Facebook Adds Skype Video Chat Feature

Facebook has announced a partnership with Skype to add video chat to the social networking site.
The move is likely to be seen as a shot across the bow of Google, which recently launched a Facebook rival, Google+, also featuring video calling.
This is not the first time Facebook and Skype have teamed up – they already share some instant messaging tools.
Skype is in the process of being bought by Microsoft, which is a major shareholder in Facebook.
The new video-call service was launched by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who also revealed that the site now had more than 750 million users.
However, he said that the total number of active users was no longer a useful measure of the site’s success.
Instead, the amount of sharing – of photographs, videos and web links – was a better indication of how people engaged with the site.
At launch, Facebook’s video chat service will only be able to connect two users face-to-face, whereas Google’s system allows group video calls, known as Hangouts.

BiPod: World’s first hybrid-electric flying car.

This hybrid-electric vehicle is called BiPod, and it is designed by Burt Rutan, a famous engineer that was behind many amazing air-crafts such as Ansari X-Prize-winning SpaceShipOne. Burt’s latest project, BiPod, is the one of a kind electric vehicle, that comes with two fuselages that are equipped with electrically driven wheels and propellers, along with batteries that are in charge of powering the vehicle’s propulsion and systems.

In addition, this aircraft comes with 450cc internal-combustion engines, with one in each fuselage. As for flying abilities, BiPod hasn't achieve any special latitude, mostly because its still in an early stage of development. 

Be sure to stay updated with the latest in technology.

Human Brains On Androids.

The phenomenon has been described un-imaginable for years, but how and why this happens is still a subject of debate in robotics, computer graphics and neuroscience.
The term "uncanny valley" refers to an artificial agent's drop in likeability when it becomes too humanlike. People respond positively to an agent that shares some characteristics with humans -- think dolls, cartoon animals, R2D2. As the agent becomes more human-like, it becomes more likeable. But at some point that upward trajectory stops and instead the agent is perceived as strange and disconcerting.And most modern androids, including the Japanese Repliee Q2 used here, are also thought to fall into the uncanny valley.The biggest difference in brain response is the android condition -- in the parietal cortex, on both sides of the brain, specifically in the areas that connect the part of the brain's visual cortex that processes bodily movements with the section of the motor cortex thought to contain mirror neurons.
The brain doesn't seem tuned to care about either biological appearance or biological motion per se.In other words, if it looks human and moves likes a human, we are OK with that. If it looks like a robot and acts like a robot, we are OK with that, too; our brains have no difficulty processing the information. The trouble arises when -- contrary to a lifetime of expectations -- appearance and motion are at odds.

The brain "lit up" when the human-like appearance of the android and its robotic motion "didn't compute.

"As human-like artificial agents become more commonplace, perhaps our perceptual systems will be re-tuned to accommodate these new social partners."Or perhaps, we will decide it is not a good idea to make them so closely in our image after all."

Communication A Major factor To Development In Africa.

Technology In Africa.

Even as a large percentage of the African population are yet to make their first phone call, many others are connected to the world through their cell phones. Today, the penetration of mobile phones in many African countries is higher than the world average and data on the number of mobile subscriptions per 100 people show that penetration rates in Algeria, South Africa, Gabon, Tunisia, Mauritius, Botswana, Morocco and Mauritania are all above the world average of 60%.
There are still a number of fibre optic cable projects underway to deliver cable to Africa.
Africa’s lack of fibre optic cable makes fixed line internet connectivity very challenging, and increases the opportunities for wireless broadband operators.

Having access to wireless broadband internet via mobile devices gives students the ability to access knowledge and training, gives producers access to the global market and gives companies access to a vital business tool.

The Giant Network.(MTN)

MTN Group is a South Africa-based multinational mobile telecommunications company, operating in many African and Middle Eastern countries.

MTN describes itself as "the leader in telecommunications in Africa and the Middle East" and as of  2007 MTN is active in 21 countries. (Since 2004, Africa has been the fastest growing mobile phone market in the world).

MTN acquired Investcom, thereby expanding to ten more countries, mainly under the Areeba and Spacetel brands.

As of early 2007, MTN is active in:

• Afghanistan (Investcom)
• Benin (Investcom)
• Botswana (Botswana Mascom)
• Cameroon (MTN Cameroon)
• Republic of Congo (MTN Congo SA)
• Cote d'Ivoire (MTN Cote d'Ivoire)
• Cyprus (MTN Cyprus)
• Ghana (Investcom, MTN Ghana)
• Guinea Bissau (Investcom)
• Republic of Guinea (Investcom)
• Iran (MTN Irancell)
• Liberia (Investcom)
• Montenegro (MTN CG) [planned 2011]
• Nigeria (MTN Nigeria)
• Rwanda (MTN Rwanda)
• South Africa (MTN South Africa)
• Sudan (Investcom)
• Swaziland (MTN Swaziland)
• Syria (Investcom)
• Uganda (MTN Uganda)
• Yemen (Investcom, Spacetel)
• Zambia (MTN Zambia)

In Nigeria MTN faces major problems when handling and holding onto their customers.MTN battles with the other fast growing network plus the CDMA networks,for a settled price of call rates and data management.They have been consistent in actualizing their dreams.Every citizen now owns a sim pack at an affordable price with complete packages. It is the mobile phones and broadband that has made Nigeria what it is today. Technology, as a field in Nigeria has grown and is still growing.

Sprint to push Nexus S 4G speed.

Sprint set out on a speed update for the Nexus S 4G. A patch will tackle complaints and improve speeds on the WiMAX network. The carrier said it had worked with both Google and Samsung to identify slowdown points.

The company claimed that the issue only affected a "small" number of customers, though the issues have been more widespread.

Other fixes bring improvement to how the Nexus S 4G handles Wi-Fi, boost audio quality, and add TTY (Teletype) support for those with poor hearing. Owners can start checking for the update on July 25 and, if they don't update manually, should get the patch automatically sometime within the next three weeks.

UTME 2011: JAMB’s biometric machine not reliable

A total of 1, 493, 603 candidates who registered for the 2011 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, who sat for the examination across the country on the 18th of June 2011. Due to shortage of spaces only 20% of students will be admitted into about 117 universities in Nigeria, owned by federal,states and private entities.

A Centre For Jamb.

The biometric data machine deployed by JAMB was unable to verify some candidates’ finger prints. some examination centres.

No examination  is ever conducted well  in Nigeria.  Even market women had the answers to the exam conducted that day.

See the below.

ENG type A

1-10 : ACBCAAAADB

11-20: ADACCCABCA

21-30: DDBCBDBBBD

31-40: CDAAABBDCA

41-50: ABCACCBACC

51-60: ABBDBAAABB

61-70: CACCBDBDBC

71-80: CBDBCAACBC

81-90: DCDACACADC

91-100 a b d c d c a c d d

So sad for the nation that wants to grow.

Share your views and observation towards the ways corruption and exam mal-practice can be treated.

South Sudan gets 211 dialling code.

THE International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has announced that the international dialling code 211, has been assigned to the world’s newest nation, the Republic of South Sudan, following the country’s formal recognition as a UN member state.

The South Sudan Ministry of Telecommunications and Postal Services welcomed the code, which has significance for South Sudanese as representing the year in which the country gained independence (2011), the date of its referendum (which took place in the first day of the first month of 2011), and a symbol of good fortune.

The number had been specifically requested following a special Council of Ministers Resolution.

The global country code numbering system is defined in an ITU standard known as ITU-T Recommendation E.164. ITU communicates this information to other member states and the world’s telecommunication operators in the ITU Operational Bulletin, which details the numbering plan from the previous to the new country code.

In addition to the 211 code, South Sudan will be assigned a mobile country code (MCC) and a signalling area/network code (SANC). SANCs indicate how calls should be routed.

Proust Aims for Closer Social Network

A new social network, called "Proust," aims to pick up where Facebook leave off, creating intimacy between families and friends to share and preserve memories.Barry Diller's New York-based media company IAC launched the free social site, named after the 19th-century French novelist and inspired by the popular Proust Questionnaire. Users document and group their life experiences through chapters, which can be viewed as a localized map or a timeline of milestones.

The site asks more than a thousand questions to help provoke the memories, asking about one's most memorable birthday, first kiss, most beautiful place visited, among others.

"On the social Web today we share trivial stuff, but why not go deeper, especially with people you're closer to?" asks Tom Cortese, Proust's chief executive.

The memory prompts are meant as "a way to actually help you tell your story."

Proust is just the latest in a still-growing crop of social networking sites that seek to differentiate themselves from Facebook. Color, a proximity-based network that launched a few months ago, connects users automatically to others, even strangers, nearby, allowing participants at a birthday party, for example, to instantly share photos.

The rise of social media has helped connect new or long-lost friends in ways previously unimaginable, and helped people sustain their connections, even after moving on from college or a job. But competing sites mean overlapping and redundant information, not to mention extra time updating one's online identities.

Proust aims to go beyond ephemera, however. The site plans to provide users the option of buying an e-book or physical copy of their own digital scrapbook. In fact, because it currently operates free and without advertising, that's a key part of how Proust intends to make money.

The New HP TouchPad 4G.

The tablet industry is definitely heating up, as it no longer remains the domain of the Apple iPad (and its successor, of course) any more. With Google’s Android operating system (and their efforts in creating a tablet-centric version with Android 3.x Honeycomb) being widely adopted by tablet manufacturers, those results are creeping closer and closer towards the iPad standard in some aspect, while depending on the kind of hardware thrown in, beats out on the iPad to boot.

HP enters the tablet fray not fueled by Android, but rather, their very own operating system – webOS. Not only that, HP intends to make a boost with their TouchPad 4G by debuting it on AT&T, making sure it is capable of remaining connected at all times thanks to a built-in wireless mobile broadband.

The HP TouchPad 4G is powered by a relatively speedy 1.5GHz processor that has 32 GB of internal memory, built-in GPS navigation capability, and Wi-Fi for moments when you do not want to rely on the integrated wireless mobile broadband capability.

 It’s particularly well suited for users who rely on connectivity in the field – from large corporations to small businesses and self-employed mobile professionals.”

The TouchPad 4G will also support Adobe Flash Player Beta, while you can keep in touch with family and friends via video calls if the need arises. Apart from that, the TouchPad 4G can also print documents, photos and other images sans wires, where it will obviously work best when connected to compatible networked HP printers.

Problems Of Congestion In Mobile Networks

The problem of congestion in Nigeria is not a personal thing; it is a national calamity, which some of the government officials in position of authority fail to appreciate.

This is where one of the hindrances to the solution lies.There is an adage that says ‘an identified problem is half solved’.

I am sure that the Director of NCC carries two or more phones like some of us who wish to be able to communicate at all times. 

Alternatively, experts in the field should discuss discuss the problem of poor mobile phone quality, because it is a national problem that has been lingering since GSM was first launched in Nigeria. This is not the time for complacency or self denial, but a time to face reality.

I will briefly discuss my research and associated outcomes. 

Research into Congestion in the Network

1) that mobile operators’ networks are enormously congested and that congestion is on the rise between 2005 and 2011;

2) that there is inconsistent and variable services delivery by operators from one big city to another, with the smaller cities on the receiving end;

3) that the numerous announced or displayed error messages do not represent or reflect the actual problem encountered in the mobile networks and

4) that registration of SIM cards, though plausible, has introduced another layer of hardships for mobile customers in smaller cities.

“The two test phones for each operator are place uninhibited on a desk in the test room. Both phones are therefore registered with the same Base station subsystem.

So, near perfect results were expected because this test scenario was the Least Common Denominator of fault expectancy. Results from test calls between two phones in different base stations or switching centres should produce more challenging outcomes.

Rural area calls would even be more challenging. So, it should be noted that based on the test scenario chosen, a call failure of more than 1% represents a serious congested network and it is therefore unacceptable.”

Congestion is the common cause of “drop calls” or a phone user’s inability to make through-connected calls. A drop call is one of over a hundred (100) quality of service indicators.

I hope the new government works on a way to battle this issue, that affects even they that are holding this big post. 

Getting The Best Out Of Your Etisalat Sim/Modem.

Etisalat network has now come to dominate in communication sector in Nigeria. It has reached the places where other networks can't reach thus, expanding the broad-band to enable users reach out to thier loved ones and access the internet with affordable call rate to customers. In the last 2years, it has grown to become a network that people can trust. The modem helps serve you better when the network services undergoes a resetting. The service network offers services such as 

• DotMe
• Easylife
• My Zone
• E-Top up
• Mobile Zone
• Etisalat Football Community
• Facebook Service
• BlackBerry
• Elite World
• Easynet
• Easy Cliq
• Easy Starter
• International Roaming
• Devices
• Recharge Cards 
• Promotions

Just so that the large population of Nigeria can be reached and served better. Noticing that every second a call is been made or received, with the network you dont have to worry about spend too much, because the affordable call rates to all network in Nigeria.Value added services, such free airtime to call other network, free 2o sms a day,10 free mms a day and free internet bundle on your recharge. To enjoy this services, BUY A SIM PACK TODAY.

One in 10 Species Could Face Extinction: Decline in Species Shows Climate Change Warnings Not Exaggerated

The research shows that on average the declines that have already happened match predictions in terms of the relative risk to different species across the world.

Many studies have predicted that future climate change will threaten a range of plants and animals with extinction. Some of these studies have been treated with caution because of uncertainty about how species will respond to climate change. But widely published research showing how animals and plants are already responding to climate change gave the Exeter team the opportunity to check whether the predictions were wide of the mark. By producing the largest review ever of such studies, they show that predictions have, on average, been accurate, or even slightly too cautious.

Lead author Dr Ilya Maclean of the University of Exeter said: "Our study is a wake-up call for action. The many species that are already declining could become extinct if things continue as they are. It is time to stop using the uncertainties as an excuse for not acting. Our research shows that the harmful effects of climate change are already happening and, if anything, exceed predictions."

The study covered a wide range of species in all types of habitat across the globe. The findings confirm that human-induced climate change is now a threat to global biodiversity.

Co-author Dr Robert Wilson, also of the University of Exeter, said: "By looking at such a range of studies from around the world, we found that the impacts of climate change can be felt everywhere, and among all groups of animals and plants. From birds to worms to marine mammals, from high mountain ranges to jungles and to the oceans, scientists seem to have been right that climate change is a real threat to species.

"We need to act now to prevent threatened species from becoming extinct. This means cutting carbon emissions and protecting species from the other threats they face, such as habitat loss and pollution."

Examples of existing responses to climate change:

Decreased ice cover in the Bering Sea reduced the abundance of bivalve molluscs from about 12 to three per square metre over a very short period of time (1999-2001). These shells are the main food source for species higher up the food chain, such as Spectacled Eider.

Climatic warming and droughts are causing severe declines in once-common amphibian species native to Yellowstone National Park in the United States of America. Between 1992-1993 and 2006- 2008, the number of blotched tiger salamander populations fell by nearly half, the number of spotted frog populations by 68 per cent, and the number of chorus frog populations by 75 per cent.

In Antarctica, few animals exist on land, but one of the most abundant, a nematode worm living in the soil in dry, cold valleys experienced a 65 per cent decline between 1993 and 2005 as a result of climate change.

Examples of predicted responses to climate change:

On Tenerife, an endemic plant, the Caňadas rockrose has a 74 to 83 per cent chance of going extinct in the next 100 years as a result of climate change related droughts.

In Madagascar, climate warming is predicted to cause endemic reptiles and amphibians, often found in mountain ranges, to retreat towards the summit of the mounts. With a warming of just two degrees Celsius, well within current projections, three species are predicted to lose all of their habitat.

Birds living in northern Boreal Forests in Europe are expected to decline as a result of global warming. Species such as Dotterel are predicted to decline by 97 per cent by 2100 and species such as Two-barred Crossbill and Pine Grosbeak could lose their entire range within Fenno-Scandia.www.sciencedaily.com