Solar Eclipse Alert!

Some amazing facts about Solar Eclipse

Witnessing a Solar or lunar eclipse is always a very stunning experience for those who love to see miracles. By the Way how many of you have witnessed the most recent Solar Eclipse which occurred yesterday on May 20, 2012? Have you ever thought how this rare phenomenon occurs? Let us put some light on it.
What is Solar Eclipse:
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes between the earth and sun while revolving, and blocks the sun partially or fully. It occurs only on new moon and it blocks the light of sun to reach the earth. In fact, the moon and the sun are in conjunction as seen from the earth so the sun is completely invisible. The moon does not have its own light because it relies on Sun’s light reflected by earth, so it becomes dark during this whole process.


Eclipse types
Total Eclipse: When the sun is completely hidden behind the moon leaving a solar corona behind that is visible to naked eye.

Image credit: Flickr maaco

Annular Eclipse: When the sun and the moon are in line but size of the moon is a bit smaller than the sun so it forms a bright ring around the sun.
Hybrid Eclipse: In fact, it is a combination of annular and total eclipse because at some specific points on earth it’s been observed as annular eclipse while on other points it is observed as the total eclipse.
Partial Eclipse: When the sun and the moon are not exactly in line and the Sun is partially hidden behind the Moon. This is the most observed type of Solar eclipse as it is witnessed in many areas even during the total and annular eclipses.
And now some amazing facts about the Solar Eclipse that one must know.
1) During a total Solar Eclipse, the temperature of the places where it is being witnessed, can be dropped by 20 degrees are more.
2) North Pole and South Pole are the only places where the Total Solar Eclipse cannot be observed but the partial solar eclipse.
3) The longest recorded duration of a total solar eclipse is about 7.5 minutes.
4) Annually, minimum 2 and maximum 5 solar eclipses can be observed on the Earth.
5) According to many astronomers, the time during the Eclipse period is considered inauspicious and they ask people to not to take baths, lunch and sleep during the eclipse.

Iron Man 3 trailer: A Deep Dive

Image Credit: Marvel/Disney

Marvel released a new trailer for Iron Man 3 today that is positively brimming with new stuff: New scenes, new mysteries, a surprisingly new tone of dark romanticism. (You can watch the trailer here.) The film marks the official beginning of Marvel’s Phase 2, which also means that it marks the official beginning of “The Phase Where Marvel Has To Prove These Solo Movies Are Just As Good As Avengers.” Let’s take a closer look at the trailer and see what we can uncover, shall we?

 The trailer focuses lots of attention on Tony’s relationship to lady love Pepper Potts. The two had a nice sparkly Hepburn-Tracy chemistry in the first couple movies, but it’s clear that Iron Man 3 takes their relationship very seriously. Obviously, nothing can go wrong!

  A close-up on her necklace. THEORY: At some point in Iron Man 3, Iron Man will walk through a destroyed building, discover this necklace, hold it up in the air, and say “Noooooooo!” Or maybe “Pepperrrrrr!” Or possibly “Goooooooooop!“

Dennis Rodman calls Kim Jong-un 'a great guy' and defends North Korea trip

Former NBA star says Kim is waiting for Obama's call as ABC host George Stephanopoulos presses on human rights violations

 here is the video link:

http://abcnews.go.com/video


'You know, he's a good guy to me. Guess what? He's my friend,' Rodman said of Kim.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un wants President Barack Obama to pick up the phone and "call him", according to go-between and newfound friend to the isolated Asian nation, former NBA star Dennis Rodman.
The colourful former Chicago Bulls player appeared on ABC's This Week on Sunday to discuss his recent visit to Pyongyang, during which he seen laughing, drinking and generally being friendly with a man held up by human rights groups as a tyrant behind one of the most repressive regimes in the world.
But a different picture was painted by Rodman. "He's a great guy," the retired Hall of Fame player said of the dictator.
It echoed immediate comments to reporters on Thursday following the somewhat bizarre unofficial diplomatic mission, during which Rodman was accompanied by the Harlem Globetrotters, reporters from the magazine Vice and a film crew.
"I love him. He's awesome," Rodman said of Kim – comments that were immediately attacked by those who tend to focus on North Korea's human rights record.
But speaking Sunday, Rodman refused to backtrack from his assessment.
"You know, he's a good guy to me. Guess what? He's my friend. I don't condone what he does … [but] as a person to person – he's my friend," he told This Week.
Moreover, he had arrived back to the US with a message from Kim.
"He wants Obama to do one thing: call him," Rodman told host George Stephanopoulos, adding: "He said: 'If you can, Dennis – I don't want [to] do war. I don't want to do war.' He said that to me."
Dressed in sunglasses and a garish dollar bill suit, the former athlete even thinks that the two leaders have common ground.
"[Kim] loves basketball. And I said the same thing, I said: 'Obama loves basketball.' Let's start there."
Given that the two leaders differ on most other things – including the not-so-small matter of nuclear missile testing – it is unlikely that basketball diplomacy will yield similar results to the ping-pong variety that contributed to the thawing of Sino-American relations and a visit by Richard Nixon to China in 1972.
But having become the most high-profile American to have visited North Korea in some time, Rodman said he intended to return to the country soon.
In a parting shot, Stephanopoulos handed the former basketball player a copy of a Human Rights Watch's report on North Korea, pointing out references to prison camps and the plight of millions of starving citizens.
"Maybe ask some questions about that," the This Week host suggested for the next get-together with Kim.
"Don't hate me," was Rodman's response.

Richard III: Facial reconstruction shows king's features

The unveiling of the reconstruction was attended by Michael Ibsen, Richard's 17th generation nephew, who also provided DNA for tests on the bones

 

 

 

 

A facial reconstruction based on the skull of Richard III has revealed how the English king may have looked.

The king's skeleton was found under a car park in Leicester during an archaeological dig.
The reconstructed face has a slightly arched nose and prominent chin, similar to features shown in portraits of Richard III painted after his death.
Historian and author John Ashdown-Hill said seeing it was "almost like being face to face with a real person".
The development comes after archaeologists from the University of Leicester confirmed the skeleton found last year was the 15th Century king's, with DNA from the bones having matched that of descendants of the monarch's family.
'Very handsome' Richard was killed in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, at the age of 32 and after just two years on the throne, having been challenged by the forces of Henry Tudor, the future Henry VII.

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 'Very handsome'
Richard was killed in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, at the age of 32 and after just two years on the throne, having been challenged by the forces of Henry Tudor, the future Henry VII.

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• Interactive: Twisted bones reveal a king

Dr Ashdown-Hill, who wrote The Last Days of Richard III, said: "The most obvious features in portraits are the shape of the nose and the chin and both of those are visible in the facial reconstruction."

Richard III Society member Philippa Langley, originator of the search, said on a Channel 4 documentary earlier: "It doesn't look like the face of a tyrant. I'm sorry but it doesn't.
"He's very handsome. It's like you could just talk to him, have a conversation with him right now."
Layers of muscle and skin were added by computer to a scan of the skull and the result was made into a three-dimensional plastic model.
Dr Ashdown-Hill said: "I had said previously that when I stood by the grave in Leicester that I felt closer to Richard III than I had ever been, but when I saw the facial reconstruction I realised I had been close to a dead Richard III.
"It was just bones, just a body, whereas confronting a facial reconstruction, I felt almost in the presence of a living Richard III."

'Humped backs'
The reconstruction is particularly important because there are no surviving contemporary portraits of Richard III.
Dr Ashdown-Hill said: "All the surviving portraits of him - even the very later ones with humped backs and things which were obviously later additions - facially are quite similar [to each other] so it has always been assumed that they were based on a contemporary portrait painted in his lifetime or possibly several portraits painted in his lifetime."
The Richard III Society officially unveiled the reconstruction on Tuesday morning, at the Society of Antiquaries in London.
It is expected the reconstruction will be put on public display in future.

Richard III died aged 32 in the Battle of Bosworth

 

 

 

Experts from the University of Leicester said DNA from the skeleton matches that of a descendant of Richard III's family.
Dr Ashdown-Hill said: "We weren't certain whether the body was Richard III so the facial reconstruction - particularly if it hadn't been possible to get DNA from the bones - might have been an additional piece of evidence, and still is."
Caroline Wilkinson, professor of craniofacial identification at the University of Dundee, said: "It was a great privilege to be able to analyse a skull thought to be Richard III.
"The facial reconstruction was produced on the assumption that the remains were unknown and portraits of Richard III were not used as reference.
"When the 3D digital bust was complete it was replicated in plastic using a rapid prototyping system and this was painted, prosthetic eyes added and dressed with a wig, hat and clothing."
Prof Wilkinson said the Dundee team artist, Janice Aitken, only used the portraits of Richard III at this stage as reference for hair style and colour, eye colour, skin colour and clothing.
The team estimated the end result was as accurate as possible.
"Our facial reconstruction methods have been blind tested many times using living subjects and we know that we can expect that approximately 70% of the facial surface should have less than 2mm of error," said Prof Wilkinson.

The^^ renegades^^

the truth about cat and dog XD

Why women love guys with beards

Like it when your man has a little facial scruff? According to new research, it could be because it makes him look like a total badass.

A new study published in the journal Behavioral Ecology found that guys appear more intimidating to other dudes when they have beards. Researchers found it has something to do with the way it makes his jaw look-a beard makes a guy's jawline look bigger, which can make him seem more aggressive when he's upset than a guy with a clean-shaven face. (Interestingly enough, the look doesn't intimidate women at all.)


Related: Can you ever be 'just friends' with a guy?


On the flip side, other studies have shown that people think bearded guys seem more intelligent, confident, and mature-it's just when a guy gets angry that he looks intimidating.

So basically, if you want your guy to seem really smart and confident, and like he won't take crap from anyone, encourage him to grow a beard. Sounds like a win-win to us.

Nintendo Boss Declares Wii U The Start Of The Next Console Generation

The Wii U is not the last of the first wave of high-def consoles that began with 2005′s Xbox 360 and 2006′s PlayStation 3, according to Reggie Fils-Aime. It’s the first of what comes next.
“This is absolutely the beginning of a new generation,” Fils-Aime told me during a quick interview late Saturday night, just minutes before the official launch of Nintendo’s sixth home console. “With the innovation we’re bringing to bear, with the social community we’re bringing to bear, [and] with the video entertainment we’re bringing to bear, I think this is the start of a new generation. I think those who say otherwise are clearly trying to preserve sales on their current hardware. This is definitely the start of a new day.”
Those who beg to differ may wind up caught in semantics or in an un-winnable argument about whether a Wii U, destined to be vastly out-powered by the next PlayStation and Xbox as soon as late next year, is really the beginning a new gen. But it’s undeniable that Wii U is a new chapter for Nintendo and, as with any new console, a big risk.
It’s a risk for Nintendo to produce an interesting, unusual machine that adds a six-inch touch screen to the standard twin-stick controller.
It’s a risk for gamers who, every time there’s a new piece of hardware out, have to decide whether to spend a few hundred dollars investing in its future.

Fils-Aime: “This is definitely the start of a new day.”

Fils-Aime believes there are a great variety of games for people to choose from, which he thinks should compel them to pick up the console. He boasted on Saturday night of having 29 packaged games hitting stores, with a promise to get 50 games out through the end of March — the close of the console’s “launch window.” Among the forthcoming games announced for that window are Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101 and Lego City Undercover. “I think we will continue to surprise the fans with announcements and information,” Fils-Aime said. “I would not go so far as to say you know everything in our launch window.”
It is, of course, necessary to convince gamers that the system will be around and have good game support for a long time. Nintendo’s own Zelda and Mario creations are guaranteed. It’s third-party games, which have shown up in abundance at launch, that are not ensured to be there in the months and years to come. Fils-Aime thinks those games will be there, now that there’s a Nintendo console that supports HD graphics and complex online play and communities. The original Wii lacked those things.
But some major upcoming third-party games for the first half of 2013 are not on the Wii U release calendar. There’s no BioShock Infinite and no Grand Theft Auto V, which are slated for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Fils-Aime deflected a question about those two games, which are published by Take Two, suggesting they were too far off in the future to be discussing on launch night. “We’re gratified when we read comments from companies like Take Two,” he said. “We’re gratified when we’re inspiring the world’s best developers to put content on our system.”
Some Wii U versions of games released on other platforms have good bonus features. Assassin’s Creed III and Mass Effect 3 both put the game’s map on the Wii U controller’s big six-inch screen. The latter also lets players pick weapons and powers without pausing or slowing the game’s action. But if Wii U versions lack elements of these games that are on other platforms, players might hesitate on getting the Nintendo console edition of the game. Who’s to blame? Nintendo? The game-maker? Or is this just a matter of imperfect launch-day ports, something that’s been an issue for just about every new console ever? For example, there had been rumblings — confirmed since then — that a Wii U version of Mass Effect 3 might not have the next downloadable content that the PS3/360 versions of the game will have. “We have no policy limitation on DLC or on business model for third party publishers,” Fils-Aime said, implying that any DLC would be welcome on the console. A rep for Mass Effect 3 development studio Bioware did not reply yet to a request for comment about why the Wii U version won’t get the game’s next expansion.
On the day after Fils-Aime and I spoke, the Wii U’s online services ran into problems. Its new social network, Miiverse, kept going offline. Even when it was up, Miiverse’s integration into Nintendo’s own games was only operating sporadically. As of this writing, things seem better again, but it’s just these kinds of issues that can worry a new consumer.
On Saturday night I’d asked Fils-Aime if potential Wii U buyers should worry about the delay of the much-hyped Nintendo TVii service from launch to December. In the US, that service is supposed to integrate a user’s Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime and even cable feeds into one on-demand video-viewing portal. The Nintendo president was proud to point out that Netflix was available on day one on the Wii U but shared this answer about the TVii delay. “People should not be concerned about it at all,” he said. “The fact that we are now launching it in December reinforces some key truisms about Nintendo: We launch a product when it is in perfect in our eyes, not just because a certain date in the calendar has come up. Probably any other company would have launched it tonight.”

Fils-Aime: “We launch a product when it is in perfect in our eyes, not just because a certain date in the calendar has come up.”

That promise of delivering perfection reads differently after a Sunday of Miiverse service problems on the heels of a shockingly large day-one firmware update that was required to access five of the 11 Wii U features advertised on the console’s box.
Fils-Aime declined to say specifically what problems had kept TVii from debuting on launch but promised the service would be high-quality when it launches.
The Wii U is an ambitious console. Nintendo is launching a new console, a new type of game controller and a complicated new online service that includes a new online store and a new social network. Things can’t possibly go perfectly. It can’t all be rosy. It can be, however, the start of a new era, if not for gaming then for Nintendo. Say this is the beginning of a new generation? Sure. Let’s hope it’s a good one and let’s hope Nintendo can deliver on what they’ve promised.