NIM Quetta 6th MCMC 8June2009-22 August 2009

Shilajit-Asphaltum

Shilajit is Shilamolecular weight organic compounds and paleohumus, naturally exuding from steep rocks in many mountain ranges especially in Himalayan and Hindukush ranges of Indian Subcontinent. Today, Shilajit is understood to be a remnant of vegetational fossils that has undergone a high amount of metamorphosis due to temperature, moisture and the pressure of the earth.
For further details please visit:

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The Himalayan mountains are understood to have been formed from the collision of the Sub-Asian and Indian continents about 50 million years ago. During the collision dense vegetation comprising entire rain forests are understood to have been trapped under millions of tons of pressure, which slowly changed this vegetation into a rich bioactive material, called Shilajit. Thus Shilajit represents originality of ancient vegetation and purity of non-exposure to any harmful fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide and other pollutants.
For morde detail follow the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=190309070421

Shilajeet-Asphaltum

Shilajit is Shilamolecular weight organic compounds and paleohumus, naturally exuding from steep rocks in many mountain ranges especially in Himalayan and Hindukush ranges of Indian Subcontinent. Today, Shilajit is understood to be a remnant of vegetational fossils that has undergone a high amount of metamorphosis due to temperature, moisture and the pressure of the earth.
For further detail see the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=190309070421

The Himalayan mountains are understood to have been formed from the collision of the Sub-Asian and Indian continents about 50 million years ago. During the collision dense vegetation comprising entire rain forests are understood to have been trapped under millions of tons of pressure, which slowly changed this vegetation into a rich bioactive material, called Shilajit. Thus Shilajit represents originality of ancient vegetation and purity of non-exposure to any harmful fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide and other pollutants.
For further details follow the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=190309070421

Russia plans to station troops in the Arctic

Russia plans to turn the Arctic into its “leading strategic resource base” by 2020 and station troops there, documents showed on Friday, as nations race to stake a claim to the oil-rich region.
The country’s strategy for the Arctic through 2020 adopted last year and now published on the national security council website says one of Russia’s main goals for the region is to put troops in its Arctic zone “capable of ensuring military security”.
The strategy also calls for the “creation of (an) actively functioning system of the Federal Security Service coastal guard”, in a sign that the KGB’s successor agency seeks to tighten its control of the region.
Following the publication of the strategy, the Security Council quickly moved to allay possible concerns that Russia was seeking to flex muscles in the region.
“The issue of the Arctic’s militarisation is not on the agenda,” a spokesman said in written comments to AFP on Friday.
“The Arctic region is becoming a most important arena for Russia’s relations with foreign partners in the area of international and military security.” According to the strategy, the Arctic should become Russia’s “leading strategic resource base” between 2016 and 2020.
To that end, the country should finalise the borders of the Russian Arctic and ensure “Russia’s competitive advantages in exploration and transportation of energy resources” are realised between 2011 and 2015, the document said.
Scientists say that global warming is opening up Arctic resources for exploration, prompting nations with Arctic coastlines to stake a claim to the resource rich region.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a meeting with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Stoere this week that the scenario of Nato war games dubbed the “Cold Response” in Norway had raised eyebrows in Moscow.
“We are surprised that the games that are currently being conducted in the Norwegian waters are dedicated to the scenario of the aggravation of a conflict regarding access to resources,” he said.
Russian envoy to Nato Dmitry Rogozin said on Friday the Western military bloc should refrain from making inroads in the region.
“Nato has nothing to do in the Arctic, the alliance is unable to melt the Arctic ice,” he said in televised comments.
Five countries bordering the Arctic Ocean Russia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and the United States dispute the sovereignty over parts of the region, which has been estimated to contain around 90 billion untapped barrels of oil.
Moscow in 2001 submitted a request to the UN to extend its territory to the Laminose Ridge, a mountain chain running underneath the Arctic.
Russian scientists in 2007 planted a flag on the ocean floor beneath the North Pole in a symbolic bid to stake the Kremlin’s claim over the region.

Shell will no longer invest in renewable technologies it will invest more in biofuels.

Shell will no longer invest in renewable technologies such as wind, solar and hydro power because they are not economic, the Anglo-Dutch oil company said today. It plans to invest more in biofuels which environmental groups blame for driving up food prices and deforestation. Executives at its annual strategy presentation said Shell, already the world's largest buyer and blender of crop-based biofuels, would also invest an unspecified amount in developing a new generat¬ion of biofuels which do not use food-based crops and are less harmful to the environment.
The company said it would concentrate on developing other cleaner ways of using fossil fuels, such as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology. It hoped to use CCS to reduce emissions from Shell's controversial and energy-intensive oil sands projects in northern Canada.
The company said that many alternative technologies did not offer attractive investment opportunities. Linda Cook, Shell's executive director of gas and power, said: "If there aren't investment opportunities which compete with other projects we won't put money into it. We are businessmen and women. If there were renewables [which made money] we would put money into it."
Friends of the Earth (FoE) criticised Shell for freezing investment in renewables such as wind in favour of biofuels. "Shell is backing the wrong horse when it comes to renewable energy – biofuels often lead to more emissions than the petrol and diesel they replace," the campaign group said.
Shell has about 550 megawatts of wind farm capacity around the world, enough to power a city the size of Sheffield when the wind blows. Last year, it pulled out of the 1,000MW London Array project, the joint venture to build what would be the world's largest offshore wind farm, in the Thames Estuary. Former project partner E.ON has yet to decide to continue with the £3bn investment needed.
The company has predicted that by 2025, 80% of energy will come from fossil fuels and 20% from alternative energy sources. Yet it is spending just over 1% of its budget on alternative technologies. Over the past five years, only $1.7bn of the $150bn it has invested has gone towards alternative energies.

Nowruz-New Persian Year

Nowruz is the new year which is celebrated with great festivity in Iran and Afghanistan. It is an event which provides a chance for the families to get together and see the relatives. Nowruz, or the "new day", marks the start of the Persian solar calendar and falls on the vernal equinox, which is this Friday. It has been celebrated in Iran and other parts of Asia for thousands of years. At Nowruz you eat a huge meal with your family, and then for the next 12 days the whole country shuts down as everyone visits their relatives. At every stop you have to eat from their Nowruz table - that almost always means sweets."
The table is the symbolic centre of the Nowruz celebrations. On top of a beautiful tablecloth are laid auspicious objects to bring health, prosperity and luck, including apples, garlic, vinegar, berries and the aforementioned wheatgrass. Just before the moment of the equinox, family members - each wearing at least one new piece of clothing - gathers round the table. At the minute when the sun crosses the equator they say a prayer while passing rice and coins from hand to hand to, again, bring prosperity. After wishing each other a happy new year they tuck into the sweets, washed down with glasses of black, sugary tea.
Every Persian meal starts with naan-o-paneer-o-sabzi - sprigs of fresh herbs such as dill, mint, flat-leaf parsley and coriander, alongside small cucumbers, spring onions, radishes, walnuts and sheep's cheese - all waiting to be rolled in strips of flat bread and eaten. After 12 days of visiting family, the whole of Iran, weighed down with stoves for tea, kebabs and rice, heads out to picnic, throw out the bad luck (and wheatgrass) and bask in the spring. If it's not possible to get out into the countryside, the patches of grass at the centre of roundabouts are regularly commandeered.

UN warning about new web domains

The United Nations warned that the planned introduction of multiple new web domains – adding to the likes of .com and .net – will spark trademark rows, confuse consumers and undermine public trust without tough new rules to curb abusive practices by “cybersquatters” and domain registries. The World Intellectual Property Organisation raises its concerns in a letter to ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the non-profit US-based group that manages the internet addressing system. Its plans to allow companies and public sector organisations to create their own top-level domains, such as .pepsi or .worldbank, could result in hundreds of such domains compared to the 21 now authorised. This would present a “nearly unmanageable task” for trademark owners to monitor abuse, says Francis Gurry, WIPO director-general. Each new top-level domain gives so-called cybersquatters a chance to register a web address using someone else’s trademark or name, in the hope of selling it to the legitimate owner at a high price or making money from advertising on the site.
The problem has been exacerbated by practices such as automated domain name ‘tasting’ – registering sometimes millions of domain names during the free trial period allowed by current rules to see which sites bring in the most “pay-for-click” advertising revenue. ICANN has agreed in principle that WIPO will handle challenges by trademark holders to proposals for new top-level domains. But the UN agency says stronger rules are needed to deter usurpation of trademark names after top-level domains have been registered, targeting abusive practices by registrars that “cause or materially contribute to trademark infringement”.
These would include deliberately or knowingly registering web addresses that violated trademark rights or failing to put in place reasonable procedures for protecting such rights. Sanctions for breaching the rules could extend to injunctions to cease registrations of particular names or even cancellation of the registrar’s contract with Icann.
Separately, WIPO said cybersquatting disputes filed with its arbitration centre reached a record 2’329 last year, bringing to over 14,000 the total number of cases handled by the centre under a cheap and quick disputes procedure introduced by Icann a decade ago.
Complainants in 2008 included companies such as Samsung and BMW, and personalities such as film star Scarlett Johansson and Arsenal footballer Cesc Fàbregas.
The WIPO centre, which arbitrates disputes for all the existing top-level domains and for 57 country domains, accounts for about 60 per cent of cybersquatting cases filed worldwide.

Russia to re-arm and boost its nuclear forces

Russia said it would re-arm its military and boost its nuclear forces in response to the expansion of NATO to its western frontiers and the increased threat of international terrorism. Russia perceives Nato’s eastern expansion, coupled with US plans to deploy a ballistic missile shields in eastern Europe, as a threat to its national security. The creation of a modern army was crucial to protect Russia against outside aggression and underpin the growing of the economy and wellbeing of citizens, said Russian President.
Mr Medvedev admitted that the war with Georgia last summer had exposed shortcomings in the Russian military that should be rapidly redressed. Although Russia’s military campaign in Georgia was successful, the war exposed the army’s lack of modern equipment and the top-heavy bureaucracy. Russia has since launched plans to transform the army into a lighter more agile force. It has also raised hackles in NATO by establishing military bases in Georgia’s breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and announcing plans to base part of its Black Sea fleet on the Abkhazian coast.

Hunt for Planets like earth

The launch of the Kepler spacecraft from Cape Canaveral in Florida marked the beginning of the most ambitious hunt for planets like ours in distant solar systems.
The Kepler telescope will spend three-and-a-half years staring deep into a starry region of the Milky Way, in the direction of the constellations Cygnus and Lyra, in the hope of spotting Earth-sized planets as they pass in front of their stars.
Every half hour, Kepler will record the brightness of 100,000 stars using a 95 megapixel camera built by the British firm e2v. The camera is so sensitive, it could spot the imperceptible dimming of a car headlight as a fly wanders across it.
The mission will focus its attention on planets in the "Goldilocks region" of space, where conditions are just right for liquid water to exist. Some of these worlds could potentially be home to life as we know it.
"If Kepler were to look down at a small town on Earth at night from space, it would be able to detect the dimming of a porch light as somebody passed in front," said James Fanson, project manager at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
Though the Kepler mission should reveal Earth-sized planets in habitable orbits around stars, it will not be able to tell us if they are home to alien life. For that, we will have to wait for future missions that can analyse the atmospheres of the alien worlds Kepler finds.

GOCE-Gravity and Ocean Circulation Explorer

The European Space Agency and its engineers launching most important satellite known as the Gravity and Ocean Circulation Explorer, or Goce. This is being blasted into space on a Russian SS-19 missile from the Plesetsk cosmodrome near Arkangel.
Once in orbit the £200m satellite – constructed by the European Space Agency, Esa - will swoop over the atmosphere to measure Earth's gravity with unprecedented accuracy. The data it returns will be vital to scientists trying to understand the impact of climate change on Earth, and in particular for climate researchers who are seeking to understand how oceans transport heat around the planet. "Gravity varies depending where you are on the planet," says Professor Marek Ziebert, of University College, London. "And those variations have an effect on how the oceans circulate. Goce will provide crucial information that will allow us to gain a new understanding of how the oceans behave."
But Goce is also distinctive because of its elegant design and its covering of silver-blue solar cells. It has been labelled the Ferrari of space probes by its manufacturers, Thales Alenia Space Italia while Volker Liebig, Director of Earth Observation Programmes at Esa described the craft as "a jewel of innovations".
Liebig added that Goce has been designed to fly at an extremely low orbital altitude, just 250km (155 miles) above Earth, where it will encounter friction from the thin atmosphere: "For this reason it has an eye-catching aerodynamic shape and will actively compensate for the air drag by using the finely controlled thrust of its ion engine."
The probe's T5 ion rocket was built by QinetiQ in the UK and will be fired constantly throughout its 20-month mission in order to keep Goce in its correct orbit. At the same time, computers will send 10 messages a second to its engines to ensure the probe orbits at the right height. Goce will also use GPS devices to plot its exact position and a gradiometer, a machine that can detect fluctuations of a million millionth in Earth's gravity.
This data will then be transmitted daily and used to build a model of Earth's shape, one that is accurate to within a centimetre, as well as putting together a highly accurate gravity map of the planet. "Gravity is the force that drives the circulation of the oceans," added Dr Mark Drinkwater, Goce's project scientist. "Until we understand its exact role we cannot predict how the seas - and planet - will behave as the climate gets warmer. That is why Goce is being launched."
Ocean currents take a third of all the heat that falls on equatorial regions and carries it to higher latitudes. One of the most important currents is the Gulf Stream, which scientists fear could be destroyed or diverted by melting Arctic ice. But they need to know all the gravitational effects that influence the stream's course across the Atlantic before they can make accurate predictions.
The problem is that Earth's gravity is not constant. The planet is flattened at the poles, for example, so gravity is stronger there, and weaker at the equator. Gas fields, mineral deposits, groundwater reservoirs and rock strata also produce variations in gravity.
"There are all sorts of wiggles and bumps in Earth's gravity field," said Dr Chris Hughes, of the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory in Liverpool. "Each will influence ocean currents, which have a crucial role in moving heat around the world. If we are to understand how climate change is going to affect the planet, we have to have a precise picture of its gravity field.
Once we combine the data we will get from Goce with observations of sea height and ocean current flow - information that is provided by other satellites - we will get a clear idea of what our oceans are doing. Then we will get a better picture of how the seas are changing as the world heats up."

New iPhone

Apple is holding a special event sometime ahead in a week time about new iPhone features. In the past two weeks Apple has introduced new Mac hardware and a new iPod shuffle, for which the company simply issued a press release. The fact that Apple is hosting an event for the iPhone OS 3.0 shows that it will likely involve meaningful changes to the iPhone feature set. One can easily say that news could pave the way for an entirely new version of the phone later this year. In any case, whatever next week's news happens to be, it will mark just the latest significant change to the iPhone since it was first announced more than two years ago. If the company does not change the iPhone's hardware, it will be the first time that a full new version of the handset's software has been released on its own. Last year the company did unveil its software developer's kit - which enabled people to create applications for the handset - but that was tied to the release of the iPhone 3G.

List of Richest People

The business magazine has published a list of billionaire; according to this report the financial crisis has hit the billionaire as well. The billionaire list shrank by nearly a third. The Bill Gates, the Microsoft Legend have lost $18 billion from last year's list, but he still owner of $40 billion and stood on top. Warren buffet and Carlos slim stood on second and third positions with $37billion and $35billion of assets respectively, they have lost $25billion in the previous year.

The Forbes list includes the names of assets owner who possesses more than of one billion US$. In the last year the Billionaire Club was consist of 1,125, now it has shrank to 793 billionaires. The Financial Crisis destroyed $1.4 trillion in wealth of the billionaire.

For the entire list of billionaire from Forbes click the link below or click here :

http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/11/worlds-richest-people-billionaires-2009-billionaires_land.html

Apple's new iPod Shuffle

Now Apple's new iPod can talk to you, telling you your song titles, artists and playlist names. Interesting that it's taken three generations of the iPod shuffle to arrive at this place: when the idea of a really small Flash-based player was first mooted, people said Apple wouldn't be able to do it with a small enough screen. So they didn't. Do the screen, that is.How then do you know what song's playing? Apple somehow persuaded people that you didn't need to. You filled it up and then had a load of songs which you put on, yes, "shuffle".
But technology moves on, and rather as Apple dissed the idea of video players before introducing the video-playing iPod, here's the equivalent of a screen for you. The new version has 4GB of storage (enough for the fabled "1,000 songs") plus an intriguing feature called "VoiceOver" - which has a computer-generated voice - male on the Mac, female on Windows, "Comic Book Guy" on Linux.
This also creates the possibilities of creating playlists . What's interesting about this is twofold: it indicates that Apple is thinking "beyond the screen", to audio feedback which it had already on the iPod nano; and it shows how far storage prices have fallen. The 4GB (only) shuffle, all Flash-based, costs $79; the 5GB original iPod cost $399, and used a hard drive. Plus there's the fact that speaking interfaces are getting increasingly popular: first the Kindle, now the iPod shuffle. OK, you wouldn't want to have a book read to you in its computer-generated voice.

New UK Search Engine-Wolfram Alpha

A British physicist has revealed his plan to launch a new internet search engine so powerful that one expert has suggested it "could be as important as Google". London-born scientist Stephen Wolfram says that his company, Wolfram Research, is preparing to unveil the system in two months' time. Known as Wolfram Alpha, the site is an attempt to address some of the deficiencies of current web search by understanding people's questions and answering them directly.
According to its creator, the system understands questions that users input and then calculates the answers based on its extensive mathematical and scientific engine.
Natural language processing – the ability to determine – has long been a holy grail for computer scientists, who believe for interacting with machines in an instinctive way. And that, says Wolfram, is part of the code that Alpha has cracked.
Other search engines, such as Google, compare search terms against billions of documents stored on its servers, before pointing to the pages on which the correct answer is probably kept. Although this method has proved phenomenally successful, many computer scientists have continued trying to create a system that can understand human language.

Control iPod by eye blinking

The researchers have developed ways by which you can control the iPod through blink of eyes or just changing facial expressions. The gadgets specially music players like MP3 players will be using such ways in near future. Engineers at Osaka University have developed a new system for controlling electronic devices that could enable people to navigate through the tracks on their MP3 player simply with a wink or smile. The device - which has been nicknamed the "Mimi Switch" – consists of a small earbud that is capable of measuring movements in the wearer's temple. Different actions or facial expressions result in a variety of actions, depending on how the system is programmed.

"An iPod can start or stop music when the wearer sticks his tongue, like in the famous Einstein picture," suggested lead researcher Kazuhiro Taniguchi. "If he opens his eyes wide, the machine skips to the next tune. A wink with the right eye makes it go back."
The team behind the system suggest that it could easily be integrated into headphones or glasses – and used to control a variety of other electronic devices, like home lighting or even washing machines.
The research paper detailing the Mimi Switch, which was actually published last year in the Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics, has suddenly resurfaced after being picked up online – but it is far from being the only invention of its kind.

Features of Microsoft's Windows 7

Microsoft's Massive List of Improvements to Windows 7
Microsoft on Thursday released a lengthy list of 36 improvements it plans to make to the release candidate (RC) for Windows 7, though the company did not provide any details on when that RC might actually be available.
The Windows team separated the updates into nine categories, including the desktop experience, touch, and Windows Media Player.
Desktop Experience
Desktop tweaks received the most attention, with 10 expected changes.
Microsoft has incorporated its "Aero Peek" window transparency tool to the ALT+TAB function to give you a better idea of the items you have open on your desktop.
"One can still quickly flip between and cycle through running windows using the ALT+TAB keys, but when more window information is needed Aero Peek will appear," Sareen wrote. "This is triggered by a time delay as you pause while keyboarding through running windows."
The team has also combined the launch and switch function of the Windows Logo button.
With Vista, you can press the Windows Logo button plus a number that corresponds with applications on your taskbar and that application will launch. Now, pressing those buttons will also enable you to switch between programs.
For example, if Outlook is the first application in the queue of running programs, and Internet Explorer is number two, a user can press the Windows Logo and the "1" key, and Outlook will launch. Press Windows logo plus "2" and Windows 7 will switch to the already open program.
"The magic really begins when IE is running with several windows or tabs—holding down the Windows Logo and tapping the 2 key repeatedly will actually cycle through the open IE items off the taskbar (with Aero Peek, of course)," Sareen said. "Letting go simply switches to the corresponding window."
Ever missed a notification? The RC tweaks the alert function by making them more noticeable and adding a bolder orange color. Microsoft also more than doubled the number of flashes a user will see – from three to seven.
The RC will also make it easier to open files with a specific program, now allows for 24-39 percent more icons to be displayed before the taskbar scrolls, and makes it easier to see what files are open when items do scroll, among other changes.

Rocket Biodiesel

"Most rocket scientists are knee-jerk anti-environmentalists. But we're going to run out of rocket fuel at some point, so what are we going to run our rockets on after that?"
The above statement was uttered by Steve Harrington, a leader from engineering firm Flometrics that claim the possibility of using biodiesel as rocket fuel in the future. Yes, the commercially-available biodiesel we see today might be able airplane. It's just a possibility for now though, seeing as the test conducted used what NewScientist describes as a "modest" engine. Biodiesel, however, did provide 820 pounds of thrust compared to the 840 figure exhibited by the more conventional kerosene-based rocket fuel engine, with the possibility of performing better by modifying the rocket setup. The possible usage of biodiesel for rockets has more engineering than environmental benefits though. Biodiesel is reportedly denser than kerosene, so there's more power for the same tank size and amount of fuel.

Sun powered lightings

Do we have a solution for energy crisis in Pakistan and in third world countries. The answer is yes. Perhaps what we are laking is will on the part of our leadership. Pakistan is blessed that it is in the sun belt countries, and Balochistan province has he highest sun shine of avergae 296 days per annum, if solar power is harnessed it can generate enough electricity for Pakistan. In a very simple way, We can overcome energy crisis. Environmentalists are also crying for green technologies. But Sun sends each 10,000 times more energy than required by the earth habitants.
Some companeis are coming up with positive solutions, like IKEA revealed a year ago that solar-powered products are going to be available in its stores, and soon the announcement will come to fruition. You've seen the types before - lights designed for outdoor use that harness the energy of the sun. What's great is that IKEA is offering a variety of styles for people to choose from. There are posts, globes, chains, paper lanterns and lamps among the first wave of IKEA solar-powered lighting which will be available within a couple of weeks or so in stores.
The devices are all equipped with rechargeable batteries that store the energy harnessed from the sun during daytime. At night, the devices switch on their LED lights consuming a lot less energy than incandescent lights, so the power harnessed lasts longer. The products are now showcased in IKEA's web site, if you want to take a look at what you'll get in a few weeks' time.

Make a portable mobile phone charger from AA batteries.

Make a portable mobile phone charger from AA batteries
To make a portable cell charger it depends on what voltage does your phone requires. For 5.6 V you need 4AA batteries of any reputable companies like energizer should be enough. You need a screw driver and a soldering iron and a charger jack. You also need a holder for the 4AA batteries. Unscrew the jack, cut the wires from jack. Take the batteries holder and solder it with jack wires. Put screw back on jack and connect the jack with mobile phone. Put 4AA batteries in the battery holder and enjoy the portable mobile charger where ever you go it is with you.

Atom processor of Intel

Atom processor of Intel is used in netbook and real difference between a netbook and a notebook is the use of an Intel Atom processor. This is smaller, cheaper and a lot less powerful than a Celeron, Pentium or Core chip, but it also runs cooler and provides much better battery life. There are some PCs with Atom chips that the suppliers say are not netbooks — examples include the Asus N10 and Sony's pocketable Vaio P-Series — but generally the distinction holds.
Credit goes to Asus for starting the netbook market in 2007 with the Eee PC 700, which had a 7in screen and was initially targeted at the schools market. RM introduced it to the UK as the MiniBook, running Linux. The idea was that it would be a consumer appliance, like a CD player or TV set: no support would be needed, beyond a reset to factory condition.Another difference is that netbooks leave out the CD/DVD drive, encouraging users to download applications or use web-based alternatives. However, there have been plenty of notebook PCs without CD/DVD drives, going back more than a decade. Examples include Toshiba's Libretto and Portégé ranges, and IBM's ThinkPad X series. But still, as the hardware specifications improve, netbooks are getting bigger and more expensive — more like notebook PCs, in fact.

Netbooks are still 32-bit systems, whereas notebooks are moving to 64-bit version of Windows. Netbooks will typically have 2GB of memory whereas 64-bit notebooks will have 4GB, 8GB, 16GB or more. The question is, how competitive will Intel make the Atom? Will it promote cheap 64-bit multi-core designs? The Atom's very power-efficient Bonnell architecture was developed to help get Intel into new markets for what it calls MIDs (mobile internet devices), and when the Sodaville "system on a chip" version arrives, consumer electronics products. It's intended to slow the advance of ARM-based chips such as the Cortex A8 and A9, which are also aimed at the MIDs/netbook market.
But the way things are going, Atom chips look like displacing sales of more expensive Core 2 processors. This could hit Intel's revenue and, perhaps, its profits. When faced with a similar challenge, Microsoft opted to sell cheap copies of XP rather than expensive copies of Vista. It hurt, but it helped stop Linux from taking over the netbook market. Will Intel take a similar line?

Charge mobile battery with currency note and plant leaf.

Charge mobile battery with currency note and plant leaf.
The simplest and the most easy natural tool which I found in my life is this. You can charge you cell battery with this simple method. If you are tired of charging of your batteries on electricity and waiting for hours for the batteries to be charged. Here is simple solution for your worries.!!!
Do you know how to charge the battery of a mobile with currency note, with dwarf palm plant leaf (peash) and peepal leaf? You would be amazed to hear that I have seen people in Balochistan charging the mobile batteries with currency note and with dwarf palm leaf plant. The Nepalese do the same with peepal leaf. The trick is very very simple and I did it myself, it did work.
What you have to do is to get a new currency note of any domination then fold it into very fine funnel. The tip of note should be fine enough to fit the mid bar of slot where you place the battery. The currency note tip should not touch the negative and positive point of you mobile. Now put the battery into the slot and then switch on the mobile and remove the currency note. Your mobile battery is full with charge.
Similarly, same you can do with dwarf palm leave or peepal leave. Put the tail tip of the leaf on the middle bar and then insert the battery. Switch on the mobile, the battery is full of charge. Wow!!!!! What a simple way!!!

Stop Theft of your vlauable Laptop

There are several programs that try to counter laptop theft, and Front Door Software's Retriever now includes the option to cry for help
When a thief opens your laptop, he could get a shock when it starts to shout "Help, I've been stolen!" or, perhaps, something ruder. But that's one of the options provided by Front Door Software's $30 Retriever program for Windows XP and Vista.
The software displays your contact details and lets you make the finder or thief an offer, such as "$50 for my safe return". However, if you log on to a web site to say your PC is missing or stolen, that message will appear in a red and yellow on the laptop's screen. It reappears every 30 seconds, to be really annoying. You also get the option to switch on a second password prompt.
Other laptop protection software allows users to erase data remotely, lock the machine, or use the built-in webcam, if there is one. For example, Absolute's LoJack (for Mac and Windows) lets you erase the hard drive, while GadgetTrak's MacTrak (for Mac) provides the same Wi-Fi positioning as Apple's iPhone. MacTrack can also send images from the stolen laptop by email, or upload them to a Flickr account. The same company offers GadgetTrak for Windows Search & Destroy.
Orbicule Undercover can transmit a picture of the thief every 6 minutes. It can also use the Mac's text-to-speech feature to cry out that it has been stolen, or use any other message you type in, if it finds itself in a Wi-Fi hotspot with a known address, such as an Apple Store.

Ultra-high speed internet

The media regulator unveiled a series of measures in UK aimed at opening up competition and development of broadband that runs at speeds in excess of 40 megabits per second – more than 10 times faster than the current average. This aims to support rapid and widespread investment in super-fast broadband.
Some other companies in UK have already pushed forward with plans to introduce faster broadband networks – including cable provider Virgin Media, which recently said it planned to launch a 50Mbps service running over fibre optics. Such speeds would allow consumers to download movies online in just a few minutes – or let companies expand their services online in innovative new ways.
BT, meanwhile, has said it plans to roll out next-generation services next year, delivering speeds of up to 40Mbps to 40% of British homes.

Huge treasure of precious and semiprecious stones in Pakistan

There are huge deposits of precious stones in Pakistan that include emerald, ruby, pink topaz, quartz, tourmaline, beryl, moonstone, chalcedony, zircon, aquamarine, garnet, kunzite and peridot.
According to an estimate, there are 70 million carats of emerald in Swat, 09 million carats of pink topaz in Katlang, Mardan, and 10 million carats of peridot in Hazara and Kohistan.
Columbian emeralds are considered the best, but the emeralds of Mingora, Swat, are prettier and costlier. Emeralds are also believed hidden at Gandao of Mohmand Agency and Amankot, Mora Darra, Barang in Bajaur agency, Makhad and Charbagh in Swat district and Khaltaro in Gilgit. These deposits, except Charbagh and Makhad, still lie unexplored.
Though some believe Katlang’s topaz is equivalent to its Brazilian variety in standard, but many rate it of higher quality. “The Katlang topaz is simply matchless in beauty, weight, hardness and shine. It is as hard as diamond, says Abdul Moeed Khan, a local gem expert. According to him, the Mingora emerald and Katlang topaz can fetch prices up to Rs20,000 per carat.Their prices increase with their weight and beauty. Moeed says that at Katlang topaz of the quality of sapphire has also been found.
The aquamarine of Chitral and Kalam and peridot of Indus, Kohistan and Hazara are amongst the world’s prettiest gemstones. The latter is a light yellowish green to dark green stone of the finest variety found only in Pakistan and Myanmar.
“At present, three emerald deposits at Mingora, Shamozai (Swat), Buner, and topaz sites in Katlang have been auctioned for 10 years for Rs54 million, Rs44 million and Rs9.5 million respectively.
Some foreign experts suggest that if only emerald mining in Swat valley is modernised, the country will be able to pay off its foreign debts within two years.
“If the government and the business community work seriously in this sector for the next six years, $10-12 billion can be earned for the country which is 50 per cent of the entire export,” Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) chief executive Syed Muhibullah Shah said at the gems and mineral show in Peshawar.
Experts believe there are huge prospects for investment in this sector in terms of scientific mining and cutting and polishing of gemstones.
Computer-aided designing and manufacturing courses for gems and jewellery workers are being organised by Pakistan Gems and Jewellery Institute in Karachi same are being organised for peshawer which will add to their value and also increase investment in the sector.
Indiscriminate blasting and rough cutting spoils the precious mines and stones. The website of the mining and mineral department, NWFP, which oversees the gems business has neither relevant data nor contact details.
Currently there are five gems and gemological institutes in Pakistan (GGIPs) located at Gilgit, Peshawar, Karachi and Quetta. These GGIPs serve as gem identification and certification centres.

Launch of Window phones to counter iPhone of Apple

Microsoft is also working on its own smartphone to counter the iPhone of appple and is launching mobile phone application store know called as Windows Marketplace. The more is to challenge the challenege the bitter rival Apple in mobile phone market.
The company has also developed a new version of its mobile phone operating system, dubbed Windows Phone. The launch of the iPhone 18 months ago has in true sense taken away the market from the Microsoft. These high-end devices can access the internet and allow users to download widgets, which give them easy access to services such as Facebook.
But the new version of its Windows Mobile service – essentially release 6.5 – is an attempt to integrate the phone's contacts book with communications services such as email and text messaging and make it easier for users to access their messages.
Windows Marketplace will not be ready until the fourth quarter of the year. The company is in talks with the mobile phone networks about how revenues generated by the sale of applications will be shared.
Microsoft sources admit they are playing catch-up with Apple, whose iTunes applications store has been a runaway success and has created a host of millionaires who can sell everything from games to location-based services to iPhone users.
Microsoft has 19,500 applications for its Windows Mobile operating system but has failed to generate anything like the buzz that has surrounded the iPhone.
The new version of Windows Mobile is still some way from the complete revamp that analysts reckon the company must instigate if it is going to be able to grow its share in the increasingly competitive mobile phone market.
Windows Phone is expected to include a service that allows users to back up their phone in case it is lost or stolen – saving everything from contacts to music on the internet so it can be downloaded to a new device.

iPhone concept car-iChange

Since launching in 2001, Apple's iPod has helped change the landscape of the music business and the mobile phone industry. Many industries are jealous of this extraordinary success of the iPhone and taking a cue from Apple's success in the technology industry. About iChange it is hoped it could have the same affect on the car trade – by creating a vehicle that is controlled by using an iPhone.
The idea might sound like science fiction, but Swiss design firm Rinspeed hopes that it can bring that fantasy one step closer to reality with a new concept design to be put on display at next week's Geneva Motor Show.
The entire vehicle, known as the iChange, is built around Apple's popular mobile handset, which hooks into the dashboard and acts as the car's key – locking and unlocking it, as well as turning on the engine and performing other vital functions.
The electric-powered model also boasts a shape-changing design that allows it to seat one, two or three passengers. On first glance, the iChange is a teardrop-shaped single seater sports car – but at the push of a button the rear opens up to offer another two seats. The concept, which has been supported by the Swiss government, might seem far-fetched, but the team behind it say it is intended to stimulate the struggling car industry into innovative thinking.
Rinspeed founder Frank Rinderknecht said that the vehicle is the sort of required to push the modern car into the 21st century.
"The iChange is a symbol for the fundamental changes the auto industry undergoes worldwide," said Rinderknecht. "It is clear that only those companies will survive that have innovative answers for the demands of a new automotive era."

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'Bill of rights' by Facebook

In future, the Facebook has announced, proposals to change its terms of service will be circulated to users in order to get feedback. Some may go to a public vote, while it also said that its legal contract with Facebook addicts will be simplified into a "bill of rights and responsibilities". the social networking site has decided to stem off future criticism by putting some changes to public vote and asking users to sign simplified 'bill of rights'
"We're going to notify everyone who wants to be notified and give them time to comment," Mark Zuckerberg said. in a call with journalists earlier.
In the case that a proposed change draws a high volume of response, "we'll even put it up for a vote".
The move comes just a few days after an embarrassing climbdown, after changes to the site's terms of use led to outrage among many of the site's 175m users. The concerns, over a shift in wording that appeared to give Facebook perpetual ownership to every piece of data on the site, eventually led to Zuckerberg making a drastic U-turn.
Although executives at the site said they did not intend to offend or annoy users with the earlier changes, they recognised that data ownership was a sensitive issue for many people.
Facebook's vice president of communications and public policy, Eliot Schrage, said: "Because of the nature of the information our users share, we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard."
Facebook has suffered from backlashes before – when implementing its news feed or its controversial Beacon advertising system, for example. But this latest change effectively hopes to stem future controversies in the bud by putting part of the company's up for public approval (although Facebook will, of course, still control which issues are up for public discussion and vote)
Zuckerberg, who seemed stuck for words on a few occasions, said that although the announcement was precipitated by last week's farce, the changes had been discussed for a "long time".

New features of Apple Launch

Apple unveiled a number of new products at the Macworld conference. Safari - Apple's new web browser-Free to download, in beta (test) version now Safari-A major surprise was the arrival of Apple's new open source-based web browser. The move is seen by some as an attempt by Apple to become less reliant on Microsoft for vital programs. Safari is in a test version at the moment, but Apple claims it is already substantially faster than Internet Explorer - although they did not reveal how well it compares with the Mac browser from Norwegian software company Opera. Other features include Google integration, a "snap-back" feature to make searches easier, easier organisation of bookmarks and pop-up ad prevention. Apple's answer to PowerPoint
Another surprise, seen as a dig at Microsoft, whose PowerPoint software is the industry standard presentation creator on both Windows and Mac. Mr Jobs claimed the package had been specially made for him and, indeed, his presentation featured a few new special effects between some of the 500 slides. On first inspection Keynote seems a straightforward but powerful package. A library of templates is intended to give the impression of a large graphics design studio working for you "day and night". Importantly, Keynote will be able to import and export PowerPoint files. Could this be a subtle attempt to get Apple into PC-dominated businesses?
Video Editing Package
Video editing package, without losing much of the functionality that makes its parent package popular. The interface remains the same, there are plenty of special effects to give your video a professional look, and even sophisticated functions like colour correction remain. It usefully bridges the gap for amateur film makers who have grown out of iMovie, but who cannot afford - or face - the more complex Pro package.iLife - Apple's revamped digital media suite
iLife
Apple has revamped its digital media software, more closely integrating iTunes, iMovie, iDVD and iPhoto. This makes it easier, for instance, to set your digital photograph slide show (in iPhoto) to music (from iTunes). Apple sees its iLife suite doing for digital media what Microsoft's Office suite did for productivity software. The iMovie, iDVD and iPhoto programs have all been given major upgrades. Apple is charging for this software bundle for the first time, although all bar iDVD will still be available for free download.
The PowerBook G4 12" - a new compact notebook this is the world's smallest "full feature" notebook. It has a 12" display, and it is capable of burning DVDs with an optional SuperDrive. It is only 1.2 inches thick, and weighs 4.6lbs. Like its bigger sibling it comes equipped with Bluetooth, although Airport Extreme is available as an option rather than fitted as standard. Battery life is claimed to stand at five hours.
The PowerBook G4 17" - a new top-end laptop Apple's notebook range sports an enormous 17" widescreen display, yet is also the company's thinnest laptop at less than 1" thick. It has Bluetooth built in, allowing it to communicate wire-free with other mobile devices, and also sports Apple's new Airport Extreme - a faster version of the WiFi networking standard. The Airport antenna is built into the lid of the device, to tackle complaints that previous PowerBooks had poor WiFi reception. It has a 1GHz processor and a DVD burning SuperDrive as standard, and Apple claims four hours of battery life.

Apple's Snow Leopard to include "geopositioning"

Apple's Snow Leopard to include "geopositioning" for computer,
The next release of Apple's Mac OS X operating system will have the capability to pinpoint your position, the latest release notes of Apple's Snow Leopard operating system - still in preparation - show that the company is going to build in geopositioning for desktop and laptop computers, bringing it into line with its GPS-enabled iPhone.
This sees includes the CoreLocation framework which lets you determine the current latitude and longitude of a computer. The framework uses the available hardware to triangulate the user's position based on nearby signal information.
Now, what could you do with that? Well, apart from fitting in with the new location-enabled services in the latest version of Apple's iLife, one can see that there's going to be lot of people offering apps that will tell you where your precious computer is at all times - including if/when it's stolen.
The new seed includes some other stuff and it is being reported that it runs quite noticeably faster, at least on Apple's own apps compiled under the new gcc compiler. And it tells us that great progress has been made in the Grand Central Dispatch (libdispatch) and OpenCL APIs.
Grand Central and OpenCL, you'll recall, are the methods being used to get the graphics processing units (GPUs) to take over some of the processing load from the CPU.
There's also now Microsoft Exchange support. Though a few bugs do remain, such as
-The date shown in the iCal Dock icon does not update correctly. The prediction of launch if all goes well is May this year.

LED lightbulbs"smart lighting" will become the next generation of wireless communications technology

Smart-lighting technology means your house lights could communicate with your stereo. Professor Thomas Little of Boston University would like your house lighting to communicate with your computer, TV, and even the heating thermostat. By piggybacking data communications on to LED lightbulbs, he hopes "smart lighting" will become the next generation of wireless communications technology. But has it got a hope against existing technologies? The replacement of existing bulbs with low-energy LEDs reduces carbon emissions while offering an opportunity for smart lighting.
Little anticipates smart-lighting data rates of "1Mbps to 10Mbps with visible light this year and a 100Mbps to 500Mbps range with future prototypes". Such speeds are impressive except for one thing: exactly how will smart "We expect it to be two-way with the use of LEDs at the receiver. In practice, the channel will be asymmetric – just like cable modems or DSL [broadband] systems – due to the overhead lighting being intended to distribute light and the receiver intended to be passive," he says. "At the receiving end we will use a smaller LED and will investigate other wavelengths if visible light proves annoying in the back channel."
lighting challenge two-way wireless home networking?
The concept of smart lighting may not stop indoors. Little is considering outdoor applications such as smart LED brake lights or even data-transmitting road signs. "LED lighting is a green technology. If we enable all future lighting to provide network connectivity we will have a far deeper penetration than current wireless tech. We will do this without the additional energy cost of these other technologies," so being said by the researchers.

Green Dream Hybrid Car made by China

China is rolling BYD (Build Your Dream) cars on massive scale. These car are hybrid cars and do not need to be charged specially on the electric charge station. These cars can by recharged conveniently from electricity supplied to homes. Wow!!!! what a great achievement for our environment. In china manufacturer with breathtaking ambitions, supported by a government seeking to become a world leader when it comes to green technology.
BYD Auto – short for Build Your Dreams – was only founded in 2003, yet it has pulled off a global coup by mass-¬producing the world's first plug-in, petrol-¬electric hybrid, the nifty-looking BYD F3DM (byd.com). Under the bonnet, the car is more of a purely electric car than any similar hybrids on the road today, and has made its debut at least a year ahead of similar models from the US and Japan.
The car, which does not need a specialised electric charging station and can be charged using a normal household supply, is now on sale in China, where it costs just under 150,000 yuan (£15,000), a similar price to a mid-range petrol-powered sedan and a bit more than half the 250,000 yuan it costs to buy a Toyota Prius. BYD has come from nowhere to sell 24,107 vehicles in January alone, an increase of nearly 80% from the previous year, and aims to sell 400,000 models in China this year.BYD aims to tap into the world's fastest-growing auto market as China's emerging middle class – now estimated to number between 100 million and 150 million people – swap their bicycles for four wheels. While the economic crisis has sent vehicle sales tumbling around the world, Beijing alone is still adding more than 1,500 new cars to its gridlock every day. "The use of alternative types of cars could really make a contribution to the reduction of pollution in large Chinese cities," says Karl-Thomas Neumann, chairman of the carparts manufacturer Continental.
A survey by Continental shows that Chinese consumers are much more interested in hybrids than their European counterparts, with 53.7% of those surveyed happy to buy a hybrid and 73.4% who would consider an electric car – decidedly more green than the UK's respective 30.2% and 37.1%. Chinese drivers are more open to hybrids as "more than 90% drive in urban centres and travel less than 60 miles a day", says Paul Lin, BYD Auto's marketing manager.

Nasa's pioneering satellite, designed to map carbon dioxide concentrations, has crashed.

Nasa's pioneering satellite, designed to map carbon dioxide concentrations, has crashed into the ocean near Antarctica after running into technical difficulties during launch.The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (Oco) blasted off aboard a Taurus XL rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The payload fairing failed to separate from the vehicle during ascent." The 160 centimetre-wide payload fairing is the nose cone that protects the satellite as it blasts through the atmosphere and should have split in two before falling away from the satellite. Because of the additional weight of the fairing, the rocket and satellite failed to reach orbit and subsequently plummeted into the Southern Ocean.

"Certainly for the science community it's a huge disappointment," said John Brunschwyler, Taurus project manager for Orbital Sciences Corp, which built the rocket and satellite. "It's taken so long to get here." The project took nine years to reach the launch pad. "The loss of this instrument is a serious setback," added Professor John Burrows, a co-investigator for the satellite. "Oco planned to build on the first measurements by the European Sciamachy instrument on Envisat and is complementary to the recently launched Japanese mission, Gosat." The technology onboard Oco was unique and boasted the ability to take more frequent and sensitive readings of CO2 levels than Envisat and Gosat. Nasa's director of Earth sciences, Michael Freilich, said: "Over the next several days, weeks and months, we're going to carefully evaluate how to move forward and advance the science, given our evaluation of the assets that are in orbit now, the assets of our international partners and the existence of flight spares in order to put together a programme, as rapidly as possible, to pick up where Oco left off." The £190m satellite was designed to collect precise measurements of the greenhouse gas in the Earth's atmosphere, identifying where it is being emitted, where it being absorbed and what happens to it in between. "It's critical that we understand the processes controlling carbon dioxide in our atmosphere today so we can predict how fast it will build up in the future and how quickly we'll have to adapt to climate change," said David Crisp, principal investigator for the Oco based at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Experts believe a successor to Oco is likely. "Given its relatively low cost, I would expect a second Oco to be approved," said Dr Chris Welch, principal lecturer in Astronautics at Kingston University's Faculty of Engineering.

Economic package for Pakistan by US and international community

As per media reports the United States is working on a major economic package for Pakistan and Afghanistan, besides involving the two countries in formulating a new security strategy for the region. Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, had recently invited about a dozen economists from the two countries for discussing various proposals for the economic uplift of the region.

The participants said that the United States was developing a multi-pronged approach for ending terrorism and militancy from the Afghan-Pakistan region, with a major emphasis on economic development. A former Pakistani finance minister, Shahid Javed Burki, who also participated in the meeting, proposed a $60 billion package for economic development in Pakistan.

Under this proposal, the donors will contribute half of this fund while Pakistan will provide the other half. Since Pakistan does not have that kind of cash at this stage, the donors will make their contributions first. The donors will also be involved in formulating various programmes for economic development and also in implementing them.

Americans are seemed to be very interested in the proposal, which would also call for establishing a social security system in Pakistan and for easing the economic burden on ordinary people. Mr Burki also suggested that since the Pashtoons living on both sides of the border were one community, the Durand Line should be treated as a soft border. Former Afghan finance minister, Ashraf Ghani, also supported the proposal.

At this critical juncture, wherein both Afghanistan and Pakistan are suffering the most in the so called war against terror, it is binding on the international community to come forward and initiate programmes for the social development of the region by initiating major investment in the education, health and create alternate source of living for the local peoples.

Both Afghanistan and Pakistan are pregnant with chronicle problems you name any problem you will find in the region Kalashnikov and heroin culture is result of the continuous war and terrorism in the region. The war lords in the region especially in Afghanistan have been found to be most powerful and influential. The people can only be liberated by careful planning. If locals have the sources of earnings and can stand on their own feet I am sure they will not look towards the war lords.

Trade with Russia and Central Asia

In a major policy shift the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) is going to target markets in Russia and Central Asian Republics for promotion of country’s exports. The new export strategy is based on comparative advantages focusing on developing new products and new markets with an aim to widen the narrow export base. This was stated by Syed Mohibullah Shah, chief executive, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan. He said for the last 30 years “we were neglecting these markets which did not only give us proximity advantage but also held great opportunity for our products which are in great demand.” He said in this connection for the first time a very large trade delegation from Russia is visiting Pakistan from Wednesday (Feb 25, 2009) on an exploratory mission.
The delegation members, he said, would have extensive visits of our manufacturing facilities in Karachi and Faisalabad so that they could have a firsthand information about the range of our products and their quality. Syed Mohibullah said there had been minimal export of around $100 million to Russia whereas their total imports from around the world presently stand at $190 billion. The TDAP chief said there was a great demand of products, like textiles and clothing, poultry, meat, fish and fish products, furniture, footwear, cutlery, fruits and vegetables in Russia and CARs. However, our export figures indicate that we are not exploring these potentials though they are being produced and exported to other markets of the world, he added. Twentyfour leading exporters, he said, have booked with the TDAP to meet the visiting Russian trade delegation. Similarly, Pakistani trade delegation would soon be visiting Russia and by exchange of bilateral delegations and holding of fairs, there would be a substantial increase in exports, he maintained. Another major market, Mohibullah Shah said was the Central Asian Republics (CARs) where there was a great advantage of proximity, besides, the demand of such products which are already being produced and exported by Pakistan in other world markets.
All these CARs are presently getting their supplies of such goods like wide range of textiles and clothing, fruits, fish and fish products, meat, furniture etc from Europe, Turkey and Ukarain.
However, it takes around 15 days for supplies to reach CARs from these countries, he said. The TDAP, he said, would also organize a “Trade Caravan” in summer this year to display Pakistani products in major cities of CARs. The caravan will travel through Karakuram Highway and hold a multi-purpose exhibition. There would also be a Pakistan Festival where heritage, culture, music and art events would be organised in three major cities of CARs.
He hoped that by entering these new markets, Pakistani products affected by hard hit recession in the West would gain because impact of slowdown in economies of these countries was much lesser.

World's first satellite to map concentrations of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere

The world's first satellite designed to map concentrations of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere is being launched by Nasa. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (Oco) will collect precise measurements of the greenhouse gas in the Earth's atmosphere, identifying where it is coming from, where it is absorbed and what happens to it in between.
This improved tracking of CO2 will help scientists develop maps how the gas is concentrated around the world and give a better picture of how it affects the Earth's climate. Policymakers and governments will be able to use the data when setting and monitoring CO2 emissions targets designed to tackle climate change.
The Oco will blast off on a Taurus XL rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in the early hours of Monday morning. It will help scientists answer one of the biggest mysteries about the movement of CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere. Of all of the greenhouse gas emitted into the air since the industrial revolution in the 19th century, around 40% has stayed thee. Half of the remainder has been absorbed by the Earth's oceans but the rest has not yet been be accounted for. Scientists think the gas must have been absorbed on land but no one really knows where these missing carbon sinks are or what controls them.
"It's important to make clear that the 'missing' sinks aren't really missing, they are just poorly understood," said Scott Denning, an atmospheric scientist at Colorado State University. "We know the 'missing' sinks are terrestrial, land areas where forests, grasslands, crops and soil are absorbing carbon dioxide. But finding these sinks is like finding a needle in a haystack. It would be great if we could measure how much carbon every tree, shrub, peat bog or blade of grass takes in, but the world is too big and too diverse and is constantly changing, making such measurements virtually impossible. The solution is not in measuring carbon in trees. The solution is measuring carbon in the air."
Previous Nasa missions, such as the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, have also measured the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere but only at altitudes of 5km to 10km above the surface. "Oco is the first Nasa mission that has been dedicated, and optimised to make precise measurements of carbon dioxide throughout the atmospheric column, between the surface and space, with the greatest sensitivity near the Earth's surface, where most of the carbon dioxide sources and sinks are thought to be located," said Crisp.
Oco will collect about 8 million measurements every 16 days for at least two years. It will use three high-resolution spectrometers to split light into its various constituent colours. By anlaysing this light to detect the unique signature of gases such as carbon dioxide and oxygen in the atmosphere, scientists will be able to determine their relative concentrations and identify sources and sinks of CO2.
"Oco is primarily an exploratory science mission, whose objective is to test and validate a new technique for measuring carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere from space. If we find that this approach works as well as we predict, it should provide scientists with the data that they need to produce the first global maps of carbon dioxide sources and sinks on regional scales, or spatial scales comparable to the size of Great Britain," said Crisp.

Solar Mobile

ZTE of China was set on Wednesday in Barcelona to unveil the world’s first low-cost solar-powered mobile phone targeted at the two billion people who have no or limited access to electricity, a spokeswoman said. The first solar phone was put on display by South Korean rival Samsung earlier this week here at Mobile World Congress, the industry’s biggest trade show, creating a buzz around the alternative energy source. Samsung’s phone, called Blue Earth, has mini solar panels on its back and is to go on sale later this year. The handset will be expensive, however, and targeted at ‘green’ conscious consumers in developed countries. A spokeswoman for ZTE said the company’s version, to be unmasked at a press conference later, would be the first ultra-low-cost solar handset pitched at the poor. It is expected to have a screen and buttons on one side and solar panels on the other. South Korean manufacturer LG has also put a prototype solar-powered phone on display here, but it has not been named and it is not yet ready for the market.
A salesman for Samsung claimed 10-14 hours in the sun would give a user four hours of talk time on the Blue Earth, which can also be plugged in.

Khetran Tribal Dance

Khetran Whirling Dance

Khetran is a tribe living in the Barkhan District, Balochistan. The traditional tribal dance (rand) which also known as martial dance and its war cries are well known. There are seven different styles of khetran (Kehtran) dance for example DRESO, chau pheri, pidra, gatay etc. Mostly people dance in the marriage ceremonies.

A clip of such dance from a marriage ceremony held in Nahar Kot is attached to have taste of such dance.

Eco Homes-zero carbon homes.

The terms eco home refers to zero carbon homes. The term "eco home" is now so used and abused that it barely retains any trace of meaning.
This house, in Crossway, Kent, is one of the first zero-carbon homes in the UK. It was designed by architect Richard Hawkes, who will be its first occupant, with structural design by Michael Ramage and Philip Cooper – both based at the University of Cambridge's Department of Architecture.What sets it apart is its structural reliance on a large vaulted roof which spans 20m. Much of the house is covered in earth to aid insulation and help it to blend into its rural setting. The earliest known example of "Catalan vaulting" – the forebear of timbrel vaulting – is a building in Valencia dating back to 1382 and it is a very resource-efficient way of creating a strong, expansive roof.
A zero-carbon home which could become a template for more houses in the UK is to be unveiled in Kent. The four-bedroom property, called 'Crossway', situated near Staplehurst, uses a technique borrowed from 600-year-old medieval architecture to provide what may prove a blueprint for energy-efficient living in the future
But it is intriguing to know that it claims to draw on centuries-old ideas, such as timbrel vaulting. It has often struck me when talking about how we might green up our housing stock just how often the solutions can be found by thumbing through the history books. Much of what is prescribed – insulation, insulation, and a bit more insulation – isn't exactly rocket science.
Our ancestors realised all this long ago, but as fuel becomes ever more available and affordable we largely lost the need to care about wasting energy in our homes. However, things are fast changing and we need to urgently rethink how we use and save energy at home. After all, households account for 27% of the UK's carbon emissions.
"The vaulting gives the house plenty of structural strength but obviates the need for embodied-energy intensive materials such as reinforced concrete," says Dr Michael Ramage, who helped to design the home. He is an architectural designer based at the University of Cambridge's Department of Architecture with expertise in structural design and construction technology. "It also provides it with great thermal mass, enabling the building to retain heat, absorb fluctuations in temperature and reducing the need for central heating or cooling systems," adds Ramage.
The UK's first example of a combination photovoltaic and thermal heating system has been installed alongside an 11kW biomass boiler to provide the home's heating and power needs.

Globalisation

While the international financial system that oiled the wheels of the world economy is in shambles, protectionism is being reinforced in the West to fight deepening recession. With credit drying up in developed economies, banks in Britain have been advised not to lend money to overseas clients.

Focus has shifted from globalisation to national fiscal stimulus plans even in the European Union. Foreign trade is shrinking, as imports are falling on dwindling domestic demand in the United States and Europe. The industrialised world has ceased to be an engine of growth for developing countries dependent on the affluent markets for their exports. China will be a big loser.

Global foreign investments have plummeted and portfolio investments substantially withdrawn by global investors from developing economies. And multinational assistance is being used to shore up the distressed economies. China says, the best way it can help the world, is to salvage its own economy from recession. Efforts have been mounted worldwide to restore robust health to national economies, be fore the globalisation journey is resumed with renewed vigour and diverse approaches. For sometime, there will apause in globalisation.

The current downturn in globalisation is evident in declining foreign investments and the latest move by the United States to insert a “Buy American” clause in its stimulus programme. Earlier, the US and EU resisted investments by National Wealth Funds in their crisis –ridden corporations. For too long, the West has refused to withdraw subsidy on its agricultural products. Western countries have free market within national or regional (EU) boundaries but restrict foreign investment and trade in a variety of ways.

In the past three decades or more, globalisation was spurred by the international financial markets dominated by the West – a patronised and partially unregulated system which has almost collapsed. Unless a new international financial architecture is developed on a more equitable basis and much broader shared responsibilities, international trade and investment flows would remain stifled.

No longer can the West accumulate world’s financial resources at its financial centres like London and New York and distribute it to the developing countries according to its whims and narrow interests.

The global financial system evolved since the 1970s, anchored on the excessive printing of dollars, cannot be salvaged. The system has been destroyed by organic failures and the greed of its own creators. But what is worse, powerful dogmatists are still pinning hopes on outdated ideas which may prolong the world’s agony. The future, however, belongs to those who adjust quickly to fast changing global economic scenario.

Given the changing international environment, Pakistan needs to look inwards rather than outwards for the resolution of its economic problems. The outlook for exports and foreign investment are not very bright, at least for short to medium -term.

With huge stimulus plans, governments of developed countries would not have much money to spare for developing countries. Multilateral assistance would depend on the domestic economic performance and the ability to repay debts. The inflow of foreign investment may improve, though not much, if the economic growth rate picks up. Like many other countries, Pakistan will have to fend for itself by adopting a policy of national self-reliance.

The opening of the domestic market to international competition (where it helps the economy and restricting trade where it hurts) has to be a gradual process. It should not be driven by donors/lenders but flow from a well conceived process of national decision-making, to avoid frequent economic downturns..

Even ideas offered by lenders that have universal application have to be adapted (not adopted) over a period of time, with well thought out sequence, and these should not to be adopted prematurely.. The devil lies in the details--- the specifics rooted in the ground realities. Countries with different backgrounds can pursue different, quite often contradictory approaches, to reach the same goal. The boom-bust business cycle cannot be over come by acquiring domestic ownership of lenders-dictated programmes nor can a dogmatic approach.

In recent years, the country benefited from huge foreign capital and financial inflows but much of it was not used to raise productive capacity. Foreign direct investment came in few sectors, primarily attracted by distress sales of state enterprises whose proceeds were needed to shore up the fiscal deficit and balance of payments position. FDI went into existing import-substitution capacities and not export-oriented industrialisation. The services sector expanded at the cost of agriculture and industry.

Pakistan’s economy is much too small , compared to those of its giant neighbours, India and China and the domestic market is shrinking because of the rising poverty. The purchasing power of the middle classes that attracts foreign investment is declining. Nor does it exhibit dynamism that successful small economies have demonstrated. The national economy is not integrated with regional markets that could attract foreign investment in projects that could cater regional markets.

Foreigners see as to how the domestic industry is performing before putting money in any market. Even local people with money find it difficult to find productive channels. There is over-reliance on financial mode to correct imbalances and develop the economy while domestic banks prefer to invest in T/bills rather than lend money to the commodity producing sectors. .

When trade deficits became unmanageable, the rupee was allowed to depreciate significantly to curb imports, with no other incentive orprogramme for import substitution, barring some focus on farm production.

The policy makers pin their hopes on services sector and agriculture for current year’s GDP growth. Manufacturing is sliding at a rapid pace It is not an integrated approach to economic development. The recent inter-sectoral disharmony gave rise to energy shortage.

The first priority should go to achieving self-sufficiency in foods grains while boosting production in farm and factories with the financial sector playing a supporting role.