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3/16/11

Top 10 Best | Most Popular Laptops 2011


1. Lenovo ThinkPad X201Lenovo ThinkPad X201 Top 10 Best | Most Popular Laptops 2011
The Lenovo ThinkPad X201 is a 12.1-inch screen ultraportable laptop that offers the latest Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors. The X201 has an amazing 6 hour battery life, integrated touchpad and pointing stick, full sized keyboard and the typical excellent ThinkPad build quality users have come to expect.

2. Asus N53JfAsus N53Jf Top 10 Best | Most Popular Laptops 2011
The Asus N53Jf with Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) comes with 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM and expandable memory up to 8GB. Hard drive can come with 320, 500, or 640 GB of storage. 6-cell battery. Other notable features include USB 3.0, video boost with Asus Video Magic, and HDMI 1.4 video output

3. Lenovo ThinkPad T410ThinkPad T410 Top 10 Best | Most Popular Laptops 2011
The ThinkPad T410 is a 14-inch screen portable laptop targeted at business users. The new Lenovo ThinkPad T410 model features a sleek, industrial design, clean lines, a symmetrical display and wider hinges. Plus, a next-generation keyboard and touchpad that not only has a more modern look, but is also easier to use. The ThinkPad T410 comes equipped with an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor and optional NVIDIA switchable NVS3100M 512MB graphics.

Safest Car in 2009-Top-10


2009 Mercedes-Benz M Class


Base Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $45,750
windowslivewritertop10safestcarin2009 14232safecars 1 thumb Safest Car in 2009 Top 10
Environmental Protection Agency Combined Fuel Economy: 17 mpg
Safety Features: Dual front and rear side-mounted airbags; front and rear head airbags; driver and passenger head restraints that reduce neck injuries.

2009 Audi Q7

Base MSRP: $43,500
windowslivewritertop10safestcarin2009 14232safecars 2 thumb Safest Car in 2009 Top 10

World’s Most Expensive Cars|Top To Luxury Car in 2011


1.Koenigsegg CCXR

koenigseggccxr41 thumb World's Most Expensive Cars|Top Ten Luxury Car in 2009

The car has 1,018 bhp Horsepower,It will reach the speed of 0-100 km/h in 2.9 seconds with top Speed: 250 mph.Engine: 4.7 liter aluminum V8 Price: $2,173,950
Detachable storable hardtop with glass roof, rear wing, carbon ceramic brakes, hydraulic lifting system, navigation system, rear-view camera, DVD, CD, iPod, satellite radio, climate control, tire-monitoring system, leather carpets, roof stowage bag, car cover comes standard. Buyers can request custom leather interior and color options. You’ll need the right connections to get one of these–last March, production plans were cut from six cars to four.

2.Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand SportBugattiVeyron16.4GrandSport thumb World's Most Expensive Cars|Top Ten Luxury Car in 2009

The car has 1,001 bhp Horsepower,It will reach the speed of 0-100 km/h in 2.5 seconds with top Speed: 407 mph.Engine: 8-liter, 16-cylinder engine with a seven-gear, twin-clutch gearbox Price: $2,027,760. More than 700 hp in its "launch control" function are "continuously on standby” for a quick burst of speed, while cruise control allows constant driving at high speeds. Carbon-ceramic brake discs have interior ventilation; at speeds higher than 200 km/h, the rear spoiler serves as an additional brake. The car can come to a full stop from 100 km/h in just 32 meters.

Top-10 Most Expensive luxury Car’s 2011



No. 1. Mercedes-Benz S ClassMercedesBenzSClass thumb Top 10 Most Expensive luxury Car’s 2010

S65 AMG sedan, twin-turbo 6-liter V12 MRP $201,150
Total Five-Year Cost of Ownership: $233,731

No. 2. Mercedes-Benz CL ClassMercedesBenzCLClass thumb Top 10 Most Expensive luxury Car’s 2010

CL65 AMG coupe, twin-turbo 6-liter V12 MSRP: $207,170
Total Five-Year Cost of Ownership: $199,391

Mercedes to develop a small car


Trying to hitch a ride on the Indian auto gravy train, luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz is developing a premium small car specially for the Indian market.
MERCEDEZ001 thumb Mercedes to develop a small car                       
The car is being developed with help from Merc’s research and development centre in Bangalore at an investment of around Rs 6,000 crore, a senior company official told FE .
The development of the premium small car is over and above Merc’s plans to introduce its A and B-class cars — small category cars that it sells globally — into the country.

New Space Shuttle X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle

The first robotic space plane X-37B launched by United States Air Force.roboticspaceplaneX37B thumb New Space Shuttle X 37B Orbital Test Vehicle  roboticspaceplaneX37B2 thumb New Space Shuttle X 37B Orbital Test VehicleX-37B space plane weighs about 11,000 pounds and is just over 29 feet in length. It stands slightly more than 9 1/2 feet in height and has a wingspan just over 14 feet across.
The initial X-37B flight is designed to loiter in space up to 270 days. After retracting its solar array and closing payload doors, the space plane would re-enter in automated mode.roboticspaceplaneX37B3 thumb New Space Shuttle X 37B Orbital Test Vehicle 
Mission 
The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, or OTV, is a non-operational system that will demonstrate a reliable, reusable, unmanned space test platform for the U.S. Air Force. The objectives of the OTV program include space experimentation, risk reduction and a concept of operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies. 
Features 
The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle is the newest and most advanced re-entry spacecraft. Based on NASA’s X-37 design, the unmanned OTV is designed for vertical launch to low Earth orbit altitudes where it can perform long duration space technology experimentation and testing. Upon command from the ground, the OTV autonomously re-enters the atmosphere, descends and lands horizontally on a runway. The X-37B is the first vehicle since NASA’s Shuttle Orbiter with the ability to return experiments to Earth for further inspection and analysis. 
Technologies to be tested include advanced guidance, navigation and control, thermal protection systems, avionics, high temperature structures and seals, conformal reusable insulation, and lightweight electromechanical flight systems. In addition, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle will demonstrate autonomous orbital flight, reentry and landing. 
Background 
The Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office is leading the Department of Defense’s Orbital Test Vehicle initiative, by direction of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics and the Secretary of the Air Force. The Air Force OTV effort uses extensive contractor and government investments in the X-37 program by the Air Force, NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to continue full-scale development and on-orbit testing of a long-duration, reusable space vehicle. 
NASA’s original X-37 program began in l999 and ran until September 2004 when NASA transferred the program to DARPA. NASA envisioned building two vehicles, an Approach and Landing Test Vehicle, or ALTV, and an Orbital Vehicle. The ALTV validated flight dynamics and extended the flight envelope beyond the low speed/low altitude tests conducted by NASA from 1998 through 2001 on the X-40A, a sub-scale version of the X-37 developed by Air Force Research Labs. DARPA completed the ALTV portion of the X-37 program in September 2006 by successfully executing a series of captive carry and free flight tests. NASA’s X-37 Orbital Vehicle was never built: but its design was the starting point for the Air Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle program. 
The Air Force plans to conduct the first orbital test flight of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle in April 2010 with a launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., on an Atlas V expendable launch vehicle. Re-entry and recovery activities will be conducted at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. or Edwards AFB, Calif. 
General Characteristics 
Primary Mission: Testing reusable space vehicle 
Prime Contractor: Boeing 
Height: 9 feet, 6 inches (2.9 meters) 
Length: 29 feet, 3 inches (8.9 meters) 
Wingspan: 14 feet, 11 inches (4.5 meters) 
Launch Weight: 11,000 pounds (4,990 kilograms) 
Power: Gallium Arsenide Solar Cells with lithium-Ion batteries 
Launch Vehicle: Lockheed-Martin Atlas V (501)

NASA's X-48B Remote Controlled Spy plane

Absolutely cool....
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download 3 NASA's X 48B Remote Controlled Spy plane
fdf NASA's X 48B Remote Controlled Spy plane
fsf NASA's X 48B Remote Controlled Spy plane

Plane Design Concepts for 2025 | NASA Unveils Passenger Plane Designs for 2025

On the heels of MIT’s design for the plane of the future, NASA has given us a peek into some of the new ideas they have slated for the not-so-distant future. Recently, NASA asked the three largest airplane companies in the US to come up with a design that would fit a very specific criteria. This project hoped to create a full-functioning plane by the year 2025 that would not only use significantly less fuel, but be cleaner and quieterand be able to haul ass. To our surprise, the designs they received from the trio were not only radical, but also a little bit retro!
newplaneconcepts2025 Plane Design Concepts for 2025 | NASA Unveils Passenger Plane Designs for 2025NASApassengerplanes Plane Design Concepts for 2025 | NASA Unveils Passenger Plane Designs for 2025
According to me the design looks like a sparrow with a long wing… What is your say?

NASA shoots down Mars rumors

Over the weekend, rumors started rebounding around the Internet: initial work from the Mars Phoenix lander had found something that was evidence relevant to the possibility of life on Mars, and the President had been briefed. Before the jokes regarding the President and intelligent life had subsided, other rumors suggested that NASA had found a toxin that was incompatible with life. NASA decided to end the speculation, and dragged members of the Phoenix team into an early-afternoon press conference. Phoenix may have found an abundance of a specific chemical on Mars, but the researchers involved aren’t even sure what it is yet. NASA spokesman Duane Brown introduced the press conference by referencing what he called the “speculation and rumors,” and described it as an attempt to set the record straight. The scientists, he said, were doing so reluctantly, as they are being forced to present the results before their instruments were even producing an unambiguous result, much less one that had passed peer review. Mike Meyer, the head of NASA’s Mars efforts, said, “we’re here today to announce a nonannouncement—more experiments and time are needed to resolve the results of the science experiments.” The project lead, Peter Smith, seemed a bit more accepting. Describing it as a “break with scientific tradition,” he nevertheless said that it was a great opportunity that he likened to “opening a window to allow the public to see the scientific process in action.” Although that process is still dealing with multiple, potentially contradictory, indications, the strongest one they have is that there are significant amounts of perchlorate on Mars. Perchlorate’s chemical formula is ClO4-, and is found naturally on earth, typically as part of a salt with a positive ion. It was once thought to be such a strong oxidizing agent that it was considered incompatible with organic compounds, leading to some of the rumors that circulated about findings of a chemical that could kill. Since then, however, it has not only been found in deposits with organic compounds, but microbes have been discovered that actually use it as the primary oxidizing agent in their metabolism.
phoenixscoop NASA shoots down Mars rumors: we're not sure what we've got
The problem is that two instruments on the lander are providing somewhat contradictory results. Michael Hecht spoke about the MECA instrument, which runs wet chemistry experiments. The instrument contains a number of sensors that are tuned to pick up the presence of different classes of ions released as the sample heats up. The instrument that picks up perchlorate and (to a lesser extent, nitrates) registered a huge spike—so large, the scientists didn’t trust it. Since then, however, a second sample and a test with an earth-bound version of MECA produced the same spike, so the MECA folks are feeling confident. The people behind the TEGA instrument, represented by William Boynton, are less sure. TEGA probes the composition of gases released when samples are heated using a mass spectrometer, and it has seen large amounts of oxygen (consistent with perchlorate), but no chlorine. Only a number of perchlorate salts will decompose in a way that releases chlorine, so that’s not a complete shock, but the team is now trying to figure out ways to detect some of the others.
Assuming the finding’s right, what’s it all mean? It’s really hard to say. Different perchlorate salts can have very different properties, so nailing down precisely what’s present in the soil will be critical. Once that’s done, data from elsewhere on the planet can be reevaluated to determine whether its presence might be widespread. Given that some organisms use it as part of their basic biochemistry, it’s clearly not incompatible with life, but it doesn’t seem to make life—past or present—any more likely on Mars.
The researchers note that, because of its strong oxidizing properties, perchlorate was actually used in the propulsion system of one stage of the Delta rocket that got Phoenix to Mars in the first place. But dry runs with the instruments showed that they weren’t contaminated, and the shovel has spent a month scraping itself clean on various soil samples, so any contamination there should have declined significantly. Amusingly, the scientists have been giving each soil sample brought on board a nickname, so the press conference was peppered with references to “wicked witch,” “baby bear,” “rosy red,” and “sorceress.”
So, as mentioned right at the start, this was a bit of a nonannouncement. We’ve got a strong indication that perchlorate is probably present, but we’re not even positive yet, much less precisely the form it’s in. About the clearest thing that can be said about the results came from Michael Hecht, who said, “they can potentially keep a lot of graduate students busy for a very long time.”

Virus Powered Car Battery –Developed by MIT

With the help of a common virus, scientists have built a battery that rivals the state-of-the-art rechargeable models now powering personal electronics and hybrid vehicles.virusbatteryed02 thumb Virus Powered Car Battery –Developed by MIT
The hope is to replace the costly, toxic electrodes currently used in lithium-ion batteries.
The researchers modified the M13 virus, which infects only bacteria, to grow proteins on its surface that attract amorphous iron phosphate.
The result: Wires just nanometers thick of the material, which is cheaper and environmentally friendlier than ones currently used to make electrodes for lithium-ion batteries.virusbatteryed03 thumb Virus Powered Car Battery –Developed by MIT
The scientists also programmed the virus so that one end became sticky to carbon nanotubes, which are extraordinarily good conductors of electricity.
Electrons easily travel along the carbon nanotubes to the amorphous iron phosphate networks, transferring energy in a very short time.
Using these ingredients, the researchers devised coin-sized batteries comparable in performance to commercial lithium-ion batteries.
"The more genetic engineering we did, the better it got," said researcher Angela Belcher, a materials scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.virusbattery thumb Virus Powered Car Battery –Developed by MIT
Carbon nanotubes are still expensive, and researchers debate what risks they might pose to the environment. If the nanotubes become a barrier, the same process could be performed with other good electrical conductors such as silver or gold, Belcher said.
While her team is still in the early stages of its work, Belcher thinks the project could soon get "twice the power performance of what we demonstrated with this proof of principle here."

Hurricane Ike May Hit Texas with 15-Foot Storm Surge



hurricane Hurricane Ike May Hit Texas with 15 Foot Storm Surge
Shallow waters on the Gulf of Mexico’s continental shelf could worsen Hurricane Ike’s impact as it heads for the coast of Texas later this week.
Ike’s storm surge will increase as it passes from deeper water onto an underwater plateau near Texas, said Jeff Masters, director of the commercial forecasting service Weather Underground.
As of Wednesday afternoon, forecasters predicts that Ike’s center will come ashore as a powerful Category 3—with winds of 111 to 130 miles (179 to 209 kilometers) an hour—on late Friday or early Saturday.
It’s expected to hit near Rockport, a small fishing town about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Corpus Christi.
“No matter where the center makes landfall, a significant portion of the Texas coast will be affected,” said Tony Merriman, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Corpus Christi.
“There will be storm surge, coastal flooding, tornadoes in the northeast quadrant of the storm, and high winds. We’re really getting prepared for the worst and hoping for the best,” he said.
Vulnerable State
hurricane isabel2 Hurricane Ike May Hit Texas with 15 Foot Storm Surge
Earth’s continents have an underwater shelf that extends outward from their coasts. Water depth over each shelf varies, as does the distance the shelf extends into the oceans.
The water over the shelves is often shallower than 500 feet (152 meters).
A hurricane’s rotation creates a whirlpool effect with water around the storm’s center.
Deeper water can absorb the energy of that swirling water around the storm’s center so that water can flow down, dissipate, and recirculate to the surface, Weather Underground’s Masters said. This process lessens the storm’s severity.
But when the hurricane reaches a shelf, the water being forced down has nowhere to go, and that causes the water near the center to rise higher.
hurricane katrina category 5 Hurricane Ike May Hit Texas with 15 Foot Storm Surge
The water off the coast of Texas is shallow, making the state more vulnerable to strong surges, Masters said.
For instance, an unnamed hurricane that struck Texas in August 1942 was a powerful Category 3 with winds of about 115 miles (185 kilometers) an hour around its center when it was in the Gulf’s deeper waters.
A Category 3 would usually create a storm surge of about 9 to 12 feet (2.7 to 3.6) meters.
But the 1942 hurricane weakened considerably before it came ashore about halfway between Houston and Corpus Christi.
Still this hurricane pushed a storm surge of as much as 15 feet (4.6 meters), and much of that surge was caused by the shallower waters of the continental shelf—a likely scenario for Ike, Masters said.
A hurricane of that strength would normally create a storm surge of only about 4 or 5 feet (1.2 or 1.5 meters) as it made landfall.
Reenergizing
Ike diminished from a powerful Category 4 to a Category 1 when it made landfall in central Cuba earlier this week. The storm moved into the Gulf of Mexico yesterday. (Watch a video of waves crashing over buildings in Cuba.)
But the hurricane is expected to reenergize as it crosses an area of deep, warm water in the Gulf known as the Loop Current, and may reach Category 4 status with winds of 131 to 155 miles (210 to 249 kilometers) an hour.
Merriman of the National Weather Service said the forecast track for Ike is likely to change before it makes landfall.
It could end up hitting the Texas coast from Port Arthur near the Louisiana border southward to Brownsville near the U.S.-Mexico border.
But regardless of where Ike comes ashore, its storm surge is expected to inundate the low-lying barrier islands just offshore from Texas, experts said.

Space Photos This Week “Hurricane Earl”

Hurricane Earl was an atypical, short-lived Category 2 hurricane that caused moderate damage throughout the Southeast United States. It formed out of a poorly organized tropical disturbance over the southwest Gulf of Mexico late on August 31. Tracking towards the northwest, the storm quickly intensified into a hurricane on September 2 and made landfall early the next day near Panama City, Florida. Rapidly tracking towards Atlantic Canada, the extratropical remnants of Earl significantly intensified before passing over Newfoundland on September 6.
Earl is a massive hurricane barraging the east coast of the US was photographed by an astronaut aboard the space station on August 30.HurricaneEarlfromspace thumb Space Photos This Week “Hurricane Earl”
An unmanned aircraft actually flew inside the giant storm. The aircraft carrying 15HurricaneEarlfromspace thumb1 Space Photos This Week “Hurricane Earl”instruments have been flying above, below and into Earl as part the new Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes mission, or GRIP, which GRIP is designed to help improve our understanding of how hurricanes such as Earl form and intensify rapidly.

Creative Home Office 2009

Here is an interesting idea being pitched in the UK: The OfficePOD. It isn’t just a garden shed, it is a "full service system for employers to lease home offices for their employees to reduce costs, attract and retain staff, reduce CO2 emissions, increase productivity and adapt to change."
032609officepodhotornot thumb Creative Home Office 2009
Creative Home Office 2011
032609officepodhotornot thumb1 Creative Home Office 2009
When Door Closed
doorclosed thumb Creative Home Office 2009

Top 10 Amusement Parks in Asia

Universal Studios

SingaporeUniversalStudios thumb Top 10 Amusement Parks in Asia
The just-completed destination will be Singapore’s first bona fide theme park. Developers are hoping to tap into Singapore’s 4.6 million residents, 9.7 million tourists annually and its proximity to the populous areas of southern Malaysia and Indonesia. The brand-new park includes rides and shows based on television programs and movies like Battlestar GalacticaShrekMadagascarJurassic Park and The Mummy.

Everland

Seoul, South KoreaEverland thumb Top 10 Amusement Parks in Asia
One out of every six Koreans visited Everland in 2006–that’s more than 8.2 million people. A complex that also contains a zoo and a water park, it is operated by a subsidiary of Samsung Group. It boasts the largest roller coaster in the country, as well as cartoon mascots who dress up in traditional garb. There’s a sledding hill in the winter, and tulip and rose festivals are planned for when the weather warms up.

Ocean Park

Hong KongOceanPark thumb Top 10 Amusement Parks in Asia
Attracting slightly more visitors than the newer Hong Kong Disneyland, Ocean Park is sinking $750 million into a massive overhaul by 2013. Located on the south side of Hong Kong Island, it boasts four giant pandas, an aquarium, a roller coaster with a top speed of 48 miles per hour and an array of special haunted houses during Halloween. The park is popular with visitors from mainland China as well as Hong Kong’s children, and the city is planning to extend a subway line there in the coming years.

Happy Valley

Shenzhen, ChinaHappyValley thumb Top 10 Amusement Parks in Asia
Mainland China’s most popular theme park is located in southern China’s Guangdong province; it first opened in 1998. Magic, acrobatic and sports shows are performed in themed sections that include a Mayan water park, a Spanish fiesta, a gold mine and a forest. In 2008 it saw 25 million visitors. It’s owned by developer OCT Enterprise Co., which also operates parks in Chengdu, Shanghai and Beijing.

Sea World Gold Coast

Queensland, AustraliaSeaWorldGoldCoast thumb Top 10 Amusement Parks in Asia
This park boasts 30 bottlenose dolphins, Australia’s only polar bears, sharks on view through a glass-bottomed boat and a Sesame Street area for younger visitors. This wonderland of all things aquatic is right next door to Warner Bros. Movie World as well as an outback-themed park. They’re all owned by Village Roadshow, a music and movie producer and distributor and the largest theme park operator Down Under.

Sunway Lagoon

Petaling Jaya, MalaysiaSunwayLagoon thumb Top 10 Amusement Parks in Asia
The country’s biggest park, located just to the west of capital Kuala Lumpur, began operations in 1993. Its newest offerings include surfing lessons, a go-kart track and a "scream" area meant to frighten visitors. Like many of Asia’s theme parks, it has a hotel and shopping mall nearby. In recent months the park also featured performances by Ne-Yo, the Black Eyed Peas and American Idolrunner-up David Archuleta.

Essel World

Mumbai, IndiaEsselWorld thumb Top 10 Amusement Parks in Asia
Located near Gorai Beach on India’s western coast, this amusement park is set on 64 acres on an island overrun with jungle greenery and dotted with exotic birds and flowers. Ferries take visitors from one attraction to another. It boasts a mix of roller coasters and family-friendly attractions, with plenty of water rides offering a respite from Mumbai’s intense heat. Other destinations include an ice skating rink, a bowling alley and a dance floor.

Disneyland

Tokyo, JapanDisneyland thumb Top 10 Amusement Parks in Asia
With as many as 26 million visitors annually, this mega-complex is the king of Asian theme parks. Easily accessible by train from the city center, it offers attractions like Cinderella’s castle, Tomorrowland’s futuristic Space Mountain roller coaster and appearances by Minnie and Mickey Mouse. The first Disney park to be built out of the United States, it opened in 1983. A new Monsters, Inc. attraction based on the movie opened last year, and the park is planning to feature an Easter wonderland from April through June.

Dunia FantasiDuniaFantasi thumb Top 10 Amusement Parks in Asia

Jakarta, Indonesia
Located along a stretch of waterfront in Indonesia’s most densely populated area, this park is divided into themed areas named after geographic locations. This year, management plans to add an e
lephant parade, a free-fall ride and an attraction based on the book and movie Journey to the Center of the Earth. The name of the park means Fantasy Land in Bahasa.

Lac Canh Dai Nam Van Hien

Ho Chi Minh City, VietnamLacCanhDaiNamVanHien thumb Top 10 Amusement Parks in Asia
The $219-million, 110-acre complex opened its doors in 2008 after nine years of construction. Highlights include a golden temple, a water park, a zoo and the biggest man-made mountain in Vietnam. It’s cheap too. Admission is only 40,000 dong, or just over $2, with additional charges for some of the attractions.(Source)