Friday, 25 February 2011
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
Sunday, 13 February 2011
Dubai: Gulf Bike Week stuns crowds
Thousands of bike lovers took part in the biking event of the year
It was bikes galore, during the Gulf Bike Week here in Dubai; an event that attracted 40,000 bike lovers and enthusiasts, being the largest bike festival in the Middle East.
A one-of-a-kind event in the biking industry here in the region, the event showcased the latest in bikes; accessories; off-road vehicles; motorcycles gear; and custom designed bikes, as well as off-road bikes; all-terrain vehicles; cruisers; off-road bikes; quad bikes; and urban terrain vehicles.
Harley Davidson and Suzuki were just some of the major bike brands showcasing their latest creations in this urban bike lover’s festival. The event hosted over 150 exhibitors showcasing bikes and off-road vehicles of all types, shapes, colours and sizes.
Crowds were wowed at the stunt arenas, which showcased dangerous bike stunts done by professional bike performers making watchers cheer in awe of the amazing and thrilling tricks that sent bikers flying and flipping up in the air at an amazing height. The Rage skate park also saw visitors trying their hand at their own skating stunts.
Those who owned a bike or are part of a bike club also had the chance to take part in the show bike park , where bikers can show off their motorbikes by just parking in the limited spacing park; it was bike heaven as one thousand bikes were on display.
Bike owners also had the opportunity to enter their bike into a custom bike building competition. Custom bike builders entering their latest builds in the show will battle it out to win a prize to travel to Sturgis to take part in the World Championship itself.
Another highlight of the event was the piazza music stage that showcased 12 local rock bands battling it out at the Rolling stones battle of the bands competition. Visitors truly got a taste of the rock music scene here in Dubai. Dahab, The Brownies, Behold The Locus, I.E.D., Fist In Your Face, RaSh Radio, Lazzy Lung, Revolution Junkies, We Left As Skeletons, Tim Hassall & The August Company, SimpleXity, Universal Rogue all performed amazing rock tunes that rocked the event.
The event in its eleventh year seems to be more jammed packed with events each year, and sees more and more visitors. It is also the first year that the Gulf Bike Week is added to the international affiliate programme of the Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building.
Love sells
The love-struck Indian market is expected to be "gung-ho" about Valentines Week spending this year
It's official – Love hurts. No, we’re not talking about post-break up tears and lonely nights; a two month-long study in India has found that it’s really your wallet (not your heart) that takes the biggest hit for love.
Carried out by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), the study found that in India alone, Valentines Week, that’s right, week, not day, is a USD 2.6 billion business.
In India, the celebrations start right from February 7 (Rose Day) moving on to February 8 (Proposal Day), February 9 (Chocolate Day), February 10 (Teddy Day), February 11 (Promise Day), February 12 (Kiss Day), February 13 (Hug Day), and the grand finale on February 14, Valentine's Day.
The study looked at the willingness of people to spend more than they normally do during the week of love. “Young lovers,” it says, are willing to over-spend on everything from flowers to teddy bears, cards, jewelery, and dinner.
All this, of course, is great news for business; everyone from roadside florists to high-end restaurateurs are minting money during the week-long celebration of love.
The study found that, this year, people will be spending a whopping 120 percent more than the last year. Secretary General of Assocham, D. S. Rawat, said, "Owing to the improved economic situation this year and increased spending power of individuals, youths and eligible bachelors are gung-ho about breaking all previous records as they are likely to spend almost over 120 percent as compared to the previous year.”
Assocham surveyed 1200 people ranging from students to professionals. Respondents said that they were willing to spend between INR 5000 and INR 150,000 for V-Day, depending on their individual capacities.
Greeting card manufacturer, Archies Limited, reports a 16 percent turnover during Valentine's week, and 10 times the regular sales figures.
"It is not just youngsters who shop, even those in the age group of 40-50 extensively shop for the occasion," said an Archies respresentative.
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Amazing and Futuristic Laptop Concepts
Curved iMac Concept
HP LiM Laptop Concept
HP LiM concept is set to feature a 19″ transparent touch OLED screen along with a wireless keyboard. The touch screen slides down to create a more ergonomic touch experience and easy navigation. It also features a virtual trackpad thus cutting down on mouse costs
Gelfrog Laptop Concept
Watch out, Apple. Here comes gelfrog. Looking like something right out of Mars Attacks! (“We come in peace”) with its green elastic outer “skin”, the organic-looking notebook utilizes super-pliable elastomer to act as a smart skin. The result: An almost durable yet lightweight device that won’t be toast if you drop it. The clever folks at Frog Design have factored in chameleon-like functions that include the gelfrog acting as a mobile mirror, a photo slideshow, a video projector, and even running a cloning algorithm that scans the user’s outfit and re-projects a matching and complementary pattern.This futuristic laptop is easy accessible, very durable and it adapts to the individuality of the user. The stylish laptop is called Gelfrog and it features some good educational products and knowledge attributions.
LG e-Book Laptop Concept
LG introduced e-Book, an ecological laptop concept that uses fuel cell batteries and features organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display technology. This concept notebook received a Red Dot Award nomination for “Best Concept Design” for 2006.The batteries of the LG e-Book use natural gas, methanol, and other eco-friendly liquid fuels. The fuel is stored in a transparent cylindrical hinge.
The LG’s future laptop uses organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels for display instead of the current liquid crystal display (LCD) panel. Unlike LCD, OLED does not need a frame around it, and it consumes less electricity. The keypad will also be made of a singe OLED panel, like the one used in LG’s Chocolate Phone, according to the report.
Horizon Laptop Concept
his flexible OLED monitor concept which supposes the OLED material would roll up inside the white stand and allow the user to choose the optimum screen size. Supposing that the material could compact itself that tightly, he goes on and mounts a cd drive behind the translucent screen and for good measure throws some invisible projection technology in as well.
Acer Frameless Laptop Concept
It has recently been reported that Acer is working on a new laptop concept with a frameless touch keyboard and frameless touch screen.
Is it true? Probably… The concept presumably uses a reinforced glass substrate from Corning (maybe Gorilla Glass). It is not known at the moment when this frameless laptop will be unveiled, but I wouldn’t expect it for another year or two at the earliest although the source who provided the details to DigiTimes estimates the second half of this year.
Sony Ericsson Irikino Tablet Concept
Dell XPS Baton PC Laptop Concept
The Dell XPS Baton PC can work as a laptop or desktop computer, depending on the use of the screens and their positioning. The device can even be turned into some sort of tablet or an eBook, but variations can go on an on, each more astonishing than the last.
Canvas Laptop Concept
Kyle Cherry has developed the laptop of the 21st century. The futuristic concept is called Canvas and is supposed to provide a better quality for the designer and also it’s said that it will raise the productive rate of the artist. The laptop will feature a very thin touchscreen and the other components will look just about the same but they will be better adjusted.
IBM Laptop Concept For Spies
his IBM laptop concept is truly out of this world, and Nicolas Lehotzky sure has a wild imagination. You will find a security knob as well as hidden USB ports (how irritating) to help you in your espionage activities. The built-in paper shredder should come in handy to do away with any incriminating evidence just in case you’re a little short on intestinal fortitude to bite on that cyanide pill once caught by the authorities.
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
Monday, 7 February 2011
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Is Social Networking Destroying Our Social Lives?
It's a little ironic that, as social media pushes the virtual friend count to new heights, the culture as a whole is getting ever more isolated. Researchers say that Americans have fewer close confidants outside family than ever before. One in four have no confidants at all. A study at the University of Michigan reported that 75 percent of college students have lower empathy than their peers did 30 years ago, which isn't going to boost the social cause; neither will a spike in students' narcissism over that same period, documented in research at San Diego State University.
Exploding social media hasn't dented the social isolation trend of the last couple of decades. It's a reminder that there's no substitute for the real social deal -- folks you've actually met in person, with whom you've shared experiences and built intimacy that goes beyond the surface chatter. There's no doubt you meet some great folks online, as I have, but the social animal needs to connect more than superficially with others of the tribe. Our core psychological need for "relatedness," say researchers, mandates that we have close relationships with others.
It gets harder in the adult and career worlds to take care of that social mandate. Time is the fastener of friendship, and we have less of that... or so we think. There's always time, if you makethe time and lose the stranglehold of time urgency -- the false emergency that would have you believe you're too busy to live.
One of the best ways to improve real social life is through a forgotten option that's been shoved aside by overwork, the flat screen TV and the time sink that social media can be: participant recreation. Play is the real-life social network. It's a social catalyst that creates immediate common ground between strangers and makes it easy to forge friendships that can last a lifetime. The basis for the relating is the fun and the activity, not what anyone does for a living. You get behind the masks of the workaday world. It's similar to travel in that way -- you accept folks at face value and the resume doesn't matter. The unconditional realm of play keeps the inauthentic yardsticks away, which is why it creates the kind of bonds that satisfy your deepest relational needs.
I saw the power of play close at hand in the course of researching my new book, "Don't Miss Your Life." I met kayakers, climbers, dancers and a host of other life enthusiasts who had found camaraderie and real friendships through pursuing their passions and hobbies. Case in point: Kim Travis, an actress and small theater owner who had to leave New York City and her beloved softball team to take care of her ill mother in Austin, Texas. Travis' connection with her team was so important that she commuted from Austin to New York and back every Thursday to coach her Actor's Equity team in Central Park. Travis loves softball, but the flights every Thursday were about one thing: the people. "Most of us have been playing together for years," she says. "There's not one person on that team who doesn't love the others. We're a family."
Over and over, in dozens of different activities, people had found not just good friends but family. It was the support of fellow band members, choir singers or orienteering friends that helped people get through bouts of cancer or the death of a spouse. Several told me they don't know what they would have done without the support of their activity comrades when life's biggest challenges came calling.
Our real-life social networks are hugely important, and vanishing. Many suburban streets these days look like ghost towns -- there's not a soul to be seen. Humans emerge only to go to and from work. Even the kids are inside, buried in video games. Neighbors who might be burning up the social media pages inside their homes barely know each other outside.
Over the last three decades, Americans have become less and less participant-oriented and more and more audience members. We are less likely to join groups, from sports teams to civic groups, than we used to be. We are more likely to live alone. More social isolation feeds less empathy and fewer social skills. We get so used to dealing with people via e-mail or online that we forget how to function around live humans. To break out of isolation row, we have to develop a skill-set -- tools of "life intelligence" that allow us to self-determine a participant and prosocial path.
Play offers a highly targeted option to build real relationships that can satisfy your critical social need. Social connection is a well-vetted predictor of well-being. People who are content with their social lives are happier and healthier. Studies show that participating in enjoyable social activities is a strong predictor for increased daily well-being. The more active your leisure life, the higher your life satisfaction.
There are no agendas in the non-judgmental act of play, so it creates a level playing field that cuts across the usual social and income barriers. The Broadway Show League that Travis' team plays in has featured stars from Al Pacino to Kevin Spacey, but teams also include stagehands and crew members.
Salespeople the world over know that the art of the deal happens on the golf course or over lunch. You cut to the core in play, making the usual boundaries drop away. The scripted self gets replaced by the real thing, at ease and no longer on guard. We're a lot more inclined to connect when our real selves are doing the connecting -- instead of the business card or presentation face. Playing puts you in the frame of mind to be open to others. Negative feelings close off receptivity.
Marty Herman, an accountant in Southern California, put himself on a whole new social trajectory when he took up salsa dancing. He marvels how stepping out into an activity that was nerve-racking at first has brought a host of real-life friends that he wouldn't have had otherwise. "Dancing has totally changed my social life," he says. "It's been a huge plus." Playing in an adult kickball league introduced marketing coordinator Ariana Mayman to dozens of friends, including three roommates and a boyfriend. "In a big city, it's easy to feel very small and alone," she told me. "Kickball gives you the confidence to walk up to anyone, anywhere, and feel comfortable having a conversation."
You don't have to be a social butterfly to unleash the social sparks because the activity itself brings everyone together. You do have expend some effort, though. You have to get out of the house, away from the computer and impound the phone. Clicking is so much easier, but it's the participation that satisfies your core self-determination needs. Friends, optimal moments, elation, exhilaration -- it's all there for us when we step out of the sedentary box and into the center of life fully lived.