Friday, June 21, 2013

Lost Egyptian City Found Underwater After 1200 Years by twisted sifter

Lost Egyptian City Found Underwater After 1200 Years 




Lost city of Heracleion egypt franck goddio (1)
1,200 years ago the ancient Egyptian city of Heracleion disappeared beneath the Mediterranean. Founded around 8th century BC, well before the foundation of Alexandria in 331 BC, it is believed Heracleion served as the obligatory port of entry to Egypt for all ships coming from the Greek world.
Prior to its discovery in 2000 by archaeologist Franck Goddio and the IEASM (European Institute for Underwater Archaeology), no trace of Thonis-Heracleion had been found (the city was known to the Greeks as Thonis). Its name was almost razed from the memory of mankind, only preserved in ancient classic texts and rare inscriptions found on land by archaeologists.
Lost city of Heracleion egypt franck goddio (4)
Lost city of Heracleion egypt franck goddio (5)

Japan’s Automated Underground Bike Storage

Japan's Automated Underground Bike Storage




japan underground bike storage parking system by giken (4)
Photograph by Danny Choo @ culturejapan.jp

The Problem

Bicycles are a popular form of transportation in Japan. However, when parked they can take up a lot of public space that could otherwise be used by pedestrian foot traffic, small storefronts, etc.

The Solution

Rather than take up valuable real estate above ground, store them safely underground where they are protected from the weather and would-be thieves, while freeing up valuable public space.
japan underground bike storage parking system by giken (5)
Photograph by Danny Choo @ culturejapan.jp

The ECO Cycle
Anti-seismic Underground Bicycle Park by Giken


The ECO Cycle is an automated underground storage system for bicycles. Designed by Giken, it has a capacity of 204 bicycles and can retrieve a person's bike in approximately 13 seconds.
japan underground bike storage parking system by giken (3)

Lenticular Clouds

Evidence of an alien invasion? No - the rare phenomenon of eerily beautiful lenticular clouds captured by a Russian photographer

  • Russian photographer Denis Budkov, 33, captured formations the over the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia
  • The rare phenomenon occurs when strong winds are blocked by large geographical features such as mountains
  • The clouds are often mistaken for flying saucers or cover for UFOS because of their unusual shape
Hovering high above the mountains these unusual, saucer-like white masses resemble a creature or vehicle from another world - but they are in fact clouds.
The natural phenomenon, known as a lenticular clouds, tend to form at high altitudes, such as above mountains.
Scroll down for video
Russian photographer Denis Bukhov captured the rare phenomenon of lenticular clouds. Resembling flying saucers, they form when the air temperature drops and moisture droplets are pushed up a steep slope by high  winds
Russian photographer Denis Bukhov captured the rare phenomenon of lenticular clouds over the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. Resembling flying saucers, they form when the air temperature drops and moisture droplets are pushed up a steep slope by high winds
The lens-shaped formations are scientifically known as 'altocumulus lenticularis' and are the result of moist air that has condensed at a high altitude.
They are formed when the air temperature drops and moisture droplets are pushed up a steep slope by high winds.
This unique atmospheric condition creates the interesting lens-shaped form that defines a lenticular cloud. 
Mountains act as natural barriers forcing clouds to condense quickly as they are pushed to cooler altitudes. This is why a large or particularly tall mountain range will experience a moist climate on one side but an arid one on the other.



Denis said that it is possible to walk to the top of a volcano, find the Pacific Ocean by following the mountain rivers and see the first sunrise over all of Russia
The lenticular cloud pattern depends upon wind speed and the shape of the mountains. A constant wind may produce clouds which are stable and remain virtually stationary, as if hovering, in the sky for hours
The lenticular cloud pattern depends upon wind speed and the shape of the mountains. A constant wind may produce clouds which are stable and remain virtually stationary, as if hovering, in the sky for hours

HOW DO LENTICULAR CLOUDS FORM?

Lenticular clouds form when a tall geographic feature, such as the the top of a mountain, interrupts a strong upward-flowing wind.
The blocked airflow creates a 'wind wave' pattern in the atmosphere on the downwind side of the mountain. 
Just as a rock in a stream will form ripples downstream, a similar effect occurs in the air â€" with the clouds forming at the peaks of the waves.
The impressive series of pictures taken by photographer, Denis Budkov, 33, show formations over Klyuchevskaya Sopka, the highest mountain of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia.


As a keen photographer, Denis said he loved nothing more than to capture the natural beauty of his home land of Kamchatka.
As a keen photographer, Denis said he loved nothing more than to capture the natural beauty of his home land of Kamchatka. He said: 'These clouds are very special as they do not move, they stay in one place and it's only their shape that changes'

Beautiful Faces On Earth

The beautiful faces on Earth: Stunning portraits of the human race captured in National Geographic's 2013 Traveler Photo Contest

  • A selection of photographs submitted for the portraits category in the 25th annual National Geographic contest
The stunning beauty and diversity of the human race is captured in a series of photographs that have been submitted for this year's National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest.
Every year National Geographic asks the world's adventurers and travelers to submit their best photographs into the contest which features four categories including portraits, outdoor scenes, sense of place and spontaneous moments.
Amateur and professional photographers can still submit their best pictures up until June 30, but the National Geographic has kindly shared with us some of the stunning entries already received for the travel portraits category, which features stunning images from around the world of people working, playing and celebrating.
The range of entries is impressive and shows just how diverse our planet and its inhabitants are. The photographers have share stunning travel experiences from around the globe including fishermen in China, schoolchildren in Namibia and monks in Myanmar.
The winner of the 2013 Traveler Photo Contest will receive a 10-day National Geographic Expedition to the Galápagos and have their prized photo published in National Geographic Traveler magazine. Runner up with be awarded a seven-day National Geographic Photography Workshop, while third prize is a six-day cruise on a Maine windjammer schooner for two.
To enter the competition, now in its 25th year, click here.
Photo and caption by Andrey Pavlov Location: Xingping, Guangxi province, China
Photo and caption by Andrey Pavlov: This photo was taken on the bank of Li-River close to Xingping fishing village. Mr. Huang and his four brothers are from the last fishermen that still keep the tradition of fishing using specially trained cormorants. In recent days, this ancient technique has transformed into a tourist attraction and a source of income for Mr. Huang, who desperately needs funds for buying medicines for his sick wife. Location: Xingping, Guangxi province, China
Photo and caption by Frieda Vanhee: On a gas station we met another car waiting for fuel. Location: Caprivi region Namibia
Photo and caption by Frieda Vanhee: On a gas station we met another car waiting for fuel. Location: Caprivi region Namibia
Photo and caption by Cynthia MacDonald
Photo and caption by Cynthia MacDonald: Kibera is located just outside of Nairobi and is the largest slum in Africa with over a million people. It is built on piles and piles of garbage which is painfully obvious while walking the streets. Location: Kibera, Nairobi

Digitally Shrunk

Mesmerizing self portraits made by boy just 14 lives out his dreams as a tiny person

A 14-year-old photographer has taken the internet by storm with his creative and dreamlike images that make normal-sized people appear tiny.
Zev Hoover, from Natick, Massachusetts, goes by the Flickr username Fiddle Oak, a play on 'little folk', which adequately describes the incredible images that make up his 'miniature world'.
In his fantastical photos in which people are digitally shrunken, acorns make excellent seats, Popsicle sticks are the ideal size for building rafts, and paper airplanes are viable modes of transport.
Zev Hoover
Otherworldly: 14-year-old photographer Zev Hoover has taken the internet by storm with his creative and dreamlike images that make normal-sized people appear tiny
Zev Hoover
Young talent: The Natick, Massachusetts native goes by the Flickr username Fiddle Oak, which is a play on 'little folk', the theme of his magical images
Zev told Today.com that while he takes the photos with his own camera, his older sister Nell, 18, was the brains behind the original tiny people concept.
'She is sort of my partner in crime,' he said, adding that she is 'more of a writer'.
While Nell may have come up with the idea, Zev executes the images beautifully, and his unique work has attracted the attention of professional photographers and designers.
The 14-year-old, who also writes a blog, explained the complicated process of how he creates his dreamlike images, many of which feature him as the main subject.
Zev Hoover
Complex: The process involves capturing the background, shrinking photos of people in similar lighting, manipulating the images in Photoshop and editing the color scheme so that it all matches

Inside Human Body

Photographs that reveal an alien planet? No - the breathtaking animated simulations of the world within the HUMAN BODY

  • Animators at the XVIVO studio have produced stunning short movies of the internal workings of the human body
  • The Connecticut-based artists have magnified some areas of the human body by up to 10 million times
  • Produced as part of a project to help students and scientists understand the human anatomy in a new way
  • Amongst the areas captured are bone marrow, the components of a single cell and individual virus particles
Animators have created remarkable pictures that resemble an alien landscape from the latest science fiction blockbuster, but are in fact ultra-realistic representations of the inside of a human body.
Produced by studio XVIVO in Hartford, Connecticut in the U.S., the movies magnify areas of our insides by up to 10 million times.
The 3D images were produced as part of a project aimed to help students and scientists understand the human body in new and creative ways.
XVIVO compiled the collection for institutions including Harvard, Pfizer, and the United States Department of Defence and used replications of electron micrographs, medical illustrations and photographs to recreate snapshots of parts of the body at a molecular level.
Scroll down for videos
This is an image of kinesin, a motor protein that is capable of moving across a cell.
An underwater world?: This is an image of kinesin (yellow, centre), a motor protein that is capable of moving across a cell. Kinesins are able to 'walk' along microtubules, filament-like protein structures within cells that are involved in a variety of cellular processes, ranging from cell division to transportation of certain chemicals within cells
Animators have included motion images of the inner ear, bone marrow and the protective structure inside the gastrointestinal tract amongst other areas.
Although the project used real data, the equipment used to produce the microscopic imagery produces no colour, so illustrators added their own shades, tints and tones.
Michael Astrachan, a partner in XVIVO said: 'Aesthetically inspirational art moves people. We can take information that is typically taught in a bland, uninspiring two dimensional textbook and bring it to life through a meaningful and inspirational journey.'
He added: 'Beauty and scientific-accuracy exemplifies XVIVO's work. Our animations allow people to clearly understand complex science and biological processes.'




A magnified image of a virus blebbing inside human body. In cell biology, a bleb is an irregular bulge in the plasma membrane of a cell.
Resembling an alien biodome: A magnified image of a virus 'blebbing' inside human body. In cell biology, a 'bleb' is an irregular bulge in the plasma membrane of a cell. This often occurs when a cell dies but blebbing also has important functions in other cellular processes, including cell movement and cell division

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Keyboard Shorcuts -- What Are Function Keys F1, F2,...., F12 On Keyboard

To start with, in this article I will explain the functionality of the Function Keys (F1, F2, ...., F12) which you may find in all the Desktop and Laptop Keyboards. These keys are present in the top row of your Keyboard and provide some basic but very useful features (they are like Keyboard Shortcuts). On new or advance keyboards, you will find additional functionalities which are added by the manufacturers on these function keys for e.g. Volume Up/Down/Mute etc.

Moreover, each Function Key has a standard function which it performs when you press it, but you can also perform some additional tasks if you use these keys along with CTRL / ALT / SHIFT key. In Laptops, you may perform more additional tasks using these Function keys, if you use it along with Fn key.

Anyhow, in this article I will explain what will happen when you press each of these Function keys in Windows and what other functions it can perform if you use it along with CTRL / ALT / SHIFT keys.

F1 Key

* If you press F1 key in Windows (on Desktop or anywhere in Windows Explorer), it will open a Help and Support Center window, which you can use to learn more about Windows.


* If you press F1 key while using any software, it will open a help window for that particular software.

F2 Key

* This is a very useful key, which you can use to Rename any file / folder / icon in Windows. Just select any File / Folder and then press F2 key.


F3 Key

* Using the F3 key in Windows, you can quickly open a Search Window. Using this search, you can make a search for files / folders in your PC.

In Win XP


In Win 7


* If you press F3 in a browser, then it will open a Search / Find box, using which you can search for a word on that particular page only.

Internet Explorer


Chrome


F4 Key

* Pressing F4 key in Windows Explorer will open the Address Bar, from where you can quickly navigate to other Folders / Drives in Windows.


* Pressing F4 in Internet Explorer will open the Address Bar, from where you can re-visit your previously / recently opened pages. (This key doesn't work in any other browser)

* If you hold down ALT Key and then press F4 key (ALT+F4), then it will close the active window or the complete software. Means, whatever you are working on, you can close that window immediately by pressing the ALT+F4 key. For e.g. if you have opened 3 word documents, by pressing the ALT+F4 key in Word will close the Microsoft Word program completely, including all of the three documents.

* But If you have opened 3 word documents, by pressing the CTRL+F4 key will only close that particular document which is currently active, it will not close the complete software.

* In any Web Browser, you can press CTRL+F4 key to close the currently active Tab. The same thing can be achieved by pressing the CTRL+W.

* If none of the window / software is open or you are at the Desktop, then pressing the ALT+F4 key will pop-up the Shutdown / Log Off / Restart message.


F5 Key

* Pressing the F5 key will refresh your screen. Doesn't matter wherever you are in Windows, pressing this key will quickly refresh it.

* The best use of F5 key is when you are browsing on the Internet. Pressing the F5 key in any browser, will Reload the page. This key is especially helpful when you visit any Sports website to see the live score or to read a live commentary of a match. These websites are set to refresh automatically after every 30 seconds or 1 minute, so that you will get a new score / commentary each time it refreshes. But when thousands of people visit the same websites at a same time, then you will feel some kind of lag on those pages. F5 key helps you to refresh those pages quickly whenever you want.

* But in some cases, F5 key also doesn't work properly and you still see old updates on those websites. In such situation, you can hold down CTRL key and then press F5 key (CTRL+F5) to forcefully refresh the page without loading the contents from the browser's Cache, and it works most of the time.

F6 Key

* If you are at Desktop, pressing F6 key will toggle between the Desktop Icons, Taskbar Items, Status Tray Icons and Show Desktop button. Means, without using the mouse, you can open or select any of the item using F6 key.

* If you are in Windows Explorer, pressing F6 key will toggle between the Drives, Menu bar, Address bar and Side bar items. Means, without using the mouse, you can open or select any of the item using F6 key.

* If you press F6 key in any browser, it will highlight the Address bar of it. It means, you can quickly type any website address without using the mouse.

F7 Key

Pressing F7 key in Internet Explorer will enable the Caret Browsing Feature. This feature puts a movable cursor on the webpage and allows you to select the text using the Keyboard. (Quite a useless option).

F8 Key

* When you turn on PC, immediately press this key to bring these options (as shown below)

Note: You press F8 key when you want to boot Windows in Safe mode.

F9 Key

No Feature (at least not in my knowledge)

F10 Key

* Pressing F10 key in Windows Explorer and Browsers will Show / Highlight the Menu bar. The same thing can be achieve if you simply press the ALT key on Keyboard. (The F10 or ALT key works in most of the softwares).

* Select any file / folder, then hold down SHIFT key and Press F10 key (SHIFT+F10), it will open the Right Click Context Menu. It works in the same way if you click Right Click a folder with a Mouse.

Note: New keyboards even have a Right Click button on them, which you can use to perform similar function.

F11 Key

As already explained in my previous article, with the help of F11 key you can hide your browser's Address Bar, Toolbars, Tabs and Windows Taskbar, which will give you a Full Screen view mode. (for details read : Browse Websites In Full Screen View Mode)

F12 Key

No Feature (at least not in my knowledge)

Trekking High

What could possibly go wrong? The tourist trek thousands of feet up a Chinese mountain along wooden boards that were nailed together 700 years ago

These vertigo-inducing pictures show tourists navigating an extremely narrow and treacherous walkway along cliffs at a scenic mountain in China's Shaanxi Province.
The precipitous Chang Kong Cliff Road on Haushan mountain was built more than 700 years ago by hermits seeking 'immortals' they thought were living deep in the mountains.
The walkway is only a foot width wide and has been built clinging to the absolutely vertical cliff. One misstep would send pilgrims plunging thousands of feet down into the valley.
These days, anyone brave enough to navigate the path does have to wear a special safety harness.


Perhaps its better not to see? A daredevil visitor to Huashan Mountain's Chang Kong Cliff Road walks the narrow pathway in a dense mist which obscures the background... and the lethal drop below
Perhaps its better not to see? A daredevil visitor to Huashan Mountain's Chang Kong Cliff Road walks the narrow pathway in a dense mist which obscures the background... and the lethal drop below
What a view: A young woman traverses the narrow walkway

Taking it all in: She sits as she poses for a photograph
But what a view... A young woman poses for photographs along the walkway, which was built more than 700 years ago by hermits seeking 'immortals' they thought were living deep in the mountains

African Okavango Delta


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The tranquil Okavango Delta, a 15,000sqkm flood plain that fans out in the northwestern corner of Botswana, is one of the world's greatest natural miracles; a verdant paradise of palms, papyrus, crystal-clear channels and deep lagoons. Set in a massive sea of desert sand, the fragile wonderland is an oasis for wildlife drawn to its life-giving waters. 



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In the delta, the evening air is filled with the sounds of birds calling, frogs trilling and antelope rustling in the reeds. Wildebeest, hartebeest, buffalo and zebra roam the islands; herds of elephant wade across channels guarded by hippos and outsized crocodiles; and leopard, hyena and lion rule the night, preying on massive herds of wary herbivores. 


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Run by Wilderness Safaris, one of the largest safari companies in southern Africa, Mombo Camp is located on the northern tip of Chief's Island, within the Okavango Delta's Moremi Game Reserve.

Twins And Triplets

Can you tell them apart? The identical twins captured by artist who says tiny irregularities in their faces betray personality differences

A New York-based photographer has captured the slight variances in appearance between identical twins and triplets of all ages in his newest series.
Martin Schoeller, 45, says even though his subjects look alike they still have tiny differences in their faces, many of which are the result of their different life choices.
'One person's been smoking, or one is married with kids and the other is living a party lifestyle, he told Fast Company. 'Some are more at ease, some are more nervous. So even if they look much alike, you can distinguish personalities.'
Twins: A New York-based photographer has captured the slight variances in appearance between identical twins and triplets of all ages in his newest series

Twins: A New York-based photographer has captured the slight variances in appearance between identical twins and triplets of all ages in his   newest series
Twins: A New York-based photographer has captured the slight variances in appearance between identical twins and triplets of all ages in his newest series. Pictured are Isabel and Ava Haick.�
Striking similarities: The photographer, Martin Schoeller, 45, is best known for his up-close-and-personal portraits featuring a similar backdrop and lighting

Huashan - The Most Dangerous Mountain Route in China


Mount Hua is located near the southeast corner of the Ordos Loop section of the Yellow River basin, south of the Wei River valley, at the eastern end of the Qin Mountains, in southern Shaanxi province. It is part of the Qin Ling Mountain Range that divides not only northern and southern Shaanxi, but also China.


Mount Hua, or Hua Shan is a mountain located near the city of Huayin in Shaanxi province, about 120 kilometres (75 mi) east of Xi'an. It is one of China's Five Great Mountains, and has a long history of religious significance. Originally classified as having three peaks, in modern times the mountain is classified as five main peaks, of which the highest is the South Peak at 2,154.9 metres (7,070 ft).

As early as the 2nd century BCE, there was a Daoist temple known as the Shrine of the Western Peak located at its base. Daoists believed that in the mountain lives the god of the underworld. The temple at the foot of the mountain was often used for spirits mediums to contact the god and his underlings. Unlike Taishan, which became a popular place of pilgrimage, because of its inaccessibility to the summit, Huashan only received Imperial and local pilgrims, and was not well visited by pilgrims from the rest of China. Huashan was also an important place for immortality seekers, as many herbal Chinese medicines are grown and powerful drugs were reputed to be found there. Kou Qianzhi (365–448), the founder of the Northern Celestial Masters received revelations there, as did Chen Tuan (920–989), who spent the last part of his life in hermitage on the west peak. In the 1230s, all the temples on the mountain came under control of the Daoist Quanzhen School. In 1998, the management committee of Huashan agreed to turn over most of the mountain's temples to the China Daoist Association. This was done to help protect the environment, as the presence of taoists and nuns deters poachers and loggers.



Aerial Shots of International Airports by Jeffrey Milstein



Inspired by a childhood spent filming planes at LAX with an 8-millimeter videocamera, New York photographer and former Berkeley architecture student Jeffrey Milstein has turned his fascination for aviation into a career. Typically known for photographing the underbellies of aircrafts, Milstein's latest series captures the artistic composition and elaborate array of patterns formed by airports and only seen from above. He describes this series as revealing "the patterns, layering and complexity of cities, and the circulation patterns for travel, such as waterways, roads, and airports that grow organically over time much like a living organism."



80-year-old Japanese is oldest person to scale Mount Everest

Yuichiro Miura, who has climbed to the 'top of the world' twice before, accomplished the feat despite four heart operations.
NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpi

UNCREDITED/ASSOCIATED PRESS

The 80-year-old Miura, right, and his son Gota trained for their expedition with extreme skiing.

Four heart surgeries were just an annoyance to Yuichiro Miura, who, at the age of 80, has become the oldest person to climb to the summit of Mount Everest.
His achievement has eclipsed the record set in 2008 by a 76-year-old man.
Yuichiro Miura reaches the top of Mount Everest for the third time in his life. He conquered the mountain at ages 70 and 75 as well.

AP

Yuichiro Miura reaches the top of Mount Everest for the third time in his life. He conquered the mountain at ages 70 and 75 as well.

"I made it!" Miura said over the phone on Thursday in a call to his support team in Tokyo. "I never imagined I could make it to the top of Mount Everest at age 80. This is the world's best feeling, although I'm totally exhausted. Even at 80, I can still do quite well."
Miura's wife, Tomoko Miura, right, and daughter Emiri Miura, celebrate after a report that he reached the summit of Mount Everest.

AP

Florida Tree House

The gorgeous Florida tree house whose owners have been ordered to tear it down from beach

  • Couple spent $20,000 on two storey tree house after being told they did not need a permit
  • Officials want to tear the building down stating it flouts regulations
Lynn Tran calls her oceanfront tree house, a 'childhood dream', but it is a dream that has recently turned into a nightmare.
Together with her husband, Richard Hazen, the couple spent $20,000 on the tree trunk hideaway, situated on Anna Maria Island in Florida, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.
Now, the couple have been told to tear the treehouse down or prepare to face fines of $500 a day because they didn't get planning permission.
Not your average treehouse: Stunning sunsets and sandy siestas
Not your average treehouse: Stunning sunsets and sandy siestas
TBD: To be demolished - at least, that is what officials from the City of Holmes Beach would like to see happen
TBD: To be demolished - at least, that is what officials from the City of Holmes Beach would like to see happen
Childhood dream: Richard and Lynn's treehouse is built within the branches of a giant Australian pine tree
Childhood dream: Richard and Lynn's treehouse is built within the branches of a giant Australian pine tree