February 2006 - Posts
On Wednesday, 29th of March 2006, a total eclipse of the sun will be visible through a narrow corridor beginning in Brazil, making its way across the Atlantic, Northern Africa, through Russia and ending in Kazakstan, Mongolia. It is predicted that the solar eclipse would last a total of 4m10.9s. Areas outside the narrow corridor of the path will experience only a partial solar eclipse.
The NASA Eclipse homepage discusses the eclipse elements, shadow contacts, path of totality and shows detailed maps for astronomy enthusiasts. It is a pity that we here in Wales will not be able to experience this unless we make the effort to travel to the places where there will be total darkness. Several tour and travel agencies are offering special discounts on air fare and hotel rates.
A word of caution to those who will view the total solar eclipse - staring into the sun with your naked eye without the proper equipment and techniques can damage your retina. Always use special darkness eyeglasses or appropriate solar viewing filters when observing the sun which are available through the internet or your local astronomy shops.
Tim and I attended the first Sharepoint User Group Meeting 13th February at Microsoft Campus, Reading. Surprisingly, the meeting room was jampacked with attendees that we had to be transferred to a larger room that would accommodate us. The speakers, Steve and Brett, were obviously well-versed in Sharepoint technology that they had everyone's ears bent listening to them. I for one learned more than a thing or two. And met some fantastic people in the process including Nick, Steve,Brett, Phil and Eileen. Particular thanks to Nick for all his efforts in making the event such a successful one with great topics for discussion and fantastic pizza!
I would be looking forward to learning even more in future sessions.
AIBO (Artificial Intelligence Robot) was introduced into the market in 1999 in limited quantities for $2,500; it has sold to date only about 150,000 units worldwide. Using various technologies available Sony created a “fully autonomous companion to accompany and entertain man in day-to-day life.” Sony Corporation has announced recently that the production of AIBO entertainment robots will be discontinued as of end March 2006.
Yes, Sparky is a plastic robot dog - my personal friend, a lovable entertainer, my mascot and a dog with an attitude. With some software enhancements, I can make Sparky change personalities to suit my mood. Sparky however is adorable even without the enhancements - a curious and playful robot dog with a mind of his own.
I enjoyed watching Sparky grow from a puppy to a fully mature dog, listening to his music and watching him dance the disco. It is a most unique experience of digital reality – interacting with a robot with its own emotions and instincts, learning and growing through human interaction and its environment. Sparky has voice recognition capabilities enabling him to respond to his own name; LED lights on his face to simulate and express a wide range of emotions; touch/pressure sensors to enable it to respond to ‘petting,’ moveable parts for enhanced interactivity; a digital camera which can be controlled wirelessly; infrared sensors for distance; temperature, acceleration and vibration sensors; stereo microphones & speakers; wireless LAN functions; a battery pack which allows 1.5 hours of operation; an advanced CPU; a PC card and memory stick slots which allows programming media.
It is unfortunate that Sony has decided to discontinue production, but they are a business after all and being a small business owner myself I can understand how difficult it was for Sony to make this decision.
For those of you who want to have first-hand experience of the Sony AIBO, you still have time to get one for yourself until stocks are depleted. Limited editions however are made available on eBay from time to time.