 | Amber on Tesla Roadster 2008 : The Firs… |
 | Jennifer on Marijuana : Why is it ill… |
| Jennifer on Marijuana : Why is it ill… |
| Jennifer on Marijuana : Why is it ill… |
 | Karen Jordan on Expiry Dates |
Dear visitor,
After taking a poll for all your favourite topics on my blog, I have decided to change the future contents of this weblog. Hereafter, my blog will only contain reviews, articles and news related to automobiles. In other words, I will be changing this blog into an Auto-blog, and the contents will be updated every weekend.
Shortly, I will also publish another blog which will contain my other favourites.
Thanks for visiting,
The Ultimate Renaissance
An endangered species is a population of an organism (usually a taxonomic species), which because it is either few in number or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters, leaving it at risk of becoming extinct. Many countries have laws offering special protection to these species or their habitats: for example, forbidding hunting, restricting land development or creating preserves.
Only a few of the many endangered species actually make it to the official lists and obtain legal protection.
Many more species become extinct, or potentially will become extinct, without gaining public notice. The greatest factor of concern is the rate at which species are becoming extinct within the last 150 years.
While species have evolved and become extinct on a regular basis for the last several hundred million years, the number of species becoming extinct since the Industrial Revolution has no precedent in biological history. If this rate of extinction continues, or accelerates as now seems to be the case, the number of species becoming extinct in the next decade could number in the millions.
While most people readily relate to endangerment of large mammals or birdlife, some of the greatest ecological issues are the threats to stability of whole ecosystems if key species vanish at any level of the food chain. One such endangered animal is the Black Rhinoceros.
The Black Rhinoceros, Diceros bicornis also colloquially Black Rhino is a mammal in the order Perissodactyla, native to the eastern and central areas of Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Although the Rhino is referred to as a “Black” creature, it is actually more of a grey-white color in appearance. For most of the 20th century the continental black rhino was the most numerous of all rhino species. Around 1900 there were probably several hundred thousand living in Africa. During the later half of the 20th century their number severely reduced from an estimated 70,000 in the late 1960s to only 10,000 to 15,000 in 1981.
In the early 1990s the number dipped below 2500, and in 1995 it was reported that only 2,410 black rhinos remained.
According to the International Rhino Foundation, the total African population has since then slightly recovered to 3,610 by 2003. According to a July 2006 report by the World Conservation Union, a recent survey of the West African Black Rhino, which once ranged across the savannahs of western Africa but had dropped to just 10, concluded the subspecies to be extinct.
Yes! Finally, I changed my cell phone. And my latest is this Nokia 5220 XpressMusic. Apparently, Nokia 5220 xPressMusic is all about music like 5310, but it certainly has some other aspects to talk about that makes it much more desirable by people in general. It is a stylish phone with a sleek design and an amazing look that catches attention at once. Basic thing about the design of this phone is that it is asymmetrical. User interface is quite easy to use as well and like other music edition phones in Nokia, it also comes with dedicated music keys which make it much easier to start and stop your music files.
It has 2-inches of display that makes it really nice to watch some movies and videos on this mobile. For this purpose, it contains an MPEG4 player that can play some really nice quality videos for you as the screen comes with 240 x 320 pixels.
Also, it has TFT, 256K color that provides you the best picture quality. To capture your favorite moments, it comes with a 2-megapixel camera with 1600×1200 pixels.
However, this phone lacks a flash light that is really nice to have these days when the competition of buying a complete mobile phone is on a real high. To provide you the enough storage options fro your music files it can be used with 2GB micro SD card.
Although, it comes with built-in hands free but it also has 3.5 mm audio output jack that provides you the opportunity to use your favorite headphone to enjoy the beautiful and spice sound quality in isolation. FM stereo radio with RDS is the added benefit that one can have with this mobile. FM radios are really gaining hype these days, so, this mobile is doing its job in the best way by providing you the stereo FM radio. To enhance your listening experience, it also is designed to be compatible with Nokia Music Store where more than 2 million tracks can be found.
It comes with GPRS and EDGE technology, but, it lacks 3G like other xPressMusic editions. However, it still is good enough to explore internet with ease.
It also provides a link to YouTube service and Opera mini browser can be used to surf internet. It also provides you with an option of push email which is quite attractive for business people and people in general. Also, the internet quality and speed is good enough to provide speedy music downloads. It does come with a Bluetooth but doesn’t have infrared. It also has some of the basic applications that make it really nice to have. Contacts, world clock, Calendar, notes with 2000 phone book entries make it wonderful piece of device.
Battery stand is good enough, in fact, music playing time is as much as 24 hours for this phone.
Although, this mobile set comes with an amazing style, but, there are a lot of people who have not really liked the design and style of this phone. But there is exception as well because a good number of people are in favor of this beautifully designed phone.
Mazda Miata MX-5. Yes. It has been my Dream Car for a really long time until the Mazda Kazamai took over. But, nonetheless, this will remain a special for me.
In today’s “let the gizmos handle it” world, where some cars offer not just cruise control so advanced that it can stop the car if need be, but also a warning system that alerts a driver who starts drifting out of his lane, it’s easy to forget the simple joy of fully involved driving. Should you need to be reminded, I highly recommend the 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata. Drawing inspiration from the light and nimble British roadsters of the ’60s, the Mazda Miata offers a zippy engine, go-kart-like handling, a quick-dropping top and trim, classic proportions.
Since its debut nearly two decades ago, the Miata has won over legions of driving enthusiasts and earned accolades from auto critics and consumers alike thanks to its entertaining drive and impressive reliability record. It was fully redesigned two years ago for more comfort and performance without losing any of its elemental appeal. Last year, Mazda introduced the power-retractable hardtop (PRHT) version. The Miata PRHT offers the comfort of a coupe when its top is up as well or the full roadster experience when down.
Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options
The 2008 Mazda Miata lineup consists of four trims: SV, Sport, Touring and Grand Touring. Aimed at racing enthusiasts, the lightly equipped SV (available in soft-top form only) comes with a black vinyl convertible top, 16-inch alloy wheels, a CD player, a driver seat height adjuster and power windows and mirrors. The Sport adds air-conditioning and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Step up to the Touring and you’ll also get 17-inch alloy wheels, a strut tower brace, cruise control, keyless entry, six-speaker audio (versus four) with a CD changer and steering wheel-mounted audio controls.
Options are grouped in numerous packages. Available on the Sport, the Convenience Package provides keyless entry/power locks, cruise control, foglamps, a one-touch passenger window, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls and covered storage cubbies behind the seats. Available on Touring and Grand Touring trims, the Suspension Package features a sport-tuned suspension (with Bilstein shocks) and a limited-slip differential. The Grand Touring qualifies for a pair of premium packages.
Driving Impressions
The Miata’s peppy four pulls willingly and revs freely. It’s a delightful instrument to play, especially with a manual gearbox where snapping off rev-matching downshifts is a breeze.
Although tuned for a smoother ride than before, the Miata still changes direction with the immediacy of a roller skate and speaks to you clearly through the steering wheel and driver seat. With a lowered top and a twisting, scenic road stretching out before it, the 2008 Mazda Miata has few equals when it comes to sheer entertainment.
Specifications
|
Exterior |
|
|
Length: 157.3 in. |
Width: 67.7 in. |
|
Height: 49 in. |
Wheel Base: 91.7 in. |
|
Ground Clearance: 4.6 in. |
Curb Weight: 2445 lbs. |
|
Gross Weight: 3078 lbs. |
|
|
Interior |
|
|
Front Head Room: 37.4 in. |
Front Hip Room: 50.6 in. |
|
Front Shoulder Room: 53.2 in. |
Front Leg Room: 43.1 in. |
|
Luggage Capacity: 5.3 cu. ft. |
Maximum Cargo Capacity: 5 cu. ft. |
|
Maximum Seating: 2 |
|
|
Performance |
|
|
Base Number of Cylinders: 4 |
Base Engine Size: 2 liters |
|
Base Engine Type: Inline 4 |
Horsepower: 166 hp |
|
Max Horsepower: 6700 rpm |
Torque: 140 ft-lbs. |
|
Max Torque: 5000 rpm |
Drive Type: RWD |
|
Turning Circle: 30.8 ft. |
|
|
Fuel |
|
|
Fuel Tank Capacity: 12.7 gal. |
|
|
EPA Mileage Estimates: (City/Highway) |
|
|
Manual: 22 mpg / 27 mpg |
|
|
Range in Miles: (City/Highway) |
|
|
Manual: 279.4 mi. / 342.9 mi. |
|
And what else, it is priced at just 20,635 USD.
What is an Indian guy’s biggest fear? I have found this after a thorough research on myself and also a few other guys I’ve met. Let’s take a countdown to all these one by one:
10. Getting caught while drinking / smoking
To many men (non-IT), drinking still remains a taboo. And now, after a ban being imposed on liquor in India, I guess this will be eased out a bit. Many times, men fear getting caught by girlfriend / parents, while drinking / smoking. When I used to smoke and drink, I myself was many times caught by this fear. It’s really a pain.
9. Free falling
This generally happens to acrophobic people: those who are afraid of height. Some people also avoid taking the elevators, just because of the fear that the wire might trip.
8. Small children and babies
I am pretty good with young kids, but I found many people so much afraid of their own li’l ones. This is weird, but true. Most of the guys simply avoid getting married just due to this untold reality. They say, “I love everything about marriage, excepting the ‘kid’ factor.” I feel this is not that a dreadful fear, but should be avoided.
7. Large insects
Yes, I used to have this fear when I was a kid. Large insects in the most weirdest of nightmares.
6. Meeting girlfriend’s parents
What can I say about this? This is indeed one of the greatest fears for all of us. The fear that one wrong answer, and everything will be finished. In the process, we also start predicting what will be the next question, and frame answers for that; but when the next question happens to be something else, we get tensed even more.
5. Being rejected when asking a girl on a date
More than a fear, I feel, this is an insult. An insult to one’s emotions, skills and judgment.
4. Losing job
Joblessness is one of the biggest fears for any Indian. This has propped up very recently, following the Global Economic Meltdown. That’s why, most of us, no matter how worse their present job is, are thriving in the present situations in their workplaces.
3. Hair Loss / Ageing
Again, most think that men don’t care about their looks and appearance. But, frankly, that’s not right. Although, we are surely not that self conscious about our looks n all, but we do fear losing our hair and looks, post a particular threshold, and become restless.
2. Proposing to girlfriend
This happens to be the most dreaded fear among most of us, and may very well qualify to be the No.1 in the most dreadful men’s fears. Most people end up in a break-up just because they were unsure of the right time, and were afraid of losing their girlfriend.
1. Relegation of the Indian Cricket Team / player(s)
This is the most common fear of most of Indian guys. If I take a poll, this might just lose out to the point no.2, but believe me, there are so many emotions surrounding the Indian cricket team and its players. May it be the national team or our domestic teams; we are just too much reluctant to let it go to hell. Some cricket frenzies even dream of cricket every night! Weird! Most facts happen to be weird!
In this information age, increased storage capacity is a central challenge for science and technology. A team of German and Italian researchers has pursued this by exploring the concept of “nanostructured storage domains”.
As the scientists, led by Massimiliano Cavallini at the National Research Council (CNR) in Bologna (Italy) and Mario Ruben at the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (Germany), report in the journal “Angewandte Chemie“, they have been able to produce reliable nanopatterns of a spin-transition compound on silicon oxide chips. This is a decisive step toward a new generation of molecular storage media in which binary data are stored by the “switching” of electron spins. Currently, computer hard drives store data by magnetizing the surface of a rotating disk. Each “storage cell” has an “address”, so that stored data can be accessed directly.
To increase storage capacity, the individual magnetic domains are made smaller and smaller; we are however getting close to the limit. Thermal excitation occasionally causes some of the magnetic particles to flip in the other direction. When the domains are very small, the entire cell can rapidly lose its magnetization. To achieve higher information density, we could change to other switchable material properties, such as the transition between two spin states. For example, iron(II) compounds can exist in either a high- or a low-spin state. “Switching” (flipping) can be controlled by changes in temperature, pressure, or electromagnetic radiation.
In addition to two distinguishable states to represent 0 and 1, data storage also requires a unique “address” for each storage location that can be identified by the optical writing and reading units of the computer.
This requires an interface that makes the nanoscopic spin-state transitions of the molecular switching units compatible with the microscale instrument environment. This is possible if the spin-transition compound can be put into a highly ordered micro- or nanostructure. By using special unconventional micro- and nanolithographic techniques, the team was able to “print” a neutral iron(II) complex onto a silicon wafer in the form of very fine lines. In this process, the nanocrystals organize themselves into a preferred orientation along the line. Furthermore, the researchers were able to transfer the pattern of a recorded CD onto a film of this iron compound.
This is the first proof that it is possible to produce readable logic patterns with a spin-transfer compound.
Let us all wish them best of luck, and hope that we soon reach an end to all crashed hard drives, unreadable disks and other storage issues.
