Sky Runner

This post proposes the use of a key biological concept - broad classification - to teach the provisional and contested nature of science in school biology curricula. It also examines existing curriculum-related factors which might pose obstacles to implementing such a change. An investigation in South Africa highlights the problems regarding biological classification at the kingdom level of 50 biology students entering one university. Using interviews, questionnaires and document analysis, factors thought to affect learners' ideas were investigated, including the understanding of the changing and contested nature of scientific knowledge of a range of biology educators. The students lacked knowledge of the concept of a biological kingdom, and showed archaic thinking about the number of kingdoms. Many of the teachers held similar views, used outmoded classification systems in their teaching, and were unaware of the history of changes in biological systems. A review of two relevant syllabus and five textbooks revealed insufficient, inaccurate, inconsistent and/or contradictory information about biological classification systems and how they change with time. Three potential problems associated with curriculum innovation are discussed.

The most awaited Tamil film of the decade "Endhiran, the Robo" has released with Rajini thala's resounding punch line "Happy Diwali folks".

An Out N Out SHANKAR'S movie!

Director Shankar comes with an Ento-sci-fi-thriller (Entertaining science fiction) ride and that’s "Endhiran" for you under the Sun Pictures banner produced by Kalanidhi Maran. His trump card is Superstar Rajnikanth along with five assets being World's beauty Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as the heroine, AR Rahman for his expertise, Rathnavelu for cinematography, Variramuthu lyrics and one whole Ace for his team that developed the special effects. The director, called captain of the movie is really a gifted person and has hard work, he can still bring to us his 10 years dream project which is about few years advance from now itself.

Superstar (A.K.A) Chitti 2.0 has given his best. Am sure that Rajnikanth is the man who will never cease to amaze you! Your age doesn’t really matter because you will be in awe of the man! In a movie which shows signs of visual effects riding in the driver’s seat, the Superstar dominates every bit to walk away with appreciation! No favoritism here, you just can’t stop talking about him, once you come out. As a scientist, he plays his part uncharacteristically Rajni without Punch dialogues or fights but as ‘Chitti – the Robot’ you are bound to follow him or even turn an addict. Also, the graphic sequences have mesmerized the viewers. The special effects in the film are so life like that one fan challenged to run a contest to identify the graphics sequences with a million dollar prize money. ARR’s songs which are already a rage sit well on the film, adding to the entertainment quotient. Chiti chiti Robo..

Aish is amazing and truly an epitome of beauty. She forms an important part in the script and hence you will spot her throughout the movie, perhaps for the first time a heroine is receiving considerable importance in the superstar’s movie. The marvelous costumes add to her allure and she’s just majestic in few scenes. She has done a good role throughout. Overall, the Endhiran movie is open to everyone. Please watch chitti as a robot and not as a human or a 60yrs old Rajini. I dont't support the 2nd half of the movie. It was out and out mokkai for the first hour after the interval. Though Santhanam and Karunas have done a small role, the comedy sequences are good.

Vasi, Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhh.................!!!!

The Robot Soccer World Cup is divided into five divisions, starting with the Simulation league. This is for sophisticated computer games without the robot hardware, but with each team comprising eleven autonomous software programs called agents. The Small Robot league is five-aside on a 6.05 x 4.05m ‘field’, while the Middle Size Robot league plays teams of six on an 18 x 12m field. The Humanoid league caters for autonomous robots with a human-like body plan that e programmed with senses that duplicate those of real people. In this league, unlike the smaller ones above, the tasks of perception and world modeling are not simplified by programming. Then there’s the Standard Platform league, where all players have identical hardware and only the optimum computer programming can produce the winning advantage. These robots are fully autonomous on the field, having no external control. Despite the game format, Robot-cup 2010 is a serious business. Robotics teams from leading universities that include Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Oxford University and Osaka University are showing what the latest robot football stars can do.

A robot is an automatic device that performs functions normally ascribed to human or a machine in the form of a human. Robotics involves a scientific study of robots. Basically there are two types of robots - fixed and mobile. At present robots are present in almost every field of work. Robots have become more and more popular in industrial and other fields and work faster than human beings. Robots can operate in any situation, even ones too uncomfortable or dangerous for humans to work in. Today, robots are taking over most of the manipulative, hazardous and tedious jobs in factories, mines, atomic plants, space ships, deep-sea vessels, etc. from man.

In India, the interest in robots and robotics began during 1980s. Works on robotics began in advanced educational institutions and research centers such as the Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Bhabha Atomic Research Center, etc. Robots have been developed for welding, spray painting, radioactive fuel handling operations and so on. There are also some very small nano-metric-sized robots called nano-machines and some large ones like robonauts. All these are first generation robots and the second generation of robots, expected to arrive by 2015, would be truly versatile and intelligent as chimpanzees.