There is a possibility of active world on Saturn’s moon
December 24, 2008
Closer scrutiny from scientists of Saturn’s small moon Enceladus points to the evidence of an active world. It may seem absurd, but American space agency NASA’s Cassini spacecraft recently conducted a voyage and provided new signs of ongoing changes on and around the moon.
The latest high-resolution images of Enceladus provide proof of the fact that the polar surface changes over a period. NASA said:
“Close views of the southern polar region, where jets of water vapour and icy particles spew from vents within the moon’s distinctive` tiger stripe` fractures, provide surprising evidence of Earth like tectonics.”
Panel member Corolyn Porco, Cassini image team leader, said:
“Of all the geologic provinces in the Saturn system that Cassini has explored, none has been more thrilling or carries greater implications than the region at the southernmost portion of Enceladus.”
Paul Helfenstein, Cassini imaging associate at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, opined;
“Enceladus has Earth-like spreading of the crust, but with an exotic difference the spreading is almost all in one direction, like a conveyer belt.”
The future of TV watching is here
December 23, 2008
According to the pay TV firm Sky, the future of TV watching will be upon us within a couple of years if its ambitious plans of launching 3D services reach fruition. The headquarters of Sky near the M4 are buzzing as it has just demonstrated the new technology employing a Sky+ HD set-top box – of the kind already in over 500,000 homes, apart from its standard transmission network.
Subscribers, who wish to view 3D content, will have to invest in a new TV set that can decode the two separate signals, which make up the 3D image. Sky is hoping that a 3D-ready set will not really cost so much as compared to any standard, high-definition plasma TV screen. The Hyundai model to demonstrate the new technology retails at £2,500 currently.
Those overseeing the current trial insist the requirement to wear glasses will not prove to be a barrier. They envisage whole families in fact, donning these inexpensive specs to watch Saturday night entertainment shows, big sporting events, Hollywood movies, documentaries and operas.
The broadcaster believes that 3D television is the obvious progression from all the previous innovations like digital broadcasting, Sky+ & high definition. It hopes to attract new TV subscribers and also retain existing ones.
A new code of conduct for teachers
December 22, 2008
Teachers getting drunk and behaving badly at weekends well could be subjected to disciplinary action, according to a new code of conduct, just published in draft. It states teachers if they damage ‘public confidence and trust’ in their profession, could face sanctions.
Chief executive, the General Teaching Council (GTC), Keith Bartley stated the watchdog body wanted teachers to ‘consider their place in society’. It wanted them to act as role models, he added. When asked what it would do if teachers were found drunk at the weekend, he remarked the GTC before deciding on disciplinary tribunals would consider each individual case.
Teachers did not have to act as exemplary citizens, Bartley said, every second. Nevertheless, their behaviour at times could be ‘lawful but still not acceptable’. A GTC spokeswoman stated, the watchdog would come into play if a school/ocal authority reported behaviour of a teacher as misconduct (following a dismissal), or if he or she was cautioned on the behavioural count.
The code comes into force next autumn. It states that teachers as well as trainees need to
“uphold the law and maintain standards of behaviour – both inside and outside school that are appropriate given their membership of an important and responsible profession”
Beware! Browser flaw could eventually get your PC hijacked!
December 21, 2008
A serious unfixed security hole in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is yet to be rectified and hence your computer might be vulnerable to being hijacked. According to antivirus software maker, Trend Micro Inc,
“the flow lets criminals commandeer victims’ machines merely by tricking them into visiting websites tainted with malicious programming code. As many as 10,000 websites have been compromised since last week to exploit the browser flaw.”
Paul Ferguson, a Trend Micro security expert, informed that
“the websites are mostly Chinese and have been serving up programs that steal passwords for computer games, which can be sold for money on the black market. However, the hole is such that it could be `adopted by more financially motivated criminals for more serious mayhem-` that is a big fear right now.”
Even though Microsoft has detected attacks only against version 7 of Internet Explorer, which perhaps is the most widely used edition, the company warned that other versions are also potentially vulnerable. “Zero-day” security holes are yet to be repaired by the software makers. No doubt soon corrective measures will be taken; till then keep your fingers crossed, hoping that you are not the next victim.
The rise of ‘relay parenting’
December 20, 2008
One in four parents, according to a new finding, has cut down on their working life so that they could spend extra time with their family. A new government study has charted the rise of ‘relay parenting’ whereby both partners do the parenting to fit around their working life.
Families are under immense stress from the intense pressures of juggling home and work life. Working parents are far more likely to remain together owing to major financial problems, states the Cabinet Office study that traces the changing nature of the UK families. It was presented at a conference by Ed Balls, the children’s secretary, to show the big impact of family breakdown on innocent children.
The paper notes the end of the ‘typical’ family.
The introduction by minister for families Beverley Hughes and Cabinet Office minister Liam Byrne states:
“”We see an increasing range of family structures – to the extent that arguably there is no longer a ‘one-size-fits-all’ family in the UK today. This is diversity and not decline. Warm, stable and loving relationships matter more for our wellbeing and happiness than the legal form of a relationship.”
It documents in detail the impact of long, tough working hours on families. Around 25% of working adults (aged 30 to 59) have quit their jobs, reduced their working hours or have changed their career path.
A cat with acute vision problem to don contact lens
December 20, 2008
Ernest, a cat with acute vision problem, is perhaps be the first of its kind to don contact lens.
The 15-year old cat, Ernest, has been staying at an animal shelter for 13 years. The white cat was suffering from entropion, which meant his lids turned inwards and scratched his eyeball. However, Ernest had his sight restored by contact lenses.
As the cat was too old to risk a general anesthetic, vets suggested the innovative solution. The staff at the animal centre said they had never heard of a cat wearing lenses before.
Ernest will continue to live at the animal shelter. He is a permanent and popular fixture of the animal centre’s reception desk. Shelter’s branch administrator Less Burrows said:
“He is much more comfortable. Previously his eyes were shut, now they are open. We always used Ernest to test new dogs brought into us to see if they were scared of cats because he was never fazed. He is much more wary of the dogs now because he can actually see them.”
Long live Ernest; do enjoy a healthy life and your renewed vision!
Romantic flicks create unrealistic expectations among couples
December 19, 2008
Researchers at Edinburgh have carried out a study to find out the effects romantic comedies on couples. For a long time, it was believed romantic stories might have fired the love lives of many. Contrary to popular belief, a new study has claimed watching the romantic comedies is more likely lead to the belief in predestined love.
According to them, viewing even a single romantic comedy is enough to sway people’s attitudes to romantic love. Dr. Bjarne Holmes, the lead researcher, said:
“Marriage counselors often see couples who believe that sex should always be perfect, and if someone is meant to be with you then they will know what you want without you needing to communicate it. We now have some emerging evidence that suggests popular media play a role in perpetuating these ideas in our minds.”
For their study, the researchers from University of Heriot Watt studied almost 40 top box office films released between 1995 and 2005 before identifying the common themes that are unrealistic. Holmes said;
“The problem is that while most of us know that the idea of a perfect relationship is unrealistic, some of us are still more influenced by media portrayals than we realize.”
British Media showers praises on Sachin Tendulkar
December 19, 2008
One commentator called Sachin “Mother Teresa of cricket” after India successfully chased down a total of 387 to win the Chennai Test. The Daily Telegraph quoted Geoff Boycott as saying:
“As he gets older, he does not dominate bowling as he did in his younger days. He does not have the same range of shots and has to use his brain instead. It makes no difference because he is just as effective as he ever was.”
Sachin’s fourth innings century grabbed most of the British Media attention. In John Etheridge words in The Sun,
“Sachin Tendulkar has always been able to unite the vast country of India and bring joy to its billion inhabitants. But what he did in Chennai Monday- little more than two weeks after the terrorist attack on his home city Mumbai was extraordinary even by his exalted standards.”
According to former England player, Derick Pringle who writes for Daily Telegraph,
“It was a new ground too for Tendulkar, India’s pre-eminent batsman during the first innings, but rarely a dominant figure in last-day pursuits.”
Fraser says,
“It was one of those special moments, which make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, similar to when an under-fire Steve Waugh hit the last ball of the day’s play for four to complete a hundred against England in Sydney six years ago.”
England team had left hastily for home immediately after the dreaded terrorist’s attacks in Mumbai on 26/11. Hats off to the courageous players who returned back in no time to battle out in the Test series.
Pakistan may be subjected to more US drone attacks.
December 18, 2008
According to indications from US President George Bush, drone attacks on suspected terrorist targets inside Pakistan trial areas would continue and Washington will not consult other governments before ordering such strikes.
When President Bush was asked whether Afghan President Hamid Kazai and he were on the same page on drone attacks, his response was:
“You know very well that when it comes to certain matters, the US government doesn’t discuss operations.”
President Bush was talking to the White House Press corps on his plane said he believes the Pakistani government, particularly President Asif Ali Zardari, had the determination to fight terrorists.
Dawn quoted Bush as saying,
“He’s said so publicly and he’s said so to me privately. He looked at me in the eye and said` you don’t need to talk to me about extremist violence; after all, my wife got killed by extremists.”
According to Bush, if Pakistan continued to be a place from which terrorists felt comfortable attacking infrastructure, citizens and troops, it’s going to make it difficult to succeed in Afghanistan. Incidentally, Pakistan government turned down British PM’s request that investigators from his country be allowed to interrogate those detained in connection with 26/11 attacks.
‘Gila’ comes to the rescue of diabetic patients.
December 17, 2008
Type 2 diabetes is aided by medicines which include lizard spit. Most of the diabetic patients lead anxious and difficult lives due to a prolonged and unending cycle of ill health. As the pancreas produces very little quantity or sometimes no insulin, the hormone that converts glucose to energy.
To top it, diabetic drugs are usually responsible for the patients to put on that extra weight adding the risk of high BP, heart problems and even strokes. Thus it is very improtant that the drugs used for diabetes treatment function in such a way that besides controlling the sugar level, the drug must reduce weight.
Byetta, the new inject able drug according to the experts, is the right answer. It’s made from the saliva of the Gila monster, a venomous lizard usually found in Southwest America. The new wander drug approved by FDA is suitable only for type 2 diabetics.
Byetta works in three ways: it signals the body to make correct amount of insulin post meal; prevents the liver from making extra glucose; it controls the appetite and slows the rate of glucose leaving the stomach.
