Cricket Frenzy grips India

India’s Cricket World Cup final against Sri Lanka tomorrow in Mumbai has created a thriving black market with tickets selling for as much as $10,000 each.

One fan, said he’s sold 10 seats through a website for 65,000 rupees ($1,460) each, including one to a supporter from Canada. The day before, tickets were being sold for 45,000 rupees, a price that climbed to 100,000 rupees, he said. The face value of the tickets in the Sachin Tendulkar

Battery running on water: What next !!!!!!!!!

A battery that takes advantage of the difference in salinity between freshwater and seawater to produce electricity has been developed by Stanford researchers. Anywhere freshwater enters the sea, such as river mouths or estuaries, could be potential sites for a power plant using such a battery,

Aus V/s Ind: Quarterfinals..... What a match!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my God! What a match it was! I am not going in the details of the match or telling you the scorecard as everbody knows what happened.I just want to talk about the sheer excitement that match had generated in India & I am sure it was the same in Australia & in all the other cricket playing countries.

Tendulkar V/s Ponting for the last time in world cup.

Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting will be centre stage Thursday as India and Australia clash in a World Cup quarter-final blockbuster where defeat could have shattering consequences for both men.

Tendulkar needs one more century to complete a hundred international tons while a victory for Ponting will take his side closer to a fourth successive world title.

But with Tendulkar 38 years old, and Ponting already 36, defeat will likely signal the end of both men's World Cup careers and this will be the last time they will play gainst each other in World cup.

Japan:Minute's Silence To Mark Disaster

Japan has held a minute's silence to mark exactly one week since the country was hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami.

It comes as the crisis at the Fukushima 1 nuclear plant continues with emergency crews attempting to reconnect electricity to its cooling systems as four reactors continue to overheat.

Four of the facility's six reactor units have seen fires,

Japan Nuclear Crisis: Water Spraying operation

Japanese authorities on Thursday launched an urgent attempt to avert a nuclear disaster by air, but initial attempts to drop tons of water at the quake-ravaged Fukushima Daiichi plant appeared to do little to lower potentially perilous

Japan: Crisis worsens

Workers  Withdrawn from nuclear site

  Workers were ordered to withdraw briefly from a stricken Japanese nuclear power plant on Wednesday after radiation levels surged,  a development that suggested the crisis was spiralling out of control

Japan: Fourth Explosion

With a fourth explosion rocking the Fukushima nuclear facility on Tuesday and radiation levels at the facility gate increasing hundredfold, fears of a meltdown in Japan dramatically increase.

­In his televised address on Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced that radiation had spread from the three damaged reactors in the Fukushima nuclear plant. A no-fly zone has been imposed over the nuclear plant. The prime minister has also asked people living within 30 kilometers of the Fukushima complex to stay indoors to avoid potential health risks from radiation.

Japan: third explosion at Fukushima

A third explosion in four days rocked the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in northeast Japan early Tuesday, the country's nuclear safety agency said.

The blast at Dai-ichi Unit 2 followed two hydrogen explosions at the plant — the latest on Monday — as authorities struggle to prevent the catastrophic release of radiation in the area devastated by a tsunami.

After effects of Tsunami

Japan has declared a state of emergency at two nuclear power plants, as officials try to confirm whether a reactor has gone into meltdown.

Cooling systems inside several reactors at the Fukushima 1 and 2 power plants stopped working after Friday's earthquake damaged power supplies.
Huge pressure has been building up and a small amount of radiation has been released from one of the reactors.

ANYTHING ON EARTH!!!!!!!!!: Tsunami in japan

ANYTHING ON EARTH!!!!!!!!!: Tsunami in japan

Tsunami in japan

A massive earthquake has hit the north-east of Japan, triggering a tsunami that has caused extensive damage.

Japanese television showed cars, ships and even buildings being swept away by a vast wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake.
The quake has sparked fires in several areas including Tokyo. At least 32 people were killed, officials said.
It struck about 250 miles (400km) from the capital at a depth of 20 miles. There have been powerful aftershocks.
The tremor, measured at 8.9 by the US Geological Survey, hit at 1446 local time (0546 GMT). Seismologists say it is one of the largest earthquakes to hit Japan for many years.

A tsunami warning was extended across the Pacific to New Zealand in the south and North and South America to the east.

The Red Cross in Geneva warned that the tsunami waves could be higher than some Pacific islands, Reuters news agency said.
Coastal areas in the Philippines, Hawaii and other Pacific islands were evacuated ahead of the tsunami's expected arrival.
Wall of water Strong waves hit Japan's Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, officials said, damaging dozens of coastal communities. Kyodo news agency said a 10-metre wave (33ft) struck the port of Sendai in Miyagi prefecture.
Japan's NHK television showed a massive surge of debris-filled water sweeping away buildings, cars and ships and reaching far inland.
Motorists could be seen trying to speed away from the wall of water.

Farmland around Sendai was submerged and the waves pushed cars across the runway of the city's airport. Fires broke out in the city's centre.

Another fire was reported to be burning in the turbine building of the Onagawa nuclear plant in Miyagi prefecture.
The UN's nuclear agency said four nuclear power plants had shut down safely. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said there had been no radiation leaks.
Police and local officials said at least 32 people had been killed in the earthquake and tsunami. It is believed the death toll could rise significantly.
In Iwate prefecture, also near the epicentre, an official said it was difficult to gauge the extent of the destruction.
"Roads were badly damaged and cut off as [the] tsunami washed away debris, cars and many other things," said Hiroshi Sato, a disaster management official in Iwate.
'Seasick' The earthquake also triggered a massive blaze at an oil refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo, engulfing storage tanks.
There were reports of about 20 people injured in Tokyo after the roof of a hall collapsed on to a graduation ceremony.
Residents and workers in Tokyo rushed out of apartment buildings and office blocks and gathered in parks and open spaces as aftershocks continued to hit.
Many people in Tokyo said they had never felt such a powerful earthquake.
In central Tokyo, Jeffrey Balanag said he was stuck in his office in the Shiodome Sumitomo building because the elevators had stopped working.
"There's no panic but we're almost seasick from the constant rolling of the building," he told the BBC.
Bullet train services to northern Japan were halted and rapid transit in Tokyo was suspended, stranding many workers in the city centre.
About four million homes in Tokyo suffered power outages.

In a televised address, Prime Minister Naoto Kan extended his sympathy to the victims of the disaster and said an emergency response headquarters had been set up.

Ayodhya :Verdict tomorrow

The Supreme Court  rejected the plea to defer the verdict in the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri masjid title suit slated to be delivered by the Lucknow bench of the Allahahad high court.

Hearing the special leave petition filed by retired bureaucrat Ramesh Chand Tripathi seeking deferment of the verdict to explore the possibility of an out-of-court settlement, a Supreme Court Special Bench comprising Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia and Justices Aftab Alam and K S Radhakrishnan decided to reject the plea.

Earlier, Attorney General G E Vahanvati, appearing before a three-judge special bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia, said the most preferred solution to the problem would be a settlement, but it has not taken place and the uncertainty which is prevailing should not be allowed to continue.

"Settlement, if any possible, we welcome it but we do not want any uncertainty," he told the bench which reserved judgment for 2 pm after two hours of arguments from various parties.

Ayodhya Down the years

The disputed Ramjanmbhoomi-Babri mosque site has been contentious for over a hundred years now.

The property dispute, or the title suit, went to court in 1949, soon after the idols of Ram and Sita were placed there. Today, the Supreme Court will decide whether the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court should pronounce verdict in the 60-year-old case just yet.

Chief Justice of India, SH Kapadia, along with Justice Aftab Alam and Justice KS Radhakrishnan will decide on petitioner Ramesh Chandra Tripathi's plea to defer the verdict.

The High Court bench is to decide who the land belongs to and what stood here first, a temple or a mosque. One side in the legal battle claims that this has been a mosque for 400 years. The other side says an ancient temple was demolished to build that mosque. They say this is the birthplace of Lord Ram

Ayodhya case

Supreme Court will hear today a petition that will decide whether the High Court of Allahabad should defer or not the delivery its judgement on one of the longest running title disputes.

A three judge bench, comprising of Chief Justice of India S. H. Kapadia, Justice Aftab Alam and Justice K. S. Radhakrishnan, has been formed for today's hearing. The Attorney General of India has also been asked by the court to be present on behalf of the Government of India.

Earlier this month, the High Court of Allahabad had announced that it was ready to pronouce its judgement in Ram Janma Bhoomi - Babri Masjid title suit, and set 23-Sept-2010 as the judgement day.

Looking into the sensitivity of this case the central government had sounded a general security alert, leaders have been since moving around asking the people to maintain their calm. Bulk SMS and MMS services have been banned throughout the country.

A significant factor to be considered in today's relevance is that one of the judges on the bench hearing the title suit in the High Court is due to retire this month end and could have a delaying impact if the judgement is not pronounced before 1 October 2010.

Indian Independence day

On August 15th as India celebrates its 63rd independence day,

"At stroke of midnight, on 15 August 1947, India became an independent nation." This was preceded by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's famous speech titled Tryst with destiny.


At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance..... We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself again.

If we are unable to quote our first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's speech in verbatim, the gist of comprehending this speech can surely ignite a strong passion of patriotism. Not many of us, young Indians have ever bothered brushing up on our old, dusty pages on books of Indian history, for their lies a world so different from modern India soaked with unspoken figures of deaths of innumerable Indians who died for our sake in the hands of our oppressors so that we can lead the plush, comfortable lives of luxury that we are now living. However, not many of us even realize that our country , India, is the greatest model to world and the first country ever to win independence through non-violence under the able leadership of the charismatic leader of our time, Mahatma Gandhiji.

Our Indian history like our vibrant culture of so many diversities in terms of religion, culture and traditional values can be a large canvass to depict our origins which has provided accommodation to change like no other country in this world. No country in the world can boast of such a cultural amalgamation.

The Day of Indian Independence is a day of celebration for every Indian to commemorate our jubilant victory over the British who ruled our country for nearly three centuries. It is to this success that every Indian stands up, chin held up with pride and salutes one another Jai Hind to mark 59th anniversary of Indian victory.

Space In Pictures: Rho Ophiuchus

Space In Pictures: Rho Ophiuchus

A symbol for indian rupee

Finally, the Rupee has a symbol like other major global currencies!

In a historic event, a five-member jury set up to finalise symbol for the rupee selected the design presented by IIT-ian D Udaya Kumar.

The Union Cabinet approved the symbol on Thursday noon. The Indian rupee is now the fifth currency in the world to have a distinct identity. The rupee will join the elite club of US dollar, British pound-sterling, Euro and Japanese yen to have its own symbol.

A proud D Udaya Kumar said: "My design is based on the Tricolour, with two lines at the top and white space in between. I wanted the symbol for the Rupee to represent the Indian flag. It is a perfect blend of Indian and Roman letters: a capital 'R', and Devanagari 'ra', which represent rupiya, to appeal to international and Indian audiences."

"I worked on it for few months and made numerous designs. Finally, I shortlisted 8 to 10 designs and then refined them further till I got this one," he said.

"I will be joining the design department at IIT-Guwahati on Friday, and am overwhelmed by the response so far. My phone has not stopped ringing since morning," he added.

Meanwhile, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said after the Cabinet meeting in Delhi on Thursday that the symbol will be printed or embossed on currency notes and coins.

Soni said that the government will try that the symbol is adopted within six months in the country and globally within 18 to 24 months.

The symbol will feature on computer key boards and software so that it can be printed and displayed in electronic and print, she said.

Soni said it would also help in distinguishing the Indian currency from rupee or rupiah of countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

Paul the Psychic Octopus

We’re sad and yet glad that the World Cup is over. Sad because it was fun and exciting and we actually hung out more with friends than we have in months because we were always getting together to watch the game, and sharing it with pals worldwide through Twitter. Although the Netherlands-Spain final was the kind of shitty game that makes people who don’t like soccer continue to not like soccer, it wasn’t representative of the tourney as a whole. Sad because there was so much to see and ponder in “the beautiful game.”

But we’re also glad because things that are fun and exciting are the most fun and exciting when they come and go and leave you wanting more.

Of course, the breakout star of the Cup was not Ronaldo or Kaka or Messi but an unassuming mollusk whose psychic powers amazed the world. Yes, it was Paul The Psychic Octopus whose stunning 8-for-8 predictions have left scientists and sports fans reeling with questions regarding cephalopod intelligence, the possibilities of psychic powers, and tentacled understanding of the passing game and the offsides rule.

Housed in a German zoo, Paul correctly predicted all of the German team’s results — including their losses to Serbia and Spain — and Spain’s win over the Netherlands. His method of communicating his predictions to his keepers was a bit unorthodox — Paul would choose a tasty bit of oyster from one of two boxes, each adorned with the flags of the competing teams in each contest — but it worked. He surpassed the efforts of other would-be animal seers at the same zoo: Petty the pygmy hippo, Leon the porcupine and Anton the tamarin monkey all picked wrong in other games. A South American dolphin named Sayco announced his pick and the headline “Dolphin favors Argentina” but we all know how that turned out. Paul’s biggest rival, Mani the Parakeet, picked the Dutch squad in the final.

No, it was Paul who made headlines this time out — but his terrific run in the World Cup followed a lesser performance in the 2008 European Cup where he incorrectly picked Germany to beat Spain in the final.

So how did Paul do it? Octopi have the largest brain of any mollusk, and the limits of their brain capacity are still being studied — they can learn, use tools and recognize complicated patterns and devise cunning strategies for getting food. But they are color blind, leading skeptics to say Paul’s picks were base on the varying attractiveness of the national flags. Since there were only two choices, most say Paul’s picks are the result of random chance, like flipping a coin. But even octopus experts can’t say with certainty what really happened:

The flying car

If you are dreaming of a car that can also fly in case of traffic jams, it could soon come true as the United States aviation authority has given its green signal for the commercial production of such a vehicle.
The vehicle 'Terrafugia Transition' is a two-seater car that can convert from road to air in less than a minute, without the driver leaving the vehicle.
Developed by former NASA engineers and built by a small American company from Massachusetts, Terrafugia Inc, the vehicle can travel at speeds of up to 90 mph in car mode with its wings folded.
The wings then unfold for flight mode in which it can cruise at a speed of 115 mph for up to 500 miles on a tank of unleaded gasoline, the Telegraph reported.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted the Transition an exemption -- allowing it to be classified as a 'light sport aircraft' despite being 120 pound over the limit.
The 'roadable aircraft', which is powered by the same 100-bhp engine whether it is on the ground or in the air, will require a 'Sport Pilot license' to fly.
It can take off or land at any public use general aviation airport with at least 2,500 feet of runway.
According to its manufacturer, one of the major advantages of the Transition over ordinary light aircraft is safety, as in the event of inclement weather, it can simply drive home instead of either being grounded or flying in unsafe conditions.
With a deposit money of $10,000 (Rs 460,000), nearly 70 people have already booked the car which is expected to cost $194,000 (about Rs 90 lakh), the company said.
Founded in 2006 by award-winning Massachusetts Institute of Technology-trained aeronautical engineers and management whizkids, Terrafugia is a company with a mission: to provide innovative solutions to the challenges facing personal aviation.
The result: the Transition Roadable Aircraft.

Its unique design allows the Transition to fold its wings and drive on any surface road with a modern personal airplane platform.
Once at the airport, the wings extend and the aircraft is ready.
Powered testing of the Proof of Concept has been ongoing since the second half of 2008.
Construction, testing and certification of the Production Prototype will follow completion of the Proof of Concept's testing programme.

To date, Terrafugia remains privately funded by a group of accredited individual investors.
The company is based just outside Boston in Woburn, Massachusetts, USA.
Performance

• Cruise: 100 kts (115 mph)
• Rotate: 70 kts (80 mph)
• Fuel burn: 5 gph (gallons per hour)
• Fuel tank: 20 gallons
• Useful load: 430 lbs
• On road: 30 miles per gallon, highway speeds
• Light Sport Aircraft (LSA)

1 US gallon = 3.78 litres
Convenience

• Front wheel drive on the ground
• Automotive-style entry and exit
• Automated electromechanical folding wing
• No trailer or hangar needed
• Cargo area holds skis, fishing poles or golf clubs

Safety

• Drive in case of inclement weather
• Proven 100 hp Rotax 912S engine
• Full vehicle parachute available
• Modern glass avionics
• Automotive crash safety features

Dimensions
Folded:

• 6 feet 9 inches tall
• 6 feet 8 inches wide
• 18 feet 9 inches long

Airplane:

• 6 feet 3 inches tall
• 19 feet 2 inches long

Wingspan:

• 27 fee 6 inches

Cockpit:

• 51 inches at the shoulder

Terrafugia Transition can take off or land at any public use general aviation airport with at least 2,500 feet of runway.
On the ground, the Transition can be driven on any road and parked in a standard parking space or household garage. Once on the ground, with the wings folded, the vehicle can be driven on any road.
The Transition is powered by a certified aircraft engine that runs on unleaded automotive gasoline. Perfect for trips between 100 and 500 miles, the Transition is not designed to replace anyone's automobile.
After landing, the pilot activates the electro-mechanical wing folding mechanism from inside the cockpit.
The wings fold, once at the root and once at the mid-span, and are stowed vertically on the sides of the vehicle in less than 30 seconds.
Simultaneously, the engine power is directed to the front wheels with a continuously variable transmission.
Before flying, the pilot extends the wings and performs a standard preflight. The engine power is directed to the propeller for flight through a carbon fibre drive shaft.
If bad weather is encountered en route, the pilot can land and drive without worrying about ground transportation.
At the destination airport the pilot can fold the wings and drive off the airfield without having to move bags or arrange for additional transportation.

Driving and flying can be combined between multiple airports as it is not necessary to take off and land at the same field.