This map shows some of the world’s top selling cars by country. Enjoy!
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Tuesday, January 11, 2011
All You Need To Know About Renewable Energy [Infograhic]
Solar, wind, water and geothermal energy sources are the future of the industry and are expected to create 12 million new jobs through 2030. In West Virginia alone, a mere two percent of the state’s geothermal power could replace its entire electrical capacity. In just one hour, the Sun provides enough power to meet the world’s energy needs for a year.
(Click to enlarge)
Top Five Most Awesome Real Robots
Science fiction has given us a load of awesome robots: Optimus Prime, R2D2, the Terminator. Unfortunately, all of these are – for now, at least – fictional. Today, however, the science fiction author’s eternal dream of highly sophisticated robots becoming commonplace is fast getting closer to fact than fiction. How long will it be until seeing a robot walking down the street won’t be worth a second glance? According to the work of the makers of some of the mechanical marvels below, not very long at all…
5) BigDog
An amazing invention (if pretty creepy to see and hear in action) made by Boston Dynamics et al. Essentially built to function as a robotic pack mule, BigDog is notable for being dynamically stable. Able to navigate icy terrain and even recover its balance when kicked, BigDog’s four legs can effectively allow it to go places where other vehicles can’t. However, the eerie buzzing sound its modified go-kart engine makes coupled with its spidery, uncanny valley plunge-inducing way of movement makes it pretty damn weird to be around.
4) Roomba
The Roomba is a pretty awesome little machine, really. Made by the appropriately named iRobot company, it is arguably one of the most widely used household robots today. A small autonomous vacuum cleaner, the Roomba can safely navigate your home by itself thanks to a variety of intuitive sensors (including the so-called cliff sensors that stop it from falling off ledges or down stairs). While it’s certainly not one of the robotics world’s most exotic creations, it definitely gets one of life’s more mundane tasks done in a cool, science fictiony way. Additionally they are quite popular with modders and hackers; you can even control them with
a Kinect if you know how.
3) AIBO
The AIBO (Artificial Intelligence roBOt, this name also resembling the Japanese word for “pal” or “partner”) was Sony’s breakthrough robot. Able to operate autonomously, the AIBO can move around, see its environment via an inbuilt camera and recognise spoken commands. They became so popular that an AIBO convention was – and continues to be – held in Shinjuku ever year. The first model came out on May the 11th 1999, several different versions of the robot having been released before it was finally discontinued in 2006 (although the trade of second hand AIBOs continues unabated to this day). However, Sony confirmed that there would be support for the latest ERS7 model until 2013, as well as hinting at the ongoing development of the AIBO software for use in other consumer products.
2) QRIO
The QRIO (Quest for cuRIOsity) was, sadly, never available for commercial sale (and would have cost the same as a family saloon car if it had been). Another robot from the Sony stable, the two foot humanoid QRIO was capable of vocal and facial recognition as well as being able to take part in conversations, dance and run (it being awarded a Guinness World Record in 2005 for being the first bipedal robot capable of doing the latter). Its amazingly fluid movements meant that it soon became famous for performing choreographed dance routines at various different events and venues, even starring in the music video for Beck’s song Hell Yes. Alas, what could have been.
1) ASIMO
The ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) was made by Honda, and was first officially unveiled in 2000. Standing at four foot three inches tall, it looks a little like a small astronaut due to its helmet-like head and curved visor. Able to recognise faces, voices and objects, the ASIMO can also hold conversations and carefully navigate its environment in a manner that is both safe for itself and nearby humans. The ASIMO’s “backpack” is actually where its battery is housed, the latest model capable of around forty minutes to one hour of operating time. ASIMO is very well travelled, having made many public appearances worldwide. Let’s face it: robot or not, you know you’ve made it when you have your own show at Disneyland.
Ella is a long time robot fanatic, having been ineffectually trying to recreate them out of cardboard boxes since she was small.
10 Untranslatable Foreign Language Words
If you thought that English could express, explain and verbalize it all – well, guess what? It can not. While English being as comprehensive and vast as we know it to be, there are words from other foreign languages which can’t directly be replaced or translated into English. Here’s a list 10 fascinating words that cannot be (and believe us, people have tried!) directly translated into English.
Each of these words is unique in its own language and the fact that it’s so, makes it incredibly fascinating; given how very delicate and fragile each and every language is to the culture it pertains to!
Here we go!
Toska – Russian
This word can be described best in the words of Vladimir Nabokov: ‘No single word in English renders all the shades of toska. At its deepest and most painful, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less morbid levels it is a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to long for, a sick pining, a vague restlessness, mental throes, yearning. In particular cases, it may be the desire for somebody of something specific, nostalgia, love-sickness. At the lowest level it grades into ennui, boredom.’
Litost – Czech
According to the famous Milind Kundera, the author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, ‘As for the meaning of this word, I have looked in vain in other languages for an equivalent, though I find it difficult to imagine how anyone can understand the human soul without it.’
The closest definition of Litost is a state of agony and torment created by the sudden sight of one’s own misery! Deeply provoking?
Prozvonit – Czech
This word means or refers to the act of calling someone on a mobile phone and letting it ring only once so that the person who has been called, calls back, thus saving the money of the original caller.
In Spanish, the word for this is ‘Dar Un Toque’ or, ‘To give a touch’. Surprisingly, this word can be translated into languages other than English.
Torschlusspanik – German
Literally translated, this word means ‘gate closing panic’, but contextually the meaning refers to ‘the fear of diminishing opportunities as one ages.’
This can somewhat explain why so many older/elderly people wish to ‘recapture their youth’ in an attempt to reestablish their passed opportunities.
Wabi Sabi – Japanese
A lot has been written about this profound Japanese concept: but if one tries to understand it in a sentence, this is probably how it would go. ‘A way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay.’
L’appel du vide – French
The literal translation of this French expression is ‘The Call of the Void.’
Colloquially it can be used to express the instinctive urge to jump from high places!
Strangely morbid?
Ya’aburnee – Arabic
This incantatory word, both exquisitely beautiful and morbid at once, means, ‘You bury me’, a somewhat declaration of one’s hope that they will die before another person, mostly because of how difficult it would be to be alive without them.
Duende – Spanish
Though originally this word was used to describe ‘a mythical, sprite like entity that possesses humans and created the feeling of awe of one’s surrounding in nature’ – however its meaning has transitioned into describing, ‘the mysterious power that a work of art has over a person to have him deeply moved by it.’
Saudade – Portuguese
A precious, deeply beautiful but haunting word whether it is translatable or not – this word refers ‘to the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost.’
Fado music, a type of mournful singing relates to Saudade.
Mamihlapinatapai – Yagan (indigenous language of Tierra del Fuego) an archipelago off the coast of South America.
The word can be described as ‘The wordless, yet meaningful look shared by two people who both desire to initiate something but are both reluctant to start.’
The state of many a could-have-been couples, right?
The Ever Growing Debate On Global Warming (Infographic)
climate change is not only man-made but we have created more than our share of it. The United States alone, with less than 6% of the world’s population, contributes over 25% of the planet’s CO2 pollution. Yet, even with over 2,500 scientists from 130 different countries confirming our role in global warming, we still have deniers.
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Source: Reusable Bags
Top 5 Bill Murray Movies
Being a child of the 1990s I grew up on a TV diet of Ghostbusters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and later, I hate to admit, Power Rangers…
Like most kids, my favourite character from Ghostbusters was Dr. Peter Venkman, played by Bill Murray and as an adult my affection for him and what he brings to his characters is still strong. Through the years I have watched a number of his movies and enjoyed his serious acting roles just as much as his comedy ones. I now want to share the top 5 Bill Murray movies that, for me, stand out above and beyond the rest – so here they are:
5. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Cert 15
IMDB score 7.2
I have to say, this is one of my favourite Wes Anderson films and in my opinion one of Murray’s finest performances, with one critic claiming ‘Murray makes every scene better than the one before’.
The film follows aquatic documentarian Steve Zissou as he tries to avenge the death of his best friend, who was eaten by a ‘Jaguar shark’. The movie, like many of Anderson’s also looks at family relationships, with Ned, Played by Owen Wilson, appearing as Zissou’s long lost son. The relationship between father and son makes for some great deadpan moments, with Murray capturing Zissou’s childish side brilliantly. But there are also moments where Ned and Zissou reflect on their relationship and the result, in a way, is tragic, but amazingly not out of context with the rest of the movie. Dead pan dry humour at its best.
4. Rushmore
Cert 15
IMDB Score 7.8
I remember the first time I saw Rushmore; it was a few years after it was released. I actually started watching it by mistake, you know, when you end up watching something unplanned but it actually ends up gripping you? This is undoubtedly an outstanding performance by Murray, who plays self-loathing millionaire Herman Blume, it is so good (and he does it so well in other movies) that I wonder if he has an element of Blume et al in himself.
The story focuses on Max Fischer, played by Jason Schwartzman, a 15 year old school boy who falls for his teacher, Ms Cross. Blume, who has struck up an unlikely friendship with Fisher, also falls for the teacher and what follows is a strange sort of love triangle that will make you laugh and cry as it flitters between drama and comedy.
3. Lost in Translation
Cert 15
IMDB Rating 7.9
I don’t think I have ever wanted another man to get with a girl I fancy so badly. I am referring to Scarlett Johansen and of course Murray, who is playing a character less dark than that of Blume but with the same vulnerability and loneliness. Murray plays 50 something actor, Bob Harris, who is in Tokyo, Japan to film a series of commercials for a whiskey brand, like many of Murray’s characters, you know there is a back story even before you find out what it is, a trait he brings brilliantly to so many of his characters.
However, his time in Tokyo changes when he meets Charlotte, a young new bride who is somewhat neglected by her new spouse, as a result a close friendship ensures, that always threatens to become more, but never does. The film is beautifully shot, full of laughs and innuendo. To me it is probably one of the best movies I have watched where nothing really happens…
P.S This film made me want to do Karaoke when I was in Japan!
2. Ghostbusters
Cert PG
IMDB Rating 7.8
Some of you may be surprised that, after my introduction, Ghostbusters doesn’t top my list! But as Murray has been involved in many great films it was really tough to choose the number one.
In Ghostbusters, Murray rules the roost amongst some of the 80s finest comedians, such as Akroyd and Ramis, who co-wrote the script. He stars as Dr. Peter Venkman, the deadpan, ladies man with a disliking for ghosts and a love for the one liner! My favourite one liner from Murray (Venkman) has to be this:
Dana, “Oh that’s the bedroom nothing ever happens in there” to which Venkman says under his breath “What a crime”. Perhaps I didn’t catch the comedy, but Murray brings Venkman to life with his great delivery!
The story (like I need to say) is about 3 Professors, who study parapsychology. Having lost their funding they set up an organisation known as The Ghostbusters, which removes ghostly beings from New York City homes, of course early in the film they employ Winston (I actually thought Winston Churchill was black because of this when I was a child) as the fourth Ghostbuster. With the team complete they set about defeating the evil demi-god Gozer the Gozerian.
1. Groundhog Day
Cert PG
IMDB Rating 8.2
I have seen this film so many times I could actually play Murray’s part! And with good reason! This comedy comes when Murray is at his very best; a great script to start, Groundhog Day is story about change, yet Phil Connors (Murray) lives the same day over and over again helping him on a path of self-realisation (Concluding he is an Ass-hole).
Accepting his fate, he begins to see that his producer, Rita, played by Andie MacDowell, is actually the love he has been looking for and sets about trying a wide range of techniques to win her love, but being an ‘Ass-hole’ his attempts lead to many comedic moments.
My favourite line from the film is:
Rita: “I studied 19th Century French poetry” to which Phil laughs and says “What a waste of time”
Classic line! Like many of Murray’s films, this one is about change and it is the realisation of his own actions and his love for Rita that saves him from his fate.
I think the main reason I chose this film over Ghostbusters was because Murray carries the whole thing, whereas in Ghostbusters he has other strong comedic actors for support, in Groundhog Day he is in every scene (practically) and without him I don’t think it would have had the same success.
There are so many great Murray films, or films where he has played a supporting role, that films such as Kingpin, Scrooged even Tootsie haven’t even made the top ten, 6 to 10 can be seen below in the ‘Best of the rest’ section.
BEST of the rest
10. Caddyshack
CERT 15
IMDB Rating 7.2
9. The Man Who Knew Too Little
CERT 12
IMDB Rating 6.3
8. Stripes
CERT 15
IMDB Rating 6.8
7. Ghostbusters 2
CERT PG
IMDB Rating 6.2
6. What About Bob?
CERT PG
IMDB Rating 6.8
17% Of All Teachers Have a Second Job [Infographic]
- ul 18, 2011
- infographic
Teachers often don’t get the credit they deserve and of course they don’t get paid enough. The fact that 17% of all teachers have a second job says it all. Teaching definitely isn’t a profession for the faint of heart as it requires patience and a lot of it. This infographic highlights some interesting numbers related to teaching. For example, the average annual salary of a teacher is $53,910 which to be honest is on a lower end for all the crap they have to go through. Anyways, here’s the infographic so you can soak up the data yourself.
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