World Speed Record Set by 100% Electric Airplane

World Speed Record Set by 100% Electric Airplane

On Wednesday, June 10, a NASA astronaut from Italy, Maurizio Cheli, set a world record for piloting the fully electric SkySpark. The flight lasted for eight-minute at the World Air Games 2009 in Turin, Italy. Maurizio Cheli hit a top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h). That’s a record speed for a 100-percent electrically powered aircraft.

               This hydrogen fueled aircraft is equipped with a liquid-cooled Valentino synchronous motor by Sicme Motori. The project had been underway since September of 2007. Nonetheless SkySpark simply considers it an intermediate goal for the plane. They think that the aircraft can achieve the speed of 186 mph (300 km/h). While the development of hydrogen aircrafts are still in its nascent phase and this speed is barely significant when compared to some conventional planes, the future might still be bright. The SkySpark team is hopeful of improving the plane’s performance. Using a “hydrogen fuel cells powered engine,” they plan to increase the planes range as well as speed.

             Sky Spark, set a new milestone in the field of greener aviation which took the sky for the first time on June 10. SkySpark is the 100% electricity-powered airplane. When it touched the speed of 250 km/h it was considered a world record. The airplane is particularly built upon Pioneer Alpi 300. SkySpark is powered by a 75KW brushless electric motor fueled by a range of lithium-polymer batteries. The team that developed the SkySpark is aiming for better range and more speed using engine technology that runs on hydrogen fuel cells. The project is jointly taken by DigiSky and Turin Polytechnic University. DigiSky is an Italian engineering company specializing in aeronautical applications.

Amazon a gift to Mankind

Amazon Forest

• The Amazon Rainforest covers over a billion acres, encompassing areas in Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia and the Eastern Andean region of Ecuador and Peru. If Amazonia were a country, it would be the ninth largest in the world.
• The Amazon Rainforest has been described as the "Lungs of our Planet" because it provides the essential environmental world service of continuously recycling carbon dioxide into oxygen. More than 20 percent of the world oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest.
• More than half of the world's estimated 10 million species of plants, animals and insects live in the tropical rainforests. One-fifth of the world's fresh water is in the Amazon Basin.
• One hectare (2.47 acres) may contain over 750 types of trees and 1500 species of higher plants.
• At least 80% of the developed world's diet originated in the tropical rainforest. Its bountiful gifts to the world include fruits like avocados, coconuts, figs, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, bananas, guavas, pineapples, mangos and tomatoes; vegetables including corn, potatoes, rice, winter squash and yams; spices like black pepper, cayenne, chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, sugar cane, tumeric, coffee and vanilla and nuts including Brazil nuts and cashews.

At least 3000 fruits are found in the rainforests; of these only 200 are now in use in the Western World. The Indians of the rainforest use over 2,000.

Rainforest plants are rich in secondary metabolites, particularly alkaloids. Biochemists believe alkaloids protect plants from disease and insect attacks. Many alkaloids from higher plants have proven to be of medicinal value and benefit.

Currently, 121 prescription drugs currently sold worldwide come from plant-derived sources. And while 25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients, less than 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists.

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has identified 3000 plants that are active against cancer cells. 70% of these plants are found in the rainforest. Twenty-five percent of the active ingredients in today's cancer-fighting drugs come from organisms found only in the rainforest.

Vincristine, extracted from the rainforest plant, periwinkle, is one of the world's most powerful anticancer drugs. It has dramatically increased the survival rate for acute childhood leukemia since its discovery.

In 1983, there were no U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturers involved in research programs to discover new drugs or cures from plants. Today, over 100 pharmaceutical companies and several branches of the US government, including giants like Merck and The National Cancer Institute, are engaged in plant research projects for possible drugs and cures for viruses, infections, cancer, and even AIDS.

History of Google

 

Everyone knows the name Google. Whether young or old, computer smart or not this name will pop up in any conversation about computers. Google has created some very impressive milestones of its time and continues to grow rapidly every day.  It all started when Larry Page and Sergey Brin met in Stanford. Larry was 22 and a graduate of University of Michigan was there considering attending the school. And low and behold Sergey, who was 21, was there to show him around. Talk about a match made in heaven!                In 1996, now firm friends and both of them computer science grad students, began developing a search engine called BackRub. This search engine had operated on Stanford servers for just a little over a year when it started taking up to much bandwidth to suite Stanford. So they decided to switch servers and renamed the search engine in 1997, calling it Google. The name comes from a mathematical term for the number 1 followed by 100 zero’s. The use of the term reflects their mission to organize a seemingly infinite amount of information on the web. Much more to be posted in future .........

Egyptian Pyramids

Kings of the Dead

Ancient Egyptians believed that when the pharaoh died, he became Osiris, king of the dead. The new pharaoh became Horus, god of the heavens and protector of the sun god. This cycle was symbolized by the rising and setting of the sun.

Some part of a dead pharaoh's spirit, called his ka, was believed to remain with his body. And it was thought that if the corpse did not have proper care, the former pharaoh would not be able to carry out his new duties as king of the dead. If this happened, the cycle would be broken and disaster would befall Egypt.

To prevent such a catastrophe, each dead pharaoh was mummified, which preserved his body. Everything the king would need in his afterlife was provided in his grave—vessels made of clay, stone, and gold, furniture, food, even doll-like representations of servants, known as ushabti. His body would continue to receive food offerings long after his death.

Besides the beauty and mystery regarding the construction of the Egyptian pyramids, there are also a number of interesting facts about Egyptian pyramids. King Khufu's great pyramid is the largest pyramid. It is well known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, standing at an impressive 146 meters.

Tallest Ever

Burj Khalifa

The 2,716.5-foot-tall Burj is not merely “the world’s tallest building”; it’s taller than any other building by more than 1,000 feet. In structure, scale and sheer weight, the pride of Dubai is “a different animal,” says Skidmore Owings & Merrill engineer Bill Baker, who designed the beast with architect Adrian Smith. The engineering has the potential to transform the world’s skylines.

Where the puny Willis (formerly Sears) Tower, for example, has a traditional relationship between height and girth (to make it taller, the footprint would have had to be to an unmanageable size), the Burj Khalifa can, because of its layout and core shape, rise without growing wider throughout its height. The tower’s floors wind upward in a series of setbacks around a central hexagonal core. That core is supported by one of three “legs” that form a sort of flattened tripod. The Burj is stronger for being heavier—the spire alone weighs 4,000 tons—and all that downward pressure helps keep it in place, while reinforced concrete maintains the structure’s stability.

Not that the architects didn’t have to windproof the thing. They put models in a wind tunnel to measure vibrations from the powerful gusts that blow past the building’s upper floors and compensated as they went. It took a while. “Our first shape was not so good,” Baker says, “but like a musical instrument, you tune it.”

Sachin the Master !

ODI

• Highlights of Tendulkar's ODI career include:
  
  
  Game appearances:
• Matches Played: 451 ( Most )
• Consecutive ODI Appearances: 185
• Most Stadium Appearances: 90 different Grounds
• Inning appearances: 431 ( Most ). First to appear in 400 innings in ODI matches.
• On his debut, Sachin Tendulkar was the second youngest debutant. Only Aaqib Javed debuted in ODI matches younger than Sachin Tendulkar. Since then, there has been 4 players who were younger than Sachin on their ODI debut: Hasan Raza (Pakistan) - the current youngest debutant, Mohammad Sharif (Bangladesh), Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) and Ramveer Rai (UAE)

Runs scored:

• Most runs in an ODI Innings: Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for maximum number of runs scored in one ODI innings. He is the only batsman to score 200 runs (147ball 25x4 3x6) in an ODI against South Africa.
• Most runs: 18111 Runs at the rate of 45.15 runs for every time he has gotten out (as of 05 October 2010). He is the leading run scorer in the ODI format of the game and the only player ever to cross the 14,000-15,000-16,000,17000 and 18,000 run marks.
• First player to reach 10,000-11,000-12,000-13,000-14,000-15,000, 16,000,17000 and 18,000 ODI runs.
• Holds the record for scoring 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year. He has done it seven times - 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2007
• Tendulkar has scored over 1000 ODI runs against all major Cricketing nations.
• Tendulkar is the only batsman to score over 3000 runs against any opponent (Australia). Tendulkar is also the only batsman to achieve the feat runs against two opponents - Sri Lanka is the other team.
• After Sachin crossed the 10,000-run mark in ODIs, only seven other players have managed to cross the milestone: (Sanath Jayasuriya, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Inzamam ul Haq, and Jacques Kallis). Sachin was the fastest to reach 10,000 runs taking 259 innings and has the highest batting average among batsmen with over 10,000 ODI runs
• Tendulkar has scored 1833 runs in finals; Tendulkar also ranks very high in terms of all-time averages in finals: among those who've scored at least 1000 runs in finals, only three have a higher average. One of them is India's current coach, Gary Kirsten - in 20 innings, he scored 1019 runs at an excellent average of 69.73. Tendulkar's stats are very similar to those of Viv Richards, who averaged 55.73 at a strike rate of 84.78 in 17 finals.
• Tendulkar holds the record for the highest individual score in a one day international when he scored 200 not out breaking the previous record of 194 in the India v. South Africa ODI on 24 February 2010. This also saw him become the first male cricketer in the planet to score a double century in a One Day International. Earlier Belinda Clark has scored 229* in women cricket.
• Tendulkar holds the record for the most fours ( boundaries ) in an innings. He hit 25 fours in the innings against South Africa on on 24 February 2010 when he scored double century.
• Only player to score 5, 150+ (186*, 152, 163*, 175 and 200*)scores in ODI cricket, followed by Sanath Jayasuriya of Srilanka with 4, 150+ scores in ODI
  
  
  Centuries and Fifties record:
• Most centuries: 49
• Only cricketer to ever score a double hundred in the ODI format - against South Africa at Gwalior, India.
• Most centuries against an opponent - 9 vs. Australia.
• Most centuries vs. Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Pakistan.
• Most centuries in Final Matches 6 & India Win All Matches
• Most centuries against One Team - Australia 20 (11 test+9 ODI)
• Most Fifties: 95.
• Highest number of 50+ scores in ODIs - 143 (48 Centuries and 95 Fifties).
• Only player to have over 100 innings of 50+ runs along with Ricky Ponting
• Most Fifties in World Cup Matches(21)
  
  
  ODI awards:
• Most Man of the Match Awards: 62 Man of the Match Awards
• Most Man of the Series Awards: 15 Man of the Series Awards
  
  
  Calendar Year record:
• Most ODI runs in a calendar year: 1,894 ODI runs in 1998.
• Most Centuries in a calendar year: 9 ODI centuries in 1998
  
  
  Partnership Records:
• Sachin Tendulkar with Sourav Ganguly hold the world record for the maximum number of runs scored by the opening partnership. They have put together 6,609 runs in 136 matches that includes 21 century partnerships and 23 fifty run partnerships. The 20 century partnerships for opening pair is also a world record.
• Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid hold the world record for the highest partnership in ODI matches when they scored 331 runs against New Zealand in 1999 at the LBS, Hyderabad.
• Sachin Tendulkar has been involved in six 200 run partnerships in ODI matches - a record that he shares with Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.
• Most runs (2278 at an average of 56.95 as on 03 April 2011) in World Cup Cricket History including 6 centuries & 15 fifties with a best score of 152* against Namibia in 2003 world cup
• 673 runs in 2003 Cricket World Cup, highest by any player in a single Cricket World Cup
• Player Of The World Cup Tournament in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
• 523 runs in the 1996 Cricket World Cup at an average of 87.16, making him the highest run scorer in the 1996 World Cup and setting the then record for the highest runs by any player in a single Cricket World Cup - subsequently bettered by himself in the 2003 World Cup.

World Cup Records

• Most Runs. (2273 Runs)
• Most Fifties. (15 Fifties)
• Most Hundreds. (6 Hundreds)
• Most runs in a series. (673 runs in 2003 World Cup)
• Highest Partnership runs for 3rd wicket. (237 Runs with Rahul Dravid).

Game Appearances:

Test

• Tendulkar has played the most number of Test Matches (177).
• On his Test debut, Sachin Tendulkar was the third youngest debutant (16y 205d). Mushtaq Mohammad (15y 124d) and Aaqib Javed (16y 189d) debuted in Test matches younger to Tendulkar. Since then, there have been 2 players who were younger than Sachin on their Test Cricket debut: Hasan Raza - Pakistan (14y 227d), the current youngest debutant, and Mohammad Sharif - Bangladesh (15y 128d).
• 
  
  Runs Scored:
• Highest run scorer in the history of Test cricket with 14692 Test runs.
• Career Average (1989–2010, 171 Tests, 14,692 runs) at 56.94
• Became the first Indian to surpass the 11,000 Test run mark and the third International player behind Allan Border and Brian Lara. Lara took 213 innings, Sachin 223 and Border 259.
• Second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to make over 10,000 runs in Test matches.
• Tendulkar and Brian Lara are the fastest to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket history. Both of them achieved this in 195 innings.
• Sachin Tendulkar (8145) world record of runs scored in Tests away from home.
• Sachin Tendulkar (29) world record of Centuries in Tests away from home.
• First player to reach 12,000-13,000-14,000 Test runs.
• Holds the record for scoring most 1,000 Test runs in a calendar year. He has done it Six times - 2010 (1562), 2008 (1063), 2002 (1392 runs), 1999 (1088 runs), 2001 (1003 runs) and 1997 (1000 runs).
  
  
  Centuries:
  Highest number of Test centuries(51), overtaking Sunil Gavaskar's record (34). On October 10, 2010 in Bengaluru (Bangalore) against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar trophy's second and final test match Sachin Tendulkar reached a milestone. With a single to third man, Tendulkar reached his 6th double century and his 49th test century.
• Highest number of 150+ score in Test Cricket (20)
• When Tendulkar scored his maiden century in 1990, he was the second youngest to score a century. Only Mushtaq Mohammad had scored a century at a younger age by 1990. Tendulkar's record was bettered by Mohammad Ashraful in 2001/02 season. The record for previous youngest Indian centurion was held by Kapil Dev.
• Tendulkar's record of five centuries before he turned 20 is a current world record.
• Tendulkar holds the current record (217 against NZ in 1999/00 Season) for the highest score in Test cricket by an Indian when captaining the side. Gavaskar held the previous record (205 against West Indies in Bombay - 1978/79 season)
• Tendulkar has scored centuries against all Test playing nations. He was the third batman to achieve the distinction after Steve Waugh and Gary Kirsten. The current list also includes Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Adam Gilchrist and Marvan Atapattu.
• Tendulkar's 37th century against Bangladesh during the 2nd Test , made history as the 1st time the top four batsmen of any team had all scored centuries in a single innings. Dinesh Karthik (129), Wasim Jaffer (138) and Rahul Dravid (129) were the other centurions in the innings.

Combined (ODI & Test) records

• First batsman in history to score over 90 centuries in international cricket. He now has 99 Centuries(51 in Tests and 48 in ODIs), which is still the record for the highest number of centuries in international cricket.
• First batsman in history to complete the 32000 runs in (ODIs+Tests). He now has 32813 (ODI(18111)+Test(14692)).
• Record of getting out the maximum number of times in the 90s in international matches. He has been dismissed 26 times (18 in ODIs and 8 in Tests) on scores of 90-99. The 18 nineties in ODIs are an ODI record too.

Source : http://sachintendulkar.cricket-records.com/links/Records.htm

I-PAD in INDIA

Nine months after its U.S. launch, the iPad quietly landed in India last Friday.
However, it wasn't met with the mass hysteria that Apple's popular tablet brought when it was came to the States last April. On the iPad's first day in U.S. stores, Apple sold 300,000 of the device.
There are a couple reasons that can be attributed to the less enthusiastic reaction to the tablet in India. First of all, many Indian news sources have said that a majority of consumers in the country that want an iPad have already snagged the gadget on the "grey market."
Additionally, the iPad is more expensive in India than it is in the U.S. The 16GB Wi-Fi version is priced at 27,900 Indian rupees (about $609 USD), while the same model sells for $499 stateside. The 64GB 3G iPad is 44,900 rupees in India, which is equal to almost $1,000 in the U.S.
The iPad is also a little late to the party. Samsung's Galaxy Tab, which is probably the iPad's closest competitor, is already available in India. At 38,000 rupees, Samsung's seven-inch tablet is a bit more affordable. The iPad's entry has also driven down the price of the Galaxy Tab.
The five-inch Dell Streak is available in the country for 34,999 rupees.
With rumors that a next-generation iPad will soon be announced, there is also a decreased motivation to invest in an expensive device that will soon be outdated.
"Many Indians feel as if Apple is clearing old stock to make way for the launch of the next version of the iPad," said a report on one Indian news site.

--->http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2378967,00.asp

Trains a List

The list of Fastest train in the World !

There are trains which are the fastest. Some of them are noted because they are the largest. Some trains do not fall into any of these categories but are known to carry the largest number of passengers. Newer versions of such super fast trains have started making their appearance around the length and breadth of several countries. They have made travel faster and easier for human beings. The following is the list of the fastest trains in the world!

1. CRH2 of China

The CRH2 is a modified E 2-1000 series Shinkansen design and is one among the fastest train models in China. It is also the second Shinkansen model of train that was exported. The other one was the 700T series.

2. THSR – Taiwan

The Taiwan High Speed Rail is roughly 335.50 kms and runs along the west coast of Taiwan. It runs to Kaohsiung city from Taipei City and is said to have started its operation on January 5, 2007.

3. KTX – Korea

South Korea’s high-speed rail system, the Korea Train eXpress (KTX) is operated by Korail. It has a high speed of 350km/hr and its technology is based on the French TGV system. Its speed can be limited to 300 km/h for safety during normal service. This super fast train reached a great speed of 352.4 kms per hour on December 16, 2004.

4. Shinkanzen – Japan

A network of super fast trains connects Honshu in Japan with other major cities. It also connects Fukuoka on the island of Kyushu and Tokyo. The super fast trains of Japan are known as shinkansen. These trains of bullet types are run by Japan Railways.

5. Ave – Spain

AVE is an abbreviation for Alta Velocidad Española meaning High Speed. It can also imply bird in Spanish. Ave is a network of high speed trains that operate at speeds of up to 300 km/h and connects all important towns and cities in Spain.

6. Eurostar – UK

A high speed train service in Western Europe, Eurostar connects London and Kent in the United Kingdom, with Brussels in Belgium and Paris and Lille in France. There are also seasonal trains to France and limited services to Disneyland Resort Paris.

7. TGV- France

A high speed train service of France, the TGV rail service was developed by the French national rail operator, SNCF and GEC-Alsthom (now Alstom). The TGV rail network connects Paris with other important cities of France and also nearby countries.

8. MLX01 – Japan

This is an older version of the maglev Shinkansen and it ran at a speed of 320 mph (515 km/h) in 1990. This was a fastest train in Japan during the 1990’s.

9. TR-07 – Germany

The TR-07 was a German maglev train which ran from Hamburg reaching a speed of 270.3 mph in 1989. Its noise level was very much reduced owing to the engine design. Transrapid is a German monorail which is presently amongst the quickest of all the trains in the world. It is run by magnetic levitation. During its trial, the train was able to reach speed upto 450 km/hour. The newer and latest versions even reach a speed of over 500 km/hour.

10. MLU001 – Japan

The MLU001 was a Japanese Maglev Train which ran at a speed of 248.9 mph (400.4 km/h) in 1987. This marked the way for other super fast trains that made its appearance in the 1990’s and 2000’s.

----> http://top-10-list.org/2010/01/05/ten-worlds-fastest-trains/

The world fastest car !

Interesting Aspects :

The $1.3 million Veyron will reach a top speed of 253 mph - a speed it can maintain for 12 minutes before all the fuel is gone

The car can hit 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds, 100 mph in 5.5 seconds, and 150 mph in 9.8 seconds. Getting to 200 mph takes 18.3 seconds, and 250 mph takes 42.3 seconds.

Its engine has 16 cylinders, essentially formed by joining two V8 engines at the crank. 

It cost 15.1 cr in India.The most expensive car ever.

Check out the video in this link to experience the faster of fastest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nHN2rxq1YU