Yes, the outside sidewalk is so carefully designed that the whole thing comes together making Apple stores look symmetrical from outside. infoAppleStore gives us a few more details:

Store window panels and inside stone floor tiles all are dimensioned and positioned to present a symmetrical appearance. In this case, the master element is the stone floor tiles, which are 76 centimeters square (about 30 inches). The glass window panes are then manufactured to a multiple of that dimension.

If only we each could pay this much attention to detail in our everyday life.

Many people before Shiva may claim to have created email but it was Shiva who brought it from office mail to the first email system. In his words:

…EMAIL is not just  electronic TXT messages.  EMAIL, as stated above, had a very specific meaning.  It had all those important fields, which today we take for granted.  To build EMAIL that an office worker at UMDNJ could use, one had to create a REAL System.  Prior to that, only scientists and technical programmers could send electronic messages. Such as System needed a database, a high-level programming language, redundancy to ensure reliability, an easy-to-use interface, and much more.  That E-MAIL System is what I had the pleasure of building during 1978-1981.

Some experts say that email will eventually be replaced by IM, text messaging, social networking, etc. but Shiva believes otherwise. He looks at Facebook as an example:

“…Even as Zuckerburg declares as some trade journals said, “EMAIL IS DEAD”, he is launching @Facebook as a direct challenge to GMail. He says it will have EMAIL in it, along with other types of “messaging.”

Email, perhaps, is here to stay. Happy birthday email!

A new study by McGill University says that the overuse of GPS units will eventually lead to a loss of memory and problems with spatial recognition. The lead researcher, Veronique Bohbot says that human memory when dealing with finding your way from one spot to another relies on two distinct methods. The first has to do with spatial recognition and using landmarks to be able to tell where you are and how far you are from your destination. The other is using stimulus response in which your body is programmed when to make turns based on repetition. Bohbot says both of these techniques are overridden when relying on GPS turn by turn directions and can users can eventually lose to ability to adapt.

In a survey one by MyVoucherCodes.co.uk among 1,183 men, 8% admit to viewing pornography online. What’s more interesting is how some admit to do this right under their partner’s noses. 41% of respondents admit to viewing porn while their partner is just out of view. Meanwhile, about 20% check out pornographic sites while their partners are asleep.

And it’s not only at home where men sneak out to view naughty stuff. 16% admit to viewing adult material while at work.

The survey also tried to trend other online habits of men. Among popular activities that men do while online include reading about sports (at 17%) and shopping (14%).

What’s interesting is not just the percentage of men who admit to viewing porn, but the fact that a big number sneak out of bed and work just to do it.

Image credit: flickr

Research done at the Universidad de Almería in Spain takes into account the typical Spanish diet, including the processes involved in producing food and finally going into waste products. The study also takes into account carbon emitted from processing, packaging, transport, food preparation, and disposal. If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, the study says, eat less meat and dairy products. Or, perhaps you can try eco-friendly eating establishments.

As for human excrement, the study says these have a net zero effect on the environment, as these give back nutrients into the soil and aid in photosynthesis.

Image source: flickr

The study used modified Android firmware with a taint tracking tool to track app information based on pre-determined factors of how important it is and where it is sent to. Called TaintDroid, it monitored 30 randomized free apps from the Android Market.

After using TaintDroid, it found seven apps sending IMEI information, 15 sending location information, and two sending phone numbers-some apps sent more than one type of private user information (20 out of 30) and all sent it to remote servers.

What does this mean for Android app users? While this is by no means a conclusive study, it is certainly eye-opening. It means that users should always read the EULA (Software licensing agreement) and check the permissions thoroughly before installing apps. Otherwise you might be surprised to someday find a telemarketer calling-even though you can honestly say, “I never gave my number out!”

Because let’s face it, Apple builds products that, despite their prices, appeal to consumers, and lately the company has been building more and more different products. Apple is threatening Microsoft not only in the computer world, where Microsoft still holds a large share of the market, but in the mobile space where Apple’s iPhone, iPod touch and iPad rule.

No matter how flawed some of these devices can be in some aspects, they are still great tools to use. In fact Apple started the mobile revolution with the iPhone and the App Store. Everyone was forced to adapt to this touchscreen phone madness, not to mention the need of apps. And then they reinvented the tablet, a device we don’t really need but which we buy like crazy.

That’s where Microsoft is losing the battle, especially since it is yet to prove itself with the new Windows Phone 7 OS and with the first Windows 7 tablets.

And Adobe, well we all know how they hate Apple for banning Flash support from iOS devices. We’ve seen the debates, the Thoughts on Flash, and how Apple competitors are embracing Flash altogether.

So what are Microsoft and Adobe planning? As far as we know, His Ballmerness, the guy that’s responsible for Microsoft’s current predicament in the mobile game, went to Adobe’s headquarters with some important message. What was said behind close doors is still up for debate but I guess it’s not rocket science to assume what the parties involved talked about. In fact Microsoft and Adobe are probably planning some sort of joint effort to stop Apple’s glorious path, and that might turn out to be quite a fight to watch.

I always say it’s good to have competition in any field, that’s why I am particularly interested to see Microsoft, and Nokia and RIM for that matter, come back strong in the mobile business. But will Microsoft really succeed in this endeavor? What’s more interesting now is what Stevie B. and Adobe’s executives talked about at Adobe? A session of golf, or a potential merger? Buyout? Anyone particularly keen on seeing these two corporation become one? And what will we call it? Microbe? Adsoft?

It is apparent that with the release of the versatile tablets led by no else than the Apple iPad has made e-readers look like a device with limited functionality. E-readers can still render the necessary information for consumers to date but the reality of it all is that there is a new posse in the market that provides more features with plenty of room for improvement.

While it is not yet imminent, the recourse that companies like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo is to focus on the price way to avoid being the least heralded among the e-readers you can get in the market. This isn’t really a pretty scenario but unless an e-reader with expanded features come out, you can probably say that we may be seeing the end of the e-reader age soon.

Don’t let the bright colors of these sneakers put you off. What you’re looking at is a design of a shoe that contains a small generator in its sole. The creator Ville Kaajakari claims that every time you walk in these shoes, it would generate a plezoelectric charge. This charge is then converted into electricity for charging batteries or small devices in real-time.

Dr. Kaajakari is an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Louisiana Tech University. His latest concept has created excitement for MEMS-enthusiasts.

According to Louisiana Tech University, “MEMS are tiny “smart” devices that combine computer chips with micro-components such as sensors, gear, flow-channels, mirrors and actuators.” MEMS Investor Journal notes that this device will provide an attractive way to power MEMS sensors and locator devices such as GPS.

Kaajakari’s idea is considered as a breakthrough. The device uses a low-cost polymer transducer that has metalized surfaces for electrical contact. The polymer-base generator is soft enough that it can easily match the properties of regular shoe fillings. The transducer can replace the regular heel shock absorber without the wearer noticing.

Kaajakari states that:

This technology could benefit, for example, hikers that need emergency location devices or beacons. For more general use, you can use it to power portable devices without wasteful batteries. Ultimately, we want to bring up the power levels up to the point where we could, in addition to sensors, charge or power other portable devices such as cell phones.

Would you wear these shoes more often if it can power your cell phone and laptop devices on the go?

Well this time around I’m sure it wasn’t a fictional spy like Ethan Hunt portrayed by Tom Cruise in the Mission Impossible series. What we’re looking at is a team of expert thieves that did the same thing to a Best Buy store. They climbed down a wire without activating any of the security installed and ran away or better said, climbed back up with goods worth over $26,000. And yes, they knew what they were doing since they stole 20 Apple Macs.

The thieves cut a hole in the roof thus avoiding any cameras, as their presence was hidden by ad banners. They also avoided setting off any motion sensors since they were not required to touch the floor in order to perform this interesting stunt.

Detective James Ryan, a police department spokesman said about the robbery:

High level of sophistication. They never set off any motion sensors. They never touched the floor. They rappelled in and rappelled out. The tools they had to bring, the alarms they had to circumvent — it certainly required a lot of high-level planning.

So who said that TV watching is bad after all? It can get you inspired to do out of the box things like the robbery we’re talking about today. We will advise everyone out there not to repeat this “procedure” at home or in any other place and get their laptops the regular way, in a process that involves exchanging currency for computers.

I only wonder when this crew will hit next. 20 Apple laptops will not last them very long! I also wonder what Tom Cruise Ethan Hunt was doing while this robbery was taking place… He was probably busy shooting off Mission Impossible 4, wasn’t he?

It’s not every day that we discover the answer to such a simple question. And because it’s the weekend, we might as well have some fun talking about the weight of the Internet.

Have you ever wondered how heavy the Internet is? Well I know I haven’t but it’s still fun to see that some folks have asked themselves this question. And it looks like the guys over at CNET UK have carefully and methodically calculated the weight of the Internet. So let’s take a brief look at the number they came up with.

It looks like 570,937,778 computers are connected to the Internet which happen to weigh 22,837,511,120kg. That includes desktops, laptops and various peripherals. The servers needed to make the Internet works weigh 1,745,809,310kg and Netcraft estimates that there are about 175,480,931 servers around the world. Naturally we need cables to make the Internet work and there are about 15,000km of TAT-14 cable that bring the Internet to us. They weigh 87,000,000kg.

And we don’t go online only from computers. We use smartphones too. And of those smartphones, the iPhones and the BlackBerries are the most popular. 42 million iPhones have been sold so far and they weigh around 6,075,000kg while 50 million BlackBerry phones sold to date weigh 6,800,000kg.

The fun part of the report comes from measuring the weight of viruses and the websites that make the Internet possible. The viruses don’t weigh anything although there are 287,524 viruses available for you to experience. The websites weigh 0.01kg although that’s not something you can truly weigh. But in case you are wondering there are 85 billion pages stored by The Internet Archive and that number is rising.

The grand total amounts to 489,438,559,990kg and that number is definitely rising. Hopefully we won’t have to move the Internet anywhere since it looks like it’s very heavy. In case you want to translate that into pounds, then go ahead and do it. The number you get is still impressive. Oh, and just in case you think the math doesn’t make much sense well then you’d be totally right. But then again, the Internet can’t be actually weighed, can it?

In an unexpected turn of events, Microsoft has decided not to go through with the Windows 7-dedicated Family Guy episode. Am I the only one to notice what a bad decision this is? Has Redmond lost it all of a sudden? Not only was it going to be a unique concept, but this advertising strategy might have worked very good in Microsoft’s favor.

Sure Family Guy will have included Windows 7 in various sketches and gags during the “Almost Live Comedy Show” but that wasn’t the problem. After all, Microsoft is used to others making fun of PC in other commercials, isn’t it?

What caused all of this? Well it looks like Microsoft execs attended the tapping of the show and they didn’t like what they heard. Deaf people, the Holocaust, feminine hygiene, incest and other Family Guy jokes are not subjects that Microsoft will want to associate to Windows 7. Doesn’t anyone get jokes over at Redmond? Without those jokes Family Guy wouldn’t have been as famous in the first place. Microsoft didn’t know all this until now? Here’s what a spokesperson had to say about the whole issue:

We initially chose to participate in the Seth and Alex variety show based on the audience composition and creative humor of ‘Family Guy,’ but after reviewing an early version of the variety show it became clear that the content was not a fit with the Windows brand… We continue to have a good partnership with Fox, Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein and are working with them in other areas. We continue to believe in the value of brand integrations and partnerships between brands, media companies and talent.

Unfortunately the joke is on Microsoft at this point. NBC will air the episode on November 8 as scheduled. A secret sponsor will replace Microsoft and this special show will be even more popular. Will more people tune in to see why Microsoft has walked away from the deal? Will we see Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein include Windows 7 jokes in their material?

Ok, so this isn’t the typical type of entry you would come to expect on a gadgets website … but I have my reasoning. Hasbros Cluedo has been a murder-mystery family favourite since 1946 and has seen little change over the past 62 years.

Well … ‘times they are a changing’ and marketing gurus decided that the game was in much need of a modern makeover so to speak.

Characters such as film star Kasandra Scarlet, football specialist Jack Mustard and video-game billionaire Victor Plum will be adorning our spiffy new board game while they hop between rooms including a newly renovated spa and boardroom, rather than the old favourite library and ballroom. (I’ll have you know, in reality, I’d much rather a library than a spa, but that’s just me).

That being said the new artillery “gadgets” of choice are set to take the fans of Cluedo by storm! A dumbbell, axe and baseball bat have been included in this new take on the game and one can only imagine, with weapons like these, that this “mansion” is set in the projects or some similar place featured on the Crime & Investigation channel!

Whether you’re a Cluedo fan, a long-standing enthusiast or simply looking for a new board game to incorporate into your entertainment cupboard, this modern make-over is sure to impress, and makers HASBRO are keen to release this fresh game by December, so keep an eye out for those little weapons … before Jack Mustard finds you with a baseball bat!

[source]

With a cost per meter of a startling $80 billion ($150 billion USD) this is officially the most expensive house in the world based on size – but you can forget about ever living in it.

Crated by artist Willard Wigan, the house in question, based on a Huf Haus timber and glass design, took the artist seven weeks to create and measures a mere 0.5mm across – about the size of a full stop. Boasting spectacular views from the top of a pin head, the house is so small that its creator had to use a hair from the leg of a dead spider as a paintbrush.

Willard Wigan is no stranger to working in such minute detail, however, as his work is invariably mounted either on pin heads of in the eyes of sewing needles.

You can visit Willard’s website via this link for more information and pictures concerning his intricate work (just don’t sneeze).

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]]> http://nexus404.com/Blog/2006/10/05/expensive-house/feed/ 3 http://nexus404.com/Blog/2006/09/20/200-year-old-seeds/ http://nexus404.com/Blog/2006/09/20/200-year-old-seeds/#comments Wed, 20 Sep 2006 12:44:19 +0000 Andrew Tingle http://nexus404.com/Blog/2006/09/20/200-year-old-seeds/ A number of seeds thought to be around 200 years old which were found in a notebook in the National Archives in London by a Dutch researcher have are now being grown by scientists at Wakehurst Place, Kew Gardens’ grounds in West Sussex.

The seeds, which are thought to originate from the 1800’s were found in the notebook of a Dutch merchant who’s vessel which was captured by the British Navy in 1803 on its trip back from the Cape of Good Hope with a cargo of tea and silk.

Both the cargo and the note book in question were taken by the British during the operation and the notebook was then passed from the Court of Admiralty via the Tower of London to the National Archives.

The Cape of Good Hope

Kew’s scientists were passed the seeds when they were found in the notebook and immediately set about trying to revive them and, to their surprise it now appears that the seeds are growing without any problem.

The fact that these seeds have survived for this length of time is great news for placed like the Millennium Seed Bank where seeds are stored for history and future generations.

EVENTS IN HISTORY – 1803

Britain declares war on France after Napoleon Bonaparte continues interfering in Italy and Switzerland

1st performance of Beethoven’s 2nd Symphony in D

Ohio becomes 17th US state

Spain cedes her claims to Louisiana Territory to France

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Supported by the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD), the company is looking at ways to produce bullets with a significantly reduced lead content and even rockets which burn with less toxins being released into the atmosphere. The studies are even looking at producing grenades that explode with less smoke. Nice to know, then, that whilst you’re having your limbs ripped from your body courtesy of a grenade that having smoke in your eyes during your last view of the world is one less thing to worry about.

Already BAe has stopped using depleted uranium in its weapons, though American aircraft such as the A-10 Thunderbolt still use depleted uranium in its bullets (which, incidentally, are the size of cucumbers) as the use of such dense materials helps the rounds pierce armour plating such as that used in tanks (the destruction of which is the Thunderbolts primary objective).

The A10 Tankbuster – Soon to be dropping Compost?

During the Iraq war the US alone dropped a sobering 1,500 cluster bombs, a weapon that is touted as being widely attributable for civilian casualties and, in a bid to minimise the impact on the environment of such weapons, BAe are conducting a study into whether the remnants of such weapons could be turned into manure. You may have killed all the farmers in a blanket in indiscriminate fireballs, but at least you have enriched the soil on which they toiled.

The full study being undertaken by BAe is as follows;

• The development of bullets with less lead content on the basis that leas can “pose a risk to people”.
• Developing armoured vehicles with greener engines so they produce less carbon emissions.
• Looking into recycling weapons that are past their shelf-life – for instance, turning waste explosives into compost.
• The feasibility of biodegradable shell, rocket and munitions casings.

And, as if this wasn’t enough, the US are also looking into the practicalities of green weaponry, which one study focusing on the possible use of soybean oil as a propellant.

It seems that the world is becoming less of a target whilst also becoming no safer a place to live in.

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Built by Dennis Sullivan and Frances Conklin, Tony the Beagle features a two story living area inside its body with a separate reading room in its muzzle for when you just want to chew things over a little (apologies for the pun) at costs USD $88 per night, plus and extra $8 per additional person – Tony will sleep four.

Amenities include:

• Two twin foldout futon mattresses in loft.
• Full bath
• Microwave
• Small refrigerator
• Coffee maker
• Clock radio
• Hair dryer
• Books, games, puzzles
• Breakfast

Tony does not feature a television or a telephone connection, however.

Just think, if the weathers not especially accommodating you could tell your family back home that you have had to stay in Tony all day. If that doesn’t get the in-laws talking, I don’t know what will.

If you fancy staying a few nights inside Tony the Beagle you can view the Dog Bark Park site via this link (and please remember to send a postcard).

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The fatty acid known as CLA is widely thought of as being a particularly effective means of not only protecting the body against cancer, but also to assist in strengthening out immune systems as well as potentially aiding weight loss.

Trials with feeding pigs and poultry with CLA rich foods, having not proved especially successful, so researchers based in the US and Korea began to experiment with feeding mulberry leaves coated with CLA to silkworms only to find that the worms not only ingested the CLA rich food but that their bodies retained high levels of CLA in their bodies for prolonged periods after.

But what if you couldn’t stomach eating silkworms as part of your health plan? The good news is that the researchers also found that common houseflies are a possible edible alternative.

Silkworm risotto anyone? Or perhaps a housefly salad?