Six Degrees Could Change The World

Actor Alec Baldwin narrates a movie created by National Geographic, which is based on Mark Lynas’ most recent book, “Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet.” The movie also includes many scientists that believe that this theory will come true if the U.S. and many industrial countries continue to pollute and mistreat the environment.

Here are some brief effects of what a single degree can do:

1. Degree One:

• The Arctic is ice-free for half the year, opening the “Northwest Passage” for ships
• Thousands of homes around the Bay of Bengal are flooding
• Hurricanes begin to hit the South Atlantic
• Severe droughts in Western U.S. cause shortages in grain and meat markets

2. Degree Two:

• Changes to the Biosphere are no longer gradual
• Glaciers in Greenland disappear
• Polar bears struggle to survive as ice melts
• Insects migrate in strange places
• Forests replace Canada’s tundra

3. Degree Three:

• The Arctic is ice-free all summer
• The Amazon rain forest is drying out
• Snow caps on the Alps disappear
• El Nino’s weather patterns are more severe
• The Mediterranean and parts of Europe are very hot during the summer
• Summer heat waves will be the norm

4. Degree Four:

• Oceans rise and wipe out highly populated deltas
• Bangladesh, Egypt, and Venice, Italy are underwater
• Glaciers disappear, depleting the supply of fresh water to millions of people
• Canada becomes the world’s most agricultural booming zones
• A Scandinavian beach is now “paradise”
• The Western Antarctic Ice Sheet could collapse, which could cause even higher rising sea levels

5. Degree Five:

• Deserts form in once temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere
• Hundreds of millions of people become climate refugees

6. Degree Six:

• Oceans become “Marine Wastelands”
• More deserts spread quickly across continents
• Natural disasters become common events
• Some of the world’s greatest cities are flooded and abandoned

For more information on how we’re killing ourselves faster, visit the following link:
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/sixdegrees/

The smallest HD Camcorder

The new Panasonic HD camcorder has 12 lenses in a compartment the size of your thumb for shake-free video.

Light enters the front of the camcorder through the multiple high grade lenses which are made of extremely pure glass.  These bend the light to magnify the image but not to spread out the colors.  Looms lenses inside slide back and forth to adjust zoom.  The camera can capture enough light to see in a candle lit room.

Next, the light passes to image stabilizers that smoothes out shakes and jitter from your hands.  Advanced sensors in the camera send a signal to electromagnets on the position and movement of the camera, and in turn make tiny adjustments to the lenses, as many 4000 a second, that compensate for movement.

Before the image is recorded, the light has to be divided into red, green, and blue.  Panasonic uses prisms, instead of color filters, which doesn’t take away the light.  Each stream of light strikes an image sensor that measures intensity on over 560 thousand pixels to produce vivid video.

SPECS:

Size:  2.6 x 2.6 x 5.3 inches

weight: 14 OZ.

Resolution:  1920 x 1080 pixels

Cost:  1,000$

more information:  panasonic.com

recording:  5 hours of HD video on a 32 GB SD card

Drought Comes Dangerously Close

The drought in North Carolina has taken its toll on all of its inhabitants. Not only has Falls Lake literally dried up, but we’ve had to cut back major amounts of water usage. On selective radio stations people could call in and report abuse of water which most sources included power-washing driveways, houses, etc; watering the lawn; and washing cars. The state made a law that water was not to be used heavily and if we all cut back on the water usage, some of that greatly needed rain might pay off.

Have you ever noticed the lush, green lawns as you drive past, and then you glance back and notice that for a distance the rest of the yards look dried out and crispy? Well there could be a number of possible reasons but I believe that the most accurate include; the illegal use of sprinklers and watering lawns, or the homeowners could have bought rain barrels. I bet you’re wondering, “why would they need rain barrels?” First, the barrels collect rain water which can be used to water their lawns. Or, as I read in the paper one day, they could have bought the rain barrels with a multiple amount of others to be filled with water to dump in falls lake and add to our desperately needed water supply. Sounds crazy right? Well I began to think about this predicament and it seems that it couldn’t be such a bad idea. Maybe sort of odd, but they were off to a good start and now there are many carriers of rain barrels for various tasks.

Recently, there has been a higher amount of rain. THANK GOODNESS! The lake is finally going to fill out again. That is not until we get more stormy weather and rainy days. Every morning as I Listen to the news, I hear more and more about the lake water moving up to 1 or more inches. At least were starting off at a good pace. At this rate, I anticipate that the drought will not end soon, but if we pitch in to eliminate all the possibilities of it returning harder, we should be able to open more car wash warehouses and other water consuming establishments within a year or so.

The Flying Laser Cannon

Boeing’s new laser cannon will melt a car from five miles away, in seconds.  -Its ready to fly this year too.

Scientists at Boeing’s Laboratory will put a 40,000 pound chemical laser into the belly of a C-130 gunship and take aim at targets over five miles away! We are not talking about soda cans – Boeing’s laser can melt cars, trucks, and even tanks!  These are the kind of things that missles and rockets would hit.  The ATL, advanced tactical laser, can strike in rapid succession, and move at the speed of light.

Precise control over the beam allows it to hit targets a few inches wide and focus its power on that one spot.  Future versions could be mounted on smaller vehicles like trucks and helicopters.

How to melt a car in 3 seconds:

When a C-130 airborne laser cannon flies in, it picks out its target.  The computers automatically stay locked on, so the gunner doesn’t have to constantly change it.  Then, here comes the laser.  In a fraction of a second, chlorine gas mixes with hydrogen peroxide and this creates highly energetic oxygen molecules.  Pressurized nitrogen pushes the oxygen through a mist of iodine, transferring the energy into the iodine.  This puts it into a form of light.  Mirrors then amplify the beam further increasing its power.  The beam then travels into a chamber called the optical bench.  Sensors determine the lasers quality and mirrors constantly adjust it from the movement of the airplane.  The chamber also has temperature monitors and humidity monitors, helping the beam stay powerful.  A reverse telescope type chamber expands the beams diameter to about 20 inches.  It then travels to the turret, which aims and fires the beam.  Computers calculate distance to adjust the beam to the right focal point.

Facts:

the beam can heat up objects to thousands of degrees in a few seconds.

the laser will burn everything in its path(that includes birds – but don’t worry, there is a very small chance.)

The left over used chemicals are stored in a sealed chamber.

Top 5 Google Tools for College Students

Google is a part of our daily lives.  It’s mentioned everyday and when you’re looking for something, you go there.  In this article, you will discover the top 5 Google tools and services that college students use.

Top 5 Google Tools and Services for College Students

1. Google Docs

Google Docs is Google’s online word processor.  If you have a Google account you can access this tool from anywhere around the world, as long as you have Internet connection.  This is special because you do not have to use your computer for it.  College students think that Google Docs is useful because they can access it if they spend a lot of time in libraries or computer labs.  You can import and export Word documents, as well as saving them in a PDF format.  But the best feature has to be collaboration.  Yes, you can send links to people.  Once they open up your document they can edit your document (if you allow them to) and save it.  Multiple people can edit the document…AT THE SAME TIME!  While one or more people are editing your document, you’ll be able to see all the changes in real-time.  But Google Docs isn’t used for just documents, you can choose to create spreadsheets and presentations as well.

Though Google Docs doesn’t have the exact interface as Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, it is still a useful product.  So if you plan on sharing documents, don’t send e-mail attachments, use Google Docs!  To watch a video with more information about Google Docs, click here.

Average User Rating:  7.3/10, VERY GOOD
My Rating:  7.5

2.  Blogger

Blogger is what it sounds like.  A personal blog for you.  College students use it to write posts and keep their friends and family up-to-date on college life.  Creating a blog takes only three short steps.  Once you’ve created your blog you can publish your thoughts, receive feedback, post videos and pictures, and edit it mobile.  Click here to take a tour.

Average User Rating:  8.0/10, EXCELLENT
My Rating:  7.0

3.  Gmail

Why use the tacky e-mail system that the university gives you?  Gmail is free and offers you over 6522 MB of storage.  You can also chat with your friends in your e-mail’s inbox while checking your e-mail.  Find e-mails faster with a search queue instead of creating specific folders for messages.

Average User Rating:  9.7/10, SPECTACULAR
My Rating:  9.9

4.  Maps

Google Maps is very useful and has been innovated in such a way that makes it much better than before.  On the weekend, college students just want to relax after a hard week of classes.  After they do their homework, they sleep (or the party animals go out and party).  Let’s say a student wants a pizza.  They can go on their computer and get on Google Maps.  They’ll type in “Pizza” in the search queue and many balloons will pop up on the local map.  What makes Google Maps so powerful is that it is so much more than a conventional map.  They can read reviews and comments on specific pizza parlors, find coupons and discounts, and so much more.  As well as finding information not related to maps, new features have been added for planned trips.  You can change your route to your desired destination.  But most importantly, you can plan transit trips.  Here is a video about the “Transit Trips” feature.

Average User Rating:  10/10, PERFECT
My Rating:  10.0

5.  Calendar

Google Calendar is a great way to share events with people.  College students use it to organize their events, study/homework time, and to keep their family informed about their schedule.  You can manage multiple calendars and can control who sees it and who doesn’t.

Average User Rating:  10/10, PERFECT
My Rating:  6.2

How Starfish Came to be and Why they are Star-shaped

***Please not that this is NOT a true story, the following story is for entertainment purposes only.***

Elvis was taking his normal drive through the toxic jungle of Antarctica. He was late for his concert and was rushing in his car as he dodged polar bears, snow monkeys, and igloos. All of a sudden, a huge sonic boom sent Elvis and his car skidding into a three foot ditch. Elvis looked around the gloomy, dark ditch. His head caught up with him and he realized that he hadn’t eaten for way too long. A fried peanut-butter and banana sandwich sounded really good to him right now. As if by magic, a giant sandwich floated by his car window. He darted out to greet it, but it rose an inch out of the grasp of his stubby fingers. Suddenly, the sandwich grew into a face, and Elvis grimaced. Then one by one, a human-like form started to appear. First, arms appeared, covered in peanut butter, then legs looking like bananas. The sandwich started to look like human arms and legs.

“Who be you?” a voice boomed out like a jet taking off.

“Oh my gosh!” Elvis yelled, “It’s the evil clone of pop sensation Britney Spears, Yentirb Sraeps!”

“Yes, it is I, evil clone of the pop sensation, Britney Spears”

“What are you doing here?” gasped Elvis.

“Getting rid of you, what else?” screeched Yentirb in a deathly high-pitched tone that caused Elvis’s car windows to smash.

“What…but…why?” squeaked Elvis nervously.

“Well, Britney and I, Yentirb Sraeps, evil clone of the pop sensation Britney Spears, have noticed that you have been stealing a lot of our money with your songs and albums being better then Britney’s! With you gone we wukk accept our greedy attitude and take all the money! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“You’ll never get away with it!” Elvis screeched, straining his vocal chords.

“Just watch me,” she replied. “Oh, wait, that’s right, you be GONE!” HAHAHAHA!” Suddenly, Yentirb snapped and three sparkling images flew down around her head. They sparkled all different colors. “Take care of him,” she instructed them. Then, the sparkling figures flew up close to him and inspected his face. Elvis stared at the delicate creatures looking intently at him. Their heads were the size of his thumb.

“We have to destroy this guy?” The blue one said. “He smells weird.” She turned to look and Yentirb, but she had left.

“I do not!” Elvis yelled back. “What are you guys anyway?” he questioned.

“We are Sprites, of course!” The blue sprite said, in sing-song tone.

The red sprite approached Elvis and said, “Listen, we would rather be playing games of zero-gravity basket-weaving instead of destroying you, so I’ll make you a deal. Just be quiet, and we will buy you a Mercury burger on the way to the Destruction Zone on Mars.”

“Well, what if I don’t agree to your terms?” Elvis questioned with a smug on his face. His question was answered by the grayish-black sprite.

“You don’t want to know!” he snarled. Elvis’s smug instantly disappeared

For a few hours the sprites and Elvis rode until they reached Mercury Burgers, on Mars. After the burger and the sub-zero shake, they rode next door to the Destruction Zone that said, “Send a human to space the easy way for sprite slaves of evil clones of singing pop sensations”. The sprites then stuck Elvis in a tiny tube, and all three of the sprites argued about which button to push over on the control panel.

“I think it’s the big red one that says, ’shoot to sun’,” the red sprite stated.

“Actually-” coughed Elvis. “I think that the button that would cause me the most damage would be ‘turn into a star’ .”

The sprites all agreed and pushed the button. Elvis whirled around violently. All of a sudden he looked at himself and realized that he was a star, literally.

“You okay?” the blue sprite asked.

“Need…water!” Elvis, now a star, gasped.

The sprites then used their spritely magic and multiplied Elvis, making more stars, and sent them flying into the ocean back on Earth. Scientists, a few years later, found the stars, and decided to call them starfish!

Tomorrow’s Hybrid

Have you ever thought about how much money you waste on gasoline because your car has a bad gas mileage?  Volvo’s new concept hybrid has the potential to squeeze 160 miles out of 1 gallon of gas.  The neatest thing about it is the car doesn’t have a transmission or driveshaft.  Scientists and researchers have done extensive tests at Volvo’s test track and factory on the car.  By taking the transmission out of the engine, it saves 10 to 20 percent more power.  Each wheel has its own motor, so to say.  An interior disk is mounted on the inside of the wheel bearings, with electromagnets that emit a magnetic field in response to electricity.  Mounted around the outer rings with the electromagnets are the permanent magnets.  When you accelerate, the electromagnets rapidly change polarity, attracting the permanent magnets as each one comes around.  So, with no gear box, the car should accelerate like a rocket.  When the car’s power drops below 30%, the motor will kick in to recharge the batteries, and when it’s not running, and you can plug it in at home.  This car is important because it can save people hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on gasoline each year, and reduce emissions and greenhouse gases building up in the atmosphere.  Don’t expect this to roll off the lot in a couple of months though.  Not until 2015 will this car be road worthy.

SketchUp: Who Said Powerful Isn’t Easy?

Who said that powerful tools were complex and challenging to use for novice users?  As you may have read in my first article on “What’s Up Wakefield”, I showed you a list of the services and tools that Google had to offer.  Surely, you didn’t read that whole list, so you must have skimmed by SketchUp.  But let’s take an in-depth look at this specific tool that Google has created.

Google SketchUp is a 3D modeling tool designed for anyone who has an interest in designing virtually anything.  Users can build anything from a house to a car.  The possibilities are endless!  So why use SketchUp?  Well, there are two versions of SketchUp.  One is free and the other version costs $495.  I suggest using the free one, just to see if you like it.  Also, why design your dream home or other blueprint on Paint?  All you’ll see is a bird’s-eye-view.  With Google SketchUp, you can see your model virtually anywhere and at any angle.

The Classier Lava Lamp

After a stressful day, one thing appeals to most people.  It doesn’t matter if they are teenagers or working adults, they couldn’t survive without it.  It’s their bed.  Don’t let stress take over your time for rest.  Sleep is key for alertness and completing everyday tasks.  Without it, the brain would not be able to function at the best of its ability.  So why lose sleep over stress?  RelaxStyle presents the Room Palette effect lamp.  This new lamp projects on walls and ceilings in your bedroom.  It creates a waving effect which simulates being underwater.  This calming lamp is soothing and may help you fall asleep faster after a hard day.

Specs:

• Timer function:  Keep your lamp on for 30 minutes up to 120.
• Uses AA Batteries
• Light Source:  LED

 

Price:  $69