Google tests cars that can steer without drivers

WASHINGTON: Google Inc is road-testing cars that steer, stop and start without a human driver. The goal is to "help prevent traffic accidents, free up people's time and reduce carbon emissions," it said.

The cars are never unmanned, project leader Sebastian Thrun wrote on Google's corporate blog. He said a backup driver is always behind the wheel to monitor the software.

It's not the first signal that Google wants to change how people get from place to place. In a speech on Sept 29 at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said "your car should drive itself. It just makes sense."

"It's a bug that cars were invented before computers," Schmidt said.

The cars have travelled a total of 140,000 miles on major California roads without much human intervention, according to Google's corporate blog.

The Mountain View, California-based technology giant has sent seven test cars a total of 1,000 miles without a human touching the controls at all, The New York Times reported earlier.

The cars know speed limits, traffic patterns and road maps, Thrun's posting said. They use video cameras, radar sensors and lasers to detect other cars.

Driving between Northern California and Southern California, the cars have navigated San Francisco's curvy Lombard Street, Los Angeles' Hollywood Boulevard and the cliff-hugging Pacific Coast Highway, the blog said.

Engineers consider the cars safer because they react more quickly than humans, the Times reported. It said Google has not revealed how it hopes to profit from the research.

The company is flushed with cash though, and pushing numerous projects such as the cars that are unrelated to its core business, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst with the Enderle Group in San Jose, California.

"The word 'focus' is a word Google has never learned," Enderle said, pointing to projects involving electricity distribution, vehicle design and artificial intelligence. He said cars that can drive themselves would allow commuters more time to surf the Web, something Google would encourage.

Still, Enderle said, industry leaders such as Volkswagen and Intel Corp are working on similar technology. He said "driverless" vehicles will make computers more like the robots imagined in the 1920s, rather than the tabletop data processors we use today.

The blog said the technology is being developed by scientists who were involved in an earlier set of unmanned car races organised by the government's Defense Advance Research Projects Agency. - AP

India's most expensive film is another Rajinikanth hit

Rajinikanth plays the roles of the nutty professor and his killer robot

India's most expensive film ever is a Frankenstein tale of a scientist who makes a robot in his own image, which turns into a monster and falls in love with his maker's fiancee.

And it looks set to be another mega-hit for one of Bollywood's most bankable stars, Rajinikanth, a balding 61-year-old whose unstoppable box office staying power seems almost as incredible as the film's plotline.

Made with a budget of 1.6bn rupees ($35m; £23m), Enthiran is a story about a killer robot who multiplies into a million clones, destroying Chennai (Madras), the capital of the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

But this terrifying army of androids is dwarfed in real life by the legions of fans of the movie's cult mega-star, Rajinikanth, Bollywood's highest-paid actor.

In Enthiran (Robot), Rajinikanth plays the nutty professor and his creation, the humanoid robot, Chitti.

The lovey-dovey android serenades his creator's fiancee, played by another Bollywood star, Aishwarya Rai, singing that he will seek love in places "where Google searches can't reach".

James Bond 'snubbed'

She purrs and calls him her "toyfriend"; he sings that her beauty has set him burning to temperatures that even the "Atlantic Ocean cannot cool".

Smart lines, diabolical characters, high-voltage action and impressive special effects make this a promising Indian popcorn movie.

Rajinikanth's fans have been known to perform Hindu bathing purification rituals on his posters

Then there are the lush song sequences in exotic locations like Machu Picchu.

The film's spin machine claims that the Peruvian authorities had "refused the shooting of a James Bond film, but allowed our Rajinikanth to dance".

The critics may be cringing, and at nearly 180 minutes, Endhiran is rather long, but the film has stormed the box office since opening last weekend.

The movie is also the product of an industry which is fast becoming globalised, despite its unique brand of cinema.

The special effects are cooked up by a Hollywood FX shop that has worked on films like Jurassic Park and Terminator.

The action scenes were staged by a Hong Kong choreographer who has worked with Jackie Chan and on the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

The music is scored by the Oscar-winning AR Rahman - the songs are a fusion of lilting Tamil numbers set to Malaysian rap and hip hop, and bouncy electro-pop.

As so often, Rajinikanth steals the show.

"The two worthwhile creations of God are you and me", he tells the film's heroine.

At least half that statement would be heartily agreed with by members of the more than 6,000 Rajinikanth fan clubs that have spawned across India.

He is especially popular in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where film stars are venerated like gods.

In a recent article, slate.com rated Rajinikanth as the second-highest-paid actor in Asia, after Jackie Chan.

'Style King'

"If a tiger had sex with a tornado and then their tiger-nado baby got married to an earthquake, their offspring would be Rajinikanth," says a review in slate.com.

Rajinikanth's eccentric mannerisms and histrionics have earned him the nickname "Style King"

In Japan, his film Muthu was dubbed in Japanese as The Dancing Maharaja and became a huge hit in 1995.

Rajinikanth's success is all the more remarkable considering he has no obvious aptitude as a dancer - a talent so desirable for Tamil musicals.

His eccentric mannerisms and histrionics have earned him the nickname Style King. But he remains the most beloved star of the Tamils.

His fans thought nothing of queuing from the early hours outside cinemas on the day of the film's premiere.

Rajinikanth's followers have been known to perform Hindu bathing purification rituals on his posters.

The success of Endhiran ensures that their worship of the Bollywood megastar will continue.

Nationalist's Son Offers US$22.5 Million Bounty For Mushrraf's Head

ISLAMABAD, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- The son of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, who were killed during Pervez Musharraf's regime, has offered a bounty of 1 billion rupees (US$22.5 million) and 1,000 acres of land to any person who beheads the former military ruler, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.

The offer was made by Talal Akbar Bugti, the son of late Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti and chief of the Jamhoori Watan Party while addressing a news conference in Quetta recently.

Bugti said Musharraf also deserved a death sentence for overthrowing an elected government in 1999.

"I give the status of wajib-ul-qatl (fit to be killed) to Musharraf. As you are aware, he ended a democratic government elected with a large mandate in 1999 and he deserves the death sentence according to Article 6 (of the constitution which relates to high treason).

"Therefore, he is wajib-ul-qatl," said Bugti, adding that Musharraf is also wajib-ul-qatl for killing innocent people in Balochistan.

The government allowed him to leave the country, he said.

Besides, Musharraf was fit to be killed as he had committed many "unforgivable" crimes, including the killing of innocent people during the 2007 Lal Masjid operation, he said.

Bugti said he would give land and money to any person who killed Musharraf, now living in self-exile in Britain.

Bugti condemned Musharraf's allegation that his father was a traitor and claimed the former President had strengthened case against him by acknowledging his links in the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti.

Addressing the news conference along with senior PML-N leader Sardar Yaqoob Nasir, Bugti said Musharraf had been fully exposed in front of the public after his recent comments to the media.

Such "false statements" by Musharraf have caused irreparable damage to Pakistan's sovereignty, he said.

If Musharraf had the guts, he would come to Pakistan and face the cases against him, Bugti said.

The government should show seriousness and bring the former dictator back through Interpol and award him exemplary punishment, he added.

Bugti claimed that Masood Malik, a former army intelligence officer during Musharraf's regime, had agreed to become an approver against the former military ruler so that charges of genocide and abduction of innocent people in Balochistan could be framed against him.

Bugti appealed to the Supreme Court Chief Justice to issue arrest warrants for Musharraf.

On August 26, 2006, Bugti was killed in a cave, about 150 miles east of Quetta, leading to widespread unrest in the area, where he is widely regarded as a hero and martyr.

-- BERNAMA

Rakam gambar Bumi guna belon

GAMBAR Bumi yang dirakamkan oleh iPhone dan kamera video.

---

NEWBURGH, New York - Seorang bapa, Luke Geissbuhler, 40, dan anak lelakinya, Max berusia tujuh tahun mencipta cara untuk merakamkan gambar Bumi yang kelihatan seperti dirakamkan dari angkasa lepas dengan hanya menggunakan telefon pintar iPhone dan kamera video, lapor sebuah akhbar kelmarin.

Gajet iPhone dan kamera video itu diletakkan di dalam sebuah bekas makanan kecil dan diterbangkan dengan menggunakan belon cuaca di sini pada Ogos lalu.

Selepas berada 30.57 kilometer dari Bumi dan merakamkan gambar serta terbang selama 102 minit, belon itu pecah dan jatuh ke Bumi dengan menggunakan payung terjun.

Geissbuhler mengesan belon yang jatuh itu berpandukan sistem penentu kedudukan global (GPS) iPhone tersebut.

Belon itu didapati jatuh di atas dahan sebatang pokok 48.28 kilometer dari tempat ia diterbangkan.

Telefon dan kamera itu mengharungi angin selaju 160.93 kilometer sejam dan suhu -60 darjah Celsius.

Rakaman imej Bumi selama tujuh minit itu boleh dilihat di www.brooklynspaceprogram.org. - Agensi

Tatu purba digunakan sebagai rawatan

VIENNA – Beberapa tatu misteri berbentuk bulat yang ditemui di atas mumia yang berasal dari Chiribaya Alta di selatan Peru awal 1990 lalu, adalah daripada tumbuhan yang dibakar yang mungkin digunakan sebagai rawatan perubatan yang berfungsi sama seperti akupunktur.

Pakar Universiti Perubatan Graz Austria, Maria Anna Pabst berkata, tatu berlambang haiwan seperti burung, beruk dan reptilia pada mumia wanita berumur 1000 tahun itu dilukis menggunakan abu atau jelaga di atas tangan, lengan dan kaki kirinya.

Menurutnya, terdapat juga tatu berbentuk bulat bertindih yang dihasilkan daripada tumbuhan yang dibakar pada leher mumia tersebut.

“Setiap lakaran tatu itu mempunyai tujuan yang tertentu,” katanya.

Pabst percaya tatu berbentuk bulat itu kemungkinan adalah sebahagian daripada proses pemulihan atau amalan ritual manakala lambang haiwan itu adalah sebagai perhiasan.

Haba komputer bimbit rosakkan kulit

CHICAGO - Meletakkan komputer bimbit di atas peha secara kerap dalam tempoh yang panjang boleh menyebabkan 'sindrom kulit hangus' iaitu keadaan kulit yang berbintik akibat pendedahan terlalu lama kepada haba, menurut laporan perubatan.

Dalam kes terbaru, seorang kanak-kanak lelaki berumur 12 tahun melaporkan keadaan kulit pada peha kirinya yang bertompok-tompok dan kehilangan warna selepas bermain permainan komputer beberapa jam setiap hari selama beberapa bulan.

Kesan buruk haba komputer bimbit terhadap kulit berlaku kerana suhu bahagian bawah komputer bimbit boleh mencecah 51 darjah Celcius.

Pengeluar komputer bimbit termasuk Apple, Hewlett Packard dan Dell memperingati pengguna supaya tidak meletakkan komputer di atas kulit yang terdedah untuk jangka masa panjang bagi mengelakkan kulit terbakar.

Maut bahana permainan seks

Lionel Webster

BARLASTON – Seorang ahli perniagaan di Britain mati dijerut kolar besi berpaku ketika dia tergantung pada bumbung bilik permainan seks di rumah sepasang suami isteri, lapor sebuah akhbar semalam.

Mangsa, Lionel Webster memakai sut gaya tahanan Teluk Guantanamo dan but kulit apabila dia sesak nafas dalam permainan seks di kediaman pasangan Colin Richardson, 75 dan isterinya yang berusia 68 tahun, Anne Richardson di sini, England.

Akhbar The Sun melaporkan bahawa inkues kes itu pada Khamis lepas mendapati Webster, 61, merupakan pelanggan tetap sesi seks sadis itu dengan bayaran £150 (RM745) bagi satu sesi.

Dia gemar meminta dirinya ‘diseksa’ seperti seorang tahanan tentera.

Selepas puting dan kemaluan Webster dikapit dan dirantai, Anne menyambungkan rantai pada kolar leherWebter dan menggantungnya.

Mereka cuba membuka kolar itu selepas mendapati dia terjerut dan lemas tetapi gagal kerana mangsa menguncinya dan menyembunyikan kunci di salah satu poket sut tahanannya.

Berdepan situasi cemas, pasangan itu yang berkahwin selama 49 tahun, membuat panggilan kecemasan.

Polis kemudian menemui sejumlah tali, cemeti, alat bantuan seks, seluar dalam kulit dan beberapa buku seks sadis di bilik berkenaan.

Pasangan itu pada awalnya ditangkap, tetapi dibebaskan selepas pihak pendakwa raya berpuas hati kes itu tiada unsur jenayah. – Agensi

Rolls-Royce Ghost Diva by Fenice Milano

There's good taste and then there's over-the-top opulence. Rolls-Royce manages to tread that fine line carefully, but Fenice Milano is here to take it over the top. Based on the Rolls-Royce Ghost, Fenice's Diva edition decks out the hood, grille, side sills, wing mirrors and more in 24-karat gold, repeating the treatment inside the cabin which is also "treated" to leather, Alcantara microsuede and teak veneer trim. All that, plus the reassurance that no one would ever accuse you of being possessed of such a gauche sense as good taste.

Classic Morgan Trikes Making a Comeback

It may be hard to remember now that Morgan is moving ahead with the retro-futuristic EvaGT, but the British sportscar company got its start way back when with trikes. In fact that's what made them famous, but while its original wood-frame cars may still be available, three-wheelers haven't been part of the company's range since 1952. But all that could change in the near future. According to reports from across the pond, Morgan is eager to take a stab at bringing the trikes that put it on the map back out from the annals of history.
Last year, a Seattle-based company called Liberty Motors secured the license from Morgan to continue building those original trikes, under the name Ace and powering them with a Harley-Davidson V-twin engine.
Apparently impressed by the results, Morgan is reportedly in the process of reviving the trike themselves, even going so far as to redesign the original JAP engines used on the original and re-acquiring the license from Liberty. Sounds promising for aficionados of the original design, but for those who can't wait to get back to the future, Liberty Motors would undoubtedly be glad to help fill the void, starting at $48,000.

Tuduhan terhadap aktivis paus

PENANGKAPAN ikan paus secara komersial diharamkan di seluruh dunia sejak tahun 1986.

DUA orang aktivis organisasi antarabangsa Greenpeace yang sedang dibicarakan di Jepun bakal berdepan dengan keputusan penghakiman ekoran tuduhan mencuri sekotak daging paus baru-baru ini. Daging paus yang dicuri itu disifatkan sebagai bukti penipuan dalam satu program penangkapan ikan paus yang dikendalikan oleh kerajaan negeri.

Junichi Sato, 33 dan Toru Suzuki, 43, mungkin berdepan dengan hukuman penjara selama 18 bulan di atas tuduhan mencuri dan menceroboh sekiranya mahkamah wilayah di Aomori mendapati mereka bersalah.

Kedua-dua aktivis tersebut mengaku mencuri sekotak daging paus masin tetapi tidak mengaku bersalah. Sato dan Suzuki tetap dengan pendirian bahawa tindakan mereka itu adalah untuk kepentingan orang ramai tentang penipuan dalam program penyelidikan dan penangkapan ikan paus di Jepun.

Penangkapan ikan paus secara komersial telah diharamkan di seluruh dunia sejak tahun 1986. Namun, sebuah badan bukan kerajaan, Institut Penyelidikan Cetacean telah ditubuhkan pada tahun berikutnya. Penubuhan institut tersebut membolehkan ratusan haiwan mamalia laut terus dibunuh atas nama sains.

Barangan peribadi

Kedua-dua aktivis tersebut berkata, mereka telah dihubungi kira-kira dua tahun lalu oleh seorang krew veteran yang bekerja untuk sebuah kapal penangkapan ikan tajaan kerajaan negeri. Lelaki yang bekerja sebagai peniup wisel itu memberitahu, dia agak kecewa dengan pembaziran dan kegiatan rasuah yang berlaku.

Menurut Greenpeace, lelaki tersebut memberitahu, krewnya menerima berkotak-kotak daging paus yang sering disalah labelkan sebagai barangan peribadi. Daging-daging paus itu ditemui selepas mereka pulang dari aktiviti pemburuan paus tahunan di Lautan Antartik.

Sato dan Suzuki telah menjejaki asal-usul barangan itu sehingga ke sebuah lokasi simpanan sebuah syarikat khidmat kurier di Aomori pada 16 April 2008. Di situ, Suzuki telah mengambil sebuah kotak seberat 23 kilogram (kg) yang berlabel kadbod dan vinyl serta berisi daging-daging paus.

Mereka kemudiannya menyerahkan kotak tersebut kepada para pendakwaraya wilayah Tokyo dan satu sidang akhbar diadakan untuk mengumumkan bukti yang ditemui itu. Para pegawai menerangkan bahawa ahli-ahli krew telah menerima berkotak-kotak paus itu sebagai cenderamata.

Pada 20 Jun lalu, pihak polis telah memberkas Sato dan Suzuki. Dalam operasi luar biasa itu, pejabat Greenpeace di Tokyo dan kediaman lima kakitangannya telah diserbu. Dalam serbuan tersebut, cakera-cakera padat komputer dan beberapa kotak dokumen turut dirampas.

PENYOKONG Greenpeace membantah penahanan dua aktivis warga Jepun yang menyiasat kegiatan rasuah penangkapan ikan paus di Jepun.

---

Meskipun kes penipuan itu digugurkan sebelum hari mereka diberkas, kedua-dua orang aktivis itu telah dibawa ke Aomori dan ditahan selama 26 hari. Menurut kenyataan daripada Greenpeace, mereka turut disoal siat selama tiga kali sehari tanpa kehadiran peguam bela.

Di dalam mahkamah, para pendakwaraya berpendapat, aktivis-aktivis tersebut telah melanggar undang-undang dan berpotensi untuk melakukan perkara yang sama. Mereka juga menuduh tertuduh tidak menunjukkan rasa bersalah dan telah menyebabkan kerugian dari segi kewangan dan reputasi pekerja di syarikat khidmat kurier tersebut.

Pihak Greenpeace telah mengutuk layanan terhadap ahli-ahlinya dan menyifatkan perbicaraan tersebut bermotifkan politik. Perbicaraan itu turut mengundang protes di kalangan ahli-ahli Greenpeace yang lain di beberapa buah Kedutaan Jepun di seluruh dunia untuk memberi sokongan.

Pengarah Eksekutif Greenpeace, Kumi Naidoo yang juga seorang aktivis antiaparteid dari Afrika Selatan pula mempunyai pendapat lain terhadap kes itu.

"Layanan terhadap Sato dan Suzuki telah mengingatkan saya terhadap sistem aparteid melayan mereka yang cuba untuk menentangnya," katanya. - AFP