YeinJee's Asian Journal

Some interesting links…

Japanese astronaut to test whether boomerang comes back in space

Japanese astronaut Takao Doi is set to throw a boomerang inside the International Space Station in March to test how it flies, after receiving training from a world boomerang champion.

EDGE Amphibians – the world’s weirdest creatures just got weirder [via]

ZSL EDGE programme is today launching the EDGE Amphibians conservation and fundraising initiative, which highlights some of the world’s most extraordinary creatures currently threatened with extinction. This year ZSL scientists have assessed all amphibian species according to how Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) they are.

Zimbabwe releases $10 million bill

Plagued by hyperinflation of over 50,000% a year, Zimbabwe’s central bank recently decided to issue $10 million notes– believed to be the highest denomination of currency in the world today. The bill is worth less than US$4.

Mercury’s unseen side is revealed… (large photo)

The first pictures taken by the Messenger probe as it passed Mercury on Monday have started to arrive at Earth.

Contact lenses with circuits, lights a possible platform for superhuman vision [via]

Engineers at the University of Washington have for the first time used manufacturing techniques at microscopic scales to combine a flexible, biologically safe contact lens with an imprinted electronic circuit and lights.

Giant palm tree puzzles botanists [via]

Botanists have discovered a new species of giant self-destructing palm on the island of Madagascar.

Ancient “Lost City” Discovered in Peru

Ruins recently discovered in southern Peru could be the ancient “lost city” of Paititi, according to claims that are drawing serious but cautious response from experts.

Manned Cloud by Jean-Marie Massaud [via]

Manned Cloud is an alternative project around leisure and travelling in all its form, economic and experimental, still with the idea of lightness, human experience and life scenarios as the guiding principles.

Apple has developed an ultra-slim MacBook Air laptop computer that is dubbed as the world’s leanest laptop; Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the new product on Jan 15 at the MacWorld Expo 2008 in San Fransisco.

The MacBook Air has a ‘thinness’ of 0.16 to 0.76 inches (0.4-1.94 cm); so thin that it can actually fit into a manila envelope. Besides the slimness, MacBook Air is a full size notebook (13.3-inch widescreen) with the latest tech specs, and weigh at approximately 1.36 kg.

MacBook Air (Image courtesy of Apple)

This cool gizmo ain’t coming cheap though; it would cost the Mac enthusiasts US$1799 to enjoy the privelege of owning the world’s leanest laptop.

Tata Motors has unveiled the world’s cheapest motor car on Jan 10 at India’s biggest car show in the capital, Delhi. The vehicle, called the Tata Nano, will sell for 100,000 rupees or US$2,500 and enable those in developing countries to move to four wheels. [BBC]

Why is Tata Nano so cheap?

Environmental critics (as expected) have said that the car will lead to mounting air pollution problems on India’s already clogged roads. Sounds true, but who are us to deny others the leisure to own their cars when we are driving one of our own? I bet that those environment critics are car owners too.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has joined military training with the Danish Home Guard.

Princess Mary in military training (Image courtesy of Kronprinsparret and Steen Brogaard)

Mary, who will celebrate her 36th birthday next month, is following in the footsteps of her husband, heir to the Danish throne Crown Prince Frederik, who has undergone extensive military training.

Frederik, 39, has trained in all three services and remains active in Denmark’s defence force. He is a commander, senior grade, in the navy; a lieutenant colonel in the army and a lieutenant colonel in the air force.

When Mary’s basic training is completed she will be attached to the Army Home Guard in Copenhagen. The weapon she is seen with in the photos is the standard weapon of the Danish Army and Home Guard, an M95 with scope which she will learn how to use, strip and clean.

[SMH and Danish Royal Watchers]

Graziano Cecchini, the guerilla artist who infamously turned Trevi Fountain into a red pool last October, has stroked again.

Cecchini released half a million of coloured plastic balls from the top of the Spanish Steps in Rome on Wednesday (Jan 16)… a prank similar to the famous Sony Bravia commercial.

Cecchini said that he had done the stunt to raise the profile of Burma and the Karen people. He and his three other ‘compatriots’ are later arrested.

The Karen is a minority who have fought for an independent state since 1949, and accuse the military junta of ethnic cleansing. [BBC]

The Smurfs are celebrating their 50th birthday in 2008 with a year-long party across Europe.

Belgian cartoonist Peyo introduced Smurfs (originally Les Schtroumpfs in French) to the world in a series of comic strips, making their first appearance in the Belgian comics-magazine Le Journal de Spirou on October 23, 1958.

English-speakers perhaps know them best through the 1980s animated television series from Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Smurfs.

Happy smurfing birthday.

[More about Smurfs on Wiki and Smurf's official website]

The inhabitants of the San Bartolomé de Pinares village in Spain performed the traditional Luminares fiesta on the eve (Jan 16) of Saint Anthony’s Day.

The riders rode horses through fire in honour of St Anthony, the patron saint of animals…

Some gutsy fellas and amazing horses… (Image courtesy of Xinhuanet)

The 5th Simitli’s Festival of Masquerade Games was held on Jan 12, with 1500 participants parading in different kind of masks.

Weird mask and costumes at Festival of Masquerade Games in Simitli (Image courtesy of Xinhuanet)

Masquerade games are popular in Bulgaria and the Balkan region, with people celebrating (and competing) the events in ancient Thracians (and other cultural) costumes. The largest event of its kind is The International Festival of Masquerade Games, which is held in the town of Pernik every even year in January.

Simitli is a small village at the south of Pernik; their masquerade games is relatively new and smaller than Pernik but gaining popularity for its more funky and bizarre masks and costumes.