Driverless robot bus crashes again, financially

The saga of the Rotterdam ‘parkshuttle’ continues. After nearly eight years of setbacks (including the December 2005 crash), the driverless robot buses — that are supposed to bring commuters from a metro station to an office park on a two-kilometer special road — takes another blow as the company that made the buses has filed for bankruptcy.

Rotterdam ParkshuttleThe project has been plagued with problems from the start. The buses started driving in 1999, when already there were many technical problems. Testing was halted for nine months until a limited number of passengers were allowed to use it again. When the official test period ended in June 2000, work started on expansion of the route, which eventually lasted until December 2005, when finally the first buses started going again. Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende made the first official trip, which received a lot of media attention, when five days later two buses crashed into eachother. Before the investigation into the crash could be completed, one of the buses burnt out in a garage.

Since that incident it has been rather quiet around the project. Originally the shuttle was supposed to start again in January of this year, but this has been delayed when one of the six vehicles went missing! It is now uncertain if the unmanned ‘peoplemover’ will ever go again, as the designer of the buses, Frog/2getthere, has just filed for bankruptcy.

In the meantime, the city of Rotterdam and transport company Connexxion have invested 6.2 million Euro in the ‘parkshuttle’, not including the costs of testing in the first few years starting in 1999.

Since the bankruptcy was announced a week ago, the city of Rotterdam and Connexxion are talking about the possibilities of continuing the shuttle. “The project is too important to cancel now,” said spokesperson Aart Jan van Kapel.

A decision will be made within two weeks. Connexxion and the city are dependent on Frog/2getthere, as it is the only company in the world that has made this type of system.

1:28 AM | 0 komentar | Read More

U.S. Eastern Mountain Lion Expressed Extinct Since 1930

Eastern mountain lion, which had become part of the wild in 21 states of the United States, declared extinct by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

For years, experts debated whether the fauna of the eastern mountain lion can still be found. However, researchers at the FWS concluded that if animals are included in the list of endangered species since 1973 it has been extinct since the 1930s.

"We did not find any information that could confirm the existence of mountain lions,"said Martin Miller FWS spokesman told the Daily Mail,
He added that the number of individuals who claim to see mountain lions in recent years actually saw the other subspecies. Among them are South American cat who escaped from captivity or released into the wild, and mountain lions from the western U.S. who migrated to the east.

According Rewilding Cougar Foundation, the nonprofit organization that seeks to raise public awareness of the eastern mountain lion, this animal is also known as puma, panther, catamount or painter, depending on the habitat.

Now, the FWS is preparing a proposal to remove the mountain lion east of the endangered species list. However, this does not change the status of other subspecies of wild cat which is also in danger. Including the Florida panther.

Now, there are only five percent of the Florida panther can be found in habitats which are scattered in the southeast United States.

1:21 AM | 0 komentar | Read More

NASA Launches Rocket 'Climate Change'

NASA has launched a named Taurus XL rocket carrying satellites to observe changes in Earth's climate.

Party Vandenberg Air Force official said that the Taurus XL rocket carrying NASA's Glory satellite was launched at 2:09 am local time, from his base. Similarly.

Glory satellite will be launched for the mission for three years to analyze how the flying particles impact on the climate on Earth.

In addition to monitor particles in the atmosphere, the satellite will also track the sun radiation to examine how much light on the effects of climate change on Earth.

The mission that takes a fund of USD424 million is governed by the Goddard Space Flight Center of NASA in Maryland.

1:20 AM | 0 komentar | Read More

Survey: More than 25% of U.S. Teens Still Virgin

Apparently, not all teenagers United States (U.S.) to adopt free lifestyle. At least, more than a quarter of U.S. teens claim to have never had sexual intercourse.

In the midst of popular culture that increasingly permissive with free lifestyle, the latest survey from the National Survey of Family Growth is certainly a relief for the parents.

the survey found, 29 percent female and 27 percent of men aged 15-24 have never had sexual intercourse with anyone.

That number has increased after the last survey conducted in 2002, where the percentage is 22 percent for men and women.

"Clearly, the more teenagers now choose to delay sexual activity," said Bill Albert, chief program of prevention campaigns unintended pregnancy among adolescents.

According to Albert, these results can help teens to not 'lose' against social pressures, which he said is an important factor behind their actions.

"practical results that can be obtained from this report is that the youth must understand that not all their friends have sex. Some do, some do not, and some may lie ever did,"he concluded.

1:18 AM | 0 komentar | Read More

NASA Satellite Carrier Rocket 'Waterfall' to the Sea

NASA Mission Taurus XL rocket launches carrying satellites to observe climate change on Earth failed miserably. Just a few minutes after launch, the rocket is'free fall' into the Pacific Ocean.

Not long ago, NASA launched the Taurus XL rocket carrying the satellite Glory, at 2:09 am local from Vandenberg Air Force base in California. Glory satellite will be launched for a three-year mission to analyze the impact of flying particles in the Earth's climate.

However, the mission takes a total of USD424 million, it was a total failure. Taurus XL only got to glide for several minutes before falling into the sea. This is the second time embarrassing incident occurred, after the same type of rocket also fell, 2009.

"This incident is very embarrassing. They missed something in the investigation (of the first incident) and the work they do after that," said professor Henry Lambright of Syracuse University was quoted as saying Yahoonews, Saturday (05/03/2011).

Mission NASA's environmental division, which took place frequently experienced failure lately. Analysts say the government's budget cuts to aeronautics and space agency that became one of the causes.

1:16 AM | 0 komentar | Read More

Determine Volume of Allegiance Someone?

Could someone representing the volume level of one's loyalty? A number of women and men who participated in the study by McMaster University in stating so.

According to these studies, women believe that the lower a man's voice, the more likely they are having an affair. In contrast, men think, women with higher the sound that is more likely to cheating.

This is the first study that looked at the relationship between low high-fidelity sound with one's perception. One researcher, Jillian O'Connor, claim, this study provides many insights about the evolution of the human voice and how people choose a life partner.

"In terms of sexual strategies, we found that men and women will use the volume as a danger signal the possibility of infidelity in the future,"said O'Connor.

"So, the more attractive a person's voice to women's high-tone and low tone to-male, the greater their chances of having an affair," he continued.

Participants in the study published in the online journal Evolutionary Psychology is required to listen to two versions of sound recordings of men and women. The recording had been manipulated to be higher or lower.

Group participants were then asked to choose, which of the voice samples that have possibility of cheating is greater.

1:12 AM | 0 komentar | Read More