Thursday, November 18, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Pictures: 12 Ancient Landmarks on Verge of Vanishing
Swahili Settlement
Photograph by Bobby Haas, National Geographic
A mosaic of tightly clustered rooftops decorates an aerial view of Lamu, Kenya, one of the oldest and best preserved Swahili settlements in East Africa. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the old town of Lamu dates back to the 12th century and still boasts many traditional architectural styles of Swahili culture.
Major threats to the site include a proposed port project and infrastructure for the oil industry. The development "would result in unprecedented new levels of population growth and put strong pressures on both the cultural and natural values of the region," according to the Global Heritage Fund report.
Pictures: 12 Ancient Landmarks on Verge of Vanishing
Pictures: 12 Ancient Landmarks on Verge of Vanishing
Main Content
Friday, October 08, 2010
Pictures: Tube-Nosed Bat, More Rare Species Found
Tiny New Frog
Photograph courtesy Piotr Naskrecki, Conservation International
A frog small enough to sit on a thumbnail rests on a leaf in Papua New Guinea's Muller Range in 2009.
This species "nearly eluded the RAP team altogether," as the scientists had to search the forest floor in pouring rain to trace the sound of the "soft, scratching, cricket-like" call, according to a Conservation International statement.
The frog and all its closest relatives are found only on the island of New Guinea.
Friday, October 01, 2010
First Truly Habitable Planet Discovered, Experts Say
First Truly Habitable Planet Discovered, Experts Say
Earthlike world in elusive "Goldilocks zone."
Main Content
The new planet Gliese 581g bears Earthlike blues and greens in an artist's conception.Illustration courtesy Lynette Cook
Published September 29, 2010
Astronomers studying a nearby star say they've found the first potentially habitable planet—likely a rocky place with an atmosphere, temperate regions, and crucially, liquid water, considered vital for life as we know it.
Other extrasolar planets have been called Earthlike, but, astronomer Paul Butler assured, "this is really the first Goldilocks planet"—not too hot, not too cold.
Orbiting the red dwarf star Gliese 581 about every 37 days, the new planet, named Gliese 581g, is "just the right size and just at the right distance [from its star] to have liquid water on the surface," added Butler, of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C., during an online press briefing today.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Being Jane Goodall - National Geographic Magazine
Being Jane Goodall
Fifty Years at Gombe
In 1960 a spirited animal lover with no scientific training set up camp in Tanganyika’s Gombe Stream Game Reserve to observe chimpanzees. Today Jane Goodall’s name is synonymous with the protection of a beloved species. At Gombe—one of the longest, most detailed studies of any wild animal—revelations about chimps keep coming.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Inside Wild Blog- Nat Geo Wild
A colossal cane toad – measuring twice the length of a man's hand and weighing just under two pounds – was recently discovered in northern Australia. Just one lick of Toadzilla's dry, warty skin is potent enough to kill a snake in seconds.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
The Solvable Problem of Energy Poverty
The Solvable Problem of Energy Poverty
Spread of Electricity Need Not Harm Climate, says UN Report
Main Content
Respiratory illness from cooking on primitive stoves, like this one in Ethiopia, will be causing 4,000 premature deaths each year by 2030 if nothing is done to address the problem.
Photograph by Lynn Johnson, National Geographic
Published September 21, 2010
This story is part of a special series that explores energy issues. For more, visit The Great Energy Challenge.
The United Nations’ goals for fighting extreme poverty—an effort being assessed at a summit this week in New York—will fall short unless nations also work to bring electricity and modern, safe cooking technology to the billions of “energy-poor” people around the globe, a new report says.
Thursday, September 09, 2010
"Lost" Fox Subspecies Found via Saliva Analysis
Lost" Fox Subspecies Found via Saliva Analysis
Main Content
The Sierra Nevada red fox (file photo) has recently been rediscovered in central California.
Photograph courtesy Keith Slausen
Published September 8, 2010
Long seen as regionally extinct, the Sierra Nevada red fox has been rediscovered in the mountains of central California, thanks to a remote camera, a bag of chicken, and saliva analysis.
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Tarzan Chameleon Found in Tarzan Forest, Near Tarzanville
Tarzan Chameleon Found in Tarzan Forest, Near Tarzanville
Discovered on Madagascar, the new species is probably extremely rare.
Main Content
The new species' flat snout is unique among chameleons, experts say.Photograph courtesy Frank Glaw
Published September 2, 2010
There's a new, scalier lord of the jungle: Tarzan the chameleon.
Five-inch-long (13-centimeter-long) Calumma tarzan was found recently in a tiny patch of forest on the vast Indian Ocean island of Madagascar, a new study says.
The new species' name has multiple roots. For one thing, the chameleon's habitat—in what locals call the Tarzan Forest—is near the village formerly known as Tarzanville (recently renamed Ambodimeloka).
Friday, September 03, 2010
Evolution in Action: Lizard Moving From Eggs to Live Birth
A yellow-bellied three-toed skink carrying embryos, visible as light orbs inside its body.
Photograph courtesy Rebecca A. Pyles
Published September 1, 2010
Evolution has been caught in the act, according to scientists who are decoding how a species of Australian lizard is abandoning egg-laying in favor of live birth.
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Evolution in Action: Lizard Moving From Eggs to Live Birth
http://feeds.nationalgeographic.com/click.phdo?i=c4c297870045249a88fa466610312c6c Shared via Pulse
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Pictures: "Lost" Deer, Rare Cuckoo Caught in Camera Traps
Eyes of the Tiger
Photograph courtesy Fauna & Flora International/DICE
A Sumatran tiger faces a camera trap head on in Kerinci Seblat National Park, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra (see map), in a May 2007 photo.
One of the last havens for the Sumatran tiger—listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)—the park was the site of a camera-trap survey from 2004 to 2009, one of the most extensive such projects ever conducted, conservationists say. (See more tiger pictures.)
During the project, a team from Fauna and Flora International (FFI) and the University of Kent's Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology photographed 35 separate tigers out of a likely total population of about 500. Pictures of the tigers—as well as some other forest species captured during the project—were released for the first time last week by FFI. (Related pictures: "Cameras 'Trap' Hairy-Nosed Otter, More Rarities.")
Unlike the well-known subspecies the Bengal tiger and Siberian tiger, Sumatran tigers "have not achieved international fame, and this is partly because it is so difficult to document this equatorial species hiding in lush evergreen rainforest," FFI's Matt Linkie said via email. (See a rare video of tiger cubs filmed in Sumatra earlier this year.)
Indonesia's two other tiger subspecies—the Bali tiger and Javan tiger—are both extinct, and there is "grave potential for history to repeat itself" with the Sumatran tiger, which is illegally hunted on the island, Linkie said. (Take a big cats quiz.)
But there's hope, he added—FFI has set up five anti-poaching teams across the national park.
—Christine Dell'Amore
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Scientists Show Waves of Deforestation Across East Africa
http://www.worldwildlife.org/who/media/press/2010/WWFPresitem17543.html
V
Friday, August 13, 2010
Wildfire Pictures: Russia Burns, Moscow Chokes
Fire's Toll
Photograph by Sergei Karpukhin, Reuters
Next to the charred remains of a home in the Russian city of Voronezh, women console each other on July 30.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Ocean's Tiny Carbon "Vacuum Cleaners" More Important to Carbon Capture Than We Thought
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/2cZEwIYcL7I/oceans-tiny-vacuum-cleaners-more-important-to-carbon-capture-than-we-thought.php Shared via Pulse
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
sharpie liquid pencil
sharpie liquid pencil
sharpie has just unveiled their new 'liquid pencil'. the pencil uses liquid graphite 'ink' to write
like a pen, erase like a pencil, and eventually dry like a permanent marker. once written, you
have three days to think about the validity and weight of your words. during this period you can
erase it just like pencil marks. after the three days is up, the pencil lines will turn to ink and remain
inscribed forever.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Photos: New Natural Wonders Added to World Heritage List
Photos: New Natural Wonders Added to World Heritage List
Official Google Blog: You can count the number of books in the world on 25,972,976 hands
As of today, we estimate that there are 129,864,880 different books in the world
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Photos: Dragonfish, Fireworm, More Found by Sea Surveys
Fang-Tongued Fish
Photograph courtesy Julian Finn, Museum Victoria
Australia's "terrifying" dragonfish (pictured) uses its many fangs—which even stud its tongue—to hook hard-to-find prey in the cold, dark depths, scientists say.
Clouds, Information, Cloud Types, News, Photos -- National Geographic
The beauty of a Tassajara, California, sunset is enhanced by towering cumulonimbus clouds—but they will likely spoil the serene scene. These tallest of all clouds often produce violent storms of rain, thunder, lightning, hail, and high winds.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DiscoveryNews-Top-Stories/~3/IW2r7QoHFTw/sea-otters-the-cutest-way-to-fight-global-warming.html
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sea Otters, the Cutest Way to Fight Global Warming
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
What Tree Did You Fall From?
What Tree Did You Fall From?
Find your birthday and its corresponding tree.
Then, see the meaning behind it below. Do you recognize yourself?
YouTube - Amazing Fox Snow Dive - Yellowstone - BBC Two
A red fox listens out for mice scurrying six feet beneath the snow before diving head first into the drift to snap up its prey.
'Psychic' Octopus Predicts Spain to Win : Discovery News
The tentacled tipster went straight to the Spanish box, wrenched open the lid and gobbled the tasty morsel. Click to enlarge this image.
Two New "Walking" Batfish Species Found
Two New "Walking" Batfish Species Found
New bottom-dwellers live in path of Gulf oil spill.
Main Content
One of the new batfish species found in the Gulf of Mexico (file photo).
The Clean-Slate Guide to Simplicity | zen habits
Step one: Take all the clutter you’re facing, useful or not, and put it away. All of it. Put the pile of clothes in a box; put the old emails in a hidden folder. Now you have a “clean slate” to work with, but you don’t have to throw anything away. Yet.
Step two: Go about your business as usual. As you discover a genuine need for something (genuine being the operative word), take it out of storage with a clear conscience. No more agonizing over what to keep. Life will show exactly which things you actually need, and which things you only thought you needed.
karawitz architecture: passive house, bessancourt
karawitz architecture: passive house, bessancourt
passive house in bessancourt by karawitz architecture
all images courtesy karawitz architecture
french firm karawitz architecture have developed a passive house in bessancourt, near paris, france.the house is closed to the north to limit heat loss and opened to the south benefitting from
free solar energy. aesthetically, it is an abstract replica of a traditional house.the second skin of the houses design is untreated bamboo which envelopes the frame in solid wood panels.
Saturday, July 03, 2010
How to Use the Manual Mode on a Digital SLR Camera – PictureCorrect
To many people new to digital photography, just the words “manual mode” are enough to start their knees shaking nervously. Surely, one of the benefits of modern cameras is that much of the tough decision making is taken out of your hands, so that you can concentrate on picture composition, and actually taking the shot? Whilst this is largely true, there will always be times when ultimate control should stay in the photographer’s hands – tricky lighting conditions, for example.
Archaeologists Find Ancient Weapon In Melting Ice Patch : Discovery News
Global warming is turning out to be a savior for archaeologists like Craig Lee from the University of Colorado at Boulder, who are finding ancient relics in recently melted ice patches.
Lee's lucky strike is the oldest known atlatl dart, an early wooden spear-like hunting weapon, in the Rocky Mountains (pictured, left).
The research team found the 10,000-year-old weapon in a melting ice in the mountains near Yellowstone National Park. The two-foot long birch spear still had markings from the original hunter.
Atlatls have been found all over the world. Researchers believe the weapon was transported to North American around 12,000 years old by migratory hunters from Asia.
Something good came out of global warming.. More to come I guess.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Game Review: Splinter Cell Conviction on the Xbox 360
All that hard work just shows when you play the single player and co-op campaigns.
Sure, some elements are removed, a slight bummer for old SC fans like me, but I don't mind a slight change, its gorgeous, well thought out, planned and just plain fun. Realistic difficulty is the most fun to play with in both SP and COOP campaigns.
I was reading a review where the producers mentioned that they couldn't get the picking up bodies action item in this game. They ran out of time. But its cool.......
Add me as a friend on the Xbox 360 if you want to play coop.
V
-- About Vishal
Sunday, March 28, 2010
The Economics of Perfect Software
FYI – Very interesting Sunday read - The Economics of Perfect Software
Ask 100 CEOs of software companies if they want to ship software with bugs. What will they say? 50 won’t answer at all, saying something about how bugs are a huge problem in the industry that needs to be addressed; 40 will say “Of course not!” and promptly call their shark tank in preparation for a lawsuit; 9 will hang their heads and say “we can’t help it”; and that last 1 will look you straight in the eye and say “Absolutely.”
Software can’t be written bug-free, so if you want to ship perfect software you have to fix the bugs that burrow their way into your code.
As you’d expect, the more time and money you throw at fixing bugs, the more bugs you’ll fix. But, unfortunately, our old nemesis from economics, the Law of Diminishing Returns, applies to this process. Formally, the Law states that “the marginal production of a factor of production starts to progressively decrease as the factor is increased, in contrast to the increase that would otherwise be normally expected.” In regular-people English, that just means that how much you get out of a process isn’t the same as what you put in across the board. Instead, you end up with a quick ramp on output at the low end of input, and a long tail on output at the high end of input.
For example, imagine a program has 100 bugs, and we know it will take 100 units of effort to find and fix all 100 of those bugs. The Law of Diminishing Returns tells us that the first 40 units of effort would find the first 70 bugs, the next 30 units of effort would find the next 20 bugs, and the next 30 units of effort would find the last 10 bugs.
PS. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Earth Hour 2010 is TODAY - Take action for CLIMATE CHANGE
PLEASE flip off your lights today for ONE hour @ 8:30 p.m. local time to make a stand against climate change - Earth Hour 2010 -
http://www.earthhour.org/
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About Vishal
© 2008 Vishal V. Shah. All rights reserved. Contents of this web site reflect my personal work and is not representative of my employer.