MICHIO KAKU in his book  "Physics of the Impossible”


Totally true story.

“In high school for my science fair project I assembled an atom smasher in my mom’s garage. I went to the Westinghouse company and gathered 400 pounds of scrap transformer steel. Over Christmas I wound 22 miles of copper wire on the high school football field. Eventually I built a 2.3 million-electron volt betatron particle accelerator, which consumed 6 kilowatts of power (the entire output of my house) and generated a magnetic field of 20,000 times the Earth’s magnetic field. The goal was to create a beam of gamma rays powerful enough to create antimatter.”

Difference Between The iPhone 4S And iPhone 5

Apple has now announced its latest iPhone, the iPhone 5, which has had a number of upgrades over last years iPhone 4S and this article is designed to explain the difference between the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5.
Apple now sells three different versions of the iPhone, the iPhone 4, the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 5.

The iPhone 5 features a new design over the iPhone 4S, the handset is taller it measures 4.87 inches as opposed to 4.5 inches on the iPhone 4S, it is the same width at 2.31 inches and is thinner than the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 5 is 0.30 inches thick where as the iPhone 4S is0.37 inches thick.
The iPhone 5 is also lighter than the iPhone 4S, weighing in at 112 grams as opposed to 140 grams for the iPhone 4S, it is also Apple’s first smartphone to come with a 4G LTE connection.

The main difference between the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 5 is the screen, the iPhone 4S feature a 3.5 inch Retina display with a resolution of 960 x 640 pixels at 326ppi.
The new iPhone 5 features a 4 inch Retina display with a resolution of 1,136 x 640 pixels at 326ppi, and it features a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio, on top of that WiFi has also be upgraded on the iPhone 5.

The iPhone 4S comes with 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, with 802.11n WiFi on the 2.4GHz band, where as the new iPhone 5 features 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi and 802.11n WiFi on the 2.4GHz and 5 GHz bands.

Both devices come with Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS and GLONASS, and the iPhone 5 features either GSM Edge or CDMA, the same as the iPhone 4S, but the new iPhone 5 also comes with DC-HSDPA and 4G LTE.
The iPhone 5 features a new smaller Nano SIM card as opposed to the microSIM card in the iPhone 4S, unfortunately the iPhone 5 is not compatible with microSIM cards.
Processing wise the iPhone 5 features a new faster processor than the iPhone 4S, which according to Apple delivers two times faster processing and graphics performance, the iPhone 5 features an Apple A6 processor and the iPhone 4S features an Apple A5 processor.


Both devices come with an 8 megapixel camera with tap to focus, auto-focus, an LED flash, a backside illumination sensor, a five element lens and face detection.
The front camera on the iPhone 5 is different to the one on the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 4S features features a VGA resolution camera for photos and video where as the iPhone 5 features a 1.2 megapixel camera for photos and it is capable of HD video in 720p, it also comes with a backside illumination sensor.
Video recording on the iPhone 5 is slightly different, and new features over the iPhone 4S include improved image stabilization, face detection and the ability to take photos whilst in the middle of recording a video.
Another difference between the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 5 is the new Apple EarPods, the iPhone 4S comes with standard Apple Earphones where as the iPhone 5 comes with Apple’s new EarPods.

The iPhone 5 also features Apple’s new Lightning dock connector, where as the iPhone 4S comes with Apple’s older 30 pin dock connector, there is also an adapter which will let you use the older 30 pin dock connector with the new lightning connector.
The iPhone 5 features a larger battery than the iPhone 4S, and according to Apple the iPhone 5 will come with up to 8 hours of talk time over 3G, up to 8 hours of browsing time over LTE, 8 hours over 3g, and 10 hours over WiFi, plus it comes with a standby time of up to 225 hours.
The iPhone 4S comes with up to 8 hours of talk time over 3g, up to 6 hours of browsing time over 3G and up to 9 hours of browsing time over WiFi, it also features a standby time of up to 200 hours.
There is a difference in pricing between the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5, the SIM free prices are as follows, the iPhone 4S is available for $549 SIM free, it is also available on contract with a number of carriers.
The iPhone 5 will be available in three different sizes, the 16GB iPhone 5 will retail for $649, the 32GB iPhone 5 will retail for $749 and the 64GB iPhone 5 will retail for $849.

 

Skype iOS App 4.6 Update Brings New Call Design

 

Skype has this week rolled out a new update for Apple’s iOS devices, releasing the Skype iOS update 4.6 which brings with it a number of new features, together with the obligatory bug fixes and performance enhancements.
The menu feature of the latest Skype iOS update includes a redesigned calling “experience” which has been added to provide users with a cleaner and fresher looking interface.

Issues fixed by the release of the new Skype iOS 4.6 update includes correcting the order of One-to-one chats, together with the ability to now changing message to read with just a few taps. Skype explains
“Skype for iPad version 4.6 supports iPad, iPad 2, iPad mini and the latest iPad with Retina Display. Skype for iPhone version 4.6 supports iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 5, plus 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation iPod Touch. iOS 5.0 or later is required on all devices.”
For more information on the new Skype iOS 4.6 update jump over to the Skype website for details.
Source : Skype

New report confirms almost half of Africa's lions facing extinction

 

A new report concludes that nearly half of Africa's wild lion populations may decline to near extinction over the next 20-40 years without urgent conservation measures. The plight of many lion populations is so bleak, the report concludes that fencing them in -- and fencing humans out -- may be their only hope for survival. Led by the University of Minnesota's Professor Craig Packer and co-authored by a large team of lion biologists, including Panthera's President, Dr. Luke Hunter, and Lion Program Director, Dr. Guy Balme, the report, entitled Conserving large carnivores: dollars and fence, was published today in the scientific journal Ecology Letters.
"It is clear that fences work and unfenced populations are extremely expensive to maintain," said Craig Packer, who also sits on Panthera's Cat Advisory Council. Using field data from 11 African countries, the Ecology Letters study examines the cost of managing fenced and unfenced habitats, and compares lion population densities and trends in both. The report shows that conservation costs are lower, and lion population sizes and densities are greater, in reserves secured by wildlife-proof fences, compared to unfenced ecosystems. Lions in unfenced reserves were subject to a higher degree of threats from human communities, including retaliatory killing by herders, habitat loss and fragmentation, and overhunting of lion prey.
Panthera's Dr. Luke Hunter explained, "These findings highlight the severity of the lion conservation crisis today and the limited choices we have to ensure a future for the species. No one wants to resort to putting any more fences around Africa's marvelous wild areas, but without massive and immediate increases in the commitment to lion conservation, we may have little choice."
Whether fencing or some alternative physical boundary such as intensely managed buffer zones, it is clear that separating lion and human populations will be essential for the species' survival. Along with maintaining physical boundaries, conflict mitigation initiatives such as those carried out through Panthera's Project Leonardo and the Lion Guardians program, are required to reduce the killing of lions where humans and lions share the landscape.
Panthera's Dr. Guy Balme stated, "We have shown that it is possible to keep both humans and lions in African landscapes by reducing lion-human conflict, but it requires extensive resources. As the numbers of people and their livestock continue to grow in Africa, it is essential to scale up these programs to avert losing many lion populations."
Today, it is estimated that fewer than 30,000 lions remain in Africa in just 25% of the species' original natural habitat.

Source: Panthera

Nokia Lumia 800 Review

 

The Nokia Lumia 800 is Nokia’s first Windows Phone smartphone since the two companies announced their partnership earlier this year and the device comes with the latest version of Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, in our Nokia Lumia 800 review we will look at all of the features on this new Windows Phone device.
As you will see from the photos, the Lumia 800 has taken its design cues from the Nokia N9, with a sleek polycarbonate exterior and a curved glass ClearBlack AMOLED display, it is definitely one of the best looking smartphones that Nokia has produced for some time.

Nokia Lumia 800 Specifications

The Nokia Lumia 800 features a 3.7 inch AMOLED ClearBlack multi-touch display, and the display features a resolution of  800 x 480 pixels.
Processing on the Lumia 800 is provided by a single core 1.4GHz processor and it features 512MB of RAM and 16GB of built in storage, plus an 8 megapixel rear facing camera with Carl Zeiss optics and a dual LED flash plus auto-focus.



The Lumia 800′s camera is capable of recording HD video in 720p at 30 frames per second, and it comes with the latest version of Microsoft’s Windows Phone, version 7.5 Mango.
Other specifications on the Nokia Lumia 800 include 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, HSDPA, HSUPA, and it features a micro SIM card rather than a standard sized SIM card.

 

Connectivity comes in the form of a micro USB port, which can be connected to your PC or Mac to synchronize the device with videos, music and more.
The Nokia Lumia 800 features a 1450 mAh battery, and according to Nokia’s official figures, the battery is designed to give you up to 13 hours of talk time on 2g, up to 256 hours of standby time on GSM.
On 3G Nokia says that the Lumia 800 will give you up to 9.5 hours of talk time and up to 335 hours of standby time, and for music and videos, the official figures say that you will get around 55 hours of music playback and around 6.5 hours of video playback.

Nokia Lumia 800 Design And Display

As we mentioned earlier Lumia 800 takes its design inspiration from the Nokia n9, the outer casing of the device is made from machined polycarbonate, and it looks very slick and stylish, definitely one of the best looking smartphones Nokia has produced for some time, aside for the N9.
The Nokia Lumia 800 features a 3.7 inch ClearBlack AMOLED display, which is encased in Gorilla Glass, and the display is very good, everything looks clear and sharp, and it works pretty well outside in direct sunlight.

Th3 3.7 inch display on the Lumia 800 features an 800 x 480 pixel resolution, text and websites don’t look as good on the Lumia 800 as other devices with a higher resolution display and text on some website can be a little hard to read at times, and text also looks slightly pixelated, although overall the display on the Lumia 800 is pretty good, photos and video look great on the handsets screen.

Nokia Lumia 800 And Windows Phone 7

The Lumia 800 features the latest version of Microsoft’s mobile OS, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, which we really liked, the user interface is great, a refreshing change form the UI’s of Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android OS.
Everything fells really fast on the Lumia 800 and Windows Phone Mango, we were expecting things to feel a little slow compared to other devices considering the single core processor, but it doesn’t.
Microsoft’s Windows Phone Marketplace seems to be growing steadily, and whilst it doesn’t have anywhere near as many apps as Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android there are still some pretty cool apps available for Windows Phone handsets.
The Lumia 800 comes with a number of different Nokia Apps for Windows Phone built in, like their free navigation app, Nokia Drive and also Nokia Nokia Maps and Nokia Music.

Overall I really enjoyed using Windows Phone 7 on the Nokia Lumia 800, and the built in Nokia apps are great, the Nokia Drive is probably one of the best navigation apps we have seen on a smartphone, and it comes bundled with the device.

Nokia Lumia 800 Camera, Photos And Video

The camera on the Lumia 800 is an 8 megapixel version and it features Carl Zeiss Optics, plus a dual LED flash and auto-focus, and it is capable of recording HD video in 720p.

The photo below was taken on the Lumia 800′s camera with standard settings, and it has not been edited from the original except to add some text to it, make sure you check out the full size photo.

The video below was recorded in HD on the Lumia 800 at maximum resolution which is 1280 x 720p, we also used standard settings on the device to record the video, make sure you watch it in HD.
Overall the Nokia Lumia’s camera does a pretty good job at taking photos and recording video, just what you would expect from a high end smartphone camera, there are some devices with better camera’s out there, but there are certainly more which are a lot worse.

Nokia Lumia 800 Call Quality, Reception And Battery

We tested the Nokia Lumia 800 with UK mobile carrier Three, and call quality and reception on the device is excellent, and voice calls sounded clear, pretty much what you would expect.
With regards to battery life, the Lumia 800 features a 1,450 mAh battery, and there have been a number of reports of problems with the Nokia Lumia 800 battery.

Nokia has released a statement concerning the battery problems, and they will release a software update that is designed to fix the issue early next year.
Luckily the Nokia Lumia 800 we tested for this review didn’t suffer from the battery problems, and we were able to test it out properly over the last week.
The battery on the Lumia 800 is pretty good, heavy users should get at least a full days usage out of the device, whilst average users would probably only have to charge the handset every other day.

Conclusion

I was quite impressed with the Nokia Lumia 800, the smartphone features an excellent design, probably one of the best looking Windows Phone devices we have tested.
It certainly feels like a quality smartphone, just what you would expect from Nokia in terms of the build quality, the AMOLED display is really nice, and that paired with Windows Phone 7.5 Mango makes the Lumia 800 a great device to use.

My first ever mobile phone was a Nokia handset, and I have had a number of Nokia mobile phones over the years, although I haven’t owned a Nokia handset for quite a few years, probably about 10, the Nokia Lumia 800 is the first Nokia smartphone that would make me consider buying a Nokia phone again.
If you are in the market for a new smartphone or specifically a Windows Phone smartphone, then the Lumia 800 is definitely worth considering, have a look at the photo gallery below.
The handset we tested in this review was from UK mobile carrier Three, the Nokia Lumia 800 is available on Three with a range of different mobile contracts in the UK, it is also available from a number of other mobile operators.

Processed meat linked to premature death

In a huge study of half a million men and women, research in Biomed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine demonstrates an association between processed meat and cardiovascular disease and cancer. One of the difficulties in measuring the effect of eating meat on health is the confounding effect of lifestyle on health. Often vegetarians have healthier lifestyles than the general population, they are less likely to smoke, are less fat, and are more likely to be physically active. Only within a very large study can the consequences of eating meat and processed meat be isolated from other lifestyle choices.
This EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) study involved ten countries and 23 centres in Europe and almost half a million people. In general a diet high in processed meat was linked to other unhealthy choices. Men and women who ate the most processed meat ate the fewest fruit and vegetables and were more likely to smoke. Men who ate a lot of meat also tended to have a high alcohol consumption.
A person's risk of premature death (increased risk of all cause mortality) increased with the amount of processed meat eaten. This is also true after correcting for confounding variables, although residual confounding cannot be excluded. However, a small amount of red meat appeared to be beneficial which the researchers suggest is because meat is an important source of nutrients and vitamins.
Prof Sabine Rohrmann, from the University of Zurich, who led this analysis explained, "Risks of dying earlier from cancer and cardiovascular disease also increased with the amount of processed meat eaten. Overall, we estimate that 3% of premature deaths each year could be prevented if people ate less than 20g processed meat per day."
This article marks the launch of an article collection on Medicine for Global Health in BMC Medicine. The collection focuses on public health initiatives, the development of health care policies and evidence-based guidelines which are needed to address the global burden of disease. Vulnerable populations, especially in low and middle income countries, continue to be seriously affected by non-communicable and infectious diseases including neglected tropical diseases, while complications during pregnancy and childbirth in these regions leave mothers and infants at risk of severe disability or death.

Source: BioMed Central Limited

Google Reader Shutting Down July 1st 2013

Google has today announced its second spring clear out which has announced the closure of a number of Google services including Google Reader.
To ensure the dedicated following of Google Reader users have an alternative to move to before Google shits the service, Google has provided 3 month grace before the doors close on the service, before July 1, 2013.

**Update : A petition has start over at Change.org to try and persuade Google to keep their Google Reader service running.
Other Google services and applications that will soon be closing include Google Voice App for Blackberry, Snapseed Desktop for Macintosh and Windows, bringing the total to 70 features or services closed since our spring cleaning began in 2011.
A full list of all the Google Services that will be effected in the latest spring clean 2013.

• Apps Script will be deprecating the GUI Builder and five UiApp widgets in order to focus efforts on Html Service. The rest of the Ui Service will not be affected. The GUI Builder will continue to be available until September 16, 2013. For more information see our post on the Google Apps Developer Blog.
• CalDAV API will become available for whitelisted developers, and will be shut down for other developers on September 16, 2013. Most developers’ use cases are handled well by Google Calendar API, which we recommend using instead. If you’re a developer and the Calendar API won’t work for you, please fill out this form to tell us about your use case and request access to whitelisted-only CalDAV API.
• Google Building Maker helped people to make three-dimensional building models for Google Earth and Maps. It will be retired on June 1, but users are still able to access and export their models from the 3D Warehouse. We’ll continue to expand the availability of comprehensive and accurate new 3D imagery on Google Earth, and people can still use Google Map Maker to add building information such as outlines and heights to Google Maps.
• Google Cloud Connect is a plug-in to help people work in the cloud by automatically saving Microsoft Office files from Windows PCs in Google Drive. But installing Google Drive on your desktop achieves the same thing more effectively—and Drive works not only on Windows, but also on Mac, Android and iOS devices. Existing users will no longer be able to use Cloud Connect as of April 30.
• We launched Google Reader in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader. Users and developers interested in RSS alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions, with Google Takeout over the course of the next four months.
• Beginning next week, we’re ending support for the Google Voice App for Blackberry. For Blackberry users who want to continue using Google Voice, we recommend they use our HTML5 app, which is more secure and easier for us to keep up to date. Our HTML5 site is compatible with users with Blackberry version 6 and newer.
• We’re deprecating our Search API for Shopping, which has enabled developers to create shopping apps based on Google’s Product Search data. While we believe in the value this offering provided, we’re shifting our focus to concentrate on creating a better shopping experience for users through Google Shopping. We’ll shut the API down completely on September 16, 2013.
• Beginning today we’ll no longer sell or provide updates for Snapseed Desktop for Macintosh and Windows. Existing customers will continue to be able to download the software and can contact us for support. We’ll continue to offer the Snapseed mobile app on iOS and Android for free.

Source: Google