Thursday, May 29, 2008

Historical perspective

Based on the available evidence, scientists have reconstructed detailed information about the planet's past. Earth is estimated to have formed approximately 4.55 billion years ago out of the solar nebula, along with the Sun and other planets. The moon formed relatively soon afterwards.

Initially molten, the outer layer of the planet cooled, resulting in the solid crust. Outgas sing and volcanic activity produced the primordial atmosphere. Condensing water vapor, augmented by ice delivered by comets, produced the oceans. The highly energetic chemistry is believed to have produced a self-replicating molecule around 4 billion years ago.

Continents formed, then broke up and re-formed as the surface of Earth reshaped itself over the course of hundreds of millions of years, occasionally combining to make a super continent. Roughly 750 million years ago, the earliest known super continent Rodinia, began to break apart. The continents later recombined to form Pannotia which broke apart about 540 million years ago, then finally Pangaea, which broke apart about 180 million years ago.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Birds

Many species of bird undertake long distance annual migrations, and many more perform shorter irregular movements. Birds are social and communicate using visual signals and through calls and song, and participate in social behaviors including cooperative hunting, cooperative breeding, flocking and mobbing of predators. Birds are primarily socially monogamous, with engagement in extra-pair copulations being common in some species-other species have polygamous or polyandrous breeding systems. Eggs are regularly laid in a nest and incubated and most birds have an extended period of parental care after hatching.

Birds are economically important to humans: many are important sources of food, acquired either through hunting or farming, and they provide other products. Some species, particularly songbirds and parrots, are popular as pets. Birds figure prominently in all aspects of human culture from religion to poetry and popular music. About 120-130 species have become extinct as a result of human activity since 1600, and hundreds more before this. Currently around 1,200 species of birds are threatened with extinction by human activities and efforts are underway to protect them.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Coconut

The coconut palm is grown throughout the tropical world, for decoration as well as for its many cooking and non-culinary uses, virtually every part of the coconut palm has some human use.The flowers of the coconut palm are polygamomonoecious, with both male and female flowers in the similar inflorescence. Flowering occurs continuously, with female plants producing seeds. Coconut palms are believed to be largely cross-pollinated, although some dwarf varieties are self-pollinating. Coconut water can be used as an intravenous fluid.

Nearly all parts of the coconut palm are useful, and the palms have a comparatively high yield, it therefore has important economic value. The name for the coconut palm in Sanskrit is kalpa vriksha, which translates as the tree which provides all the requirements of life. In Malay, the coconut is known as pokok seribu guna, the tree of a thousand uses. In the Philippines, the coconut is generally given the title Tree of Life. The white, fleshy part of the seed is safe to eat and used fresh or dried in cooking.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Fax Machine

A "fax machine" generally consists of an image scanner, a modem, a printer, and usually a phone combined into a single parcel. The scanner converts the comfortable printed on a physical document into a digital image, the modem sends the image data over a phone line to another machine, and the printer at the far end produces a copy of the transmitted document.

Some fax machines can be connected to a computer, and the creature components -- the scanner, printer, and occasionally the modem -- can be used autonomously. Such devices are usually called multifunction printers or MFPs. Fax capabilities are also offered as options for many high-volume workgroup printers and photocopiers.

Although devices for transmitting printed documents electrically have existed, in various forms, since the mid to late 19th century (see "History" below), modern fax machines became sufficient only in the mid-1970s as the erudition increased and cost of the three underlying technologies dropped. Digital fax machines first became popular in Japan, where they had a clear advantage over competing technologies like the teleprinter, since at the time (before the development of easy-to-use input method editors) it was faster to handwrite kanji than to type the characters. Over time, faxing gradually became reasonable, and by the mid-1980s, fax machines were very popular around the world.

Although many businesses still maintain some kind of fax potential, the technology has faced increasing competition from Internet-based systems. However, fax machines still retain some advantages, particularly in the communication of perceptive material which, due to mandates like Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA, cannot be sent over the Internet unencrypted. In some countries, because digital signatures on contracts are not recognized by law while faxed contracts with copies of signatures are, fax machines enjoy continuing recognition in business.

In many corporate environments, individual fax machines have been replaced by "fax servers" and other computerized systems competent of receiving and storing incoming faxes automatically, and then routing them to users on paper or via secure email. Such systems have the advantage of reducing costs by eliminating redundant printouts and reducing the number of inbound analog phone lines needed by an office.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Election

An election is a resolution making process where a people chooses an individual to hold official offices. This is the usual method by which modern egalitarianism fills offices in the parliament, sometimes in the executive and magistrates, and for regional and local government. This is also typically the case in a wide range of other private and business organizations, from clubs to charitable associations and corporations. However, as Montesquieu points out in Book II, Chapter 2 of "The Spirit of Laws," in the case of elections in either a republic or a democracy, voters alternate between being the rulers of the country as well as being the subjects of the government, with the act of voting being the independent (or ruling) capacity, in which the people act as "masters" selecting their government "servants." Rather, the unique character of democracies and republics is the appreciation that the only legitimate source of power for government "of the people, by the people, and for the people" is the consent of the governed—the people themselves.

The general acceptance of elections as a tool for selecting representatives in modern democracies is in distinction with the practice in the democratic archetype, ancient Athens, where elections were considered an oligarchic institution and where most political offices were filled using sortition, also known as allotment, where officeholders are chosen by lot.

Electoral reform describes the process of introducing fair electoral systems where they are not in place, or improving the fairness or efficiency of existing systems. Psephology is the study of results and other statistics relating to elections.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Television

Television (often abbreviated to TV) is a widely used telecommunication system for broadcasting and getting moving pictures and crash over a distance. The term may also be used to refer specifically to a television set, programming or television communication.The word is derived from mixed Latin and Greek roots, meaning "far sight": Greek tele (τῆλε), far, and Latin vision, sight

Since it first became commercially available from the late 1930s, the television set has become a common household communications device in homes and institutions, mostly in the First World, as a cause of entertainment and news. Since the 1970s, video recordings on VCR tapes and later, digital playback systems such as DVDs, have enabled the television to be used to view recorded movies and other programs.

A television system may be made up of multiple mechanism, so a screen which lacks an internal tuner to receive the broadcast signals is called a monitor rather than a television. A television may be built to receive different broadcast or video formats, such as high-definition television, commonly referred to as HDTV. HDTV costs more than normal TV but is becoming more available.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Doomguy

The doomguy, also known as Doom Dude, Doom or The Marine, is the character of the Doom series of computer and video games formed by id Software. In all the games, he is a space marine working for the Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC), who never speaks and is by no means referred to by name.

In the Doom novels, the main quality is referred to as Flynn Fly Taggart, which is universally suggested to be the Doomguy from the games. However, Tom Hall's original design draft, also known as Doom Bible, recommended his name was Buddy Dacote. In the Doom film revision, the main character, John Reaper Grimm is also suggested to be the Doomguy. This is a twist because the audience likely expects Sarge to acquire that role.
All of the computer-game renditions of the Doomguy dress in green armour. Reaper from the film story wears combat gear reminiscent of a S.W.A.T. operative.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Pets

A pet is an animal kept for companionship and enjoyment, as opposed to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful characteristics, for their attractive appearance, or for their song. Pets also generally seem to provide their owners with non-trivial health benefits; keeping pets has been shown to help relieve stress. There is now a medically-approved class of therapy animals, mostly dogs, who are brought to visit confined humans. Walking a dog can provide both the owner and the dog with exercise, fresh air, and social interaction.

Koko the gorilla is one of few examples of a non-human animal which has had an explicit pet. Using sign language, she requested a cat; her first pet was a kitten named All Ball, to which she was reported to be quite attached and mourned for several days after the cat escaped and was killed by a car.

The GloFish is a genetically modified fluorescent zebrafish with bright red, green, and orange fluorescent color. It is the first genetically modified animal to become available as a pet.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Hockey

Hockey is any of a family of sports in which two teams struggle by trying to maneuver a ball, or a hard, surrounding disc called a puck, into the opponent's net or goal, using a hockey stick. Field hockey is played on nettle, natural grass, sand-based or water-based artificial turfs, with a small, hard ball. The game is popular among both males and females in many countries of the world, mostly in Europe, India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South Asia. In most countries, the game is played between single-sex sides, even though it can be played by mixed-sex sides. In the United States and Canada it is played mostly by women.

Ball hockey is played in a gym using sticks and a ball, often a tennis ball with the hair removed.
There are early representations and reports of hockey-type games being played on ice in the Netherlands, and reports from Canada from the beginning of the nineteenth century, but the modern game was initially planned by students at McGill University, Montreal in 1875 who, by two years later, codified the first set of ice hockey rules and organized the first teams.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Computers

Computers take numerous physical forms. The first devices that resemble modern computers date to the mid-20th century, although the computer concept and various machines similar to computers existed prior. Early electronic computers were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers. Modern computers are based on comparatively tiny integrated circuits and are millions to billions of times more capable while occupying a fraction of the space. Today, simple computers may be made small enough to fit into a wrist watch and be powered from a watch battery. Personal computers in various forms are icons of the information age and are what most people think of as "a computer". However, the most common form of computer in use today is by far the embedded computer. Embedded computers are small, simple devices that are often used to control other devices-for example, they may be found in machines ranging from fighter aircraft to industrial robots, digital cameras, and even children's toys.

The ability to store and execute lists of instructions called programs makes computers extremely versatile and distinguishes them from calculators. The Church-Turing thesis is a mathematical statement of this versatility: Any computer with a certain minimum capability is, in principle, capable of performing the same tasks that any other computer can perform. Therefore, computers with capability and complexity ranging from that of a personal digital assistant to a supercomputer are all able to perform the same computational tasks given enough time and storage capacity

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Capacitance

Capacitance is a measure of the quantity of electric charge stored for a given electric potential. The most general form of charge storage device is a two-plate capacitor. If the charges on the plates are +Q and -Q, and V gives the voltage difference between the plates, then the capacitance is given by c=Q/v. The capacitance of the majority of capacitors used in electronic circuits is several orders of size smaller than the farad. The most ordinary units of capacitance in use today are the millifarad (mF), microfarad (µF), the nanofarad (nF) and the picofarad (pF).

The dielectric constant for a number of very useful dielectrics changes as a function of the applied electrical field, e.g. ferroelectric materials, so the capacitance for these devices is no longer purely a purpose of device geometry. If a capacitor is driven with a sinusoidal voltage, the dielectric constant, or more exactly referred to as the dielectric permittivity, is a function of frequency. A changing dielectric constant with frequency is referred to as a dielectric dispersion, and is governed by dielectric recreation processes, such as Debye relaxation.

Monday, November 19, 2007

pregnant woman and her health

Pregnancy is not an easy job for a woman. Starting from conception to birth, a woman's body carries out the most miraculous process of fertilization, implantation and the maturity and growth of her baby . Her body is her baby's dwelling place for the next nine months and the occurrences of pregnancy turn into a journey of many new physical feelings. Whether it is first, second, thirdpregnancy, her body will respond in a different way to each individual pregnancy. So health of a pregnant woman is very important to be taken care of.

Throughout the first 12 weeks of pregnancy called the '1st trimester’, a woman's body adjust to present a fostering and protective environment for her baby to grow and develop. Seldom, the early signs of pregnancy can make a woman feel puzzled. This may be for the reason that many of the physical signs of in the early hours of pregnancy such as enlarged tender breasts, sensitivity of tiredness, overstuffed and perhaps experiencing spasms and or pelvic uneasiness can be considered as normal pre-menstrual signs. In all these stages the health of the woman declines because she is not only feeding herself, also her little developing fetus.

They may also sense disgusted or sick, due to morning sickness. It is not unusual to feel unsure about what is 'normal' during the early stages of pregnancy development, and unfamiliar signs or sensations may trigger concerns about the health, of her and baby. It’s been proved by the Gynecologists that every woman's body will react in a different way to being pregnant. Many women find their early pregnancy symptoms very difficult to cope with, both at work and generally.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Aquarium

The aquarium has a long history and maintaining an aquarium has become immensely popular worldwide. Aquarius can come in a variety of materials, shapes, and sizes. They are classically constructed of glass or high-strength plastic. Cuboid aquarium are also known as fish tanks or simply tanks, while bowl-shaped aquarium are also known as fish bowls. Size can range from a small glass bowl to enormous public aquariums. A number of apparatus are used to maintain appropriate water quality and uniqueness suitable for the aquarium's residents. There are many types of aquarium, classified by the organisms maintained or the type of surroundings that is mimicked.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Peacock

Peacock Lane is a 5 block street in Portland, Oregon which is notable because all of the houses are required to be adorned at Christmastime. During this instance, many people drive from all over the Portland area to view the decorated houses.

The community has a website that has on its 1920s, each house in this quaint southeast locality has been decorating for Christmas. Mostly Tudors, the houses are adorned with not only beautiful stunning lights, but also nativity scenes, rotating Christmas trees and attractively life-like replicas of Santa and Frosty. This is a very popular Portland tradition and the crowds can get rather thick. It is wise to park several blocks away and walk, rather than drive from side to side the area. Better yet, take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Toy

A Toy is an item used in play. Toys are usually related with children and pets, but it is not unusual for adult humans and some non-domesticated animals to play with toys. Many items are manufactured to serve as toys, but items shaped for other purpose can also be used as toys. A child may pick up a domestic item and 'fly' it around pretending that it is an airplane, or an animal might play with a pinecone by batting at it, chasing it, and throwing it up in the air. Some toys are intended largely as collector's items and are not to be played with.The origin of toys is prehistoric; dolls representing infants, animals, and soldiers, as well as representations of tools used by adults are pleasure found at archaeological sites. The origin of the word toy is unknown, but it is understood that it was first used in the 14th century.
Toys and play in general are an important part of the method of learning about the world and growing up. The young use toys and play to discover their identity, help their bodies grow tough, learn cause and effect, explore relationships, and practice skills they will need as adults. Adults use toys and play to form and strengthen social bonds, teach the young, memorize and reinforce lessons from their own youth, exercise their minds and bodies, practice skills they may not use every day, and decorate their living spaces. Toys are more than simple amusement, and they and the way they are used greatly influence most aspects of life.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

solar wind

The solar wind is a stream of charged particles which are expelled from the upper atmosphere of the sun. It consists mostly of high-energy electrons and protons that are able to get away the sun's gravity in part because of the high temperature of the corona and the high kinetic energy particles gain through a process that is not well understood at this time.

They are directly related to the solar wind, together with geomagnetic storms that can knock out power grids on Earth, auroras and the plasma tail of a comet always pointing away from the sun. While early models of the solar wind used primarily thermal energy to accelerate the material, by the 1960s it was clear that thermal hurrying alone cannot account for the high speed solar wind. Some additional acceleration mechanism is required, but is not presently known, but most likely relates to magnetic fields in the solar atmosphere. The solar wind is answerable for the overall shape of Earth's magnetosphere, and fluctuations in its speed, density, direction, and entrained magnetic field powerfully affect Earth's local space environment.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Tsunami

A tsunami is a series of waves shaped when a body of water, such as an ocean, is rapidly displaced. Earthquakes, group movements above or below water, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions, landslides, large meteorite impacts and testing with nuclear weapons at sea all have the potential to produce a tsunami. The effects of a tsunami can range from imperceptible to devastating. The word tsunami comes from the Japanese words meaning harbor and wave. For the plural, one can either follow usual English practice and add an s, or use an invariable plural as in Japanese. The term was created by fishermen who returned to port to find the area neighboring their harbor devastated, although they had not been conscious of any wave in the open water. Tsunamis are general throughout Japanese history; approximately 195 events in Japan have been recorded.
A tsunami has a much smaller amplitude (wave height) offshore, and a very long wavelength, which is why they generally pass unobserved at sea, forming only a passing bulge in the ocean. Tsunami have been historically referred to as tidal waves because as they approach land, they take on the characteristics of a vicious onrushing tide rather than the sort of cresting waves that are formed by wind action upon the ocean. Since they are not really related to tides the term is considered misleading and its treatment is discouraged by oceanographers.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Indicator

Dial indicators are instruments used to correctly measure a small distance. They may also be known as a Dial gauge, Dial Test Indicator, or as a clock. They are named so because the measurement results are displayed in a overstated way by means of a dial. They may be used to check the dissimilarity in tolerance during the check process of a machined part, measure the deflection of a beam or ring under laboratory conditions, as well as many other situations where a small measurement needs to be registered or indicated.
An economic indicator is a statistic concerning the economy. The lighting system of a motor vehicle consists of lighting and signaling procedure mounted or integrated to the front, sides and rear of the vehicle. The purpose of this system is to present illumination for the driver to operate the vehicle safely after dark, to increase the visibility of the vehicle, and to display information about the vehicle's presence, position, size, direction of travel, and driver's intentions concerning direction and speed of travel.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Security

Security is the condition of being sheltered against danger or loss. In the general sense, security is a perception similar to safety. The nuance between the two is an added emphasis on being protected from dangers that initiate from outside. Individuals or actions that encroach upon the condition of protection are responsible for the breach of security.

The word security in general procedure is synonymous with safety, but as a technical term security means that something not only is protected but that it has been secured. A condition that results from the establishment and maintenance of protective measures that ensures a state of inviolability from hostile acts or influences. With respect to classified matter, the condition that prevents unauthorized persons from having right to use to official information that is safeguarded in the benefit of national security.

Monday, August 06, 2007

The result in cricket

If the team that bats last has all of its batsmen dismissed before it can reach the run total of the differing team, it is said to have lost by (n) runs. If however, the team that bats last exceeds the opposing team's run total before its batsmen are dismissed, it is said to have win by (n) wickets, where (n) is the difference between the number of wickets conceded and 10.If, in a two-innings-a-side match, one team's combined first and second innings total fails to reach its opponent's first innings total, there is no need for the opposing team to bat again and it is said to have won by an innings and (n) runs, where (n) is the variation between the two teams' totals.

If all the batsmen of the team batting last are dismissed with the scores closely equal then the match is a tie; ties are very rare in matches of two innings a side. In the traditional form of the game, if the time allotted for the match expires before either side can win, then the game is a draw. If the match has only a single innings per side, then a highest number of deliveries for each innings is frequently imposed. Such a match is called a limited overs or one-day match, and the side scoring more runs wins anyway of the number of wickets lost, so that a draw cannot occur. If this kind of match is temporarily intermittent by bad weather, then a complex mathematical formula known as the Duckworth-Lewis method is often used to recalculate a new target score. A one-day match can be declared a No-Result if fewer than a up to that time agreed number of overs have been bowled by either team, in circumstances that make normal recommencement of play impossible.