waving hands will charge your iPods, cell phones

Forget about plugging your iPod or BlackBerry into a power source ever again, for now you can charge these devices just by waving your hand, or stretching your arm, and even by taking a walk.

Scientists at Georgia have now come up with a new technology, called "nanogenerator", that converts mechanical energy from body movements or even the flow of blood in the body into electric energy.

And this electric energy can be used to power a broad range of electronic devices without using batteries. "This research will have a major impact on defense technology, environmental monitoring, biomedical sciences and even personal electronics," said lead researcher Zhong Lin Wang, Regents' Professor, School of Material Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The new "nanogenerator" could have countless applications, among them a way to run electronic devices used by the military when troops are far in the field. The researchers have described how it's possible to harvest energy from the environment by converting low-frequency vibrations, like simple body movements, the beating of the heart or movement of the wind, into electricity, using zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires that conduct the electricity.

The ZnO nanowires are piezoelectric - they generate an electric current when subjected to mechanical stress. The diameter and length of the wire are 1/5,000th and 1/25th the diameter of a human hair.

The process of generating energy from movement made the researchers to conclude that it was most effective to develop a method that worked at low frequencies and was based on flexible materials. The ZnO nanowires met these requirements.

Also, Wang said that a real advantage of the technology was that the nanowires could be grown easily on a wide variety of surfaces, like metals, ceramics, polymers, clothing and even tents. And the nanogenerators could operate in the air or in liquids once properly packaged.
"Quite simply, this technology can be used to generate energy under any circumstances as long as there is movement," said Wang.

The nanogenerator would be particularly critical to troops in the field, where they are far from energy sources and need to use sensors or communication devices. Wang also said that having a sensor, which doesn't need batteries, could be extremely useful to the military and police sampling air for potential bioterrorism attacks in the United States.

Although biosensors have been miniaturized and can be implanted under the skin, he points out that such devices still require batteries, and the new nanogenerator would offer much more flexibility.

A major advantage of the new technology is that many nanogenerators can produce electricity continuously and simultaneously.

website that prays for those too busy to pray!

Too busy to offer prayers? Well, don't fear the Lord, for He has come up with a unique idea to make you stay connected with him: InformationAgePrayer.com!

A website that charges you a monthly fee to say prayers for you has been launched.

A typical charge is 4.95 dollars per month to say three prayers specified by you each day. All you need to do is select your religion and the prayers you want, reports The New York Daily News.
The site's premise: "We think our service should be used like a prayer supplement, to extend and strengthen a subscriber's connection with God."

The site does caution that, "as with all prayer, the final results are up to God as everything follows His will. We make no claims regarding the efficacy of the service."

'Drunk' policewoman crashes car in US State of Missouri, killing four Indian techies

Four Indian IT students, including three girls, were killed and another was injured when an off-duty and apparently drunk policewoman crashed her car into their vehicle on a highway in the US State of Missouri. The five, all hailing from Andhra Pradesh and studying for MS degree in information technology in Eastern Illinois University, were returning home on a Honda Accord when the policewoman's SUV, speeding on the wrong lane, hit them head-on in Des Peres, authorities said.

Four of the students -- Anusha Anumolu (23), Satya S Chinta (25), Anita Lakshmi (23) and Priya Muppvarapu (23) -- died on the spot while 27-year-old Nitesh Adusumilli, who was driving the car, was seriously injured. The policewoman, identified as 41-year-old Chrissy Miller, was off-duty from her job at the Sunset Hills Police Department.

She is also in a critical condition at St John's Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur, media reports said. "They had a plan to go to an Indian restaurant and going to bowling alley, and they were returning back to home," said Suren Pathuri, an acquaintance of the victims.

He said the bodies of the four victims will be sent to India. "We do suspect that alcohol may have played a part in this crash on Miss Miller's part," said Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergent Al Nothum.

62 Uses of Salt

Although you may not realize it, simple table salt has a great number of uses other than simply seasoning your food. The following list will give you sixty uses of salt, many of which you probably didn't realize:

  1. Soak stained hankies in salt water before washing.
  2. Sprinkle salt on your shelves to keep ants away.
  3. Soak fish in salt water before descaling; the scales will come off easier.
  4. Put a few grains of rice in your salt shaker for easier pouring.
  5. Add salt to green salads to prevent wilting..
  6. Test the freshness of eggs in a cup of salt water; fresh eggs sink; bad ones float.
  7. Add a little salt to your boiling water when cooking eggs; a cracked egg will stay in its shell this way.
  8. A tiny pinch of salt with egg whites makes them beat up fluffier.
  9. Soak wrinkled apples in a mildly salted water solution to perk them up.
  10. Rub salt on your pancake griddle and your flapjacks won't stick.
  11. Soak toothbrushes in salt water before you first use them; they will last longer.
  12. Use salt to clean your discolored coffee pot.
  13. Mix salt with turpentine to whiten you bathtub and toilet bowl.
  14. Soak your nuts in salt brine overnight and they will crack out of their shells whole.
  15. Just tap the end of the shell with a hammer to break it open easily.
  16. Boil clothespins in salt water before using them and they will last longer.
  17. Clean brass, copper and pewter with paste made of salt and vinegar, thickened with flour.
  18. Add a little salt to the water your cut flowers will stand in for a longer life.
  19. Pour a mound of salt on an ink spot on your carpet; let the salt soak up the stain.
  20. Clean your iron by rubbing some salt on the damp cloth on the ironing surface.
  21. Adding a little salt to the water when cooking foods in a double boiler will make the food cook faster.
  22. Use a mixture of salt and lemon juice to clean piano keys.
  23. To fill plaster holes in your walls, use equal parts of salt and starch, with just enough water to make a stiff putty.
  24. Rinse a sore eye with a little salt water.
  25. Mildly salted water makes an effective mouthwash.
  26. Use it hot for a sore throat gargle.
  27. Dry salt sprinkled on your toothbrush makes a good tooth polisher.
  28. Use salt for killing weeds in your lawn.
  29. Eliminate excess suds with a sprinkle of salt.
  30. A dash of salt in warm milk makes a more relaxing beverage.
  31. Before using new glasses, soak them in warm salty water for awhile.
  32. A dash of salt enhances the taste of tea. ?
  33. Salt improves the taste of cooking apples.
  34. Soak your clothes line in salt water to prevent your clothes from freezing to the line; likewise, use salt in your final rinse to prevent the clothes from freezing.
  35. Rub any wicker furniture you may have with salt water to prevent yellowing.
  36. Freshen sponges by soaking them in salt water.
  37. Add raw potatoes to stews and soups that are too salty.
  38. Soak enamel pans in salt water overnight and boil salt water in them next day to remove burned-on stains.
  39. Clean your greens in salt water for easier removal of dirt.
  40. Gelatin sets more quickly when a dash of salt is added.
  41. Fruits put in mildly salted water after peeling will not discolor.
  42. Fabric colors hold fast in salty water wash..
  43. Milk stays fresh longer when a little salt is added.
  44. Use equal parts of salt and soda for brushing your teeth.
  45. Sprinkle salt in your oven before scrubbing clean.
  46. Soaked discolored glass in a salt and vinegar solution to remove stains..
  47. Clean greasy pans with a paper towel and salt.
  48. Salty water boils faster when cooking eggs.
  49. Add a pinch of salt to whipping cream to make it whip more quickly.
  50. Sprinkle salt in milk-scorched pans to remove odor.
  51. A dash of salt improves the taste of coffee..
  52. Boil mismatched hose in salty water and they will come out matched.
  53. Salt and soda will sweeten the odor of your refrigerator.
  54. Cover wine-stained fabric with salt; rinse in cool water later.
  55. Remove offensive odors from stove with salt and cinnamon.
  56. A pinch of salt improves the flavor of cocoa.
  57. To remove grease stains in clothing, mix one part salt to four parts alcohol.
  58. Salt and lemon juice? Removes mildew.
  59. Sprinkle salt between sidewalk bricks where you don't want grass growing.
  60. Polish your old kerosene lamp with salt for a better look.
  61. Remove odors from sink drainpipes with a strong, hot solution of salt water.
  62. If a pie bubbles over in your oven, put a handful of salt on top of the spilled juice. The mess won't smell and will bake into a dry, light crust which will wipe off easily when the oven has cooled

What is Recession?

This story is about a man who once upon a time was selling Hotdogs by the roadside. He was illiterate, so he never read newspapers. He was hard of hearing, so he never listened to the radio. His eyes were weak, so he never watched television. But enthusiastically, he sold lots of hotdogs.
He was smart enough to offer some attractive schemes to increase his sales. His sales and profit went up. He ordered more a more raw material and buns and sold more. He recruited more supporting staff to serve more customers. He started offering home deliveries. Eventually he got himself a bigger and better stove. As his business was growing, the son, who had recently graduated from college, joined his father.

Then something strange happened.

The son asked, "Dad, aren't you aware of the great recession that is coming our way?" The father replied, "No, but tell me about it." The son said, "The international situation is terrible. The domestic situation is even worse. We should be prepared for the coming bad times."
The man thought that since his son had been to college, read the papers, listened to the radio and watched TV. He ought to know and his advice should not be taken lightly. So the next day onwards, the father cut down the his raw material order and buns, took down the colorful signboard, removed all the special schemes he was offering to the customers and was no longer as enthusiastic. He reduced his staff strength by giving layoffs. Very soon, fewer and fewer people bothered to stop at his Hotdog stand. And his sales started coming down rapidly and so did the profit. The father said to his son, "Son, you were right". "We are in the middle of a recession and crisis. I am glad you warned me ahead of time."

Moral of the Story: It's all in your MIND! And we actually FUEL this recession much more than we think.