April 2011 ~ Weird and wonderful news library

Trapped in a water drop

On Wednesday, April 27, 2011 2 comments

Trapped in a water drop - Photo manipulation

Trapped in a water drop - Cinemagraph version

All photos are shot by me. Thanks :)

Space tourism company opens and looking for astronauts

On Tuesday, April 19, 2011 No comments

Virgin Galactic is looking for pilots with at least 3,000 hours of flight to become astronauts. Experience in space will be a plus.

Virgin Galactic is a company founded by Sir Richard Branson to conduct commercial flights into space. They are currently in the process of recruiting astronauts.

The company is looking for pilots to operate their craft, called SpaceShipTwo. In addition, the aircraft, WhiteKnightTwo, will carry the spacecraft to the proper launch altitude.

The teams selected would have to fly during the testing phase, currently in progress, and in the commercial operations once they have started.

The company is looking for test pilots who have graduated from reputable flight schools, and with a minimum of 3,000 hours of flight experience. Experience in space will be an advantage, but not necessary.

Virgin Galactic plans to take tourists into space for short suborbital flights at a price of $200,000 (£ 300,000) per person.

SpaceShipTwo is based on the design of SpaceShipOne, the first spacecraft to have proven the feasibility of placing a human being into space.

Source - Pravda

~ Library of weird and wonderful news blog ~

Two dogs are using Fork - Funny video

On Thursday, April 14, 2011 No comments

Real dogs with human hands, the combination is so funny and cute also! :D

Two dogs are using Fork - Funny video

~ Library of weird and wonderful news blog ~

Deer stands watch over goose nest in cemetery

On Tuesday, April 12, 2011 No comments

A deer has been standing watch for several days over a female goose nesting in a city cemetery, a scene normally reserved for a children's movie.

For at least four days, the buck stood guard near the nest of a Canada goose as she sits on her eggs inside a large urn at Forest Lawn cemetery, home to the remains of President Millard Fillmore and rock icon Rick James.

"He does appear to be guarding the goose, as it were," Erie County SPCA Wildlife Administrator Joel Thomas said. "He's within touching distance of her -- there's no doubt what's going on."

(AP Photo/David Duprey)

The deer, which he said looks like a buck that has shed its antlers, has not strayed from his post.

Cornell University wildlife expert Paul Curtis says deer and geese usually don't pay any attention to each other.

Arsenic and other toxins in leading brands of baby food

On Monday, April 11, 2011 No comments

Small amounts of arsenic and other toxins found in the soil are getting into the ingredients used in top-selling baby foods, it has emerged.

Manufacturers insist the levels are so low they do not pose a health risk.

However scientists and food campaigners are calling for efforts to eliminate the chemicals from mass-produced products eaten by millions of youngsters.

Leading brands from Organix, Hipp, Nestle and Holle were tested by Swedish researchers.

Writing in the Journal of Food Chemistry, the scientists from the Unit of Metals and Health at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm said: ‘Alarmingly, these foods may also introduce high amounts of toxic elements such as arsenic, cadmium, lead and uranium, mainly from their raw materials.

‘These elements have to be kept at an absolute minimum in food products intended for infant consumption. The high concentrations of arsenic in the rice-based foods are of particular concern.’

Alcohol still causes cancer, even if you drink a 'safe' amount

On Friday, April 08, 2011 No comments

Drinking a ‘safe’ amount of alcohol below the recommended daily limit increases the risk of developing cancer, with the danger remaining even if you become teetotal, experts say.

New research shows that one in ten cancers in men and one in 33 in women in Britain is caused by drinking – and the figures are on the rise.

Alcohol is blamed for at least 13,000 cases a year, including cancer of the breast, mouth, oesophagus and bowel.

Bingeing is responsible for most cases, but some are triggered by drinking at levels below the suggested daily total, according to the international report.

Oxford University researcher Naomi Allen, who helps to compile the ongoing study, said: ‘This supports existing evidence that alcohol causes cancer and that the risk increases even with drinking moderate amounts.’

The study has been tracking volunteers across Europe for years, and Miss Allen said the latest figures understated the risks now.

She added: ‘The results from this study reflect the impact of people’s drinking habits about ten years ago.

The research, published in the British Medical Journal, is part of the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (Epic), which began in 1992 and is one of the largest studies into the links between cancer and diet.

It tracked 360,000 people, mostly aged 35 to 70 when the study started, who were followed up to see how many developed cancer.

Scientists make eye's retina from stem cells, hope for 'blindness cure'

On Wednesday, April 06, 2011 No comments

An early-stage retina in a test tube in a picture released by the RIKEN Centre in Kobe

Scientists have grown part of an eyeball that has been created in the laboratory from animal stem cells that could one day give millions of blind people back their sight.

One day it might be possible to make an eye in a dish, Nature journal reports.

British eye expert Professor Robin Ali said: 'It is a really, really major landmark. I have never been so excited.'

Writing in the prestigious journal Nature, the Japanese researchers started with a ball of embryonic stem cells and allowed it to develop to the point at which eyeballs appeared to 'bulge' through.

They then removed the budding eyeballs and grew them separately, using the right cocktail of proteins and chemicals to coax them into developing into 3D retinas.

Although the retina not fully mature, it was roughly at the stage that would be found in a baby shortly before it is born.

With the right mix of nutrients, the cells changed and began to grow to make a synthetic retina.

Ultimately, scientists hope they can use this approach to make endless supplies of retinal cells or indeed whole retinas that can be transplanted into patients with visual impairment.

Eventually, it may even be possible to create a whole eye.

A US biotech company has already been granted a license to begin human trials of a stem cell treatment for blindness.

Robotic trousers to help paraplegics walk again

On Wednesday, April 06, 2011 No comments

A revolutionary exoskeleton , a bionic walking device that allows paraplegics to stand and walk up stairs has gone on show in the UK's largest technology exhibition for the disabled, Naidex National.

The pioneering bionic device, called ReWalk, is the brainchild of engineer Amit Goffer, founder of Argo Medical Technologies, a small Israeli high-tech company.

He said the RoboCop-style suit would be an ideal device for injured British soldiers.

The robotic system, which requires crutches to help with balance, consists of motorized leg supports, body sensors and a back pack containing a computerized control box and rechargeable batteries.

The user picks a setting with a remote control wrist band - stand, sit, walk, descend or climb - and then leans forward, activating the body sensors and setting the robotic legs in motion.

The system will be available for £50,000 to personal users by the start of 2012.

Source - DailyMail.co.uk , Telegraph.co.uk

~ Library of weird and wonderful news blog ~

Pantai Tok Jembal, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu

On Wednesday, April 06, 2011 1 comment

Gambar mencari damai berhampiran pantai Tok Jembal

Pantai Tok Jembal terletak bersebelahan dengan Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Sultan Mahmud. Pantai ini telah dipenuhi oleh timbunan batu-batu yang bertujuan untuk mengelakkan dari ombak menyerbu lagi kuat, kesan dari penambakan lapangan terbang.

Walaupun begitu, hakisan-hakisan teruk tetap berlaku , menyebabkan banyak pokok-pokok besar runtuh di tepi pantai. Dari segi alam sekitar, ianya adalah suatu perkara yang tidak diingini. Tetapi dari segi fotografi, ia menambahkan subjek-subjek menarik dan unik di tepian pantai.

Gambar foto sunrise, lopak air, matahari dan refleksi berhampiran pantai Tok Jembal

Gambar kawasan yang dilanda hakisan teruk di pantai Tok Jembal

Gambar cahaya mentari di atas ombak

Gambar kilauan matahari dan refleksi di pantai Tok Jembal

Gambar sinaran matahari (Ray Of Light / ROL), refleksi dan percikan ombak

Gambar ombak menyerbu di pantai Tok Jembal - versi hitam putih

Gambar ombak berpusar di pantai Tok Jembal

Gambar tayar dalam buih-buih ombak yang menghempas - Night shot

Gambar di atas, saya expose selama 204 saat, F/4 , ISO 200 , Flash ON. Saya gunakan flash untuk memberhentikan (freeze) aksi hempasan ombak itu pada tayar. Jika tidak, air akan menjadi berkabus semata-mata ....... kerana kali ini saya mahu agar moment splash tu dapat ditangkap dalam night shot saya.