In the year 2000 there weren't many options for observing traffic. Either a system was intended to look at the flow of traffic by examining the progress in real time from a helicopter or high vantage point and report to radio and television stations and make mathematical projections, or systems were left that sensed the speed and frequency of moving traffic. But since that time, the systems have gotten more advanced. And not IBM is announcing a computer system that will not only track the progress of traffic, but even predict the future.

With busy schedules, places to be, and longer commutes to get into the city, many in the suburbs are effected intensely by the sudden crowding on the highways during rush hours. And to make matters worse, there are always accidents, breakdowns, and other road blocks that threaten to grind
the roadways down to a halt altogether. If there's one feeling of desperation many people feel they can relate to when it comes to traffic it's being in a complete gridlock and knowing they were supposed to be somewhere fifteen minutes ago. But now IBM is announcing a project they have undertaken with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority that will make roadways run smoother and more efficiently. The so called Smart Transportation initiative promises to use technology to solve this problem. The program actually predicts traffic patterns long before the cars are anywhere near the area, with incredible success at predicting road congestion up to an hour before it even takes place. This is long before many commuters are even on the road.

The system promises to make announcements to commuters, forecasting through traditional means such as radio and television, but can also be used in GPS navigation systems. Even when few cars are visible on the road, the system is said to predict the patterns of vehicles by taking a collection of information from GPS systems (which are present in many phones and vehicles), events taking place nearby, weather patterns, and other systems. This information is fed through a complex program and the results are eerily accurate. This "psychic" prediction is not part of a massive supercomputer either. Though it may seem only a computer capable of eventually becoming self aware and declaring war on the human race would be capable of such complex calculations, IBM announces that its system will be able to run on a standard computer system. Of course the closer it comes to "crunch time" the more accurate the system will be. Within 20 minutes a fair estimation becomes a prediction and within 10 minutes it is even more accurate.

The secret, according to programmers, is that the new system will be more elastic and nimble than traditional projection software. In time perhaps this will be translated over to other concepts that can make predictions about the weather or even the stock market with a fair amount of accuracy. The system is expected to start changing highway efficiency in some areas later this year, but if it works well it could possibly be used nationwide.

1.Tiger - Panthera tigris
The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest of all cats. The tiger is one of four species that belong to the genus Panthera, more commonly referred to as the 'roaring cats'. Tigers are solitary animals that prefer the cover of dense vegetation—a habitat in which they can stalk their prey. Their range once extended throughout India
and southeastern Asia, from the Caspian Sea to northern China and Siberia. The tiger's coat is orange with black stripes and white markings on its face, chest, and underside. Eight subspecies of tiger have been identified, though three of those subspecies have been extinct since the 1950s. The extinct subspecies include the Caspian, Javan, and Bali tigers.
2.Lion - Panthera leo
The lion (Panthera leo) is the second largest cat species and, like the tiger, is a member of the genus Panthera. Lions have a buff-colored coat, white underparts, and a long tail that ends in a black tuft of fur. Today, lions inhabit the savanna regions of sub-Saharan Africa. There is also a relic population of less than 300 lions that live in the Gir forest in the northwestern corner of India. Lions form groups known as prides that include 2 to 40 individuals. Prides generally consist of a group of related females that are joined by several males that take over the pride and remain with it for several years before being replaced by competing males. Lions hunt in groups and often take down prey species that greatly outsize them.
3.Jaguar - Panthera onca
Panthers, also called jaguars, (Panthera onca) are the world's third largest species of cat, only lions and tigers are larger. Adults weigh between 100 and 250 lbs and measure about 4 ft in length. Jaguars are usually tan with black rosettes (a ring of spots with another spot in the center). They live in a variety of different habitats including dense rainforest, scrubland, and grasslands. Their range extends from the souther parts of Arizona and New Mexico through central America to northern Argentina and northeastern Brazil. Jaguars, alongside lions, leopards, and tigers, belong to genus Panthera.
4.Leopard - Panthera pardus
The leopard (Panthera pardus) is the most widely distributed member of the genus Panthera. The present-day range of the leopard includes Africa, the Near and Middle East, southern Asia, and the Malaysian archipelago. Leopards are secretive and mostly solitary cats that inhabit a wide range of habitats including lowland forests, savannahs, mountains, scrublands, and deserts. The leopard's coat has a background color of pale, cream-yellow on its underside that darkens slightly to an orange-brown on its back. Solid black spots adorn its limbs and head, smaller and denser than the golden, umber-centered rosettes that cover its back and sides. The leopard's tale has irregular patches that, at the tip of the tale, become dark-ringed bands.
5.Snow Leopard - Panthera uncia
The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is a large species of cat that roams the mountain ranges of central and southern Asia. The snow leopard is well adapted for the cold temperatures of its high-altitude habitat. It has a plush coat of fur that grows quite long—the fur on its back grows to one inch in length, the fur on its tail is two inches long, and the fur on its belly reaches three inches in length.

6.Mountain Lion - Puma concolor
Mountain lions (Puma concolor) once roamed most of North America, from east to west coast. Their range also extended from southern Argentina and Chile all the way to southeastern Alaska. Sadly, hunting and habitat destruction decimated their populations and confined their range to parts of western North America and a small population in Florida.
7.Cheetah - Acinonyx jubatus
The cheetah is the world's fastest land animal. Cheetahs can achieve speeds of up to 60mph but they can only maintain these bursts for short periods of time. Their sprints often last at most 10-20 seconds. Cheetahs depend on their speed to survive. The animals on which they prey—such as gazelles, young wildebeest, impala, and hares—are also fast, agile animals. To catch a meal, cheetahs must be quick.

Created by German artist H.A. Schult, the Trash People, or Schrottarmee, are human figures made of different kinds of trash.You probably didn’t know this, but there’s an army out there, hell-bent on conquering the world. Each year, it travels to a different location and makes its existence known to the world. But you mustn’t worry, unlike other conquering forces, the Trash Army has peaceful intentions.

The Trash People of H.A. Schult first appeared in 1996, at an amphitheater in Xanten, Germany. They were part of a local art exhibition, but after the idea of traveling around the world was born, the Trash People became an international attraction that showed up in locations like Moscow’s Red Square, The Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Giza, Rome, Barcelona, and even the Arctic.
Well known for his action art, and using trash as an art medium, H.A. Schult has created 1,000 Trash People out of everyday garbage we humans produce. From Coke and bear cans, to crushed electronics, the Trash people are a representation of our waste society. Every time they show up, grouped in their trademark lines, they remind passers-by that ““We produce trash, are born from trash, and will turn back into trash.”, as their creator himself says.

With rumors flying that Lady Gaga is intensely interested in the occult, the musician is quickly gaining notoriety as this generation's connection to the strange and otherworldly. And yet her outfits are not the only thing that seem to be gaining her a reputation as a savant of the strange. It would seem her fascination and sensitivity to the concept of death has sent her searching for equipment that will assist her in both understanding and avoiding "negative energy"


Lady Gaga is rumored to have told those around her that a mysterious energy is following her. Some have even used the term "evil spirits." But the forces at work here are not simply following her. They are actually interfering with the musician's ability to perform while off stage. Dan Webb, an aid of hers has said that the kit she brought manifests energy everywhere she goes so the paranormal phenomena appears to be emanating from Lady Gaga herself. With the assistance of Electromagnetic Radiation detectors and other implements of ghost detection. Temperatures are reported to fluctuate in Gaga's presence, and the musician herself reports that she was afraid that she may have had a mental breakdown.

Some are reportedly concerned over the hauntings. There is a long history of hauntings associated with famous musicians. Elvis Presley, throughout his life said he was in constant contact with his twin brother who died long before he was born. But this energy following Lady Gaga is apparently of a more "sinister" nature. She reportedly was so concerned with the apparitions appearing to her, she thought she had somehow developed a mental imbalance, but was relieved when others around her also reported seeing strange happenings in her presence. There is no confirmation that the strange activity has subsided since her taking a more proactive role in response to the activity. The "bad energy" may still be following her on tour, or it may have been successfully dealt with by the tools and the cleansing she has begun to use.

Being called the "ghostbuster device" by the general media, she will no doubt be considered an eccentric for its use, but those who have lived with the presence of spiritual energy they cannot explain will not be adding anything but sympathy and well wishes for the star as she puts on her poker face for the skeptics out there.

Other celebrities who have been haunted by ghosts are Sammy Hagar, Janis Joplin, Nicholas Cage, Keanu Reeves, Matthew McCaunoghey, Dan Aykroyd of Ghostbusters fame, and scores more. Uma Thurmon was driven from the house of her dreams by a mysterious entity that haunted her and her husband Ethan Hawke. Ex Beatle Paul McCartney along with the two other surviving Beatles reported the ghost of John Lennon appearing around them and causing his usual brand of mischief. It seems fame is not something that will protect you from the paranormal, though it may give you the resources to deal with the problem in more ways than the average person.

The unmanned Hayabusa space probe built to fly off and intercept the asteroid Itokawa is now on its way back home after firing off the final rocket that will bring the craft back home. JAXA, the Japanese Space Agency has been very ambitious in both its exploration of space and its planning of future projects, such as the Lunar robot base it hopes to have built by 2020.

The probe first visited Otokawa in 2005, but ran into some difficulty after a technical error in its hardware resulted in it being unable to communicate with Earth for an extended period of time. After a long period of held breaths and waiting to see if the satellite would be able to recover it is now heading back
to Earth with a possible interesting cargo in tow. Scientists are suggesting that if the probe was a success, it will be able to bring back material from the asteroid and give us a clear view of a sampling of its composition. Of course without any way to confirm if it actually acquired the sample from the asteroid, scientists will have to depend on its safe arrival back on Earth in order to confirm whether or not it contains pieces of Itokawa.

After a leak in the rocket engines emptied out the tanks, the Hayabusa was prepared and used its ion engine thrusters to carry it the rest of the way home. There was some doubt that an ion based engine would work, but the solar sails turned light into electricity, which was then turned into a stream of ions which propelled the craft forward to its destination, albeit far slower.

The second Trajectory Correction Maneuver successfully guided the spacecraft on a course for Earth's "outer rim." The hope is it will be able to move from that position to the Earth's surface and give us insight into the resources of a slow moving nearby asteroid.

But the entire vessel will not be entering Earth's atmosphere. As Jaxa officials explained, the only part that is necessary will be the "sample return capsule" which will be jettisoned from the craft before it enters the atmosphere. The probe will at this point have shed most of its original body and return to Earth with its mission accomplished after five long years. The touchdown of the craft was never captured on film, but it did so amid the mathematical estimations and sensors from Jaxa's ground control in 2005. And prior to its return mission it spent another two years actually getting from Earth to the asteroid. On May 09, 2003 the "Falcon" was launched from Kagoshima Space Center after years of planning and research. Clearly, this is the final stage in a great number of scientific achievements. And soon we will know if it actually paid off with a sample from an asteroid.

But even if it doesn't, the craft still made great discoveries from far off as it scanned the surface and studied it electronically. Ultimately, whether the Hayabusa was a success, it has already proven it was worth the funding based on the data it sent back. Now we just have to see if it is worth more.

JAXA, the Japanese space agency has announced it has plans to build the first functional Lunar base by the year 2020. The moon base has been a dream of science fiction writers for decades now, but Japan says no humans will be at this research lab.The humanoid robots designed in Japan are some of the most cutting edge advanced on the market today. And yet even these will be dwarfed in ability by what is projected to come in the next ten years. Power systems, articulation, and information processing will allow the robots of the future to be more capable in their environments, require less information to function, and have more advanced automated systems to help them take care of emergency situations should they lose contact with Earth for moments or even days.


One of the most important technologies that will have to be developed in the near future will be power supply and collection. The robots proposed for the Lunar base will largely acquire their electrical power from solar cells, which will feed battery reserves. Because the base will be located at the moon's North Pole, there will be long periods of sunlight that the robots would be able to take advantage of. Unfortunately, there will also be the prospect of Lunar eclipses for the moon to deal with. Of course the power supplies will have to be substantial enough for them to survive through these periods of darkness. And speaking of times of darkness, it appears the block on robotics that has been plaguing the 21st century is quickly coming to an end. As Japan's robotics industry booms, for the first time robots are being accepted by the mainstream of society in order to do jobs beyond the assembly line. Already Japan has implemented the use of robots to greet travelers, help around the home, and even perform wedding ceremonies. But will they be able to sustain themselves for long periods of time far from Earth?

The average weight of the robots is projected to be around 660 lbs. Rather than legs which have many moving parts and therefore many opportunities for problems, they will depend upon massive treads that will grip the ground and push them along the Lunar surface. And will humans eventually join their alloy allies? For now there aren't any concrete plans for humans to inhabit this particular moon base, but the research from the surface of the moon will be of great value to anyone who wishes to consider a long-term stay on the moon's surface. This would go for Japanese explorers, or those of any nationality.

Recently it was proposed that the pursuit of alloys may be of great interest to space agencies and mining operations in space if specific rare minerals come into great demand and resources on Earth dwindle. An asteroid could potentially contain trillions of dollars worth of natural resources unobtainable on Earth, but in order to pursue this it would require a better understanding of how to extract minerals through robotic means.