Sunday, January 21, 2018

Great Barrier Reef: Australia unveils A$60m protection plan


Great-Barrier=Reef-Australia-unveils-A$60m-protection plan

The Australian government has announced a A$60m (£34m; $48m) plan to help improve the health of the Great Barrier Reef.
The reef suffered mass coral bleaching events in 2016 and 2017, which scientists said were a result of warmer ocean temperatures.
It has also endured damage from crown-of-thorns starfish and cyclones.
The new money, to be spent in four ways, will particularly target starfish and soil erosion.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said there was a "strong link" between the coral-eating species and run-off from water pollution.
"While [the reef] is facing increasing threats, we intend to remain leaders in reef management," he said.
The new measures include spending:
  • A$36m on farmers to restore vegetation around reef catchments, offsetting erosion;
  • A$10m for an "all-out assault" on crown-of-thorns starfish by increasing culling vessels;
  • A$6m on science agencies to develop ways to make coral more "resilient";
  • A$4m to employ more field officers to warn about bleaching.
It is part of a commitment by federal and state governments to spend A$2bn on improving the reef over the next decade.
"We want to ensure its future for the benefit of all Australians, particularly those whose livelihood depends on the reef," the government said in a statement on Monday.

The most luxurious book in history?





“When the Titanic went down on the night of April 14 1912 in the sea off the New World, its most eminent victim was a book…” French-Lebanese author Amin Maalouf may have been stretching it a bit in his 1988 historical novel Samarkand. Or not, depending on whom you were to ask at the time. The book in question was a fictional manuscript of the Rubáiyát (Quatrains) by the 11th-Century Iranian polymath Omár Khayyám, prized because it was the only one in existence. In fact, a plethora of copies of the volume of Persian poems existed. There was, however, at the time the Titanic made its ill-fated voyage, one that outshone them all – not in terms of what was written within, but rather, its almost otherworldly appearance. It was this very real manuscript that served as the inspiration for Maalouf’s acclaimed novel. “At the bottom of the Atlantic there is a book,” he writes in its introduction. “I am going to tell you its history.”
‘Whoso desireth a peacock must endure the trials of Hindustan’, says a popular Persian proverb. While this particular one refers to the Iranian monarch Nader Shah Afshar’s sacking of Delhi and looting of the famed Peacock Throne (amongst other things) in the mid-18th Century, it might just as well have been coined a few centuries later in London. With a desire to revive medieval traditions of bejewelled bookbinding, George Sutcliffe and Francis Sangorski were renowned throughout the city in the early 1900s for their opulent and over-the-top designs. Accordingly, it was to them that Henry Sotheran’s, a bookstore on Sackville Street, went to commission a book like no other.

Friday, January 19, 2018

Apple's New Flagship - iPhone X




The iPhone X, pronounced "iPhone 10," was introduced at Apple's September 2017 event as a classic "One more thing..." addition to the iPhone 8 and 8 Plusproduct lineup. According to Apple, the iPhone X represents the biggest technological leap forward since the original iPhone was introduced 10 years ago in 2007, and it sets the path for the next decade of iPhone development.
Apple's aim with the iPhone X was to create an iPhone that's all display, blurring the line between physical object and experience. The 5.8-inch front screen melts into a highly polished curved-edge stainless steel band that encircles a durable all-glass body available in two pearlescent finishes: Space Gray and Silver. Both feature a black front panel.
The edge-to-edge top-to-bottom Super Retina display adopts OLED technology for true-to-life colors, deep blacks, and a million-to-one contrast ratio. It features a 2436 x 1125 resolution and 458 pixels per inch, the highest resolution and pixel density ever introduced in an iPhone. It supports HDRwide color3D Touch, and True Tone for adjusting the white balance of the display to match the ambient lighting.
At 5.8 inches diagonally, the iPhone X has the largest display introduced in an iPhone yet, but with no bezels aside from a notch housing the camera and sensors, it fits comfortably in the hand. At 143.6mm tall by 70.9mm wide by 7.7mm deep, it's not much bigger than an iPhone 8, and it's smaller than an iPhone 8 Plus.
The glass body of the device is IP67 water and dust resistant and it enables support for inductive wireless charging for the first time. The iPhone X adopts the Qi wireless standard and can charge through the glass back using any Qi-certified charging accessory. Apple is making an "AirPower" accessory to charge iPhone X, Apple Watch Series 3, and AirPods simultaneously, but it won't be out until 2018.
With an edge-to-edge design, there is no room for a Home button, so the iPhone X adopts a new user experience. A swipe up at the bottom of the screen brings up the Home screen, while a swipe and a hold brings up App Switcher. There's a Tap to Wake feature for looking at notifications, the side button can be pressed and held to activate Siri, and the Control Center is accessed by swiping downwards from the top status bar.

Saturday, January 13, 2018

The ocean is a strange place after dark


 Bioluminescence makes the sea shimmer

You may have seen the pictures.
It’s night-time in an impossibly exotic location. Waves are breaking on the beach. The water is sparkling with electric blue lights. 
The internet loves an image of a magical-looking bioluminescent bay. You may also have seen travel bloggers bemoaning the real event as not quite living up the hype.
Even if the latter is true, bioluminescence (in this case usually caused by planktonic organisms called dinoflagellates) is a pretty amazing natural phenomenon.
Dinoflagellates emit blue light when disturbed, which is why they can be seen sparkling over wave crests, around boats or when a hand or paddle runs through them.
These tiny creatures are the most common source of bioluminescence at the ocean’s surface.
So-called bioluminescent bays such as in Puerto Rico and Jamaica are among the best-known places to witness the glow. However, the ephemeral phenomenon can be found throughout the ocean where there are dense gatherings of dinoflagellates.
Sometimes dinoflagellates’ population increases rapidly causing blooms, which by day are coloured a less attractive red-brown, sometimes known as red tides. And some, but not all, of these red tides are poisonous. 
Even stranger and rarer than bioluminescent bays are “milky seas”, where continually glowing water stretches for as far as the eye can see.
Milky seas have only been seen a few hundred times since 1915, mainly concentrated around north-western Indian Ocean and near Java, Indonesia.
They are not caused by dinoflagellates, but are thought to be the result of “bioluminescent bacteria that have accumulated in large numbers near the surface”, explains to Dr Matt Davis, Assistant Professor of Biology, St. Cloud State University in the US, who specialises in bioluminescence.
Reports by sailors over the centuries have described milky seas as a nocturnal whitish glow like a field of snow, but scientists have had little chance to investigate the phenomenon first-hand.

In 2005, researchers analysing archived satellite images found that milky seas could be seen from space and that one satellite had captured images of a huge area of ocean that had displayed the strange glow for three consecutive nights a decade earlier. 

Best computer 2018: the best PCs we've tested

Best-computer-2018-the-best-PCs-we've-tested
Best PC: Dell XPS Tower Special Edition

Anyone who’s ever watched an episode of Black Mirror should know already just how integral it is that you choose the best desktop PC for your needs. One wrong move and you could end up reviving, and falling in love with, an AI simulation of a deceased loved one. It’s for that reason that we’ve made it our duty to scout out the best desktop PCs around. After all, like all technology that accelerates at a breakneck pace, computers aren’t as simple as they once were.

Nowadays  

you can get an easily upgradeable desktop tower like the family computer in your living room that’s still running Windows XP. Or, better yet, you could be an early(-ish) adopter of one of the groundbreaking inventions of the 21st century. All-in-ones, for instance, are all the rage these days, and although you can’t add components later on to conceive a more powerful rig, mini computers comprise the best desktop PCs as well.


In the end  

Best-computer-2018-the-best-PCs-we've-testedthe best desktop PCs aren’t always the most powerful or most expensive either, despite what gamers will tell you. Instead, what transpired in creating the following list was the equal consideration of both performance and value. Accounting for price and quality, we tested and reviewed every computer we could find in search of the best desktop PCs money can buy. The resulting rankings include eight computers from all walks of life below.

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Yamaha FZ S V 2.0



Yamaha has launched the new FZ Series in India. Featuring a host of mechanical and cosmetic updates, the popular 150cc motorcycle now looks and feels different.  And with its new ‘Blue Core’ engine concept, the motorcycle is also said to be more efficient than ever before. As a part of this new upgrade, the Japanese brand has also launched the new FZ-S Version 2.0. 

The FZ-S Version 2.0 highlights the style quotient with new colours  and  graphics. Design-wise, the rest of the model is pretty much the same as the standard new FZ which now gets a two piece seat, revised bikini faring, and new cooling shrouds beneath the fuel tank. 

The new FZ-S is powered by a newly designed air-cooled, 149cc single-cylinder engine which benefits from a closed loop fuel injection system. The same engine also powers the standard new FZ. Tweaked to deliver a better fuel efficiency, the engine now produces 13.1bhp of power and 12.8Nm of torque. For this new model, Yamaha is claiming a 14 per cent improvement in fuel economy.  

The new FZ-S is available in Matte Green, Alligator Green, Shark White, Wolf Grey and Viper Black. it will take on the Bajaj AS150, Honda CB Hornet 160R and the Suzuki Gixxer. The Yamaha FZ-S 2.0 is priced at Rs 83,042 (ex-showroom Delhi). 



Bajaj Pulsar 150




The Bajaj Pulsar 150 has been the Pune-based automaker’s main seller for the last 10 years and has changed Bajaj’s fortunes since its debut. Launched in November 2001, the Bajaj Pulsar and its larger twin were a revelation for the Indian market which until that time had been populated with commuter motorcycles and the single player called the Hero Honda CBZ in the 150cc segment. Its advanced styling and many modern features further fuelled the demand for premium commuters and set the bike on a course for the history books.

The Bajaj Pulsar’s first appearance included a dome headlight, aircraft type fuel tank lid, full analogue console with side-stand indicators. The current avatar includes the famous domed cowl, side scoops, 3D lettering and full digital console with analogue tachometer. It is offered in three colour options and a single variant.

The engine is a 149cc unit that produces 15bhp and 12Nm of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheel via a five-speed sequential gearbox and a chain drive. Standard features include twin spark ignition and drum brake for the rear wheel. The Bajaj Pulsar 150 competes with Honda CB Unicorn, Hero Xtreme, Hero Hunk, Suzuki GS150R and the Yamaha SZ-RR. The Pulsar 150 is priced at Rs 74,976 (ex-showroom).



Great Barrier Reef: Australia unveils A$60m protection plan

The Australian government has announced a A$60m (£34m; $48m) plan to help improve the health of the Great Barrier Reef. The reef su...