Dextre Transferred To ISS Space Station Successfully
Cape Canaveral, Florida- Another shuttle mission has ended, this time a record-breaking mission of 16 days.
The Shuttle Endeavor accomplished many tasks during its stay at the International Space Station including the installation of a highly anticipated new robotic arm. The arm manufactured and designed by ISS partner and ally Canada is named Dextre.
The new robotic Dextre arm promises to assist in moving large objects on the International Space Station from the safety of the ISS cabin, without having to venture out on dangerous space walks.
The robot is a 3,400 pound, 12 foot long huge item, but could be installed without a lot of fuss. Over the next year the robot arm will be gradually ran through its paces, and it promises to fill a huge need on the International Space Station.
The Shuttle Endeavor touched town safely at 8:40pm in a rare nighttime landing at the Kennedy Space Center. The mission accomplished a number of objectives besides the installation of the robotic Dextre arm. A Japanese laboratory was installed, as well as a number of other mission objectives.
This shuttle trip to the International Space Station is the longest at 16 days since the construction of the ISS began. There were five spacewalks completed during the mission. “The Space Station is an international effort, we now have a world based space flight program in cooperation here at the International Space Station,” said Dr. Michael Griffin.
Dr. Michael Griffin is the head administrator for NASA.
Revolutionary Bit Torrent Television Program Limited By ISPs
Manitoba- The continued controversy over the practice of regulating traffic on the Internet continues, as the new television program released on the Internet has ran into some snags in reaching the public.
The bottleneck appears to be occurring because of a practice that Canadian Bell Telephone Company and some of the Canadian Internet Service Providers are using, called Traffic shaping. This is the practice of limiting the amount of bandwidth available for users, and is directly interfering with CBC-TV’s attempt to legally release their program.
Canadian Broadcasting Company made history on Sunday night when they released to the Internet the program “Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister,” and made it available for viewing. But there was one problem.
Many viewers in the home nation of Canada cant access the program.
CBC-TV announced last week to great fanfare that they were using the Bit Torrent technology to release, for free, the complete last episode of the popular Canada game show to the Internet. Such a broad based television program, in high definition, has not been done on as yet on the North American continent.
Norway has explored such an Internet release of point-to-point television programming, but it has not been explored yet in North America. So the CBC effort is truly history in the making.
After the program was released to the Internet on Sunday following the live airing of the program, hundreds of users reported that there were problems.
Customer complaints, and blog technology sites both report that customers are reporting severely long download times, and in some cases error messages saying that the downloads cannot go through. One user was told it would take 11 hours for the program to download, another was told over 2 hours.
Los Angeles - Britney’s little sister Jamie Lynn Spears is engaged, according to one of her fiance’s cousins.
The 16-year-old singer, who confirmed that she was pregnant in December, is reportedly getting hitched to her boyfriend and baby daddy Casey Aldridge.
She was spotted this week wearing a hefty diamond ring.
Spears, the star of the Disney’s ‘Zoey 101′, sparked a debate late last year after it was announced that she was expecting her first child.
Los Angeles - The votes are in and Chikezie’s time on American Idol has ended.
Chikezie was voted off the hit FOX reality show on Wednesday night after the most votes so far this season were cast.
Chikezie sang “If Only For One Night” by Luther Vandross. Simon said the performance was “cheesy” while Randy thought it was too “old school.” Of course Paula loved it, saying he did a great job.
Jason Castro and Syesha were also in the bottom three this week. (more…)
Los Angeles - As of this March 25, People Magazine reported that Jamie Lynn Spears is now engaged to her long-time boyfriend Casey Aldridge. Jamie Lynn, 16, revealed to the public about her pregnancy last November. She and Aldridge, 18, are expecting to have the new baby anytime this summer. According to People Magazine, there have been no confirmations as to the date of their wedding.
Jamie Lynn starred in the Nickelodeon hit teen show, “Zoey 101” which ran from 2005 to 2008. Producers from the show have already expressed their support for the teenage girl, and that they respect her and her family’s decision on the matter of her pregnancy. Last February, Jamie Lynn was also reported to have received her high school diploma after completing and passing her GED exam. She is hoping to take the ACT college entrance test next. (more…)
Saskatchewan - A Canadian man who was facing charges of abduction in regard to an Internet affair involving an underage 14 year old Swift Current girl now faces additional charges.
Daniel George Nickolson, aged 41 years, allegedly met an underage 14-year-old girl on the Internet, and arranged to meet her in real life. After talking for some time on the Internet, police allege that Nickolson met the girl, and was transporting her to Windsor.
The girl went missing after sneaking out her bedroom window, causing her mother to report her missing. After investigation, which began on March 18th, her mother, Kirstine Renz found a note written in farewell, and an open window.
The girl snuck out and took a taxicab that had Daniel Nickolson in it already. The two then traveled by public bus from the Swift Current area toward Winnepeg, about nine hours distance away. Police caught up to the pair later almost in Winnepeg. (more…)
Man Rushed To Hospital And Set To Undergo Emergency Surgery
Toronto- After robbing a bank, a man was shot as he attempted to leave the bank. Police responding to a silent alarm were waiting for him as he attempted to exit the bank.
A man carrying two bags exited the Royal Bank on Sheppard Avenue in Toronto was shot by police about 3pm on Tuesday. The man claimed to have an explosive device on him and witnesses from inside the bank identified him as the man who had just robbed the bank.
The identity of the robber has not been released, but the man appears to be perhaps in his mid 40’s, and after being shot he was rushed to Sunnybrook Hospital under police guard and escort.
It is still early in the investigation, but the apparent situation involves what witnesses describe as three shots fired toward the suspect by Toronto Police as the suspect was attempting to leave the bank facility.
The suspect was holding two bags in his arms when he was shot, one white and one black.
Emergency Toronto Task Force members combed the area after the shooting, but did not find any explosives or explosive devices. The only indication of any sort of explosive device or timer appears to be a garage door opener, which the suspect had brandished when inside the bank.
Investigation into this incident continues, and as of last Tuesday the street the bank was on was closed to facilitate the investigation.
Miami - A high school cheerleader from Florida has died of complications from a breast augmentation, according to media reports Tuesday.
No cause of death has been determined for 18-year-old Stephanie Kuleba who was set to enter the pre-med program at the University of Florida this fall, but her family attorney says that doctors believe Kuleba died of a rare and potentially deadly genetic reaction to general anesthesia known as malignant hyperthermia, which sends the body into shock.
“The surgery itself was very personal,” said Benny Perlman, a friend of Kuleba’s who spoke on behalf of her grieving family Monday night. “She passed away from complications during surgery.
“She was a wonderful person and she changed all our lives.” (more…)
Researchers in Canada Discover Practice Increases Aggressive Traits
Victoria, B.C.- Many people in the world of Dog Breeding are adherents to the practice of bobbing, or docking the tail on dogs. That is the practice of cutting the tail off or trimming it very short, for show purposes in many cases.
Researchers working in Victoria British Columbia have discovered that the practice robs the animal of the ability to communicate, and often leads to increased aggressive behaviors in the dog. They discovered that other dogs would deal with a docked tail with a lot more caution, as they cannot tell what is happening or the reaction of the first dog.
Graduate Student Steve Leaver, and biologist Tom Reimchen, both of the University of Victoria has found that the practice of bobbing a dog’s tail leads to more aggression and remote behaviors. (more…)
Computer Technician Reveals Flaw In Security
Vancouver- Many people feel secure in posting information and files on the popular Facebook web site, but as it was revealed early this week it might not be that secure.
Byron Ng, a computer technician revealed that it was possible to access private files that were supposed to be secure on Facebook. Mr. Ng is a computer technician who lives and works in Vancouver B.C. He went looking for security flaws when Facebook announced recently that it was free from security flaws.
While some see the actions of people such as Byron Ng as hacking, in reality it is not so. Mr. Ng looked for a breach, and when he found it he announced it first privately to the company, and then to the world at large. (more…)