Sunday, December 23, 2007

"Lobster-eye" X-ray Inspection Device can see through the wall

The Handheld “Lobster-Eye” X-ray Inspection Device (LEXID) provides through - the - wall focusing and acquisition of backscattering photons from a hidden object irradiated by a cone beam from a low power X-ray generator. The X-ray optic focusing, combined with the X-ray detector significantly lowers the exposure dose, greatly enhancing image resolution. At the emitter side, the collimating optics increases flow of X-rays for deeper penetration through objects of interest, with the same X-ray tube.

source Physical Optics Corporation



Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Homemade Christmas Decorations 2 - Snowflakes









source http://www.lobzik.pri.ee

See also: "How to Make a 3D Paper Snowflake"
http://www.popularfront.com/snowdays/ - cut, publish and print your snowflake
http://snowflakes.lookandfeel.com/ - cut and save snowflake

Homemade Christmas Decorations - Snowflakes
















source www.lobzik.pri.ee

Homemade Christmas Decorations - Paper Santa

Download file, print, cut and
join pieces. Original here.

Friday, December 14, 2007

The Tallest man made structure (2,860 feet).


Do you think that you know all the Tallest Structures in the world? How about this? The Tallest man made vertical structure is Auger TLP.

Shell Oil Co. is taking a courageous step into the deep-water frontier with development of the $1.2 billion "Auger" project. After almost four years of construction. Shell Offshore has set up the Auger tension leg platform (TLP) on Garden Banks Block 426, located in the Gulf of Mexico 214 miles southwest of New Orleans in 2,860 feet of water-a depth that surpasses the previous Gulf record by more than 1,000 feet. Underwater support for this deep-water project accomplished by use of one of the most advanced remotely operated vehicle systems ever deployed.

sources 1, 2

Saturday, December 8, 2007

The most unusual streets of the world

Yonge Street - the longest street in the world, with a length of 1,896 kilometres (1,178 mi)..

There are many well known streets in Toronto with many places to shop or be entertained, but perhaps the best known is Yonge Street (pronounced Young Street). To say the least, it is a lively, industrious, busy, interesting, and a "do not miss" location for your visit to Toronto! It has the reputation of being the longest street in the world and as traffic is usually quite busy, it is best to know where you need to access it. Every kind of goods, services, food, drink, & entertainment seem to be in abundance here! It is lively, but not rowdy. It has a certain edge to it, but does not seem to threaten. A stroll down Yonge Street is an introduction to the many cultures and nationalities that become Toronto. All seem to coexist in a polite respect and all are represented with places to shop, eat, drink, and socialize! From driving what seemed to have been the length of the longest street in the world, I think I can safely say that whatever you are looking for is looking back at you here! The pictures posted are a view of Yonge from several views, but certainly not inclusive of all as these pictures are gathered from my 3 or 4 block perspective from my hotel. The first picture gives you an idea of the activity and enterprise that happens here. The second one is of some swanky place that I could not afford while the third pic provided an interesting picture of a church. Ok, not like the churches back home, I guess... The last one here was nice for me because of the dark shadows while Sunshine illuminates the sky.




Baldwin Street
The world's steepest street. It is located in the suburb of North East Valley, 3.5 kilometres northeast of Dunedin's (New Zealand) city centre. It climbs an awesome slope to history in suburban Dunedin, New Zealand - not hilly San Francisco, craggy Cumbria or alpine Switzerland. Baldwin Street runs off a main road just minutes from the centre of the city. The little street lifts gently then rears up dramatically only to stop dead on the hillside after 34 houses. Baldwin Street IS steep - maximum gradient 1 in 2.9 angle over 38 degrees.



9 de Julio Avenue, Buenos Aires, Argentina
The Widest Street in the World. The avenue's unusual width is due to the fact that it spans an entire city block, the distance between two streets in the checkerboard pattern used in Buenos Aires. The distance between adjacent streets is roughly 110 meters, greater than the equivalent distance in Manhattan, New York, USA. The street flanking 9 de Julio to the east is called Carlos Pellegrini (north of Rivadavia) and Bernardo de Irigoyen (south of Rivadavia). The street flanking 9 de Julio to the west is called Cerrito (north of Rivadavia) and Lima (south of Rivadavia).
The avenue was first planned in 1888 with the name of Ayohuma, but works did not start until 9 July 1937. The main stretch of the avenue was completed in the 1960s. The southern connections were completed in 1980 as part of the construction of the tollway system, which required massive demolitions in the area next to Plaza ConstituciĆ³n (which became the only major traffic highway in the city center) and the forced relocation of thousands of residents.
Crossing the avenue at street level often requires a few minutes, as all intersections have traffic lights. Under normal walking speed, it takes pedestrians normally two to three green lights to cross it. Some urban planners have submitted projects to move the central part of the avenue underground, to alleviate the perceived "chasm" between both sides of the avenue.



Lombard Street
The curvest road in the world in use by vehicles. It winds up a long hill. Not friendly to large vehicles.
Although Lombard is a major boulevard, actually part of US highway 101 west of Russian Hill, and a major thoroughfare that leads almost without interruption down to the Embarcadero on the east side of the Financial District, the one block section between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets on Russian Hill is it's real claim to fame. In 1922, property owner Carl Henry recommended the 8 switchback design to compensate for the natural 27% slope that was found too difficult for vehicles and pedestrians to climb or descend. While the wider east and west sides of Lombard are bidirectional streets, this section of Lombard is one-way, descending from the top of the Russian Hill. Built in 1923, the street is paved with bricks and landscaped between the sharp turns with flowers. This is a residential neighborhood, and tour buses are not permitted to drive down the street. Wikipedia reports that among the many steep streets in San Francisco, many of them right on Russian Hill, Vermont Street, between 20th and 22nd Streets, is the only arguably steeper crooked street in the city. However, Vermont street has only seven turns and is hidden behind San Francisco General Hospital.


Swindon's Magic Roundabout - the most complex roundabout.

The Magic Roundabout in Swindon, England, was constructed in 1972 and consists of one large roundabout containing five mini-roundabouts. It is an innovative system which was constructed after consultation with the British Road Research Laboratory. Traffic flow around the larger, inner roundabout is actually anti-clockwise, whereas traffic flows in the usual clockwise manner around the five mini-roundabouts and the outer loop.

Although the complex comes as a shock to the newcomer, it is simple enough to traverse if each mini-roundabout is approached as a separate entity in turn. Local and regular users are proficient at traversing the complex which offers multiple paths between feeder roads. The flow rate of the complex is still highly impressive, and is reckoned to be better than a modern junction could offer. Virtually the same overall configuration has been in place for over 30 years.

When the roundabout complex was first opened, the mini-roundabouts were not permanently marked out and could be re-configured whilst the layout was fine tuned. A police officer was stationed at each mini roundabout during this pilot phase to oversee how drivers coped with the unique arrangement.

Such was the success of the Magic Roundabout that plans were considered to build a similar complex just a short distance away, to replace the traditional Greenbridge roundabout. The plan was not developed.

sources travelplanner.co.nz, virtualtourist.com, wikipedia

Friday, December 7, 2007

Are you scared of thunderstorms and lightnings? 3 storm detectors will help you.

The StrikeAlert personal lightning detector uses its patent pending technology to detect strikes out to 40 miles and lets you know if the storm is approaching or departing.







The SkyScan lightning detector is the newest high technology weather monitoring product available anywhere in the world. It is a hand-held instrument with an electronic system to detect the presence of lightning/thunderstorm activity occurring within 40 miles of your location. It uses patented technology (Full digital microprocessor insuring accuracy and reliability) to determine the distance to the detected stroke. The distances are indicated in four ranges: 0-3 miles (0-5 km), 3-8 miles (5-13 km), 8-20 miles (13-32 km) and 20-40 miles (32-64 km). Since SkyScan allows you to know the level of activity of the storm, it determines if it is moving towards, away or parallel to your position. Each time SkyScan detects a lightning stroke, it emits an audible warning tone (if this feature has been turned on by the user) and lights the Range Indicator column. The full column stays lit for approximately 3 seconds. This feature allows you to see the distance to the last, closest, detected stroke without waiting for SkyScan to detect a new stroke.


The ThunderBolt Storm Detector is Storm Safety Technology to carry with you anywhere. Thunderstorms and deadly lightning can suddenly come out of nowhere, catching people off guard and unprepared. Sooner or later, everyone who works or plays outdoors will get caught in this predicament.
Fact is, when you hear thunder, you’re already in range of a lightning strike. With ThunderBolt, you will be warned to take shelter long before you’re in danger! NOT A WEATHER RADIO, ThunderBolt is a self-contained device that gathers data independently of any other weather source.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Kindle: Your Wireless Electronic Paper

Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device

Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper. Kindle provides a crisp black-and-white screen that resembles the appearance and readability of printed paper. The screen works using ink, just like books and newspapers, but displays the ink particles electronically. It reflects light like ordinary paper and uses no backlighting, eliminating the glare associated with other electronic displays. As a result, Kindle can be read as easily in bright sunlight as in your living room. The screen never gets hot so you can comfortably read as long as you like.


Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed. No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—we take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read. Whispernet utilizes Amazon's optimized technology plus Sprint's national high-speed (EVDO) data network to enable you to wirelessly search, discover, download, and read content on the go. Unlike WiFi, you don't have to find a hotspot. Amazon pays for Kindle's wireless connectivity so you will never see a monthly wireless bill for shopping the Kindle Store. There is no wireless setup—you are ready to shop, purchase and read right out of the box.


More than 90,000 books available, including 100 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers. Kindle lets you download and read the beginning of books for free. This way, you can try it out—if you like it, simply buy and download with 1-Click, right from your Kindle, and continue reading. Want to try a newspaper as well? All newspaper subscriptions start with a risk-free two-week trial. Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.


More than 250 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN's Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post—all updated wirelessly throughout the day.


Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces.


Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store and downloading content. In low coverage areas or in 1xRTT only coverage, wireless usage will consume battery power more quickly. Kindle fully recharges in two hours.


Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing.



Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device

Electronic Potty Training Solution: The Toilet Training Timer

The New Potty Watch by Potty Time, Inc. helps parents solve one of the main problems of toilet training - reminding their child to try to go to the restroom. With the Potty Watch strapped to their wrist, toddlers will be reminded by melody and flashing lights to head to the toilet. Parents choose the time between tries, extending it as children get better at figuring out when to go potty. Kids can also sing along with the well-known tunes. Potty time lyrics are included with the potty watch instructions.





Source Potty Time, Inc.

Friday, November 30, 2007

Office printers can kill you

Nowadays there is little doubt as to the importance of indoor air quality (IAQ), since modern society tends to spend the vast majority of time in various types of indoor environments. In addition to the penetration of pollutants from outdoor air, most indoor built environments contain air pollution sources that release fibers, particles, organic vapors, or inorganic gases. Many studies have reported associations between health complaints and poor IAQ, and there is mounting evidence that exposure to poor IAQ leads to excess morbidity and mortality.
Various types of printers are widely used in offices and homes around the world and they have become standard indoor electronic equipment. However, they are a potential source of indoor pollutants, producing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ozone, as well as a variety of particle emissions. So far there have been only a few studies on printer emissions, but it appears that there are large differences in the emission levels among different types of printers. Smola et al. measured the emissions of seven different printers from leading manufacturers and recorded the emissions of particles (respirable and inhalable), ozone, and total volatile organic compounds. Among the results of the study, it was found that black-and-white laser printers did not emit toner dust in measurable amounts, and only one of the tested printers emitted low quantities of ozone. Volatile organic compounds (VOC) were emitted in varying amounts, by the lubricating oil in the printers' mechanical parts. Recently, Naoki et al. investigated particle, VOC, and ozone emission from three printers and also found that the particle, VOC, and ozone emission behaviors were printer-type specific.

Read "Particle Emission Characteristics of Office Printers" study