Cole Thompson - USA 

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Windmill-in-Moonlight

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Family-Portrait 

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Skeleton

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Light-From-Above

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Urban-Starfish 

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Old-Car-Interior

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3rd Place - Honor of Distinction 
S.J. Carter - USA

wraith

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Reflection

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Nocturne

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Dying heritage

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Off to the Future with a new Soccer Robot

by Staff WritersBonn, Germany (SPX) 

The scientists are using the RoboCup to experiment with complex challenges for bipedal robots that can potentially be used in many practically relevant environments beyond soccer.

Computer scientists from the University of Bonn have developed a new robot whose source code and design plan is publicly accessible. It is intended to facilitate the entry into research on humanoids, in particular, the TeenSize Class of the RoboCup. The scientists recently introduced the new robot at the IROSConference (International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems) in Portugal.

With its white head and black body, "NimbRo-OP" looks almost human. After all, at a height of 95 centimeters, it is almost the size of a small child. Among soccer robots, it counts as a "grown-up." Thanks to light-weight materials, its weight of 6.6 kilograms is, however, clearly less than that of a child.

It has a total of 20 drive elements that convert computer commands into mechanical motions. This is also why "NimbRo-OP" is very agile - it has no problems kicking a soccer ball, and it can also get up from a prone position like a human, for soccer players also sometimes fall down.

The robot's source code and design are open source"We have made very effort to keep the design simple to allow other working groups to also use this robot as a basis for their work, modify and repair it," says Prof. Dr. Sven Behnke, lead of the Autonomous Intelligent Systems working group from the University of Bonn. Source code and design plan of "NimbRo-OP" are open source. This is intended to facilitate entry into research on humanoids, in particular, the TeenSize Class of the RoboCup.

The Bonn researchers used different humanoid robots as the inspiration for their project. "There are also other very interesting robots; but they are clearly smaller than ours," says Prof. Behnke.

"But its size is essential for being able to do certain things, such as in robo-soccer." In addition, "NimbRo-OP" has a special wide-angle camera to get a view of the soccer field, and high processing capacity for swift response.

"NimbRo-OP" to participate in RoboCupThis robot, which was recently presented at the IROS Conference (International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems) in Portugal, is a prototype. "NimbRo-OP is not suitable for consumers," says Prof. Behnke. "Our target group consists of scientists who want to program robots based on this hard- and software." The scientists from the University of Bonn also want to enter their robot in the RoboCup.

This is a first step in the development project. "With this platform, we would like to achieve compatibility with other robots," says the computer scientist. Over the next three years, the development project will be continued together with igus GmbH Koln, an application partner, within a knowledge transfer project entitled "A humanoid TeenSize open-platform soccer robot."

Prof. Behnke explains, "The goal of the project is accelerating progress in the humanoid robot area by intensifying the sharing with other groups of researchers."

Robots' soccer skills still inferior to those of humansChess computers have already proven that they can best human capabilities. "But humans are still clearly better at soccer than robots," the computer scientist from the University of Bonn reports. The requirements for soccer robots are high; they have to perceive environmental conditions via cameras and inclination sensors, detect the goal posts, opponents and obstacles, and make and implement decisions involving their team members.

"There is still much to do to solve all the problems out on the pitch," adds Prof. Behnke.

Robo-soccer as a testing grounds for future everyday applicationsThe scientists are using the RoboCup to experiment with complex challenges for bipedal robots that can potentially be used in many practically relevant environments beyond soccer.

"For example, they are capable of using tools, climbing stairs, and passing bottlenecks that are too narrow for wheeled or tracked robots," explains Prof. Behnke. In addition, they can also use human facial expressions, gestures and body language for communicating.

He adds, "Our goal is to stop re-inventing the wheel over and over; by using an open platform together with other researchers, we want to find solutions while saving on effort and expenses."

The working group around Prof. Behnke is the most successful humanoid team worldwide at the RoboCup, and with wins in eleven individual competitions, quite likely even the most successful RoboCup team overall.

Human Barbie Valeria Lukyanova Opens Up to V Magazine

By Joanna Douglas, Senior Fashion & Beauty Editor 

photo courtesy of V MagazineLooking at the photograph of Valeria Lukyanova, left, you might wonder if this Ukrainian internet star really exists outside of the strange land of YouTube, where "living doll"beauty has become a trend. The picture, however, is from the new issue of V magazine, which flew Lukyanova, known as "the human Barbie," to New York for the shoot, proving her existence and giving us a glimpse into her bizarre brain. At Shine we've profiled many doll-like ladies, from 19-year-old Anime queen Anastasiya Shpagina, to 15-year-old London YouTube sensation Venus Palermo, to England-native Sarah Burge, who currently holds the world record for spending over $500,000 on cosmetic surgery. Even so, Lukyanova's story stands out.

VIDEO: Anderson Cooper tells human Barbie she's dreadful

Twenty-one-year-old Lukyanova refers to herself as "most famous woman of the Russian-speaking Internet" and often uses the alias "Amatue," which means sun goddess.  She hails from the Moldavian city of Tiraspol, and currently has 466 videos uploaded to her YouTube account with over 16 million views and 535,000 Facebook fans. She was early to the living doll movement, but she tells V, "Indeed, I've noticed a trend." In fact, Lukyanova is friends with "Anime Girl" Anastasiya Shpagina, who makes similar popular online beauty tutorials. "Every good-looking woman with fine features and a slim figure looks like a doll. I won't deny that I play along with people's perceptions. I'm amused by the reactions. I don't take it seriously."

PHOTO: A $15,000 Barbie doll

Strong reactions to Lukyanova's appearance are not surprising. With her large glassy eyes (enhanced by makeup and contact lenses), long platinum blond hair, Gumby-like limbs, and disproportionate chest to waist ratio, the Ukrainian YouTube star really does look like she belongs in a Mattel box on a toy shelf. But despite her unrealistic exterior and confusing claims on her website that she is "endowed by nature with extraordinary external data," this woman is real.

So what is the average day like for a human Barbie like Lukyanova? "In the morning I work on my face and I get a massage, then I spend some time on the Internet," she tells V magazine. "I meditate and travel in my astral body, and after that I work out at the gym. I go for a walk with my best girlfriend, I get home, and I make dinner for the man I love. Then I spend some more time on the Internet, do some reading and meditating, and go to bed." Yup, all in a day's work.

Lukynova encounters many haters in online forums, but she isn't deterred by them. "I know the other side of celebrity is negativity, but I see it in a positive light. If people care about me, then I am on the right path," she says. "I'm happy I seem unreal to them, it means I'm doing a good job. It's hard work, but they dismiss it as something done by surgeons or computer artists. This is how they justify not wanting to strive for self-improvement. "

While clearly she values her appearance, she insists that her inner self is far more important. So in addition to maintaining her intense beauty routine, Lukyanova is focusing on her spiritual journey. In fact, she says she's a teacher at the School of Out-of-Body Travel. (We looked it up-as bizarre as it sounds, there is one textbook available on Amazon and an online course We're wondering if she's actually paid, and perhaps this is how she makes a living as a YouTube star and professional living doll.) To elaborate, she told V, "It's an international school in which our instructors show students how to leave their physical body and travel in their spiritual body, where you can visit any place on the planet and in the universe. I know that this is the future of mankind and that it has huge potential."

Speaking of potential, Lukyanova is also actively pursuing a music career in the unknown-to-us "new age opera" genre. She says she writes most of her work during meditation and astral travels, and counts music by Sarah Brightman and Enigma amongst her influences. "Sometimes I can write a piece in one breath, in as little as five minutes," she tells V. Another dubious unknown talent of Lukyanova: "I'm a professional mountain climber."

She may be real, but it's clear Lukyanova is from another planet.

Click here for the full story from V magazine's "Girl Power" issue. You can also watch the clip below to see a "human Ken doll" who's had 90 procedures, and a Barbie wannabe whose breasts are her business.

New habitable zone super-Earth found in exosolar system

New habitable zone super-Earth found in exosolar systemby Staff WritersWashington DC (SPX)

illustration only

Astronomers have discovered a new super-Earth in the habitable zone, where liquid water and a stable atmosphere could reside, around the nearby star HD 40307. It is one of three new super-Earths found around the star that has three other low-mass planets orbiting it.

HD 40307 is a dwarf star that is somewhat smaller and less luminous than the Sun that is about 42 light years away (12.88 parsecs). The previously discovered planets around it are called hot super-Earths because they orbit too close to the star to support life.

The international team, including Carnegie co-author Paul Butler, was led by Mikko Tuomi of the University of Hertfordshire and Guillem Anglada-Escude of the University of Gottingen. The researchers used newly developed software that is able to process the signals more thoroughly and thereby reveal the presence of the three additional planets.

The team reanalyzed spectra taken with the HARPS spectrograph through theEuropean Southern Observatory public archive.

Butler explained: "With Guillem Anglada-Escude's new velocity reduction package, we are able to extract more information from the HARPS spectra, and thus make a more precise measurement.

This coupled with the innovative Bayesian orbital searching algorithm, primarily written by Mikko Tuomi, allows us to search deeper into the data and to find smaller Earth-sized planets around the nearest stars.

This, of course, increases our chances of finding more in that orbital sweet spot that we call the habitable zone-the zone where it is not too cold, nor too hot for liquid water to exist." Anglada-Escude wrote the velocity reduction package while he was a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie.

The most interesting of the new planets is in the outermost orbit from the star, a distance that is similar to the distance between the Earth and our Sun. Its mass is at least seven times the mass of the Earth.

The team said the planet is likely to be rotating on its axis while in orbit, possibly creating a day/night cycle and an Earth-like environment.

"The star HD 40307 is a perfectly quiet old dwarf star, so there is no reason why such a planet could not sustain an Earth-like climate," said Anglada-Escude. The research will be published in Astronomy and Astrophysics and posted online here.

Mysore Palace

  

Misore Palace or Mysore Maharaja Palace is one of the largest and most spectacular monuments in the country. Also known as Amba Vilas, it is located in the heart of the city of Mysore. The palace was initially built by the Wodeyar kings in the 14th century. Unfortunately, as it was made of out wood it got burnt down in 1897 during a royal wedding. The current palace construction was commissioned in 1897 and was completed by 1912. Designed by the famous British architect, Henry Irwin, it was built for the twenty-fourth Wodeyar Raja. It was the residence of the Wodeyar Maharaja’s of the Mysore State.

The current palace is built in Indo-Saracenic style and blends together Hindu, Muslim, Rajput and Gothic styles of architecture. The palace itself is a three-storey stone structure which has a series of square towers with arches covered with domes. There is also a large open space in front with an open courtyard in the center which is covered by a gold plated dome about 145 feet off the ground. A striking sculpture of Gajalakshmi, the goddess of wealth, prosperity, good luck is located above the central arch with her elephants. The palace is surrounded by a large garden. The palace houses a collection of exquisite carvings and works of art from all over the world.

The palace also has several unique rooms. These include the public durbar, where the king would host major ceremonial gatherings. There’s also the Kalyana Mantapa, a spectacular octagonal shaped hall where all royal weddings, birthdays and ceremonial functions were celebrated. The Private Durbar, the Gombe Thotti and the portrait gallery are also worth a visit.

The palace is now converted into a museum that is home to souvenirs, paintings, jewellery, royal costumes and other items which were once possessed by the Wodeyars. However, the erstwhile Royal family continues to live in a portion of the Palace. It’s a rainbow of stained glass and mirrors. The lavishly decorated rooms are hidden behind elegantly decorated and intricately carved doors. Musical instruments, costumes, children’s toys and portraits are displayed on the ground floor while the upper floor has a small collection of weapons. It is said that the palace displays the largest collection of gold objects quantity wise.

The Mysore palace complex has a selection of 12 Hindu temples. They have been built over a vast expanse of time with the oldest being built in the 14th century. The latest one was built in 1953. Someshvara Temple, dedicated to God Lord Shiva and Lakshmiramana Temple, dedicated to God Lord Vishnu are some of the more famous temples.

The palace is illuminated with ninety seven thousand bulbs at night on Sundays and during the holiday season of Dasara. It is truly a sight to behold.