March 24 2005

Have A Trouble Waking Up? Get a “CLOCKY”

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[Photo from: media.mit.edu]

Scientists at MIT Media Lab in the U.S. have come up with the cutest, most practical and effective invention to be ever invented for those lazy sleepers, whose fingers just love pressing the “snooze buttons” every time the alarm goes off. The invention is called: CLOCKY, an alarm clock which makes even the laziest sleepers, who repeatedly hit the snooze button, jump out of bed.

How? After you press the snooze button, the clock, which is equipped with a set of wheels, rolls off from its place to another part of the room. Impressive fact is: Clocky finds a new hiding place every day, it doesn’t hide in the same places every time! So when the alarm sounds next time you have to get out of your bed and look for Clocky, this will prevent you from going back to sleep again!

Source: MIT Media Lab-Clocky

February 9 2005

Ecall: Smart Alarm For EU Cars

While automotive safety continues to improve, traffic accidents still account for around 50,000 casualties every year on European roads. And one of the most frequent and scary problems is a breakdown or worse, a crash in the middle of nowhere and no immediate help at hand. Or even if aid does arrive, it could be too late.
The EU plans to cut the number of fatal traffic accidents on its roads with the help of sophisticated technology that will automatically call an emergency hotline after a car crash: Ecall. This smart alarm system won’t prevent crashes but could save lives.

“With global placement systems and mobile telecommunications technology already standard in many high-end automobiles, it would seem that Ecall is an easy upgrade,” said Alfredo Filippone, spokesperson from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association ACEA. “When embarked, say from a sensor in the car’s airbag, Ecall will call the common European emergency number 112 automatically, and help will be on its way.”

Studies estimate that when fully employed, the quick and accurate location information passed on by the Ecall system could reduce the severity of injuries and save up to 2,000 lives each year. This will add up to big savings for insurance companies.

The EU Commission has announced plans to implement Ecall by 2009. Over 20 representatives from EU member states and car and insurance industries have agreed to cooperate.
The EU action plan targets the end of 2005 for final Ecall standardisation, and 2006 for full-fledged field tests.

Source: DeutscheWelle

January 13 2005

“Check Your Art Sense!”

After some garbage men accidentally burnt an artwork, which they mistook for trash, Frankfurt’s Städel Museum has decided that they need to hone their art-appreciation skills and attend art lessons…

What appeared to be nothing but a yellow plastic object that should be burnt, turned out to be a sculpture and part of an ongoing art exhibition by Michael Beutler, a graduate of the city’s prestigious Städel Museum. The show involved a total of ten sculptures made of yellow wood and cement that were distributed over the city.

The museum said it wanted to hone the appreciation and understanding of art among the city’s sanitation officials. Therefore, the museum will invite the garbage collectors to learn a few artsy pointers once a month under the motto “Check your Art Sense!”.

During the first class, which takes place on Jan. 16, the museum plans to place a largely unknown painting from its storage room in front of a famous one that’s currently displayed in its ongoing public exhibition.

Source: DW-World

December 16 2004

The Dance Of Nature



Via:Pensées perdues

You can’t but be captured by the beauty of this tree which looks just like a ballet dancer hypnotized by the magic of melodies…Subhana Allah!

December 15 2004

Linux 4 Arab



I think this Linux 4 Arab logo is simply adorable 😉

December 13 2004

Ilkone Islamic Mobile Phone



A new brand of mobile phones called Ilkone is rolling out some really cool looking, feature rich Islamic mobile phones.
Among its many features, ilkone’s i800 offers automatic precise prayer timing anywhere in the world, an alarm option which can be set to sound before and after the call to prayer (Azan) with actual Azan voice which could be automatically set to silence throughout prayer. It is also capable of establishing Qibla directions from anywhere in the world, automatically pointing towards Mecca, giving full text of the Holy Qur’an approved by Al-Azhar, with English translations. It also provides other features such as Hijri calendar converter and automatic alarm for Sohour Imsak and Iftar during Ramadan.
Moreover, the revolutionary phone is equipped with GPRS Class 12, giving users the fastest internet connection anywhere in the world.
Via: Subzero Blue

December 2 2004

Oddly Enough II



Seems like these weird climbing goats don’t exist in Jordan only. They’re considered a touristic attraction in a region in Morocco!

Thank you Soly 🙂

December 1 2004

Oddly Enough!


We usually see birds, squirrels, or maybe little cats on trees… that’s not in Jordan. Trees in Jordan are challenged 😉
Via:A Natural Born Musician

November 30 2004

“Quit & Win 2004”

After ending a smoking career of almost three packs of cigarettes daily for the past 32 years, Karl-Heinz Evers was drawn from 700,000 participants worldwide in the “Quit and Win 2004” international non-smoking campaign sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO), and won $10,000 (€7,500).
“I feel brilliant,” Evers said. “After smoking 60 cigarettes a day for such a long time, you feel greatly relieved and much more active. I can ride my bicycle again and can do sports. I couldn’t do all that before because I was really sick.”

Isn’t that just great! So to all of you smokers who wish to quit but find it extremely difficult, go ahead and challenge yourselves, YOU CAN MAKE IT!
And if you smoke, but don’t consider quitting, then please do, for the sake of your health!

November 26 2004

Handy der Zukunft … Persönlicher Berater!

Wissenschaftler haben laut „New Scientist“ jetzt ein lernfähiges Handy entworfen, das genau weiß, was sein Eigentümer unternehmen wird und entsprechende hilfreiche Ratschläge geben kann.
Das System nutzt eine von finnischen Forschern entwickelte Software. Die Gewohnheiten des Besitzers werden über Gespräche, Textnachrichten oder Weckfunktion protokolliert. Durch Ortsbestimmung über Sendefunkmasten bemerkt das Handy zudem, mit wem der Besitzer wann und wo unterwegs ist.

Klasse!

Quelle:Focus.de