Previews: ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’
Filed under Entertainment, Trailers, Youtube/Vimeo/Videos
First up, a 10 minute The Hobbit intro video from Peter Jackson himself. Kinda cool with all the exploration of the set, facilities, etc.
Next up, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I know, the title sucks! That aside, the VFX is by WETA, so it’s gonna be visually appealing.
Teaser trailer:
HD available on Apple.com
Tags: Peter Jackson, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Hobbit, WETA
Nokia Launches X7 and E6!
Filed under Tech
After a long long long wait, finally the two most important Nokia phones for this year are out, the Nokia E6 and Nokia X7!
1. Nokia X7
Video:
Specs to come later! Nothing extra-ordinary anyway!
2. Nokia E6
Video:
Specs to come later!
There is also a Symbian Anna (Symbian^3 V2.0) video, as below:
More images and info when I have the time!
Tags: Nokia, Nokia E6, Nokia X7, Symbian, Symbian ^3
Images: Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pinocchio’
Filed under Entertainment, Visual Graphics & Images
This was from several weeks ago, but I’ve just had the time now.
Our first look into Guillermo del Toro’s remake of the classic ‘Pinocchio’, in 3D. I’m actually liking it very much – very Tim Burtonish!
Source: Deadline
Tags: Guillermo del Toro, Pinocchio
Quenching Your Thirst – Reach for Tea Instead of Water
Thirsty? You might want to consider a steaming cup of tea. In a survey of existing research published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the authors report that not only does tea rehydrate and quench your thirst as well as water does, it comes with additional health benefits too.
“Drinking tea is actually better for you than drinking water,” Dr. Carrie Ruxton, a nutritionist and the lead author of the study told the BBC. “Water is essentially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so it’s got two things going for it.”
Those antioxidants — specifically flavanoids — can reduce damage done to cells through everyday living, so researchers believe these same compounds may help to ward off heart attacks and some types of cancer.
The researchers also addressed a myth about tea’s dehydrating effects. Although caffeine does remove water from your system, even a strong cup of tea — or coffee, for that matter — is introducing more water to your body than it may remove.
Source: TIME
Tags: tea
The Year 2000 As Imagined In 1910 (Images)
Filed under People, Science, Tech, Visual Graphics & Images
Back in 1910, Villemard started predicting the future on paper. With each brush stroke, an elegant picture of the future came to life. It is amazing how accurate these paintings are. Sure, we don’t have personal wings or flying machines (individual ones that is) just yet, and the cars are a bit different as well. However, the overall look of 2000 pretty much made perfect sense.
The accuracy of these images is not in the way they are drawn but in the toys, gadgets and gizmos that are depicted therein. I wish someone today would do the same thing and predict the future in a hundred years from now. Would be really cool right?
There are 24 images in total, and I’ve randomly picked a few to post here. Head over to the original source for more.
Tags: future technologies, Villemard
Scientist: We’ve found Atlantis (maybe)
Filed under General, Interest, Science
This is it. No, really – according to Reuters, and the show that aired on Nat Geo some three weeks ago. The show revealed the work of Richard Freund, a professor at the University of Hartford, Conn., and his international team of Atlantis-seekers.
You will be wondering where Atlantis truly is. Throughout history there has been speculation that it was somewhere near Southern Spain. The Google Earth rumor placed it 600 miles west of the Canary Islands–off the west coast of Africa.
Using satellite photos, Professor Freunds and his freunds say they’ve found the remains of a city, just north of Cadiz in Spain. They say that it has the multiringed characteristics that many associate with the legendary Atlantis. And they say that it was wiped out by a tsunami.
The researchers spent two years using a variety of technological tools–deep-ground radar and digital mapping, for example–to locate their nirvana.
Freund told Reuters that, though he can’t know for sure (yet) whether this is the lost city, there is some hope. “We found something that no one else has ever seen before, which gives it a layer of credibility, especially for archeology, that makes a lot more sense,” he said.
Freund believes that the residents of Atlantis managed to escape the tsunami’s worst and created more Atlantis-type settlements in the central regions of Spain. He bases this on his discovery of several more so-called memorial cities 150 miles inland from what he now believes might be the original Atlantis.
Of course, much of this research team’s claim to fame will depend on whether it can match its discovery of these geological formations with descriptions that Plato left behind some 2,600 years ago.
Plato, you’ll recall, described Atlantis as having been wiped out overnight. He also called it a naval power and “an island situated in front of the straits which are by you called the Pillars of Hercules.” These pillars are believed to have referred to the Straits of Gibraltar, a place where, these days, if you land by plane, it then has to cross a car-lined street before taking you to the gate.
Source: CNet
Tags: Atlantis
Analog iPad 2!
Filed under Tech, Youtube/Vimeo/Videos
Confused with the title?
Created by Svetlana Shokhanova, the Plasticine iPad, also known as Analog iPad 2, is a really cool project that focuses on the analog part of the digital world. Everything doesn’t have to be about the fastest, most genuine technology you can come up with. Instead, the stop motion speed you set out for with your project is what will determine the processor speed of this ultimately cool analog iPad 2.
10 Office Pranks Perfect for April Fools’ Day!
Today is April Fools’ Day. What do you guys have in mind for your classmates/workmates/housemates/any-type-of-mate? 
Here are the top three, among the ten as picked up by Mashable.
1. Speech Recognition
Create an official looking notice (as per the house style of your workplace) informing staff that an item of office equipment is now equipped with speech recognition technology. Add a few suggested commands. Stick the notice to the equipment. Sit back and watch your colleagues shout at an inanimate object. Secretly video the action for prolonged fun.
2. Crossed Wires
This one requires a little planning and collaboration, but the effect will be worth the effort. Arrange with coworkers to each bring in several changes of clothes. Then, throughout the morning repeatedly switch items of clothing. Ensure your mark sees you all in as many different items as you can manage. Wait for the other shoe to drop.
3. Fun with Mice
Anyone leaving their mouse unattended around April 1 deserves punishment. While the classic trick was to remove the mouse’s tracker ball, nowadays you can achieve the same effect by putting some tape over the mouse’s laser tracker. Alternatively, and if you can find time with an unattended computer, change the mouse’s settings for maximum confusion.
Read more on Mashable!
