Groundhog Day 2011 is on Wednesday February 2nd

Monday, January 31, 2011

Groundhog Day 2011 is a holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada and anyone can enjoy.According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly "see its shadow" and retreat back into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks this once yearly occasion is actually a whole lot of fun for all involved. While for many it seems strange and pointless, it’s a chance to enjoy the last few days of winter and celebrate the beginning of spring.
Traditionally, Groundhog Day 2011 was based on the cultural superstition that if a groundhog emerges from his lair, winter will end; if the groundhog supposedly sees its own shadow – winter will continue for another six weeks. For over 200 years, the humble groundhog has been the diviner of the weather.
Today, many believe that Groundhog Day 2011 originated when German settlers immigrated to Pennsylvania. German and Pagan folklore often used animals to predict the weather, and since the 18th century, the celebration has slowly evolved into the nationwide affair that it is today. While the weather predicting virtues of the Groundhogs have been called into question on numerous occasions, the event is still a popular attraction for all ages.
While we might live in a world of technology, for many US residents, it is the humble Groundhog that remains one of the most important tools in predicting the end of winter. It might seem like a strange celebration for many, but Groundhog Day 2011 is an event steeped in tradition, going back centuries. Back then, animals such as badgers and bears were often used to prognosticate the weather, and while today we use the Groundhog, many will tell you that it’s just as accurate! Even though the event is today largely good fun, it’s not stopped many a meteorologist from checking the Groundhog’s accuracy in predicting the end of winter. Looking at all the reports, you’d be surprised to learn that Groundhogs are between 30 and 80% accurate! For such a simple rodent, that’s quite impressive!
Groundhogs, Woodchucks, or Land beavers as they are known are actually rodents belonging to the group of squirrels, known as Marmots. In Canada, the often called a woodchuck, despite the fact that it doesn’t ordinarily climb trees or even chuck wood!
If you’re looking to celebrate Groundhog Day 2011 in style, then Pennsylvania is the “Groundhog Day 2011” capital of the world. In a small town known as Punxsutawney. It’s here where most people gather, at a small tree-stump known as Gobblers Knob, located around 2 miles from the center of town. On February 2, it’s predicated that Punxsutawney Phil will tell us all when winter will end and spring will begin.
Today, these weather-predicting rodents are indeed celebrities. If you go to any Groundhog Day 2011 event in the US or Canada, there will no doubt be a gathering waiting for the local celebrity groundhog to come out of his burrow. Usually, the event also involves celebrations and while it might still seem strange to some, it’s a great deal of fun and as far as followers are concerned, the groundhogs are all 100% accurate.
Throughout the United States and Canada there are well over 20 groundhogs taking part in this important annual celebration. From Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania to Spanish Joe in Northern Ontario, these affectionate creatures deliver the good or bad news every single year. Many of them are even rumored to be immortal.
Groundhog Day 2011 is a fantastic event that’s a great way to get your kids interested about nature, the weather and the environment. With celebrations across the US, you can enjoy this time of year just about anywhere. While indeed the most popular is held at Punxsutawney in Pennsylvania with Punxsutawney Phil, there are indeed countless other celebrations held nationwide.
Surprisingly, despite the popularity of satellites, meteorologists and gadgets such as barometers, the Groundhog is still perhaps one of the most famous meteorological instruments known to man. If you are keen to see just how finely honed the groundhog’s senses are, then taking a trip to Pennsylvania or in fact any place that celebrates Groundhog Day 2011 should deliver an experience that’s at the very least, highly enjoyable.

How Genuine Stradivarius Violins?

Sunday, January 30, 2011

The name Stradivarius is associated with Violins built by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or reproduce, though this belief is controversial. The name "Stradivarius" has become a superlative often associated with excellence; to be called "the Stradivari" of any field is to be deemed the finest there is.The fame of Stradivarius instruments is widespread, appearing in numerous works of fiction.
Stradivarius violins, constructed by famed Italian instrument-maker Antonio Stradivari between 1680 and 1720. Treasured for possessing sublime acoustic properties, these rare instruments have spawned dozens of theories attempting to explain their legendary tone, and luthiers, makers of stringed instruments, are still trying to reproduce it.
In 1908 a famous Belgian violinist named Eugene Ysaye was on a concert tour in St. Petersburg in Russia. He had with him four Stradivarius violins. One of the Strads was stolen from his hotel room, and was not recovered.
In 1951 a soldier in the Korean war found a violin hidden in the wall of a rundown farm house. It was subsequently authenticated as a genuine Stradivarius.
Out of such stories as these – which are supposed to be true – has arisen a collectors’ myth. That myth is that you might find an incredibly valuable Strad yourself – hidden away in your attic or basement or perhaps at a yard sale down the block. And many people actually have found violins which carry the name of that master genius of violin-makers, the maestro of Cremona, Antonius Stradivari (whose name some misrepresent as “Stradivarius”). But these people are most often the victims of a cruel, if perhaps unwitting, hoax.
Antonio Stradivari was born in 1644 and set up his shop in Cremona, Italy, where he made violins and other stringed instruments (harps, guitars, violas and cellos) until his death in 1737. He took a basic concept for the violin and refined its geometry and design to produce an instrument which has served violin makers ever since as the standard to strive for. His violins sang as none had before them, with a clearer voice and greater volume, and with a pureness of tone which made them seem almost alive in the hands of a great violinist. His was one of three great families of violin makers in Cremona during the 1700s and 1800s, the other two being those of Guarneri and Amati, but Stradivari’s violins have been judged by history to be the best. Two of Stradivari’s sons continued his work after his death.
Every Strad was made entirely by hand, with a painstaking care devoted to the selection of woods and even the texture of the finishing varnishes. This was no assembly-line operation, and the best estimates have Antonio producing no more than around 1,100 instruments, including the violins, in his entire lifetime. Of these, an estimated 630 to 650 still survive the more than 250 years since they were made. 512 of these survivors are violins. Many others were destroyed in fires or other accidents, were lost at sea or in floods, and some were destroyed by the fire-bombing of Dresden in World War II. Virtually none are unaccounted for. Today a genuine Strad is worth two to three million dollars.
So where did those violins which have turned up in attics and closets all over the world come from? Why would anyone who found one think he had a real Strad? The answer is very simple: copies.
Today master violin-makers are using modern science – including the latest scanning devices and digital imaging techniques – to unlock the “secrets” of Stradivari and recreate instruments of his quality. One Canadian violin-maker, Joseph Curtin, and his American partner, Gregg Alf, created a copy, right down to every scratch and shading of varnish, of a specific instrument known as the Booth Stradivari, which Stradivari made in 1716. It sold at a Sotheby’s auction in 1993 for $42,460 – to a concert violinist.
But for close to two centuries much shabbier copies have been made and sold – bearing “Stradivarius” labels. For this reason, the presence of a Stradivarius label in a violin does not mean the instrument is genuine. The usual label – both genuine and false – carries the Latin inscription “Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno [date],” which gives the maker (Antonio Stradivari), the place (Cremonia), and the year of manufacture, the actual date either printed or handwritten. It was this Latin label which gave the world the name “Stradivarius.” After 1891, when the United States required it, copies might also have the actual country of origin printed in English at the bottom of the label: “Made in Czechoslovakia,” or just “Germany.”
Hundreds of thousands of these copies were made in Germany, France, central and eastern Europe, England, China, and Japan, starting in the mid-19th century and continuing into current times – and literally millions exist today. They bear counterfeit labels proclaiming them to be by not only Stradivari but Vuillaume, Amati, Bergonzi, Guarneri, Gasparo da Salo, Stainer, and others. Music shops and mail order houses originally sold these violins at prices which made it plain no deception of the buyer was intended – some were claimed to be “tributes” – they ranged from $8.00 to $27.00 apiece, and were identified in advertisements as “copies” or “models.” But their similarity to the instruments they were copied from is minimal to a trained eye – or ear. While some involved hand-crafting, the vast majority were mass-produced. It was not until 1957 that the words “Copy of” were added to some of the labels.
Even today one can find advertisements for a “Stradivarius Violin” which comes “Complete with Decorative Stand and Bow,” and is claimed to be “a wonderful replica of the eminent Stradivarius violin,” designed for displaying “on the wall or atop a bureau or coffee table” for a mere $29.95. Once in a while a real Strad turns up – usually after a theft or accidental loss. In 1967 a 1732 Strad, named for the Duke of Alcantara and owned by UCLA’s Department of Music, was loaned to a member of UCLA’s Roth String Quartet. He apparently either left it on top of his car and drove off, or had it stolen from inside his car. A woman turned up with it in 1994, claiming her former husband’s aunt had given it to her husband, and she had acquired it in a divorce settlement. She said their family lore had it that the aunt had found the violin beside a road. UCLA eventually gave the woman $11,500 to regain the violin and avoid a protracted court fight. So what should you do if you find a violin with a Stradivarius label – or that of any other famous violin maker from centuries ago? You should have it appraised by an expert, and most such experts are members of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers. Expect to pay for the appraisal. The authentication of a violin can be determined only by a careful examination of such factors as the design, model, craftsmanship, wood, and varnish. It’s not hard to separate out the mass-produced violins from the actual hand-made instruments, but it takes a well-trained violin appraiser to be able to attribute the violin to a specific maker or place of manufacture. Don’t expect your find to be genuine. The odds against finding the real thing are slim to none. Nevertheless, you might have a decent violin, and if you can play the instrument, that will be its own reward.

The question remains: Are Stradivarius violins worth all the fuss?

There’s no objective answer, said James Lyon, Penn State professor of music in violin. When Stradivari was crafting violins, most musicians performed in churches and courts. Rulers and the wealthy sponsored artists to enhance their prestige. As music moved away from this patronage system in the first half of the 19th century, Lyon explained, musicians’ careers became dependent on fitting more people into concert halls. Thus, although they were originally built for much smaller venues, almost every Strad still around today has been altered to sound best in a large concert hall setting.The violin world frequently stages blind tests of modern and vintage violins, including Stradivari’s, Lyon noted, and as often as not the audience prefers the sound of the modern instruments. But many musicians and luthiers argue that these tests are virtually meaningless. For one thing, the player usually knows which violin is the Stradivarius and could unintentionally bias the results by playing the fabled instrument differently. For another, even trained musicians can’t reliably pick out the sound of a Strad, he said.Asking people to choose between modern and vintage violins, said Lyon, is like asking their favorite ice cream flavor. You never get complete agreement because people like different things. In addition, it takes a while to get to know an instrument, and the testing format doesn’t allow for this. Sometimes half a year after purchasing an instrument, Lyon explained, the player “is still learning how it wants to be played.”Still, luthiers since Stradivari’s time have tried to reproduce the classic “Strad” sound. Some claim the secret lies in the craftsmanship, others the varnish, others the wood. Virtually every aspect of the violin has been touted as the key. Scientists, too, have tackled the question from various angles.Some chemical analyses suggest that the smooth, mellifluous tones may have resulted, in part, from an application of an oxidizing mineral such as borax, often used in Stradivari’s day to prevent woodworm infestation. Dendrochronology, the study of annual growth rings in trees, suggests that the wood Stradivari used grew largely during the Little Ice Age that prevailed in Europe from the mid-1400s to the mid-1800s. Long winters and cool summers produced very dense wood with outstanding resonance qualities, the thinking goes. The dense wood also helps the instruments stand up over hundreds of years of use.In light of the dozens of theories put forth to explain the Stradivarius reputation, Lyon can’t choose just one. “I think there’s likely no magic bullet here. Stradivari was just an incredibly consistent craftsman, and he was a real groundbreaker.” But given technological advances over the last 300 years, he added, it seems crazy to assume that the old luthiers knew everything there was to know about their trade.The mystique remains, however. Asked if putting aside the monetary value of the instrument, he would like to have a Stradivarius to play, Lyon said, “Yes, I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t. Partly it’s the history that goes with them.”

Indonesian crop circles blamed on UFO's ???

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

A crop circle discovered by a farmer in an Indonesian rice field is drawing thousands of curious onlookers.
The 70-yard-wide geometric pattern looks like an intricately designed flower, includes a triangle and two smaller circles in the middle of a large circle.
"I think they were left by an alien space ship, like one I saw in TV," Krasakan resident Cahyo Utomo tells theJakarta Post
The crop circle has received so much attention police have blocked off the area with yellow tape and villagers have started charging entrance fees, reports Associated Press.
According to Guntur Purwanto, chief of Jogotirto village, the circle appeared over the weekend. The farmer who owns the property stumbled upon it around 6 a.m.
Indonesian's space agency, well-respected astronomers and nuclear agency officials have turned out to offer opinions on whether or not the crop circle was left by extraterrestrial beings. The consensus is that the crop circle did not com from a UFO, but nonetheless enthusiasts are fascinated and creating their own theories on how the circle came into existence.
The phenomenon of crop circles that are recorded in history first appeared in England in 1647, now exists in Indonesia. Mysterious circular pattern formed in the village Jogomangsan, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Some suspected it was caused by a tornado, extra high voltage overhead line or previous page, even associated with UFOs.


Google launches Translate for Animals Android app

Sunday, January 16, 2011


Google has released its Translate for Animals application for Android that enables the search giant to encourage greater interaction and understanding between animal and human.

With this incredible Google Translate for Animals application, which is available now, you can select the animal from a menu and then translate their noises into human language.

Google explains that making the world’s information universally accessible is a major goal for Google. Language is one of the biggest challenges they have in this area, so for the past year they have been targeting their efforts on removing language barriers between the species. They were excited to introduce Translate for Animals, an Android application which will allow them to better understand animal friends.

They have always been a pet-friendly company at Google, and hope that Translate for Animals encourages greater interaction and understanding between animal and human. This application will be available on Google’s Android operating system, enabling you to finally find out what your dog, cat or even chicken is saying to you.

This app is built on the Android mobile operating system, Translate for Animals is an application for your phone recognizing and transcribing common words and phrases that are common to a species, like cats, for example.

In order to develop Translate for Animals, they worked closely with many of the world’s top language synthesis teams, and with leaders in the field of animal cognitive linguistics, including senior fellows at the Bodleian Library in Oxford.

Hugh Liddle, engineer on Translate for Animals, told that: “People spend a lot of time with their animals – in many cases, years of daily interaction. In line with Google’s goal to open up access to information, our mission on the Translate for Animals team is to make that information available across languages. During the course of product development, we realised that understanding Fido or Lassie is an age-old problem that our technology could plausibly solve.

for video check here

To get the app on your Android phone, use a barcode scanning application to download directly from this QR code.

Bono U2 earns more than $500 million with Facebook


The U2 frontman’s investment in the network has quadrupled since buying the company’s shares last year.

Being owner of 1.5% of the shares in a company may not sound very impressive, but that is not the case when it comes to Facebook.

Bono is well aware. As managing director of Elevation Partners, the investment firm he co-founded in 2001, the lead singer of U2 had the bright idea to buy shares of the successful network in 2010 and today his investment has quadrupled.

It happened because earlier this month the value of Facebook came to the very impressive $50 billion. Therefore, according to the site WENN , the $195 million spent initially by the Irish musician in the company’s shares of Mark Zuckerberg, are now worth $728 million.

However, to be able to use this money, the musician will have to wait until the company goes private, and can be traded in the stock market.

Ted William 'Golden Voice' homeless man


Ted Williams is drawn from his life as a homeless man in Ohio - it was every day at Interstate 71st Here is a sign "God has given me a great voice," begging for money. And the "Golden Voice", he really is - his voice sounds like on the radio, just as it may sound simple needs. Looking at him, but purely from the Release, so it fits together so do not: His hair is shaggy, bad teeth and also the consumption of alcohol has ravaged him. But now everything will change. A video, used on Youtube made the previously unknown and neglected the homeless in a short time famous. From Monday to Wednesday are already about three million (!) Viewed the video and the online portal of the newspaper "Columbus Dispatch" put the video a on his side. Thanks to this video of the 53-year-old has received numerous job offers and he was interviewed in one of the most important breakfast show on U.S. television.
The job offers also a part of every job as announcer at football-club in Cleveland and this offer Ted William adopted. The club is the past of the former homeless no matter, because what counts is his future. Ted was a few years as a radio speaker, but the alcohol and drugs have ended that career, but this time he wants to do it, because he would definitely use his second chance. The football fans can now look forward to the man with the astounding voice.

If you make an honest effort and have the talent, your dreams do meet the reality, this saying came true for the 'homeless man with a golden voice' – Ted Williams. Ted Williams who was once upon a time a radio jockey was took over by bad times and earned his living on the streets, until a video of his talking took You-tube by rage.

The homeless man with a golden voice, walks around the roads with a sign which read, 'I am God gifted' and surely he is. He has one of the most charming voice and the roadside interview of Ted Williams have attracted many across the globe. He since then have been receiving many offers. The biggest name in the industry NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and NFL Films have reached out to the 53-year-old.
He can now own a house and a good life. In one of his interviews he says, “The Cleveland Cavaliers just offered me a full-time job and a house! A house! A house!”. Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden voice, belongs to Brooklyn and took up the job of a radio jockey when he was 14. Since then it became his passion and he even went to a school he take a course. But then he got involved into alcohol and ditched his career and became a homeless man with a golden voice.

Now with a new grand job in hand, he plans to fly to Brooklyn to visit his mother. Ted William says, “The Cleveland Cavaliers just offered me a full-time job and a house! A house! A house!”

Ted Williams You Tube Video Can Check Here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rPFvLUWkzs

Virtual Management Need Increases In 2011

Monday, January 10, 2011


As the use of virtual and cloud computing rises, along with the number of virtual server applications, cloud hosting and other non-physical functions, the need for appropriate management of these resources is becoming paramount. "Old school" thinking about how to handle server maintenance and efficiency no longer applies, and when used to try and regulate systems such as a virtual server, can cause the entire system to become less functional.

In 2011, it is important for management teams to examine options they have available for virtualization and cloud computing.

Consider the Public vs. Private Problem

When VPS and cloud hosting systems get off of the ground, the most important aspects of management will lie in ensuring that enough resources are available and that those using the virtual servers are doing so properly.

As a system grows, management needs to consider the public and private needs of the virtualization platform. Cloud computing inevitably lends itself to a merging of the two areas, and managers must create an infrastructure that can effectively manage the need to use both types of resources.

Think about Power

Many companies do not approach the need for power to run all of their virtualized applications in a way that is effective. There is still an assumption that only enough power and space is needed to power what is physically in an office. But with things like email archiving, SharePoint hosting, cloud VPS and website hosting all coming from the same set of virtualized machines, a company can quickly find itself overwhelmed.

A sensible, calculated approach must be taken to evaluate just how much power will be needed to ensure a virtual system continues to operate.

Don't Keep Doing the Same Thing

Increasing the amount of virtualization that a system can handle is often limited by the management strategy of a company. If a management strategy for VPS and cloud hosting reads the same as one for an in-house server, not only money but time will be lost as costs begin to pile up.

Standardization is key to success here; make sure anything process-related is performed the same way, every time. In addition, consider a move to automatic configuration so that procedures can be automatically standardized.

Virtualization has discernible benefits - the lack of physical space requirements to name an obvious one - but can have drawbacks as well if an effective management strategy is not created. By getting a handle on virtualization early, managing public/private pressure, ensuring proper power is in place and thinking forward rather than laterally, a company can ensure that their virtual systems grow along with them.

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