Friday 13 January 2012

Puzzle of Day : Fri-13th Jan 2012

We leave the comments on so people can work together to find the answer. As such, if you want to figure it out all by



yourself, DON’T READ THE COMMENTS!

And now,

Today’s Question : Which is nearer to the equator: the world’s oldest living rainforest or the world’s oldest living desert?

Found Answer!..Write down here

Yesterday’s Answer :  Synesthesia


 

How : Search for [Liszt Rimsky-Korsakov d'Abbadie] and discover they all shared the experience of "synesthesia." Use the search [define:synesthesia] to learn that synesthetes often see letters in color, or taste shape

Mobile : Motorola MOTOROI 3 Is Thinnest Android 2.3 QWERTY Smartphone

Motorola MOTOROI 3 is the super sleek smartphone launched in Mexico. Motoroi 3 is Android-powered QWERTY slider phone. It is powered with dual-core 1GHz processor. The five-row QWERTY keypad that includes dedicated number row on the top giving you hassle-free typing experience. You also get a touchscreen keypad. The screen is 4-inch wide and has a qHD 24-bit color display.



Motoroi 3 runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). The rear-facing camera is 8 MP with dual LED flash. One can capture 1080 pixel videos, while the front facing camera is good enough for video calls. A 16 GB of internal and 32 GB of extendable memory lets you store all your data at one place. Compatibility to Google services such as Google Maps and Google Talk is nothing new while you have GAL lookup for email and calendar access and Quick Office support for remote document access.

Wednesday 11 January 2012

Sci-tech : 20 best free Android apps

Most of the good stuff on Android is free, thanks to the work of developers who do it for love alone. So here's our pick of the top free Android apps you should install.

  1. Seesmic

  2. Facebook for Android

  3. ASTRO File Manager

  4. Hotmail

  5. Google Sky Map

  6. Layar

  7. Foursquare

  8. WordPress for Android

  9. Google Goggles

  10. Winamp

  11. Samsung ChatOn

  12. Skyfire 3.0

  13. BBC News

  14. RAC Traffic

  15. Evernote

  16. Flickr

  17. Last.fm

  18. Astrid Task / Todo list

  19. Shareprice

  20. Meebo IM


Let me know which one you liked most :)

Mobile Review : Samsung Infuse 4G

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="247" caption="Samsung Infuse 4G"][/caption]

The Samsung Infuse 4G feels a bit like a phone with an identity crisis. It costs the same as the Epic 4G Touch, but is excluded from the Galaxy line. It's got a 4G right in the name, but it doesn't boast 4G speeds.

And at 4.5" it's also large enough to feel almost like a tablet - albeit one rocking the stale Froyo Android OS. But is it a good phone?

The first thing anyone will notice about the Samsung Infuse is its gargantuan 4.5" Super AMOLED display. Samsung is no stranger to large displays; its flagship Galaxy S2 rocks a 4.3" screen, and the Samsung Galaxy Note is actually, legitimately, a tablet-phone crossover poised to launch stateside in early 2012.

But no matter how its predecessors feel, the Samsung Infuse's large screen and small borders make it feel bigger than it actually is.


This is at least in part due to the phone's thickness and weight - at only 131g (less than .30 pounds) and 8.8mm at its thickest the Samsung Infuse is thinner and just about as light as the Samsung Epic 4G Touch.

Read full specification here

Overall rating : Good stuff to buy ;)

Tuesday 10 January 2012

Movie review: Sherlock Holmes


Boxford Topsfield Middleton —





It opened on Christmas Day and the Sherlock Holmes sequel proves to be quite a gift to moviegoers. In “A Game of Shadows,” Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law return as Holmes and Dr. Watson, carrying on a fine bromance complete with trivial spats, heated arguments, wrestling matches and unwavering loyalty. It’s clear that these two would do anything for each other, including sacrificing their lives.

While there is a mystery afoot in “A Game of Shadows,” the theme of the first Sherlock Holmes movie and its sequel are the same — they both deal with love and loss. Holmes feels great affection for Watson, but the good doctor is about to get married and Holmes is clearly jealous of the bride.

While Watson prepares for his wedding, his best man, Holmes, prepares a wild stag night. Even though it doesn’t go quite as awry as the bachelor party in “The Hangover” it certainly isn’t focused on Watson. Holmes uses the evening’s opportunities to gather more clues to his latest mystery, the diabolical scheme of his arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty.

Seemingly not quite able to deal with his best friend’s nuptials, Holmes derails the honeymoon — at one point donning a drag ensemble — and throws Watson’s bride from a moving train. While his actions look extreme, the audience trusts that Holmes knows what he’s doing.

Also, Holmes truly loves his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) but he faces losing her to the evil clutches of Moriarty, too.

One of the best features of these Sherlock Holmes movies is the use of super slow motion in the middle of hectic, fast-paced scenes. It’s a fascinating juxtaposition of styles and it makes certain sequences absolutely mesmerizing, including one scene in which Holmes, Watson and the band of gypsies they’ve enlisted for help come under fire from Moriarty’s well-armed henchmen. There’s something really satisfying about watching a bullet travel in slow motion and pierce through the jacket of a sprinting Watson.

A new addition to the cast is Stephen Fry as Holmes’ brother, Mycroft. He is a hoot, especially since he prefers to walk around his manor house in the nude. Little surprises like that make this sequel much funnier than the original.

While part of the appeal of these movies is to figure out the mystery, the thing I liked best about this sequel was watching the two delightful characters of Holmes and Watson, inhabited by immensely entertaining actors, have so much fun together onscreen.

What I liked least about the film was the fact that McAdams, who was so well cast in the original and sparred so well with Downey, was only in the film briefly.

As the title states, a game is being played in this plot line. Holmes and Moriarty are engaged in a battle of wits while literally (and figuratively) playing a game of chess. They try to outwit each other by anticipating the other’s moves. But who comes out ahead and wins the game? I’m not telling, but I will say I’m game for a third Sherlock Holmes movie.

Rotten tomatoes : 70% - 227 reviews

IMDB Rating : 7.5/10 - 168,094 votes

Speedpostme : 4/5

 

Movie Trailer : Underworld Awakening

UNDERWORLD : AWAKENING brings a stunning new dimension to the epic battle between Vampires and Lycans, as the first film in the franchise to shoot in 3D.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="520" caption="Underworld: Awakening"][/caption]

 

Kate Beckinsale, star of the first two films, returns in her lead role as the vampire warrioress Selene, who escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans, and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species.

Studio: Screen Gems
Release: January 20, 2012

Director: Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein

Writer: Len Wiseman, John Hlavin, Allison Burnett, J. Michael Straczynski

Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy, Theo James, India Eisley, Charles Dance


[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUcrbUCWKQc]

Puzzle of Day : wed-11th Jan 2012

We leave the comments on so people can work together to find the answer. As such, if you want to figure it out all by



yourself, DON’T READ THE COMMENTS!

And now,

Today’s Question : Franz Liszt, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Antoine d'Abbadie all shared what perceptual variation that allowed them to see the world differently?

Found Answer!..Write down here

Yesterday’s Answer :  Royal Standard

 

How :  Search [oldest subway system] to find that it’s located in London. Search [London sovereign residence flag] to get Buckingham Palace, and read to learn that it’s the Royal Standard flying.

Sunday 8 January 2012

Watch : Achmed in US Army

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wyjHt4ZA0Q]

Puzzle of Day : Sun-8th Jan 2012

We leave the comments on so people can work together to find the answer. As such, if you want to figure it out all by yourself, DON’T READ THE COMMENTS!

And now,

Today’s Question : You step out of the world’s oldest subway system and see the sovereign’s official residence. What flag indicates that the occupant is at home?

Found Answer!..Write down here

Yesterday's Answer : Benjamin Franklin

How : Search [James Madison jokes Declaration of Independence] to rule him out. He wasn’t even on the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration (though he was later trusted to write the U.S. Constitution). Search [Benjamin Franklin jokes Declaration of Independence] to learn that Franklin is the one whom peers feared would write jokes.

Saturday 7 January 2012

Puzzle of Day : Sat-7th Jan 2012

We leave the comments on so people can work together to find the answer. As such, if you want to figure it out all by yourself, DON’T READ THE COMMENTS!

And now,

Today's Question:

Was it James Madison or Benjamin Franklin who was forbidden to draft the Declaration of Independence alone, because he might add jokes?

Answer will be in next day Puzzle Section.

 

 

Movie Trailer : The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug.

Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever ... Gollum.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="542" caption="The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"][/caption]

Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths ofguile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities ... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

Director: Peter Jackson
Writer: Walsh
Studio: Warner Bros Pictures
Cast: Andy Serkis, Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman

Release: December 19, 2012

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T90Holdcrps]

Friday 6 January 2012

Movie Trailer : The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug.

Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever ... Gollum.

Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths ofguile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities ... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

Director: Peter Jackson
Writer: Walsh
Studio: Warner Bros Pictures
Cast: Andy Serkis, Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman

Release: December 19, 2012



Wednesday 4 January 2012

Sci-Tech : GM silk worms make Spider-Man web closer to reality

US researchers have created silkworms that are genetically modified to spin much stronger silk.


Writing in the PNAS journal, scientists from the University of Wyoming say that their eventual aim is to produce silk from worms that has the toughness of spider silk.

In weight-for-weight terms, spider silk is stronger than steel.

Comic book hero Spider-Man generated spider silk to snare bad guys and swing among the city's skyscrapers.

Researchers have been trying to reproduce such silk for decades.

But it is unfeasible to "farm" spiders for the commercial production of their silk because the arachnids don't produce enough of it - coupled with their proclivity for eating each other.

Silk worms, however, are easy to farm and produce vast amounts of silk - but the material is fragile.

Researchers have tried for years to get the best of both worlds - super-strong silk in industrial quantities - by transplanting genes from spiders into worms. But the resulting genetically modified worms have not produced enough spider silk until now.


GM worms produced by a team led by Professor Don Jarvis of Wyoming University seem to be producing a composite of worm and spider silk in large amounts - which the researchers say is just as tough as spider silk.

Commenting on the work, Dr Christopher Holland from the University of Oxford, said that the development represented a step toward being able to produce toughened silk commercially.

"Essentially, what this paper has shown is that they are able to take a component of spider silk and make a silkworm spin it into a fibre alongside its own silk," he said.
Spider's web The best of both worlds - scientists want to produce super strong silk in industrial quantities

They have also managed to show that this composite, which contains bits of spider silk and mainly the silkworms' own silk, has improved mechanical properties."

The main applications could be in the the medical sector creating stronger sutures, implants and ligaments. But the GM spider silk could also be used as a greener substitute for toughened plastics, which require a lot of energy to produce.

There are concerns, though, about creating GM worms for industrial applications in case they escape into the wild. But according to Professor Guy Poppy of Southampton University, they would not pose an environmental threat and he believes the benefits would outweigh any risk.

"It's hard to see how a silkworm producing spider silk would have any advantage in nature," he said.

Read more here

 

source : [BBC]

Sci-Tech : GM silk worms make Spider-Man web closer to reality

US researchers have created silkworms that are genetically modified to spin much stronger silk.


Writing in the PNAS journal, scientists from the University of Wyoming say that their eventual aim is to produce silk from worms that has the toughness of spider silk.

In weight-for-weight terms, spider silk is stronger than steel.

Comic book hero Spider-Man generated spider silk to snare bad guys and swing among the city's skyscrapers.

Researchers have been trying to reproduce such silk for decades.

But it is unfeasible to "farm" spiders for the commercial production of their silk because the arachnids don't produce enough of it - coupled with their proclivity for eating each other.

Silk worms, however, are easy to farm and produce vast amounts of silk - but the material is fragile.

Researchers have tried for years to get the best of both worlds - super-strong silk in industrial quantities - by transplanting genes from spiders into worms. But the resulting genetically modified worms have not produced enough spider silk until now.


GM worms produced by a team led by Professor Don Jarvis of Wyoming University seem to be producing a composite of worm and spider silk in large amounts - which the researchers say is just as tough as spider silk.

Commenting on the work, Dr Christopher Holland from the University of Oxford, said that the development represented a step toward being able to produce toughened silk commercially.

"Essentially, what this paper has shown is that they are able to take a component of spider silk and make a silkworm spin it into a fibre alongside its own silk," he said.
Spider's web The best of both worlds - scientists want to produce super strong silk in industrial quantities

They have also managed to show that this composite, which contains bits of spider silk and mainly the silkworms' own silk, has improved mechanical properties."

The main applications could be in the the medical sector creating stronger sutures, implants and ligaments. But the GM spider silk could also be used as a greener substitute for toughened plastics, which require a lot of energy to produce.

There are concerns, though, about creating GM worms for industrial applications in case they escape into the wild. But according to Professor Guy Poppy of Southampton University, they would not pose an environmental threat and he believes the benefits would outweigh any risk.

"It's hard to see how a silkworm producing spider silk would have any advantage in nature," he said.

Read more here

 

source : [BBC]

Watch : Jeff Dunham and Peanut on David Letterman



[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd0pYR2vmrE]

Movie Trailer : Wrath of the Titans

A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus—the demigod son of Zeus—is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius.

Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity's lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld.

Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus' godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans' strength grows stronger as Zeus' remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth.



Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Writer: Dan Mazeau
Studio: Warner Bros Pictures
Cast: Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson

Release: March 30, 2012

Watch Trailer

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHHPPX6dnYU]

Tuesday 3 January 2012

Watch : Achmed the Dead Terrorist Has a Son

Achmed has a son! An extended clip of Jeff Dunham, Achmed, and Achmed Junior from Controlled Chaos, now available on DVD from Amazon.com. Silence...…wait for it...…I Keel You!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Achmed"][/caption]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL357BrwK7c]

Movie Trailer : Men in Black III

The third film in the Men in Black franchise returns in 3D and reunites Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) in a time-travel tale. Agent J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that Agent K never told him.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="535" caption="Men In Black III"][/caption]

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Writer: Etan Cohen
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Cast: Will Smith, Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones

Release: May 25, 2012

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjiOsRfVUVU]