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Showing posts from March 15, 2014

Ta da! New Guinness World Record set for completing a Rubik's Cube in just 3.253 seconds... by a robot

The Guinness World Record for solving a Rubik's Cube in the fastest time has today been smashed by a robot. The Cubestormer 3 solved the cube in a speedy 3.253 seconds - much to the delight of spectators at the Big Bang Fair, held at the NEC in Birmingham. The robot's record-breaking time beat the previous non-human record of 5.27 seconds - set by the machine's predecessor, the Cubestormer 2. Before that, the record stood at 10.69 seconds - achieved by a robot built by final year computing students at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia in 2011. The Cubestormer 3 was built over 18 months by engineer co-designers David Gilday and Mike Dobson who were working with technology company ARMMobile. The machine uses an ARM-powered Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone to analyze the cube and instruct four robotic hands to do move the elements of the cube. Speaking before the challenge, Dominic Vergine from ARM, said: 'We are very confident the robot will break the...

Welcome to Linda Ikeji's Blog: Video: Basketmouth's secret diary caught on tape

Welcome to Linda Ikeji's Blog: Video: Basketmouth's secret diary caught on tape : See another video after the cut...

Aston Villa beat nine-man Chelsea 1-0 in an English Premier League game that saw manager Jose Mourinho sent to the stands in the closing stages on Saturday. Visiting Chelsea thought it took the lead in the 41st minute when midfielder Nemanja Matic poked home from close range following a corner, however he was alleged to have handled the ball first. The second half sprung to life after Chelsea midfielder Willian was sent off in the 68th for two bookable offences, handing Villa the incentive. Fabian Delph converted in the 82nd minute to dent Chelsea’s title challenge. Ramires was then shown a straight red for a wild lunge at Karim El Ahmadi before Mourinho was given his marching orders for his constant remonstrations on the touchline

How To Survive On Mars

There's more than enough science and technology for the technically literate, and although he's never worked at NASA, Weir has gotten compliments for the accuracy of his portrait of an enormous bureaucracy's infighting as it struggles to save a man tens of millions of miles away. In the story, Watney's lonely struggle captures the attention of billions on Earth, even spawning a daily half-hour cable news program: "CNN's Mark Watney Report." The book builds up the kind of narrative tension captured in the Oscar best-picture contender "Gravity," which Weir liked, even though it may have stretched the science. ("It doesn't have to be perfectly physically accurate to be entertaining. Nobody calls out the physics problems in 'Star Wars.'") Yet accuracy is one of the things that gets cited in praise for Weir's book. Astronaut Chris Hadfield, former commander of the International Space Station, has said the book "has the v...

Man, 27, Googles himself, sees his photo on a MOST WANTED criminals site, then turns himself in 'to clear his conscience'

When one man decided to google himself out of curiosity he found his face on Northern California's Most Wanted website and decided to turn himself in. Christopher Viatafa, 27, of Paolo, Alto California handed himself over to the San Leandro police station where he was wanted for allegedly firing a handgun at the San Leandro Senior Center on East 14 street on August 8. According to police he got into an argument, pulled out his gun, and fired a few shots at the ground. Even though no one was harmed, police wanted him on suspicion that he shot a firearm towards an inhabited building. SFGate.comreports that when Viatafa saw himself on the Most Wanted website he turned himself in so that he could clear his conscience. As of Friday, Viatafa was listed on the site as a 'captured fugitive. The website has been around since December and is aimed at finding criminals from across the San Francisco Bay area. It's a cooperative between state, local, and federal police services. ‘The si...

It WAS too good to be true: The machine that 'turns water into wine' is a hoax (but it was all for charity)

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But such sound advice escaped many people who were captivated by the idea that a machine could really turn water into wine in just three days. Turns out, such ideas are best left to the pages of The Bible when Jesus managed to do it with just the wave of his hand. The Miracle Machine was a fake. However, the publicity stunt was for a good cause. An organization called Wine To Watersays it provides people around the world with access to clean water. The charity have apologized on their website but hope that their stunt has drawn attention to their cause. 'The Miracle Machinehas generated enormous interest around the globe. We and supporters Kevin Boyer and Philip James are sorry to disappoint anyone who was looking forward to high quality wine in 3 days. 'For the cost of a bottle of fine wine, we provide a way to produce 99.9% pure drinking water to a family for up to five years and THAT is the true miracle,' charity founder...

Dad who moved to U.S. for better life sees dream disappear after Harlem explosion kills wife and daughter, 21, and seriously injures son, 15

A family that emigrated from Mexico more than two decades ago in search of a better life has been ripped apart after the blast that collapsed two buildings in Harlem on Wednesday claimed the lives of two of its members. Cecilio Hernandez keeps a vigil at the Harlem Hospital Center bedside of his 15-year-old son Oscar, who is in a critical condition after the explosion. Hernandez's wife Rosaura Barrios-Vasquez, 44, and daughter Rosaura Hernandez, 21, were among the eight people killed on Wednesday.

Welcome to Linda Ikeji's Blog: 6 die in stampede at immigration employment tests ...

Welcome to Linda Ikeji's Blog: 6 die in stampede at immigration employment tests ... : The Nigerian Immigration Service decided to conduct a test for 3,000 vacant positions and the number of Nigerian Youths that went to the ...

French strike kills Mali rebel commander

French air strikes in the mountains of northern Mali have killed Oumar Ould Hamaha, a rebel fighter known as Red Beard who was the subject of a $3m US bounty, a Malian military source said. “Omar Ould Hamaha, the terrorist of Malian nationality, is one of 10 terrorists killed last week by French planes,” the officer told AFP late on Thursday. He died “with weapons in hand”, the source said. The French defence minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said last week as many as 12 al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghrib (AQIM) fighters had been killed in a counter-terrorism operation by French forces between March 4 and 5. The AQIM fighters were spotted in the Amettetai Valley, in the Kidal region, by French forces operating the US-made Reaper drones, Drian said. ‘Red Beard’ Hamaha, known as ‘Red Beard’ because of his use of henna on his facial hair, became a leading figure in the rebel coalition that seized control of northern Mali in April 2012. A French-led military offensive launched in January 2013 bro...

Congressman calls for an end to sexual assault after revealing his 'beautiful' niece, 18, was recently raped

Republican Representative Tom Reed of New York gave an emotional and personal speech on the House floor on Friday, calling for an end to sexual assault and revealing that his niece is a victim of rape. 'Within the last year, my family experienced firsthand the issues of sexual assault,' Reed said. " 'My beautiful niece, 18 years old, was raped ... We saw that event impact a young life, our family in a way that I cannot express Mr. Speaker, and I come here today to say no more.' The congressman spoke in support of the 'No More' campaign, a movement fighting sexual assault and domestic violence, according to WPRO Organizations such as Break The Cycle and Men Can Stop Rape help in the campaign, along with dozens of other groups. Reed explained he had asked his niece what she would say if able to address the U.S. House of Representatives on the issue: 'No more because there are no excuses.' The legislator also said that, perhaps of the most importance, ...

Man Jailed 15months For Stealing Church Bell

An Osogbo Magistrates’ Court on Friday sentenced one Aminu Sheu, 21, to 15 months in prison for stealing hand bells and cymbal drums from two churches in Osogbo. The Magistrate, Mrs Ademola Olowolagba, convicted the accused based on self-admittance to the charges against him and the evidence provided by the prosecution. Olowolagba said that though the convict looked remorseful, he had to be punished for his crime to serve as a deterrent to others. She therefore sentenced the accused to 15 months in prison without an option of fine. The police prosecutor, Insp. Abiodun Fagboyinbo, had earlier told the court that Sheu committed the offence on March 13 at about 12: 40 p.m. at Adetunji Estate in Osogbo. Fagboyinbo said the convict broke into Christ Apostolic Church, Adetunji Estate branch, where he stole three hand bells valued at N18, 000 and four cymbal drums valued at N25, 000. He said that about 1p.m., the convict moved from Christ Apostolic Church to Power Life Baptist Church where he...

Chris Brown Jailed After Being Thrown Out Of Rehab

According to a TMZ report, Chris Brown was arrested in Malibu yesterday after getting kicked out of rehab for violating rules… From TMZ, Chris Brown is in jail right now, because he violated a judge’s order by getting booted from the rehab facility where he’s been living for nearly 4 months … TMZ has learned. The judge in the Rihanna beating case ordered Chris to live in the Malibu rehab facility for 90 days to get anger management therapy, and he completed the stint earlier this month. But … at the last court hearing, the judge modified things and ordered Chris to stay in the facility while the Washington D.C. assault case ran its course.The deal was this … if Chris left rehab, he would go directly to jail. Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ … Brown was thrown out of the rehab facility this morning, for violating “internal rules.” We do not know precisely what Chris did, but we’re told it did not involve violence or drugs.Sources tell TMZ … Chris was caught having “an inapp...

Heartbreak as two young sisters lose both parents in separate tragedies within 48 hours

Two young Oklahoma sisters have been orphaned after losing both their parents in separate tragedies within two days. Crystal Rose Cooper, 38, died from a medical condition on March 5 after collapsing in a livestock arena. Her husband, 71-year-old John Cooper, was killed in a car accident the next day. The double tragedy has robbed Emily, 16, and Hallie, 11, from Prague, Oklahoma, of their loving parents.

Did dad kill daughter and her girlfriend because they were GAY? Relatives say 'devout Muslim' father couldn't get his head around her sexuality

James Cosby, 46, a sex offender from Texas, has been charged with evidence-tempering in the murders of his daughter, Britney, and her girlfriend, Crystal Jackson, whose bodies were dumped behind a trash can.