Wednesday, May 16, 2007

The Movie : Transformers

( Original Source : Wikipedia Encyclopedia )

Following a battle on Cybertron, events move to the Arctic Circle during the 1800s where Captain Archibald Witwicky is shown chipping away at a massive sheet of ice, only to break through it and fall into the abyss, landing on a robotic hand partially buried in the ice. He finds the eyes of Megatron staring back at him. Megatron burns a map showing the location of the mysterious Allspark into Witwicky's eyeglasses, which are handed down to his descendant, Sam (Shia LaBeouf), in the present day. When Witwicky buys his first car from dealer Bobby Bolivia (Bernie Mac), it happens to be the Autobot Bumblebee, and Witwicky comes under the protection of the Autobots as the Decepticons come looking for the map.

Elsewhere, Decepticons Blackout and Scorponok attack a United States Air Force base in Qatar in the present day. The Allspark has also been referred to as both the Energon Cube and the Energon Crystal; the earliest description credited it as "responsible for Transformer life on Earth." The Allspark is based upon the Creation Matrix of the original Transformers comics.

Wind Power

( Original Source : Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Photo : Google Image )

Wind power uses the naturally occurring energy of the wind for practical purposes like generating electricity, charging batteries, or pumping water. Wind turbines capture the kinetic energy in the wind, converting it into electrical energy. Utility-scale turbines are mounted on tall towers, usually 100 feet or more above the earth's surface where the wind is faster and less turbulent. In utility-scale power applications, anywhere from one or two to several hundred turbines are connected to the utility grid, providing electricity when the wind blows.

Kinetic energy in airflows can be used to run wind turbines; some are capable of producing 5 MW of power; turbines with rated output of 1.5-3 MW have become the most common for commercial use. The power output of a turbine is a function of the cube of the wind speed, so high-power output can be achieved as wind speed increases, though turbines must shut off at extreme wind speeds to prevent damage. Areas where winds are stronger and more constant, such as offshore and high altitude sites, are preferred locations for wind farms.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Lily (lilium)

( Original Source : Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Photo Source : Google Images )

The plants of the genus Lilium are the true lily plants, comprising a genus of about 100 species in the lily family, Liliaceae. They are important as showy and large flowered garden plants, and in literature.
Lilies are native to the northern temperate regions. Their range in the Old World extends across much of Europe, the north Mediterranean, across most of Asia to Japan, south to the Nilgiri mountains in India, and south to the Philippines. In the New World they extend from southern Canada through much of the United States. A few species formerly included within this genus have now been placed in other genera. These include Cardiocrinum and Nomocharis.
They are commonly adapted to either woodland habitats, often montane, or sometimes to grassland habitats. A few can survive in marshland and a single one is known to live as an epiphyte (L. arboricola). In general they prefer moderately acidic or lime-free soils.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Bamboo (poaceae bambusoideae)

( Original Source : Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Photo Source : Google Images )

Bamboos are a group of woody perennial evergreen plants in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Some of its members are giants, forming by far the largest members of the grass family. There are 91 genera and about 1,000 species of bamboo. They are found in diverse climates, from cold mountains to hot tropical regions. They occur from Northeast Asia (at 50°N latitude in Sakhalin), south throughout East Asia west to the Himalaya, and south to northern Australia. They also occur in sub-Saharan Africa, and in the Americas from the southeast of the USA south to Chile, there reaching their furthest south anywhere, at 47°S latitude. Major areas with no native bamboos include Europe, north Africa, western Asia, northern North America, most of Australia, and Antarctica.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Manta Ray

( Original Source : Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Photo Source : Google Images )

The manta ray, or giant manta (Manta birostris), is the largest of the rays, with the largest known specimen having been nearly 7.6 meters (25 ft) across its pectoral fins (or "wings") and weighed in at 3,000 kg (6,600 lb). It ranges throughout the tropical seas of the world, typically around coral reefs. Mantas are most commonly black above and white below, but some are blue on their backs. A giant manta's eyes are located at the base of the cephalic lobes on each side of the head, and unlike other rays the mouth is found at the anterior edge of its head. To breathe, like other rays, the manta has five pairs of gills on the underside.

With distinctive "horns" (from which the common name 'devil ray' stems), on either side of its broad head, the manta is a prized sighting by divers. These unique structures are actually derived from the pectoral fins. During embryonic development, part of the pectoral fin breaks away and moves forward, surrounding the mouth. This gives the Manta Ray the distinction of being the only jawed vertebrate to have novel limbs (the so-called six-footed tortoise (Manouria emys) does not actually have six legs, only enlarged tuberculate scales on their thighs that look superficially like an extra pair of hind limbs). These flexible horns are used to direct plankton, small fish and water into the Manta's very broad and wide mouth. To make them more streamlined when swimming, they are able to curl them up.