Etchujima Inspiration

Walking, talking living doll: Japanese scientists unveil female android

2010-04-04T17:23:00.000+09:00

By Anny Shaw
Japanese professor Hiroshi Ishiguro yesterday unveiled a female android that can laugh and smile as it mimics a person's expressions.

Using a motion-capture system, the robot, called Geminoid TMF, can move its rubber face to imitate a smile, a toothy grin, and a grim look with furrowed brows.

Prof Ishiguro, a professor at Osaka University, developed the android with a team of researchers together with Japan's robot maker Kokoro.

Geminoid TMF was modelled on a young Japanese woman, who was present at the unveiling today.

'I felt like I had a twin sister,' the woman said afterwards.
The developers said they expected the robot to be eventually used in real-life situations, such as in hospitals.
'We've already got some data showing that the robot gave patients psychological security by nodding and smiling at them, when patients were checked on by doctors,' Satoko Inoue, spokeman for Kokoro, told Dawn.com.

'A new technology always creates some fears and negative opinions,' but the researchers wanted to make robots that could express something similar to human emotions, said Prof Ishiguro.
Geminoid TMF is equipped with 12 actuators, powered by air pressure, and her motion can be synched to imitate that of a real human being.

Prof Ishiguro has designed several robots made to look like humans in the past - even building one in his own image.
The professor has said that one day robots could fool us into believing they are human.

'An android could get away with it for a short time, 5-10 seconds. However, if we carefully select the situation, we could extend that, to perhaps 10 minutes,' he said.

Professor Ishiguro with the android he built in his own image

Giant shark's image is projected onto a screen of water in a stunning light display

2010-03-20T20:21:00.000+09:00

By Daily Mail Reporter

It's the biggest shark you are ever likely to see, poised to take a monster-sized bite out of a bridge packed with commuters heading home. Fortunately for anyone taking a peep into the waters down below, it is just part of an astonishing light show.
With the backdrop of the illuminated Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo skyline, this image of a giant white shark was captured during the Odaiba water illumination show in Japan.

It was projected on to a huge water screen, 15 metres high 40 metres across, created by a fountain set along a beach at the Tokyo Bay area. The show is performed four times after sunset in the Japanese capital. Among the many images screened are frolicking dolphins, tropical fish, a whale and the famous maoi figures from Easter Island in the south-eastern Pacific Ocean.

Toyota Run by 'Pirates'

2010-02-25T12:29:00.004+09:00

RICHARD BLACKBURN AND SIMON MANN
KOMPAS.com - Toyota has been hijacked by ‘pirates’, the company’s former US boss claims. Jim Press, who left Toyota in 2007 to join rival Chrysler, sent an email to influential US car website Automotive News, claiming the company had drifted from its family-oriented culture to one focused on profits.

“The root cause of their problems is that the company was hijacked, some years ago, by anti-family, financially oriented pirates,” Press wrote in his email.

Under blistering criticism, Toyota President Akio Toyoda personally and repeatedly apologized to Congress and millions of anxious American car-owners Wednesday for deadly defects in popular models produced by his Japanese company. But angry lawmakers forcefully declared it was hardly enough
“Toyota doesn't want me to speak out, but I can't stand it anymore and somebody has to tell it like it is,” Press wrote.

Press spent almost four decades at Toyota and was the first non-Japanese to serve on the company’s board. The email says the company’s boss, Akio Toyoda, who took over the reins in June last year, is the man to turn around the company’s fortunes in the wake of a disastrous recall of more than 8.5 million vehicles.

“Akio Toyoda is not only up for the job, but he is the only person who can save Toyota. He is very capable, and he embodies the virtues and character that built this great company.”

Toyoda, the grandson of Toyota founder Kiichiro Toyoda, has fronted US Congress to apologise for problems with sticking accelerator pedals that have been blamed for at least 30 deaths in the US. Toyoda blamed the company's rapid growth for the safety flaws that forced the recall of millions of its cars worldwide.

He said Toyota's evolution into the world's biggest car maker had come at a tremendous cost. ''Quite frankly, I fear the pace at which we have grown may have been too quick.''

Referring to Toyota's tradition of putting safety first, before quality and sales, Mr Toyoda added: ''These priorities became confused, and we were not able to stop, think, and make improvements as much as we were able to before, and our basic stance to listen to customers' voices to make better products has weakened somewhat.''

Toyota faces class actions and a potential damages bill in the billions of dollars. Press said previous management “didn’t have the character necessary to maintain a customer first focus. Akio does.”

“It will be the Toyoda family's values that get Toyota through this,” he said.

“What the company needs now,” he wrote in his e-mail, “is for everyone in the company to get behind Akio and do everything possible to emerge from this mess as an even stronger company.”

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Tomb discovery helps solve ancient slavery riddle of the pyramids

2010-01-11T11:10:00.005+09:00

Privileged: The tombs were discovered on a hillside overlooking an Egyptian town

The location of tombs discovered in Egypt helps prove the men who built the great pyramids were not slaves after all, say archeologists.
A set of tombs belonging to the workers who built them has been discovered which sheds light on how they lived and ate more than 4,000 years ago.
The thousands of men who built the last remaining wonder of the ancient world regularly ate meat and worked three-month rotating shifts.

They were so well regarded they were also given the honour of being buried in mud brick tombs within the shadow of the sacred pyramids they worked on if they died during construction.

Burial: Dr Zahi Hawass in the tomb of the workers who built Khufuís's pyramid

The tombs, revealed today by Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, date back to the country's fourth dynasty between 2575 BC and 2467 BC.
It was during this time that the great pyramids were built, according to the head of the Council, Zahi Hawass.
Graves belonging to workers who helped build the pyramids were first discovered in the area in 1990 but further discoveries such as this show the workers were paid labourers rather than slaves.

Bones belonging to a worker who built Khufuís's pyramid discovered in a tomb

Mr Hawass said: 'These tombs were built beside the King's pyramid, which indicates that these people were not by any means slaves.
'If they were slaves they would not have been able to build their tombs beside their king's.'
He added that archeological evidence at the site indicated that the 10,000-strong army of workers ate 21 cattle and 23 sheep a day, sent to them from farms in northern and southern Egypt. The workers were rotated every three months.

Pottery was discovered in this tomb where Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed ancient artefacts

The discovery also helps experts study the social classes that made up Egyptian society.
Salima Ikram, a professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, said: 'It is important to find tombs that belong to lower class people that are not made out of stone and tell you the social origin and wealth of a range of people.'
Workers' tombs of this era were usually conical in shape and made from mud brick. They would then be covered in white plaster, probably echoing the nearby limestone-clad pyramids of the kings.
The most important of the new discoveries was a tomb belonging to a man named Idu.

It was a regular structure with a plaster-covered mud brick casing. The tomb containing skeletal remains and featured burial shafts encased in white limestone and clay pots.

By Neil Millard
Mail Online

Chicken of the sea? Tuna farming getting a boost

2009-12-09T20:15:00.002+09:00

photo source:www.kyokuyo.co.jp

KUMANO, Mie (AP) -- Thousands of tuna, their silver bellies bloated with fat, swim frantically around in netted areas of a small bay, stuffing themselves until they grow twice as heavy as in the wild.

Is this sushi's future? Tuna raised like chickens or cows?

As the world's love affair with raw fish depletes wild tuna populations, long-running efforts to breed the deep-sea fish from egg to adulthood may finally be bearing fruit. Although the challenges are daunting, the potential profits are huge.

By the end of this year, an Australian company says it will begin selling small amounts of southern bluefin tuna hatched in its fishery. A Japanese firm breeding the more prized Pacific bluefin tuna hopes to start sales in 2013 and ship 10,000 fish by 2015.

Whether tuna farming will become viable on a large scale remains an unanswered question.
Tuna are much harder to rear than the widely farmed salmon and shrimp. They are large and need room to swim. They spawn only under certain circumstances. In some experiments, fewer than 1 percent of the babies survive. And those that do eat so much that they could wipe out other fish species.

The bulk of the tuna farmed today is not bred from eggs; it is caught in the sea and fattened on farms, which does nothing to save nature's dwindling stock.

Atlantic bluefin, found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, is disappearing so rapidly that Monaco is pushing to list it as an endangered species at an international meeting in Qatar in March. The United States says it will support the proposal.

Separately, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas recently slashed the quota for next year's catch by about a third to 12,250 metric tons, a move criticized by environmentalists as not going far enough.

No wonder Japan's biggest seafood company, Maruha Nichiro Holdings Inc., is bullish on tuna. Maruha operates several tuna farms, including the one here in Kumano, a small coastal city in western Japan. Here, in a small bay, the fish live in netted sections mostly 50 meters by 80 meters, smaller than a football field.

"For years, everyone assumed it was impossible to breed tuna on farms," says Takashi Kusano, a general manager who has worked for 20 years on cultivating tuna. "Tuna remains forever a mystery."

Japanese consume 80 percent of the world's Atlantic and Pacific bluefin tuna, the two species most sought after by sushi lovers. In Japan, they are called "hon-maguro," which translates roughly as "true tuna."

The survival rate for hatched Pacific bluefin is about 0.4 percent of the 28 million eggs collected for tests at Maruha's farms. Another effort, at Japan's Kinki University, has achieved a 6 percent survival rate.

Those numbers sound low, but one tuna lays tens of millions of eggs and the survival rates are improving.

"I had to solve the puzzle of why our fish kept dying," recalls Kusano.

Unlike other fish, which can pump oxygen better through their mouths, tuna must swim continuously at up to 80 kph to absorb oxygen through their gills.

Baby fish, which are not developed enough to brake or steer, often die ramming into the nets that cordon off tuna farms in coastal waters.

Learning about tuna diseases and dietary habits took years of trial and error, and tuna are surprisingly vulnerable to stress, Kusano said.

A handful of tuna that Maruha has produced are set to lay eggs next year, a sign that the full life cycle may be finally completed.

Kinki University already has done that, producing 40,000 Pacific bluefin babies this year from eggs laid by tuna on its farms, up from 10,000 last year.

Even if the hurdles to a full life cycle are cleared, other problems remain, such as the tuna's voracious appetite.

"Bluefin tuna are like lions and tigers. They are at the very, very top of the food chain. And they eat other fish. What you are doing is catching wild fish to create bluefin tuna," said Mike Hirshfield, chief scientist at Oceana, an advocacy group for the world's oceans. "The anchovies, the sardines and the herrings are already fished to the max."

That raises ethical questions about feeding tuna with relatively cheap fish that are needed by people in developing countries, Hirshfield said.

Maruha's answer is a tuna feed, which it patented in 2006, made of fishmeal mixed with oils and nutrients and looking like brown sausages.

The company says its feed is less polluting, fattens tuna three times faster than feeding them small fish, uses fish that are not eaten by people and can be stored at room temperature, which slashes energy needs.

Eventually, Maruha hopes to develop a vegetarian tuna feed.

Hirshfield calls vegetarian feed the last hope, noting it has had some success with salmon and trout.

Wild tuna still commands a premium over farmed tuna. In January, a 200-kilogram Pacific bluefin tuna fetched a record 20.2 million yen ($220,000) at a Japanese fish market. 40-kilogram tuna raised at Maruha fetch about 100,000 yen ($1,100) each.

Farmed tuna's disadvantage is that "it doesn't have a fish taste, and its color is almost white," said Kazuo Sato, 56, who has run a sushi shop outside of Tokyo for 31 years. But, he said, "we can't be relying just on natural tuna these days, and there are bound to be improvements in farmed tuna."

Maruha harvests its fish the old-fashioned way, with baited lines from small boats, the method believed best to preserve a sought-after buttery taste.

The company aims to be marketing 10,000 tuna bred from eggs in 2015, worth 1.5 billion yen ($17 million) at today's prices. That would be 10 percent of Japan's current annual farmed tuna production of 5,000 tons, only a tiny fraction of the 44,000 tons still caught in the wild.

At Kinki University, Osamu Murata, head of research, says, "It's our mission to spread to the world our knowledge about producing man-raised tuna that doesn't rely on nature's resources."

In Australia, Clean Seas Tuna worked with Kinki to overcome such problems as cannibalism and young tuna crashing into tank walls, the company said. And Hawaiian regulators have approved the world's first commercial farm for "ahi," bigeye tuna.

In Japan, tuna is such a staple that it recently merited an editorial in Yomiuri, the country's largest newspaper, urging readers to curb their appetites for the sake of the fish's long-term survival.

That would include eating less "toro," the prized fatty cut. "To keep enjoying 'toro,' we must exercise self-control," it said.

(Mainichi Japan) December 9, 2009

Solar plane bidding to fly round the world makes maiden flight... and gets THREE FEET off the ground

2009-12-04T22:19:00.004+09:00

The first manned flight of a solar-powered plane that will fly around the world was successful, its Swiss inventor said today.
However, the maiden journey of the 'Solar Impulse' was more of a hop. The plane, which has a wingspan of a Boeing 747 but weighs less than a small car, flew 1,150 feet just 3ft above the ground.

The prototype of the solar powered plane fliew three feet above the field of Duebendorf Airpot in Switzerland

Adventurer Bertrand Piccard dubbed the first flight a 'flea-hop' but said he was thrilled as it proved the prototype can fly.
'It was absolutely great to see this plane in the air,' he said.
'It's a completely new flight domain. There has never been an airplane so big and so light flying with so little energy.'
He compared the flight to the early test-runs by the groundbreaking Wright brothers. When Orville Wright made the first successful powered and piloted flight in history in December 1903 he was off the ground for only 12 seconds.
This time around the prototype was controlled by test pilot Markus Scherdel.
Mr Piccard said the achievement was a vital step in their plan to circumnavigate the globe.
'The goal was not to make a big flight, but to see if this airplane is behaving the way the engineers designed it,' he said.
'And the result was excellent. On the other hand, we see how long the road is still before we fly around the world with it.'

Swiss Bertrand Piccard (left) and Andre Borschberg (right) inventers of the solar powered plane Solar Impulse, celebrate with the test pilot Markus Scherdel (centre) after successful test flights. Mr Picard plans to fly around the world to highlight the potential of alternative energy sources

Solar panels will be attached next year for the first flight at night powered by solar energy, followed by a series of other tests, he said.

Piccard and co-pilot Andre Borschberg will alternate in the cockpit when they try to take the plane around the world in 2012. They will need to make stops to allow for pilots to switch over and stretch after long periods in the cramped cockpit.
The plane, part of a £70million project, will fly day and night using almost 12,000 solar cells, rechargeable lithium batteries and four electric motors.

The engines provide just 40 horsepower so the plane will take off at 22 mph, accelerating at altitude to an average flight speed of 44 mph.
Piccard set a world record in 1999 when he and Brian Jones of Britain took their balloon, Breitling Orbiter III, on a 20-day circumnavigation of the globe - an achievement that had eluded many before them, including tycoons Steve Fossett and Richard Branson.
He hopes his solar-powered flight will raise awareness of alternative energy sources.

Source: Daily Mail

1,500 years after she was buried alive, scientists resurrect 16-year-old servant girl

2009-11-28T20:22:00.008+09:00

Her petite features and slim build would have marked her out as a beauty in any era.
And by using modern technology South Korean archaeologists have been able to recreate just how the 5ft servant girl would have looked 1,500 years ago, the first time such a task has been done in the country.
The life-size model of what is believed to be a 16-year-old who lived with a powerful family in the sixth century Gaya Kingdom (42-562) was unveiled today.

A computerised image of the 16-year-old teenager who is thought to have been buried alive 1,500 years ago. A life-size model of the teenager has gone on display in South Korea

'We have excavated human bones on many occasions but it is the first time we created a full-scale model,' said Kang Soon-hyung, director of the Gaya National Research Institute of Cultural Heritageo.
However her beauty did not save her from a grisly fate as researchers believe she was buried alive with her dead masters.

The teenager's 5ft skeleton was used as a starting point for the model before layers of muscle and skin were added

Why this is reckoned to have happened is expected to be contained in a study on the Gayan custom of burying the living with the dead which is soon to be published.
The teenager's 5ft skeleton was used as a starting point for the model before layers of muscle and skin were added.
The project was carried out by sculptor-anatomy specialist Kim Byung-ha and CELL, a firm that does costumes for feature films.
Her remains were among those of four people that were unearthed during an excavation project carried out three years ago.
She had a short jawbone and thus had a rather wide face but had a long neck. The teenager's arms were short but she had long fingers and toes.

Her waist measured 21.5in and an examination of her bones has led scientists to speculate that she frequently knelt on her knees.

DAILY MAIL

Horned dinosaur fossils found in Japan for first time

2009-11-27T17:23:00.002+09:00

SANDA, Hyogo -- Horned dinosaur fossils have been found in Japan for the first time after they were discovered in a geological layer here, local officials have announced.

The Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo, in Sanda, Hyogo Prefecture, said fossils of a horned dinosaur were discovered in the lower layer of the Sasayama group from the Early Cretaceous Period in the prefectural city of Sasayama. The lower layer dates back some 120 million to 140 million years.

Horned dinosaurs are among a group of large herbivorous dinosaurs including Triceratops that inhabited the North American Continent during the Late Cretaceous Period.

"The find is a precious resource for studying the evolution of dinosaurs in East Asia," said Haruo Saegusa, chief researcher at the museum. The fossils will be put on display at the museum from Saturday through Dec. 27.

The unearthed fossils are those of three jaw bones, including an upper jaw bone (42 millimeters long) with teeth and a front jaw bone (29 millimeters long). They were found almost in their entirety and bear such features as muscles on the surface of teeth.

The dinosaur is presumed to have walked on two legs and had short frills behind its head. It was likely to be a young dinosaur, with its body measuring an estimated 60 centimeters long. Fossils of similar types of dinosaurs have been discovered in five other places including China, and the latest find is close to the fossils of Archaeoceratops that were found in China's Gansu Province in 1992.

The Sasayama group geological layer, which straddles the Hyogo Prefecture cities of Sasayama and Tamba, is home to fossils of the nation's largest herbivorous dinosaur named Tambaryu, Tyrannosaurs and the nation's oldest mammalian fossils -- all unearthed since 2006.

"I had initially thought the fossils may be those of shellfish, such as shrimps or crabs, but I'm surprised to learn that they are of dinosaur bones," said Kiyoshi Adachi, 66, a former high school teacher who is one of the discoverers of the Tambaryu fossils and the latest find.

"I hope to find plant fossils and determine the climate back in those days," he added.

(Mainichi Japan) November 27, 2009

Being Too Fat Illegal in Japan Now

2009-11-14T10:59:00.003+09:00

TOKYO, In Japan, being thin isn’t just the price you pay for fashion or social acceptance. It’s the law.

So before the fat police could throw her in pudgy purgatory, Miki Yabe, 39, a manager at a major transportation corporation, went on a crash diet last month. In the week before her company’s annual health check-up, Yabe ate 21 consecutive meals of vegetable soup and hit the gym for 30 minutes a day of running and swimming.

“It’s scary,” said Yabe, who is 5 feet 3 inches and 133 pounds. “I gained 2 kilos [4.5 pounds] this year.”

In Japan, already the slimmest industrialized nation, people are fighting fat to ward off dreaded metabolic syndrome and comply with a government-imposed waistline standard. Metabolic syndrome, known here simply as “metabo,” is a combination of health risks, including stomach flab, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, that can lead to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Concerned about rising rates of both in a graying nation, Japanese lawmakers last year set a maximum waistline size for anyone age 40 and older: 85 centimeters (33.5 inches) for men and 90 centimeters (35.4 inches) for women.

In the United States, the Senate and House health care reform bills have included the so-called “Safeway Amendment,” which would offer reductions in insurance premiums to people who lead fitter lives. The experience of the Japanese offers lessons in how complicated it is to legislate good health.

Though Japan’s “metabo law” aims to save money by heading off health risks related to obesity, there is no consensus that it will. Doctors and health experts have said the waistline limits conflict with the International Diabetes Federation’s recommended guidelines for Japan. Meantime, ordinary residents have been buying fitness equipment, joining gyms and popping herbal pills in an effort to lose weight, even though some doctors warn that they are already too thin to begin with.

The amount of “food calories which the Japanese intake is decreasing from 10 years ago,” said Yoichi Ogushi, professor of medicine at Tokai University and one of the leading critics of the law. “So there is no obesity problem as in the USA. To the contrary, there is a problem of leanness in young females.”

One thing’s certain: Most Japanese aren’t taking any chances.

Companies are offering discounted gym memberships and developing special diet plans for employees. Residents are buying new products touted as fighting metabo, including a $1,400 machine called the Joba that imitates a bucking bronco. The convenience store chain Lawson has opened healthier food stores called Natural Lawson, featuring fresh fruits and vegetables.

Under Japan’s health care coverage, companies administer check-ups to employees once a year. Those who fail to meet the waistline requirement must undergo counseling. If companies do not reduce the number of overweight employees by 10 percent by 2012 and 25 percent by 2015, they could be required to pay more money into a health care program for the elderly. An estimated 56 million Japanese will have their waists measured this year.

Though Japan has some of the world’s lowest rates of obesity — less than 5 percent, compared to nearly 35 percent for the United States — people here on average have gotten heavier in the past three decades, according to government statistics. More worrisome, in a nation that is aging faster than any other because of long life spans and low birth rates, the number of people with diabetes has risen from 6.9 million in 1997 to 8.9 million last year.

Health care costs here are projected to double by 2020 and represent 11.5 percent of gross domestic product. That’s why some health experts support the metabo law.

“Due to the check up, there is increased public awareness on the issue of obesity and metabolic syndrome,” said James Kondo, president of the Health Policy Institute Japan, an independent think tank. “Since fighting obesity is a habit underlined by heightened awareness, this is a good thing. The program is also revolutionary in that incentivizes [companies] to reduce obesity.”

Though the health exams for metabolic syndrome factor in blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, weight and smoking, waist size is the most critical element in the Japanese law — and perhaps the most humiliating.

The hesitancy of some Japanese to expose their bare stomachs to the tape measure has led the government to allow the tape measures to be administered to clothed patients. Those who elect not to strip down are permitted to deduct 1.5 centimeters from their results.

The crudeness of the system has alarmed some doctors. Satoru Yamada, a doctor at Kitasato Institute Hospital in Tokyo, published a study two years ago in which several doctors measured the waist of the same person. Their results varied by as much as 7.8 centimeters.

“I cannot agree with waist size being the essential element,” Yamada said.

Perhaps more astounding, even before Japanese lawmakers set the waistline limits last year, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) amended its recommended guidelines for the Japanese. The new IDF standard is 90 centimeters (35.4 inches) for men and 80 centimeters (31.5 inches) for women. But the Japanese government has yet to modify its limits.

On the day of her exam, Yabe arrived at the clinic at 8:30 in the morning. The battery of tests lasted an hour. The result: her waist was 84 centimeters — safely under the limit. She had shed 6.5 pounds thanks to her diet and exercise.

A week later, however, Yabe was back to eating pasta and other favorite foods.

“I want to keep healthy now, but I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe in December, I will have many bonenkai [year-end parties]. And next summer I will drink beer, almost every day.”

Editor: jimbon

Source : globalpost

Hard facts to swallow on aspirin as doctors warn of dangers

2009-11-09T10:22:00.002+09:00

By Dr Ellie Cannon
A new study by The Lancet shows that aspirin should no longer be used to help prevent cardiovascular disease. What does this mean if you're taking aspirin? The Mail on Sunday's expert looks at the findings.

Q: What did the new research on aspirin show?
A: The study by The Lancet looked at a large number of people who were advised to take aspirin to help prevent cardiovascular disease - strokes and heart attacks. In the past few years, doctors have advised aspirin for two groups of patients who are highly likely to have a heart attack: the first because they have risk factors such as diabetes or obesity (what's called primary prevention), the second because they have already had a heart attack (secondary prevention). The study showed that aspirin should no longer be used as primary prevention.

Q: Does that mean it is dangerous?
A: All medication has potential side effects and we know that taking aspirin long-term can cause bleeding from the stomach, although the risks are small. Since the benefits seen in primary prevention were negligible, it is felt that the risks of bleeding outweigh the potential benefits. For those who have already had a heart attack or stroke, the benefits are well established and far outweigh the small risk of bleeding.

Q: Can I just stop it if I am taking it for primary prevention?
A: It is a good idea to discuss it with your GP in case there is anything specific to your medical history that would mean you should continue.

Q: What does aspirin actually do?
A: Aspirin works to prevent heart attacks and strokes by stopping blood clots that are often the cause. There are cells in your blood called platelets which stick together to make clots. Aspirin is an 'anti-platelet' drug and prevents this happening. This action also causes the bleeding.

Q: What else is aspirin used for?
A: Aspirin is an extremely useful drug. As well as being anti-platelet, it is good for lowering temperature and is helpful in inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. It is widely used as a painkiller, and in soluble form can be highly effective at the onset of a migraine.

Q: Who should not take aspirin?
A: Anybody with bleeding problems such as haemophilia or with stomach ulcers must never take aspirin. Caution would be advised in those with asthma, gout or kidney problems.

Q: Can children take aspirin?
A: Children under the age of 16 should not be given aspirin. There is a serious, often fatal, condition called Reye's syndrome which was shown to be linked to giving aspirin to feverish children. For this reason children are no longer given aspirin. For pain relief and fever in children, use ibuprofen or paracetamol.

Q: Can pregnant women take aspirin?
A: Only on the advice of a doctor. It is sometimes prescribed by obstetricians for specific conditions; otherwise use paracetamol when pregnan

Windows 7 versus Apple: The great computer software battle

2009-11-08T10:27:00.003+09:00

By Tom Dunmore
There's no escaping it: Windows Vista was a disaster. Launched in 2007, Microsoft's follow-up to the massively successful Windows XP software, which powers the vast majority of the world's computers, met with lukewarm reviews and terrible customer satisfaction ratings.
It was simply too demanding of the computers it ran on – and the people who used it. Which is why Microsoft is going to great lengths to prove its new operating system, Windows 7, isn't just better than Vista – it's also simpler.
It takes up 40 per cent less disk space and has lower hardware requirements, so it runs faster on the new cut-price laptops known as netbooks. But it faces tough competition from two of the biggest names in technology: Apple and Google.

The Windows advantage

Microsoft Windows runs on over 90 per cent of all PCs and, despite losing a few percent in the last two years, it's reassuringly familiar for most computer users. What's more, the ubiquity of Windows means many applications – particularly business-critical ones – are written exclusively for Windows.
The Windows-only gaming market is massive, too.

But Windows' dominance comes at a cost: the vast majority of malicious viruses are created to target the system. Which is why Windows 7 builds on one of Vista's notable strengths – security.

Microsoft has produced its own anti-virus software, Security Essentials, which is available as a free download; the latest Internet Explorer browser will stop you giving personal data to spoof websites; and regular software updates will fix any problems as soon as they're discovered.

Just as important as security is simplicity. The new system borrows some of the best bits of the Apple Mac user interface – such as a taskbar at the bottom of the screen allowing you to launch software quickly. The taskbar will also allow you to view thumbnail images of the windows associated with each open application, which helps you navigate your way through email and web pages

There are some cool features that are totally original to Windows, too – like the ability to drag two windows to either side of the screen and have them automatically resize so you can compare and contrast.

The built-in Media Center software makes it easy to enjoy music and video on a laptop that's hooked up to a TV, and you can even 'push' video from one computer to another – enabling parents to control what their children are watching in their bedrooms.

Return of the Mac

Two months before the launch of Windows 7, Microsoft's old rival Apple launched its own operating system update, called Snow Leopard. Rather than adding new features, most of the changes were under-the-bonnet performance improvements. But Apple has less to prove – sales of Macs have been steadily increasing, buoyed by the success of the iPod and iPhone.

Unlike Microsoft, Apple designs both hardware and software, which makes it easier to create stylish and stable systems. You'll pay more for a Mac, but the price includes brilliant software for managing your digital photos, editing home videos, recording music and even designing your own website.

While Apple's high prices mean its computers are unlikely to threaten the supremacy of Windows, the massive success of the iPhone – which offers web browsing, email and downloadable applications – suggests that the face of computing is changing. And in the world of mobile, Microsoft is struggling to keep up with the pace.
The threat of Google
Windows' biggest challenge will come when Google releases its own operating system, Chrome, next year. It's built on the same foundations as Linux – the free, open-source software that powers many netbooks.

But Google promises something altogether different: an operating system 'designed for people who live on the web'. Chrome will provide access to Google's free 'cloud computing' services – everything from email to photo galleries. Because the hard work is done by 'the cloud' – Google's vast server farms – computers running the Chrome operating system can be cheap and low-powered.

Light speed: Japanese solar car wins desert race using half the power of a kettle

2009-10-29T12:53:00.004+09:00

By Daily Mail Reporter
A solar car made by students from Japan's Tokai University has won the 1,864 mile biannual race across the Australian outback, which showcases green technology.

The Tokai Challenger crossed the finish line just north of Adelaide on Wednesday afternoon after a smooth run hampered by just one flat tyre along the way.
The winning vehicle speed along with a top speed of 93mph powered by 1.8KW of energy, which is just half that used by standard kettles.

Team members polish solar panels of the 'Sharp Toki' car at the start of the World Solar Challenge in Darwin. They went on to claim victory

It was equipped with 2,176 solar cells from Sharp, which covered a surface area of 65 sq ft. The cells that generated the energy were made from rare metals usually used in satellites.

'The victory by Tokai Challenger is the first by a Japanese team since 1993 when the event was won by Honda Dream II,' said the organisers of the 2009 Global Green Challenge.
The Tokai Challenger had started the event in fourth position as a fleet of 32 solar-powered cars from 16 countries set off from Darwin last Saturday, a showcase of prototype solar cars.

But the Japanese car went into the lead at the end of the first day, ahead of favourites Michigan University's Infinium and the Netherlands' Nuna V.
A total of 31 cars took part in the race including The Endeavour, which was Britain's only entry and designed by Cambridge University.

The 'Endeavour' solar car from Cambridge University has a top speed of 60mph

The British car had a top speed of 60mph and the team were hoping for a top 10 finish. Cambridge University team manager Anthony Law said: 'We can't hope to compete with teams who have millions of dollars to spend on their cars.
'Our longer-term aim is to come back here in 2011 having raised even more sponsorship, and there is no reason we can't be competing for the top spot if we can get more funding.'
On day one, Belgium's Umicar Inspire from the Umicore Solar Team crashed 380 kms into the race after losing control during to a wind gust. The car was withdrawn from the event.

Race spokesman Mike Drewer said the second and third running cars are expected to cross the finish line on Thursday morning.

The University of Michigan in their vehicle, 'Infinium' also participated in the 1,864mile trip across the outback

The solar race, staged every two years since 1987, was this year joined by another event, the Eco Challenge, in which 17 cars from 10 manufacturers are competing with eco-friendly vehicles to prove which is the most fuel-efficient. This race is expected to finish on Saturday.
Competitors included the all-electric Teslta sports car, vehicles made by Ford, Kia, Honda, Hyundai, BMW, Skoda, Suzuki, Holden, and HSV, and a modified Honda postman's scooter running on alcohol.

Obama Declares Swine Flu a National Emergency

2009-10-25T16:45:00.002+09:00

Action allows hospitals to better handle large numbers of patients as outbreak spreads

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

SATURDAY, Oct. 24 (HealthDay News) -- President Barack Obama has declared the H1N1 swine flu a national emergency.

His proclamation, signed Friday night and released by the White House Saturday morning, will allow hospitals and doctors' offices to get legal waivers of federal rules so they can handle large numbers of sick people as the outbreak spreads.

"The H1N1 is moving rapidly, as expected. By the time regions or health-care systems recognize they are becoming overburdened, they need to implement disaster plans quickly," White House spokesman Reid Cherlin said Saturday, according to the Washington Post.

The waivers, which will be issued by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, still require individual requests by the hospitals, Cherlin noted.

The goal, according to the Associated Press, is to remove bureaucratic roadblocks and make it easier for sick people to seek treatment and for medical personnel to provide it immediately. That could mean fewer hurdles involving Medicare, Medicaid or health privacy regulations, the AP added.

The H1N1 swine flu is now widespread in 46 states, and there have been 1,000 laboratory-confirmed deaths since April, according to the latest estimates released Friday by U.S. health officials.

Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a news conference Friday, "We have already had millions of cases of pandemic influenza in the United States, and the numbers continue to increase."

At the same time, he said, production delays continue to hamper distribution of the H1N1 swine flu vaccine.

The vaccine is growing more slowly in egg-based cultures than manufacturers had anticipated, resulting in fewer available doses at this time, Frieden explained.

As of Friday, there were 16.1 million doses on hand nationwide, up from 14.1 on Wednesday, Frieden said. And there will be far fewer than the 40 million doses originally planned for the end of October, he added.

"Vaccine availability is increasing steadily, but far too slowly," Frieden said. "It's frustrating to all of us. We are nowhere near where we thought we would be by now. We are not near where the vaccine manufacturers predicted we would be."

The vaccine that is available comes in both nasal mist and injectable forms. The first doses were only the nasal spray, called FluMist, designed for healthy people 2 to 49 years of age. But now, more than half the doses are injectable, he said.

While children continue to be particularly vulnerable to the disease, Freiden said, "we are seeing it increasingly affect young adults as well as children. We are still not seeing significant numbers of cases among the elderly, and that's characteristic of this virus."

That's also a marked difference from run-of-the-mill seasonal flu, which typically poses a much bigger threat to the elderly.

There is encouraging news, Frieden said. The genetic makeup of the H1N1 virus hasn't changed, meaning the swine flu vaccine and the antiviral drug Tamiflu are a good match.

Frieden said the H1N1 flu would probably occur in waves, but "we can't predict how high, how far or long the wave will go, or when the next will come."

"We are now in the second wave of pandemic influenza and whether this will continue through the fall into the winter, whether it will go away and come back in traditional flu season, only time will tell," he said.

Original Source

Why the world will NOT end in 2012: Nasa scientist debunks conspiracy theories

2009-10-24T13:35:00.006+09:00

Skyscrapers crumble to the ground, fiery meteorites smash into Earth and a Tibetan monk cowers as a massive tidal wave swamps his mountain retreat.
It is a vision of the coming apocalypse thrillingly captured in the latest Hollywood blockbuster.
But fears that the world is due to end in December 2012 is just a myth fuelled by internet rumour, according to a leading Nasa scientist.

Doomsday? The film 2012 will inflame existing fears about the possible end of the world

Dr David Morrison, who runs the space agency's 'Ask an Astrobiologist' service, says he has received more than a thousand emails from those worried that the world is due to end in 2012.
In an article published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Dr Morrison has answered the top 20 questions in an attempt to assuage these fears.

According to the theories on the internet, the calendar used by the ancient civilisation of the Mayans is due to come to an end in December 2012.
Luckily for conspiracy theorists, this coincides neatly with predictions by an obscure sci-fi author, who wrote about the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of Sumer, that a planet named Nibiru will collide with Fears have been further inflamed by an apocalyptic film called '2012' starring John Cusack, which is out this November. A quick search on Amazon reveals there are 175 books listed that deal with 2012 doomsday.

First off Dr Morrison dismisses the possibility that the planet Nibiru even exists.
He writes: 'The bottom line is that Nibiru is a myth, with no basis in fact.

'To an astronomer, persistent claims about a planet that is "nearby" but “invisible” are just plain silly.'
And Dr Morrison laughs off suggestions that the government has been complicit in hiding its existence from the public.
'Even if they wanted to, the government could not keep Nibiru a secret,' he says.
'If it were real, it would be tracked by thousands of astronomers, amateurs as well a professional. These astronomers are spread all over the world.

'I know the astronomy community, and these scientists would not keep a secret even if ordered to. You just can’t hide a planet on its way to the inner solar system!'

He also addresses the concerns of those who worry that the Mayan calendar is due to end in 2012.
'Ancient calendars are interesting to historians, but they cannot match the ability we have today to keep track of time, or the precision of the calendars currently in use.
'The main point, however, is that calendars, whether contemporary or ancient, cannot predict the future of our planet or warn of things to happen on a specific date such as 2012.
'I note that my desk calendar ends much sooner, on December 31 2009, but I do not interpret this as a prediction of Armageddon. It is just the beginning of a new year.'
He added although many believe prophecies by the sixteenth century seer Nostradamus predict the end of the world in 2012, there is no evidence he has correctly predicted anything.

He also tackles the belief circulating on some internet forums that an alignment of planets in our galaxy the Milky Way could in some way disrupt the Earth's gravitational field or reverse the Earth's rotation.
'A reversal in the rotation of Earth is impossible. It has never happened and never will,' he said.

He added that although the magnetic polarity of Earth does take place around every 400,000 years scientists don't believe it will take place for another few millennia and there is no evidence it would do any harm.

Nasa scientist David Morrison (left) has moved to calm fears that the world will end in 2012, as predicted by sixteenth century seer Nostradamus (right)

Publicity for the film '2012' also comes under attack for stirring up fear about the date.

Like many Hollywood blockbusters nowadays, '2012' uses a sophisticated PR campaign which incorporates elements of 'viral' marketing.
In the trailer for the film, which plays on conspiracy theorists' fears that the truth is being somehow hidden, viewers are directed to a 'faux scientific' website.
The website purports to be the home for The Institute for Human Continuity, an entirely fictitious organisation which allows visitors to sign up for a lottery which will decide who will be saved when Armageddon comes.
'The whole 2012 disaster scenario is a hoax, fueled by ads for the Hollywood science-fiction disaster film “2012”,' he says.

'I can only hope that most people are able to distinguish Hollywood film plots from reality.'
Dr Morrison noted that a growing interest in outer space has led to a general 'cosmophobia', that is a fear of the cosmos.

He said he found people were frequently worried about the sun's magnetic field, solar storms, black holes and a rift in the Milky Way.
'Previously these would have merely been interesting astronomical ideas to explore, but now for many young people (who read misinformation about them on the web) they are objects of dread.

'This cosmophobia could be one of the worst long-term consequences of the 2012 doomsday hoax - to make people fearful of astronomy and the universe.'

トヨタ：新ＨＶ「ＳＡＩ」発表　１２月販売

2009-10-21T13:02:00.002+09:00

トヨタ自動車は２０日、新型のハイブリッド専用車（ＨＶ）「ＳＡＩ（サイ）」を発表した。５月に発売した新型「プリウス」、７月発売の高級車ブランド「レクサス」の「ＨＳ２５０ｈ」に続く３車種目のＨＶ専用車。サイはセダンタイプで、最廉価モデルを３３８万円に設定。２００万円台が中心のプリウスと、４００万円台が中心のレクサスＨＳ２５０ｈの中間帯に位置付け、新車市場で人気のＨＶの品ぞろえを強化する。１２月７日からトヨタ系列販売店４チャンネルすべてで販売する。

サイはガソリンエンジンとモーターを組み合わせたハイブリッド。排気量２．４リットルとプリウス（同１．８リットル）より一回り大きいが、燃費はガソリン１リットル当たり２３キロと小型ガソリン車「ヴィッツ」並みの性能。４モデルがあり、価格は３３８万～４２６万円。

　サイをセダンタイプとしたことについてトヨタは「中年以上の大人の客層に浸透させたい」としている。

Surfing The Internet May Help The Aging Brain

2009-10-21T12:39:00.003+09:00

HealthDay News
Surfing the Internet just might be a way to preserve your mental skills as you age. Researchers found that older adults who started browsing the Web experienced improved brain function after only a few days.

"You can teach an old brain new technology tricks," said Dr. Gary Small, a psychiatry professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the author of iBrain. With people who had little Internet experience, "we found that after just a week of practice, there was a much greater extent of activity particularly in the areas of the brain that make decisions, the thinking brain -- which makes sense because, when you're searching online, you're making a lot of decisions," he said. "It's interactive."

Small is co-author of the research, which was scheduled to be presented Monday in Chicago at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting."This makes intuitive sense, that getting on the Internet and exploring and getting new information and learning would help," said Paul Sanberg, director of the University of South Florida Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair in Tampa. "It supports the value of exploring the Internet for the elderly." Most experts now advocate a "use-it-or-lose-it" approach to mental functioning.

"We found a number of years ago that people who engaged in cognitive activities had better functioning and perspective than those who did not," said Dr. Richard Lipton, a professor of neurology and epidemiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City and director of the Einstein Aging Study. "Our study is often referenced as the crossword-puzzle study -- that doing puzzles, writing for pleasure, playing chess and engaging in a broader array of cognitive activities seem to protect against age-related decline in cognitive function and also dementia."

The new study takes the use-it-or-lose-it concept into the 21st century. For the research, 24 neurologically normal adults, aged 55 to 78, were asked to surf the Internet while hooked up to an MRI machine. Before the study began, half the participants had used the Internet daily, and the other half had little experience with it.

After an initial MRI scan, the participants were instructed to do Internet searches for an hour on each of seven days in the next two weeks. They then returned to the clinic for more brain scans.

"At baseline, those with prior Internet experience showed a much greater extent of brain activation," Small said.

After at-home practice, however, those who had just been introduced to the Internet were catching up to those who were old hands, the study found.

"This is a demonstration that, over a relatively short period of time, patterns of brain activation while engaging in cognitive activities change," Lipton said. "That is at least a first step toward gaining insight into the mechanisms that might allow cognitive engagement to influence brain function."

But, Small said, beware how you use the Internet. "You can exercise your mind by using the Internet, but it depends on how it's used," he explained. "If you get hooked on gambling or eBay shopping, that may not be positive."

How to Hack Facebook (for a Fee)

2009-09-22T13:51:00.002+09:00

Jaikumar Vijayan, Computerworld
Security vendor PandaLabs has discovered an online service offering to help those so inclined to hack into any Facebook account they choose for a price: $100.However, those who sign up for the service could find themselves becoming the victims instead, PandaLabs warned.

The Facebook hacking service, which is delivered via a professional-looking Web site, was discovered by PandaLabs earlier this week.

Users of the service are required to first register with the site and then provide an ID of the Facebook account they want hacked, said Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs. Users who enter the ID and click on a "Hack it" button are then presented with the username of the owner of the Facebook account. They then have the option to "Start Facebook hacking."

Those who follow the instructions are eventually told that the hack was successful and a password for the account was retrieved. But to actually get the password, the user is then required to send $100 via Western Union to an individual in Kirovohrad, Ukraine. It's not clear whether sending the money will yield any login and passwords, Corrons said.

But the way the site has been designed and the ease with which a potential client can interact with it lends it a certain degree of credibility, he said. The site contains an FAQ section, which claims the site has been in business for more than four years.

The site even provides a link to a Webmoney account that in fact does appear to be four years old, Corrons said. However the domain itself appears to have been registered by someone in Moscow only a couple of days ago, he said.

"We've been looking at it and we are 99.9% sure it is a ruse," to get people to pay up money in exchange for what they think will be legitimate Facebook credentials, he said.

At least as of the last time PandaLabs inspected the site, it was not downloading or distributing any malware and seems to have been set up purely to scam those seeking to gain illegal access to Facebook accounts, Corrons said.

Those who do fall for the scam are unlikely to go to law enforcement to report it, he noted.

Kim Kardashian unveils bikini body after losing half a stone using weight loss products

2009-09-14T09:14:00.005+09:00

Daily Mail
Kim Kardashian has posted pictures of herself in a pair of bikinis as she shows the results of losing almost half a stone.
The reality star has been using dieting product Quick Trim, which she claims has helped her shift the weight 'fast'.
Posting the images on Twitter, the 28-year-old said: 'I lost my last 6lbs fast & toned up! Loving Quick Trim, adding: 'Quick Trim does a body good!'Both her and her sister Khloe promote the weight-loss product.

The Quick Trim 14 day system comes with a complete diet and exercise program as well as recipes and includes a lemonade flavoured drink which the makers claim helps 'rid the body of excess water weight, belly bloating and intestinal bulk.'
Kim, star of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, is famous for her abundant curves, and recently posted pictures of herself in her underwear as she filmed an advert for Quick Trim.
Just last week she went back to her roots and dyed her hair brunette after five months of sporting a blonde look.

Kim pictured last Wednesday with sister Khloe at the film premiere Whiteout)

After undergoing the transformation she tweeted: 'Loved the blonde but that is my alter ego, I am back! Feels good to be me again! I swear I was a different person with blonde hair.'
Away from the cameras Kim has been busy creating a new untitled reality TV show about PR with her friends and Jonathan Cheban and Simon Huck of Command Public Relations.
According to People magazine, a pilot for the show has been shot the series is due to be made next year by the makers of reality show 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' and 'Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami.'

She said going behind the camera is 'the next step in my career'.

'I’ve always wanted to get into producing. After my reality TV show is done, the next step is producing. I definitely see myself in the producing chair.'
She said the show would 'show all the ins-and-outs or PR. It’s going to be really fun. It’ll show how there’s lots of drama and crisis in the PR world.'

Claudia Schiffer goes unretouched on magazine cover... as she insists she'll keep stripping off for fashion

2009-09-12T11:41:00.005+09:00

Daily Mail
Claudia Schiffer may be more supermum than supermodel these days but she found time to strip off for a rare au natural photoshoot ahead of her 40th birthday.
Posing topless on the front cover of Tank magazine, the German model shows she's still got the same amazing figure which first captivated fashion designers in the late Eighties.
In the earthy, unretouched shots, the 39-year-old looks fresh-faced as she lets her true beauty shine through.

The Tank cover shot is reminiscent of Claudia's early modelling days, in which she posed topless in a pair of jeans for Guess.
In the provocative shoot photographed by Luis Sanchis, the mother-of-two poses in several shots wearing little but her underwear and a Van Cleef and Arpels necklace.
The magazine shoot is the second time Claudia has appeared topless in recent weeks.
She teamed up with fellow Nineties catwalk queen Naomi Campbell and Eva Herzigova to strip off in the adverts for Dolce & Gabbana's new fragrance Anthology.

And despite growing closer to her 40th birthday, Claudia insists she will continue to strip as she ages.

Claudia told the Daily Mail's Richard Kay: 'I'm happy to do it.
'I didn't work out, I didn't do anything special for the advert and I wasn't even nervous. Of course, as a model it is normal to be taking your clothes off all the time.

'I wouldn't think I was ever too old to do something like that. I mean, maybe if I was 60 or 70, then yes, I'd stop doing nude shoots, but then I guess it depends who is asking.
'With Mario Testino, for example, who is such a brilliant photographer, you would do anything.'
As she prepares for her 40th next year, Claudia insists she will age gracefully without the aid of surgery or Botox.
She said: 'It's poison in my skin and no-one knows the long-term effects. I'm far more scared of that than a wrinkle on my forehead.
'All of my friends are my age and we are all ageing at the same time. We talk about it and moan, but it doesn't bother me.'
Her sexy image in the shoot is a far cry from Claudia's appearance yesterday, as she dressed down in jeans and a sweater to join other mum's outside her children's school yesterday.
Later on, she donned a leopard-print dress to attend a Vogue magazine party at Burberry in Bond Street
To see more photos of Claudia, visit Tank magazine's website at www.tankmagazine.com/

暴対法テスト：滋賀拠点の山口組系、暴力団員に　高額賠償の回避が目的？

2009-09-09T11:22:00.001+09:00

暴力団組員による被害の賠償を上位団体の代表者に請求できるとした改正暴力団対策法（０８年８月施行）に対処するため、滋賀県を拠点とする山口組系暴力団が同法を学ばせる「テスト用紙」を組員に配っていたことが、県警への取材で明らかになった。県警は、暴力団が組員を“教育”し、高額な賠償請求を未然に防止する狙いと見ており、「全国各地で同様のテストや対策用リポートが作成されているのではないか」と警戒を強めている。

県警が今年７月までに山口組系暴力団組員への捜査でテスト用紙を押収。全１２問の設問があり、それぞれの回答欄に手書きで“模範解答”が書き込まれていた。

　設問は、例えば「どのシノギが禁じられているか」。正解は「産業廃棄物投棄、不正軽油の密売、建設機械など高額窃盗、オレオレ詐欺」など。最後の設問は「シノギをやる上で守らなくてはいけないものは？」で、「何でも上に報告、相談すること」が模範解答として記されていたという。

　県警は、暴力団が改正暴対法に対する組員の理解度をチェックし、組員らの行為が組長の高額賠償責任につながるのを防止する狙いと見ている。

Lady Gaga 'Buzz's' The Stress Away

2009-09-06T15:37:00.003+09:00

Lady Gaga, has taken advice from the lyrics of the old Beach Boys classic - 'Good Vibrations.

The whacky singer has been saying that she has no chance of finding a boyfriend because her mad work schedule means she is unable to find the time to get on the dating curcuit.

But not to be left fustrated the singer admits to Britains Sun newspaper she has found other ways to relieve the tension of being a single girl.

She said: "I am single and a workaholic and very lonely.

"But I'm good. Me and my vibrator are very happy."

Lady GaGa recently blasted rumours that she's a hermaphrodite as "ridiculous".

An Australian radio show host put the question to the singer that many others were dying to ask following the video footage that pointed the first fingers of doubt,

Ms Gaga replied "It's too low brow for me to even discuss."

The US singer, real name Stefani Germanotta, has been the subject of speculation after controversial internet video footage of a concert appeared to to contain more than was expected.

Diagnosing ADHD Symptoms in Children

2009-08-28T09:30:00.008+09:00

Signs of disturbance in fact have ADHD can be detected since the pre-school children. Lack of attention, hyperactivity and compulsive are signs that can capture any direct interference with the child, for example, children do not like or lost interest in playing, running here and there, can not control his desire to touch surrounding objects. When parents catch these symptoms should immediately take his son to the pediatrician or psychologist. Early handler will contribute to a better behavior when the child enters the next stage of development.

Hyperactive-compulsive disorders may be seen directly on the child's behavior, but not the type of attention disorder, the child seemed to be working with people around, so this type are sometimes ignored visible.

ADHD Information
The term ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is also known by the acronym ADD (attention deficit disorder) or hyperkinetic disorder. It is estimated that these types of disorders have been around for a long time, even this disturbance characteristics much like the once described by Hippocrates (460-370 BC).

The term Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) was first introduced in the 1980s in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) III the third edition of the psychiatric manual. In 1994 the term was changed into a division with ADHD are three types of disturbances; hyperactive-impulsive type, the type of attention disorder, and a combination of both.

ADHD Symptoms
Diagnosis when symptoms 6 or more permanent symptoms for at least 6 months or more influential on the level of mental development;

1) the type of attention disorder symptoms
a) It is hard to concentrate, organize tasks, or prepare equipment for the task
b) Easily influenced or lose concentration when there is interference or the sound factor
c) Not able to concentrate on the things or follow the instructions detailed
d) often make mistakes on the task at school or a particular activity
e) Failure to complete the important tasks at school
f) Easy to forget
g) Just do not listen to the conversation, looked lethargic or less passionate and often daydream

2) symptoms of hyperactivity disorder-compulsive type
a) Always look on, wanted to do something
b) Restless, always folded his arms or legs when sitting
c) It can not be silent, always wanted to move
d) The relatively small children like to run, jump and climb to constantly
e) Talking all the time
f) Direct questions to answer before the proposed completion
g) No patient in waiting for their turn
h) Like others blurted out talks

3) Type a combination of attention and hyperactivity disorders, compulsive

Every child suspected of ADHD disorder should be cautious in diagnostic conclusions, because there are symptoms that may resemble ADHD-like interference but the fact the child could have in a particular medical condition, or in stressful situations that can affect behavior disorders like ADHD. Therefore, these conditions must be diagnosed by professional staffs who are experienced in their fields.

In making the diagnosis, professionals (and even some areas of experts involved in it such as psychiatrists, psychologists, pediatricians, neurological, social workers) will conduct a clinical assessment by looking at the academic and social situation of children, emotional function and ability in development.

Diagnosing ADHD
To diagnose properly, professionals typically will collect data in full to decide whether the child is diagnosed disorder ADHD or not, the data form;
- The child's family background
- The possibility of hearing loss
- Inability to learn
- Anxiety and depression
- The influence of previous drugs that allow for brain disorders
- The physical condition as the condition of the frontal lobe
- Test psychology (social adaptation, mental health, intelligence test, and test performance)
- These situations trigger stress in children

Several other tests can be given by the therapist of reading ability tests, solving math, or some board games. Sometimes professionals also need to do observe directly in the child's life. When found in the ADHD disorder for sure, experts will discuss this issue to the teacher at the school, teachers will also be involved in diagnosing these disorders, usually the teacher will be given an evaluation form (behavior rating scales) the child's behavior to be filled by the teacher concerned.

Dangerous Cyber Babe Jessica Biel

2009-08-26T09:56:00.001+09:00

Jessica Biel is the most "dangerous celebrity" on the internet.

According to security technology company McAfee Inc, online searches for the 27-year-old actress - who is dating Justin Timberlake - are more likely to spread computer viruses than any other star.

The company - who last year found Brad Pitt to be the most "dangerous" online celebrity - said there was a one-in-five chance that looking for information, wallpapers, images and videos of the 'Easy Virtue' star would lead users to a website designed to cause damage.

Pop star Beyonce Knowles, 'Marley and Me' star Jennifer Aniston, American football player Tom Brady - who is married to supermodel Gisele Bundchen - and singer-and-actress Jessica Simpson also pose a high risk to web users.

Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee's product development, said: "Cybercriminals are star watchers, too. They latch onto popular celebrities to encourage the download of malicious software in disguise.

"Searching for the latest celebrity news and downloads can cause serious damage to one's personal computer.

"Every day, cybercriminals use celebrities' names and images, like Rihanna, to lure surfers searching for the latest stories, screensavers and ringtones to sites offering free downloads laden with malware."

McAfee's most dangerous celebrity to search in cyberspace:

1. Jessica Biel

2. Beyonce Knowles

3. Jennifer Aniston

4. Tom Brady

5. Jessica Simpson

6. Gisele Bundchen

7. Miley Cyrus

8 = Megan Fox

8 = Angelina Jolie

9. Ashley Tisdale

10. Brad Pitt

11. Reese Witherspoon

12. Britney Spears

13. Rihanna

14. Lindsay Lohan

15. Kim Kardashian

£200,000 and 51 operations turn a mother of three into Queen Nefertiti

2009-08-22T20:33:00.006+09:00

Her transformation began more than 20 years ago after she decided that in a past life she had lived as Queen Nefertiti.

During that time Nileen Namita has spent £200,000 on her face in order to turn herself into a living sculpture of the ancient Egyptian.

The mother of three has had 51 cosmetic surgery operations - including eight nose jobs, three chin implants, one eyebrow lift, three facelifts, six mini facelifts, two lip surgeries, five eye surgeries and 20 minor tweaks - in her efforts to recreate herself in the image of the 'Beauty of the Nile'.

Miss Namita, a 49-year-old artist from Brighton, says her quest for perfection isn't over yet and plans further surgery, describing her face as a 'work in progress'.
She began her transformation in 1987 after deciding that in a past life she had lived as Nefertiti.
She said: 'Throughout my childhood and teen years I had constant vivid dreams of this ancient queen.

'They were visions of incredible intensity - I could see where she lived, her servants, her rooms, even the food she ate - and although at first I found the dreams frightening, I began to research what they meant.

'Aged 23 I underwent psychoanalysis with a counsellor. Slowly I began to realise that I was having these dreams because I am a reincarnation of Nefertiti
'A few weeks later I saw a picture of Nefertiti for the first time and I was struck by how familiar it was.

'I know some people will find it hard to understand why I have put myself through so much surgery, but by then the visions had become even more powerful, I decided to remodel my face so I looked like a modern version of Nefertiti.

'It was a way of allowing that part of my personality to show itself.'

Miss Namita, who single but has been married and divorced twice, began by remodelling her nose.
Since then she says she has spent all her spare money on her face.
She said: 'I am fortunate in that I have good genes. I don't have any cellulite and have never had to diet but because I didn't want to look unnatural with an older body and a younger face, I do eat very healthily.
'No one believes I am almost 50 years old and have had three children because my body and face look as through I am only 25.

'Now when I go out, I gain attention from men much younger than me - often they are in their twenties - because I look so youthful.

'I am sure some people will disapprove of me having so many operations but I believe my look is ageless and timeless. Seeing myself looking so much younger makes me feel young and energetic.'

Miss Namita, who has yet to visit Egypt but is writing a book about her life as a modern Nefertiti, says her three children aged 30, 25 and 15 approve of her appearance.

'My youngest daughter, who still lives with me, is very proud to have such a youthful looking mother,' she said.

Miss Namita is now planning her next operations.
'I would like my lips to be made a little finer and plan to have some more surgery on my nose to even out my nostrils,' she said.

Super-safe Web Browsing

2009-08-21T10:03:00.000+09:00

As a security analyst and researcher, I often find myself exploring some of the darker corners of the Internet. In the course of staying current on security issues, I frequently must browse the sorts of Web sites no average person should go anywhere near; I'm also far more likely to be targeted in an attack. That's forced me to develop a somewhat extreme approach to safer surfing.

Understand the risks

Web browser attacks fall into two general categories. The first type target your browser. They include:

* Cross-site scripting (XSS), in which an attacker illicitly inserts malicious code--which your browser automatically runs--into a Web page you trust;

* Cross-site request forgery (CSRF), in which the attacker inserts code in one Web page that allows him to send commands in your name, using your browser, to another (your bank, for example);

* Click-jacking, in which malicious programmers overlay hidden buttons on a Web site, which you may then inadvertently click.

Browser attacks use deceptive Web pages or links to redirect you to undesired locations, to hijack browsing sessions, to download software to your computer, or to perform transactions (such as forwarding your Web mail to the attacker).

The second type of Web attacks target your entire system. Such systemic attacks exploit security flaws in your browser or its plug-ins (such as QuickTime or Flash) to compromise your computer. These attacks take advantage of buffer overflows and vulnerabilities that have long enabled viruses, worms, and remote attacks.

To protect myself from both kinds of attacks and to isolate the damage if I do get hacked, I use a multilevel strategy. That starts with generating and storing passwords with 1Password. (For more password tips, see Top Password Tips.) But I also use a layered system of multiple browsers and even operating systems to keep myself as safe as possible. Even if you don't visit the kinds of sites I do, some of these precautions could be useful to you, too.

Multiple browsers

My first line of defense is to use different Web browsers for different activities. That way, even if an attacker compromises a Web forum that I log in to, he or she can't cross over from there to attack my online banking, because I use a separate browser for that. Or, because I use a dedicated browser for Facebook, the latest XSS Facebook worm can't escape from there to gain access to my Amazon or Web mail accounts.

My primary browser is Firefox 3.5 configured with the NoScript and Adblock Plus plug-ins.

By default, NoScript disables Java, JavaScript, Flash, and other dynamic content that's often used in attacks. It gives me fine-grained control, so I can permanently or temporarily enable scripts for specific sites or pages. Because it's nearly impossible to attack a browser that doesn't run scripts or plug-ins, NoScript is extremely effective as long as I don't accidentally authorize anything malicious.

Adblock Plus uses blacklists of known advertising and spyware sites to automatically block content from them. I use it as a backup to NoScript in case I do slip up and authorize a script I shouldn't have. Bad guys are increasingly using ad banners and trackers to distribute their mischief; Adblock Plus gives me a little extra insurance.

In addition to those two plug-ins, I also tell Firefox not to store my passwords (Preferences -> Security); I use 1Password for that.

I use Firefox for general browsing and commerce sites such as Amazon, but I don't use it for sites where I'll have to enter extremely sensitive personal information (such as banks) or sites that I know to be extremely risky. For those, I use some of the more stringent measures outlined below.

Because Safari is harder to lock down than Firefox, I use it for sites that are neither sensitive nor risky, such as Wikipedia, Pandora, and Apple. These are sites I visit frequently, where I don't want to deal with managing NoScript exemptions, or which tend to work better in Safari than in Firefox. Under Preferences -> General, I disable Open Safe Files After Downloading. Under Preferences -> Autofill, I disable User Names And Passwords.

By default, both Firefox and Safari will try to identify known fraudulent sites using public blacklists. (In Firefox, go to Preferences -> Security -> Block Reported Attack Sites; in Safari, go to Preferences -> Security -> Warn When Visiting A Fraudulent Website.) I leave these settings activated.

I use NetNewsWire as my RSS feed reader. In its Preferences -> Browsing -> Web Pages pane, I disable all plug-ins, to prevent malicious code from being sent via an RSS feed (such as a video file containing a buffer overflow).

Dedicated browsers

Although Firefox and Safari are good for general browsing, when I need more protection, I use either a dedicated browser or a site-specific browser (SSB).

By "dedicated browser," I mean a regular Web browser that I use only for one site. In my case, I use OmniWeb to manage my company Web site and blog.

I've implemented rules in OmniWeb to keep it from accessing any site outside my corporate domain: in Preferences -> Ad Blocking, I clicked Edit The Blocked URLs List. In the top window listing blocked sites, I added a rule for /* to block every Web site. In the bottom, trusted-sites window (which overrides the blocked-sites list), I added securosis\.com to allow anything from my site. Those windows support complex regular expressions, so you can create some pretty sophisticated rules.

For sites that I don't trust at all, I use an SSB. For example, as I mentioned above, I'm wary of Facebook; I access it through an SSB.

An SSB is essentially a stripped-down Web browser that you can create yourself in a few clicks. I created one with the Prism add-on for Firefox. (Go to Tools -> Add-ons -> Get Add-ons, search for Prism, and then install it.) With Prism installed, browse to that site and select Tools -> Convert Web Site To Application.

Unlike a dedicated browser, an SSB lets me browse to other Web sites. But because an SSB is a completely separate process, I can restrict its Web access using the Little Snitch outbound firewall. If someone attacks the SSB, they can't touch my other browsers or steal my browsing history, except for the SSB's.

Multiple operating systems

For extremely risky or sensitive sites, I use virtual machines (VMs), using VMware Fusion or Parallels, to isolate Web activity even more.

For example, I do all of my banking in a dedicated VM using Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 running on the latest release candidate of Windows 7. IE8 on Windows 7 is very secure--especially because I don't use it to visit any Web sites other than my banks, nor do I use the VM for e-mail or other Internet activity. This eliminates all possible browser attacks (unless my bank itself is compromised), and an attacker would need to completely take over my Mac to get my banking information.

For maximum browsing security, I use the Incognito Linux live CD in a VM. A live CD contains a bootable operating system; it runs the OS from the optical drive, without installing anything on the hard drive. I like Incognito because it includes other privacy-enhancement features, but any live CD with a Web browser will work.

Because the CDs are read-only, the VM runs everything in memory without touching the local file system (except for virtual memory). An attacker could completely compromise and control that VM, but he or she couldn't touch anything else on my system. Because the state of the VM is never saved to disk, all I have to do is shut it down and reboot to return to a pristine, clean image.

Granted, my chosen profession requires a tad more paranoia than is mentally healthy for the average user. Still, these techniques are relevant for anyone concerned about security. At a minimum, I recommend dedicated password management, a dedicated Web browser or SSB for banking, and perhaps a VM for those occasional trips to the darker edges of the Internet.

Rich Mogull has worked in the security world for 17 years. He writes for TidBits and works as a security analyst through Securosis.com.

Britney's bikini of the day

2009-08-19T12:01:00.005+09:00

Britney Spears just can't help showing off her figure - and extensive wardrobe.
Revealing her third bikini in as many days, the pop star flaunted her toned abs again for another dip in the pool with her sons.
The singer played doting mother to Sean Preston, three, and Jayden James, two, showing off the enviable body she recently acquired through intense training for her current tour.

Britney opted for a mauve polka-dotted two-piece for day three of her LA holiday - displaying her rainbow selection of swimwear as she played with the boys at the Ritz Carlton hotel yesterday.
'I have had to work hard at getting my body back to where it used to be,' she told Glamour earlier this year.

'I used to be obsessed with working out ... But I can't get motivated right now because I'm so focused on my music.'

Saturday saw the pretty in pink blonde sporting a fuchsia bikini - and on Sunday, Britney slipped into an aquamarine number.
Clearly, the star is sticking to the unwritten Hollywood code of wearing a different swimsuit for every day.

Fortunately though, Britney sensibly chose not to impose the same rule on the boys, who remained in the same trunks.
The 27-year-old singer is currently enjoying a well-earned month off after her gruelling 'The Circus... Starring Britney Spears' world tour.

She is set to resume her concert in Hamilton, Canada on August 20, before finally wrapping the tour in Australia in November.

Despite the relaxing holiday, Britney cut a glum figure by the pool. Perhaps she was missing her notably absent boyfriend Jason Trawick.

Engagement rumours have surrounded the low-key couple in recent weeks after Britney was spotted wearing a diamond ring on her engagement finger.

She was wearing the ring all weekend - but took it off when she spent time in the pool.

Heidi Montag's Playboy Breasts

2009-08-14T11:50:00.004+09:00

femalefirst.co.uk
Heidi Montag looked through Playboy magazines to find the perfect breasts.

The 'Hills' star - who graces the cover of Playboy's September issue - turned to the adult publication for inspiration when she had her breasts surgically enhanced in 2007.

She told Playboy magazine: "When I was shopping for my boobs, I wanted the best, so I sat down and flipped through a bunch of Playboys.

"The women are so hot - Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra, Marilyn Monroe, all the Playmates. So iconic.

"When the magazine asked me to pose I understood what an honour it was. Once you're on the cover of Playboy you're officially a s*x symbol."

Heidi, who married her 'The Hills' co-star Spencer Pratt in April, has also revealed she is planning to have more cosmetic surgery to ensure she remains sexy for her new husband.

"When I was shopping for my boobs, I wanted the best, so I sat down and flipped through a bunch of Playboys. "

The 22-year-old blonde said: "I plan to get a few more upgrades... I'm sure as I get older I'll need some touch-ups.

"I think I want to go bigger on my boobs for Spencer. He loves my new additions. I just want to be the foxiest wife."

Heidi insists she doesn't care if people criticise her appearance on US reality TV show 'The Hills', claiming her detractors are simply envious of her success and good looks.

She explained: "If they aren't hating on you, then you're not doing anything right. If women aren't jealous of you, talking about you and cutting you down, then you're a nerd, and I would never want to be that.

ardi etchujima

Nokia Partnership Pushes Microsoft's Cloud Plans

2009-08-13T12:18:00.003+09:00

John Fontana, Network World
Microsoft is using its newly formed alliance with Nokia not to bolster its mobile efforts but to help fuel expansion of its cloud, collaboration, real-time communications and management strategies.

The alliance is a setup for tools Microsoft will be releasing next year and beyond in its Office family and System Center portfolio of products.

The company's ongoing strategy has been to create a single management platform for Windows, non-Windows platforms and devices on the back of its System Center tools. Microsoft has been working in the past few years to widen its management capabilities to include mobile devices, Linux and virtual machines.

And Microsoft is positioning Office 2010 as the version of its productivity tools and back-end servers best suited to work across PCs, devices and the browsers, according to Stephan Elop, president of Microsoft's business division.

Those Office back-end services will include both on-premises and hosted cloud offerings.

The alliance with Nokia announced Wednesday fosters those cloud, collaboration and management efforts.

For example, Nokia's Eseries smartphones will be the first non-Windows mobile device that System Center can manage. The focus will be on security management, device management and security-enhanced access.

In addition, Nokia next year will begin shipping the Office Communicator Mobile client on its smartphones. The release is likely to align with the release of Office 2010, set to ship in the first half of the year, although the pair would only say Communicator Mobile would come in 2010.

But the real work on Office will come in adapting mobile-optimized versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote to the Nokia platform and its Symbian operating system. Those applications will help support collaborative applications built on the Office back-end servers. And those servers can be run internally or hosted by a cloud-based service.

The next version of Office Mobile for the Windows Mobile platform is expected next year. Nokia and Microsoft would only say that the Office applications and related software and services for the Nokia platform would come "in the future."

"This is just a first step," Elop said during a joint press conference with Nokia. "This will also extend to … interaction and collaboration around SharePoint."

Microsoft plans to support mobile access to intranet and extranet portals running on SharePoint, which is becoming a corporate hub for data integration and business intelligence tools integrated using Excel Services and other tools.

In addition, the strategy will extend to Office Communications Server (OCS), the back end for Communicator Mobile. Both those back-end Office servers can be run in-house or acquired via a service through Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Services.

Where Nokia fits in on the System Center side also is loosely defined but initially focused on System Center Mobile Device Manager.

"The plan is to design System Center so customers will be able to provision applications to the Nokia mobile device, and update the applications, so customers have secure and productive mobile computing experience," according to a Microsoft spokesperson. The company did not provide details on when a version of Mobile Device Manager would be released to support Nokia.
The current Mobile Device Manager only works with Windows Mobile 6.1 devices so the software will have to be ported or developed from the ground up to work on Nokia's Symbian.

The rest of the integration with System Center is unclear but development efforts hint at tucking Nokia into Microsoft's broad management infrastructure.

Microsoft currently has a churn of System Center development going on. A new version of Configuration Manager is on track to ship in 2010. System Center Operations Manager should be updated within that same time frame.

The big picture is to integrate those two and other System Center tools into a logical whole that can analyze and aggregate data from the "infrastructure fabric" that houses hardware/devices, operating systems and applications as separate entities.

The ability to create that logical whole is missing because Microsoft has yet to ship Service Manager, unveiled in 2006. The software is designed to pull all management data together and act on the results based on policies and workflow rules.

Service Manager is slated to ship next year.

Microsoft also plans to extend its management platform to include cloud and service providers, so companies can centrally manage both internal systems and cloud-based services, such as those that could be offered to support the Office applications being added to the Nokia platform.

ardi etchujima

Beyonce Hit By Tokyo Earthquake

2009-08-13T12:08:00.003+09:00

femalefirst.co.uk
Beyonce Knowles rang her mother in a panic after she was caught in a massive earthquake which hit Japan on Tuesday morning.

The Crazy In Love hitmaker and her sister Solange were in Tokyo on Monday to promote Japanese clothing brand Samantha Thavasa. The siblings stayed overnight in the city - and Beyonce was abruptly woken up by the tremors, which measured a staggering 6.6 on the Richter scale
She called her mom Tina for reassurance - but her sister slept through the disaster.In a series of posts on her Twitter.com page, Solange writes, "How did I sleep through a serious earthquake. Again. Japan. wtf (what the f**k)?

"Wtf! wtf! wtf! My sister said she was scared out of her mind and calling my mom and I was snoring. 6.6? omg (oh my god)! omg! omg! tsunami watch???
"Praying for everyone affected by this."

The earthquake struck southwest of Tokyo. There were no known deaths as WENN went to press.
ardi etchujima

Facebook Buys FriendFeed: What Does It Mean?

2009-08-11T12:08:00.002+09:00

JR Raphael
Aug 11, 2009

Facebook is acquiring content-sharing service FriendFeed, the two companies have confirmed. The entire FriendFeed team of 12 will transition to Facebook, with the four founders taking on senior engineering roles. The value of the deal has not been disclosed.

Inside FriendFeed

Despite strong buzz in the blogosphere, FriendFeed was never able to gain much in the way of mainstream appeal -- in fact, your average social network user probably hasn't even heard of it. It has developed somewhat of a cult following, though, with many tech insiders adopting it and singing its praises. And the team behind FriendFeed has quite the impressive collective résumé.

FriendFeed was founded in 2007 by four former Googlers: Bret Taylor, Jim Norris, Paul Buchheit, and Sanjeev Singh. Before leaving Google, the guys helped design and launch several well-known products, including Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Groups.

FriendFeed was their vision for a centralized sharing service -- kind of like Facebook, only without all the extra stuff. It's basically a content aggregator: You set up an account and connect it to all of your different online services. Then, anytime you post a new update on Twitter, vote up a story on Digg, or write a new blog, it automatically goes through to your FriendFeed stream. People who subscribe to your stream see the updates roll in in real-time and can comment on and discuss them.

The FriendFeed-Facebook Friendship

Over the past months, Facebook has little by little begun to emulate many of FriendFeed's key functions. The ability to "like" items, for example, was a signature FriendFeed feature. Facebook's introduction of a real-time news stream was also largely viewed as a response to FriendFeed's own real-time stream.

Inside the Acquisition

So with the two services merging together, what will change? That part isn't yet fully clear, but a few hints are being dropped. FriendFeed's Taylor suggests that more FriendFeed features will eventually come to the Facebook platform, saying his team will "have the opportunity to bring many of the innovations [it's] developed at FriendFeed to Facebook's 250 million users around the world." The FriendFeed service itself will remain independent and intact -- for now.

"FriendFeed.com will continue to operate normally for the time being," Taylor explains in a blog posted Monday afternoon. "We're still figuring out our longer-term plans for the product with the Facebook team."

Robert Scoble, a blogger and Internet developer widely regarded as FriendFeed's most vocal cheerleader, conducted a phone interview with FriendFeed's Buchheit (published, fittingly, to his FriendFeed stream). In the interview, Buchheit says the deal was completed only this morning. He calls it a "tremendous opportunity" that FriendFeed recognized might not come along again.

"We had no reason to sell the company," he tells Scoble. "We could have continued for quite a number of years."

Buchheit reiterates that no long-term plans have been finalized. He does, however, imply that FriendFeed's current incarnation may not vanish entirely.

"We're completely committed to supporting the users of FriendFeed. We obviously don't want to leave them stranded," he states. "In the long term, we'll have to figure out some plan that makes sense."

Scoble himself calls the deal a "huge win for both companies." His own FriendFeed page is already peppered with more than 200 comments discussing the acquisition.

Facebook Confirms DoS Attack

2009-08-07T09:01:00.000+09:00

Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News Service
Popular social-networking site Facebook was hit with a DoS (denial-of-service) attack Thursday, but the attack did not appear to be as severe as one that crippled Twitter the same day.

Facebook reported on its own Facebook profile Thursday that users may have had trouble accessing the site or its services because of the attack, but that the situation seemed well in hand by late morning in California, where the company is located.

"We have restored full access for most people," the company reported. "We'll keep monitoring the situation to make sure you have the reliable experience you expect from us."

Users reported that Facebook was not loading properly or could not be accessed early Thursday, but the site seemed to be working properly by late morning.

Facebook did not provide specifics about the attack or how it was handled, only providing a link to a Wikipedia entry with information about DoS attacks in its posting.

It's unknown if the attacks on Twitter and Facebook are linked. However, a source with knowledge of the situation said that the company is working with Google and Twitter to investigate the matter further. The source said there were reports Google's Blogspot site also had been hit with a DoS attack, although Google did not immediately respond to an inquiry about whether this was indeed the case.

A DoS attack is an attempt to make a Web site or service unavailable to intended users by flooding the service or site with incoming data requests, such as e-mails. Motives for DoS attacks vary, but perpetrators mostly target companies with high-profile, highly trafficked Web sites. Hackers often have a financial or political motivation for such attacks.
ardi etchujima

EXIT Signs

2009-08-06T10:39:00.000+09:00

In fact many EXIT SIGNS in the world, except in countries such as the United States, Singapore, and Australia are of pictogram type. Singapore and Australia have made modification to their each life safety codes in the direction of pictogram use. In the United States, New York City has supported a new code requiring high rises to have luminous in the dark exit signs with a pictogram.

New style exit signs in the United States can be viewed over every path to an exit in commercial and large residential buildings that follow with fire code. Typical specifics, such as the year a building was built, may leave it exempt from some of these codes. However, in most situations, the owner of the building complies regarding EXIT SIGNS. This is especially true in older buildings that serve as multiple residences, such as mall, apartments, hotels, and campus dormitories. Modern fixtures are usually in a rugged plastic or metal housing safely bolted to the wall or ceiling.

Due to impression the signs have the word EXIT, or a picture representing exit, on both sides. Single-sided signs are also available for wall-mount installations. The signs often have metal or vinyl plastic knock-outs which can be removed so that an arrow is also lit pointing left or right. Modern exit signs are combined with other safety devices, such as emergency floodlighting, as shown above. Exit Sign draw a relatively small amount of power (5 watts maximum), and can generally be added onto any existing electrical circuit without adverse effects.

Recent exit signs are also, to some degree, fireproof. In the United States exit signs can be either red or green. This is due to states or cities enacting building codes which assign the sign color. In Maryland, for example, green is required. New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago require that exit signs have red legend.

In the Senate Chamber of New Parliament House in Australia the exit signs are red with white writing. This is to match the color scheme, and is legal because of a special law passed for that purpose.

Ear-tugger gets experts thinking

2009-08-03T13:43:00.000+09:00

Navigation gadget from Tokyo's University of Electro-Communications a big hit at tech show
By JANET McCONNAUGHEY
The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) If you pull on my ear, will I follow you anywhere? Yes, say researchers at University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo. And along complex paths. Even when the pulls are directed from a distance.

Their ear-tugging navigator looks like a bug-shaped hat and may be the oddest gizmo among nearly three dozen in the "Emerging Technologies" area of SIGGRAPH '09, the 36th international conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques.

The conference this Monday through Friday includes an animation festival, game design and animation workshops and contests, a studio, an art show, and other showcases and exhibits.

The 33 Emerging Technologies exhibits include a click-and-drag graphical editor to tell robots how to perform complex tasks such as folding clothes; an umbrella that moves as if you were fending off a downpour of rain, spaghetti or toy snakes; and a virtual reality floor that designers say can feel like walking on snow.

The ear navigator, called Pull-Navi, has six helmet-mounted motors to pull the wearer's ears forward, backward, left, right, up and down. The designers say people follow its lead almost instinctively — pull left and they turn that way; pulling both ears forward or backward at the same time makes them speed up or slow down; and tugging up or down heads them up or down stairs.

It goes into the who'da-thunk-it category of exhibits.

"Every year there's just some submissions that are just so completely wacky it's not really on anyone's radar," said Mk (pronounced M-K) Haley, one of the jurors for Emerging Technologies since 1998. "They get everybody thinking and discussing."

This one, she said, got her thinking, "Wow. Human beings can really be physically manipulated so easily. And what other applications may there be for that?"

Past exhibits heralding applications now commonplace have included Electric Postcards in 1995 and, in 1991, Michigan State University's informational kiosk, called Click On MSU.

MIT Media Lab researcher Judith S. Donath, who studies online social interaction, was startled by the popularity of the Internet postcard site she created to learn a computer language and showed off at SIGGRAPH '95.

"People didn't realize the social possibilities of the Internet. You could put news there, buy things, maybe. But it wasn't particularly social," she said.

She thought a few of her friends might send each other cards from the site, which opened in December 1994. But it went viral — a phrase not then coined. "We eventually had millions and millions of cards sent through it," she said.

American Greetings Corp. began offering e-cards in 1996 and Hallmark Cards Inc. in late 1998, spokesmen said. American Greetings now has 3.9 million e-card subscribers, according to Frank Cirillo.

Hallmark estimates that, industrywide, about one e-card is sent for every 20 paper cards bought, Sarah Gronberg Kolell wrote in an e-mail.

The MSU kiosk was put into use in 1990. Although Macintosh had introduced its point-and-click interface six years earlier, most desktop computers still used text and menus. MSU's designers called their icons "click ons" to be sure people would know what to do.

"On the top of every page, it would say, 'Click on a click on,' " said Carrie Heeter, now creative director for MSU's Virtual University Design and Technology group and a professor of serious game design in the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media.

Now elementary school Web sites have linked pages, and toddlers know how to click computer mice.

Virtual reality, on the other hand, exists in a very different form from the head-mounted screens "all the rage" in 1993 and '94 SIGGRAPH exhibits, Haley said.

"A lot of people think it went away. But companies do use a lot of virtual reality in design and production. . . . Ford has a huge VR lab." It's also used in designing new drugs and new buildings, Haley said.

But immersive VR is still in the works. At McGill University in Montreal, researchers are making footsteps part of the illusion. They say that by vibrating tiles from side to side, they can mimic the crunch of snow underfoot, or the cracking of ice on a puddle.

The "multimodal floor" isn't just for entertainment, they say. It could be used for rehabilitation, such as a step toward walking outdoors for people recovering from a stroke.

Jeremy Cooperstock, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and supervisor of the project, said he didn't think the technique would work. "But all the tests we've done show people do get the feeling of sinking. There's so much play in how we perceive texture that if we get the right vibration . . . your mind sort of fills in the rest of the illusion."

Haley said the robot instruction language is impressive, but the little robot that carries it out is still so slow that the jury insisted the designers bring a sped-up video. However, she said, "This is going to be revolutionary. . . . It is a little hairy around the edges now because it's brand-new. But we owe it to our people to show them what's coming."

Another Japanese team, at Osaka University, designed the "Funbrella" — a standard umbrella equipped with a speaker and microphone that make the handle move as if it were being held in the rain. The ¥3,000 device can show how heavy a 250-mm-per-hour rain really is, and transmit the feel of rainfall in one town to a Funbrella in another, researcher Ai Yoshida said.
ardi etchujima

Will Japan space briefs pass smell test?

2009-08-02T10:09:00.000+09:00

Pair worn by Wakata due for re-entry after monthlong trial
Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009

CAPE CANAVERAL,, Fla. (AP) In what might embarrass less-adventurous souls, astronaut Koichi Wakata is returning to Earth with the underwear he wore for a solid month during his space station stay, and scientists will check them out.

They're experimental high-tech undies designed in Japan to be odor free.
The Japanese spaceman described his underwear test Thursday as the shuttle Endeavour and its crew aimed for a touchdown the next morning. The astronauts released some minisatellites, their final job before Friday's re-entry, and said it was time to come home after more than two weeks aloft.

Wakata has been off the planet for 4 1/2 months.

"I haven't talked about this underwear to my crew members," Wakata said in an interview, drawing a big laugh from his six shuttle colleagues. "But I wore them for about a month, and my station crew members never complained for about a month, so I think the experiment went fine."

The Japanese underwear, called J-Wear, is a new type of antibacterial, water-absorbent, odor-eliminating clothing designed for space travel. The line includes shirts, pants and socks as well. Wakata tested all of them during his mission; he had four pairs of the silver-coated underwear, a cross between briefs and boxers.

"We'll see the results after landing," Wakata said.

J-Wear is billed as being antistatic and flame retardant, which is especially important for spaceship wear. The cotton and polyester clothes are also seamless, making them lighter and more comfortable, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The goal is "comfortable everyday clothes for life in a spaceship."

Another Japanese astronaut wore some J-Wear items during a shuttle flight last year, but had only 16 days in orbit to try them out.

NASA's space station program manager, Mike Suffredini, stressed the importance of testing new products, especially those aimed at improving astronauts' quality of life. There's no way to wash clothes in space. Station residents simply ditch dirty outfits, along with other garbage, in no longer needed cargo ships that are sent plunging in flames through the atmosphere.

"Eventually, we're going to do exploration. We're going to go to the moon. We're going to go beyond the moon someday, and little things like this will seem like really, really big things when you're far away from Mother Earth," Suffredini told reporters.

Good weather was forecast for Friday's late morning landing, with the rain expected to hold off until afternoon at NASA's spaceport.

On Thursday afternoon, NASA cleared Endeavour to come home, after analyzing wing and nose images beamed down by the crew Wednesday in one final sweep for micrometeorite damage.

"I'm ready to get back . . . I think I have a landing in me, so don't want to get anybody on the ground worried about that," commander Mark Polansky told AP.

In one of NASA's longer shuttle flights, Polansky and his crew put a new addition onto the international space station — a porch for Japan's massive $1 billion lab — and freshened up the place with batteries, experiments and spare parts. They rocketed into space July 15.

Thursday marked Day 15 in space for Polansky and all but one of his crew. For Wakata, Thursday marked Day 137. He flew to the ISS in March, becoming the first person from Japan to live at the orbiting outpost.

Wakata said he's longing for sushi.

"That's the first thing that I'd like to have, and also a hot spring in Japan sometime in the near future," Wakata said.

Earlier in the day, the shuttle astronauts released a small canister containing a navigation and rendezvous experiment. Five hours later, the crew launched an atmospheric density experiment so scientists can better understand how orbiting objects move and eventually come down.

Over at the space station, meanwhile, the major air-purifying system on the U.S. side failed again, and the crew spent the day trying to fix the equipment. Engineers suspect a heating element is causing a short.

A carbon dioxide-removal system on the Russian side is still operating properly, and the six astronauts have backup methods for cleansing the cabin atmosphere. But the American system is critical for long-term space station operations. It overheated over the weekend and shut down, but flight controllers managed to work around the problem, at least for a few days.

As for NASA's next station visit, officials are targeting an Aug. 25 launch for Discovery, provided that a few remaining tests of the fuel tank shows the insulating foam is attached properly.

An unusually large amount of foam broke off Endeavour's fuel tank during liftoff. Deputy shuttle program manager LeRoy Cain said dust or other debris may have gotten on the tank and not been cleaned off prior to the foam application. Some of the workers may not have been familiar enough with the job, he noted.
ardi etchujima 2009

Japan Job Seeker Tips

2009-07-31T19:03:00.000+09:00

My immediate advice is to see ads frequently for Job Seekers eNewsletter at shigotoaru.blogspot.com. My long-term advice and recommendation is to learn Japanese - it will be well worth the time investment. Although many foreigners get by in Japan without learning any more than, "arigato," knowing even some basic Japanese opens up an entire new selection of employment opportunities. But learning Japanese should be part of your Japan experience anyway. It can really give you an insight into how Japanese people interact, and this ultimately gives you the edge in most situations in daily life.

In terms of your job description, I agree that you shouldn't have to be a mind reader, especially as an international hire. However, if you put yourself in the head of your prospective employer, the world revolves around him and he has his staff supporting him and generally taking care of the details. In a normal (local) hire, the HR staff would figure out what the new hire would be doing and would arrange the documentation accordingly.

That said, I think I can guess what the company is thinking. They want you to:
1. Come in as general helper and learn business.
2. Do some local sales
3. Help with international enquiries and issues -- probably some translation
4. Prove that you're trustworthy
5. Do some specific international projects for CEO
6. Eventually get asked to bridge to U.S. or to manage whomever it is they hire in the U.S

Bing Was Tipping Point in Microsoft-Yahoo Deal

2009-07-30T09:30:00.000+09:00

越中島
Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News Service
The successful launch of Microsoft's revamped search engine, Bing, was likely the event that tipped the scales in favor of Yahoo agreeing to a search deal, analysts said.

When Microsoft relaunched Live Search as Bing early last month, the company gained some early ground in search, mainly at the expense of Yahoo, according to analysts' statistics.

That early momentum showed Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz that Microsoft could create a search engine that was capable of drawing new users, and that it would benefit Yahoo to take advantage of the technology, said Neil MacDonald, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner Group.

"I credit Bing for being what tipped the deal finally over the edge," he said. "Microsoft has shown they can actually do something that has a chance of reversing the slide of both Yahoo and Microsoft against Google."

Microsoft and Yahoo have been losing ground to Google for some time in search queries and search-based advertising. But it took the companies more than a year to hammer out Wednesday's agreement about how to unify their search businesses.

Under the terms of the 10-year deal, Microsoft's Bing search engine and adCenter platform will power Yahoo's search-based advertising business, while Yahoo's sales team will handle both companies' premium search customers.

Bartz complimented Microsoft on its Bing technology just last week, on a conference call to discuss Yahoo's second-quarter earnings.

"I think Microsoft should be given kudos for Bing; it's a nice product," she said, adding that it was too early to say if people are visiting the site out of curiosity, or if it will help Microsoft to increase its market share over the long term. Microsoft and Yahoo were said to be close to a deal at the time, but nothing official had been revealed.

Though Bing seemed to be a major revamp of Live Search, it consisted mainly of features that had been in Live Search for a while, with some algorithmic and user-interface changes being the main differences, said Matt Rosoff, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft.

The problem was, not a lot of people used Live Search or knew about those features, and the rebrand was Microsoft's way to draw attention to the product, he said.

Bing and the marketing efforts around it have done just that, and early reviews indicate that the new search algorithms are an improvement not only on what Microsoft had before, but also on Yahoo's search engine, Gartner's MacDonald said.

Aside from being good technology, Bing also proved that Microsoft was serious about its investment in search, he said. That likely encouraged Yahoo to give up its search investments in favor of Bing so that it could focus on delivering better online content via its portal to drive online and display advertising.

"I think [Bartz] took a long, hard look at what is Yahoo, and what makes Yahoo distinctive doesn't change," MacDonald said. "The engine underneath isn't Yahoo."

If Bing delivers better search results, he said, it bodes well for Yahoo's ambitions to become a premium destination for online content and to bring more users to its portal.

Yahoo's search direction has been unclear for some time. While it has invested billions in that part of its business with acquisitions of Inktomi and Overture and its own development of search assets, it has never seemed entirely sure whether it wanted to go head-to-head against Google, Rosoff said.

Wednesday's deal shows Yahoo finally made the decision to move ahead as an online portal rather than a search company, he said.

"It was just a matter of deciding whether Yahoo wanted to really be a search company and invest in that area, or wanted to be more of a portal," Rosoff said. Search is Google's core business, he said. "That's what they've always been about. Yahoo's always gone back and forth."

Though abandoning its search efforts may look like a loss for the company, it's likely that Yahoo's search technology -- which Microsoft will now have access to -- factored into the economics of the deal, he added.

"They had something that Microsoft wanted," Rosoff said. "They're not just giving it up. But it does mean that they're not going to invest in their own search technology anymore."
ardi etchujima 2009

Beyonce Helps The Hungry

2009-07-29T21:00:00.000+09:00

越中島
femalefirst.co.uk
R&B superstar Beyonce is helping to feed the hungry - the singer is spearheading a new campaign to aid U.S. food banks.

The star has teamed up with food brand General Mills’ Hamburger Helper to launch the Show Your Helping Hand initiative to aid poverty-stricken families across America.

Last month Beyonce fans were able to show their support by bringing non-perishable foods to her concert at Madison Square Garden in New York, and now the star is urging more people to take part by purchasing special Hamburger Helper products - money from which will be donated to the cause.

The campaign aims to deliver more than 3.5 million meals to food banks across the country.
ardi etchujima 2009

Apple Bans Google Voice iPhone App

2009-07-28T22:44:00.000+09:00

越中島
Daniel Ionescu, PC World
Apple hung up on Google rejecting its Google Voice mobile app that would of allowed iPhone users to swap text messages for free, among other things. The news comes via TechCrunch which in an article published Monday quoted a Google spokesperson that says Google submitted its Google Voice mobile application to Apple six weeks ago. The Google spokesperson told TechCrunch, "Apple did not approve the Google Voice application." Apple went one step further in its disapproval of Google's voice technology and pulled another Google Voice related app from the store, third-party GV Mobile, on the basis of duplicate functionality.

The move stirs the ongoing debate about the openness of the App Store. It also brings into question AT&T's influence on Apple given that AT&T appears to have the most to lose if the Google Voice mobile application was available to AT&T customers with iPhones. Google Voice mobile would allow you to send and receive text messages via your Google Voice phone number via your iPhone, circumventing AT&T text messaging charges.

Google introduced the Google Voice mobile app in July. It is now available for Blackberry and Android-powered phones. Here is a review of the Google Voice app on an Android-based phone.

I've contacted both Apple and Google seeking official comment on this topic. When and if either get back to me I'll let you know what they say.

The Google Voice Initiative

Google Voice, formerly known as GrandCentral, is an innovative phone management system that provides a single phone number for all your mobile, work and fixed numbers. Google re-launched the service last month and is now available for U.S. users on an invitation basis.

The Google Voice service acts as a hub for managing voice mail, all your contacts, and making free and low-cost phone calls via land line phones. Here is hands on look at how Google Voice works. The Google Voice mobile app extends those features to smartphones.

Pointing Fingers

What's shocking though in the case of the official Google Voice app getting rejected by Apple, is the presence of Google CEO Eric Schmidt on the Apple board of directors. One would have thought that this sort of presence would grant Google some sort of privileges when it comes to apps for iPhone. However, not even a personal approval by Phil Schiller, Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing, didn't save third party GV Mobile creator Sean Kovacs from getting his app pulled either.

So the problem must come from somewhere else, most likely - as several technology blogs point out - from AT&T. The wireless carrier, Apple's exclusive wireless partner in the U.S., gets the blame for this one. As it was the case with the crippling of SlingPlayer and Skype for iPhone, AT&T seems to be flexing its muscles over which apps Apple should allow in its App Store, of course depending on its business interest. In this case, Google Voice's free SMS service and cheap long-distance calls could have made a dent in the carrier's revenue streams.

Of course, none of this is officially confirmed and both Apple and AT&T are keeping mum on the situation, but from a users' point of view, we are the ones in the loss. Or, in other words, Apple in conjunction with AT&T is curbing innovation of their products/services from third party companies. You might just add this to the other four reasons why iPhone users hate AT&T.
ardi etchujima 2009

Amir's Designer 'experience'

2009-07-28T22:23:00.000+09:00

越中島
femalefirst.co.uk
Amir only sells to people who are unconcerned with money.

The luxury fashion designer - whose two-piece suits cost up to $16,000, while his silk ties come in at around $650 - insists he can charge high prices as his customers are more concerned with quality than bargains.

He explained: "The issue is very simple. If someone has to ask the price of something, that means they're not my client. It would be like going to a Bentley dealer and asking how many miles the cars do per gallon. Sure, the Amir tie is probably the most expensive tie in the world. But you're not just buying a tie - you're buying an experience."

" It would be like going to a Bentley dealer and

asking how many miles the cars do per gallon "
Amir - who has dressed a host of famous people, including actors Brad Pitt and George Clooney and US presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama - was inspired to start designing for men in 1978, when he realised men's fashion wasn't catered for as well as women's.

He explained to Britain's Independent newspaper: "At the time, women wore beautiful fabrics. Valentino, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent were all designing beautiful fabric. But men had what I called bulletproof suits, made out of polyester. So I introduced those men to cashmere, silk, these fabrics that you touch and it melts in your hand. It was a new market. I have always tried to do something different."
ardi etchujima2009

jBatik 、 ITBの学術活動Fenomenal市民意識

2009-07-27T08:36:00.000+09:00

越中島
asnijatiningasih
Sun, 31 May 2009 22:38:15

バンドン、 itb.ac.id - jBatik 、ソフトウェアで働い Pixel People Project プログラムSENADAビジネスイノベーション基金は、米国国際開発庁（米国国際開発庁からの）主催のバージョン2.0に変換しています。tempointeraktif.comから引用した。研究技術部長官はインドネシア共和国、博士Kusmayanto Kadiman 、誰が、水曜日（ 27/5/2009 ）は、バティックフラクタルfenomenalしているソフトウェアのバージョン2.0で行われた発表イベントに出席した。
数学の知識を組み合わせて、美術、コンピュータプログラムは、バティックがオープンされ、新たな仕事のフィールドのパターンを作成します。 "研究室やスタジオで、これも経済的影響を停止しない場合は、 " ITB物理工学専攻の卒業生として

ピクセルの人々はプロジェクトの3人の、すなわち、ユンHariadiヘッド研究所、ムハマドルクマンとしてヘッドの設計とナンシーのMargriedとしてヘッドビジネスとして成り立っています。画素人プロジェクトAndik TaufiqディマスDanurwendaとITB FSRD ITBとの情報からは、ソフトウェアプログラマとKiranasasi Wiryawanとして動作します。彼の作品は、インドネシアの情報通信技術賞2008年、アジア太平洋地域のICTアワード2008受賞されています。既存の2.0バージョンでは大幅な変更を簡単に誰でも使用することができますこのソフトウェアです。

"以前のバージョンで物理的に実現していないことのみを使用でき、設計者やプログラマーmatemathiciansこれに加えて、このバージョンでは、よりシンプルなインターフェイスですが良い"と話しているとしてdetik.comから引用。

だけでなく、バティック布をデザインすることができますも、このソフトウェアの家具、彫刻の設計に使用することができます。このシステムは、数式が変更されるデザイナーによるフラクタルをベースに動作します。次の段階は、コンピュータデザイナーの直感で再びバティック動機を承認している。本ソフトウェアは、異なるパターンを起こす共通のバティックや再発。これらの数式になじみのない人の場合、これは、伝統的なスタイルなど、開発されるにいくつかの基本的なバティックフラクタルデザインを提供しています。

ソフトウェアJBatikもユネスコ、バンコク、タイ、および100から優秀賞と最優秀インドネシアイノベーション2008認識されており、故宮、ジャカルタ芸術、科学の組み合わせとして、技術。

ardi etchujima,jBatik

TinBu.com - The Next Big Thing in Domain Monetization?: New Companies Are Making the Dream of Affordable Mass Development a Reality

2009-07-26T13:42:00.000+09:00

越中島
By Ron Jackson (http://www.dnjournal.com/cover/2009/march-tinbu.htm)

While TinBu.com is not a mass development service provider, companies like Tinbu can be very useful to those who use one of the mass development platforms highlighted in this DN Journal Cover Story. Since most mass developers allow you to add your own content or additional content from third party providers like Tinbu, we decided it would useful to give you some information on what Tinbu does and how it is able to offer it services at no charge to the domain owner.

For that, we went to the Pensacola, Florida based company's VP of Marketing Peter Hayward. "TinBu is a rapidly expanding technology company that offers interactive content channels to any web site looking to enhance their content, page views and existing advertising revenues," Hayward said.

"In the last 3 years, our client list has and continues to grow exponentially month over month across most all online publishing verticals, to include newspaper, television, radio, portals, geo-sites, and the domainer sector. TinBu is quickly becoming the go to provider for domainers looking to monetize their existing web site traffic or looking to build up web sites with additional interactive content that drives page views, repeat site traffic, user satisfaction, and revenue generation," Hayward added.

"Regardless of what phase a domainer is in with a particular URL, TinBu is in a position to add value with free interactive content with built in revenue generation utilizing our patent-pending technology. Our content is available in English and Spanish, and in some cases also in German, French, Portuguese, and Chinese."

"Our content is currently in use with over 75% of newspapers and online media companies in North America and on hundreds of online and wireless companies in other countries such as Canada, Europe, and Latin America. Our content is used by Web sites run by the major television networks, radio broadcasters and news groups to major online portals and search engines like AOL and YAHOO! Hundreds of category-specific Web sites pertaining to online travel, sports, hotels, general interest, automotive, geo-specific domains, entertainment, local, national or global city guides, special interest, not-for-profit, real estate, hobbies, health and fitness, domain registrars, online shopping sites, and more," Hayward said.

You can see a partial list of some of the clients using TinBu's content here.

"TinBu uses its patent-pending technology which allows us to deliver ads through our interactive content platform, allowing web sites to

integrate our content channels free with a built in revenue generating component," Hayward said. "The historical problem with any kind of ad, be it display, contextual or other is that it does not drive any page views and it certainly does not encourage return traffic. TinBu’s business model is the solution to this. We provide world class, engaging content to any site that in turn generates measurable increases in site traffic, repeat visits, and advertising revenues. Ad revenues are increased from the advertising supplied by TinBu, as well as any existing advertising platforms a domainer may already have in place at their site(s)."

"We have currently over a dozen content channels in all sorts of areas from lottery, box office, horoscopes, local gas prices, mortgage information, celebrity entertainment, weather, stocks and finance, Sudoku, recipes, miles per gallon analysis, flight tracking, swimsuit models, fitness videos, and we have many more content channels being produced. (One of our biggest claims to fame is that in the last 3 years, technically we have become the world’s largest provider of lottery information as we actually started out as a lottery company and grew steadily from there!)," Hayward said.

"TinBu's content does not redirect to other sites like many of the other content products on the market. Our content can be added free, give domainers an additional revenue stream, and most importantly it works in conjunction with any existing ad network to enhance ad platforms domainers may already have in place such as Google or Yahoo! Our content is fully customizable and you can reduce our modules down to 1/3rd size of your page and use the added space around the content for your own ad networks, content, affiliate marketing programs, etc., by placing it around our content and letting the page view driving nature of our content do the work."

"Our Swimsuit Model of the Day portal averages 12.2 page views PER unique user, Celebrity Entertainment averages 9.0 page views per user, our Horoscope channel averages 5.7 page views per user! Trying to decide how to integrate any piece of content into a parked page, URL under construction or existing web site that is free, engaging and averages 12.2 page views per user is definitely a good problem to have for your web site and existing ad networks!"

Hayward added, "To view an online video of how TinBu's free content platform with built in revenue generation works click here. On TinBu’s home page we have a webinar with many domainer specific questions answered by mousing over the right hand side of the page here."

"TinBu also provides its content with out ads on a licensing fee arrangement. To demonstrate our
two platforms of paid vs. unpaid content we can analyze the NY Daily News and The New York Post. The NY Daily News can pay us multiple hundreds to multiple thousands a month for the content without ads as with our Lottery Portal. The NY Post uses the exact same content on the free ad supported platform and do not pay anything to use the content and gets a rev share for hosting the exact same content on their site: Same Lottery portal free.

Here are a few examples of some of TinBu’s general content.

Lottery Information - http://news.aol.com/nation/lottery?icid=news:lottery (AOL)
Horoscope - http://www.dailyslick.com/content/horoscope.html (Daily Slick)
Weather - http://www.bootsnall.com/Europe-Italy-Milan/weather.html (Bootsnall Travel)
Gas Prices - http://www.boston.com/cars/gasprices/?p1=Well_Cars_More_Gas (Globe)
Swimsuit Model of the day - http://www.chez106.com/babes/ (Chez FM averages over 25,000 page views a day with 12.2 page views per unique visitor)
Soccer Module - http://italy.theoffside.com/scores/ (The Offside.com)
Fitness Video - http://www.newsreview.com/chico/fun/Fitness (Reno News)
Flight Tracking - http://www.usatourist.com/english/tinbu/Flight.html (USA Tourist)
Recipes - http://joyofbaking.com/tinbu/recipes.html (Joy of Baking)
Celebrity Entertainment - http://www.travel-destinations.com/entertainmentnews/index.shtml (Travel Destinations.com)
Stocks/Finance - http://www.nydailynews.com/money/markets/index.html (NY Daily)
MPG - http://www.smartdrivede.org/mpg.php

"TinBu continues to build and develop additional content channels for their clients. We are soon to release a Box Office Movie content channel with our content partners at Nielsen Entertainment. We are working on a Quote content channel, Sports Scores and Odds portal, Streaming Radio portal with our content partners at CBS and many more," Hayward said.

"We continually receive feedback from our clients on which modules are working most effectively with their specific audiences and which new content channels clients would like to see us develop in the future. TinBu aggressively acts on this feedback to strategically plan our future module deployment and corporate strategy."

"TinBu has also started attending some of the domain conferences this past year and has been extremely well received with many people telling us our product has uncanny timing with what is going on in the domain industry these days and the need for stickier content on sites. Some of the more forward and “outside the box” thinking domain and parking companies that are trying to break away from the traditional parking formats into more content rich platforms like DevHub.com and WhyPark.com are implementing TinBu’s content across their networks as we speak."

"These companies will successfully be able to monetize the added page views from our deep content portals into their networks to drive user satisfaction and have their audiences return over and over to see the buffet style content available to them as they strive to lead the way with content rich parking solutions over traditional solutions. With the success of these conferences, we look forward to attending more in the future with more members of the TinBu team as we feel the domainer audience is exactly where our firm can add the most value," Hayward said.

"We are certain that TinBu's future with the domain world is very bright. As we continue to add content, we will be able to help domainers grow and develop their Web sites as the old adage holds true that "Content is King". We look forward to having a presence at all the future domain conferences and continuing to listen to domainers needs and finding out new ways we can use TinBu's content to add value to their Web sites and parked pages," Hayward concluded.
ardi etchujima, TinBu.com

Electric bicycles ride "green" demand in Japan

2009-07-24T22:12:00.000+09:00

越中島
By Chang-Ran Kim and Kiyoshi Takenaka Chang-ran Kim And Kiyoshi Takenaka – Fri Jul 24, 4:32 am ET
TOKYO (Reuters) – Move over, Prius.

Riding the vogue for eco-conscious products, companies ranging from battery to tire to motorcycle makers in Japan are looking to cultivate a market that beats even hybrid cars in green credentials: electric bicycles. Japan's motor-assisted bicycles use a small electric motor and battery pack mounted inconspicuously on the bicycle to propel the rider, constantly adjusting the motor's force to the speed and resistance of the pedaling.

That makes cycling up a hill or while carrying a heavy load a cinch, winning over a growing number of elderly and housewives in Japan. Sales of electric bicycles more than doubled from 2000 to 315,000 last year, as they became more affordable and practical.

"Once you've ridden one of our motor-assisted bicycles, you'll never go back!" a spokeswoman at Yamaha Motor beamed, urging reporters to try out a few of Yamaha's 17 electric bicycle models at a test-ride event on Friday. The motor switches off automatically once the speed reaches the 24 km/hour (15 mph) legal limit for assisted riding, classifying the vehicles as bicycles, unlike the popular electric bicycles sold in China, which would require a license in Japan.

Yamaha Motor, Japan's No.2 motorcycle brand and top maker of electric bicycles, expects more of a tailwind for the market. Thanks to advances in rechargeable batteries, Yamaha's standard electric bikes have a range of 39 km (24 miles), or 67 km using an optional mode that activates the motor only when desired. That's about double the range of its first model introduced in 1993.
"A lot of our customers say their range of activity on a bicycle has expanded," said Masanori Kobayashi, a senior official at Yamaha. "They're going places where they would normally take their car or a taxi." Charging time has shrunk to two hours from 10, with one charge costing around 10 cents. One catch though is that batteries need to be replaced roughly once every two years, and they cost at least $250 each.

FROM ELDERLY TO ENTHUSIASTS

Electric bicycle makers, which also include Panasonic, Sanyo Electric and Bridgestone, also expect a boost from the nationwide road-rule relaxation this month that allows riders to mount two pre-schoolers as long as the bicycle clears stability and other standards. With the motor assisting, pedaling from a dead stop -- even with 10 kg (22 lb) weights in the front and rear -- was easy and smooth, a test-ride at the Yamaha event showed.

And electric bicycle makers hope to pull more customers in. At a separate media event, Sanyo, which supplies batteries for Yamaha's products, unveiled two new products, including the world's first motor-assisted bicycle with a carbon composite frame geared toward enthusiasts. The price tag: 627,900 yen ($6,636), versus anywhere from $800 to $2,000 for a Yamaha.

"We are introducing these new products to offer not just an easier ride but the joy and pleasure of cycling," Sanyo Vice President Takahiro Wada told reporters. Sanyo expects total domestic shipments of motor-assisted bicycles to top 400,000 units in two years, making them a rare bright spot in the static overall bicycle market in Japan. Sanyo and Yamaha officials said they also anticipate growth in Europe, where bicycle culture is just as pervasive.

($1=94.61 Yen)

(Editing by Joseph Radford)
ardi etchujima, green, healthy live

Yahooのホームページは、新しいデザインを取得する

2009-07-23T13:36:00.000+09:00

越中島
Ian Paul〜によって

Yahoo、今日のホームページにいくつかの重大な見直しを求めているものを立ち上げた。 Yahooは、新しいホームページでは何があなたの世界で起こっていると、地球の残りの上の上に滞在に役立つように設計している。検索会社は本当に何をしてきたが、その昔のデザインに手を加えていると、いくつかの新しい、より柔軟な機能をより多くのユーザーには、その球を引くかもしれないと付け加えた。このほかの個別の機能や能力の点では、以前はYahooに利用されていないサードパーティのサービスの広い範囲を追加するに含まれています

ここでの新機能：

マイお気に入り

最も重要な変更は、 Yahooの右は私のお気に入りの名前を変更されている手の列です。以前のホームページでは、この列のゲーム、ショッピング、 Yahooの出会い系などの機能など、 Yahooのサービスに満ちていた。この新しいデザインは、サードパーティのサイトやサービスは、 Facebookは、ニュースサイトなどの広い範囲から選択する、とe -ベイできます。 Yahooはまた、 "マイお気に入り"のセクションにYahoomail (ヤフーメール)、メッセンジャー、および他のYahooのサービスを移動している。これらのウィジェットを超えるときはホバー、ディスプレイ広告やお客様の情報をポップアップ表示されます。

私にとって、最高の機能をFacebookのウィジェットに付属。このウィジェットは、フル機能のミニFacebookのですが、社会的ネットワークのモバイル版そっくりに見える。これは、完全なニュースフィードへのリンクが含まれており、お客様のイベント、誕生日、 'プロフィール、友だちリスト。オフにカーソルを開く場合は、ウィジェットを引き込み、このサービスは、 2番目または2つの後に消えます。 Facebookが同様の機能は、あなたのiGoogleのアカウントに埋め込むことができます。

App Maker
あなたの新しいYahooのホームページに配置することができますが、 65以上のウィジェットに加えて、あなたも自分のすることができます。 ' 'は私のお気に入りリストの一番下にして、非常にあなたを追跡して、自分の好きな名前を与えるためには、 Webアドレスを入力することができるウィジェットのリストの上部にある追加をクリック。場合は、インポートが成功すると、今、お客様のホームページ上に新しいウィジェットがあります。

Today@ PCWorld、私のページに追加することによって、このFriendFeedのをテストした。Today@ PCWorld細かい作業が、ヤフーのポップアイコンを追加することはできませんでしたが、ウィジェットを、自分で追加することができませんでした。当然のことながら、私はFriendFeedの私のホームページを追加することはできませんでしたが、私はいくつかのオプションをFriendFeedのユーザー用のホームページを追加する必要がなかった。

トレンドセッター
Twitterの傾向トピックスからの手掛かりにして、ヤフーは現在、トップ10にお気に入りの検索機能。トレンドセッターのボックスには、上のホームページで、古いデザインの下では、ユーザーが自分の電子メール、メッセンジャー、ゲーム、天気予報にアクセスするための左側に位置しています。

パーソナライズドニュース
ニュースのタブが、ちょっと元気がある今では地元のニュースセクションを移動している。米国の都市名または郵便番号を入力し、 Yahooのローカルニュース店舗からのニュースを提供します。

同期するには、モバイルPCの
この機能はまだ利用可能ではないが、 YahooはすぐにYahooのモバイルページでは、デスクトップバージョンで行った編集が一致している。

オプトインする必要がある場合は、新しい機能を試しになりたい場合、 Yahooのホームページに到着。代わりに、 Yahoo.com/trynew 。今日の打ち上げは、米国のユーザーにのみ利用でき、可用性を、今後数週間で、フランス、インド、英国モバイル機器ユーザーのユーザーに拡大するも、この1週間は、新しいYahooのホームページが表示されますが、同社はしませんでした最初は、国指定のモバイル版を参照してくださいと思います。もし世界の残りの部分に住んで、ヤフーは他の国には、数ヵ月後には、新しいホームページを展開する予定だという。

ardi etchujima,Yahoo,etchujima, 2009

What do you think about this summer's round of cuts in bonuses for company workers?

2009-07-18T13:09:00.000+09:00

越中島
By ANTONI SLODOWSKI

Naotaka Ikura, 24
Administration (Japanese)
Cuts in bonuses didn't affect me at all this summer. I'm in administration, so I was lucky. Perhaps other people had their bonuses cut.

Sou On, 16
Student (China)
Speaking to my Japanese friends, I can tell that Japan has been hit harder by the global crisis than China has, where GDP is rising. I think this is due to the strong ties between Japan and the U.S., where the recession began.

Junichi Yoshisaka, 36
HR company president
There are many medium-size and small companies that aren't paying bonuses at all this summer. Human resources — my industry — has been badly affected by the recession.

Tsuyoshi Endo, 19
Student (Japanese)
In my firm there was a major slip-up and our bonuses were cut by 5 to 10 percent. If there had been no errors, we would have got our full bonuses. Our firm has yet to feel the effects of the recession.

Mai Katayama, 24
Advertising (Japanese)
This year I am getting one bonus instead of two because of a drop in sales over the last six months. I work in the magazine ad industry and we rely on big firms, but they just don't want to advertise.

Kazuhiko Hashimoto, 70
Construction worker
I'm not receiving bonuses because I was laid off in November. My company must have known about the coming recession much earlier. All the temporary employees were fired first.

Takayuki Kobayashi, 50
Trading house employee
My bonus is pretty much the same as last year. That's because my company wasn't badly hit by the recession. But I've heard about big cuts in other firms.
ardi etchujima,thejapantimes,bonus

Health Tips: Edelweiss Extract and the fight against Anti Aging

2009-07-17T09:49:00.000+09:00

This Week Health Tips:

Edelweiss extract comes from Edelweiss flowers, which are short lived perennials. Edelweiss is a German word which means noble and white. The Edelweiss flower is found at altitudes which range from 1,700 meters to 2,700 meters, general in areas with light soil, good drainage and southern exposure.

In ancient times the Edelweiss flower was sought after by men who wished to prove their bravery. Because the flower grew at such heights and was often on cliff sides and in dangerous areas many people were known to have been injured, or even killed in pursuit of this flower, which led many men to wear it in the lapel as sort of a badge of honor. Of course, the fact that the Edelweiss flower was the favorite of the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife, the Empress Elizabeth also gave it prestige. The flower became so popular among hikers that the governments of Austria, Germany and Switzerland took steps to protect it in certain parts of the Alps. Today Edelweiss is grown on many continents and is no longer in the danger it once was. It became even more popular however the 1960's when a song called Edelweiss in the popular stage play and film The Sound of Music sang its virtues and beauty.

For centuries Edelweiss extract has been believed to have positive health effects. Edelweiss teas have been popular as well as use of Edelweiss extract in hot milk, often sweetened with honey. Diarrhea and dysentery were two ailments that it was believed Edelweiss extract could cure. People also believed that it could help fight ailments such as diphtheria and tuberculosis. Today research by the pharmaceutical industry indicates that there was something to these ancient beliefs. Used in high quality anti aging and anti wrinkle cosmetics.

Edelweiss extract is an ancient folk lore remedy that modern science is making popular once again. They have also discovered that the ultra violet light absorbing chemicals this plant has developed from high altitude growth makes it a good additive to sun blocks. Pharmaceutical researchers also are interested in the way some chemicals in the plant prevent amplification of oxides, which are tied to the aging process.

The future of research into Edelweiss extract looks as bright as the high Alpine sun, and the popularity of Edelweiss extract as an ingredient in high quality cosmetics means the plant will remain popular for many years to come.

For more information visit here

Improve Your Google Rankings in One Easy Step

2009-07-16T14:44:00.000+09:00

Meningkatkan rangking Google dalam Satu Langkah Mudah
by David Cowgill

Having a top rank in Google is the holy grail for anyone who has a website. Organic Google traffic is free advertising and how most bloggers (especially those just starting out) achieve visitors and traffic to their site. It all comes down to a simple numbers game. Essentially, more traffic = more money-making opportunities from your blog. The question is, how do you get ranked higher for my blog posts using Blogger?
Siapapun yang memiliki website pasti mengharapkan rahmat berupa peringkat teratas di Google. Menjadi anggota Google traffic berarti iklan gratis dan para blogger (khususnya yang baru saja memulai) berusaha mendapat pengunjung dan mendapat traffic ke situs mereka. Caranya gampang seperti main main. Pada dasarnya, lebih banyak traffic = lebih banyak uang dari blog kamu. Pertanyaannya adalah, bagaimana kamu mendapatkan peringkat yang lebih tinggi untuk postingan blog pakai Blogger?

Before I tell you how, let me give you a quick lesson is search engine optimization (aka SEO). There are two main components: “off-page” and “on-page” optimization. “Off-page” SEO refers to tactics such as link building. The more websites that point their links to your blog/website, the better. It’s a democratic way of showing Google that your site must be important if lots of people are pointing to it. Even more important with “off-page” inbound links is the actual link text (anchor text) that is used to point to your site.
Sebelum saya bagikan caranya, ijinkan saya sedikit kuliah mengenai optimasi mesin pencari (SEO). Ada dua komponen utama optimasi: "OFF-page" dan " ON-page " optimasi. "Off-page" SEO mencantumkan atau merujuk hubungan-hubungan seperti membangun link. Semakin banyak situs-situs itu mereka link ke blog / situs web, semakin baik. Cara itu cukup demokratis agar Google tau bahwa situs kamu pasti penting jika banyak orang yang datang. Bahkan lebih penting daripada " OFF-page" link yang berupa anchor teks yang digunakan untuk menunjuk ke situs kamu.

Here’s my proof. If you search Google for the term “click here” you’ll see that Adobe Reader and Apple’s Quicktime software are in the top 3 results. Why? Because so many other sites are linking to these two sites with “click here” as the anchor text to download their software. That’s the power of “off-page” SEO which you as a blogger can’t do much about besides writing such great unique content that generates lots of links.
Berikut adalah bukti. Jika kamu mencari di Google untuk istilah "click here" kamu akan melihat bahwa Adobe Reader dan software Apple Quicktime berada di 3 teratas. Mengapa? Karena banyak situs lain terhubung ke dua situs dengan "click here" sebagai jangkar teks untuk mendownload software mereka. Disitulah kesaktian "off-page" dari SEO bagi para blogger yang tulisannya tidak terlalu heboh, tapi membuat banyak link.

So with “on-page” SEO you have complete control over how well you’re optimized for Google. This includes keywords in your post titles, title tags, using header tags (h1, h2) and other tactics. Now the one we’re going to focus on in this article is the blog title tag.
Kemudian dengan "on-page" SEO kamu memiliki kontrol terhadap seberapa optimal kamu di Google. Ini termasuk kata kunci dalam judul posting kamu, tag judul, menggunakan header tag (h1, h2) dan taktik lainnya. Sekarang yang kita akan fokus di artikel ini adalah tag judul blog (blog title tag).

Title tags are one of the most (if not the most) important “on-page” elements to ranking high in Google. Search engines such as Google weigh the importance of each word in the title from left to right. So ideally you want your blog post title all the way to the left and your actual blog name to the right. Below is a perfect example of how this should look. You can also check out our Premium Revolution Template which is currently using this technique as well.
Judul tag adalah salah satu elemen "on-page" yang paling (jika bukan yang ter) penting ke peringkat tinggi di Google. Mesin pencari seperti Google mengukur pentingnya setiap kata dalam judul dari kiri ke kanan. Jadi idealnya posting blog judul ada disebelah kiri dan nama blog kamu di sebelah kanan. Gambar di bawah ini adalah contoh sempurna bagaimana ini akan terlihat. Kamu juga dapat cek Premium Revolusi Template kami yang saat ini menggunakan teknik ini juga.

Blogger templates by default don’t come with search engine optimized (SEO) title tags meaning you aren’t maximizing your blog to rank better in Google. If you take a look at your existing Blogger title you’ll see that blogger displays the blog name first then followed by your post title. They have it backwards so let’s get your blog setup properly.
We’re going to have to make a quick edit to your Blogger template which might intimidate some of you but it’s very small and painless. All I ask you to do first is to backup your template just in case you make a boo boo. That makes it easy to revert back without much headache.
Blogger template dasarnya tidak disertai dengan optimalisasi mesin pencari (SEO) judul tag, artinya kamu tidak memaksimalkan blog kamu ke peringkat lebih baik di Google. Jika anda melihat judul Blogger kamu, lihat bahwa blogger menampilkan nama blog pertama kemudian diikuti dengan judul posting kamu. Harusnya terbalik jadi mari kita ubah blog kamu dengan benar.
Kita akan secepatnya mulai mengedit template Blogger kamu yang mungkin agak sedikit menakutkan. Pertama tama saya harap kamu untuk membuat cadangan template kamu kalau kalau kamu membuat kesalahan. Yang akan memudahkan untuk kembali tanpa jadi mumet/pusing.

Step #1
In your Blogger dashboard, go to “Layout” => “Edit HTML”.
Di blogger dasbor, masuk ke TATA LETAK => Edit HTML

Step #2
In the template code, do a search for this:

<title><data:blog.pageTitle/></title>. . It’s usually in the first 5-10 lines of code in your template near the top.
Cari code seperti di atas (lihat gambar)

Step #3
Replace that bit of code with the following code:
Ganti kode tersebut dengan kode berikut:

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "index"'> <title><data:blog.title/></title> <b:else/> <title><data:blog.pageName/> <data:blog.title/></title> </b:if>

Step #4
Save your template and go back to your blog. Click into any individual post and look at the page title.
All your blogger posts are now much better optimized to rank higher in Google. I’m not going to promise you a night and day difference but you’ve taken a step in the right direction. Now just go post unique high quality content so people searching Google will find your blog first!
Simpan template kamu dan kembali ke blog. Klik setiap postingan dan melihat judul halaman. Semua posting sekarang lebih baik dan dioptimalkan ke peringkat tinggi di Google. Saya tidak janji dalam semalam atau sehari langsung banjir traffic-nya tapi kamu telah mengambil langkah yang benar. Sekarang tinggal memposting tulisan heboh dan berkualitas tinggi sehingga orang-orang yang men-Google akan menemukan blog kamu terlebih dahulu!

Ready to super charge your blog? Check out our professional premium blogger templates or make money by joining our blog affiliate program!

ガルーダEUの航空会社のブラックリストから削除

2009-07-16T12:53:00.000+09:00

(越中島)ブリュッセル、 KOMPAS.com -欧州連合ガルーダ、同国のフラッグキャリア、インドネシアなど4つの航空会社は、大陸にも重要な"航空安全の向上のため"の飛行を許可される予定だという。

EUは2007年に致命的に空気を、一連の事故は、国際的な禁止航空会社のブラックリスト後にすべてのインドネシアの航空会社を置いた。声明は、 EUとの3つの他のガルーダインドネシア航空会社-マンダラ、 Premiairと言うAirfast -火曜日には、リストから削除された。

ガルーダは2010年にヨーロッパへの飛行を再開する計画だ。まだ赤道ギニア、インドネシア、キルギス共和国、リベリア、シエラレオネ、スワジランド、コンゴ民主共和国からの航空会社を含む航空会社のブラックリストに更新します。

2009年7月15日（水） 12:34午前
ジム
Sumber ： AP通信

PTDI CN - 235対潜機を構築する

2009-07-15T10:05:00.000+09:00

バンドゥン（ANTARA 二ュ－ス）インドネシアの国営航空機産業は、 CN - 235抗PTDIそのCNの新しい亜種であると潜水艦航空機の開発には、 235ターボプロップ機、 Budi Wuraskito取締役社長PTDIした。

インドネシアではすでに土曜日Wuraskitoここに必要な技術や資格の人的資源と述べた。 "彼らの経験を収集すると、そのタイプの航空機を変更する必要がある"と述べた。

彼は十分な抗PTDI潜水艦、航空機への人的資源を生産したと発表した。
約40反PTDIエンジニアの生産に携わっていたトルコの潜水艦、航空機、と述べた。

彼は、インドネシアに4ヵ月前にトルコでの任務を終えて帰国した。 "われわれはすでにそのような航空機の生産のための技術がある"と述べた。

現在の設計にPTDIおよびCN - 235 MPAは、一PTDI ` sの最も売れる商品になっていたの海上哨戒機を作ることができた。

彼はすぐにPTDIをCN - 235対潜機を開発すると発表した。すでに多くの国の対潜PTID `秒製品の購入に関心を示していた。一人はマレーシアだった。

は、国有会社も製造していたBolkow - 105またはNBO - 105ヘリコプター。
Bolkow - 105またはNBO - 105ヘリコプターDirgantaraインドネシアPT （ PTDI ）によって建てられた非常に戦闘には適して考えられている。

比較的低いだけでなく、航空機の音は、五人のための能力を、それぞれのchoppers 、マシンガンやミサイルを備えています。（ * ）

日本ではH1N1に感染したインドネシア

2009-07-14T09:43:00.000+09:00

(越中島)
東京KOMPAS.com -急速に日本では豚インフルエンザの普及拡大を真剣にインドネシアの国民がその国での生活を監視し、日本のインドネシア駐在員事務所要求。
インドネシア大阪総領事館Masni Erizaスポークスマンは関西地域でのインドネシアでの健康状態、大阪、神戸、京都をカバーする、密接に監視されていると述べた。

Eriza氏側はこれまでインドネシアのH1N1に感染した菌株には報告を受けている。関西は日本政府が、現在は豚の急速な普及は、地域でのインフルエンザの次の監視されています。

幼稚園、小学校を含む1000人の学校、大学の地域では1週間のH1N1攻撃に直面して閉鎖を宣言していた。神戸まつり、 8月16日と17日、 2009年、関西の誇りでも、 1日にオープンする前にキャンセルされていた。

JIM
ANTARA　

インドネシアのロボットが、サンフランシスコでの金メダル獲得

2009-07-14T09:18:00.000+09:00

ニューヨーク（ANTARAニュース） -ロボットは、インドネシアのバンドン製コンピュータ大学（ UNIKOM ）ベースのフォートメイソン祭パビリオン、サンフランシスコ、カリフォルニア州、 6月14日には、国際ロボゲームズで金メダルを獲得した。

金メダルルディHartono 、 UNIKOM氏は、ロボットの"ロボットDU-114と呼ばれる学生に提示したのでした。 "

ロボットDU-114暖炉のカテゴリーのための国際的なロボットの自律型ロボットの競技部門の優勝者、アンディーRahadian 、サンフランシスコの総領事館では、インドネシアの教育、社会的、文化的な事務長は、対策として出てきたと述べた上でアンタラ通信ニュース日曜日。

"このカテゴリには、さまざまな国からの11チームが競争の中でロボットドュ- 11参加していたが、火災を出すことで最速だった"とアンディーRahadianと述べた。

DU-114に加え、インドネシアも、コンテストに参加する他のロボットは、次の116 、提示している。

のロボゲームズ、世界` 、サンフランシスコ、 2007年6月12-14 、 2009年に開催された最大級のロボット競技sと、 20カ国から参加したチームが、様々なカテゴリーで競合する。

参加国はオーストラリア、オーストリア、ブラジル、カナダ、コロンビア、エジプト、香港、インド、インドネシア、イラン、日本、メキシコ、ペルー、ロシア、韓国、英国、およびアメリカ合衆国含まれています。

インドネシアUNIKOMからロボットのチームドクターAelinaシュリヤ、同大学の助手` 、学長sは、 25日にジャカルタのチームメンバー（ 2007年6月16 ）を返すとリードした。

サンフランシスコのご滞在中は、他のことUNIKOMロボットチームカリフォルニア大学（ UC ）バークレー校では、ロボット研究室の中を訪問した。彼らUNIKOMとカリフォルニア大学バークレー校の間の協力を確立する可能性について議論した。

UCバークレー校を訪問するときには、インドネシアのチームによって、他の中のジョージアンワルは、インドネシアの人の頭の位置をUCが受信されたバークレー校で開催国の韓国ロボット部門。（ * ）

Tokyo Kota Termahal, Johannesburg Termurah

2009-07-11T14:04:00.000+09:00

Sabtu, 11 Juli 2009 06:03 WIB
(越中島)KOMPAS.com — Penurunan aktivitas perekonomian global dan perubahan kurs mata uang dunia juga menyebabkan perubahan pada susunan kota termahal di dunia untuk para ekspatriat. Semakin menguat mata uang sebuah negara, semakin tinggi pula biaya hidup di negara itu.

Menurut hasil survei dari Mercer, sebuah lembaga konsultasi sumber daya manusia, Tokyo sudah menjadi kota termahal untuk ekspatriat, menggantikan Moskwa. Selain Tokyo, tempat kedua ditempati Osaka, naik pesat dari peringkat kesembilan. Geneva juga naik peringkat menempati posisi keempat, disusul Hongkong. Sementara itu, Johannesburg, Afrika Selatan, menggantikan Asuncion di Paraguay sebagai kota termurah.

Dalam survei Mercer, New York, digunakan sebagai acuan. Semua kota yang disurvei dibandingkan dengan New York, sedangkan gerakan mata uang dibandingkan dengan kurs dollar AS.

Survei itu meliputi 143 kota di seluruh dunia dan membandingkan 200 jenis harga barang dan jasa di tiap lokasi, seperti perumahan, transportasi, makanan, pakaian, barang rumah tangga, serta hiburan.

Survei itu merupakan survei biaya hidup yang paling komprehensif dan digunakan untuk membantu perusahaan multinasional serta pemerintah dalam menentukan besarnya biaya hidup bagi para ekspatriat.

Penurunan perekonomian global sudah mengubah dramatis banyak pasar real estat. Pada periode Maret 2008-Maret 2009 terjadi fluktuasi kurs, khususnya penguatan dollar AS terhadap beberapa mata uang di dunia. Euro, misalnya, melemah terhadap dollar AS. Dalam periode yang sama, poundsterling Inggris telah melemah 26 persen terhadap dollar AS.

Pelemahan euro dalam kurun waktu tersebut membuat mayoritas kota di Eropa turun peringkat. Warsawa menjadi kota yang merosot paling drastis, dari posisi ke-35 menjadi ke-113. London dan Oslo yang sebelumnya menempati urutan dalam 10 besar melorot ke posisi 13 dan 10.

Kecenderungan sama terlihat di Australia, Selandia Baru, dan India. Kurs rupee India merosot terhadap dollar AS tahun lalu dan semua kota India turun dari peringkat kota termahal sebagai konsekuensinya. New Delhi merosot dari peringkat ke-55 menjadi ke-65 dan Mumbai dari peringkat ke-48 menjadi ke-66.

Asia meningkat

Posisi sebaliknya terjadi terhadap kota di China, Jepang, dan Timur Tengah yang telah naik peringkatnya. Penguatan kurs dollar AS, yen Jepang, dan naiknya harga minyak menjadikan kota-kota di negara-negara itu semakin mahal.

New York memasuki jajaran 10 kota termahal, naik drastis dari urutan ke-22 menjadi urutan ke-8. Penguatan kurs yen membawa dua kota termahal di dunia berada di Jepang.

Dampak yang sama dirasakan pula oleh kota-kota di China. Karena mata uang China renminbi menguat dibandingkan dengan mata uang lain, semakin mahal pula hidup di kota-kota besar di China. Beijing, misalnya, naik dari peringkat ke-11 menjadi peringkat ke-9, memasuki jajaran 10 kota termahal di dunia. Shanghai, Shenzhen, dan Guangzhou mendapat urutan 12, 22, dan 23.

Nathalie Constantin-Métral, analis senior di Mercer, mengatakan, ”Sebagai dampak langsung dari pelemahan perekonomian sepanjang tahun lalu, kami mengamati terjadinya fluktuasi signifikan pada mata uang kuat dunia. Hal ini memengaruhi susunan peringkat pada tahun ini. Banyak mata uang, termasuk euro, melemah terhadap dollar AS dan menyebabkan turunnya peringkat kota-kota mahal di Eropa. Dengan adanya keterkaitan erat dengan perekonomian global dan mata uang, perusahaan multinasional terus akan terkena dampak krisis global.”

Apakah masih ingin pindah ke Tokyo? (joe)

Gokiburi Combat, perang melawan kecoa

2009-07-10T11:19:00.000+09:00

Waktu pertama kali datang di Tokyo pada bulan Desember 2008, tidak ada satupun kecoa tampak di dalam apato kami di Etchujima. Mungkin kerena musim dingin, kecoa lebih memilih tinggal di tempat hangat yang lokasinya nyempil di gudang atau dalam kardus. Saya belum terbayang bagaimana tampang kecoa jepang ini, apakah seperti ninja atau samurai seram. Saya memang agak jijik dengan kecoa, apalagi yang suka terbang dan berbadan besar. Hiii...

Penampakan pertamakali gokiburi-san (kecoa) dimulai saat musim semi, waktu sakura mulai mekar di belakang apato dan di taman taman seputar Tokyo. Mungkin karena lapar karena puasa selama musim dingin, para gokiburi muncul dan berkeliaran mencari sisa makanan di dalam apato. Kalau kita membuka laci di dapur, terlihat mereka berlarian didasar laci. Penampakan paling nyata adalah pada malam hari. Bila lampu ruangan kita matikan beberapa saat, lalu nyalakan, maka gokiburi mulai berkeliaran di lantai dapur. Jumlahnya diatas 5 ekor.

Semakin hangat suhu udara Tokyo, makin banyak gokiburi menampakan diri. Kelihatan ada di dapur, di kamar mandi dan lemari dapur. Ukurannyapun macam macam ada yang kecil seperti semut, atau agak besar sepanjang 1 cm. Paling banyak di sekitar tempat sampah di dapur.

Kemudian saya putuskan untuk perang melawan gokiburi di apato. Langkah langkahnya sebagai berikut:

Beli umpan kecoa bulat isi 12 (lihat gambar) seharga ￥568　di Jusco atau depstore
Letakan umpan di tempat biasa kecoa muncul termasuk dalam laci dan lemari
Bersihkan rumah dari barang yang tidak berguna
Bersihkan lantai minimal 1 kali sehari, disapu dan di pel
Jangan biarkan ada sisa makanan di atas meja, simpan di kulkas atau tutup rapat
Gunakan tempat sampah bertutup

Setelah melakukan langkah di atas, bersiaplah untuk menemukan kecoa yang tewas. Jumlahnya pada 24 jam pertama mungkin sedikit. Tapi setelah 48 jam jumlahnya makin banyak. Hari 3 tidak ada kecoa yang berkeliaran lagi di apato kami.

トヨタプリウス三世代のハイブリッド情報

2009-07-03T17:18:00.000+09:00

三世代のハイブリッドはトヨタのプリウスは5ドアのリフトバックされています。トヨタは"カムリ車の大きさ"と述べている。同じデザインでは、カムリ年（ 2003 ）カムリよりもほんの少しの容量が少ないの乗客（ 2883リットル対プリウスで2724リットル）とほんの少しの荷物スペースも少なく、（カムリで472リットル456リットルに対プリウス）は、大変な偉業は、トヨタのプリウスは、三世代は、全体の長さは360ミリメートル以上は、現在のトヨタのカムリよりも短くなっています与えにこれだけの容量を絞ることができたようだ。

三世代のハイブリッドはトヨタのプリウスは、 1500ccのガソリンエンジンは、プリウスの電気モーターを併用しているの電力50kW 、 2.4ltrカムリは、 2003年半ばより自動車と同じ範囲の加速時間0から100キロを達成しました。共通の前提が性能には、トヨタのプリウス、ハイブリッドのためには、現実の性能は、同等の非ハイブリッド車よりも優れている巨大な燃料の節約、実現するための妥協が必要になる。人々は、トヨタのプリウス、ハイブリッドドライブの事実だけでなく、性能にも妥協はない、実際には、トヨタのプリウス、ハイブリッドもみ消すされ、静かにしてオールラウンドな良い車の平均と同等サイズの車よりも運転しているものとします。

三世代のハイブリッドはトヨタの『プリウス』の平均燃料消費量は、ガソリン（ 45リットルの場合、オークランドからウェリントンして駆動することができますがさらに1つのタンク）を意味する5 litres/100km （ 20km/litreまたは56マイル/ガロン）、くらいです取得の際には十分な燃料タンクにはいくつかの買い物をする。トヨタプリウスハイブリッドelectric-motors/generators 、ニッケル水素バッテリーパックと高効率のガソリン1500ccエンジンを使用して実現しています。これらは、革命的な伝送システムでは、（唯一の21可動部品）、信頼性の高いシンプルだし、モーターを一緒に最も効率的な組み合わせで動作できるように結合されています。その結果、半ば5最高の燃費と低排出量は現在入手可能な市場の大きさでドアハッチバックされています。

三世代のハイブリッドは、トヨタのプリウスは、 5つ星NCAPの安全性評価は、最高の可能性、 2005年のプリウスの年欧州カー賞の権威を受けています。

Toyota Prius Mobil Paling irit BBM

2009-07-03T16:49:00.000+09:00

Toyota Prius Generasi III adalah mobil lima pintu lift back (lihat video). Produsen Toyota mengatakan bahwa ini sebuah mobil seukuran Camry. Perbedaan ukurannya sedikit saja, ruang penumpang kuranglebih sama dengan desain yang sama pada Camry thn 2003 (2.883 liter di Camry vs 2.724 liter di Prius) dan perbedaan ukuran bagasi, (472 liter di Camry vs 456 liter di Prius) tampaknya berhasil mereka ciutkan sehingga begitu banyak ruang dalam Toyota Prius Generasi III yang diberikan, secara keseluruhan panjang hanya 360mm lebih pendek dibandingkan dengan Toyota Camry.

Meskipun Toyota Prius Hybrid Generasi III hanya memiliki mesin bensin 1500cc, jika digabungkan dengan 50kW motor listrik prius, untuk tarikan 0-100km waktunya lebih baik dari Camry 2003 yang memiliki mesin 2400 cc. Orang banyak berasumsi, bahwa harus ada kompromi dalam performa agar Toyota Prius Hybrid mencapai penghematan bahan bakar karena body besarnya. Kenyataannya kinerja yang dihasilkan unggul dan setara dengan non-mobil hibrida. Banyak orang yang mendukung Toyota Prius Hybrid menyetyjui, bukan hanya tidak ada kompromi terhadap kinerja tetapi juga Toyota Prius Hybrid sebenarnya stabil dan tenang. Lebih nyaman daripada rata-rata sedan yang setara dengan ukuran kendaraan ini.

Rata-rata konsumsi bahan bakar dari Toyota Prius Hybrid Generasi III adalah sekitar 20km/liter atau 56 mil / galon, yang berarti pada salah satu dari tangki bensin (45 liter), Anda dapat berkendara dari Auckland ke Wellington dan masih banyak yang harus cukup dari dalam tangki bahan bakar untuk beberapa saat Anda berbelanja di sana. Toyota Prius Hybrid yang mencapai ini dengan menggunakan electric-motors/generators, yang Ni Mh-paket baterai yang sangat efisien dan 1500cc mesin bensin. Ini adalah digabungkan ke sistem transmisi yang revolusioner yang sederhana (hanya 21 pindah bagian), dapat diandalkan dan memungkinkan motor untuk bekerja sama dalam kombinasi yang paling efisien. Hasilnya adalah pertengahan berukuran lima pintu hatchback terbaik dengan bahan bakar ekonomi dan terendah emisi yang tersedia di pasar.

Toyota Prius Hybrid Generasi III memiliki 5 star NCAP rating keselamatan, dan mungkin tertinggi pada tahun 2005 Prius menerima prestisius Eropa Mobil Of The Year Award.mobil,

日本での生活

2009-07-02T22:17:00.000+09:00

2008年12月、妻と私の2人の娘はまだ日本に住んでいる人の若い人たちがいる。越中岛正確では、東京（）地図を参照してください。私たちは駅越中岛、慶應義塾に東京駅方向銭曽我にあるチャンスがアパト（アパート）。日本では、鉄道交通機関としてのコミュニティ活動の中心地です。オフィスの従業員については、学生、大学の学生や観光、電車の中では、日本語。交通、高速かつ安価な時間にしています。住民のニーズは非常に多くのトラック。私たちは、駅の近くに住んでいるが、唯一のアパトから徒歩2-3分既に駅にされています。
別の近くの駅に加えています。また、コンビ二（便利店）や食料雑貨店アパト散在しています。しかしAkafudado 、ジャスコなどの大型スーパーやItoyokadoさらによくするため、より頻繁に私たちを買う野菜とは、コンビ二のように肉料理ではご利用いただけません。また、ショップ百アンアパトの周りでも（ 100円スーパーマーケット）で買い物をしてあるものを。なぜこれだけの調査があるため、私は言わないのは、必ずしも百スーパーマーケットから安いアン店に料金です。特に、特定の日には、価格を推進。
その他の快適越中岛に住む緑のオープンスペースや公園の数です。各公園は、例えば、ゲームオオコウモリ木場公園で、他の公園の海岸にも、ベルト（ロールバー）などの発射装置があるフロアに固有の個々のスライドしている。庭に遊ぶ子供たちがいっぱいです間違いなく嫉妬インドネシア人が日本でそれぞれの夜の公園を参照してください。子供がゲームに甘やかされて育ったので、庭としています。政府はまた、庭で、植物は、ごみをきれい焦点。定期点検は、すべてのゲームを快適子供、ゆるいボルトがあるかどうか、されているかどうかを子供やさびたスイングを危険にさらす。インドネシアでは地方政府が子どもや住民の快適さ、日本と同じような注意をしている。夢の時間...

Tinggal di Jepang

2009-07-02T17:25:00.000+09:00

Sejak Desember 2008 saya, istri dan 2 anak perempuan saya yang masih abg tinggal di Jepang. Tepatnya di Etchujima, Tokyo (lihat peta). Kebetulan sekali apato (apartemen) kami berada di sebelah stasiun Etchujima, yaitu stasiun untuk Keio-sen jurusan Tokyo-Soga. Di Jepang, kereta api adalah jantung kegiatan masyarakat sebagai moda transportasi. Untuk pegawai kantor, pelajar, mahasiswa maupun tamasya, orang jepang mengandalkan kereta. Transportasi yang murah, cepat dan tepat waktu. Jalurnyapun sangat banyak untuk melayani kebutuhan warga. Maka beruntunglah kami karena tinggal dekat stasiun, hanya berjalan kaki 2-3 menit saja dari apato sudah sampai stasiun.

Selain stasiun yang dekat. Disekitar apato kami juga bertebaran kombini (convinient store) atau minimarket. Tapi kami lebih sering ke supermarket yang besar seperti Akafudado, Jusco atau Itoyokado karena kami lebih sering membeli bahan makanan seperti sayuran dan daging yang tidak tersedia di kombini. Untuk hal tertentu kami juga belanja di hyaku en shop (toko serba 100 yen) yang jumlahnya juga buanyak di sekitar apato. Mengapa saya bilang hal tertentu saja, sebab sudah saya survey bahwa harga di hyaku en shop belum tentu lebih murah dari di supermarket. Terutama pada saat ada harga promo pada tanggal tertentu.

Kenyamanan lain tinggal di Etchujima adalah banyaknya tempat terbuka hijau atau taman-taman. Setiap taman punya keunikan masing-masing, misalnya di taman Kiba ada permainan flying fox, di taman lain ada sliding floor untuk meluncur adapula yang mempunyai perosotan sepeti ban berjalan (rollbar). Setiap sore taman ini penuh oleh anak anak yang bermain, orang Indonesia pasti iri melihat taman di Jepang. Karena anak anak begitu dimanjakan dengan adanya taman dan permainan yang disediakan. Pihak pemda juga perhatian pada taman ini, tanamannya terawat, tidak ada sampah. Untuk kenyamanan anak-anak semua permainan di cek secara berkala, apakah ada baut yang lepas, apakah membahayakan anak atau ayunan yang berkarat. Kapan ya di Indonesia ada pemda yang perhatian sama anak-anak dan kenyamanan warga seperti di Jepang. Mimpi kali...

Apakah QR kode

2009-07-02T14:29:00.000+09:00

Gambar di sebelah adalah QR yang berisi informasi url blog ini. QR kode adalah kode matriks (atau dua dimensi bar code) yang dibuat pertamakali oleh perusahaan Jepang Denso-Wave pada tahun 1994. QR sendiri berasal dari singkatan "Quick Response", kode yang ditujukan untuk dapat dibaca dengan kecepatan tinggi.

QR Kode umum di Jepang dan merupakan jenis dua dimensi kode yang paling populer . Selain itu, di Jepang kebanyakan ponsel dapat membaca kode ini dengan kamera.

Walaupun pada awalnya digunakan untuk pelacakan kendaraan di bagian manufaktur, QR kode sekarang digunakan dalam konteks yang lebih luas, termasuk tujuan pencarian komersial dan kenyamanan aplikasi-aplikasi untuk pengguna telepon seluler (ponsel dikenal sebagai tag). QR kode menyimpan alamat URL dan dapat muncul di majalah, pertanda, bis, kartu nama atau tentang objek apapun yang pengguna mungkin memerlukan informasi tentangnya.

User dengan kamera ponsel yang dilengkapi dengan perangkat lunak yang benar memindai gambar QR. Kemudian browser telepon meluncur menuju ke URL yang diprogram kode. Anda juga dapat menghasilkan dan mencetak sendiri QR di sini gratis.
ardi etchujima 2009

Mendaftar Sekolah Dasar Jepang

2009-07-02T08:53:00.000+09:00

(越中島2009.07.01)Maksud saya dan Yuli mendaftarkan Rasha ke sekolah SD Jepang agar dekat dengan apato kami. Sebelumnya Rasha sekolah di Sekolah Republik Indonesia Tokyo yang cukup jauh dari apato dan harus 2 kali ganti kereta. Di Jepang, setiap anak wajib ikut pendidikan dasar 9 tahun. Sekolah dasar 6 tahun dan SMP selama 3 tahun. Sistem persekolahan di Jepang bisa baca di sini.

Saya tinggal di Etchujima wilayah 江東区, masih masuk Tokyo juga. Hal pertama adalah pendaftaran di City Board of Education yang ada di walikota atau　city hall . Jadi pendaftaran tidak datang ke sekolah seperti di Indonesia. Pada waktu mendaftar saya datang sendiri, dengan harapan ada staf walikota yang bisa bicara inggris. Ternyata harapan saya kandas, staf yang standby Motoyama-san tidak bisa inggris. Lalu Motoyama-san memanggil rekan lain untuk membantu. Lagi lagi rekannya tidak bisa inggris juga. Terpaksa Motoyama-san bertanya jawab dengan bahasa inggris campur Jepang dan campur garuk kepala. Semuanya dilakukan dengan sepenuh hati dan dengan segala upaya untuk melayani saya sebagai warga kecamatan sekaligus orang asing. Saya sangat kagum dengan usahanya itu. Tidak hanya itu beliau juga menghubungi kantor pusat di departemen pendidikan untuk konfirmasi ulang agar tidak ada kesalahan. Saya pun dipersilakan berbicara dengan staf wanita di pusat melalui telpon, untungnya dalam inggris yang lancar.

Selesai proses administrasi diselingi dengan ucapan sumimasen berkali kali, Motoyama-san memberikan surat pengantar untuk kepala sekolah 臨海小学　(SD Rinkai), dan mengingatkan untuk membuat perjanjian wawancara dengan kepala sekolah dan membawa penterjemah.

Satu masalah selesai sudah.

note:

apato: rumah/apartemen

Hari pertama masuk SD Jepang

2009-07-01T23:55:00.000+09:00

(越中島2009.07.01)Tanggal 1 Juli 2009 pagi ini, Rasha, anak kedua kami memulai hari pertamanya masuk sekolah di SD atau shougaku (小学). Agak kuatir juga karena sekolah ini sekolah umum yang menggunakan bahasa Jepang saja. Sedangkan Rasha sudah berumur 9 tahun dan sudah di kelas 4, sedikit sekali mengerti bahasa Jepang dan tulisan kanji. Sebelumnya sejak TK sampai kelas 4 semester 1, Rasha bersekolah di Bogor. Kemudian semester 2, sekolah di Sekolah Indonesia Tokyo (SRIT). Jadi pembelajaran mengenai Jepang dilakukan selama 1 semester di SRIT.

Rasha pindah ke 小学 tepat tanggal 1 Juli 2009, setelah kenaikan kelas ke kelas 5. Pihak sekolah menempatkan Rasha di kelas 4, karena umurnya masih 9 tahun.

Proses masuk 小学 dimulai di kotamadya (区) di bagian pendidikan (board of education), jadi tidak mendaftar ke sekolah. Pihak kecamatan yang menentukan sekolah yang terdekat dari tempat tinggal. Tentunya setelah verifikasi KTP (alien card) dari orang tua calon murid. Mereka juga memberi banyak informasi seputar pendidikan di Jepang, terutama ditekankan mengenai bahasa pengantar yang hanya bahasa Jepang. Selengkapnya baca di sini. Kemudian mereka memberikan surat pengantar yang harus dibawa pada saat wawancara (interview) dengan kepala sekolah.

Melalui teman yang bisa bicara Jepang, thanks to Huang-san, kami menemui kepala sekolah untuk wawancara. Hal yang ditanyakan lebih banyak mengenai calon murid. Misalnya bagaimana karakter anak, kebiasaan sehari hari, berapa jumlah saudara, apakah ada alergi atau pantangan, dan lain-lainnya. Tidak ada yang namanya uang pangkal, uang gedung dan uang sumbangan sukarela seperti di Indonesia. Kami hanya diminta membeli perlengkapan: topi seragam, alat musik, baju olah raga, sepatu dalam kelas, baju renang, kuas tulis kanji. Kemudian ada formulir yang harus diisi, form standar seperti alamat, umur, data orang tua. Tidak ada kolom agama.

Kami orang tua pun dibekali dengan tata tertib sekolah dalam bentuk brosur bergambar. Tapi semuanya dalam kanji yang tidak kami mengerti. Huang-san yang menerjemahkan, dalam bentuk catatan dan coret coretan di brosur agar kami mengerti.

Pada hari pertama ini orang tua diminta mengantar anaknya sampai ke kelas dan menyerahkannya kepada guru yang mengajar yaitu Yamane sensei. Pagi ini kami datang tepat jam 8 sesuai permintaan kepala sekolah. Kemudian ada briefing singkat mengenai tata tertib, sebelum masuk kekelas. Sebelum masuk kekelas Yamane sensei memberikan contoh bagaimana memberi salam pada saat masuk gerbang sekolah, meletakan sepatu di rak dan menggantinya dengan sepatu kelas (wabagi), menunjukan toilet, tempat cuci tangan dan kran air minum. Setelah itu kami menyerahkan Rasha untuk dididik disekolah itu, Yamane sensei menyalami kami dan mulai mengajar. Kami-pun permisi pulang.

ardi etchujima