Every nation is known for their specialty goods. Switzerland has its chocolates, France has its wine… and Thailand has its robot waiters. MK Restaurant has over 300 locations in Thailand, and has been looking for ways to modernize their operation. That includes robot greeters and servers. The MK Robot Project has encouraged Bangkok University to develop several different models that could do the job. They’ll have competition from Thailand-based CT Asia Robotics, which has already developed one restaurant-bot (Dinsow) and will soon launch another (Yumbo). Check out Dinsow and Bangkok University’s serving robot in the videos below. With a major restaurant chain backing the idea, and both academic and industrial support, Thailand might be the proving ground for the future of automated dining.
Dinsow is a wheeled robot with some decent speed and an overly happy disposition. While its batteries only last two to three hours, its personality seems to say it could go for miles just to get you a cup of coffee. The bot can be controlled via voice commands or PC base station up to 80 meters away. 10 copies of the Dinsow have served as greeters in MK Restaurants, but not as waiters. Dinsow’s arms look to be mostly for show. Not true for its sibling, Yumbo. The second CT Asia robot will be able to carry a tray and deliver food.
Yumbo is CT Asia's robot directly targeted to restaurants as a way to boost their sales. It can carry trays and change its facial expressions.
Bangkok University looks to be experimenting with several different possible forms for the MK Robot Project, all wheeled. The most promising is a model with a tray built into its chest. It can follow a line, escort someone by the arm, and avoid collisions with ultrasonics. They’ve even put it on a limited test run in a real restaurant, though you’ll have to judge its success for yourself:
Of course, Thailand’s efforts towards robotic waiters aren’t unique. China recently unveiled its own robot-themed restaurant, with their own home grown bots. Japan, too, is clearly into the concept, considering all the weird ways they’ve gotten industrial robots to serve food. In fact, Thailand’s first bot-enabled restaurant featured Motoman robots from Japan. Yet the Thai are making a strong effort to get restaurant-friendly robots into their mainstream. Dinsow only costs about $30,000 – not bad for this kind of market where restaurants might spend close to a million dollars to attract a crowd with automated servers. A low price point might be what restaurants need to take a chance and invest in the technology. In any case, whether they be from Thailand or elsewhere the robots of the world are here to serve.
Considerata, in zilele noastre, un flagel la fel de grav precum era odinioara ciuma, prin efectele sale devastatoare, obezitatea reprezinta una dintre cele mai raspândite maladii, in lumea civilizata. Ceea ce le caracterizeaza pe multe dintre persoanele supraponderale, este foamea neostoita, dorinta permanenta de a ingurgita ceva. Nu-i de mirare ca grasimea se acumuleaza, vasele sangvine se ingusteaza, iar sanatatea se subrezeste. Cine e de vina pentru o astfel de foame pantagruelica? Raspunsul la aceasta intrebare a fost dat de oamenii de stiinta de la Universitatea Saint Louis, care, incercând sa gaseasca explicatia pierderilor de memorie suferite de pacientii obezi sau de diabetici, au remarcat ca in creierul acestora nu este secretat un hormon numit leptina.
Responsabile de producerea hormonului respectiv sunt celulele grase, care "anunta" când sa ne oprim din mâncat. Contrar celor crezute pâna in prezent, nu anumite mecanisme din creier declanseaza si opresc senzatia de foame, ci acest hormon, care circula prin tot organismul, trecând si prin creier.
"La persoanele obeze, leptina nu ajunge insa in creier, pentru a ajuta la regularizarea apetitului", spune dr. Susan A. Farr, profesor la departamentul de medicina geriatrica al Universitatii Saint Louis. "La fel de ingrijorator e faptul ca lipsa leptinei afecteaza creierul si in alte privinte, compromitând procesele de invatare si de memorare. Acest aspect a fost observat atât la persoanele supraponderale, cât si la bolnavii de diabet."
Cercetatorii americani au observat ca dupa ce au primit o doza mai mare de leptina, cobaii de laborator au reusit sa gaseasca mai repede iesirea dintr-un labirint. "Am ajuns la concluzia ca aceasta substanta afecteaza puternic procesele ce au loc in creier. Lipsa ei ii determina pe obezi sa nu mai resimta senzatia de satietate, chiar dupa ingerarea unor portii considerabile de mâncare, astfel incât ei continua sa manânce, cu o pofta absolut deloc diminuata", explica dr. Farr.
Savantii sunt convinsi ca administrarea constanta de leptina, in primul rând la cei suferinzi de obezitate morbida (oameni care devoreaza zilnic zeci de kilograme de mâncare, fara a se declara vreodata satui), va contribui la instalarea, in sfârsit, a senzatiei de satietate, imbunatatind in acelasi timp capacitatile de memorare, facându-i sa fie nu doar satui, ci si mai inteligenti! Va fi, cred cercetatorii americani, un pas important in lupta contra obezitatii, desi multi specialisti sunt de parere ca de hormonul-minune vor dori sa beneficieze mai ales femeile dornice sa aiba dimensiuni de fotomodel...
Dinozaurii pitici (Europasaurus holgeri) sau "reptilele pitice Holger" (denumite asa in onoarea lui Holger Lüdtke, cel care le-a identificat prima data) au trait probabil pe una din marile insule din Europa Centrala inundata de mare. Recent au fost descoperite in nordul Germaniei oseminte fosile, apartinând acestor dinozauri (sauropode ierbivore) vechi de 155-152 milioane de ani.
Initial, s-a crezut ca este vorba despre fosile ale unor dinozauri juvenili, dar dupa ce au procedat la un examen histologic al structurii oaselor (maxilare, dinti, vertebre...), oamenii de stiinta au realizat faptul ca, in ciuda taliei limitate la 6,2 m lungime, unii dintre acesti dinozauri erau adulti. Specimenele tinere masurau aproximativ 1,7 m lungime.
Au existat si dinozauri mai mici, de marimea unui cocos, dar din specii diferite de reptile teropode, bipede si carnivore. Fenomenul de nanism insular, datorat izolarii si resurselor naturale limitate, ar fi fost mult mai extins. Exemplele cele mai cunoscute sunt ultimii mamuti din insula Wrangel (in largul coastelor Siberiei), elefantii din Sicilia si, probabil, micii oameni preistorici, numiti hobiti, care au populat insula indoneziana Flores.
In alto, addossato alla parete rocciosa, accessibile solo da un lato, domina sul sottostante paesaggio il Castello di Predjama. Il suo aspetto odierno è rinascimentale, ma a quale periodo risale la prima costruzione si deduce dallo stemma dei suoi proprietari d’allora, i Kobenzl, che porta incisa la data 1583. All’interno della costruzione attuale si cela il suo primo nucleo – l’originale castello nella caverna, la tana inespugnabile.
Secondo le fonti storiche, il castello esisteva già nel secolo XIII, può darsi anche prima. Il castello era gestito dagli Jamski che, a loro volta, dipendevano dalla gastaldia d’Aquileia.
Il castello godeva la cattiva fama di covo di briganti già prima di Erazem Jamski (Lueg), discendente dei vassalli di Gorizia, cavalieri di Lienz. Dopo gli Jamski, il castello fu gestito da Adam Purgstaller. Dal 1957 appartenne ai Kobenzl, che lo ricostruirono. Gli ultimi proprietari nobili furono, dal 1846 al 1945, i conti Windischgrätz ed anche loro modificarono l’aspetto esteriore del castello.
Vecchi dipinti e descrizioni – in particolare quelli degli ultimi duecento anni – testimoniano che il Castello di Predjama era visitato e ammirato da persone che non temevano né i pericoli lungo la strada né l’impervio accesso.
La Grotta sotto il Castello La grotta sotto il Castello di Predjama si articola in più piani ed ha più ingressi. La visita esige dai visitatori una buona dose di coraggio e di forma fisica per potersi arrampicare e calare lungo i tratti che conducono nel sottosuolo, illuminato soltanto dalle lampade portatili.
Nella Grotta sotto il Castello di Predjama si può entrare attraverso tre ingressi. Il più noto è quello tramite la Scuderia, dove sono state trovate tracce del periodo neolitico e dell’età del rame, ed anche quelle del periodo romano. Si prosegue, poi, fino alla Galleria principale. Un suo interessante particolare è la Galleria dei Nomi, con le firme dei visitatori conservate sulle pareti dal XVI secolo in poi, che collega la Galleria principale con la Fiženca, che dall’ingresso sopra il castello scende 600 metri in profondità. Grazie alla sua posizione e alla favorevole temperatura è popolata da interessanti abitanti – i pipistrelli che vi svernano. Perciò, d’inverno, non si può entrare nella grotta. Lo stretto cunicolo d’Erasmo, lungo 37 m, un tempo murato e oggi riaperto alle visite, esige qualche nozione d’alpinismo e un’attrezzatura adeguata.
Dalla Grande sala i visitatori più intrepidi possono avventurarsi, in compagnia della guida, tramite la Grotta antica fino alla Buca del Vento, attraverso il passaggio artificiale nella Sala Nera oppure lungo la Galleria orientale fino al sifone della Belšèica.
Erasmo della Caverna Erasmo di Lueg, che nel secolo XV si oppose all’esercito imperiale dalla sua fortezza incassata nella roccia, entrò nella leggenda poco dopo la sua tragica morte. Questo episodio è stato diverse volte descritto nella letteratura e raffigurato nei dipinti.
Lo sfondo storico della storia invece rivela che il cavaliere si attirò l’ira della corte imperiale per due ragioni: per aver assassinato un parente dell’imperatore e aver stretto alleanza con gli avversari ungheresi dell’imperatore. Scappato in Carniola, commette altri atti di brigantaggio per cui cade in disgrazia presso la corte imperiale e viene perseguitato dal Capitano di Trieste Gaspare Rauber. Questi, per costringerlo alla resa, assedia per mesi il castello (nell’inverno e nella primavera del 1484), subendo diverse volte l’affronto umiliante e derisorio dei regali gettatigli da Erasmo: carne, pesce e perfino ciliegie, approvvigionamenti che il cavaliere ribelle faceva introdurre nel castello tramite un cunicolo segreto. Solo dopo aver corrotto un messaggero, Rauber riesce a sconfiggere Erasmo e mandarlo all’altro mondo con un preciso colpo di cannone.
Che la leggenda sia ancora viva ed in ugual misura interessante, lo prova l’interesse mostrato ogni anno dai visitatori per la giostra cavalleresca che porta il nome di Erasmo.
Zeitgeist: Moving Forward, by director Peter Joseph, is a feature length documentary work which will present a case for a needed transition out of the current socioeconomic monetary paradigm which governs the entire world society.
This subject matter will transcend the issues of cultural relativism and traditional ideology and move to relate the core, empirical "life ground" attributes of human and social survival, extrapolating those immutable natural laws into a new sustainable social paradigm called a "Resource-Based Economy".
One voice can make a difference........a million voices can change the world!
Questions such as how much fresh water we have left on Earth, where it is located, and how we can access it are all nearly impossible to answer. However, scientists working on understanding and revealing the planet's surface structure are helping to hone in on an answer. University of British Columbia researchers have created a world's-first with their new map that outlines how fluid flows through Earth's various porous surfaces. Information gleaned from the map can help us discover more about water supplies worldwide.
According to Science Daily, the maps, published earlier this week in Geophysical Research Letters, could help with both water resource management and climate modeling, since a better understanding of how fluid permeates rock and sediments can reveal how and where rainwater travels as it flows into the water table. While most maps so far have dealt with permeability down to one or two meters of soil, and across smaller areas, this new map tracks permeability to depths of about 100 meters across the globe.
"This is the first global-scale picture of near-surface permeability, and is based on rock type data at greater depths than previous mapping," says Tom Gleeson, a postdoctoral researcher with the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences.
Mapping groundwater supplies in such detail is important for managing use of water, especially in where and how much is extracted. Such water source mapping has helped recently in uncovering to what extent groundwater supplies in southern Asia are contaminated with arsenic. Researchers were able to create a 3D map to show that the deeper a well went for water, the more likely it was to be contaminated.
We still don't know exactly how much fresh water we have left, but we know it is shrinking and we are hitting (or have already hit) peak water, since we're draining aquifers, over-exploiting rivers, and dropping the groundwater table ever deeper.
Considerat a fi o veritabila minune a preistoriei, complexul megalitic de la Stonehenge nu a incetat sa-i uimeasca pe arheologi, care nici la ora actuala nu pot preciza de ce si mai ales cum a fost construit. Chiar si astazi, dezbaterile privind modul in care blocurile de piatra au ajuns la Stonehenge continua.
Recent, o echipa de geologi britanici a pus la indoiala teoria oficiala, potrivit careia uriasele dale albastrui ar fi fost transportate de catre oamenii epocii de bronz din cariere aflate in vestul Tarii Galilor, la o distanta de aproape 500 km. Ei sustin ca pietrele ar fi fost aduse in câmpia Salisbury dinspre nord, cu ajutorul... ghetarilor, in timpul perioadei glaciare, iar constructorii superbului sit n-ar fi avut altceva de facut decit sa le mute de pe aceste “plute” sui-generis si sa le sculpteze, la fata locului.
Echipa condusa de prof. Olwen Williams-Thorpe a ajuns la aceasta concluzie originala dupa ce a analizat, din punct de vedere geochimic, pietrele sanctuarului megalitic, demonstrind ca ele au o compozitie diferita de cele aflate in Tara Galilor. De asemenea, analiza virfurilor de topoare gasite in regiune a demonstrat ca ele nu provin din galeria de la Carn Menyn, asa cum se crezuse. “Este foarte probabil ca aceste topoare sa fi fost facute de fapt din aschiile rezultate dupa cioplirea dalelor”, sustine prof. Williams.
In opinia savantilor britanici, chiar daca ghetarii se miscau foarte incet, spre sud, ei puteau constitui niste plute fiabile pentru transportul de blocuri de piatra gigantice dintr-o parte a insulei britanice in alta.
Murnau, cittadina di 11.000 anime a sud di Monaco e vicina al lago Staffelsee, è un rinomato luogo di villeggiatura (splendido il panorama naturale e la vista sulle Alpi) e un importante polo di attrazione per gli amanti dell'arte e della pittura.
Oltre al centro storico, abbellito da deliziose case in perfetto stile bavarese, e allo Schloßmuseum, che raccoglie importanti testimonianze della storia e delle tradizioni locali, l'attrazione principale è la Münter-Haus.
In questa casa - chiamata anche "Russenhaus" (casa russa) - il celebre pittore russo Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) e la sua compagna - anch'essa apprezzata pittrice - Gabriele Münter (1877-1962) trascorsero i mesi estivi dal 1909 al 1914. E proprio qui nacque il famoso movimento pittorico del Cavaliere azzurro (Der Blaue Reiter).
La presenza di altri pittori, come Franz Marc, August Macke, Alexej Jawlensky, Marianne von Werefkin, e del compositore Arnold Schönberg trasformarono questo piccolo cottage di campagna in un centro artistico e culturale che poneva le basi per una rivoluzione nel mondo della pittura.
Anche dopo il 1914 - anno in cui Kandinsky dovette lasciare la Germania a causa degli eventi bellici che iniziarono a sconvolgere l'Europa - Gabriele continuò a trascorrere parecchi mesi dell'anno a Murnau e si trasferì qui definitivamente nel 1931 con il suo nuovo compagno, lo storico dell'arte Johannes Eichner, che la incoraggiò a organizzare mostre e a realizzare delle pubblicazioni sulla sua arte e su quella di Kandinsky.
Nel 1957, per il suo 80° compleanno, Gabriele donò alla Lenbachhaus di Monaco un cospicuo numero di opere di Kandinsky e degli altri esponenti del Blaue Reiter.
La pittrice morì pochi anni dopo (1962) e ben presto la sua casa di Murnau divenne un'importante attrazione turistica. Nel 1998-'99 si sono svolti importanti opere di restauro che hanno riportato la Münter Haus al suo aspetto originale, non solo nei colori della facciata e delle camere ma anche nella disposizione dell'arredamento interno. Il museo è aperto al pubblico tutti i giorni, tranne il lunedì, dalle 14 alle 17.
UK-based Cella Energy has developed a synthetic fuel that could lead to US$1.50 per gallon gasoline. Apart from promising a future transportation fuel with a stable price regardless of oil prices, the fuel is hydrogen based and produces no carbon emissions when burned. The technology is based on complex hydrides, and has been developed over a four year top secret program at the prestigious Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Oxford. Early indications are that the fuel can be used in existing internal combustion engined vehicles without engine modification.
According to Stephen Voller CEO at Cella Energy, the technology was developed using advanced materials science, taking high energy materials and encapsulating them using a nanostructuring technique called coaxial electrospraying.
“We have developed new micro-beads that can be used in an existing gasoline or petrol vehicle to replace oil-based fuels,” said Voller. “Early indications are that the micro-beads can be used in existing vehicles without engine modification.”
“The materials are hydrogen-based, and so when used produce no carbon emissions at the point of use, in a similar way to electric vehicles”, said Voller.
The technology has been developed over a four-year top secret programme at the prestigious Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Oxford, UK.
The development team is led by Professor Stephen Bennington in collaboration with scientists from University College London and Oxford University.
Professor Bennington, Chief Scientific Officer at Cella Energy said, “our technology is based on materials called complex hydrides that contain hydrogen. When encapsulated using our unique patented process, they are safer to handle than regular gasoline.”
The problem is that i am not receving the pincode at my home address , even i have send the scan Telephone bill of my home which clearly shows the home address.Please help and guid me in proper way. thanks --- comment by: Faisal grapix
I don't understand why they don't just sent the PIN by email like every OTHER company sends it's validation info. They could even validate by phone.. and then shoot and email back and forth to the account holder while you are on the phone as a "double check." There is no reason to use the postal service for this step at all. It is like they are making it difficult on purpose for people. It would make sense as every dollar they retain for as long as possible makes them more money in interest. It adds up. They obviously set up the system this way for a reason. --- comment by: SCopening
I not only requested a new PIN many times.... I send in my UTILITY BILL over 5 times. I also flew to California and talked to some Google people at a trade show and told them my issue. They got on their internal email and send in a request for me. THEN I FINALLY got an email saying my account was OK.
Of course... I'm not holding my breath on whether that means they will ever mail me the money they owe me. It took NINE months just to get this far. And... since the PIN they were supposed to mail never showed up... I'm not thinking it looks too good for a check.
Of course... they took MY money every month on the AdWords side.
The strange thing is. My account was making money... which meant THEY were making money. Also... my ads were placed within a business networking organizations web site... a market of mostly business OWNERS... which you would think would be a highly desirable target demographic.
Of course I pulled all their ads off my site when I never got paid, and replaced them with ads from other ad sharing services... who paid me RIGHT AWAY. --- comment by SueCopening
We're happy to let you know that we've manually overridden your PIN requirement. Your account information is now confirmed and you won't be required to enter another PIN for this account in the future.
Sincerely,
The Google AdSense Team
--- ... ---
Thank you. I tried to choose the Form of Payment from the menu for Western Union but recieved this messagge: We've noticed that the state code listed in your billing address does not match any of the official Mexican state codes accepted by Western Union. The problem is that the country is Romania and on the Payee Information page it is clearly stated that the Postal Code is 700xxx for Iasi in Romania in Europe. Any advice?
Cordiali Saluti, / Best Regards, xxxx xxxxxx - client Google AdSense
TO BE CONTINUED ...
Hi,
Thanks for emailing about this. That was a bug in our system that was resolved recently. Would you mind trying again? If the problem persists, please let me know so I can pass that information along to the people working to fix it.
Sincerely,
The Google AdSense Team
...---...
Sorry, but I tried to choose again the Form of Payment from the menu for Western Union but recieved this same messagge: We've noticed that the state code listed in your billing address does not match any of the official Mexican state codes accepted by Western Union. In the Payee Information page it is clearly stated that the Postal Code is in Romania in Europe. Waiting to fix the bug. xxxx xxxxxx - client Google AdSense
One of my friends just received their Adsense PIN. He came straight to me and I walked him through the entire process. During this I had my camera around and made some pictures. I noted some distinct features of the mail; it’s difficult for me to remember how it looked at the time I received mine but here it is for you to see.
The friend had been sent two PINs earlier which never reached him (which is understandable in the age of IM communication and Skype). The pics are not to good, we were on shaky grounds too eager to open it up and validate the account.
Front
Here is how it looks as seen from the front. The text “Important Account Information Enclosed” may confuse and illude the postman into believing as if this thing carries something of high value. But the catch is it’s not even a paper-weight if it reaches the wrong person.
Rear
Here’s the other side. Note the cellophane tape at the sides; I had to tilt and twist the camera to catch the reflection and highlight it. This tape secures it on the three sides. Read further to know why. The top side is just a fold.
Side
This is intelligent. You can’t actually call it an envelope, it’s more of a folded postcard. Just in case the words on the front got anyone excited and eager to keep the thing, they can peep in and take a look – nada – only some text there.
Inside
Once you are done shooting, cut through the tape and flip open the card. This is how it looks inside.
Next Steps – Entering the Adsense PIN
You must now login to your adsense account. You’ll see the following screen (relevant areas are highlighted).
Click on the "More Details" link
Your payments will be on hold and that the reason you’ve been sent this PIN – to enter it into your Adsense account and validate it. The “payments on hold” notice is accompanied by the “More Details” link. Click it to proceed.
Now you see the "Please enter your PIN"
This links takes you to the next screen (obviously; am I spoon feeding?)
Enter your PIN exactly as in the postcard
You finally get the box where you are supposed to enter the PIN. Do it and press “Submit PIN”. You’ll be led to a screen saying “Thankyou”.
(p)Link
Commenti
Storico
Stampa
Considerata, in zilele noastre, un flagel la fel de grav precum era odinioara ciuma, prin efectele sale devastatoare, obezitatea reprezinta una dintre cele mai raspândite maladii, in lumea civilizata. Ceea ce le caracterizeaza pe multe dintre persoanele supraponderale, este foamea neostoita, dorinta permanenta de a ingurgita ceva. Nu-i de mirare ca grasimea se acumuleaza, vasele sangvine se ingusteaza, iar sanatatea se subrezeste. Cine e de vina pentru o astfel de foame pantagruelica? Raspunsul la aceasta intrebare a fost dat de oamenii de stiinta de la Universitatea Saint Louis, care, incercând sa gaseasca explicatia pierderilor de memorie suferite de pacientii obezi sau de diabetici, au remarcat ca in creierul acestora nu este secretat un hormon numit leptina.
Cercetatorii americani au observat ca dupa ce au primit o doza mai mare de leptina, cobaii de laborator au reusit sa gaseasca mai repede iesirea dintr-un labirint. "Am ajuns la concluzia ca aceasta substanta afecteaza puternic procesele ce au loc in creier. Lipsa ei ii determina pe obezi sa nu mai resimta senzatia de satietate, chiar dupa ingerarea unor portii considerabile de mâncare, astfel incât ei continua sa manânce, cu o pofta absolut deloc diminuata", explica dr. Farr.
Dinozaurii pitici (Europasaurus holgeri) sau "reptilele pitice Holger" (denumite asa in onoarea lui Holger Lüdtke, cel care le-a identificat prima data) au trait probabil pe una din marile insule din Europa Centrala inundata de mare. Recent au fost descoperite in nordul Germaniei oseminte fosile, apartinând acestor dinozauri (sauropode ierbivore) vechi de 155-152 milioane de ani.
Considerat a fi o veritabila minune a preistoriei, complexul megalitic de la Stonehenge nu a incetat sa-i uimeasca pe arheologi, care nici la ora actuala nu pot preciza de ce si mai ales cum a fost construit. Chiar si astazi, dezbaterile privind modul in care blocurile de piatra au ajuns la Stonehenge continua.
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