Blekko The New Search Engine With The Spam FreeTechnology

A new search engine that became accessible to the public Monday is taking aim at Google's failure to weed out useless spam sites from its results.

Blekko, the latest kid on the search engine block, is hoping to give out more refined results from trustworthy sources and avoid pointing to bogus sites created by content farms and other internet bottom-feeders that subsist only to collect traffic.

"The goal is to fresh up Web search and get all the spam out of it," Blekko co-founder Rich Skrenta told The New.

Like Google, Bing, Ask.com and its other competitors, Blekko's search engine crawls billions of websites on any given search, but relies on what Skrenta calls "large-scale human curation" to edit the results into a batch of the most supportive sites

In particular, Blekko aims to clean up results in categories its creators have determined triggers mainly polluted results, including health, colleges, recipes, personal finance, hotels and cars.

The most important upgrade to Blekko's search engine is the addition of slashtags that auto-fire for queries that fall into one seven categories: health, colleges, autos, personal finance, lyrics, recipes and hotels.

The auto-fire functionality is intended with passive searchers in mind, and aims to get rid of friction for first time users. The technology that powers these auto-slashtags was developed through a wide research and development phase that implicated analyzing the relationship between queries and the type of spam results they normally generate.

Blekko is presently available on the web or as a mobile-optimized site, but mobile applications are also said to be in the works.

Stephanie Gilmore The First Female Surfer To Win Four World Titles

Australia's Stephanie Gilmore has happen to the first female surfer to ever win four world titles from as many attempts, after winning her quarter-final at the Rip Curl Pro Search event in Puerto Rico.

The 22-year-old didn't have it all her own way against resolute Hawaiian Melanie Bartels, but did enough to clinch the title, before being chaired off Middles Beach by men's defending champion and Rip Curl stable-mate Mick Fanning.

Bartels put up an almighty fight, with Gilmore's 13.87 mutual score for her two best waves giving her victory by just .10 of a point.

The happy assassin must now be eyeing off the record of seven women's world titles achieved by surfing icon Layne Beachley.

Gilmore is now through to the semi-finals at the Rip Curl Pro Search event, but can now relax knowing that her historic feat is already with her.

Sydney Zoo Welcomes Elephant Calf

Sydney's Taronga Zoo has welcomed its first female Asian elephant calf after a fast birth just after midnight this morning.

The as-yet unnamed 120kg calf was born after a half-hour labour to 18-year-old Pak Boon, who came at the zoo in 2006.

The calf was nursing within 90 minutes of its delivery and standing unassisted within three hours, zoo officials say.

Mother and baby are well, said the zookeepers.

Extraordinary Underwater Art Exhibition

In the clear shallow waters off Cancun in Mexico, 200 ghostly figures are gradually lowered to the seabed.

It's the final installment of a strange underwater art exhibition, which spans 420 square meters of barren sea bed in the area's national marine park.

Officially due to open next month, the exhibition entitled "The Silent Evolution," is the work of British sculptor and scuba diver Jason deCaires Taylor.

Consisting of 403 life-size human figures, each sculpture has been independently cast by deCaires Taylor and made using unique cement mix to encourage coral growth.

Created to highlight the decimation of the world's coral reefs, deCaires Taylor told he wanted to "create an immense artificial reef, a habitat space that would encourage fish to colonize and inhabit the area."

It is hoped the artistic reef bed will attract some of the park's 750,000 yearly visitors away from the natural reefs, which need time to recover and expand.

"It's extremely interesting working underwater," said deCaires Taylor, who explained how the work had shaped a new and dynamic perspective for audiences.

"The colors are different, the light patterns are very diverse, the atmosphere and mood is otherworldly. The piece takes on a very different tone underwater - it has a missing feel to it and brings up all these questions that you wouldn't have on land," he said.

Giant Maple Leaf Discovery Makes 9-Year-Old A Guinness Star

Nine-year-old Joseph Donato was riding his bicycle home from the park with his family when he spotted it lying there on the road - possibly the greatest maple leaf of all time.

Not the hockey playing kind, but the national emblem kind - and a huge size, too. So big that it has set the Guinness World Record as largest maple leaf.

"The width is 13 and 5/8 (inches) and then the length is 15 and 5/8 with the stem," says Joseph pompously. "It's yellow with some green."


Joseph and his mother, Angie Donato, reported the find to the local newspaper and the story was selected up by other media. That caught the eye of Guinness representatives.

"They asked me to send a image with the measuring tape" to prove the size of the leaf, he said.

Later, "they contacted us and said that they wanted to open a new record for me," he added.

His Grade 4 friends at a Pickering elementary school didn't consider him at first, but they will now, he said.

The monster size maple leaf was found in mid-October near the Rouge River and East Woodlands Park in Pickering, Angie Donato said.

She added that the family learned they had the record a couple of weeks ago but had to keep it secret until today's announcement by Guinness.

Paul The Octopus Is Back In China As Panda

China fell in love with Paul the Octopus in the Football World Cup and mourned his passing only a few months later. With the onset of the Asian Games in Guangzhou though, viewers have found a new oracle, 12 of them to be precise: Guangzhou's pandas.

China Hush reports that the 12 pandas now living in Guangzhou Chimelong Tourist Resort’s zoo have been performing medal predictions for the games, becoming local celebrities in the course.

Each panda, according to site, has a extraordinary specialty. Bosi, one that Guangzhou Daily describes as “smart and quick,” predicted the outcome of the martial arts competition at the Asian games. Another panda, “Hui Hui” made predictions for the diving competition as zoo keepers say she likes playing in water.

The pandas are given two special foods, one representing China and one representing a different country. The one the panda chooses to eat is said to be the predicted winner.

China is always represented by bamboo, the plant that makes up the bulk of the panda’s diet.

Not quite the blind predictions that Paul made, but public are flocking to the zoo nonetheless to see what the pandas are munching on.

That said, the Chinese are sweeping up the medal count so if the panda keeps going for its favorite snack, it won’t be that far off base.

Spiteful Asian Fruit Fly Found In Michigan

Michigan State University Extension researchers have found a spiteful Asian fruit fly the spotted wing Drosophila in numerous areas in the southern end of the state. The fly attacks fruits that are among Michigan's most popular, including the cherries available at Overhiser Orchards. Researchers consider the invader has the potential to severely damage fruit crops if not managed properly.

The spotted wing Drosophila is native to southeast Asia, but has been turning up in astonishing places lately. First spotted in California in 2008, the fly was then seen north in Oregon and Washington. It has yet been found in Florida.

Michigan has a spotted wing Drosophila response team that formed previous this year to detect and combat the fly. Further monitoring is taking place this fall to decide where the fly is present in the state.

First European To Top The World Rankings

Lee Westwood has taken over from Tiger Woods as golf's new world number one, after Martin Kaymer failed to conclude in the top two in the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama on Sunday.

Briton Westwood, who becomes the first European to top the world rankings since Nick Faldo in 1994, has climbed to the summit in spite of never having won one of golf's four 'major' titles.

And in doing so, the 37-year-old ends Woods' remarkable 281-week control as the world's top golfer. Woods has been top of the tree since enduringly taking over from Vijay's Vijay Singh in June 2005.

Westwood opted to skip this week's European Tour event in Spain, meaning European Ryder Cup colleague Kaymer could have taken the top position if he had won the tournament or shared second place with no more than one other player.

Roger Federer Joins Andy Murray At ATP World Tour Finals

Roger Federer enjoyed a easy 6-1 6-4 victory over David Ferrer to join Andy Murray at the top of Group B at the ATP World Tour Finals at London's O2 Arena on Sunday evening.

The four-time winner of the season finale had never lost to the Spaniard in 10 earlier meetings and it became clear from the start that an upset was unlikely.

The 29-year-old Swiss broke the seventh seed twice to open up a 4-0 lead in the opening set, before Ferrer hit back with a break of his own.

But normal service was resumed in the sixth game, in spite of the Spaniard's best efforts as Federer broke his serve again and then served out the set.

The second set was less one sided, with Federer taking five games to secure a break of serve, but the outcome was the same.

Serving for the match at 5-4, the number two seed experienced an uncharacteristic lapse in concentration, handing his rival three break points.

But, as so often with Federer, he at once regained his composure to save all three and then promptly served an ace to wrap up the match.

World's First Remotely Controlled Heart Operation Using Robotic Arm Took Place In England

A pioneering heart operation using a robotic arm named Amigo has taken place at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital. The new technique involved using the robotic arm alongside a 3D imaging system

The arm was controlled by surgeon Dr Andre Ng, with the help of an advanced 3D image of the patient's heart.

It was the first time the technique has been used in catheter ablation, where the organ's inner lining is ablated or "burned" to treat unbalanced heartbeats.

The operation was successfully carried out on patient Paddy Flood from Derby. Mr Flood suffers from an irregular heart rhythm condition called atrial fibrillation.
Dr Ng said: "The first experience with using the Amigo system suggests that great precision of catheter movement can be achieved using robotic control.

"Combining this for the first time with the accuracy of placing ablation lesions with the CARTO-3 3D mapping system is a important way forward.

"It is hoped that using the two advanced technologies together would progress the efficacy and safety of these complex procedures."

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disturbance, with over half a million wounded in the UK. It increases the risk of a person having a stroke by five times and doubles the risk of death.

More than 200 catheter ablation operations have taken place at Glenfield Hospital, and six months ago Dr Ng used the Amigo robotic arm to carry out the process for the first time, but without the help of the 3D mapping system.

China Discovers World's Fastest Supercomputer

The United States no longer holds the world's fastest supercomputer.

A computer called Tianhe-1A, unveiled at a conference in Beijing, China, can run calculations faster than the earlier speed leader, a computer at a U.S. lab in Tennessee.

The new computer set a presentation record by crunching 2.507 petaflops of data at once. The earlier leader, a computer called Cray XT5 Jaguar and located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, completed 1.75 petaflop calculations.

Analysts say the innovative record underscores China's place as a global tech leader.

According to Nvidia, the computer technology company, the world's fastest computer will be operated as an open contact system and will be used for large scale scientific computations.

Supercomputers, which basically are many computers strung and networked together, fill entire rooms and even small warehouses. They are often used to processes vast amounts of scientific data. Climate models, for example, are run using the supercomputing power that can be seen in U.S. national labs.

Scott Aims Major Titles After Singapore Success

Adam Scott hopes his third Singapore Open title triumph will act as a springboard for an attack on golf's four major tournaments next year.

The Australian completed a final-round 68 after the tournament went into a fifth day following weather disruptions, concluding on 17-under-par 267 - three shots clear of Denmark's second-placed Anders Hansen.

The victory, his former at Sentosa since the Asian Tour event became co-sanctioned by the European Tour last year, launched him back into the top-20 of golf's world rankings.

It was the seventh European Tour title of the 30-year-old's career, and he will now turn his concentration to claiming a maiden major title in 2011.

Guinness World Records Announces "Tallest Living Married Couple"

Every marriage has its ups and downs, but Wayne and Laurie Hallquist's blessed union may have presently peaked. The Stockton, California, pair was just included into the Guinness World Records for being the tallest married couple on earth.

Wayne, who stands 6-foot-10.4 inches tall, and Laurie, who reaches almost 6-foot-6 inches, was in New York for Guinness World Records Day, where the skyscraping sweethearts were privileged and offered with an official certificate from the organization.

"We're excited and proud," Laurie said. "Representing the U.S. in this year's Guinness World Records Day is quite a excitement."

The Hallquists met at a singles event at their church seven years ago, and exchanged wedding vows later on. Aside from towering over the rest of the world, the pair enjoys collecting classic cars, boating, and sleeping in a 7-foot long bed.

The previous record-holders for Tallest Married Couple were Wilco and Keisha van Kleef-Bolton, whose shared height reached 13.33 feet. It looks as though the Hallquists had them beat by a nose.

Mount Everest Gets 3G Mobile Network Service

The world's highest third generation (3G) mobile network services base station was set up at the base of Mount Everest on Thursday.

Ncell, a mobile phone and internet operator in Nepal, said it set up a 3G base at an altitude of 5,200 meters (17,000 feet) near the village of Gorakshep, according to Aigars Benders, the chief mechanical officer of Ncell.

"The velocity of the 3G services will be up to 3.6 MB per second," Aigars said."But we could have it up to 7.2 MB if there is insist."

A total of nine stations, with the lowest at 2,870 meters (9,400 feet) at Lukla where the airport in the Everest region is located, came into operation on Thursday.

The service is mostly targeted at the approximately 30,000 tourists who come to trek in Nepal's Himalayan region every year.

A few hundred mountaineers try to climb Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain at 8,848 meters (29,028 feet) and it is predictable that the annual total number of mountaineers in the region number several hundred.

Although Ncell has not tested its 3G services from the top of Everest, Aigars said it is theoretically probable.

Up to 50 people can use the services at a time and if there is demand this faculty can be increased. Four of the base stations are run by solar power with a back-up battery that can control the stations for up to three days.

Sweden-based Teliasonera, the fifth largest mobile company in Europe, has the controlling and working stake in Ncell.

"Teliasonera also has the world's lowest 3G base station in the world," said Teliasonera's CEO Lars Nyberg. He said that the lowest one is at 1,400 meters (4,595 feet) below sea level in a mine in Europe.

"Home Haunters" Grab The Attention In Halloween Decorations

The house with sinister animatronics, the fake smoke and a perfectly timed soundtrack of spooky noises is the work of 'Home haunters’. The one that makes little children think twice about ringing the doorbell.

That's the "home haunter's" house. Their fascination with Halloween drives them to create incredible experiences for trick-or-treaters; they are masters at creating a fine scare. And they do it by dismantling off-the-shelf items and whirling electronic parts into freaky Frankenstein decorations.

"For some reason, we all adore to tear apart Christmas props," said Rik Cary, a software designer who lives in Hayward, California.

"There was a 5-foot-tall dancing Santa at Wal-Mart one year, and he picked up a number of these on consent. He's made that into a plagiarize and a zombie. He used the dancing machine itself under one of those singing Douglas fir Christmas trees."

China Unveils World's Fastest Bullet Train

China on Tuesday unveiled what it described as the world's fastest bullet train, which will join two of the country's industrial hubs travelling at an average speed of 350 km per hour.

The rail link between Shanghai and Hangzhou, the newest addition to China's fast-expanding high-speed rail network that is already the world's largest, covers the 200-km distance in only 45 minutes, reducing the travelling time from 78 minutes.

The home-built CRH380 bullet train has been recorded travelling at 420 km per hour, a world record. It will, however, go between the two cities at less than full tilt, at an average speed of 350 km per hour.

China's high-speed rail network now stretches over 7,431 km. The government plans to enlarge the network to over 16,000 km by 2020. China is investing an expected $300 billion on its high-speed rail network.

China has also started work on a 1,318-km high-speed rail line linking the country's two most important cities — Beijing and Shanghai. The $33-billion line will open in 2012, dipping the travel time between the capital and the financial centre in half, to just five hours.

Jetpack And Flying Car Among Year's Best Inventions

Along with the jetpack, the flying car tops the list of classic science-fiction ideas.

Now researchers, with some cash from the U.S. military, might be taking a step toward making these hovering vehicles - seen in such varied works as "Blade Runner" and "The Jetsons" -- a reality.

DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is awarding grants to scientists to assist develop its Transformer program, which seeks to create a road-worthy vehicle that can take off upright like a helicopter and fly.

This week, the robotics institute at Carnegie Mellon University was awarded a $988,000 contract to expand a flight system for the Transformer.

The vehicle DARPA is considering would be able to carry four troops and up to 1,000 pounds of utensils for 250 miles, either on land or through the air.

"Its improved mobility would increase survivability by making movements less predictable and would make the vehicle suitable for a wide variety of missions, such as scouting, resupply and medical evacuation," Carnegie Mellon said in a written release.
The Carnegie Mellon prototype follows the latest news that a Florida man built a flying car Video that was certified by the FAA.

Oscar Remains Record Holder Even After His Death

Oscar, the Vietnamese potbellied pig from Far North Dallas, claimed the Guinness World Records title last year when he turned 20.

He died Tuesday, a few weeks after his 21st birthday. Owner Stacy Kimbell sent out an email announcing the depressing news to friends and family. "He was the most loyal and genuine buddy that a gal could ever want," she wrote.

Oscar wasn't just any pig. In his younger years as a petite piglet, he roamed the streets of Chicago on a leash. He appeared on television with a pet psychologist and joined Kimbell on a Colorado ski vacation.

Oscar lived to eat. He tipped the scales at 180 pounds before Kimbell got a improved handle on his diet, which consisted of roasted pumpkin mash, grapes, almonds, apples, watermelon and canned fruit.

The average pig lives 15 to 20 years, so Oscar's ripe old age gave him the frame with Guinness. Last year's record brought the 130-pound porker back into the limelight. Stories appeared in The Dallas Morning News and People Magazine, and Oscar made many TV appearances. He received several invitations (including one to Rome that he had to decline) and taped a segment on a show for Animal Planet.

Southwest Airlines' chief executive sent him a case of his desired snack – packaged peanuts from the Dallas-based company. What few remained was bequeathed to his sister, Ziffle the pig.

Guinness officials say Oscar will stay the record-holder, even after his death.

Location-Based Mobile Service Gowalla Partners With Disney

When Josh Williams created Gowalla, the location-based mobile service that permits users to "check in" at hot spots and share experiences from the road, he was stimulated by the Disney brand and dreamed of one day partnering with the company.

Two years later, Disney Parks is taking its first foray into location services by teaming up with Gowalla to offer visitors a new way to explore Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

"When we founded Gowalla two years ago we saw Disney as inspiration for us both in terms of design and eminence associated with the brand," said Williams, CEO and co-founder of Gowalla. To connect friends and family across Disney Parks through Gowalla is simply magical."

"The Disney and Gowalla partnership represents a magnificent way to unite social activity online and in the real world," Solis said.

"It also opens the doors to new possibilities to engage social media to share experiences every significant and shareable step of the way. We are at the beginning of a new world where we appeal to the traditional consumer and also the social consumer."

Scientists Fear 'Sixth Mass Extinction' For World's Animals

One in five of the world's mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians are under danger of extinction, according to a major new stock take of life on Earth.

The dreadful study found that the number of endangered vertebrates, or animals with backbones, is still rising and that humans are largely to blame.

Many scientists believe the world is going through a 'sixth mass extinction' and that more wildlife is going destroyed now than at any time since the dinosaurs vanished 65 million years ago.

Around 20 per cent of the world's vertebrates are endangered, including 25 per cent of all mammals, 13 per cent of birds, 22 per cent of reptiles and 41 per cent of amphibians.

The scientists also found that 33 per cent of 'cartilaginous' fish - species such as shark, rays and skates whose skeletons are made from cartilage, were in danger, along with 15 per cent of bony fish.

Species at risk comprise the iconic polar bear, panda and Iberian lynx. Others include the Tasmanian devil - which has been deficiently hit by an infectious form of cancer, the Caspian seal and the Asian fishing cat.

British species on the list comprise the European eel whose numbers have plummeted by 99 per cent because of pollution and overfishing, the schelly - one of Britain's rarest freshwater fish which is found in only four lakes in the Lake District, and the aquatic warbler - a yellow brown guest to southern Britain in the late summer.

The report also warned that entire 'lineages' of species such as marine turtles and pandas are on the edge of being lost - with no similar species able to fill the ecological niches or functions they inhabit.