5 Top Picks for Christmas Holiday Like a Fairytale

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

As the festive period of the year sneaks up on us in a couple of weeks from now, it might be a good idea to plan ahead if you are looking to spend the holidays somewhere special. Not sure on where to go? Then here are some hidden gems to consider if you want to enjoy an experience that resembles the most to a Christmas fairytale like the one you have dreamed about. These are about as close as it gets to the real thing! 

Whichever idea you may have set as the perfect Christmas fairytale, it probably entails white days, warm nights, campfires, theme markets, warm drinks and cozy nights in. It’s a part of what many of us see Christmas as the favorite holiday season– the white ground laden with a magical feeling floating in the air! There are definitely quite a few places that can fit this description, yet we’ve gathered 5 top choices promising to offer majestically Christmas vacation.

Bibuby, Cotswolds, UK

This wonderful rural part of the United Kingdom can feel like a true Christmas special. If you find that you want to enjoy the beauty of Christmas in a fine festive theme, this might be the place to go. With fabulous thatched roofs to the old-school yellow-stone walls, Bibuby is a location that manages to capture that iconic Christmas look in kind.

If you were to receive a post card of this place, you would likely believe it was a fictional location made just for the setting of a Christmas movie, such is the quaint and wonderful nature of the town.

Dinant, Belgium

Dinant, one of the most picturesque towns in Belgium’s Wallonia region is a fine place to visit if you want to experience something that is bound to have that true festive feeling to it. This is a lovely hotspot for winter travel, based just on the beauty of the Meuse River. It looks magnificent during this cold weather, with the shine of the frost coming down and landing perfectly across the ground to make that true Winter Wonderland feeling.

Add in the fact that old ivy-clad castles and forts still stand so proudly here, and you can easily see why people might feel more than comfortable coming here for a winter break. It carries a unique and charming design that is pretty hard to forget, as well as a city that has all the appeal of a true Christmas fairytale story. 

For a picturesque Christmas this year that looks the part, Dinant is the perfect choice.

Rakotz Bridge, Kromlau Town, Germany

Don’t let the name fool you. This stunning bridge called Rakotzbrücke (Devil’s Bridge) as the locals call it can be found in Kromlau, Germany and is one of the most fantastically designed and detailed locations for a festive feeling and shine. It’s got a classy look that can be hard to forget, as well as a fine combination between the beauty of nature and the hardship of man to make that beauty stand out even more than ever before. 

This is a location that manages to fit the two perfectly together. The awesome stone bridge manages to appear almost natural, with a rather uneven look making it appear as if it was all put together without human touch!

For a Christmas wonderland design, this is the perfect place to pick and experience winter tranquility like never before. Constructed over 150 years ago, the bridge itself has a wonderful river below it that reflects wonderfully.

This creates the impression of a circular design – especially in the winter, when the snap of the ground illuminates back up and creates the perfect look down below. Hence, it goes to show that choosing Kromlau and Rakotz Bridge as your travel destination is definitely bound to be one of the most memorable sights at Christmas!

Giethoorn Village, Netherlands

This stunning like Dutch ton in the northeastern province of Overijssel, Netherlands is the perfect place to spend Christmas if you are looking for a place away from the bigger cities and be somewhere far more natural, less bothersome and nowhere near as busy. This stunning little town is known by many as the “Venice of the North” due to the fact that it’s loaded with canals like the famous Italian city.

When the frost of the winter helps to bring this all together and create something exemplary, it does create that truly wonderful Christmas fairytale look. If you arrive before the frost sets in then you can hire a little boat and go along the canals, taking in a winter sight that is truly hard to top.

From the shining lights from the houses and the locals to the stunning reflection of the town on the water, this manages to sell the picture of winter like few other places in this wonderful nation.

If you are going to be in the Netherlands for Christmas, then you should definitely do yourself a favor and pop down to the Giethoorn area to take in one of the most relaxing festive periods around.

Shirakawa Village, Japan

As a location well-known for making the most stunning take on winter-style designs, Japan makes its mark on this list with the pristine and wonderful Shirakawa Village, located in Ōno District, Gifu Prefecture. Easily seen by many as one of the most natural and fitting winter images around, this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for a good reason. The small traditional village is something that can appear like it came directly from the tomes of a Christmas book, with a welcoming and engaging layout mixed with the tranquil, calm nature of the wilderness.

From stunning farmhouses which are centuries old to the snowcapped roofs that have stood for equally as long, this is a little location that really helps to show everyone what the true heart and beauty of Christmas is.

Final Words

Feel like you want to grab your passport and take the first flight to reach one of these destinations? We know the feeling! If you want Christmas this year to be a little bit more exciting than before, these magical places are worth considering. Obviously, these are just a few locations to check out, but each offers a distinctive and rather amazing Christmas fairytale type holiday for you and your loved ones.

From the comfort and calmness of a festive period to the beauty of lights and layout, the above list can satisfy any curiosity and preference, adding some stardust to your Christmas! Enjoy!

NOW READ: Tech Gadgets That Make Traveling a Breeze

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*by andreascy*

An Overview of the Human Genome Project

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Mapping human genome can be considered as one of the main endeavors of modern world bio scientists. They have been pursuing this for decades and so far have achieved some measurable results. In simple terms, human genome can be defined as a map of how the cells of human beings are made up. If human genome is properly documented and researched, it could deliver answers to a myriad of mysteries.

Human genome is significant as it can provide with answers to questions like why we age, what genetic markers are, what causes and cures illnesses and many more. As a result, finding answers for this scientific puzzle has become part of an interesting competition. Entrepreneurs who start working on this field will be able to learn a lot of new things.

History of the Human Genome Project

The National Institute of Health in United States has established a partnership with the British government in order to solve the mysteries that are associated with the human genome project. They have hired the finest bio-scientists from different parts of the world and have created excellent equipment and facilities to complete their work successfully. A substantial amount of funds were approved generously to contribute to this project by both governments. According to statistical information, the government of United States has spent about $3 billion on this project. The British government has spent even more. 

1998 was an important year for the human genome project. In this year, a scientist named Dr. Craig Ventner was going through some published papers of the project and figured out that a different approach can be followed in order to get quick results. This method also had the ability to deliver more accurate answers for the complex issues and therefore he decided to undertake a project on this area himself. Nevertheless, as Dr. Craig Ventner was in need of financial assistance, he sought to get help from capitalist funding sources. His efforts became successful and was able to make $300 million within a short period of time. This motivated Dr. Craig Ventner to start working on his unique approach in the human genome project. His venture was named as “Celera” and it was charged with mapping the human genome to commercialize the findings. 

The Main Objective of the Human Genome Project

The primary objective of the human genome project is to figure out the consequence of chemical base pairs that are responsible for making up human DNA. It also focuses on mapping the genes of human genome through a functional and physical standpoint. As mentioned earlier, a lot of parties are involved in this project. Therefore, it can be considered as the world’s largest collaborative biological project. It was declared complete during 2003. At the early stage of this project, the main objective was to map the nucleotides in human body to reference genome. The genomes that can be found in human beings differ from one another. Hence, mapping the human genome is an extremely complex process for which scientists involved in this project hoped to succeed to eliminate that complexity.

State of Completion

The human genome project was not focused in sequencing the entire DNA that can be seen in human body cells. It only focused on the euchromatic areas of genome. In fact, euchromatic areas make up about 90 percent of human genome. The remaining area of the genome was called as heterochromatic and they were not considered in this project. 

As mentioned earlier, the human genome project was completed in 2003. The initial draft of the human genome was available by 2000 and a working draft was completed one year later. The final consequence mapping took place in 2003. This project was completed with a success rate of 99.99%. However, further analysis is being carried out at the moment and researches are scheduled to be carried out on HGP. 

Proposed Benefits of the Human Genome Project

The findings of the human genome project can be used for a variety of applications. These applications in turn have the potential to deliver tons of benefits, which range from molecular medicine up to human evolution. For instance, these findings can help people gain a better understanding about diseases. In other words, people will be able to get a clear view of the genotyping process of specific viruses that can be directed to appropriate treatments. It can also be used to identify mutations that are connected to different types of cancers. 

On the other hand, the human genome project is being used to design medication in an appropriate manner while ensuring their accuracy. The effects of medication on different people can also be predicted based on this theory. Commercial development of genomics is another major advantage that is associated with the human genome project. Therefore, it can be considered as a multibillion dollar industry. 

The sequence of DNA figured out from this method is stored in a database. The database is then being uploaded to the Internet, so that anyone can access. This database is well known as GenBank and it is being managed by the United States National Center for Biotechnology Information. Some other organizations are contributing towards it as well. 

Summary

It becomes apparent that the human genome project is one of the most important and useful projects in the biotechnology industry. It is in a position to deliver a variety of benefits for every human being that exists on the planet. From this project, it has been identified that around 20,500 genes can be found in human beings. The same range of genes can be found in mice as well.

On the other hand, the human genome consists of a large amount of segmental duplications. These duplications are nearly identical and can be defined as repeated sections of DNA. Even though the human genome project is completed at the moment, more and more studies are yet to be conducted on the same field to discover additional benefits that can be reaped out of it.

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*by andreascy*

How to Dress for Success

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

We all know it’s important to dress for success, especially around the office. The way you dress tells people a lot about how professional you are, what your role is in the company and how serious you take your work. It’s the number one thing people notice during that first impression and therefore it is extremely important to dress the right way. 

Want to know how you can do that? Here are a few business shirts and mens blazers that will get you in the right direction.

Thomas Mason Shirts 

Have you ever heard of Thomas Mason fabrics? We have, and it’s definitely one of our favorite brands. Want to know why? Thomas Mason offers a wide arrange of fabrics that feel professional, authentic and above all classy. All important for the workplace. Together with J.Crew they have designed a ton of great and amazing shirts that range from clear and classy blue to cheery red, green and white stripes. All Thomas Mason shirts are influenced by certain themes, people and places. For example; A few fabrics of their Autumn/winter 2014 line were influenced by the Beatles and the English landscape. 

What does your business shirt say about you 

There is a pattern and color for everyone and whatever shirt you go with tells a lot about who you are and how serious and professional you really are. 

Colors:

Pastel colors - Pastel colors are the most popular colors used for business shirts. Pastel colors give off a relaxed and professional vibe that’s especially important if you work in an otherwise chaotic environment. This also counts for white shirts. 

Dark colors - The only time shirts with dark colors really work is if they are either mixed up with some lighter or brighter tones, or during a special occasion like for example a gala, dinner or fundraiser. Dark colored shirts can be very classy, but only on those occasions. 

Bright colors - People who wear shirts with bright colors often want to get noticed and are confident about themselves and their work. If you need to get noticed during an interview or a meeting make sure you wear something that is bright, but at the same time discrete. If you wear colors that are too bright people might start to view you as obnoxious or unprofessional. 

Patterns: 

No pattern - Shirts with no patterns are by far the most popular and professional shirts out there. This is because they offer no distractions and can be mixed and matched with any men's blazers or other accessories, but more on that later. Go for a shirt with no pattern when you want to look like you are a serious professional. 

Stripes - Big stripes, small stripes, blue stripes or white stripes. You can find all different variations of striped shirts. It’s a very common pattern for business shirts after all. A shirt with stripes can be very classy and professional, as long as it’s not all colors of the rainbow. 

Checkered or plaid - Shirts with a checkered or plaid pattern are a little less professional than stripes or a shirt with no pattern at all. However in an environment that allows business casual they are a perfect fit, because of the cheery combinations of colors used in checkered or plaid shirt.

Men's Blazers

Honestly, a nice business shirt is nothing without a tie and a blazer. Men's blazers come in just as many colors and patterns as shirts. You have them in an even black, blue or grey, or with stripes or without them. Anything is possible and by matching a nice grey blazer with for example a few black examples at the hems of the pockets to a white shirt you will definitely be well on your way to dress for success. 

So what do I choose when I want to dress for success...

You choose clothes you are both comfortable in and that are appropriate for the work you do. If you work at a bank, for example, it’s probably not the best idea to go in checkers. Instead go with some classy grey, dark blue, white or black tones. Do you work at an office that allows business casual and you are confident of yourself? Go with something with bright colors and a striped or plaid pattern. When you dress for success you want to get noticed, and the way you do this is completely up to you!

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I'd be happy to hear from you in the comments! Let me know down below what you'd like to read in our upcoming stories. Stay well!

*by andreascy*

Sleep Apnoea and Its Prevalence in Europe and the USA

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

There are three known forms of sleep apnea: central (CSA), obstructive (OSA), and complex or mixed sleep apnea that is a combination of both central and obstructive and these constitute 1%, 84% and 15% of cases respectively. In CSA, breathing is interrupted by a lack of respiratory effort. With OSA, a physical block to airflow, despite respiratory effort, interrupts the breathing and snoring is common. Overall 99% of all cases are OSA based. 

If you suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) - also known as sleep apnea, and by far the most common type, you'll know that this form of sleep-disordered breathing can seriously affect your quality of life and impact your health if left untreated. It is estimated that sleep apnoea affects between 2% to 4% of the adult population in the UK, yet this debilitating condition often goes undiagnosed so we are far from sure.

At 4% there would be approximately 2.5 million sufferers in the UK but very few people are actually being treated currently for the problem.

OSA is a worldwide phenomenon. Studies suggest that in Western European countries from 3-7% of middle-aged men and 2-5% of middle-aged women suffer from OSA, but figures vary widely due to low diagnosis levels.

Living with a sleep apnoea sufferer

Despite the increasing recognition that obstructive sleep apnoea is a relatively common condition, population data used to estimate disease prevalence in the United States and abroad did not exist accurately until about 15 years ago. Since the 1990s much has happened to quantify the levels of obstructive sleep apnea in various populations. A number of studies using large samples representative of the general population are now available and provide prevalence estimates for obstructive sleep apnea in countries such as the United States, Australia, Spain, China, Korea, and India.

According to figures issued by the World Health Organization approximately only 100 million people worldwide have OSA. In the USA, OSA is estimated to affect 1 in 4 men and 1 in 9 women; and affects a total of 23 million working adults. Untreated moderate or severe OSA is associated with a six-fold increased risk of death from all causes, independent of any other illnesses.

Other published figures state much a higher total figure based on detailed analysis of registered sufferers and some of these figures are shown below. If one accepts that the addition of the undiagnosed sufferers would at least double these numbers then the figures are quite alarming.

Country % with OSA    Actual Number

United Kingdom 4,0%    2.5 million

United States 4.1%    18.5 million

Australia 3.1%    0.8 million

India 7.5%    85 million

China 4.2%    57 million

Korea 4.5%    2.3 million

There is evidence that regular snoring and OSA are both independently associated with alterations in glucose metabolism and OSA might be a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. The prevalence of OSA is also found more often in those patients with cardiac or metabolic disorders than it is in the general population.

The prevalence of sleep apnoea is higher in different population subgroups, including overweight or obese people, those of some ethnic groups such as African-American, and in older individuals. The fact that prevalence estimates of obstructive sleep apnea from North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia are not too substantially different suggests that this disease is very common not only in developed but also in developing countries. Moreover, given the widespread under-recognition of this disorder by the medical and lay communities, the public and personal health care costs globally are likely to be absolutely enormous.

Source: World Health Organisation

It is estimated in the USA that although there is a known figure of 18.5 million residents* with sleep apnoea, there are over twice that many with some form of major sleep disorder – 40 million in total. If these figures are to be believed, the difference is mostly attributed to undiagnosed OSA, and the problem is even more enormous than we believe and constantly worsening.

Sources for US Statistics: 27.02.2012 - National Sleep Foundation and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It is important for us to recognise that obstructive sleep apnoea often goes undiagnosed. Doctors usually can't detect the condition during routine surgery visits and no blood test can help diagnose the condition. Most people who have sleep apnoea don't know they have it because it only occurs during sleep so a family member or bed partner might be the first to notice the distinctive signs of sleep apnoea.

Untreated sleep apnoea can:

•  Increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, diabetes and cancer

•  Increase the risk of, or worsen heart failure

•  Make arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats, much more likely

•  Increase the chance of having work-related or driving accidents

Sleep apnea is a chronic condition that requires long-term management. Lifestyle changes, mouthpieces, surgery, and breathing devices can successfully treat sleep apnoea in many people, and it is critical to get professional help and support if you suspect that you are suffering from the condition described.

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*by andreascy*

Colocation Hosting for Improved Connectivity

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

Connectivity is an important issue for many businesses (e.g in the UK), because the country is still in the process of undergoing a major overhaul to its telecoms infrastructure in order to enable the adoption of next-generation broadband services that will seriously bolster the economy. Super-fast connectivity is necessary to ensure that the nation is competitive on a global stage, but there are many critics who point out that the digital divide remains, with some areas receiving much better levels of service than others.

For a business that requires hosted services in order to operate effectively, connectivity will be a key concern. Without adequate bandwidth on tap to satisfy the needs of both staff members and customers, you could find that productivity levels are hampered and user experiences may be off-putting, resulting in lost sales.

One way to avoid these connectivity-related pitfalls is to switch to a colocation hosting service, which melds the managerial autonomy of in-house set-ups with the bandwidth-oriented benefits of a dedicated, remote solution. So, what are the main reasons why colocation hosting should be chosen by companies looking for improved connectivity?

Speed

By placing your server hardware in a colocation hosting provider's data center, you will be putting it in the best possible place to ensure that it has unfettered connectivity at its beck and call.

Data centers should be specifically designed and located to ensure that they can deliver adequate bandwidth to service all of their customers, which means that you will never feel like you are swimming through treacle in order to access hosted services. You should also expect that the internal networking infrastructure of a data center will perform to the best of its abilities at all times.

Moreover, it is important to remember that you will be harnessing part of a system that is far more capable than anything you might be able to install on site, unless of course you are part of a multinational corporation with burgeoning coffers ready to dedicate to IT spending.

Resilience

Even if your business is able to access an adequate level of connectivity on premises, hosting services locally will require that you are sensitive to the responsibilities which this entails. Downtime is costly and often catastrophic, particularly for smaller firms, so if an outage renders your servers inaccessible you will have to get things up and running as quickly as possible, or face the consequences.

Again, the advantage of colocation hosting in this scenario comes from the use of specialist data centers with durable and often redundant components, which make sure that the chances of connectivity being compromised are as low as possible. Colocation hosting also means that you will not have to deal with telecoms providers, since the data center operator will address any problems at their end.

Scalability

As with other advantages of colocation hosting, the ability to scale the available connectivity to suit the current needs of your business is worth noting. You can expand your bandwidth requirements as and when appropriate, which means things like temporary spikes in usage will not hit a bottleneck that cannot be removed.

Scalability of connectivity allows colocation hosting to suit businesses of all shapes and sizes without giving big companies an advantage or leaving smaller firms with unsustainable costs to bear.

The need for super-fast connectivity will only increase as more and more data and apps need to be hosted, so it makes sense to pick a colocation solution that will provide speed, resilience and scalability in the long term and give your firm the ability to grow at a rate that is not limited by technical annoyances.

RELATED: Dedicated Office Space in Colocation Centers

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The 3 Smallest Colleges In The World

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

The smallest colleges in the world are found mostly in the United States in older areas of the country and in states with smaller populations. Most UK universities are large, with some having populations of upwards of 70,000 students. 

Smaller colleges in the UK usually have around 2,000 students. Most universities there, however, have between 2,000 and 15,000. Colleges in the UK are really more like trade schools, teaching professions like hairdressing and mechanics. Universities are more like traditional colleges in the United States.

Have A Specialized Focus To Find Smaller Colleges In The UK :

There is one university in the UK with a relatively low population of about 150 students, and that is the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. It seems that if one hopes to find a small college in the UK, they will need to have a specific skill set in mind to find that smaller college atmosphere. Most universities have very large populations in all areas of the UK.

Likewise, colleges in Australia and New Zealand have tremendously large populations, with the smallest colleges having populations of about 7,000 students. One can find small classrooms in Australia, especially when you look at a college like Bond University, where the population is about 4,500 and classroom ratio size is around 11:1. Even though it is a larger college, the small classroom size is seen as a huge benefit.

United States Has The Smallest Colleges :

The three smallest colleges in the world are all found in various parts of the United States. The third smallest college is Thomas More College with a student population of about 84 students. Situated on a picturesque 14 acres in Merrimack, New Hampshire, students here experience a unique Roman Catholic education which includes one semester of studying abroad in Italy as part of its core curriculum. The place they study in Italy is fascinating and is only five miles away from the famous landmark, St. Peter's Basilica.

Students who attend Thomas More graduate having had a range of broad life experiences, including things like visiting areas famous for unique baroque and renaissance architecture. The experiences from living in Italy broaden minds and students are exposed to some of the most famous worldwide authors like Cicero and Homer. Students graduate after four years with an amazing amount of worldwide cultural educational experiences that are only available in a few places.

The second smallest college is called Shimer College. It is located near Chicago, Illinois and hopes to attract students interested in literary pursuits. Also known as the "Great Books College" of Chicago, students are immersed in three major topics of study, including social sciences, natural sciences and humanities. With a low population of only about 81, students receive highly personalized attention and focus. They graduate with a very well-rounded educational point of view of the world around them.

Smallest College In The World :

By far, the smallest college in the world is the Alaska Bible College. There are only 38 students attending this Christian school. With a focus primarily on developing young minds wishing to go into Christian ministry in one form or another, this college has been around for 40 years preparing young people for a life focused on ministry.

In your free time when you attend the Alaska Bible College you can have experiences like dog-sledding. With such unique experiences, this is a great place for any young person who wishes to make a difference by going into ministry. If a really small college is desired, this is a great choice.

Victoria Dalton is a college administrator and guest author at Top Colleges Online, a site with reviews of top-ranked online colleges and degree programs.

*by andreascy*

Sony announced cool headphones MDR‑V55 and MDR‑ZX600

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Sony announced two new headphones with a new look and feel. Designed for powering up the sound of your MP3 player, the MDR‑V55 and MDR-ZX600 are, in Sonys words, "must-haves for music lovers who put an equal premium on greatlooks and music". Both models feature a compact design with swiveling earcups that fold flat, that should make them easy to fit in your man bag and comfortable to wear around the neck.

The MDR‑V55 and MDR-ZX600 are available in a choice of four colours (black, white, red, blue). Circular ear pad colour accents are matched by the flat, tangle-resistant cable. Both headphones feature 40mm driver units and 1000 MW power handling.

MDR-V55 headphones :

Taking their influence from Sony’s heritage in DJ headphones, the V55’s introduce a new style in a number of different colors. The closed design has been engineered to eliminate noise distortion even when played at high volume levels. Reversible ear cups give extra flexibility and a single-sided flat cord frees up your movement. 

MDR-ZX600 headphones :

Sony says the MDR-ZX600’s 'pack a punch' for those who like extra bass when listening to their music. Classic looks are given a twist with brushed metal accents and flashes of color that coordinate with the flat, tangle-resistant cable. Tangle resistant cable? We could use some of that!  The new MDR-V55 and MDR-ZX600 headphones will be available in the UK from April 2012. 

*by andreascy*

Convert Air to Fuel with solar (Tested in UK)

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

An British Cryogenics company, Highview Power Storage, is now jumping on the air fuel bandwagon with a demonstration system that can cool air to liquid and store it in high pressure tanks. This is reminiscent of the mdi-air car which has yet to make it to mass market after many years of intense resistance from the automotive industry and associated Euro zone govt departments especially the French.

The British method is not for transportation though. Instead they see a benefit in using bio-mass from waste recycling facilities to provide the energy required to liquefy air and harnessing their cryogenics knowledge to super cool the liquid nitrogen result as an alternative to Li-Ion batteries. When the air is decompressed it expands creating force to be used to power an electric turbine. They claim to be able to get 70% of the energy back from the conversion process with the addition of a little extra heat to increase the rate of expansion of the liquid air. 

Next up they are planning to build a 3.5 MW system to provide power for the local community. It may not be the most efficient way of storing energy but if it is combined with solar and wind it could provide a very stable energy supply for many years. That is going to appeal to any long term project where stable energy is a requirement so they most likely have a decent market segment. If all else fails they can just export the energy to the grid for tax credits or sell directly to a major supplier and become part of the bassload grid supply chain.

Learn more about the company on : 

http://www.highview-power.com/wordpress/?page_id=1320

Read more about this Demostration on:

http://cleantechnica.com/2011/03/02/liquid-air-tested-to-store-renewable-energy-in-uk

*by andreascy*

The Robotville Festival Celebrated The Most Cutting-Edge In European Robot Design And Innovation

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

The festival was originally conceived by EUNIC London (European Union National Institutes for Culture), in partnership with the EU Cognitive Systems and Robotics Programme and the European Commission Representation in the UK. RobotvilleEU is sponsored by Transformers: Dark of the Moon. 

Robotville welcomed at the Science Museum over 20 robots from Europe and the UK, and celebrated European robotics culture and advances in robotics design and technology. It was a free event and opened for four days from Thursday 1st December - Sunday 4th December.

Let's meet the robots :

IURO :

The IURO project develops robots that can pick up information by talking to humans. The robot will eventually be able to find its way through towns and cities by asking people for directions.

Source : KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Universität Salzburg

CONCEPT :

Concept was created to study how people react to a robotic face. Why are we drawn to lifelike technology? Interact with Concept and see his expression change as he watches and learns from you.

Source : Plymouth University; EPSRC

NAO :

Nao's secret is his versatility. He can be programmed to do or say just about anything. Scientists are using him to explore how robots learn and how robots see. One day robots like Nao could be lending a hand in your home.

Source : Aldebaran Robotics. Image: Aldebaran Robotics

LADYBIRD :

This colourful 1950's ladybird robot shows how living things learn and forget. It can be trained to follow a trail of light and remember its path. But after a while it forgets and has to be taught all over again.

Source : Dr Daniel Muszka; Foundation of the Computer, Szeged, Hungary; Balassi Institute, Hungarian Cultural Centre London Image: Patu Tifinger

DORA THE EXPLORER :

Dora is curious about the world and wants to explore her surroundings. She looks for objects to tell her what type of room she's in and can search for stuff you can't find.

Source : University of Birmingham and the CogX project. Image: Marc Hanheide.

DEXMART :

Dexmart is a pair of independent robotic helping hands. From lifting a case of juice to holding your cookery book, their tactile sensors enable them to grasp and manipulate objects in the same way humans do.

Source : University of Bologna (Italy) in cooperation with Second University of Naples (Italy), University of Naples Federico II (Italy), University of Saarland (Germany)

FLASH :

You can tell a lot about what people are thinking just by looking at their faces. Flash is a robot with three extra heads - Romek, Samuel and Emys. Flash and its heads are an attempt to simulate human emotions in robots.

Source : Wrocław University of Technology; LIREC EU FP7 project.Image: Wrocław University of Technology

ICUB :

iCub helps researchers understand how the human brain develops. By playing with people iCub learns about itself and how to interact with the world around it.

Source : Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia; Italian Cultural Institute in London

SHADOW DEXTEROUS HAND :

The Shadow Dexterous Hand can mimic all the movements of a human hand. It’s controlled by wearing a sensor-covered glove and has 40 ‘air muscles’ which make it move. Its delicate touch means it can be used in many ways, from handling test tubes to doing the washing up.

The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant Agreement No. 222107 HANDLE. Image: The Shadow Robot Company

ECCEROBOT :

If you were to take a peek at Eccerobot’s insides, you’d find they are similar to your own. It’s anatomy is based on human bones, joints and muscles. This means it moves like we do, to pick up a ball or give a friendly handshake.

Source : Emerging Cognition in a Compliantly Engineered Robot & ndash; The Robot Studio; University of Sussex; AI Lab Zurich; Technical University of Munich; University of Belgrade Faculty of Electrical Engineering

COCKROACH ROBOT :

This robot uses the same body movements as insects to propel it along at super speed. They say cockroaches can survive anything. This cockroach robot could one day be scuttling around nuclear power plants or even Martian landscapes.

Source : Structure and Motion Group, Royal Veterinary College; Kod*Lab, University of Pennsylvania. Image: Simon Wilshin / Royal Vetenary College

CHARLY :

Spend some time with CHARLY and he might start to look eerily familiar. That’s because CHARLY’s projected face gradually morphs into the faces of those around him. He was designed to find out how people like their robots to look.

Source : University of Hertfordshire; LIREC EU FP7 project 

KASPAR :

KASPAR the child-size robot can’t walk, but he can move his arms and head and change his expression. Through play he helps children to understand emotions and how to interact with others. He plays games such as peekaboo and will laugh if you tickle his feet! 

Source : University of Hertfordshire; EU FP7 project Roboskin 

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*by andreascy*

Motorola XOOM 2 and XOOM 2 Media Edition

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Hey guys, what's up? :) Well here we go! Today we bring to you some interesting news from Motorola.

After months of leaked specs and images, Motorola's finally decided to officially announce its Xoom 2 and Xoom 2 Media Edition, though just in the UK for now. Just as we've been hearing for months, the two match each other in almost every way save for screen size - the Motorola XOOM 2 has a 10.1 - inch screen, just like on its predecessor. 

It's reinforced with Corning Gorilla Glass and Motorola's own splash - resistant coating for even better protection. Under the hood, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor brings plenty of software muscle and there's 1GB of RAM to back it up. 

All of that is packaged in an ultra slim 0.35” (8.8mm) body and spiced up with a very durable battery delivering around 10 hours of battery life. There's also a 5MP camera on the back, and a 1.3MP shooter up front and you can record images and video to the 16GB of internal memory. Also it runs Android 3.2 (no Ice Cream Sandwich for launch, though Motorola says it'll come eventually, just as with the original Xoom)

So when are the two finally hitting stores? No word on US availability yet (though we're betting Verizon chimes in sooner rather than later), but it will be hitting UK and Ireland in mid - November for £329.99 ($528) in Media Edition flavor and £379.99 ($609) for the standard Xoom 2.

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*by andreascy*