The magical Solar System discoveries made in 2015

It has been a busy year for Solar System exploration and particularly our galactic neighbourhood’s small icy bodies. Comets, asteroids, Kuiper Belt Objects and planetary satellites have all been in the news from stunning images of comet 67P Churyumov Gerasimenko at the start of the year, to the recent close-up of Saturn’s moon, Enceladus, via Ceres and Pluto.

Early January was a continuation of the stream of data from Rosetta, as comet 67P drew closer to the sun. Images were released of jets emanating from the sun-facing surface, from which it could be seen that sublimation of water-ice increased during the daytime, and died down at night. But because the dark surface of the comet retained some heat, the comet was not completely inactive at night . lt was possible that fluid might exist for very short periods, leading to sub-surface hydrous activity. One of the other significant results from Rosetta was recognition from magnetic measurements that the two lobes of the comet had been separate bodies, presumably brought together by collision.

Closest approach to the sun was in mid-August, a few weeks after the Philae lander signalled that it had woken up after its enforced hibernation. Unfortunately, communication between Rosetta and Philae could not be established reliably, leaving a certain amount of frustration that additional data could not be acquired from the surface.

-Pluto (and Charon)

July brought us a close-up of Pluto. The images have been tremendous, turning Pluto from a fuzzy grey blob into a fascinating body of mountains, plains and valleys. Pluto’s closest, and largest, moon, Charon was also captured by the New Horizon mission cameras in similar detail. The two worlds are very different in their characteristics. Parts of Pluto’s icy surface are crumpled into mountains and ridges. The “heart” of Pluto, around 1500km across, is a flat and featureless plain, presumably resurfaced relatively recently, showing that Pluto is more active than anticipated.

Charon, with approximately half the diameter of Pluto, is also a world of contrasts. The southern hemisphere is flat, relatively smooth and low-lying, broken mainly by impact craters, while the northern regions are fractured with much more topography. Separating the two halves of the moon is an extensive system of canyons, perhaps akin to the Valles Marineris on Mars, probably caused by tectonic stress. Mission scientists have suggested that the southern region is younger than the northern, and has been resurfaced by cryovolcanism  instead of lava, cryovolcanos eject substances such as water, methane or ammonia implying a frozen ocean below Charon’s crust. It should be remembered that the wealth of data now returning to Earth from the New Horizon’s spacecraft was acquired during a fly-by of Pluto that lasted a mere 15 minutes. Imagine what could be learnt with an orbiter.

-A new dawn

The Dawn mission to Asteroid Ceres was a bright spot literally in the planetary exploration calendar. At the start of the year, the spacecraft began to orbit the dwarf planet, and images revealed several patches of highly reflective material.

At first it was suggested that the patches may be of water-ice. This would be unexpected, since the surface of Ceres is too warm for water-ice to be stable at the surface. It is now thought that the bright spots might be salts remaining following evaporation (or sublimation of water).

-A ball of mud

Ceres is currently thought to be like a ball of compressed mud, possibly with a layer of water-rich slurry below a thin crust of mud – not an attractive description for the largest of the asteroids, but one which clearly shows that the minor planet has had a lengthy history of aqueous activity.

This is important because, like comets, asteroids have played a significant role in the delivery of water and other volatile compounds to Earth. The Dawn spacecraft spent most of 2015 orbiting Ceres at gradually decreasing altitudes  settling, at the beginning of December, in its lowest orbit about 400km above the surface.

Images have shown that Ceres is crossed by troughs and grooves reminiscent of those present on other (larger) planetary bodies. Some of the features are impact-related, but some seem to have been produced by stress fracturing of the crust, another example of Ceres' puzzling and sometimes contradictory history.

-The oceans of Enceladus

Although the Cassini mission has been operational within the Saturnian system for over a decade, and is coming to the end of its life, it is still returning exciting data from the icy moon, Enceladus. In October, the spacecraft took a dive through the plume at the south pole, flying only about 50km above the surface. Then, only last week, Cassini completed its final close encounter with Enceladus, giving us pictures of frozen fractures and ridges. We know that Enceladus has a sub-surface global salty ocean placing it with Jupiter’s moon, Europa, as a possible host to an ocean-floor ecosystem.

Hard Disk Drives with HAMR Technology Set to Arrive in 2018

While many client devices use solid-state storage technologies nowadays, hard disk drives (HDDs) are still used by hundreds of millions of people and across virtually all datacenters worldwide. Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) technology promises to increase capacities of HDDs significantly in the coming years. Unfortunately, mass production of actual hard drives featuring HAMR has been delayed for a number of times already and now it turns out that the first HAMR-based HDDs are due in 2018.

Analysts from International Data Corp. and Western Digital Corp. estimate that data storage capacity shipped by the industry in 2020 will total approximately 2900 exabytes (1EB = 1 million TB), up from around 1000EB in 2015. Demand for storage will be driven by various factors, including Big Data, Internet-of-Things, user-egenerated content, enterprise storage, personal storage and so on. Samsung Electronics believes that the NAND flash industry will produce 253EB of flash memory in 2020, up from 84EB in 2015. Various types of solid-state storage will account for less than 10% of the storage market in terms of bytes shipped, whereas hard drives, tape and some other technologies will account for over 90%, if the estimates by IDC, Samsung and Western Digital are correct. Let's keep our fingers crossed and see what the future has to offer.

LG To Produce New Breed Of Curved Phones

LG working on a whole new breed of curved phone

LG's been leading the charge towards bendy, flexible phones but it appears it might be changing direction in order to better compete with its South Korean arch-rival. According to consta-leaker Evan Blass on Twitter, "LG's also got a handset with curved display in the works but this one wraps over the top of the device.

What this sounds like is that the screen will roll around the top which could either mean an alternative to the side curves of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, or one that goes all the way over the top to create a whole new screen. Either way it will be a significant departure from last year's LG G Flex 2 if it comes to pass, as that phone had a slight flex in the screen and chassis.

Unlike the more famous Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, which curves the left and right of the screen at the sides, LG's G Flex 2 curves in the centre of the device so that the whole phone makes a very gentle crescent shape.

Ford Announce's $4.5 Billion Investment In The Production Of Electrified Vehicles By 2020

You know that thing where people “cut the cord” to get away and relax? Ford is doing the opposite between now and 2020, positively wrapping itself in electrical cordage and dumping $4.5 billion into “electrified” vehicles. The automaker promises the money will go toward battery research and 13 new vehicles over the next five years.

Details as to which vehicles will count toward Ford’s 13-car claim are forthcoming, but the automaker’s use of the term “electrified” offers a clue that not all of the cars will be fully electric. Instead, we expect Ford’s next wave of hybrids and plug-in hybrids to make up the lion’s share of the 13 cars, which could include some vehicles not sold in the U.S.

To wit, Ford’s Fusion sedan is ripe for a refresh and is expected to debut as a 2017 model at the upcoming Detroit auto show and it has hybrid and “Energi” plug-in variants. That’s two down. Next up, Europe’s updated C-Max could beget refreshed C-Max hybrid and C-Max Energi plug-in-hybrid models here, too; scratch two more off Ford’s list.

Ford itself has announced an updated Ford Focus EV full electric will bow sometime next year with DC fast-charging capability and a 100 mile driving range. As for the other eight cars, Ford could choose to count the freshly updated 2017 Lincoln MKZ hybridand even add a plug-in variant as well as toss the Fusion hybrid’s powertrain into the Escape to match Toyota’s new RAV4 hybrid crossover. Previously third-party up-fitted electrified commercial vehicles (box trucks, etc.) could be brought in-house, too.

That still leaves room for either a few previously un-hybridized vehicles to join Ford’s electrification party, or perhaps a new full-electric. We do know that Ford is working on a dedicated hybrid Prius fighter, so knock another car (or two, if a plug-in version is counted separately) off the list. As for the rest, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Audi Motors Launches Audi Q7

Audi has launch its Q7 facelift at a price of Rs 72 Lacs, ex-showroom Delhi. Initially, the vehicle will be imported through a CBU route but local manufacturing will start somewhere around mid-2016.

This new SUV is lighter, faster and better looking than the previous version. Also, the new car is slightly smaller than its predecessor, 37mm shorter and 15mm less wide. The car will still compete against Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, BMW X5 and Volvo XC 90. The car is powered by a 333 bhp, 3.TFSI supercharged V6 block which produces 440 Nm of torque. This comes mated to an 8-speed tiptronic transmission which enables the car to launch from 0-100 kmph in just 6.3 seconds, 1.6 seconds faster than the old Q7.
  Here are some pictures of the car:

Astronaut Trio Returns From Space Station After Months In Orbit

Three astronauts including one American returned safely from the International Space Station early Friday after a 250-mile descent back to Earth.The Soyuz capsule carrying the three flight engineers — NASA's Kjell Lindgren, Russia's Oleg Kononenko and Japan's Kimiya Yui — undocked from the ISS just before 5 a.m. ET, according to NASA.

They landed as expected in Kazakhstan, south of Russia, after a return journey of more than three hours.Lindgren and Yui had both spent four and a half months in space, while Kononenko had been in orbit for almost a year and a half.

NASA's Commander Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov, will remain aboard the ISS until they are joined in four days by three new arrivals: NASA's Tim Kopra, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and Tim Peake of the European Space Agency.

The ISS travels at a speed of 18,000 mph (five miles every second) and orbits the Earth every 90 minutes. More than 200 people from 15 countries have visited the station since 2000.

Scientist Create A Substances Harder Than Diamond

A new substance that is harder than diamond was created. It's called Q-carbon, and it was created by researchers at North Carolina State University.

"The only place it may be found in the natural world would be possibly in the core of some planets," Jay Narayan, lead author on the papers describing the work, said in a statement.

Before its discovery, there were two distinct forms of solid carbon: graphite and diamond. Q-carbon is not only harder than diamond, but also glows when exposed to low levels of energy. That could make it very useful for creating strong, bright screens for electronic devices.

 Q-carbon was created by blasting material covered in amorphous carbon (i.e. carbon without a crystalline structure) with a single laser pulse.

They can cool the material to create either Q-carbon or tiny diamonds. Those diamonds could be used to build things such as microneedles for medical use, or electronics that can withstand extremely high temperatures for other industries.And it is all done at room temperature and at ambient atmosphere.

Titan Partners HP To Launch Smart watches

Titan Partners HP To Launch Smart Watches

New Delhi: Watch-maker Titan and global information technology major HP
collaborates to offer a range of smart watches to be launched soon.
The new relationship between HP and Titan combine innovative materials,
design and custom technology to deliver products that are responsive,  and not
intrusive, Titan Co said in a statement.
"The range of smart watches will be launched later this year in India and select
international markets," it added.
Titan Co CEO (Watches and Accessories Division) S Ravi Kant said the two
companies would create a unique lifestyle offering for people not only in India,
but across the world.
This category of smart watches is going to change the way people view the art
of timekeeping and beyond. They can still wear "a drop-dead gorgeous watch on
their wrist infused with 'smart' technology for a new era of access and
connectivity", he added.
HP Inc General Manager, Wearables and Smart Platforms Sridhar Solur said
although personal style is the ultimate self-expression, some smart accessories
on the market force consumers to sacrifice form for function.
"Our legacy of innovation is helping fashion-forward brands infuse technology
into their designs to give consumers the stylish timepieces they want but that
are more connected and responsive to the way they live today," Solur said.
Titan, a JV between Tata Group and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development
Corporation (TIDCO) make watches, jewellery and eyewear.

China's Pepsi Phone Has Been Unveiled

China Unveils Pepsi branded Phone

It was confirmed last month that an official Pepsi Phone would be coming in
the near future and after much speculation, it has finally been unveiled.
Though it has Pepsi branding, the Pepsi Phone is part of a crowdfunding
campaign by Koobee (which closes on December 3) and is aimed exclusively
at the Chinese market.

Essentially a rebranded Koobee H7, the Pepsi Phone sports a 5.5-inch 1080p
display on 2.5D curved glass, a MediaTek MT6592 1.7GHz octa-core
processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage and dual SIM support (you can
use the second slot for microSD expansion up to 64GB).

It's also got a 5-megapixel front-facing camera (presumably to take crisp
shots of yourself enjoying a refreshing Pepsi), while on the rear you'll find a
13-megapixel camera with a fingerprint sensor right below it.
The Pepsi Phone comes in Silver, Gold and Blue, and is being released in two
different versions:

-the P1 (AU$108/US$78/£51), which is limited to (an already sold out) 1000 units    and is bound to carrier China Mobile, and

-the P1s (AU$153/US$110/£72), which is still available and open to the rest of
the world's radios.
The phone though comes with Pepsi branding, it is manufactured by
shenzhen-based Scooby Communication Equipment Co and it's sold via a
Crowdfunding campaign.
   

Siasia's Mother Kidnapped

Please Release My Mother - Siasia

Madam Siasia was kidnapped from her house in Odoni village, Sagbama local government area of Bayelsa state by armed men who stormed the family’s house in the early hours of today, November 17.

Siasia who informed that his mother was kidnapped by three men on a motorbike, stated that she was the sole carer of his elderly father, who is visually impaired.

Siasia is currently in Gambia with the under-23 squad for a training camp before the team takes on Senegal as part of the qualifiers for Rio De Janeiro next year.

He said: “I beg them to please release my mother so that I can concentrate on this task of qualifying the U23 national team for the men’s football event of the Rio Olympics.”

Meanwhile the Bayelsa state police command’s spokesperson ASP Ansinim Butswat, said the matter has been reported, but details still remain sketchy.

Siasia’s brother, Moses, is one of the contenders for the position of the Bayelsa state governor in the forthcoming December 5 governorship polls in the state under the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM).

Few days ago, Siasia’s Nigeria’s Olympic team escaped a plane crash on their way to Gambia for their final preparation ahead of the African U-23 Championship.

Ambode Urges Lagoscian To Remain Calm Over Scarcity Of Water

Ambode Urges Residents To Remain Calm Over Scarcity Of water

As the scarcity of water in Lagos State worsens, the state government has urged residents to remain calm as it is working hard to ensure that it delivers 773 million gallons of water a day by 2020.

The call comes just as several communities including the state capital, Ikeja, have been without water for over a week.

It was learnt that the cost of water being sold by vendors had risen.
According to a report by New York-based media company, Bloomberg, the Lagos State Water Corporation’s current capacity is 210 million gallons of water a day compared with the 540 million gallons needed by Lagosians.

The 210 million gallons of water can only meet the demand of seven million Lagosians out of the over 20 million residents.

However, the Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Babatunde Adejare, said in a statement on Monday that the challenges would soon come to an end.
He said the government understood the hardship Lagosians face every day over the scarcity of water.

Adejare attributed the challenge to technical hitches and explained that efforts were being made to address them.

“The state government is on top of the situation and I can assure residents of the state that before the week runs out, they will begin to enjoy regular water supply. The Lagos Water Corporation is working round the clock to address the technical hitches and we need to get it right once and for all,” Adejare said.

APC Deliberates On 5000 Stipend

APC N5,000 Promise

Immediately after the civil war in 1970, Gen. Yakubu Gowon purposed in his heart to introduce compulsory and free education for the estimated (then) six million primary school age children. By the time that registration ended, no fewer than 11 million children had been registered! The scheme had to be abandoned.

Now, the All Progressives Congress says that it wants to pay a monthly stipend of N5,000 to each of an estimated population of 25 million youths. Questions: 1. How did the party arrive at this figure in a country of nearly 200 million with unbridled population growth? 2. Where would the money come from? 3. What range would the party’s definition of youth be?

It’s human to err. Let the party think of a better and sustainable way to improve the lives of all Nigerians.

Sepp Blatter In Hospital After Body Breakdown

Blatter in hospital

Suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been admitted to hospital in Switzerland.

Blatter’s closest advisor, Klaus Stohlker, told Sky Sports the 79-year-old had been taken to hospital after he felt unwell last week.

Stohlker said Blatter was undergoing tests and had told him “his brain and heart were fine, but his body was letting him down”.

Stohlker said, “He is in hospital but he has just been told to relax for a few days and he will be back to work on Tuesday.

“His most important message is that he is fully preparing himself to go ahead with his fight against his 90-day suspension. He is deeply convinced that the ethics commission cannot force him out.

“He said to me yesterday, ‘I was elected president by the 209 members of the Congress and no commission can put me out of the game’. He’s fighting against this suspension.”

Stohlker added that Blatter said he had no involvement in the events surrounding Germany’s 2006 World Cup bid, which has led to the resignation of German FA president Wolfgang Niersbach.

Blatter, who announced he would stand down earlier this year, has been provisionally suspended by FIFA for 90 days after Swiss prosecutors questioned him as part of their investigation into football corruption.

List Of Awardees From The 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup

The List Of Awardees From The 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup

The winners of different award categories at the just concluded FIFA U-17 world cup have been announced.

Nigeria became only the second side to retain the FIFA U-17 World Cup with a 2-0 win against Mali in Vina Del Mar, with Victor Osimhen scoring his record-breaking tenth goal of Chile 2015.

Nigeria’s Kelechi Nwakali was named the most valuable player of the tournament, winning the golden ball in the process.

Victor Osimhen was awarded the silver ball for the send best player in the tournament while Aly Malle of Mali was given the bronze ball as the third best player at the tournament. Ecuador were awarded the FIFA fair play award while Mali’s Samuel Diarra was named Adidas golden glove winner.

Victor Osimhen won the Golden boot as the highest goal scorer with 10 goals, Johannes Eggestein of Germany was given the silver boot with 4 goals while Kelechi Nwakali with three goals and three assists was given the bronze boot.

Congratulations to the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria on there victory against Mali.

Epl Teams Scrambles To Sign The Highest Goal Scorer Of the On going FIFA U17 Championship

Top EPL Teams Scramble To Sign Victor Osimhen

Four English Premier League Clubs are scrambling to get the signature of Nigeria’s
Golden Eaglets striker, Victor Osimhen

Victor Osimhen celebrates a goal with his team mates at the FIFA U17 World Championship in Chile.

This would be attributed to the starlet’s striking prowess at the on-going FIFA U17 World Championship in Chile as he already found the back of the net eight times in five games and just needs a goal to equal the all-time highest number of goals at the youth competition, held by Florent Sinama Pongolle of France with nine goals which he achieved during the FIFA world cup event which took place at Trinidad and Tobago in 2001.

There are indications that top clubs from England including Manchester City, Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC are all monitoring the 16-year old Nigerian.

It would be recalled that Manchester City beat FC Porto to land Kelechi Iheanacho not long after he helped Nigeria win a record fourth title at the United Arab Emirates in 2013.

However, Coach Emmanuel Amunike has revealed to Complete Sports that no player in the Eaglets camp is suffering from any form of injury.

Amunike said this as his team prepares for the semi-final showdown against Mexico.

“I’ve always believed that our journey in this championship lies in the hand of God Almighty.

“It’s our determination to bring something worth celebrating for Nigerians at the end of the championship and the players are committed to doing just that.”

“We’re at a very crucial stage of the competition which calls for focus,” he said.

The ex Super Eagles winger also explained that his team will approach the match with all seriousness, stating that the South American team is a strong side.

“Mexico is a strong side, we already know that a tough game lies ahead of us.

“The good thing is that all the players are looking forward to the game.

The Golden Eaglets continue their quest to defend their title in Chile, when they face South American power-house, Mexico, for a place in the finals.

Caitlyn Jenner To Post Nude For Photoshoot.

Caitlyn Jenner To Go Nude For Photoshoot

Popular transgender, Caitlyn Jenner has a surprise for her fans!

The 66-year-old reality star is reportedly planning a nude photoshoot for an upcoming coffee table book.

“Caitlyn knows she needs to push the envelope. She loves coming up with creative ways to capture people’s attention and insists it’s all in aid of drawing more awareness towards transgender causes.

While the book will allegedly include shots of the former Olympian in “skimpy lingerie” and “kinky costumes”, the most exhilarating shoots are when she’s totally in the beige.

As for why she’s so inflexible to pose in her birthday suit, the insider says, “It’s really helping her come to terms with her new body. She wants to send a message to others that nudity is a wonderful form of therapy.

Senate Turns Down 5000 Monthly Stipend

Senate Turns Down 5,000 Monthly Allowance

The Nigerian Senate has, today, Wednesday, November 4, gone against the motion for the payment of N5,000 monthly allowance to unemployed youths in the country.


The motion which was sponsored by Sen. Philip Aduda (PDP FCT) was turned down by a massive shout of ‘’no, no’’ in the house. Even when the minority leader, Godswill Akpabio, decided to second the motion, it was disrupted by another rounds of ‘’no’’.

NAN reports that in order to intervene, the senate president, Bukola Saraki, asked the question but the senators responded along party lines. All Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members shouted ‘’aye’’ in support of the motion, while All Progressives Congress (APC) senators, who were in majority, rejected it.

After all said and done, Saraki urged all the senators not to play politics with the issue of unemployment in the country. He said: “We should stay above party line on this issue that is so important. We have seen growth in the last years but this has not translated to employment. Government alone cannot do it; the private sector has a role to play and the enabling environment must be created.

Toshiba To Sell Sensor Business To Sony

Toshiba to sell sensor business to Sony

Toshiba Corporation is set to sell its image sensor business to Sony Corp for around 20 billion yen ($164.68m) as part of a restructuring plan laid out earlier this year, sources with knowledge of the deal said on Saturday.

Toshiba, whose businesses range from laptops to nuclear power, is undergoing a restructuring after revelations this year that it overstated earnings by $1.3bn going back to fiscal 2008/2009, according to Reuters.

Image sensors, which are used in digital cameras and smartphones, are part of Toshiba’s system LSI semiconductor business. Toshiba plans to sell its image sensor manufacturing plant in Oita, southern Japan, and pull out of the sensor business altogether, said the sources, who declined to be identified.

The sale is likely to be finalised soon, the sources said.

Toshiba is considering several options for its system LSI semiconductor business and its discrete semiconductor business and that debate is ongoing, a Toshiba official said when contacted.

An official from Sony declined to comment.

Masashi Muromachi, who became Toshiba’s CEO following the accounting scandal, has promised to restructure lower-margin businesses.

The deal for the image sensor business would be the beginning of the restructuring, Nikkei reported earlier on Saturday.

Sony is already a dominant player in the image sensor market, with its products used in phones made by China’s Xiaomi and India’s Micromax Informatix Ltd.

How to Resolve Your BVN Challenges

GTbank Says How Customers Can Solve BVN Challenges

The management of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) has reacted to the current situation of anxious customers affected by the Bank Verification Number (BVN) deadline account lock-down.

Many bank customers have been affected by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) directive that all unregistered accounts within Nigeria be resticted from debit transactions, The Herald reports.

The bank responded by providing tips to help combat the difficulties associated with the situation.

Roger Federer Defeats Rival To Claim Trophy.

Roger Federer defeated long-time rival Rafael Nadal 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 on Sunday to win his seventh title at the Swiss Indoors as he played his home final for a record tenth consecutive year.

Federer and Nadal last met in an Australian Open semi-final nearly two years ago and played their last final in Rome in 2013, both of which Nadal won.

The 34-year-old Swiss, world number three behind Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, claimed the 88th title of his career.


The Basel trophy was his sixth of the season as he polished his record to 58-9.

“Rafa had a great week,” said Federer who finished with 12 aces and 44 winners.

“It was special for us to have had this match and I hope we play many more finals.

“To win this one is incredible; a match with Nadal is always special. It was very important for me.”

Federer’s victory was his 11th against Nadal, who still holds the upper hand with 23 wins.

The win in two hours in front of a charged-up crowd at the St Jakobshalle gave Federer his first victory over the Spaniard since his triumph in the semi-finals of the 2012 Indian Wells Masters, ending a five-match winning streak by the Spaniard.

Nadal had won 14 of their previous finals, with Federer claiming six.

But the Swiss has now improved to 5-1 against Nadal on indoor surfaces.

“It’s still been a fantastic week for me. It’s my fourth time here and I finally reached the final,” said 29-year-old Nadal.