Solar Orbiter (SolO)

British industry will lead the production of Solar Orbiter (SolO), a spacecraft that will travel closer to the Sun than any satellite to date.

SolO will take pictures and measurements from inside the orbit of Mercury, to gain new insights on what drives the star's dynamic behaviour.

The European Space Agency has signed a contract with Astrium UK to build the satellite, for a launch in 2017.

The deal is worth 300m euros (£245m), and the work will be done in Stevenage.

After launch, Solar Orbiter will take itself deep into the inner Solar System, flying as close as 42 million km from the Sun. This close proximity will require the spacecraft to carry a robust shield.

SolO's remote sensing instruments - its imagers and telescopes - will look though slots which have shutters that can be closed when no observations are being made.

The mission is designed to enhance our understanding of how the Sun influences its environment, and in particular how it generates and accelerates the flow of charged particles in which the planets are bathed.

Here's how much data we generate every minute

Email users send more than 204 million messages;

Mobile Web receives 217 new users;

Google receives over 2 million search queries;

YouTube users upload 48 hours of new video;

Facebook users share 684,000 bits of content;

Twitter users send more than 100,000 tweets;

Consumers spend $272,000 on Web shopping;

Apple receives around 47,000 application downloads;

Brands receive more than 34,000 Facebook 'likes';

Tumblr blog owners publish 27,000 new posts;

Instagram users share 3,600 new photos;

Flickr users, on the other hand, add 3,125 new photos;

Foursquare users perform 2,000 check-ins;

WordPress users publish close to 350 new blog posts.

International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)

The International Mobile Equipment Identity or IMEI ( /aɪˈmiː/) is a number, usually unique, to identify GSM, WCDMA, and iDEN mobile phones, as well as some satellite phones. It is usually found printed inside the battery compartment of the phone. It can also be displayed on the screen of the phone by entering *#06# into the keypad on most phones.

The IMEI number is used by a GSM network to identify valid devices and therefore can be used for stopping a stolen phone from accessing that network. For example, if a mobile phone is stolen, the owner can call his or her network provider and instruct them to "blacklist" the phone using its IMEI number. This renders the phone useless on that network and sometimes other networks too, whether or not the phone's SIM is changed.

BlackBerry Porsche P'9981

RIM launches BlackBerry Porsche P'9981 at Rs 1.39 lakh...

The Porsche P'9981 is built on a performance driven platform that features a 1.2 GHz processor and Liquid Graphics technology, which enables a highly responsive touch experience with incredibly fast and smooth graphics.

It also features HD video recording, 24-bit high resolution graphics, advanced sensors enabling new augmented reality applications, and built-in support for Near Field Communications

The Porsche P'9981 comes with 8 GB of on-board memory, expandable to up to 40 GB with a microSD card.

Dinosaurs didn't eat grass. There was no grass in the age of Dinosaurs...

The name "India" is derived from river Indus...

A cheetah does not roar like a lion, it purrs like a cat(meow)...

The Bermuda Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and surface vessels are said to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

The boundaries of the triangle cover the Straits of Florida, the Bahamas and the entire Caribbean island area and the Atlantic east to the Azores. The more familiar triangular boundary in most written works has as its points somewhere on the Atlantic coast of Miami; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and the mid-Atlantic island of Bermuda, with most of the accidents concentrated along the southern boundary around the Bahamas and the Florida Straits.

The area is one of the most heavily traveled shipping lanes in the world, with ships crossing through it daily for ports in the Americas, Europe, and the Caribbean Islands. Cruise ships are also plentiful, and pleasure craft regularly go back and forth between Florida and the islands. It is also a heavily flown route for commercial and private aircraft heading towards Florida, the Caribbean, and South America from points north.

Computer studies of ocean floors around the world, particularly the area known as The Bermuda Triangle, reveal evidence of massive methane explosions in the past. For years, believers in the paranormal, aliens, and other outlandish theories pointed to the the disappearance of ships and aircraft as an indicator of mysterious forces at work in the “Devil’s triangle.” Scientists have finally pointed the rest of us to a more plausible cause.

The presence of methane hydrates indicates enormous eruptions of methane bubbles that would swamp a ship, and projected high into the air- take out flying airplanes, as well.

Any ships caught within the methane mega-bubble immediately lose all buoyancy and sink to the bottom of the ocean. If the bubbles are big enough and possess a high enough density they can also knock aircraft out of the sky with little or no warning. Aircraft falling victim to these methane bubbles will lose their engines-perhaps igniting the methane surrounding them-and immediately lose their lift as well, ending their flights by diving into the ocean and swiftly plummeting.

SAP ERP

SAP (Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing) started operations in Germany in 1972. It is the world’s largest vendor of standard application software, the fourth largest software vendor in the world, and the market leader in enterprise applications software. The most current version of R/3 utilizes client server technology and contains over 30,000 relational data tables that enable a company to link its business processes in a real-time environment. Each instance (installation) of SAP can be distinctively configured to fit the needs and requirements of customer operations (within limits).

SAP is a German company that develops business software. ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning, and is the term used to describe an integrated software solution that incorporates the key functions of an organisation.

8 interesting facts about bar codes.

1.- “barcode” is improper spelling. Rather, it should be spelled as two words; bar code.

2.- The first commercial barcode scanning operation took place in 1974 in Troy, Ohio at Marsh’s Supermarket. The item was a Wrigley’s Doublemint Gum.

3.- Contrary to popular belief, the UPC (the most well-known bar code that you find in almost any product), doesn’t contain the price of the product, just a number that identifies the item.

4.- statistically, the typical typist will make one mistake in 300 keystrokes. The chance of a misread bar code symbol is somewhere between one in a million and one in four trillion!

5.- Laser and image scanners work at a speed of about 40 to 200 scans-per-second.

6.- a “light pen” is not the same as a “bar code wand”. The former is a device that is used for drawing directly off the computer screen, the latter is used for scanning bar codes.

7.- UPC barcodes are scanned in only one dimension, so only widths of the bars and spaces matter, not height.

8.- there are over a hundred of different bar code symbologies invented, however, only a half-dozen are used regularly.

Periodic table welcomes two new elements

IUPAC has officially approved the name flerovium, with symbol Fl, for the element of atomic number 114 and the name livermorium, with symbol Lv, for the element o f atomic number 116. Priority for the discovery of these elements was assigned, in accordance with the agreed criteria, to the collaboration between the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna, Russia) and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore, California, USA). The collaborating
team has proposed the names flerovium and livermorium which have now been formally approved by IUPAC.

Element 114, previously known as ununquadium, has been named flerovium (Fl), after the Russian institute's Flerovn Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions founder, which similarly is named in honour of Georgiy Flerov, a Russian physicist whose work and writings to Joseph Stalin led to the development of the USSR's atomic bomb project.

Element 116, which was temporarily named ununhexium, got its name as livermorium (Lv), after the national labs and the city of Livermore, California. Livermorium was first observed in 2000, when the scientists created it by mashing together calcium and curium.

Hawa Mahal, Jaipur

Hawa Mahal is a magnificent building situated in the ‘Pink City’ of Jaipur. A multi-layered monument, it dates back to the year 1799. The structure of the palace looks quite similar to a beehive. It has been constructed out of red and pink sand stone, which have been meticulously outlined with white borders and motifs.

The palace stands overlooking one of the main streets of Jaipur. It was initially intended to serve as the place from where women of the court could watch the activities taking place in the bazaar and the surrounding streets, from the comfort of stone-carved screens. Hawa Mahal has over 900 niches and has been built in the shape of the crown that adorns Lord Krishna’s head. The palace has five stories and is ornamented with small casements, each of them having tiny windows and arched roofs.

The inner face of the palace as well as the chambers is quite plain and lacks any ornamentation. The entry of the palace is from its rear, rather than its front portion. A majestic door provides the entry to the palace and the first structure that one comes across is a spacious courtyard. Surrounding the courtyard on three sides is a double-storied building. The building houses an archaeological museum inside its premises. Only the eastern wing of the Hawa Mahal has three more stories above.

Hawa Mahal stands on top of a high podium and rises to a height of fifty feet. The thickness of the palace is even less than a foot and it comprises of a number of small personal chambers. Instead of regular stairs, there are ramps reaching the upper floors. As one looks up from the roadside, Hawa Mahal comes across as a delicate screen with its numerous casements

The Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge

World's longest bridge.

The Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge is the world's longest bridge.It is a 164.8 kilometres (102.4 mi) long viaduct on the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway.

The bridge is located between Shanghai and Nanjing in East China’s Jiangsu province. It includes a 9-kilometre long (5.6 mi) section over water that crosses Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou. It was completed in 2010 and opened in 2011. Employing 10,000 people, construction took four years and cost about $8.5 billion. Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge currently holds the Guinness World Record for the longest bridge in the world in any category as of June 2011

Pulpit Rock

Preikestolen or Prekestolen, also known by the English translations of Preacher's Pulpit or Pulpit Rock is a massive cliff 604 metres (1982 feet) above Lysefjorden, opposite the Kjerag plateau, in Forsand, Ryfylke, Norway.

The top of the cliff is approximately 25 by 25 metres (82 by 82 feet) square, almost flat, and is a famous tourist attraction in Norway.

In one gram of soil, about ten million bacteria live in it...

If you keep a Goldfish in the dark room, it will eventually turn white...

Hummingbirds are the only animal that can fly backwards...

The city of Chicago has the only post office in the world where you can drive your car through...

Seven percent of a humans body wieght is made up of blood...

For every human in the world there are one million ants.

Only female mosquitoes bite humans. Male mosquitoes live on natural liquids from plants and other resources...

Every 30 seconds a house fire doubles in size...

Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise...

A sheep, a duck, and a rooster were the first passengers in a hot air balloon...

Chewing on gum while cutting onions can help a person from producing tears...

Each day the sun causes about one trillion tons of water to evaporate...

While it took the radio 38 years, and the television a short 13 years, it took the World Wide Web only 4 years to reach 50 million users...

"Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand...

Facebook pays at least $500 if you can find a way to hack the site...

Modern Microprocessors contain as many as 10 million transistors...

The longest English word that can be typed with the right hand only is johnny-jump-up (a type of flower)...

Smartwatch

Sony launches SmartWatch at Rs 6299

Key features of the SmartWatch: 
Dimensions : 1.42 X 1.42 X 0.3 in
Display : 1.3" OLED display, 128 x 128 pixels
Compatibility : Bluetooth™ 3.0 and Android 2.1 or above
Connectivity : Standard USB charging
Battery life : Up to 4 days

The SmartWatch extends the power of Android smartphones by sending timely and personal information from your smartphone straight to your wrist.

The SmartWatch incorporates a variety of dynamic software and applications that will give users instant access to messages, emails, Facebook and Twitter status updates.

Water and dust resistant, the glossy-smooth touch screen simplifies the browsing process and allows you to catch up on what is trending faster than ever.

SmartWatch's design includes a rear mounted clip, so it can be removed from the wristband and attached to clothing or a belt.

Presidents of India

Top 10 Facts About London Olympics Games 2012

1. Tickets Sales
Approximately 9 million tickets, including 1.5 million for Paralympics will be on sale to the general public. The sell out rate predicted by the organizers are highly optimistic. More than 3,50,000 people are expected to turn up each day for various events.

2. Economy
The economy of the country is believed to grow rapidly as a result of olympics. Various estimates reveal that this event will leave a positive impact on the economy of United Kingdom making it grow to more than $80 billion by end of 2015. Additionally, it will help to create more than 2,00,000 jobs.

3. Sports
Spectators will get to see a diversified range of sports in this olympics including Hockey, Archery, Tennis, Football etc. In total, 26 sports will be played in addition to the 19 Paralympics sports.

4. Sporting Venues
More than 31 sporting venues will be utilized for hosting various sporting events. All these venues are world class facilities offering a superb experience to both the sportsperson as well as spectators. Majority of them are located at a close distance from Olympic village.

5. Media Attendance
More than 25,000 media personnel from various parts of the world willbe present to cover the London Olympics 2012. They will be puttingup in the MediaVillage which will be a part of Olympic Village, where sports-persons and athletes will be residing.

6. Ecology
More than 4200 trees have been planted at the Olympic Village as well as Olympic Park. The first tree was planted by Queen Elizabeth in 2009 and now the plantation work is almost done. Apart from this, more than 90% of the material used in Olympic Park will be recycled or reused after the event gets over.

7. Participating Nations
More than half the world, i.e., 205 nations will be competing for various sports in 2012 Olympics. The athletes will be competing in various sports to increase their medal tally in olympics. In all, more than 11,000 athletes will be representing various nations.

8. The Olympic Park
The size of Olympic Park is larger than 350 football pitches and it willbe housingmore than 200 structures. It will also have more than 8.3 kilometer of waterways within the premises, making this place as a city within a city.

9. Sporting equipment
More than 9,00,000 sporting items will be used for various sports during the games. It will include almost 3000 footballs and 65,000 towels among various other equipments. For Paralympics Games, more than 1,05,000 items will be used for the sporting events.

10. Legacy
After the games the Olympic Villagewill be converted to a Polyclinic that will house various schools and nurseries. A part of it will be converted into more than 3000 apartments. Charities will be given to various NGOs and needy. All the equipment used in the games will be provided to the underprivileged for free.

The Eastern Ghats

The Eastern Ghats...

The Eastern Ghats or Eastern Ghauts are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats run from West Bengal state in the north, through Orissa and Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka. They are eroded and cut through by the four major rivers of southern India, the Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna, and Kaveri. The mountain ranges run parallel to the Bay of Bengal. The coastal plains lies between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal. The Eastern Ghats are not as high as the Western Ghats. As with the Western Ghats, these mountain ranges also have their local names, e.g. the Velikonda Range of Andhra Pradesh. Papi Hills in Andhra Pradesh are a part of Eastern Ghats

History of Indian Rajya Sabha

On 13 May 1952 the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) met for the first time.

On 3 April 1952 the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) first constituted.

On 23 August 1954. The Chairman, Rajya Sabha made an announcement in the House that the Council of States would now be called ‘Rajya Sabha’ in Hindi.

term of a member of Rajya Sabha :
It is six years; but a member elected in a bye-election serves for the remainder of the term of the vacancy caused.

Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. He was the only Chairman to have two terms (13.5.1952-12.5.1962).

maximum strength of Rajya Sabha :
Two hundred and fifty (250), of which 238 are to be elected and 12 are to be nominated by the President of India

Vatican City : The Smallest Country in the World.

Vatican City : The Smallest Country in the World.

Size          : 0.17 sq. mi. (0.44 km²)
Population : 783 
Location    : Rome, Italy

The Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon Rainforest, also known as Amazonia, the Amazon jungle or the Amazon Basin, encompasses seven million square kilometers (1.7 billion acres), though the forest itself occupies some 5.5 million square kilometers (1.4 billion acres), located within nine nations.

The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. The Amazon River is the largest river in the world by volume, with a total flow greater than the top ten rivers worldwide combined.

It accounts for approximately one-fifth of the total world river flow and has the biggest drainage basin on the planet. Not a single bridge crosses the Amazon.

A two-wheeled, self-balancing car

Now, a two-wheeled, self-balancing car...

Described as a "motorbike-car" hybrid, the Lit C-1 two wheeler uses a set of futuristic electronic gyroscopes to ensure it remains upright and balanced, similar to the technology used by Segway scooters and the recent Honda UNI-CUB.

The technology allows drivers to sit and use a steering wheel, as in a car, but allows the C-1 to stay perfectly balanced, even at slow speeds or a standstill.

The secret to the balance are the gyroscopes under the floor, which spin rapidly in response to electronic sensors to keep the vehicle balanced at all times -- even, says Lit, if the vehicle is involved in a collision.

The C-1 uses electric drive and offers a battery pack capable of 200 miles (321 km/h) from a single charge, as well as reaching a top speed of over 120 mph (193 km/h) -- far faster than most electric cars available on the market today.

The manufacturer says that it could be available in showrooms by the end of 2014 -- it's already offering preorders on the website from $250, although the final price of the vehicle is unclear

The Reserve Bank of India

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is India's central banking institution, which controls the monetary policy of the Indian rupee. It was established on 1 April 1935 during the British Raj in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. The share capital was divided into shares of 100 each fully paid which was entirely owned by private shareholders in the beginning. Following India's independence in 1947, the RBI was nationalised in the year 1949.

The RBI plays an important part in the development strategy of the Government of India. It is a member bank of the Asian Clearing Union. The general superintendence and direction of the RBI is entrusted with the 20-member-strong Central Board of Directors—the Governor (currently Duvvuri Subbarao), four Deputy Governors, one Finance Ministry representative, ten Government-nominated Directors to represent important elements from India's economy, and four Directors to represent Local Boards headquartered at Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and New Delhi. Each of these Local Boards consist of five members who represent regional interests, as well as the interests of co-operative and indigenous banks.

World War - II

It is estimated that over fifty-four million people died in World War II, which was the bloodiest war in history

Main Leaders

Country	Leader
France	Charles de Gaulle (Free French forces) Henri-Phillipe Petain - Vichy France
Germany	Adolf Hitler
Italy	Benito Mussolini
Japan	Emperor Hirohito
Russia	Josef Stalin
United Kingdom	Neville Chamberlain to 1940 Winston Churchill from 1940
United States	Franklin Roosevelt died 1945 Harry Truman 1945

The world's smallest artificial heart

An Italian heart surgeon holds a tiny titanium pump, the world's smallest artificial heart, which was implanted in a baby, at the Bambino Gesu' Hospital in Rome May 24, 2012...

Italian doctors have saved the life of a 16-month-old boy by implanting the world's smallest artificial heart to keep the infant alive until a donor was found for a transplant.

The tiny titanium pump weighs only 11 grams and can handle a blood flow of 1.5 liters a minute. An artificial heart for adults weighs 900 grams...

World's largest outdoor pool

World's largest outdoor pool...

The Crystal Lagoon, located at the San Alfonso del Mar resort in Algarrobo, Chile, is the world's largest outdoor pool, stretching more than half of a mile and filled with 66 million gallons of water.

Audi e-bike

Audi e-bike: A bicycle that runs at 80 kmph ...

The prototype cycle combining an electric drive and muscle power along with tech used on Audi cars was showcased at the Worthersee Tour in Austria.

The airy frame boasts a low center of gravity and a compact overall volume. In this way, the e- bike is superbly agile at the sporty handling limits. The lithium-ion battery is incorporated into the frame and needs 2.5 hours to freuteully charge.

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park is the United States' 15th oldest national park. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, the park is located in Arizona. The park's central feature is the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, which is often considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. The park covers 1,217,262 acres (1,902 sq mi; 4,926 km2) of unincorporated area in Coconino and Mohave counties.

America's southwest is one of the world's most beautiful and romantic regions--the perfect place for honeymooners and others who love the outdoors. And of course no visit to the southwest is complete without time spent at spectacular, mile-deep Grand Canyon National Park.

Eco Architecture

Eco Architecture: Water Building Resort will produce water from air using solar energy...

Covered in transparent photovoltaic glass, the sustainable resort complex will generate electricity for itself and will also allow light to pass through. The façade will be south facing to maximize the energy generated during the day. The latticed design allows better natural ventilation, which reduces the amount of energy required to keep the interiors cool.

The complex will also hour a water treatment facility in the bottom floor which will purify sea water and rainwater. The upper floors will house restaurants, gyms, exhibition halls, hotel, conference rooms and space services

The Great Pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza (called the Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Cheops) is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact.

Ancient Name : Khufu's Horizon
Constructed    : c. 2560–2540 BC
Type              : True Pyramid
Height            : 146.5 metres (481 ft)
Base              : 230.4 metres (756 ft)