hey want to watch sermons,christian musical videos and stuff try Godtube,really intresting site.
http://godtube.com/
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Independence Day
When i was in nigeria,i use to read articles talking about nigerians in despora that were crazy about their country and how independence day, outside nigeria was maked in style,but right here in sweden i cannot help but note the resentment towards nigeria by nigerians in my social cirles,they feel there is absolutely nothing to celibrate and they would rather do more important things after all,the independence seems to have causes more calamity than anything good.AS for me i guess if im not to busy ill just take time to reflect about my future and what little bit i could do to the country.
Virtual Beer Server
This kind of intresting,discovered a virtual beer server on the internet,with this site you can send beer to and any where in the world(wonders of the techie)
you can try it (lol!!!)
http://beer.trash.net/
you can try it (lol!!!)
http://beer.trash.net/
Friday, September 21, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Women really are hot for chocolate by Sarah-Kate Templeton
FOR a long time women have compared chocolate to sex. Now doctors have discovered a scientific link between the two.
According to Italian researchers, women who eat chocolate regularly have a better sex life than those who deny themselves the treat. Those consuming the sugary snack had the highest levels of desire, arousal and satisfaction from sex.
The urologists from San Raffaele hospital, Milan, questioned 163 women about their consumption of chocolate as well as their experience of sexual fulfilment.
The study, which will be presented at the European Society for Sexual Medicine in London next month, found: “Women who have a daily intake of chocolate showed higher levels of desire than women who did not have this habit. Chocolate can have a positive physiological impact on a woman’s sexuality.”
Dr Andrea Salonia, author of the study — funded from a university research budget, not by the confectionery industry — said women who have a low libido could even become more amorous after eating chocolate. He believes chocolate could be particularly medicinal for women who shun sex because they are suffering from premenstrual tension.
“Chocolate is not like a food, it is like a drug. Women who suffer mood swings as a result of their menstrual cycle may also suffer a dip in their sexual function. I strongly believe eating chocolate may improve their sexual function,” said Salonia.
The research looked at the lifestyle habits that affect women’s sex lives. It also looked at smoking and coffee consumption but found no links with sexual enjoyment. Some might argue, however, that women who like chocolate are simply more sensually attuned.
from http://www.chocolate.org
carry on eating choco
According to Italian researchers, women who eat chocolate regularly have a better sex life than those who deny themselves the treat. Those consuming the sugary snack had the highest levels of desire, arousal and satisfaction from sex.
The urologists from San Raffaele hospital, Milan, questioned 163 women about their consumption of chocolate as well as their experience of sexual fulfilment.
The study, which will be presented at the European Society for Sexual Medicine in London next month, found: “Women who have a daily intake of chocolate showed higher levels of desire than women who did not have this habit. Chocolate can have a positive physiological impact on a woman’s sexuality.”
Dr Andrea Salonia, author of the study — funded from a university research budget, not by the confectionery industry — said women who have a low libido could even become more amorous after eating chocolate. He believes chocolate could be particularly medicinal for women who shun sex because they are suffering from premenstrual tension.
“Chocolate is not like a food, it is like a drug. Women who suffer mood swings as a result of their menstrual cycle may also suffer a dip in their sexual function. I strongly believe eating chocolate may improve their sexual function,” said Salonia.
The research looked at the lifestyle habits that affect women’s sex lives. It also looked at smoking and coffee consumption but found no links with sexual enjoyment. Some might argue, however, that women who like chocolate are simply more sensually attuned.
from http://www.chocolate.org
carry on eating choco
Monday, September 17, 2007
HOT FUZZ (that guy is good)
i am crazy about this movie ,i thought british movies where crap but this is the bomb.the jokes where awesome and the violence was so %¤&%&/¤%
you have to see this movie men i love it.
i think i love my wife
this is a really lovely movie by chris rock with a rather strange end about temptation in marriage,was fun
but i wonder wat i would do if i where in his shoes.
Prisons better than living conditions in some countries
Scandinavia, made up of Sweden, Norway, and Finland, is considered one of the most modern places to live, work, and be educated. Each of those three countries has extremely high standards of living, an excellent educational system, top-notch health care, unique welfare programmes and high life expectancy. What many people don't know is that Scandanavia can also boast one of the world's most pro-reform correctional departments anywhere in the world. Following is a special report by THE NATION's Associate Editor Barry Alleyne, who took a special tour of a prison in the Swedish town of Boras. The tour was supervised by the facility's security manager, Pia Syren, a veteran warder who gave him the opportunity to compare correctional facilities in a small part of the Western Hemisphere like Barbados, to a large part of Europe like Sweden. The Boras Anstalten (prison) is located just outside the town of Boras (pronounced Boros), about 43 kilometres northeast of Gothenburgh, Sweden's second-largest city.
FROM THE OUTSIDE on a small street about 100 metres from the highway, you can tell it's a prison building.
There's a tall fence, and a taller one beyond it covered with razor-sharp barbed wire. The main gate is thick, huge and heavy.
Employees use special electronic cards to enter, and there is an annoying buzzing sound when they are granted access through a special smaller electronic gate. That's probably where most comparisons to other prisons outside of Scandanavia end. For one thing, the inmates here are friendly – extremely friendly.
They don't even look like prisoners. The orange or blue jumpsuits seen on TV do not exist here. Instead, the inmates have cool-looking grey and blue T-shirts and matching jogging pants or track-suit bottoms, and are even issued flip-flops (sports slippers).
Having been informed the day before they would have a visitor, most are ready and willing to sit around and chat.
Boras' prison is a minimum security facility, with most inmates serving short sentences between one and seven years for mostly non-violent crimes, but still there is an air of nonchalance between the walls.
One inmate, Timo, invited me into his cell to have a look, happy to provide a mini-tour of his section which contained 20 prisoners. First stop was a modern-looking shower more reminiscent of a fancy gym, which included a sauna, an exercise bike and a step-machine.
Cook own food
Next stop was a modern-looking kitchen, where inmates are allowed to cook their own food, and can even pool their money for sirloin steak at least once a month.
Timo's personal quarters look more like the room of an American teenager than a prison cell.
In one corner an 18-inch TV is muted, and his mini-stereo blares out a soft-rock song.
In the other corner is a small personal fan, and above his head is an impressive CD collection.
"So do they have TVs in prisons in Barbados?," he asks. My dumbstruck look, followed by embarrassed laughter, was a good enough answer in the negative.
"Some people think most of these prisoners are very spoilt, but that's how it is here in Sweden," Syren reminds me as we wind down the corridor past more inmates in a lounge area taken up mostly by a huge pool table.
The 14-year veteran prison officer explains that of their 84 inmates, most are not locals, with half the population deriving from further across Europe from countries like the former Yugoslavia, Serbia, Croatia and the Czech Republic.
Not a single firearm
Still, warders at the facility carry no weapons. In fact, there isn't a single firearm at the facility.
All warders do carry pepper spray and a special emergency electronic personal alarm device which, if used, sends an electronic alarm to their state-of-the-art control room at the entrance of the building.
"We do have escape attempts, but not that many," explained Syren. "Most of the inmates here know they are serving short sentences, so most of them are very interested in educating themselves and finishing their time."
She noted, however, that in recent years recidivism had increased, with a few criminals finding themselves on the wrong side of the law for a second time.
Like most prisons anywhere, the Boras facility battled a drug problem in its early days, but that has been drastically reduced since all new admissions are drug-tested for cocaine, heroin, marijuana, amphetamines, PCP, acid, even the pill Ecstasy. They are also tested during their imprisonment.
Mandatory classes
But its not all cake for the inmates, even though they are afforded breakfast, lunch, dinner and even the luxury of a late evening snack, which they can make in their own kitchen before calling it a night.
Each inmate has mandatory academic classes, subjects being taught by a staff of more than ten teachers who educate them in mathematics, English, Spanish, sociology, information technology (IT), even psychology.
These classes last five hours every day, and the inmates are not allowed to miss them. After serving their sentences, most are eligible to enter universities anywhere in Scandanavia. And for those who had not done well at school during their adolescent years, the prison also has a remedial programme.
A visit to the special "school" section reveals one young man from Serbia in a room alone, studying for an exam. In a computer room, four more youngsters take a break from their IT class to be introduced to their new guest.
And if you aren't playing or studying in this prison, then you're working. And making good money too!
There are three factories on site: one for woodwork, another for metalwork and a third that involves the packaging of special plastic accessories for a Swedish company.
Prisoners here are paid every week, and the facility's administrative office determines how much money has been made, and the amount due upon release.
They have no actual legal tender (cash in their pockets) until the end of their sentences, but are given special "credit cards" by the accounting department.
"They have to work and keep the place clean because if they don't, then they don't get paid and they can lose some of their privileges," Syren explained.
And such threats do work, since the prison is cleaner than most hospitals in the Western Hemisphere.
The inmates are proud of their surroundings. No clothes or items are strewn around, and the walls and floors are immaculate. Having a laundry room with washers and dryers does come in handy.
Were it not for Syren constantly pulling from her bunch of keys to open and close security doors, the memory of having entered a prison would have long gone.
Inmates' health is a priority, as weekly visits are made by a doctor and dentist, and there is a full-time nurse who works from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. during the week.
In addition to having an hour outside to play football, lawn tennis or basketball, prisoners inside can engage in pool, badminton or handball.
When they are paid, the prisoners have access to a privately run kiosk on the premises, where they can purchase cigarettes, candy, or even sodas twice a week.
Or, they can just hang around and talk, as three inmates did for more than 20 minutes, eager to ask me questions about how prisons in Sweden compare to those in the Caribbean.
When prisoners there are well behaved, the perks are astounding.
The Swedish system allows all inmates to have at least one hour weekly with family or friends, meetings being held in comfortable "sitting rooms" in a special part of the facility. In addition, some prisoners are allowed to go home and come back.
Depending on the crime committee and his behaviour, an inmate can be allowed 24 to 72 hours' leave, usually on weekends.
Trustee prisoners get the best perks based on good behaviour, since they are allowed 72 hours back home with relatives before returning to prison on their own accord, having been on the outside without being shadowed by prison personnel.
Some inmates who get the opportunity to be outside are electronically tagged or accompanied by prison personnel.
Syren said even though inmates were given such special treatment, some do commit crimes and return again, but most go on to re-enter society and get "proper" jobs.
'Spoilt rotten' in prison by BARRY ALLEYNE from http://www.nationnews.com/
in sweden its better to be in prison than to be out and broke!!!
FROM THE OUTSIDE on a small street about 100 metres from the highway, you can tell it's a prison building.
There's a tall fence, and a taller one beyond it covered with razor-sharp barbed wire. The main gate is thick, huge and heavy.
Employees use special electronic cards to enter, and there is an annoying buzzing sound when they are granted access through a special smaller electronic gate. That's probably where most comparisons to other prisons outside of Scandanavia end. For one thing, the inmates here are friendly – extremely friendly.
They don't even look like prisoners. The orange or blue jumpsuits seen on TV do not exist here. Instead, the inmates have cool-looking grey and blue T-shirts and matching jogging pants or track-suit bottoms, and are even issued flip-flops (sports slippers).
Having been informed the day before they would have a visitor, most are ready and willing to sit around and chat.
Boras' prison is a minimum security facility, with most inmates serving short sentences between one and seven years for mostly non-violent crimes, but still there is an air of nonchalance between the walls.
One inmate, Timo, invited me into his cell to have a look, happy to provide a mini-tour of his section which contained 20 prisoners. First stop was a modern-looking shower more reminiscent of a fancy gym, which included a sauna, an exercise bike and a step-machine.
Cook own food
Next stop was a modern-looking kitchen, where inmates are allowed to cook their own food, and can even pool their money for sirloin steak at least once a month.
Timo's personal quarters look more like the room of an American teenager than a prison cell.
In one corner an 18-inch TV is muted, and his mini-stereo blares out a soft-rock song.
In the other corner is a small personal fan, and above his head is an impressive CD collection.
"So do they have TVs in prisons in Barbados?," he asks. My dumbstruck look, followed by embarrassed laughter, was a good enough answer in the negative.
"Some people think most of these prisoners are very spoilt, but that's how it is here in Sweden," Syren reminds me as we wind down the corridor past more inmates in a lounge area taken up mostly by a huge pool table.
The 14-year veteran prison officer explains that of their 84 inmates, most are not locals, with half the population deriving from further across Europe from countries like the former Yugoslavia, Serbia, Croatia and the Czech Republic.
Not a single firearm
Still, warders at the facility carry no weapons. In fact, there isn't a single firearm at the facility.
All warders do carry pepper spray and a special emergency electronic personal alarm device which, if used, sends an electronic alarm to their state-of-the-art control room at the entrance of the building.
"We do have escape attempts, but not that many," explained Syren. "Most of the inmates here know they are serving short sentences, so most of them are very interested in educating themselves and finishing their time."
She noted, however, that in recent years recidivism had increased, with a few criminals finding themselves on the wrong side of the law for a second time.
Like most prisons anywhere, the Boras facility battled a drug problem in its early days, but that has been drastically reduced since all new admissions are drug-tested for cocaine, heroin, marijuana, amphetamines, PCP, acid, even the pill Ecstasy. They are also tested during their imprisonment.
Mandatory classes
But its not all cake for the inmates, even though they are afforded breakfast, lunch, dinner and even the luxury of a late evening snack, which they can make in their own kitchen before calling it a night.
Each inmate has mandatory academic classes, subjects being taught by a staff of more than ten teachers who educate them in mathematics, English, Spanish, sociology, information technology (IT), even psychology.
These classes last five hours every day, and the inmates are not allowed to miss them. After serving their sentences, most are eligible to enter universities anywhere in Scandanavia. And for those who had not done well at school during their adolescent years, the prison also has a remedial programme.
A visit to the special "school" section reveals one young man from Serbia in a room alone, studying for an exam. In a computer room, four more youngsters take a break from their IT class to be introduced to their new guest.
And if you aren't playing or studying in this prison, then you're working. And making good money too!
There are three factories on site: one for woodwork, another for metalwork and a third that involves the packaging of special plastic accessories for a Swedish company.
Prisoners here are paid every week, and the facility's administrative office determines how much money has been made, and the amount due upon release.
They have no actual legal tender (cash in their pockets) until the end of their sentences, but are given special "credit cards" by the accounting department.
"They have to work and keep the place clean because if they don't, then they don't get paid and they can lose some of their privileges," Syren explained.
And such threats do work, since the prison is cleaner than most hospitals in the Western Hemisphere.
The inmates are proud of their surroundings. No clothes or items are strewn around, and the walls and floors are immaculate. Having a laundry room with washers and dryers does come in handy.
Were it not for Syren constantly pulling from her bunch of keys to open and close security doors, the memory of having entered a prison would have long gone.
Inmates' health is a priority, as weekly visits are made by a doctor and dentist, and there is a full-time nurse who works from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. during the week.
In addition to having an hour outside to play football, lawn tennis or basketball, prisoners inside can engage in pool, badminton or handball.
When they are paid, the prisoners have access to a privately run kiosk on the premises, where they can purchase cigarettes, candy, or even sodas twice a week.
Or, they can just hang around and talk, as three inmates did for more than 20 minutes, eager to ask me questions about how prisons in Sweden compare to those in the Caribbean.
When prisoners there are well behaved, the perks are astounding.
The Swedish system allows all inmates to have at least one hour weekly with family or friends, meetings being held in comfortable "sitting rooms" in a special part of the facility. In addition, some prisoners are allowed to go home and come back.
Depending on the crime committee and his behaviour, an inmate can be allowed 24 to 72 hours' leave, usually on weekends.
Trustee prisoners get the best perks based on good behaviour, since they are allowed 72 hours back home with relatives before returning to prison on their own accord, having been on the outside without being shadowed by prison personnel.
Some inmates who get the opportunity to be outside are electronically tagged or accompanied by prison personnel.
Syren said even though inmates were given such special treatment, some do commit crimes and return again, but most go on to re-enter society and get "proper" jobs.
'Spoilt rotten' in prison by BARRY ALLEYNE from http://www.nationnews.com/
in sweden its better to be in prison than to be out and broke!!!
A Robotic Polar Aircraft by By David Talbot
Seeing beneath the vast Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets--and, in particular, seeing whether any water sits between ice and ground--is critical to understanding how fast ice might slide into the sea in the future. But many areas are still uncharted territory. Now, engineers at the University of Kansas, in Lawrence, are in the final stages of constructing, from scratch, an unmanned aircraft that will carry ground-penetrating radar and other sensors.
The project should greatly accelerate the pace of mapping without risking the lives of human pilots who now fly limited missions across parts of the ice sheets. "We can cut costs for large-scale mapping projects, increase the range, and reduce dangers," says Rick Hale, an associate professor of aerospace engineering and leader of the effort.
The plane will fly in conditions that would be too risky for humans, and it will fly lower than would be safe for human pilots, enabling sensors to bring back sharper pictures. The aircraft's key instrument, a 125-pound radar unit, will fire signals through kilometers of ice at several frequencies. Software will then analyze the timing of returning signals to create a clear picture of subsurface ice layers, water pockets, and the contours of the underlying bedrock or soil.
To be sure, there's plenty of unmanned aircraft already out there, such as the Predator, made by General Atomics. But while a Predator might cost around $30 million, Hale's team is working with a National Science Foundation budget of around $2 million. And not just any old plane will do: this aircraft needs to work in bitterly cold and extremely remote polar locations, function far from communications centers, and carry specific kinds of gear.
Hale's team is giving the aircraft three means of communication. The first will allow humans to remotely control takeoff and landing. The second will allow radio-frequency communications when the aircraft is near a base camp. The third means enables satellite communications when the aircraft might be as far as 600 kilometers away from the nearest camp. The plane's wings--which have a span of about 26 feet--are being designed to have de-icing capability, and heaters will prevent the electronics from failing in the extreme cold.
The aircraft, called Meridian, is part of a larger effort at the University of Kansas's Center for the Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets. Together with groups at other institutions, the Kansas team is pushing technology advancements to get a better fix on ice melt rates, ice thicknesses, and the accelerating rate at which glaciers are moving toward the ocean, which could accelerate the rate of sea-level rise.
The aircraft will leverage a powerful radar technology honed at the university. The radar, developed jointly with other institutions, is unique in its ability to provide a detailed picture of ice layers and, in particular, the boundary between ice and ground, which is helpful in efforts to understand how fast ice sheets might slide into the ocean. "Basically, our radar can see deeper, and with better resolution, than any of the other competitors out there at the moment," says Claude Laird, a research scientist at the University of Kansas who used the system on an expedition in Greenland this summer. The radar was used on an overland expedition and to help choose the site for an ice-core drilling expedition next year.
If all goes well, Meridian will make its maiden flight on Greenland next summer, followed by a tour of duty later in the year, during the Antarctic summer, says Hale.
from http://www.technologyreview.com
The project should greatly accelerate the pace of mapping without risking the lives of human pilots who now fly limited missions across parts of the ice sheets. "We can cut costs for large-scale mapping projects, increase the range, and reduce dangers," says Rick Hale, an associate professor of aerospace engineering and leader of the effort.
The plane will fly in conditions that would be too risky for humans, and it will fly lower than would be safe for human pilots, enabling sensors to bring back sharper pictures. The aircraft's key instrument, a 125-pound radar unit, will fire signals through kilometers of ice at several frequencies. Software will then analyze the timing of returning signals to create a clear picture of subsurface ice layers, water pockets, and the contours of the underlying bedrock or soil.
To be sure, there's plenty of unmanned aircraft already out there, such as the Predator, made by General Atomics. But while a Predator might cost around $30 million, Hale's team is working with a National Science Foundation budget of around $2 million. And not just any old plane will do: this aircraft needs to work in bitterly cold and extremely remote polar locations, function far from communications centers, and carry specific kinds of gear.
Hale's team is giving the aircraft three means of communication. The first will allow humans to remotely control takeoff and landing. The second will allow radio-frequency communications when the aircraft is near a base camp. The third means enables satellite communications when the aircraft might be as far as 600 kilometers away from the nearest camp. The plane's wings--which have a span of about 26 feet--are being designed to have de-icing capability, and heaters will prevent the electronics from failing in the extreme cold.
The aircraft, called Meridian, is part of a larger effort at the University of Kansas's Center for the Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets. Together with groups at other institutions, the Kansas team is pushing technology advancements to get a better fix on ice melt rates, ice thicknesses, and the accelerating rate at which glaciers are moving toward the ocean, which could accelerate the rate of sea-level rise.
The aircraft will leverage a powerful radar technology honed at the university. The radar, developed jointly with other institutions, is unique in its ability to provide a detailed picture of ice layers and, in particular, the boundary between ice and ground, which is helpful in efforts to understand how fast ice sheets might slide into the ocean. "Basically, our radar can see deeper, and with better resolution, than any of the other competitors out there at the moment," says Claude Laird, a research scientist at the University of Kansas who used the system on an expedition in Greenland this summer. The radar was used on an overland expedition and to help choose the site for an ice-core drilling expedition next year.
If all goes well, Meridian will make its maiden flight on Greenland next summer, followed by a tour of duty later in the year, during the Antarctic summer, says Hale.
from http://www.technologyreview.com
Big Brother is watching us all By Humphrey Hawksley
The US and UK governments are developing increasingly sophisticated gadgets to keep individuals under their surveillance. When it comes to technology, the US is determined to stay ahead of the game.
Humphrey Hawksley's data is captured by a camera in one second
"Five nine, five ten," said the research student, pushing down a laptop button to seal the measurement. "That's your height."
"Spot on," I said.
"OK, we're freezing you now," interjected another student, studying his computer screen. "So we have height and tracking and your gait DNA".
"Gait DNA?" I interrupted, raising my head, so inadvertently my full face was caught on a video camera.
"Have we got that?" asked their teacher Professor Rama Challapa. "We rely on just 30 frames - about one second - to get a picture we can work with," he explained.
Tracking individuals
I was at Maryland University just outside Washington DC, where Professor Challapa and his team are inventing the next generation of citizen surveillance.
They had pushed back furniture in the conference room for me to walk back and forth and set up cameras to feed my individual data back to their laptops.
Gait DNA, for example, is creating an individual code for the way I walk. Their goal is to invent a system whereby a facial image can be matched to your gait, your height, your weight and other elements, so a computer will be able to identify instantly who you are.
How you walk could be used to identify you in a crowd"As you walk through a crowd, we'll be able to track you," said Professor Challapa. "These are all things that don't need the cooperation of the individual."
Since 9/11, some of the best scientific minds in the defence industry have switched their concentration from tracking nuclear missiles to tracking individuals such as suicide bombers.
Surveillance society
My next stop was a Pentagon agency whose headquarters is a drab suburban building in Virginia. The Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) had one specific mission - to ensure that when it comes to technology America is always ahead of the game.
Its track record is impressive. Back in the 70s, while we were working with typewriters and carbon paper, Darpa was developing the internet. In the 90s, while we pored over maps, Darpa invented satellite navigation that many of us now have in our cars.
"We ask the top people what keeps them awake at night," said its enthusiastic and forthright director Dr Tony Tether, "what problems they see long after they have left their posts."
"And what are they?" I asked.
He paused, hand on chin. "I'd prefer not to say. It's classified."
"All right then, can you say what you're actually working on now."
"Oh, language," he answered enthusiastically, clasping his fingers together. "Unless we're going to train every American citizen and soldier in 16 different languages we have to develop a technology that allows them to understand - whatever country they are in - what's going on around them.
"I hope in the future we'll be able to have conversations, if say you're speaking in French and I'm speaking in English, and it will be natural."
"And the computer will do the translation?"
Opinion polls, both in the US and Britain, say that about 75% of us want more, not less, surveillance
"Yep. All by computer," he said.
"And this idea about a total surveillance society," I asked. "Is that science fiction?"
"No, that's not science fiction. We're developing an unmanned airplane - a UAV - which may be able to stay up five years with cameras on it, constantly being cued to look here and there. This is done today to a limited amount in Baghdad. But it's the way to go."
In Britain we are monitored 24/7 by four million CCTV cameras
Smarter technology
Interestingly, we, the public, don't seem to mind. Opinion polls, both in the US and Britain, say that about 75% of us want more, not less, surveillance. Some American cities like New York and Chicago are thinking of taking a lead from Britain where our movements are monitored round the clock by four million CCTV cameras.
So far there is no gadget that can actually see inside our houses, but even that's about to change.
Ian Kitajima flew to Washington from his laboratories in Hawaii to show me sense-through-the-wall technology.
"Each individual has a characteristic profile," explained Ian, holding a green rectangular box that looked like a TV remote control.
Using radio waves, you point it a wall and it tells you if anyone is on the other side. His company, Oceanit, is due to test it with the Hawaiian National Guard in Iraq next year, and it turns out that the human body gives off such sensitive radio signals, that it can even pick up breathing and heart rates.
"First, you can tell whether someone is dead or alive on the battlefield," said Ian.
"But it will also show whether someone inside a house is looking to harm you, because if they are, their heart rate will be raised. And 10 years from now, the technology will be much smarter. We'll scan a person with one of these things and tell what they're actually thinking."
He glanced at me quizzically, noticing my apprehension.
"Yeah, I know," he said. "It sounds very Star Trekkish, but that's what's ahead."
fromhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/
omo i dey fear these countries o!!!
nja safe all these places no camera dey there o
Humphrey Hawksley's data is captured by a camera in one second
"Five nine, five ten," said the research student, pushing down a laptop button to seal the measurement. "That's your height."
"Spot on," I said.
"OK, we're freezing you now," interjected another student, studying his computer screen. "So we have height and tracking and your gait DNA".
"Gait DNA?" I interrupted, raising my head, so inadvertently my full face was caught on a video camera.
"Have we got that?" asked their teacher Professor Rama Challapa. "We rely on just 30 frames - about one second - to get a picture we can work with," he explained.
Tracking individuals
I was at Maryland University just outside Washington DC, where Professor Challapa and his team are inventing the next generation of citizen surveillance.
They had pushed back furniture in the conference room for me to walk back and forth and set up cameras to feed my individual data back to their laptops.
Gait DNA, for example, is creating an individual code for the way I walk. Their goal is to invent a system whereby a facial image can be matched to your gait, your height, your weight and other elements, so a computer will be able to identify instantly who you are.
How you walk could be used to identify you in a crowd"As you walk through a crowd, we'll be able to track you," said Professor Challapa. "These are all things that don't need the cooperation of the individual."
Since 9/11, some of the best scientific minds in the defence industry have switched their concentration from tracking nuclear missiles to tracking individuals such as suicide bombers.
Surveillance society
My next stop was a Pentagon agency whose headquarters is a drab suburban building in Virginia. The Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) had one specific mission - to ensure that when it comes to technology America is always ahead of the game.
Its track record is impressive. Back in the 70s, while we were working with typewriters and carbon paper, Darpa was developing the internet. In the 90s, while we pored over maps, Darpa invented satellite navigation that many of us now have in our cars.
"We ask the top people what keeps them awake at night," said its enthusiastic and forthright director Dr Tony Tether, "what problems they see long after they have left their posts."
"And what are they?" I asked.
He paused, hand on chin. "I'd prefer not to say. It's classified."
"All right then, can you say what you're actually working on now."
"Oh, language," he answered enthusiastically, clasping his fingers together. "Unless we're going to train every American citizen and soldier in 16 different languages we have to develop a technology that allows them to understand - whatever country they are in - what's going on around them.
"I hope in the future we'll be able to have conversations, if say you're speaking in French and I'm speaking in English, and it will be natural."
"And the computer will do the translation?"
Opinion polls, both in the US and Britain, say that about 75% of us want more, not less, surveillance
"Yep. All by computer," he said.
"And this idea about a total surveillance society," I asked. "Is that science fiction?"
"No, that's not science fiction. We're developing an unmanned airplane - a UAV - which may be able to stay up five years with cameras on it, constantly being cued to look here and there. This is done today to a limited amount in Baghdad. But it's the way to go."
In Britain we are monitored 24/7 by four million CCTV cameras
Smarter technology
Interestingly, we, the public, don't seem to mind. Opinion polls, both in the US and Britain, say that about 75% of us want more, not less, surveillance. Some American cities like New York and Chicago are thinking of taking a lead from Britain where our movements are monitored round the clock by four million CCTV cameras.
So far there is no gadget that can actually see inside our houses, but even that's about to change.
Ian Kitajima flew to Washington from his laboratories in Hawaii to show me sense-through-the-wall technology.
"Each individual has a characteristic profile," explained Ian, holding a green rectangular box that looked like a TV remote control.
Using radio waves, you point it a wall and it tells you if anyone is on the other side. His company, Oceanit, is due to test it with the Hawaiian National Guard in Iraq next year, and it turns out that the human body gives off such sensitive radio signals, that it can even pick up breathing and heart rates.
"First, you can tell whether someone is dead or alive on the battlefield," said Ian.
"But it will also show whether someone inside a house is looking to harm you, because if they are, their heart rate will be raised. And 10 years from now, the technology will be much smarter. We'll scan a person with one of these things and tell what they're actually thinking."
He glanced at me quizzically, noticing my apprehension.
"Yeah, I know," he said. "It sounds very Star Trekkish, but that's what's ahead."
fromhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/
omo i dey fear these countries o!!!
nja safe all these places no camera dey there o
The Green Passport reality TV show By Femi Olawole
EVERY Nigerian is a critic. We love to criticise others (except ourselves) for every problem in the world. We especially love to criticise leadership in every stratum of life - government, employer, church, mosque, institution and even family. Criticism, to us Nigerians, has been turned into a balm to soothe personal pains, anguish and frustrations in our day-to-day lives. And this explains our criticism of others even for personal failures, arising from poor life planning. It is always refreshing therefore to see or hear about any individual Nigerian who dares to go beyond mere criticism to do something. Oluwajoba Adekambi, a United States-based Nigerian is one such individual.
This young man is very concerned about the travails of fellow Nigerians who are blindly checking out to foreign lands. His concern does not extend to those of us retired folks who are simply exploiting these foreign lands to consolidate achievements back home. If our foreign abodes can still squeeze anything of value out of our spent bodies, good luck to them. And neither is he concerned about Nigerians who are abroad in search of the Golden Fleece or some assured greener pastures. Rather, he is disturbed by the plights of young Nigerians with a lot at stake (fresh blood, brilliant ideas and future prospects) who, without realistic feasibility studies, are railroading themselves into life-time servitude in various foreign nations.
Joba's creative mind has germinated a documentary-based reality TV show called Green Passport. Scheduled for launch on September 29, 2007 at Musa Yar'Adua Centre in Abuja, Nigeria, this reality show will debut on TV screens in Nigeria in October, 2007 to present a true picture of life in the United States from the perspective of immigrants. In the first episode of the reality TV show, there is Obi Uzoamakar, an aspiring hip-hop artist. The second episode trails Kayode Sodimu as he juggles life in Washington DC. And in the third episode is Loveth Ayo, who vividly demonstrates the struggle of an immigrant in America. Working with Joba on this project are Chi Irrechukwu, Tunji Sarumi, Nike Faleti and a host of other young Nigerians who share in his vision.
It is often sad to hear about a typical young Nigerian graduate who expends (wastes) five or eight years of his/her youth and spends (squanders) close to a million Naira in processing a trip abroad. Some of these young people are so desperate as to brave the harsh Sahara desert in a bid to reach Europe through North Africa by road, thereby risking rape, instant death or imprisonment along the way. And, in spite of these painstaking efforts, many of them end up in Eastern Europe, South America and even the Caribbean- where situations are as bad, if not worse off, than in Nigeria. Yet, they merely relish being overseas.
Those of them who are lucky to arrive in rich, developed nations such as England, France, Spain or the United States, soon realise that they have been terribly unprepared or misled about the immigration huddles, racial hatred, lack of real job opportunities, the high violent crime rates and other socio-economic difficulties in their dream paradise. Consequently, many of these young folks are forced to spend additional 10 or 15 years of their young lives running from pillar to post just to be able to settle down. Having arrived in their 20s, now they are in their late 30s or early 40s and all they usually have to show for their wahala, time and money are harsh weathers, horrible loneliness, menial/back-breaking jobs and, of course, mountains of bills.
One must admit that the act of living in Nigeria is full of challenges. It is therefore pardonable that many of our young folks have lost faith in their nation. It is also understandable to behold an aura of sheer excitement and hope on these young faces as they prepare to board their flights overseas. But nothing can be as frustrating and depressing as the realisation by these same young people that their adopted foreign land is not the El dorado they had assumed after all.
The situation is indeed worse in Europe where humiliating prejudices against blacks are legendary. In London, for instance, there are Nigerian victims of crime (rape, physical assaults, burglary etc) who will more likely suffer in silence than seek justice. This is because the first thing a law enforcement officer will ask them is their immigration papers. Sadly, all over the world, there are several of these Nigerians who have become disillusioned, angry, frustrated and worse, or who have suffered manic depressions. Yet, they are too ashamed to return home-more so, when they learn about the progress being made by peers left behind in Nigeria.
On this note, one can only appeal to those who are presently languishing in the illusory dream to check out to foreign lands. Before wasting away a precious part of their lives and huge sums of money, one might ask them---whatever happens to creativity? If it takes about a million Naira and close to five years to process a trip into the unknown, what stops a young, educated Nigerian from investing just about a quarter of that million Naira at hand and probably a year to set up and manage a business venture?
In 2006, this writer was privileged to meet five different young, successful Nigerian entrepreneurs. Success here means being able to get past a sad period of unemployment, start a cottage business from scratch, swim above water with it, pay bills, make profits and, above all, be a proud employer of labour. From a pure water factory to home-movie marketing, okada-fleet transport etc, these young entrepreneurs started their business ventures with less than two hundred thousand Naira each!
Conversely, one has met some other Nigerian graduates (one woman even has a master's degree) who invested huge sums of money to get into God's own country. So far, they are engaged in two or three jobs---flipping burgers, washing dishes, driving taxi cabs, cleaning toilets, selling akara/moin-moin etc etc. Some of these individuals told me dejectedly one has to keep body and soul together: yeah right! But would they, in their wildest imaginations, ever consider these types of jobs in Nigeria?
Olawole is a law enforcement officer and security consultant in Delaware, United States.
from /www.guardiannewsngr.com
This young man is very concerned about the travails of fellow Nigerians who are blindly checking out to foreign lands. His concern does not extend to those of us retired folks who are simply exploiting these foreign lands to consolidate achievements back home. If our foreign abodes can still squeeze anything of value out of our spent bodies, good luck to them. And neither is he concerned about Nigerians who are abroad in search of the Golden Fleece or some assured greener pastures. Rather, he is disturbed by the plights of young Nigerians with a lot at stake (fresh blood, brilliant ideas and future prospects) who, without realistic feasibility studies, are railroading themselves into life-time servitude in various foreign nations.
Joba's creative mind has germinated a documentary-based reality TV show called Green Passport. Scheduled for launch on September 29, 2007 at Musa Yar'Adua Centre in Abuja, Nigeria, this reality show will debut on TV screens in Nigeria in October, 2007 to present a true picture of life in the United States from the perspective of immigrants. In the first episode of the reality TV show, there is Obi Uzoamakar, an aspiring hip-hop artist. The second episode trails Kayode Sodimu as he juggles life in Washington DC. And in the third episode is Loveth Ayo, who vividly demonstrates the struggle of an immigrant in America. Working with Joba on this project are Chi Irrechukwu, Tunji Sarumi, Nike Faleti and a host of other young Nigerians who share in his vision.
It is often sad to hear about a typical young Nigerian graduate who expends (wastes) five or eight years of his/her youth and spends (squanders) close to a million Naira in processing a trip abroad. Some of these young people are so desperate as to brave the harsh Sahara desert in a bid to reach Europe through North Africa by road, thereby risking rape, instant death or imprisonment along the way. And, in spite of these painstaking efforts, many of them end up in Eastern Europe, South America and even the Caribbean- where situations are as bad, if not worse off, than in Nigeria. Yet, they merely relish being overseas.
Those of them who are lucky to arrive in rich, developed nations such as England, France, Spain or the United States, soon realise that they have been terribly unprepared or misled about the immigration huddles, racial hatred, lack of real job opportunities, the high violent crime rates and other socio-economic difficulties in their dream paradise. Consequently, many of these young folks are forced to spend additional 10 or 15 years of their young lives running from pillar to post just to be able to settle down. Having arrived in their 20s, now they are in their late 30s or early 40s and all they usually have to show for their wahala, time and money are harsh weathers, horrible loneliness, menial/back-breaking jobs and, of course, mountains of bills.
One must admit that the act of living in Nigeria is full of challenges. It is therefore pardonable that many of our young folks have lost faith in their nation. It is also understandable to behold an aura of sheer excitement and hope on these young faces as they prepare to board their flights overseas. But nothing can be as frustrating and depressing as the realisation by these same young people that their adopted foreign land is not the El dorado they had assumed after all.
The situation is indeed worse in Europe where humiliating prejudices against blacks are legendary. In London, for instance, there are Nigerian victims of crime (rape, physical assaults, burglary etc) who will more likely suffer in silence than seek justice. This is because the first thing a law enforcement officer will ask them is their immigration papers. Sadly, all over the world, there are several of these Nigerians who have become disillusioned, angry, frustrated and worse, or who have suffered manic depressions. Yet, they are too ashamed to return home-more so, when they learn about the progress being made by peers left behind in Nigeria.
On this note, one can only appeal to those who are presently languishing in the illusory dream to check out to foreign lands. Before wasting away a precious part of their lives and huge sums of money, one might ask them---whatever happens to creativity? If it takes about a million Naira and close to five years to process a trip into the unknown, what stops a young, educated Nigerian from investing just about a quarter of that million Naira at hand and probably a year to set up and manage a business venture?
In 2006, this writer was privileged to meet five different young, successful Nigerian entrepreneurs. Success here means being able to get past a sad period of unemployment, start a cottage business from scratch, swim above water with it, pay bills, make profits and, above all, be a proud employer of labour. From a pure water factory to home-movie marketing, okada-fleet transport etc, these young entrepreneurs started their business ventures with less than two hundred thousand Naira each!
Conversely, one has met some other Nigerian graduates (one woman even has a master's degree) who invested huge sums of money to get into God's own country. So far, they are engaged in two or three jobs---flipping burgers, washing dishes, driving taxi cabs, cleaning toilets, selling akara/moin-moin etc etc. Some of these individuals told me dejectedly one has to keep body and soul together: yeah right! But would they, in their wildest imaginations, ever consider these types of jobs in Nigeria?
Olawole is a law enforcement officer and security consultant in Delaware, United States.
from /www.guardiannewsngr.com
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