marți, aprilie 26, 2011

Open Compute Project



Site: http://opencompute.org/

Incubus - Esperanto







Incubus (Esperanto: Inkubo) is a 1965 black-and-white American horror film, restored in 2001. Incubus was directed by Leslie Stevens, creator of The Outer Limits, and stars William Shatner, shortly before he would begin his work on Star Trek. The film's striking cinematography was by Conrad Hall, who went on to win three Academy Awards for his work on the films Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, American Beauty and Road to Perdition. The film was performed entirely in the constructed language Esperanto. This was done to create an eerie, other-worldly feeling,[2] and the director has prohibited dubbing into other languages.


The film was lost for many years because the original print of the film burned in a fire and all copies were reported lost, destroyed, or worn away, but a copy of the film with French subtitles was found in the permanent collection of the Cinémathèque Française in Paris. The Sci Fi Channel funded the restoration from that print and released a DVD in 2001 that included subtitles in English and French. Because the source print contained burned-in French subtitles, the English subtitles are placed over black bars that partially obscure some portions of the frame.


Restul partilor pe youtube.

duminică, aprilie 24, 2011

An Honourable Photoshop Master- BaoJun Yuan


Baojun Yuan is a member of China Senior Photographers Association. He is highly respected by Chinese people. Why? In the past nine years, Mr. Yuan has repaired more than 2000 old photos for residents for free. Course it is not surprising enough if you have no idea about this great man. Mr. Yuan is 76 years old now. He didn’t know Photoshop until his was 60 years old. Mr. Yuan learned repairing skills from a teacher and was soon skilled in it. Considering that repairing old photos is too expensive for most of the residents to afford, Mr. Yuan himself bought a computer and a scanner and began service people without any charge. In his words “my teacher just taught me how to repair the photos, but he forgot to tell me how to charge”.

Tot articolul si exemple de poze reparate: http://thedesigninspiration.com/articles/an-honourable-photoshop-master-baojun-yuan/

sâmbătă, aprilie 23, 2011

vineri, aprilie 22, 2011

Repararea gropilor


artist juliana santacruz herrera has transformed the streets of paris through her visual intervention
using braided strips of colourful fabric. seeing the many cracks and potholes of the city as
the 'canvas' of her project, the site-specific pieces are a playful addition to the grey urban setting.

long lengths of dyed fabrics are braided and then coiled into the shallow breaks in the street.
often made up of a combination of bright colours, the resulting effect creates a graphic and
visually-arresting contrast to the city's palette.

Tot articolul: http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/10/view/14280/juliana-santacruz-herrera-decorative-potholes.html

luni, aprilie 18, 2011

Everything and Nothing

Doua documentare BBC fascinante despre univers si ce inseamna materia si ce inseamna absenta ei.



Teleportorul argenitinian

Datoria Germaniei catre BNR

In cautare de bani, statele incep sa se uite prin arhive la datoriile istorice pe care le au de incasat si sa intenteze procese pentru recuperarea acestora. E cazul SUA- Germania, dar nu asupra lui m-as opri astazi, ci as aminti un caz care ne afecteaza direct. O mai veche datorie a Germaniei fata de Banca Nationala a Romaniei.

E vorba de contractul de Clearing semnat intre Guvernele Romaniei si Germaniei, pe data de 23 martie 1939, in care Romania se obliga sa livreze marfuri diverse (titei brut, produse petroliere, cherestea, produse cerealiere, etc.) catre Germania, care urma sa le achite la un pret mai mare cu 10 % fata de valoarea medie a preturilor mondiale. Germania urma sa achite facturile prin Casa Germana de Compensatie, dar platile trebuiau efecuate numai catre BNR, in marci germane imperiale. BNR, la randul ei, achita in lei romanesti exportatorilor si in acest fel totul era in regula. Contractul acesta se poate gasi pe Internet, nu e niciun mare secret.


Astazi valoarea initiala pe care institutia condusa de Mugur Isarescu ar putea s-o recupereze de la Germania ar fi de 18,8 miliarde de Euro, conform unor calcule efectuate de membrii comisiei Bergier, din Elvetia. Dar in realitate valoarea in discutie ar putea fi cu mult mai mare, poate chiar undeva in jurul sumei de 100 miliarde de Euro, daca tinem cont de valoarea principalilor indicatori comparativi dintre anii 1944 si 2010 (preturile marfurilor exportate, costurile de transport, taxele vamale, etc.).

Pe 16 august 2010 parlamentara germana Ulla Jelpke a adresat Guvernului Germaniei o interpelare, solicitand un punct de vedere oficial asupra acestui posibil sold neachitat de Casa de Compensatie din Germania catre Romania, reprezantata de BNR. Raspunsul Guvernului German, prin Ministerul de Finante de la Berlin, a venit neasteptat de repede, chiar in aceeasi zi (!). Un raspuns previzibil, prin care Ministerul Finantelor de la Berlin spune ca Romania a renuntat la orice pretentie materiala fata de Germania, prin semnarea Tratatului de Pace de la Paris, din 10 februarie 1947. Numai ca un astfel de raspuns este total incorect deoarece art. 28 din Tratatul de Pace de la Paris prevede ca “Romania renunta la orice pretentii fata de Germania, cu exceptia celor rezultand din contracte si alte obligatii anterioare datei de 1 septembrie 1939, precum si din drepturi dobindite inainte de aceeasi data” .

Deci motivatia Ministerului de Finante din Germania nu sta in picioare, ba chiar as putea spune ca insasi prin motivatia aceasta lipsita de logica s-au impotmolit si mai tare si vor trebui sa accepte, intr-un final previzibil, ca au de platit o suma imensa Romaniei.

Tot articolul: http://hymerion.ro/2010/08/20/bnr-ar-putea-recupera-din-germania-peste-18-miliarde-de-euro-banii-reprezinta-datorii-neachitate-dintr-un-contract-semnat-in-1939.html

sâmbătă, aprilie 16, 2011

Molid de 9550 de ani


The world's oldest recorded tree is a 9,550 year old spruce in the Dalarna province of Sweden. The spruce tree has shown to be a tenacious survivor that has endured by growing between erect trees and smaller bushes in pace with the dramatic climate changes over time.

Acum 9500 de ani:
  • nu exista scris (cele mai vechi ideograme au 7000 de ani)
  • Egiptul nu exista
  • cultivarea orzului si graului a inceput in mesopotamia si a aparut berea si painea
  • pisicile deabia erau domesticite
  • orasul Ierihon avea deja 1000 de ani vechime

Tot articolul: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416104320.htm

vineri, aprilie 15, 2011

marți, aprilie 12, 2011

The lost astronauts


Then, on 28 November 1960, the Bochum space observatory in West Germany said it had intercepted radio signals which it thought might have been a satellite. No official announcement had been made of any launch.
“Our reaction was to immediately switch on the receivers and listen,” said Achille. After almost an hour of tuning in to static, the boys were about to give up when suddenly a tapping sound emerged from the hiss and crackle.

“It was a signal we recognised immediately as Morse code – SOS,” said Gian. But something about this signal was strange. It was moving slowly, as if the craft was not orbiting but was at a single point and slowly moving away from the Earth. The SOS faded into distant space.

As the brothers listened, the cosmonaut experimented with zero gravity. They lost the signal as the cosmonaut prepared for re-entry while whistling a communist hymn. It was only then that President John F Kennedy was awoken at 2am to be given the news that Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space.
Five weeks later, on 19 May 1961, the brothers picked up what is now their most infamous recording, which they claim is of a woman cosmonaut whose ship burned up on re-entry. Then, a few days after this, they picked up a tantalising few seconds of another transmission: “Conditions growing worse, why don’t you answer?” Both recordings are clear and accurately translated.
One fatality that we do know about from those early days was that of Valentin Bondarenko. At 24, he was the youngest cosmonaut. He met his terrible end on 23 March 1961, while in a pressure chamber as part of a 10-day isolation exercise. Bondarenko dropped an alcohol-soaked cotton swab on a hot plate, which – in the oxygen-rich environment – started a fire that ignited his suit. It was 20 minutes before the pressurised door could be opened. Bondarenko was pulled out barely alive, crying “It was my fault”, and died eight hours later, comforted by his best friend, Yuri Gagarin. News of the accident was hushed up until 1986.

Este fascinant articolul.

http://www.forteantimes.com/features/articles/1302/lost_in_space.html

Lumen Lamp


This friendly looking lamp by Enrico Salis supports a single shelf for books and other objects while it’s adjustable upper arm holds a paper chandelier- almost as if it’s presenting an offering of light to the user. The adjustable upper arm can be set in two positions while the electrical wire remains hidden within the simple but rigid supporting structure. This straightforward design makes a great lighting solution bedside or near a comfy chair; perfect for late night reading.

Simplu si frumos

Sursa si mai multe poze: http://www.yankodesign.com/2011/04/12/dangle-lamp/

Subdivided Column A Procedural Approach to Ornament

In this project, an abstracted doric column is used as an input to a subdivision processes. This input form conveys basic topographical and topological information about the form to be generated. It contains data about the proportions of the the column's shaft, capital, base, as well information about its fluting and entasis.

The process functions by taking each face (or facet) of this doric column and dividing it into four faces. The new faces in turn are further divided again and again, until after many steps one arrives at the final form: an intricate column made of 16 million faces. Each subdivision step adds further levels of detail (or "information") to the form. The first steps of the process influence the overall shape and its curvature, the next steps determine the surface development, while the final steps generate a minuscule texture on top of the broader surfaces.

The resulting columns have a distinct language of form unlike anything created by traditional processes. They exhibit both highly specific local conditions as well as an overall coherency and continuity. Their ornament is in continuous flow, yet it consist of very distinct local formations. The complexity of the columns contrasts with the simplicity of the their generative process and the their initial input.


Vreau sa vad lucruri de acest fel si la noi. Va spun eu cum se fabrica :P

Sursa: http://wiki.caad.arch.ethz.ch/Events/SubdividedColumn
Imagini: http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/9/view/14052/michael-hansmeyer-ornamented-columns.html

luni, aprilie 11, 2011

Laser Painter



by: Daito Manabe + Motoi Ishibashi

TestDisk

TestDisk is powerful free data recovery software! It was primarily designed to help recover lost partitions and/or make non-booting disks bootable again when these symptoms are caused by faulty software, certain types of viruses or human error (such as accidentally deleting a Partition Table). Partition table recovery using TestDisk is really easy.

TestDisk can
Fix partition table, recover deleted partition
Recover FAT32 boot sector from its backup
Rebuild FAT12/FAT16/FAT32 boot sector
Fix FAT tables
Rebuild NTFS boot sector
Recover NTFS boot sector from its backup
Fix MFT using MFT mirror
Locate ext2/ext3/ext4 Backup SuperBlock
Undelete files from FAT, NTFS and ext2 filesystem
Copy files from deleted FAT, NTFS and ext2/ext3/ext4 partitions.

TestDisk has features for both novices and experts. For those who know little or nothing about data recovery techniques, TestDisk can be used to collect detailed information about a non-booting drive which can then be sent to a tech for further analysis. Those more familiar with such procedures should find TestDisk a handy tool in performing onsite recovery.

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

sâmbătă, aprilie 09, 2011

vineri, aprilie 08, 2011

luni, aprilie 04, 2011

sâmbătă, aprilie 02, 2011

Understanding Stuxnet

de la TED 2011

Thanks Dan!

vineri, aprilie 01, 2011

GOCE Geoid - the true shape of Earth


After two years in orbit, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) is nearing the end of its planned life span in February, producing the most accurate map ever of the so-called geoid - an Earth-encompassing spirit level and global reference surface. An unused supply of xeon fuel will allow the mission to be extended until at least the end of 2012.

Markedly different from a simple sphere or ellipsoid, the geoid is the mathematically 'true' shape of Earth. It represents a motionless global ocean but takes into account the effects of the Earth’s rotation, weight difference resulting from the position of mountains and ocean trenches, and uneven mass distribution and density variations in the planet’s interior.

The resulting small variations in the Earth’s gravitational field feature on the geoid as ‘bulbs’ and ‘dips’ in an idealized ‘ocean’ surface.

ESA scientists presented the latest version of the GOCE-derived geoid map – based on eight months of data processed so far – at a user workshop this week in Munich, Germany.


Sursa: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/04/earths-true-shape-revealed-for-1st-time.html