Thu, 12 Jul 2007 05:36:52 GMT

Create a Buzz With Your Friends

There's a new mobile social networking site in town and it's called Frengo. Frengo lets you networking with your friends and circles both online and on your cell phone instantly. Connect with the whole Frengo network or just a few friends by sending messages with your cell phone, or from the Frengo Web site.

Create your own messaging channels (called Buzz) that you can use to send messages. Your Buzz can be about anything you want. Got a hot piece of gossip you want to share, share it. Want to make a prediction on who will win the Super Bowl, do it. Want to find out what your friends think of the dress so and so wore to the Oscars, ask them.

If you don't want the whole world to share in your messages then create private Buzz groups to share your messages through. If you don't want to create your own Buzz communities, you can always join in other people's Buzz.

Frengo offers templates that you can use when creating your own Buzz channels. Once you create your Buzz community you can have it listed in the Buzz directory so other people can find it and join in the Buzz. The more people that join in your Buzz the more Frengo points you earn. Frengo points can be used to buy things like ringtones, MP3 players, digital cameras and game consoles. Posted by: Linda Roeder      Read more     Source

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 12:35:18 GMT

UK Approves Atomic Reactor Plan

To satiate the growing energy needs, UK has approved four reactor developers to build new nuclear power stations.

Areva, the world largest reactor maker, along with Japan’s Westinghouse, US giant General Electric and Canada’s AECL, has won the approval from the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate to modernize aging UKs power facilities.

After short-listing the companies, it seems interested that which giant will elope with the multi-billion worth contract. Areva, Westinghouse and GE look frontline contenders. UK is supposed to build seven new reactors.

The former PM Tony Blair had shown his interest to built new reactors. Joining the league, newly appointed PM Gordon Brown confirmed his support for atomic energy as he said that for continuous growth, the country cant rely on one source.

But the uncertainty over the proposed plan looms high as it supposes to take time and high cost to provide an initial ground for plant set ups. On the other side, Greenpeace also raises its apprehension over Government’s nuclear policy, which has already forced a formal consultation on the value of nuclear power.

Investors companies can be in agony as they have to put huge bucks, irrespectively have to wait for years for profit with no certainty it will happen. Experts assert that the cost of the reactor design pre-licensing process could be as much as 10m.
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Via: Telegraph Posted by: Rahulbhandari      Read more     Source

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 12:29:15 GMT

SUVs , MiniVans and Trucks: Simply Not Good Enough

SUVs, pickup trucks, minivans did not appear to be safer in the rear end crash. The seat and the head restraint of the vehicles are not able to protect passengers in a rear- end crash. In a test conducted by The Insurance Institute for Highway safety it considered 87 of the present vehicle models 54 were rated marginal or poor.

It is an independent, nonprofit, scientific and educational organization dedicated to reduce the losses in the highway accidents and it rates vehicle good, acceptable, marginal or poor based on there evaluation in the high speed front and side crash tests and also on the basis of seat /head restraints in protection against rear impacts. Rear crash protection has its main focus on how far the seat/head restraints combination protect against whiplash injury.

Vice President IIHS David Zuby explains that in a stop and go type of traffic rear end collision is the most probable accident rather any other type of crash. And he is also not satisfied with the engineering seriousness this matter is attracting. The IIHS stated that in a rear crash test many of the large vehicles fall short in protection against neck injuries.

These neck injuries are costing a lot of money to the insurance companies. There are 2 million insurance claims costing at least $8.5 billion. It was revealed by the test of rear crashes at a low speed of 20 miles per hour that many of the large vehicles fall short in providing protection against the injuries. VP David Zuby explains “It’s not a major feat of engineering to design seats and head restraints that afford good protection in these common crashes.”

According to the institute the first complaint for the effectiveness of the head restraint is its geometry. If the head restraint is not close to the back of the head of the occupant it will not be helpful in a whiplash injury in a rear end collision. And these geometric ratings are good predictors for the level of safety against rear end crashes. If we believe in some of our safety experts the head and torso must go together to minimize the risk of whiplash.

The institute evaluated 87 of the current vehicle models under the geometric evaluation test of the head restraints and there performance in the crash tests. Out of them 54 were rated marginal or poor, about 12 received a score of acceptable. 21 of the vehicles were rated good.
59 SUVs, out of them 17 were rated good and 5 acceptable and the rest 37 were marginal or poor Vans, three of them were rated good, two acceptable it combines to be half of the vehicles tested.

Pick up trucks one model rated good and five of them were acceptable and 11 of them were either marginal or poor.

Talking about SUVs they performed better as compared to last year where only six of the total 44 SUVs earned good ratings.

These tests are helping good with the improvement of vehicles, IIHS states that many of the vehicles manufacturers get there vehicles improved to get the top safety pick awards. Example redesigned 2007 Tundra from Toyota motors was rated good this year, last year it was just acceptable, also CRV by Honda Motors was rated good with respect to poor last year.

Read Posted by: Munish      Read more     Source

July 10, 2007, 5:25 AM CT

Average major league baseball career 5.6 years

The average career of a Major League Baseball player is 5.6 years, as per a new study by a University of Colorado at Boulder research team.

The study also revealed that one in five position players will have only a single-year career, and that at every point of a player's career, the player's chance of ending his career is at least 11 percent.

Results of the study, "Major League Baseball Career Length in the 20th Century," would be reported in the recent issue of Population Research and Policy Review. The study was conducted by former CU-Boulder graduate student William Witnauer, sociology Professor Richard Rogers and doctoral student Jarron Saint Onge. Rogers also directs the Population Program in the CU-Boulder Institute of Behavioral Science.

"Population research can provide rich insight into important and popular social issues, including baseball," Rogers said.

The study examined the career statistics of baseball players who started their careers between 1902 and 1993. Pitchers were excluded because of their unique positions, career volatility and propensity for injuries.

Between 1902 and 1993, 5,989 position players started their careers and played 33,272 person years of Major League Baseball. Using voluminous baseball statistics, the authors then developed a table of average career lengths for the players......... Posted by: Jim      Read more         Source

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 06:48:20 GMT

Boeing Debuts Its 787 Dreamliner

Boeing Co. unveiled its much awaited lightweight, carbon-composite 787 Dreamliner in front of its buoyant employees, customers and suppliers, following the flurry of orders for the new fuel-efficient plane.

Boeing uncovered its exuberance plane at its Everett, Wash., plant, where it was viewed for the first time by its admirers and rivals. Dreamliner is Boeing’s first all-new plane in 12 years, but its mania has already put company back on acme position.

Plane is much lighter than the older one as its compiled by 50 percent of carbon composite materials and another 15 percent titanium, making the plane fuel efficient than existing jetliners of the same size. The plane supposes to ease the fuel consumption by 20 percent.

It can carry up to 330 people in its largest model. Prices range from $146 million to $200 million. The new engine is designed by General Electric Co. and Britain’s Rolls-Royce plc.

No doubt, the admirers of the plane include rival Airbus chief executive Louis Gallois who wrote in a letter to Boeing CEO Jim McNerney, which asserts:

Even if tomorrow Airbus will get back to the business of competing vigorously, today is Boeing’s day - a day to celebrate the 787

Buoyant with 787 Dreamliner, Boeing has registered 677 firm orders from 47 customers for the midsize, long-haul jet. Dreamliner is set to rock the sky in August and September and first recipient is expected Japan’s All Nippon Airways Co.

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Source Posted by: Rahulbhandari      Read more     Source

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 06:42:07 GMT

Tube gloves

I now know accessories can indeed be addictive. These tube gloves made me realize that even when you think you're fully covered accessory - wise, there comes one more great and so original thing you just have to have it.

These gloves are meant to be stashed I your purse, ready to jump in when the weather gets chilly. Or, you can wear them to make that sassy sleeveless top even more avant-garde and edgy. Or you can wear it over any long sleeved top....so many options, so multi-tasking.

The gloves are available in taupe and black at La Garconne fo $85 Posted by: Ivy      Read more     Source

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 05:35:56 GMT

Let's Be Professional For a Moment

Here's a site that may just help you with your career or even help you find a career. It's called Postess and with it you can create a professional career oriented social networking profile that you can use for many things in your professional life.

If you're looking for a job create a professional looking resume and cover letter to get you started. Then answer some pre-interview type questions that employers will be looking for answers to when they look to hire. Do some job searches with their easy to use job search tool. Also, get tips on finding a job and having a successful career.

On top of tools to help you find jobs, the profile can be personalized. On Postess you can upload & share photos, music, and videos and post them on your profile. Search for other people on Postess and add them as friends on your profile, just like other social networking sites. Send and receive messages from other people on Postess too. Find out how many people have views your profile and your resume using the stats that Postess provides.

If you are looking for a job, or just looking to make business connections Postess looks like the site to help you do it. It may even make your next job interview a more pleasant experience. Posted by: Linda Roeder      Read more     Source

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 05:31:24 GMT

Working at Home vs Commuting

One survey showed that it's better to spend commute hours doing work at home. While some disagrees to the results of the survey. Be the judge.

One woman who disagrees, says when she is at home, that is her personal life and she doesn't want anything to do with her work there. Companies may say it's about boosting productivity and efficiency but some people says it's more important to keep a balance between work and the rest of your life.

A financial advisor says he has remote access so he can work out of home if he wants. Despite a 45 minute drive, he says he always goes into the office because it provides valuable networking time.

Others say working at home just isn't possible in some professions. This study also looks at taking advantage of the time people spend getting to work on the bus by giving them laptops and cell phones. Some commuters say riding the bus is already stressful enough.

The study is mostly aimed at transit users, and at boosting productivity in jobs where information is moved around. It doesn't really apply to jobs where you physically move things around or where employees have to be in a specific physical location.

Source Posted by: noel      Read more     Source

July 8, 2007, 10:24 PM CT

Life elsewhere in Solar System

The search for life elsewhere in the solar system and beyond should include efforts to detect what researchers sometimes refer to as "weird" life -- that is, life with an alternative biochemistry to that of life on Earth -- says a new report from the National Research Council. The committee that wrote the report observed that the fundamental requirements for life as we generally know it -- a liquid water biosolvent, carbon-based metabolism, molecular system capable of evolution, and the ability to exchange energy with the environment -- are not the only ways to support phenomena recognized as life. "Our investigation made clear that life is possible in forms different than those on Earth," said committee chair John Baross, professor of oceanography at the University of Washington, Seattle.

The report emphasizes that "no discovery that we can make in our exploration of the solar system would have greater impact on our view of our position in the cosmos, or be more inspiring, than the discovery of an alien life form, even a primitive one. At the same time, it is clear that nothing would be more tragic in the American exploration of space than to encounter alien life without recognizing it".

The tacit assumption that alien life would utilize the same biochemical architecture as life on Earth does means that researchers have artificially limited the scope of their thinking as to where extraterrestrial life might be found, the report says. The assumption that life requires water, for example, has limited thinking about likely habitats on Mars to those places where liquid water is believed to be present or have once flowed, such as the deep subsurface. However, as per the committee, liquids such as ammonia or formamide could also work as biosolvents -- liquids that dissolve substances within an organism -- albeit through a different biochemistry. The recent evidence that liquid water-ammonia mixtures may exist in the interior of Saturn's moon Titan suggests that increased priority be given to a follow-on mission to probe Titan, a locale the committee considers the solar system's most likely home for weird life......... Posted by: Jaison      Read more         Source

July 3, 2007, 9:45 PM CT

Getting old is a costly business

Independent research, involving over 3 million Italians, conducted by Henley Management College and the University of Milan has concluded that the prescription costs for men over the age of 65 is significantly higher than it is for women. The study is reported in the July 4th issue of the online, open-access journal PLoS ONE.

The primary objective of this study was to make the first step in the modelling of pharmaceutical demand in Italy to improve the governance of prescribing funds.

The research observed that the mean annual prescription cost per individual was similar for males (196.13 euro) and females (195.12euro). However after 65 years of age, the mean prescribing costs for males were significantly higher than females. On average, costs for a 75-year-old man would be 12 times the costs for a 25-34 year-old subject if male, 8 times if female. Subjects over 65 years of age (22% of total population) accounted for 56% of total prescribing costs.

This research is able to pinpoint the future resources mandatory by the Italian Regional Health Authorities as per the demographics of specific regional populations......... Posted by: Tom      Read more         Source