China completes world's highest and longest tunnel-to-tunnel bridge.

The bridge, named the Aizhai Extra Large Suspension Bridge, will link together two tunnels 1,176 metres apart, and 355 metres above Hunan's Dehang Canyon.

A key section of the 64-kilometre-long Jishou-Chadong Expressway, the bridge features a standard two-way, four-lane motorway. The expressway runs through 18 tunnels in total, which cover about half of its length.

Construction of the bridge started in October 2007, with its main sections being completed at the end of 2011. The bridge was temporarily opened to pedestrians during the 2012 Spring Festival holiday season in February.
The structure is designed to help ease traffic in the mountainous region, where tailbacks are a common occurrence due to its narrow, steep and winding roads.
It has been dotted with 1,888 lights to increase visibility at night.

Facebook 'creating social search engine'

By Emma Barnett, 
Telegraph

The social network has deployed two dozen Facebook engineers onto the ambitious project, led by former Google engineer Lars Rasmussen, to radically improve the search engine currently available on the social network, reports Bloomberg Businessweek.

According to the magazine’s unnamed sources at the social network, the goal of the project is “to help users better sift through the volume of content that members create on the site, such as status updates, and the articles, videos, and other information across the Web that people “like” using Facebook’s omnipresent thumbs-up button”.

Facebook has done very little to improve or monetise its search engine, which currently lets people find other users, brands, status updates and some wider web results – through a long-standing partnership with Microsoft’s search engine, Bing.

However, it has yet to properly focus its attention on the small search engine box situated at the top of each users’ page. By doing so, Facebook is going after Google’s territory, just as the search giant is moving in the opposite direction and going after social, through its launch of Google+.

Drew Olanoff, West Coast editor of technology site The Next Web, thinks Facebook can create a very different search experience to Google – by using the huge amounts of personalised data it has on people.
“By cropdusting the web with “Like” buttons, Facebook has a huge set of data and information curated by all of us…Now if Facebook wanted to “improve” its search, it wouldn’t be as simple as making an algorithm that mimics the experience that we have today on Google.


“With lists, subscriptions, likes, and location data, Facebook could let us perform a very direct query with a finite group of people. Basically, a set of our friends or colleagues would be our “search engine”. What would that experience look like? Well, I imagine that you’d type a natural language query and then drill down to whose data you’d like to use to perform the search.

“For example: [if] I wanted a taco, I wouldn’t necessarily type taco into an open search box like I would on Google. I’d choose a location or a group of friends and then search for “taco”. Based on where they’ve checked in on Foursquare or Facebook, or things that they’ve ‘liked’, I could be given results to check out.”
A Facebook spokesman declined to comment.

Headline March 31st, 2012 / The Growing Global Prestige of The Indian Universities!

The Growing Global Prestige 

of 

The Indian Universities!

Respectful dedication to the Great Students and Universities of Ireland 

IRELAND

In a recent study of Standard and Poor 500 companies, it was found that Indians are scaling Corporate heights. The data suggested that more Indian CEOs than any other nationality except American. Indians lead seven ; Canadians, four. And among the C-suite executives in the 2009 Fortune 500 were two mainland Chinese, two North American Chinese and 13 Indians, according to a study by two Professors from Wharton and China International Business School.

 All of this makes perfect good business sense because if you look at companies like Pepsi or HP or IBM, a huge chunk of their workforce is sitting and slogging it out in India. So, for Multinationals it is a non brainier to groom leaders who are experienced in Asian psyche and markets. In addition, China and India are also of future profits for the multinationals, so they would very much like that their operational heads come from them.

All this maybe a great research from !WOW! but one other main reason could be that Indian Universities have started producing the right work force. And this workforce grew up speaking English, the global business language. In the Education field competition in India starts early as students vie for admission to the state funded ''Indian Institute of  Technology and the Indian Institute of Management. The system it seems produces a self selecting and highly disciplined elite for the real world opportunities. There are tales and folklore of children starting to study at early ages for exams of the future, even a decade later." Observes Signe Spencer, the co-author of ''The Indian CEO'':  'People in India think Harvard and MIT are second choices and IIT is their first.

''But this is a bit of extra tooting. Ajay Banga/Citigroup and an IIM alum doesn't agree, ''I would have given my right arm to go  to Harvard or MIT!'' Haha! Oh dear! But be that it may, there's a spartan quality to these two Institutions, including shabby buildings and tiny tiny dorm rooms. Only a few years ago 1500 IIT Faculty members went on a fast protesting their low pay.

But what these institutions lack in glamour, they make up in accomplishments and global focus with boldness. Getting hundreds and thousands of students compete for just 2 to 3 thousands of admission openings is some exercise in ego building.

INSEAD's Dean, Dipak Jain sums up best, ''we have the training to deal with complexities!''
True, Sir! Very True!

 God bless and Good Night

 SAM Daily Times - The Voice Of The Voiceless

Bird In Charge

Here’s a dirty little campus secret: faculty, staff, and administrators don’t always relish meetings. They can run overlong; they often take place in stuffy conference rooms; and, well, these days, everyone’s busy checking March Madness scores and brackets anyway.

Now, the Alumni Relations folks are a little different. They always bring the enthusiasm—in fact, it’s kind of written into their job descriptions. Anyway, even they sometimes can use a little jolt. So, ever in search of a good story, a certain magazine editor decided to become the Buzzard and crash their planning meeting for Reunion 2012.

In addition to a big head, the Buzzard brought along some big ideas. The Buzzard insisted that the Alumni Relations staff put registration online—as well as a list of those who have already registered. (“We’ve actually been doing this for years,” reports Steve Crawford, director of Alumni Relations, “but we wanted him to feel useful.”)

The Buzzard also demanded a host of alumni classes, including talks given by filmmaker Bestor Cram ’67, exercise physiologist Kitty Consolo ’78, and Denison Associate Professor of Biology Rebecca Homan. (“Alumni College Classes aren’t new to reunion either,” says Crawford, “but the Buzzard really thought he was on to something, and we didn’t have the heart to tell him otherwise.”)

And the Buzzard’s final contribution? An early bird special, of course. (Says Crawford: “Um, yeah. What can I say? He’s the Buzzard.”)

So, take note that the early bird deadline is April 30. You don’t want to displease the Buzzard, believe us.

UCSB: ‘Seeing Nature' Exhibit Examines Human Views of the Natural World

What do Charles Darwin, the King James Bible, the Toltec story of "La Calavera," and the modern environmental movement have in common? They're all part of the "Seeing Nature" exhibit in the Special Collections section of UC Santa Barbara's Davidson Library.

"I wanted to celebrate spring," said Callie Bowdish, library computer resource specialist, who curated the exhibit, which can be found in the lobby of the library's Special Collections section, on the third floor. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

The result of contributions from UCSB students and experts in subjects from literature to biology, "Seeing Nature" is a collection of photographs, articles, poems, books, equipment, and even a few specimens that illustrate the human ways of viewing the natural world. In this exhibit, a leaf from an original printing of the King James Bible shares a case with the Father of Evolution, Charles Darwin. Poets William Wordsworth and Henry David Thoreau share the room with the Swift Field Microscope. Line drawings of root systems become artistic, and children's stories are as educational as news clippings about the birth of the modern environmental movement.

"We wanted to show how anybody could observe nature," said Laurie Hannah, exhibit curator and librarian for the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity & Ecological Restoration. CCBER contributed the specimens and tools by which anyone from scientists to schoolchildren could look at nature. The CCBER contribution has its roots in the work of Vernon Cheadle, botanist and former UCSB chancellor, who continued his work as a plant anatomist even after he came to the university to be chancellor from 1962 to 1977.

Aside from the religious, artistic, and scientific, the exhibit also takes on the socio-political aspects of the human relationship to nature, through the lens of the modern environmental movement, particularly in the wake of the 1969 oil spill. The spill occurred underwater on Union Oil's Platform A in the Santa Barbara Channel. It was one of the country's largest oil spills, pumping up to 100,000 barrels of crude oil into the water and sparking a massive environmental movement that drew the attention of both the public and politicians to the state of the environment, and gave birth to Earth Day.

"Seeing Nature," will run through the end of spring.

Original source here.

QUT Mobile App Makes Commuting Social

A new mobile phone application that allows passengers to leave virtual messages and drawings on bus seats will put an end to awkward conversations on public transport.  QUT PhD researcher Jimmy Ti has released a free iPhone application through the Apple App Store today, which is being trialled on the QUT inter-campus shuttle bus between Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove this month.

The app, called 391 PaX, includes a map of the interior of the 391 QUT bus, with passengers able to click on individual seats to leave virtual messages or drawings. Mr Ti, from QUT's Mobile Innovations Lab and Urban Informatics Lab, said users would be able to 'check in' via Foursquare and Facebook to share their travel plans with friends and unlock features to interact with other passengers.

"Public transit companies are doing a lot of work to make buses and trains more comfortable and to increase services, but they're not focusing on making a trip more enjoyable for passengers," he said. "A lot of passengers have mobile phones and entertain themselves while on the bus, but in general people are reluctant to have any social interactions. Everybody is in their own bubble.

"Sharing travel plans among friends can hopefully encourage ridesharing and increase the likelihood of meeting friends during the otherwise mundane journey." Mr Ti said a chat feature would allow passengers to instant message other app users on the bus, with people able to share tips about upcoming events or where to eat around Brisbane.

Passengers can also respond to moderated questions such as: "What will make your trip more enjoyable" through the app. Mr Ti planned to make the app available on the Apple App Store to Brisbane public transit users for trains, buses and the City Cat after the QUT trial ends.

He said his research with focus groups showed that people wanted to interact with others on public transport, but they were picky about with whom. "The main reason why passengers don't interact with others is because it's a bit awkward to strike up a conversation," Mr Ti said.

"People in general do like to have interactions, but they are selective. You can't pick who sits beside you. "This app will lower the barrier to get people to talk and make travel time more meaningful.

"A companion when traveling can make time fly by."

Original source here.

UF Researchers Develop Cancer Fighting Technology

For the first time, University of Florida researchers have developed plant-based technology that could reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil and may also help treat cancer.

Known as lignin nanotubes, these cylindrical containers are smaller than viruses and tiny enough to travel through the body, carrying cancer patients’ medicine. They can be created in biorefineries from lignin, a plant substance that is a byproduct of bioethanol production.

Bioethanol is a renewable alternative to fossil fuel created by fermenting sugar — such as that from sugarcane and sweet sorghum juices, stalks and stems.

“We’re looking at biomedical applications whereby these nanotubes are injected in the body,” said Wilfred Vermerris, an associate professor in UF’s agronomy department and Genetics Institute who was part of the team that developed the nanotubes. The team’s work is described in a March issue of the journal Nanotechnology.

Carbon-based nanotubes, which are the kind used today, cost around $500 a gram, and nanotechnology drug delivery has been projected to be a $220 billion market by 2015.

Nanotubes offer an advantage over radiation or traditional chemotherapy because they have a protective shell that keeps the drugs they contain from affecting healthy parts of the body, such as hair or intestinal lining, said Vermerris, a member of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

As with current carbon nanotubes, cancer-fighting drugs can be enclosed in the plant-based nanotubes and sent to target specific tumors, he said.

But, the researcher said, unlike currently used carbon nanotubes, lignin nanotubes are flexible and lack sharp edges. That means they’re expected to have fewer, if any, of the toxicity issues associated with current varieties.

“It is also much easier to chemically modify the lignin nanotubes so that they can locate their intended targets like homing devices,” he said.

Vermerris envisions nanotubes as a way to reduce the cost of biofuel production.

“By selling the nanotubes for biomedical applications, an additional revenue stream is generated for the biorefinery that can offset some of the processing costs,” he said. “That essentially reduces the price of the fuels and makes them more competitive with petroleum-based fuel.”

Luisa Amelia Dempere, an associate engineer and director of the Major Analytical Instrumentation Center in UF’s College of Engineering, guided the analysis and characterization of the lignin nanotubes as part of the research team.

She called the development of the lignin nanotubes “quite significant” and noted their ability to break down in the environment as another advantage over current nanotubes.

“They are taking something from the waste stream, like lignin is for a lot of industries, and making it into something that can be useful and then can degrade back into the environment,” Dempere said. “This is probably a material that can be called green and sustainable because it comes from nature and goes back to nature.”

UF has applied for a patent on the technology. Vermerris said his research is now testing the technology in living cells in the lab as a first step toward tests in humans in the near future. The research was funded by IFAS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Read article at the original source here.

National Taiwan University in the Top 60

The Times Higher Education has just announced the latest world university rankings by reputation alone, and National Taiwan University has been upgraded to the top 60, the highest ranking ever.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings were developed in concert with their rankings data provider Thompson Reuters, with expert input from more than 50 leading figures in the sector from 15 countries across every continent. They have created the gold standard in international university performance comparisons. According to the chief editor, Phil Baty, of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, there are only universities qualified enough to be evaluated by reputation alone.


National Taiwan University has been upgraded from Top 80 universities to Top 60 according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2011-2012. It proves that the first Aim for the Top University Plan has been making a progress with the support from the Ministry of Education. Over the past five years, the worldwide reputation of National Taiwan University has been immensely improved within the project of the first Aim for the Top University Plan.

The second Aim for the Top University Plan is ongoing with the full support from the Ministry of Education. National Taiwan University anticipates the higher ranking for the top 50 universities in the world under the positive influence and the successful experience of the first Aim for the Top University.

National Taiwan University will be working on the Aim for the Top university Plan with the great efforts in a hope for getting ranked as the top 50 in the near future.

Read details here.

Greenpeace Calls For Zero Deforestation Globally By 2020

Greenpeace reiterated its call for an end to deforestation in Brazil by 2015 and globally by 2020 during its launch of an awareness-raising expedition down the Amazon River aboard the Rainbow Warrior.

"Brazil is now the sixth largest economy in the world, the largest meat exporter and second largest grain exporter. Brazil's rise to become the world's sixth largest economy coincided with consecutive years of decline in deforestation in the Amazon," said Kumi Naidoo Greenpeace International Executive Director. "Brazil must lead as an example of sustainable development without forest destruction for other forest countries like Indonesia and the Congo."

The Greenpeace voyage is timed to end in Rio around the start of the Rio+20 conference on sustainable development. The conference is expected to attract thousands of business and political leaders, as well as scientists, activists, and academics.

While the annual deforestation rate in the Brazilian Amazon has fallen by nearly 80 percent since 2004, environmentalists fear the country's politicians may backslide on their commitment toward greener economic growth.

"Brazil could be the example of an economic super power that continues to grow without recklessly destroying the forests. However, actions over the past year by President Dilma and the Brazilian congress show that we are at risk of failing to achieve this," said Paulo Adario, Greenpeace Brazil's Amazon Campaign Director. "It will only be with a strong legal framework that Brazil will have the necessary tools to continue to fight deforestation."

Greenpeace has therefore launched a petition calling for a "zero deforestation" law in Brazil. It is seeking 1.4 million signatures of Brazilian voters for the initiative.

Read More

Man, not climate change, linked to extinctions in Australia

The disappearance roughly 40,000 years ago of dozens of large mammals in Australia — including rhinoceros-sized wombats and tapir-like marsupials — was caused by human hunting and not by climate change, according to a new study by Australian scientists. Researchers at the University of Tasmania reached that conclusion after analyzing two mud core samples dating back as far as 130,000 years.


By examining the cores for the Sporomiella fungus — which only releases its spores when in the dung of plant-eating animals — the scientists concluded that megafauna survived periods of climate change over the last 100,000 years. But when humans arrived in sizeable numbers, the presence of the spores dropped "almost to zero" around 41,000 years ago, indicating that hunting was the main reason for the extinction of these large animals, according to the paper, published in Science.

The disappearance of the big plant-eaters seems to have set the stage for fires, allowing the buildup of the dry grasses and other fine fuels that spur burning like the catastrophic wildfires still seen in Australia today. At Lynch's Crater, the disappearance of the large plant-eaters saw an increase in grasses within 300 years, then acacias, eucalyptuses and other hard-leaved plants within 400 years, and, ultimately, a rise in the pollen from forest trees some 1,600 years later.

Even today, many of the plants still extant in Australia boast features such as protective spines that would discourage grazing by megafauna or big fruit and seeds that could only be dispersed by large animals that no longer exist—a landscape shaped by ghosts. "These plants are now anachronistic," Johnson observes.

The findings seem to close the case against modern human hunters, although they remain to be confirmed at other sites throughout the continent. And, on every continent except Africa, human arrival and large animal extinctions seem to coincide, so the case may also extend globally. Drawing of Diprotodon optimum, courtesy of Melbourne Museum.


source:enn.com

Anxiety Makes Brain Poor At Math For Some Children

A study from the Stanford University School of Medicine is published this week inPsychological Science showing that children who experience difficulty with math exhibit an altered brain function from anxiety.

When it comes to equations and formulas, all you have to fear is fear itself it seems, with second and third grade students showing brain activity associated with panicky or frightened feelings, decreasing activity in the part of the brain that handles math. It's certainly an interesting theory and if put into action, could provide a means of counseling children that have problems with math by way of improving their abilities.

As Vinod Menon, PhD, the Stanford professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences who led the research confirms: "The same part of the brain that responds to fearful situations, such as seeing a spider or snake, also shows a heightened response in children with high math anxiety."

Menon and his team used functional magnetic resonance imaging brain scans on nearly 50 students with low and high math anxiety. The children were also assessed for math anxiety with a modified version of a standardized questionnaire for adults, and also received standard intelligence and cognitive tests.

Read More

How do Spring plants know when to bloom?

With buds bursting early, only for a mild winter to turn Arctic and wipe them out, we are witnessing how warm weather can trigger flowering, even out of season, and how important it is for plants to blossom at the right time of year.

In research published in the journal Nature, scientists from the John Innes Centre on the Norwich Research Park have identified the switch that accelerates flowering time in response to temperature.

With warm air, a control gene, called PIF4, activates the flowering pathway, but at lower temperatures the gene is unable to act. "What is striking is that temperature alone is able to exert such specific and precise control on the activity of PIF4," said Dr Phil Wigge.

Previously, it has been shown that PIF4 is vital for controlling other aspects of plant responses to warmth, for example growth, but this is the first time that the gene has been shown to be necessary for the activation of flowering by temperature.

Flowering is activated by a special molecule, called Florigen. Florigen is activated by many signals, including the longer days of spring. Some plants rely more on temperature, others more on daylength to control key stages in their life cycle such as leaf emergence and flowering. This is reflected in the old saying "Ash before Oak, you're in for a soak; Oak before Ash, you're in for a splash."

enn.com

8 Microsoft Word Shortcuts You Probably Don’t Know

Microsoft Word: Love it or hate it, practically everyone uses it. I've been using it so long, I thought I knew everything about it. But I stumbled across some super helpful shortcuts — hidden tricks and timesavers that make Microsoft Word easier and faster.

One caveat for these tips: different versions of Word may have different commands, so some of these may not work in your version. That said, here are my top eight shortcuts:

1. Double Click And Drag
If you're like most people, when you want to move a section of text from one place to another, you use Control-C to copy and Control-V to paste. That's fine. It works. But there's a faster way: Double click or highlight what you want to move, then simply drag what you've highlighted to where you want it to land.

2. Double Underline
You know you can affect text by hitting Control-B to make it bold or Control-U to underline. But if one line of underlining just isn't emphatic enough, Control-Shift-D will double underline. (On a Mac, use Command-Shift-D.)

If that doesn't make your point, you may have to go to ALL CAPS, and I've got a shortcut for that too…

3. Change CaseChange Case button
Instead of retyping everything to change from lower case to Title Case or to UPPERCASE, just highlight the text you want to change, click the case button, and then choose which case you want.

4. Adding Buttons to Your Toolbar
Suppose you just tried using shortcut #3, but the case button isn't on your toolbar, no worries; you can add it (and almost any other command). Go to View, Toolbars, Customize Toolbars, Commands, then scroll to find the command you want — and drag it to where on the toolbar you want it.

5. Add the Date
How many times a day do you type the date? If you do it even once, that's too much. Next time, just hit Alt-Shift-D (or Control-Shift -D on a Mac) to add the date automatically.

6. Quick Parts
This next tip builds on what the Autotext function did in older versions of Word: If you have a certain paragraph of text you regularly need to add to a document — like a boilerplate disclaimer, or maybe directions to your office — turn it into a Quick Part. Here's how:

• Highlight the text you regularly use

• Click the insert tab

• Hit Quick Parts, and choose "Save Selection To The Quick Part Gallery"

Now any time you want to insert that chunk of text into a document, either a new one or and old one you're editing, just hit that Quick Parts button. Just one more click will select which saved Quick Part to insert. This trick will even work as a shortcut for adding a logo or letterhead.

7. Conform Fonts
This one used to drive me crazy: I'd copy and paste some bit of text from another document or from the Web, and then I'd have to click all over the place to get the font size and style to match the surrounding text of my existing document. No longer. Here's all you need to do: Highlight the non-conforming text, then hit Control-Spacebar. Done.

8. Customize Quick Access Toolbar
There is one way to get your most commonly used commands in the same place- that's to customize the Quick Access Toolbar. It's like the center drawer in your desk that has all the stuff you use most in one easy-to-access place. No organization, just (as the name implies) quick access. So take the things you like most and add them to the Quick Access toolbar. Click the little down arrow tab to get to the Customize Quick Access Toolbar drop down menu:
Hit "more commands" and add whatever you use most. You can also position this toolbar below the ribbon if you prefer it to be closer to your document text.

(Source: Becky Worley | Upgrade Your Life)

Does Your Phone Really Need A Screen Protector?

You bought an expensive smartphone, and you don't want it to get scratched up in your purse or pocket. But do you need to add a screen protector? And can these thin pieces of plastic really help prevent cracks when you drop your phone?

It's All About The Glass
Almost all new phones these days come with enhanced glass. Whether it's Corning's Gorilla Glass or another manufacturer's version, screen glass is chemically strengthened to create a barrier against scratches. Some phone manufacturers have even hinted they don't think screen protectors do much good.

And I Don't Like Screen Protectors
Personally I am not a fan of screen protectors. Yes, they can help fight off fingerprints and reduce glare. But they are hard to apply, air bubbles get trapped under the plastic, and they don't feel as smooth to the touch as the glass. But I like scratches and cracks even less. So I'm willing to sacrifice a few phones to see how everyday and extreme exposure affects screens with and without protectors.

Keys, Coins, and a Nail File
I put a Zagg screen protector on half of a smartphone and leave the other half of the screen naked. First, I take a handful of coins and rub them vigorously across both sides of the screen. No affect on either side.

Next, I try to dig the teeth of a key into the screen. It scratches neither the naked glass nor the screen-protected side.

Finally, a nail file. Ladies, if you've ever had an Emery board escape in the bottom of your purse, you know it has a natural attraction to your sunglasses and that'll be the end of that pair. Sure enough, applying light pressure with the file to the unprotected part of the phone, scratches the screen immediately, giving an opaque ugly cloud on the otherwise crystal clear glass. But over on the screen protector side, even heavy pressure with the file seems to have little effect on the plastic film and no effect on the glass below.

Yeah, But What About a Dremel?
The screen protector fended off a manicurist's weapon, but what about a real tool: a Dremel. I've seen a demo of a screen protector that was impervious to this rotary tool, so let's get extreme.

I start on the side with the screen protector and drag the tool across the face of the phone. At the midpoint when it hits the glass, it jumps up and I can see the dust flying. Sure enough, it has etched a very prominent line across the face of the phone. As I peel back the screen protector, I'm pretty impressed; there isn't a single mark on that portion of the phone. The screen protector passes the Dremel test flawlessly.

Drop Protection
Finally, can a screen protector really help prevent cracks in the glass or, worse, shattering if you drop your phone? I've dropped phones in torture tests before, and it's harder than it looks to crack the screen. So for this drop test, I haul out the ladder and climb 15 feet up to stand on my roof.

One iPhone 3GS has a screen protector on it and the other has no screen protector. Bombs away! Both phones land hard screen down on a tile surface. The phone without a screen protector shatters on over half the screen. The glass on the phone with a screen protector is undamaged.

Conclusion
So unless you carry a Dremel or a nail file at all times, the glass in current phones does a pretty good job repelling scratches. But the added drop protection that screen protectors offer may make the hassle worthwhile.

(Source: Becky Worley | Upgrade Your Life)

Jane Fonda to play Nancy Reagan in film 'The Butler'

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The right wing is going to love this: Jane Fonda, whose outspoken opposition to the Vietnam War continues to enrage conservatives, will play former first lady Nancy Reagan in Lee Daniels' "The Butler."

"The Butler" is a sprawling historical drama that centers on Eugene Allen, a black man who worked as butler in the White House under eight presidents.

Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker ("The Last King of Scotland") is slated to play Allen. Oprah Winfrey, Hugh Jackman and Liam Neeson are among the other big names who are circling roles in the project.

Daniels earned an Oscar nomination for directing "Precious" and is currently directing "The Paperboy" with Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron.

Fonda's performance would be a supporting one, because the film spans decades, chronicling Allen's years in the White House from 1952 all the way up to 1986, when the Reagans inhabited the White House.

After winning Oscars for films "Klute" and "Coming Home," Fonda retired from acting in 1990. After more than a decade spent largely out of the spotlight, she has slowly eased back into movies, starring in "Georgia Rule" (2007) and "Monster-in-Law"(2005).

She also stars in Bruce Beresford's upcoming family drama "Peace, Love and Misunderstanding."

Variety first reported that Fonda was in negotiations for "The Butler."

Jane Fonda (born Lady Jayne Seymour Fonda; December 21, 1937) is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an actress. After 15 years of retirement, she returned to film in 2005 with Monster in Law, followed by Georgia Rule two years later. She also produced and starred in over 20 exercise videos released between 1982 and 1995, and once again in 2010.

Source: Yahoo and wikipedia

Take photos with your fingers thanks to the Ubi-Camera

You remember when you were a little kid, and there was no such thing as digital cameras back then? Most of the time, when our parents wanted to snap photos of their exuberant and energy filled children running around, a stern shout is required to make sure we all stop in our tracks, tuck in our shirts, straighten out ourselves and pose in front of the camera. Dad would then use his hands to “frame” a particular shot, by making an L-shape with his thumb and pointing finger on both hands, merging them into a rectangle, followed by clicking on the shutter button.
Who would have thought that such a physical act would finally end up in the 21st century as a gesture that might just kick start the way we shoot photos? These days, digital cameras are all the rage, and even smaller kids do have a DSLR that they can call their own. Well, the Ubi-Camera might just change or rather, revolutionize the way things are run – allowing you to capture photos that have been composed simply by framing them using your hands. This is a prototype miniature camera that is being developed by a research group at the Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences, which we will read about later after the jump.

According to the folks behind the Ubi-Camera, “When you draw a picture or take a photo, you sometimes form a rectangle with your hands to decide the composition. With this camera, you can take a photo using the exact same motion. You attach this device to your index finger, and form a rectangle with your finger like this. You take the photo by using the rectangle as the viewfinder, like this. When you push hard with your thumb, the shutter is pressed.”
The camera itself comes with a range sensor, while the framing is determined by the distance between the camera and the photographer’s face. Using the current system that is still in development, the lens will feature a fixed focal length, while all zooming is done digitally on a PC. This particular method of photography renders viewfinders and displays as unnecessary. Basically, even using a miniature camera, you are able to snap photos intuitively while peering over the actual scene.

Source: coolest-gadgets

DICE+ digital chance cubes rolling out at E3

As far as random number generators go, the traditional die is about as low tech as it gets. Or at least, it was. Gaming startup GIC has taken it upon itself to update the old chance cube by outfitting it with LED backlights, anti-cheat roll detection and Bluetooth connectivity. DICE+, as the shakers of tomorrow are called, will sell for between $30 and $40 when they launch later this year. Although the digital dice promise compatibility with iOS, Android, Symbian, Linux and Windows, GIC has yet to announce what platforms will be available at launch. We'll have to wait for E3 for the details, but the possibilities are intriguing -- hit the break to see the cubes in action. In the meantime, we'll be dreaming of Dungeons, Dragons, a digital D20 and Microsoft Surface.

Source: engadget

Magic! Harry Potter studio tour opens near London

Hogwarts Castle is ready to welcome the Muggle multitudes.

Here, on a film studio sound stage near London, stands the real Hogwarts — or at least a monumental model of the fictional wizarding school, the very one used in the eight "Harry Potter" movies.

The minutely detailed castle now forms the climax of "The Making of Harry Potter," a behind-the-scenes studio tour based at the Warner Bros.' facility where the films were made between 2000 and 2010.

It may only be a model, but for Potter fans it's already a place of pilgrimage.

"I had to literally stand there for 10 minutes and just absorb it," said Cee Anatole, who works for a fan website and had a preview ahead of Saturday's grand opening. "The attention to detail — it was just amazing."

Warner Bros. hopes the general public will be equally enthusiastic. The studio expects 5,000 people a day to visit the attraction, which is selling itself on its authenticity — it features real sets, models, props and costumes from the films, on the original studio site.

The first, and most spectacular, set visitors encounter is the Great Hall of Hogwarts school, complete with stone floor, Gothic arches, gargoyles and huge fireplace. Later come the dormitory where the young wizard slept, the office of headmaster Albus Dumbledore, the giant Hagrid's Hut and Diagon Alley, the magical shopping street that's home to Ollivander's wand shop and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

The tour is an almost overwhelming feast of detail. Displays range from Mrs. Weasley's self-knitting sweater to boxes of Cheery Owls cereal, potions bottles filled with plastic newts and real animal bones and 17,000 individually painted wand boxes.

It's nirvana for Potter fans — and for film geeks, who can watch designers talk about their work in short films, ride a broomstick in the green-screen effects room and see how makeup, prosthetics and animatronics brought hundreds of magical creatures to life.

The goal is to pay tribute to the hundreds of unsung technicians and craftspeople who reinvented author J.K. Rowling's magical universe for the big screen.

"There's so much work that you couldn't see, so much work that just became part of the film," said David Heyman, a producer on all the Potter films.

"This is a tour for Harry Potter fans, but it's also a tour for people who are not necessarily Harry Potter fans," he said. "It's such a good insight into the making of a film ... basically a how-to."

Warner Bros. is clearly proud of its new attraction. One of the creators' few regrets is that trains to Watford, which will carry many of the site's visitors, leave from London's Euston station, rather than nearby King's Cross, whose imaginary platform 9 3/4 was the terminus of the Hogwarts Express. Rearranging the railways is beyond even Harry Potter's powers.

The attraction is part of Warner Bros.' 100 million pound ($160 million) redevelopment of Leavesden Studios, a former World War II airdrome 20 miles (30 kilometers) northwest of London, into Europe's largest filmmaking complex.

In addition to the tour, the working studio due to open later this year will have sound stages, workshops, offices and the biggest backlot in Europe, and make Warner Bros.' the only U.S. studio with a permanent base in Britain.

Those who worked on the film say the transformation is remarkable.

"What is different and strange is that the roof is not leaking," said David Yates, who directed the final four Potter films. "And it's not dusty, it's not drafty and it's not cold. We literally were working in big sheds."

Warner Bros. is not estimating the lifespan of the attraction, which employs about 300 people, including a horde of Potter fans working as enthusiastic tour guides. But it says Pottermania shows no signs of waning.

Initial reviews have been largely positive, though some have questioned the admission price — 28 pounds ($45) for adults and 21 pounds ($34) for children five and over. Children under 5 go free. Warner Bros. says the charges are "in line with other major attractions in the U.K. and around the world."

The attraction has already won over an important group of fans: the cast.

"I found it quite moving, actually, coming back," said Rupert Grint, who played Harry's best friend, Ron Weasley. "I sometimes had to remind myself that we weren't doing a scene, because it's so authentic.

"This is a special place for me. I basically grew up here, went to school here. It's just nice to be able to share it with everyone."

Source: Yahoo

Belfast unveils birth-to-death story of Titanic

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — Belfast is launching an impressive new tourist attraction — the 100 million-pound ($160 million, €120 million) Titanic Belfast visitor center, which offers a taste of the excitement and opulence surrounding the doomed trans-Atlantic liner.

Some 100,000 tickets have already sold. Belfast is betting the center, which opens Saturday will deliver a lasting tourist tonic to the conflict-scarred city.

Any visitor's first impression will be of its stunning exterior: four jutting prows of the ship, lined in silver steel paneling six stories high. It sits beside the Belfast Lough dockside where the ship was built from 1909 to 1911 and set sail for her sea trials on April 2, 1912.

A three-week festival featuring talks, walks and seven stage shows, including "Titanic The Musical," also begins Saturday to mark the 100th anniversary of the ship's launching.

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the fourteenth largest city in the United Kingdom and second largest on the 

 island of Ireland.

Belfast is currently experiencing a successful tourist boom, being one of the most visited cities in the UK, and the second most visited on the island of Ireland. In 2008, 7.1 million tourists visited the city. There are numerous popular tour bus companies and boat tours running throughout the year.
Frommer's, the American travel guidebook series, listed Belfast as the only United Kingdom destination in its Top 12 Destinations to Visit in 2009. The other listed destinations were Istanbul, Berlin, Cape Town, Saqqara, Washington DC, Cambodia, Waiheke Island, Cartagena, Waterton Lakes National Park, the Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail, Alabama and the Lassen Volcanic National Park.
To further enhance the tourist industry in Northern Ireland, the Belfast City Council is currently investing into the complete redevelopment of the Titanic Quarter, which is planned to consist of apartments, hotels and a riverside entertainment district. A major visitor attraction; Titanic Belfast, opens in March 2012. They also hope to invest in a new modern transport system (high-speed rail and others) for Belfast, with a cost of £250 million

Source: yahoo

England suffer Broad blow

England pace bowler Stuart Broad has been ruled of the second and final Test against Sri Lanka after a scan on Friday confirmed a right calf strain.

Broad, 25, will return home immediately for further assessment before beginning a rehabilitation programme which will determine his availability for all cricket, including the Indian Premier League.

England, who must win in Colombo next week to share the two-match series, will not call an additional player into the squad.

Broad played in England's first Test defeat in Galle despite struggling with a sprain to his left ankle in the build-up to the match.

He then suffered an injury to his right calf during the game and was in visible discomfort as he batted in the second innings.

Bresnan or Finn?

England sent the Nottinghamshire all-rounder for scans on Friday and have opted to fly him home for rehabilitation.

Broad took two wickets in the first Test, removing Sri Lanka opener Tillakaratne Dilshan with the new ball in each innings.

There are now question marks over his participation in the IPL for the second year running.

He signed a three-year deal with King's XI Punjab but missed last year's tournament with a stomach injury sustained at the World Cup.

An England and Wales Cricket Board statement read: "England pace bowler Stuart Broad has been ruled of the final Test against Sri Lanka after a scan today confirmed a right calf strain.

"Broad will return to the UK immediately for further assessment before beginning a rehabilitation programme which will determine his availability for all cricket including the IPL."

With just Tuesday's second Test left on their tour of Sri Lanka, Tim Bresnan and Steven Finn will battle it out for a place in a side which has now lost four successive Test matches. (Skysports.com)

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish admits Andy Carroll has yet to make his mark

Kenny Dalglish has acknowledged there is a widespread perception that Newcastle benefited most from the £35 million sale of Andy Carroll to Liverpool.

Although Liverpool's manager is adamant that his club remain content with the British record purchase, he has recognised that many within the game are “entitled” to think it was a bad deal.
Carroll returns to Newcastle on Sunday having struggled to persuade anyone of the merits of his Anfield move. Dalglish is still supporting his striker but, as the focus shifts on to the No 9 ahead of Sunday’s game between the sides at the Sports Direct Arena, the Scot admits that Newcastle’s cashing in on Carroll is looked upon by some as the correct decision.
“They are all entitled to their opinion,” said Dalglish. “I’m sure whatever we say about whatever Andy had done, opinion will always be split.
“There are always going to be people saying it was good or bad. But that doesn’t make any difference. For me, we were delighted to get him and we’re still very pleased to have him.”
It is a measure of Carroll’s minimal impact that 14 months on from his transfer the debate persists about his contribution. He has scored eight goals in 47 appearances. He averages a goal about every six games, while his Newcastle replacement Demba Ba (right) scores almost once every 1.5.

Carroll’s supporters will argue he has won a trophy and has more chance of winning another medal this season than his former team-mates. However, given how Liverpool have toiled in the league while Newcastle still harbour hopes of a Champions League place, having used the funds from his sale to rebuild, he may not be given such a torrid reception on his return.

Dalglish does not understand why Carroll’s former supporters would target him given how the deal materialised. “I’m not sure he will get abuse, because what happened was outside his control,” said Dalglish. “They pay their entrance money and if they want to give him stick, they will give.
“But I don’t think he ever did anything other than give his best for Newcastle, and then they got £35 million into the bargain as well. That’s not bad, is it?
“If you get booed, you take it as a compliment. Andy will be excited about going back. It’s the club he supported as a boy, the club that introduced him and gave him his chance in professional football. He will be excited about it as a local boy and will be looking forward to the game.”

Carroll’s recent form — or at least Liverpool’s results with him in the side — suggest he has contributed rather more than has been perceived this year. Of the past seven games in which he has started, Liverpool have won six and drawn one. In contrast, they have not won any of the past seven in which he has been on the bench.
Dalglish is dismissive of statistics. He does not believe they present a full picture of those games. “Stats are there for everyone to twist whatever way they want,” he said. “It’s not about any one individual, it’s about ourselves as a squad and what the squad has done to get results.
“I won’t sit and analyse everyone’s stats to see where they come out at the end. If you’re looking for someone with good stats, the most impressive is Maxi Rodríquez [currently unavailable with a stomach bug].” (Telegraph.co.uk)

Chechen First Lady Unveils Islamic Fashion in Dubai

Chechnya's first lady, Medni Kadyrova, has displayed her Islamic fashion collection to a captivated audience in Dubai, faithful to the politics of her husband who has sought to impose Islamic dress codes in the Caucasus republic.

More than 20 veiled Chechen models paced the catwalk in a Dubai palace on Saturday evening, clad in silk and carefully embroidered muslin dresses that covered them from head to toe but also managed to outline their figures.

The show culminated in a display of wedding dresses.



Organised by the Firdaws (paradise in Arabic) fashion house, launched by Kadyrova three years ago, it was the first such show for the label outside Chechnya.

"With their beautiful eyes and their slender figures, they actually look like houris," said Omar, a Palestinian working at the show, referring to the virgin angels who, according to the Koran, await faithful Muslims in the afterlife.

"But our young women who wear revealing tops and short skirts, will they agree to dress like this?" he asked.

Firdaws was founded by Kadyrova in 2009 "to lead Chechen women towards a new way of life, full of harmony and serenity, based on the national Islamic traditions," according to a statement by the show's organisers.

"Dubai was chosen for the event because of the good relations between the two countries and between the Kadyrovs and the ruling family" in the emirate, said Zeina Habib, with the public relations agency who helped organise the show.

Dubai is considered "a fashion hub as well as being an Islamic country," she added.

"My designs are inspired by natural beauty and the grace of Arab women, to whom I dedicate my collection," Kadyrova said, adding that she hoped the show in Dubai would be "the first step towards the organisation of many others in the region."

Kadyrova is married to the Kremlin-backed strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, a 35-year-old former Chechen rebel who took power in 2004 and has described Islamic law as superior "to the laws of the Russian federation."

A father of seven, Kadyrov has sought to impose Islamic values by encouraging women to wear headscarves and men to take multiple wives, even though traditions like polygamy are in conflict with Russian law.

From Lady Gaga to Kimonos at Japan Fashion Week

From green fashions by a designer who clothed Lady Gaga to a futuristic take on the traditional kimono and a streetwear show that drew more than 10,000 people, Japan's Fashion Week has highlighted the edginess and variety for which Tokyo has long been known.

The spring event was cancelled last year in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami, which set off a nuclear crisis that led to power cuts, but the October event was held as scheduled, clearing the way for the current autumn/winter extravaganza.

The Tokyo Runway Show highlighted street styles, an effort to shine a spotlight on Japan's ready-to-wear brands as they also hope to cross into the international scene, in a five-hour production aimed at the country's trend-setting youth.

"I believe that with this show, Japan, as a fashion leader, has the potential to crossover internationally," said Natsuki Kato, a model and actress who strode the catwalk for the event.

Some 15,000 fans came out for the Tokyo Runway, which fell on a national holiday right in the middle of the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week that runs until March 24 and featured designs for "real clothes consumers" rather than avant-garde garb.

Among the highlights was an appearance by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, who represented so-called "Harajuku" subculture street fashion, ranging from gothic to outfits that look as if they came straight out of an anime cartoon and is named after the popular Tokyo area popular with youth.

"What makes Harajuku fashion unique is how the girls choose to represent themselves with confidence in a way that's enjoyable -- not just in a 'cute' way, but with some edginess as well." Kyary Pamyu Pamyu told Reuters.

"For example, I have eyeballs and bones on my outfit. It's not just cute but a bit dark too."


KIMONOS, GREEN AND GAGA
In a nod to tradition, third generation kimono designer Jotaro Saito unveiled "Futurism," a collection he hopes will give Japan's traditional dress a modern twist.

Models shuffled along the runway in traditional sandals, and were trussed up in "obi" sashes, but fabrics featured horizontal lines, checks - even the occasional polka-dot.

"Japan has very traditional things, but the world also looks to us for subculture, like anime or computer games. A culture where the new and the classical coexist -- well, I think that's fascinating," Saito said.

Despite the emphasis on fashion, Japan's new reality of post-disaster concerns intruded.

Masanori Morikawa, who created the costume worn by Lady Gaga at the MTV Aid Japan Award 2011, introduced a "green" theme inspired by environmental concerns and the ongoing nuclear crisis at Fukushima, north of Tokyo.

Morikawa, the designer behind the self-directed label "Christian Dada," showed an autumn/winter collection entitled "Lost."

"I was moved by news such as Chernobyl and similar events, and I wanted to express through this collection the question of whether or not we have a place to return to," he said.

Models clad mainly in black walked under green lighting as if under a forest canopy. Along the runway were his trademark punk-inspired leather studs that adorned entire vests, with the new additions of body-hugging green mini dresses.

The show included a visual installation at the end featuring a bird cage that transforms into a disappearing angel -- a scene that hints at rebirth, according to Morikawa.

"I didn't want the angel wings to be in a specific direction but to show that there is a possibility to go in any direction," Morikawa said.

(Reuters)