Robot Marathon

26 Feb 2011 - The world's first full length marathon for two-legged robots kicked off in Japan last week. The toy-sized humanoids are set to run the 42,195km over four days. The machines began the non-stop race on a 100m indoor track in the city of Osaka after doing knee bends or raising their hands to greet spectators. The race is a big hit with Osaka citizens who have flocked to the venue to watch the spectacle unfold. The bipedal robots - the tallest of which measures 44 cm - must complete 423 laps to reach their goal. The "Robo Mara Full" race is organized by Vstone Co, a robot technology firm based in Osaka, in cooperation with the Osaka prefectural Government. Vstone robots took an early lead, while the two entrants of the University of Osaka Engineering teams got off to a shaky start.

Crocs

25 Feb 2011 - I recently spotted a one meter long lizzard in the garden in Malaysia (downtown Kuala Lumpur!). But it could be worse. A woman in Brazil was shocked to find an alligator hiding behind her sofa after heavy rains flooded her house in the central town of Parauapebas, in Para state. She said she was alerted to the animal's presence by her son, who was patting the alligator's head. The woman snatched the child away and called the fire brigade, who trapped the 1.5m-long (5ft) reptile. The firefighters said the family was lucky the animal was not hungry. Firefighter Captain Luiz Claudio Farias said the alligator could have seriously hurt or even killed the boy. Mr Farias said it was not uncommon for animals such as alligators and snakes to enter people's houses in towns such as Parauapebas which are built very near rivers and the rainforest. He said the animal had been released in a less populated area of the town.

Online Games

24 Feb 2011 - Be careful with those online games ... A Chinese man has died after a three-day online gaming session in which he did not sleep and barely ate, reports say. The man reportedly lost consciousness at an internet cafe on the outskirts of the Chinese capital, Beijing. He was rushed to a clinic but could not be revived, the Beijing Times said. The 30-year-old man, who was not identified, was said to have spent more than 10,000 yuan ($1,500) on gaming in the month before his death. China has more than 450 million internet users, and online games - which can involve multiple users role-playing in a virtual world - are particularly popular with young men. Researchers say tens of millions of Chinese people - many of them teenagers - are addicted to internet gaming, despite curbs introduced by the authorities aimed at tackling the problem. Similar deaths have occurred in other nations. In 2005 a 28-year-old man died in South Korea after playing online games for 50 hours without a break.

OK

23 Feb 2011 - It crops up in our speech dozens of times every day, although it apparently means little. So how did the word "OK" conquer the world, asks Allan Metcalf on the BBC website (www.bbc.co.uk). "OK" is one of the most frequently used and recognised words in the world. It is also one of the oddest expressions ever invented. But this oddity may in large measure account for its popularity. It's odd-looking. It's a word that looks and sounds like an abbreviation, an acronym.We generally spell it OK - the spelling okay is relatively recent, and still relatively rare - and we pronounce it not "ock" but by sounding the names of the letters O and K.Visually, OK pairs the completely round O with the completely straight lines of K.
So both in speech and in writing OK stands out clearly, easily distinguished from other words, and yet it uses simple sounds that are familiar to a multitude of languages.Almost every language has an O vowel, a K consonant, and an A vowel. So OK is a very distinctive combination of very familiar elements. And that's one reason it's so successful. OK stands apart.

Maiden Names

22 Feb 2011 - A group of Japanese women filed a challenge in court last week to a 19th century law that compels almost all Japanese females to drop their maiden names and assume their husbands' surnames when they marry. The landmark case is eeen as a test case for the rights of women in Japan, who continue to fight against gender inequality, stereotypes and remain under-represented in corporate boardrooms. The Civil Code stipulates that married couples must share one surname, in practice almost always that of the husband. The plaintiffs, four women and the husband of one of them, argue that the Civil Code clause breaches the constitutional guarantee of equal rights for both spouses. We had a similar case in Holland some years ago, and it was decided that spouses could opt to live under their own name, or choose any of the two surnames for both of them and their children.

American Idol Again

21 Feb2010 - It's that time of year again: for the 10th year in a row it is American Idol season. I used to be addicted to the programme (see positing 21 April 2010), but thanks to Astro Malaysia I am not able to receive Star Channel, so miss out on this year's season. Last season was not that great, so probably I do not miss that much although it would be funny to see Steven Tyler replacing Simon Cowell. I read in the newspaper that this week 327 people went to Hollywood for that one and only shot at fame. They came out in lines of 10 and acapella was the initial way to go. Their pictures were arranged neatly in front of the judges' table for easy identification and elimination. So far nothing new and I wonder if I really miss much. The newspaper also reports that it seems that this years' teenagers are showing their seniors that singing with a big heart is better than throwing it all out with a powerful voice. Maybe they better understand that one Mariah Carey is enough? At the end of the week 168 people "survived". They were crying, dancing and hugging, and - for a moment - did not seem to care too much about the next round.

Thai Kissing

20 Feb 2011 - A Thai couple has sealed a new record for the longest kissing, after locking lips for 46 hours, 24 minutes. The Guinness World Records still have to verify the latest "kissathon" for it to become official.
Husband and wife team Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranarat were one of 14 couples taking part in a contest in Bangkok. The pair won a diamond ring worth 50,000 baht (£1,016) and a 100,000 baht (£2,032) cash prize.
The couple began smooching at 0600 local time on Sunday, and were announced the winners just before dawn on Tuesday. Contestants had to be either married or a serious couple, with a marriage certificate or letter from both parents required as proof. They were allowed to eat, drink and use the lavatory, provided they did not break their embrace. No sitting or sleeping was permitted; one woman fainted just half an hour into the competition. "We want to show that love is meaningful and powerful," said organiser Somporn Naksuetrong.