Beijing unveils 'cool' Watercube swimming venue for Summer Olympics

BEIJING (AP) -- Organizers unveiled the "Watercube" swimming venue Monday, one of the more stunning structures built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Known officially as the National Aquatics Center, the Watercube has been dubbed the "cool" building of the Games. The building's design and its translucent, blue-toned outside skin make it look like a cube of bubbles -- like "bubble wrap."

"There are many different buildings in the world and I believe this could be one of the most significant sports venues," said Zheng Fang, an architect and chief of the design team for China Construction Design International.

Forty-two gold medals will be handed out at the Watercube during the Olympics, which start Aug. 8.

After a little more than three years of construction, the facility was officially handed over to the Beijing organizing committee, with President Liu Qi on hand.

Liu and Beijing mayor Guo Jin Long both dipped their hands into the competition pool and seemed satisfied at Monday's brief unveiling ceremony. Guo even put the pool water to his lips.

The venue has 6,000 permanent and 11,000 temporary seats. Like the 91,000-seat National Stadium -- the "Bird's Nest," which will be completed in March -- both are seen as works of art and will anchor the Olympic Green area.

While some argue the gargantuan "Bird's Nest" could become a white elephant, the Watercube has been built to be converted to a shopping area and leisure center with tennis courts, retail outlets, nightclubs and restaurants.

"This building was designed for use after the games," said John Pauline of PTW Architects, one of the lead architects on the Watercube. "We were looking at 30 or 40 years from now."

The outside skin is made of the Teflon-like material known as ETFE, or ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene. Composed of two layers, it's separated by an interior passage that allows the building to breathe like a greenhouse.

The maintenance could be complicated. At the unveiling it was clear the bubbles needed cleaning, soiled by Beijing's dirty air. Officials said this would take about a week and would be done periodically.

The exact cost of the building has been shrouded in secrecy, with estimates ranging from $150 million to more than $200 million. Much of the building was financed by $110 million in private contributions from people in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

There will be 37 venues for the Olympics. Beijing is the site of 31 -- 12 new, 11 that have been renovated, and eight built as temporary structures. Most are located in four clusters in the north of the city. Five more venues for soccer and sailing are located outside Beijing, and equestrian events will be held in Hong Kong.

"The building is very innovative in how it appears," said John Pauline, a lead architect with PTW. "The aesthetics are cutting edge. In that respect it's incredibly unique. It's also a very functional, a planned building. The building should work like clockwork for the Olympics games."

Organizers will stage a swim meet in the Watercube on Friday to test the facilities.

The Watercube and Bird's Nest are located several hundred meters yards across from each other, situated on either side of a "sacred" north-south axis and promises to shift development. The venues are five miles due north of Tiananmen Square -- the world's largest public plaza -- and the Forbidden City.

There will be 37 venues for the Olympics. Beijing is the site of 31 -- 12 new, 11 renovated, and eight temporary structures. Most are located in four clusters in the north of the city. Five more venues for soccer and sailing are located outside Beijing, and equestrian events will be held in Hong Kong.

The Watercube will host a test event this week. Though it hasn't drawn a top field, at least one swimmer can't wait to test the water.

"It's an important meet for me," said Swedish sprinter Stefan Nystrand. "I think it's great to be here since it's the same pool as the Olympics. I don't know why more top guys aren't showing up."

Spectacular Sky Show: Venus, Jupiter and the Moon

The most spectacular celestial sights over the next couple of weeks are reserved for the early morning sky. Two bright planets will converge, then be joined by the moon.

Kenneth L. Franklin (1923-2007), the former Chairman and Chief Astronomer at New York's Hayden Planetarium, would often make reference to our "dynamic and ever-changing sky."

Such an eloquent description certainly fits our current morning sky, for these final days of January and the first days of February will be an exceptional time for predawn sky watchers with a beautiful pairing of the two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter. They will appear closest together in the dawn sky of Friday, Feb. 1, and a few mornings later, the waning crescent moon will later drop by to join them.

Dazzling "double planet"

For the past several months, dazzling Venus has been prominent in our morning sky. And about a week ago, brilliant Jupiter also began to emerge from out of the glare of the Sun.

The two planets are currently rising out of the east-southeast horizon about two hours before sunrise.

From now through the end of January, the gap between the two will noticeably close, until on Feb. 1 they'll be separated by just over one-half degree, which is roughly the apparent width of the moon (The width of your fist, held at arm's length roughly corresponds to 10 degrees). Jupiter will shine brilliantly at magnitude -1.9, yet it will appear only 1/7 as bright as Venus, which will gleam at magnitude -4.0.

Together they will make for a spectacular "double planet" low in the dawn twilight. In the mornings thereafter they will appear to slowly separate, but before they have a chance to get too far apart the moon will join the picture.

Celestial summit meeting

At last quarter (half) phase on Jan. 30, the moon will stand alone, high toward the south at sunrise. But with each passing morning, as it wanes to a slender crescent, it will shift toward the east, ultimately into the same region of the sky as our two planets.

Early on Sunday morning, Feb. 3, the moon will sit well off to the west (right) of the planets. On the following morning, Monday, Feb. 4, the show will reach its peak when, about 45 minutes before sunrise, Venus, Jupiter and the moon — the three brightest objects of the night sky — will form a striking isosceles triangle, with the two planets 3 degrees apart and the moon marking the vertex of the triangle just over 5 degrees below the "dynamic duo."

Imagine the astrological significance that the ancients might have ascribed to a celestial summit meeting such as this!

You might want to check your southeast horizon in advance to make sure that there are no tall trees or buildings that might obstruct your view of the moon which will be sitting very low to the horizon.

Like a painting, this celestial tableau might, at first glance may appear rather flat and one-dimensional. But by gazing at this scene long enough, our minds can perhaps picture these objects strung out across the solar system, along our line of sight as they really are.

Beyond our moon — figuratively a stone's throw away at 247,000 miles (397,000 kilometers) — we first reach Venus, about 510 times farther out, or 126 million miles (203 million kilometers) from Earth. The lesser gem flanking Venus — Jupiter, largest of all the planets — is nearly 4 and a half times more distant than Venus at a distance of 560 million miles (901 million kilometers).

Generally speaking, at least for the immediate future, conjunctions between Venus and Jupiter will come in pairs. The first conjunction takes place in the morning sky, followed about 10 months later by another in the evening sky. Then, after about two and a half years, Venus and Jupiter are again in conjunction, again in the morning sky.

When Venus and Jupiter next get together, it will be in the evening sky late next fall, on Dec. 1. After that, we'll have to wait until May 2011 (morning sky) and Mar. 2012 (evening sky) for the next set of Venus-Jupiter conjunctions.

* Video Player: New Horizons - Jupiter Fly-by
* Venus Image Gallery
* Jupiter Image Gallery
* Online Sky Maps and More

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, New York.

* Original Story: Spectacular Sky Show: Venus, Jupiter and the Moon

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Tips to Feel Satisfied With Less Food

Did you know that simply changing the way you eat could help you to feel more satisfied after eating?

Notice I used the word satisfied, not full. There's a big difference. Full means, "I'm really stuffed." Satisfied is simply, "I'm no longer hungry."

Satisfaction is actually a learned feeling. Many of us in fact feel satisfied after eating only half of a meal, but we don't recognize that feeling because, instead of pausing, we go on and eat to fullness. I am still part of the clean-plate generation — that's just how we were brought up.

But now we need to change our thinking and learn to recognize what it feels like to be satisfied during a meal. If you stop when you are satisfied, you will eat less food.

Try some of these tips to help you feel more satisfied at meals:

* Use smaller plates and bowls. This trick actually fools your mind into thinking that you're getting more food. When you see a plate (no matter what size) brimming with food, you're already thinking, I am going to be satisfied after this meal! Smaller plates mean that your portion sizes will be smaller and you'll eat less food.
* Eat your meal slowly. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to get the message that you have eaten enough and to then communicate that feeling of satisfaction (or fullness!) to your stomach. Put your fork or spoon down between bites of food, talk with others at the table, chew your food thoroughly, and drink liquids during meals to slow your rate of eating.
* Drink plenty of non-calorie beverages each day. Interestingly, the feeling of thirst can sometimes impersonate that of hunger, so make sure you are drinking enough fluids every day.
* Change your eating schedule, or create one that works. Skipping or delaying meals can result in overeating. If you skip meals often, try to eat on more of a schedule. You will then feel more satisfied with what you do eat.
* Enjoy your food. Take the time at meals to simply enjoy what you are eating. Taking pleasure in what you eat will help you feel more satisfied.

Actors who died in their 20s

Ten actors, like Heath Ledger, who died in their 20s:


• James Dean, 24, died Sept., 30, 1955, after an automobile crash on the highway near Paso Robles, Calif.

• Sharon Tate, 26, was murdered Aug. 9, 1969, by followers of Charles Manson in Los Angeles.

• Freddie Prinze, 22, died Jan. 29, 1977, after shooting himself in Los Angeles.

• Jon-Erik Hexum, 26, died Oct. 18, 1984, after accidentally shooting himself with a prop gun in Los Angeles.

• Rebecca Schaeffer, 21, was murdered July 18, 1989, by stalker Robert John Bardo in Los Angeles.

• Brandon Lee, 28, died March 31, 1993, after accidentally being shot on the set of "The Crow" in Wilmington, N.C.

• River Phoenix, 23, died Oct. 31, 1993, from a drug overdose outside of a night club in Los Angeles.

• David Strickland, 29, died March 22, 1999, after hanging himself in a hotel room in Las Vegas.

• Jonathan Brandis, 27, died Nov. 12, 2003, from injuries he suffered after hanging himself in Los Angeles.

• Brad Renfro, 25, died Jan. 15, 2008, the day after reportedly spending the previous evening drinking with friends.

Seattle Starbucks tests $1 coffee, free refills

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp is testing $1 coffee and free refills in its Seattle outlets as the global gourmet coffee chain grapples with slower consumer spending and rising competition from fast-food rivals.

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Company shares were up at midday on the Nasdaq, rising 2.3 percent, or 43 cents, to $19.11.

Starbucks is experimenting with a smaller, "short" $1 cup as well as free refills for brewed coffee. Starbucks charges around $1.50 to $4.00 for a coffee, depending on size and flavor.

In a statement, Starbucks said, "This test is not indicative of any new business strategy."

The company said testing is part of its ongoing business and that the company will not comment on specifics of its test campaigns until a final decision is made.

Shares in Starbucks have lost around half their value over the past year amid worries about U.S. consumer spending, over-expansion and competition from fast-food rivals such as McDonald's Corp (NYSE:MCD - News) that offer specialty coffees.

Regular coffee prices at both McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts, a unit of Dunkin' Brands Inc., start in the low $1 range.

Starbucks announced a management reshuffle earlier this year, bringing Howard Schultz back into the chief executive position. It also said it would close underperforming U.S. outlets and speed up international growth.

Starbucks has around 15,000 stores around the world including over 10,000 in the United States.

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight is an upcoming American superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman. The film is a direct sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, which rebooted the Batman franchise after an eight-year hiatus. Christopher Nolan, director of Batman Begins, continues as the director of the sequel, in which Christian Bale reprises his role as Batman. The character becomes more of a detective in The Dark Knight, as he deals with the escalation of the situation from the end of Batman Begins as personified by the Joker, portrayed by Heath Ledger. He also deals with the dilemma of his vigilante crusade, and his friendship with district attorney Harvey Dent, played by Aaron Eckhart.

Nolan was initially unsure of returning for the sequel, but eventually decided upon creating a new interpretation of the Joker, based on the villain's original appearances in comic book lore. The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in Chicago, as had been done for Batman Begins, as well as several other locations in and outside the United States. The director also used an IMAX camera to film four major action sequences, including the Joker's first appearance. The Batsuit was redesigned, with a cowl allowing Bale to move his head, and a recreation of the Batcycle known as the Batpod will be introduced.

The studio undertook a viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight in which websites were created so Batman fan collaboration would reveal items such as new screenshots from the film. The film will also be marketed by selling related toys and an animated direct-to-DVD anthology titled Batman: Gotham Knight that is set between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight will be released on July 18, 2008 in the United States and on July 25, 2008 in the United Kingdom.

Gadgets.Gadgets.Gadgets.Gadgets

PC Sahara TufTab with LCD touch screen



If you own a laptop you probably are familiar with the worries you have to put up with when traveling with your computer. If don’t have a desk job you and your computer is not safe strapped to your office desk then you are aware of the special precautions for your laptop when, for instance it is raining, you are traveling on a dusty road, living in a humid climate or are on a bumpy ride. Well, that means the guys from Tablet Kiosk were thinking of you when they designed the heavy-duty portable PC Sahara TufTab.

Equipped with an Intel Celeron 1.0GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM, the Sahara TufTab is not only all muscles but has brains too. It is able to connect through Bluetooth, it is highly secured by fingerprint scanning and its 12.1” LCD touch screen has a feature that’s lacking most laptops, you can see the writing even under bright sun-light.

It weighs no more then 1.7 kg. You can carry it around using a hand strap. It has Windows Microsoft XP preinstalled but also has an extra option of installing SUSE Linux. The prices begin with 2.099$.


Motorola Sunpower



All of todays cell phones are equipped with a rechargeable battery. One of the most important features is how long your battery will hold, both while you are using the phone and while it is on stand-by.

And don’t you hate it when it runs off exactly when your boss wanted to call you about that promotion, or when that party you had to go to was canceled but your phone was dead so you ended up being the goose?

Well, apparently these kind of things happened also to the guys from Motorola, because they decided to develop the first cell-phone that is rechargeable on solar energy. Well it seems like this phone recharges itself taking energy from the sun through his LCD screen. Not to mention that alternative energy sources such as solar energy are the energy sources of the future. It sounds like Motorola have bought themselves place there.