Gnomeo & Juliet

Gnômeo & Juliet is a 2011 animated family film loosely based on William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. The film is directed by Kelly Asbury, and the two main characters are voiced by James McAvoy and Emily Blunt. The film was released on February 11, 2011...(Malaya dengarnye akan kuar pada 24 Mac ni..)

Plot (Spoiler Alert!)


Mrs. Montague and Mr. Capulet (Julie Walters and Richard Wilson) (two elderly people who despise each other) exit their houses, and the garden objects come alive in the Blue and Red sections. Later, both blue and red gnomes attend a lawnmower race. Representing the blues is Gnomeo (James McAvoy) and representing the reds is Tybalt (Jason Statham). During the race, it looks like Gnomeo is winning; however, Tybalt cheats and wins the race, destroying Gnomeo's lawnmower. Gnomeo and his best friend Benny (Matt Lucas) insult Tybalt for cheating, but Tybalt ignores them.

Later that night, Gnomeo and Benny, wanting revenge, infiltrate the red garden in disguise, intending to spray the reds' lawnmower. With Tybalt sleeping and Tybalt's best friend, Fawn (Ozzy Osbourne), playing cards with small red gnomes (who are beating him), it looks like there are no flaws, until Benny foolishly sprays Tybalt's well and accidentally triggers a security light in the process, alerting the red gnomes to attack. Fortunately, both escape however Gnomeo ends in a different garden. He then bumps into the daughter of Lord Redbrick (Michael Caine), who is called Juliet (Emily Blunt).

Both attempt to get the Orchid to make each other's garden look more beautiful, falling in love in the process. While each other tries to take the Orchid from them, they discover they are from opposing clans. When they both go back to the gardens, Juliet tells her friend Nanette (Ashley Jensen) much to her surprise. Gnomeo and Juliet then have secret meetings in a secret garden, where they meet pink plastic flamingo Featherstone (Jim Cummings).

He supports and encourages their love, and the two begin to meet regularly. Though when the two of them are getting ready for a date, Juliet's father introduces her to Paris (Stephen Merchant), a red gnome that Nanette has fallen for, though Juliet manages to get away. Later, when the two return back to their gardens, Gnomeo finds his mother (Maggie Smith), who is distraught after the reds infiltrated the garden and destroyed the plant Gnomeo's deceased father planted. The blues want Gnomeo to take revenge on the reds, but he realizes he can't refuse unless he tells his secret. He tunnels underneath to reach the red garden, but as he is about to spray the prized flowers of the reds, Juliet sees him.

He backs out suddenly, telling Benny that the nozzle on the spraying bottle was jammed. When he and Juliet meet up again, they briefly argue until Featherstone stops them, telling them that other peoples' hate destroyed his love, as 2 people in the house where the garden was had argued and divorced, where Featherstone and his wife had been separated. After he has explained, Gnomeo and Juliet apologize, though when they are about to kiss, Benny sees them, distracts them, then runs into the alleyway, where Tybalt is waiting-with his lawnmower. Tybalt drives at Benny and knocks his hat clean off. Tybalt fights Gnomeo on his lawnmower, but is destroyed when crashing into a wall. Fawn begins to aim objects at Gnomeo, but Juliet, to the surprise of her father and clan, defends Gnomeo, saying that she loves him.

A woman suddenly jogs along so all gnomes have to become still. Gnomeo ends up on a road and everyone believes he was run over by a car. Juliet's father then glues her to her fountain because he does not want to lose her like her mother. Shroom is left alone and goes on the road, where he realizes that what was run over was a blue teapot and that Gnomeo is still alive and avoided being run over by climbing onto a truck. Gnomeo eventually ends up in a park, and climbs onto a statue of William Shakespeare (Sir Patrick Stewart) and tells him his story. Shakespeare then tells Gnomeo that his story is very similar to Romeo and Juliet and that it is likely Gnomeo's will have a sad ending as well.

Shroom and Featherstone come to find him. Benny, meanwhile, buys a large lawnmower online to get revenge on the Red Gnomes, despite Shroom trying to convince him that Gnomeo was still alive, but it goes out of control, destroying most of the two gardens. Gnomeo makes it back to Juliet to try to un-glue her, but he is unable to. She tells him to go but he refuses, and the two share a kiss just as the lawnmower crashes into the fountain and everyone believes that both Gnomeo and Juliet are dead. Lord Redbrick and Lady Blueberry, both realizing that their feud was responsible for this, decide to call a truce. Suddenly, both Gnomeo and Juliet climb out of the rubble and are both fine. The movie ends happily with the two of them getting married.




Source 1


Source 2

Space shuttle Discovery makes graceful landing for 39th and final time

By Scott Powers, Orlando Sentinel

1:45 p.m. EST, March 9, 2011



CAPE CANAVERAL — Commander Steve Lindsey brought space shuttle Discovery in for a graceful landing at Kennedy Space Center just before noon today, ending a 13-day mission as well as the orbiter's 27-year career. It was also the first step in the end of the U.S. space shuttle program.

"The end of a historic journey. To a ship that has led the way, time and time again, we bid farewell to Discovery," said NASA commentator Charles Hobaugh as the orbiter rolled down the runway.

Discovery's return leaves just two more shuttle launches — Endeavour in April, and Atlantis in June — before the program is retired. With it will go an estimated 7,000 jobs at KSC.

And for the first time in 50 years, NASA is uncertain what is next for the U.S. space flight program. Congress wants the agency to build a new heavy-lift rocket, but the agency says it can't do it with the funding Congress has provided in the time by the Dec. 31, 2016 deadline it's been given.

After Atlantis' last flight, astronauts will be taken to the space station aboard Russian Soyuz rockets, while cargo will ride aboard a new generation of commercial rockets.

As soon as Discovery rolled to a halt, NASA's oldest and most-traveled orbiter — it began service in 1984 —- was back in the hands of Stephanie Stilson and her team. They will spend weeks inspecting the spaceship, then several months decomissioning it to make what one historian called "the champion of the fleet" into a museum piece.

Most likely, Discovery will wind up in the Smithsonian Institution's National Air & Space Museum in Washington. NASA has offered Discovery to that museum, and the Smithsonian wants it but has yet to figure out how to pay the $28.8 million cost of decommissioning and delivery. A final decision will be announced in mid-April.

Stilson, who is NASA flow director for Discovery, was prepared for an emotional moment for her and her team. Today's landing ended a storied career of 39 missions that ferried into space satellites, space probes, experiments and secret Defense Department items, not to mention astronauts and sections and supplies for the International Space Station.

Discovery has also carried two U.S. senators into space, launched the Hubble Space Telescope and returned the shuttle program to flight after both the Challenger and Columbia disasters of 1986 and 2003.

"I did actually shed some tears on launch day. I was wondering if that would happen, because I don't do that very often. I think it'll be the same for landing," Stilson said earlier.

Though she's worked on all the shuttles, Discovery is where Stilson's heart has been since she first began working on it in 2000.

"Though I'll be very happy to see the conclusion of the mission, and to show that we were successful in what we set out to accomplish," she said, "it's also going to be the last time we see Discovery land on the runway. So that's a little bittersweet to me."

By all accounts, Discovery's latest mission has been a complete success. Lindsey, Pilot Eric Boe and four other crew members took the craft into orbit Feb. 24. They delivered and installed a permanent multipurpose module called Leonardo — a new, 2,472-cubic-foot room full of equipment and supplies — as well as a carrier full of supplies.

The equipment included a humanoid-like robot called Robonaut 2, which could one day perform maintenance and science at the space station.

Mission specialists Steve Bowen and Al Drew conducted two spacewalks to install, change and fix equipment outside the station. Mission specialists Nicole Stott and Mike Barratt round out the crew.

So far, aside from occasional tears, NASA's shuttle mission teams have been too busy to express much emotion about the end of the program.

"We all just have to remain positive," Stilson said. "We're going through change. Change isn't always a bad thing.

"Right now we all hear, and I'm sure across the nation [people say] 'We wish we could continue to fly the shuttle.' But that's not in the cards right now. I would tell anybody who enjoys the space shuttle program as much as I do: there will always be exploration. We'll just continue to look forward to that."




Source

Fast Five 2011 Trailer

Fast Five is the upcoming 2011 film directed by Justin Lin. It is the fifth film in The Fast and the Furious film series and the fourth installment in terms of chronology preceding The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006). The film is also the first in the series to be released in IMAX and is set to be released on April 29, 2011.^[1]


Cast

• Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner, Mia's love interest; an ex-LAPD police officer and an ex-FBI agent; Dominic's ally, a talented street racer and auto mechanic.
• Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, Mia's older brother; Brian's ally, an elite street racer, auto mechanic and ex-convict.
• Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto, Dominic's younger sister and Brian's love interest; also a street racer.
• Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs, an elite FBI agent assigned to track down Dominic, Brian and their team.
• Matt Schulze as Vince, Dominic's childhood friend, fellow street racer and member of his crew.
• Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce, Brian's childhood friend, fellow street racer, recruited to Dom's crew.
• Sung Kang as Han Lue, street racer, member of Dominic's crew.
• Ludacris as Tej Parker, an old friend of Brian and Roman's; ex-street racer, ex-race host, and auto mechanic; recruited to Dominic's crew.
• Tego Calderon as Tego Leo, street racer and member of Dominic's crew.
• Don Omar as Rico Santos, street racer member of Dominic's crew.
• Gal Gadot as Gisele Harabo, street racer, former driver for drug-lord Arturo Braga, recruited to Dominic's crew.
• Joaquim de Almeida as Hernan Reyes, a corrupt Brazilian businessman who wants Dominic, Brian and their team dead.
• Brian Tester as Hernan's henchman.
• TJ Hassan
• Michael Irby as Zizi
• Alimi Ballard as Fusco
• Elsa Pataky as Elena Neves, an elite FBI agent.
• F. Valentino Morales as Malo, Dominic's friend.
• Geoff Meed as Macroy
• Yorgo Constantine as Chato
• Luis Da Silva Jr. as Diego
• Fernando Chien as Wilkes
• Troy Brenna as Zizi's henchman
• Joseph Melendez as Col. Joao Alameida

Source

Apollo 18 Trailer (2011)

Officially, Apollo 17, launched December 17th, 1972 was the last manned mission to the moon. But a year later, in December of 1973, two American astronauts were sent on a secret mission to the moon funded by the US Department of Defense. What you are about to see is the actual footage which the astronauts captured on that mission. While NASA denies its authenticity, others say it’s the real reason we’ve never gone back to the moon.



Release Date:April 22nd, 2011
Director:Gonzalo López-Gallego
Studio:The Weinstein Company
Genre:Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller


Source 1


Source 2

Source 3

Laser Tag Graffiti

Laser Tag is using lasers and projectors to tag buildings with light! This is a joint project between Graffiti Research Lab and Make Magazine's Bre Pettis. Tag with lights. It's reversible and non-destructive.

What's the fastest car in the world?

The SSC UItimate Aero TT

The current record for fastest car in the world is held by the Ultimate Aero TT from Shelby SuperCars. The record was set on Oct. 9, 2007, not on a testing track, which is where most high-speed records are established, but on a closed-off section of Highway 221 in Washington state. The speed was monitored using the DEWE-VGPS-200C speed sensor from Dewetron, a company that specializes in, among other things, data acquisition systems for spacecraft, which should give you an idea of how fast the Ultimate Aero TT was traveling.

So, how fast is it? In accordance with Guinness rules for automotive speed records, the Ultimate Aero TT was driven down the track twice -- in opposite directions -- with the top speed on each run being averaged to produce the record speed. (This helps minimize the effect of fluke road and weather conditions.) On the first pass it was clocked at 257.44 miles per hour (414.3 kilometers per hour), on the second at 254.91 miles per hour (410.2 kilometers per hour), for an average speed of 256.18 miles per hour (412.3 kilometers per hour). This beat the previous record of 250.7 miles per hour (403.5 kilometers per hour), set in February 2005 by the Koenigsegg CCR, as well as the unofficial record of 253.81 miles per hour (408.5 kilometers per hour), set in April 2005 by the Bugatti Veyron.

This is the first time since the Ford GT40 set the record in 1967 that the title of fastest car in the world has been held by an American-made car. And it wasn't set on the perfect road surface of a testing track the way that most European speed records have been set. Jerod Shelby, the owner of Shelby SuperCars, believes that the Ultimate Aero TT can beat its own record when and if it gets tested on a closed European track. NASA wind tunnel tests have shown that the Ultimate Aero can remain aerodynamically stable up to 273 miles per hour (439.4 kilometers per hour), though its redline speed -- the velocity at which the engine starts to self destruct -- is around 260 miles per hour (418.4 kilometers per hour). So clearly there's room for this vehicle to improve on its own record.

Now you know. The SSC Ultimate Aero TT is the fastest car in the world. Or is it? Some people believe that this record is a bit of a cheat. 

The record held by the Ultimate Aero TT is for fastest production car in the world. That means that this is a car you can buy and keep in your own garage -- assuming, of course, you can cough up the more-than-$600,000 base price. Some people argue, however, that the Ultimate Aero TT isn't truly a production car at all, but rather constructed for the sole purpose of setting records and drawing attention to SSC's other vehicles. Jerod Shelby openly admits that the Ultimate Aero was designed for the purpose of putting Shelby SuperCars on the high-end automobile buyer's radar, but also says that he fully intends to sell the 50 Ultimate Aero TTs that his company plans to produce. The car has also been certified as street legal by the United States Department of Transportation.

But what if the Ultimate Aero TT wasn't the fastest car in the world? What car would reign supreme? The previous official world record was held by the Koenigsegg CCR, which set the record on Feb. 28, 2005, on the Nardo Prototipo track in Italy. (Before that, the record had been held for 12 years by the McLaren F1.) Oddly, the Nardo track is circular, a configuration that usually isn't conducive to setting speed records since the physics of automobile motion requires acceleration just so that the car can take the curves.

The Koenigsegg CCR's record was actually broken less than two months later, on April 19, 2005, by the Bugatti Veyron 16.4. However, the Veyron's top speed wasn't verified by the Guinness Book of World Records and is therefore considered unofficial, which left the CCR in top place until the Ultimate Aero TT clocked its even faster record speed in 2007.

But all of these record-setting cars are sluggards compared to the Thrust SSC jet-propelled car. SSC stands for "supersonic car" and, yes, it can go faster than the speed of sound. It set a record for land vehicles when it was timed at 763 miles per hour (1,228 kilometers per hour) across Nevada's Black Rock Desert in 1997. The Thrust SSC isn't a production car and it's hard to imagine why anyone would want to own one unless they do a lot of travel across flat, open spaces. But it does demonstrate that production cars have a long way to go before they achieve the maximum speed that it's possible for a vehicle to go on land.

Source

Forever foods: 9 cooking staples that can outlast you

By Laura Moss, Mother Nature Network

Most weeks, you make a big grocery list and head to the store, prepared to buy loads of fresh food to make your family's meals. We often don't give a thought to stuff sitting in the kitchen cupboard or we automatically throw out anything that's been in there longer than we can remember. 

But Janice Revell, co-founder of StillTasty.com, says "Look in your pantry and your cabinets and check whether the items really do need to go. You'll be shocked by what you really don't need to throw away."

So before you throw out that years-old sugar or replace that bottle of vanilla that's been gathering dust, consult this list of "forever foods." You may be surprised how many of your kitchen staples have a shelf life of decades — even after they've been opened.

1. Sugar
Regardless of whether your sugar is white, brown, or powdered, it will never spoil because it doesn't support bacterial growth.

The challenge with sugar is to keep it from hardening into chunks. To keep sugar fresh, store it in an airtight container or seal it in a plastic bag. If your brown sugar is more like a brown rock, you can revive it with just a minute in the microwave on low heat.

2. Pure vanilla extract
If you have pure vanilla extract in the back of the cupboard, there's no need to throw it out because it lasts forever. It may be more expensive than its imitation counterpart, but its shelf life certainly outweighs the extra cost.

Keep that vanilla flavor at its best by sealing the botttle after each use and storing it in a cool, dark place.

3. Rice
White, wild, jasmine, arborio and basmati rice all keep forever so there's no need to throw them out. Brown rice is the one exception because it has a higher oil content so store it in the refrigerator or freeze it to maximize its shelf life. Once you've opened a bag or box of rice, move it to an airtight container or resealable freezer bag to keep it fresh.

4. Corn starch
You can thicken gravies and sauces for years with just one box of corn starch because it keeps indefinitely. Store this kitchen staple in a cool, dry area and be sure to reseal it tightly after each use.

5. Honey
Whether you use it in your tea, on your toast or as an alternative sweetener, that jar of pure honey is good forever. It may get grainy or change color, but it's still safe to eat — and delicious — because its antibiotic properties keep it from spoiling.

You can help keep it fresh by storing it in a cool area, and you can improve the quality of crystallized honey by placing the jar in warm water and stirring it until the grainy parts dissolve.

6. Salt

The contents of your salt shaker will never spoil, regardless of whether it's basic table salt or sea salt. Simply store it in a cool, dry place and salt will keep indefinitely.

7. Corn syrup
If you come across a years-old bottle of corn syrup in your pantry, don't throw it out. This sweetener keeps indefinitely as long as you keep it sealed and store it in a cool, dry area.

8. Maple syrup
What good are pancakes or waffles without maple syrup? Luckily, this flavorful syrup will never spoil if you refrigerate it or freeze it. For long-term storage, seal it in an airtight plastic container and freeze it.

"The freezer is such a useful tool that can really save you money because there are very few foods that don't freeze well," says Janice Revell of StillTasty.com.

9. Distilled white vinegar
This wonder product can be used for everything, from making marinades and salad dressings to cleaning house and doing laundry. But the best thing about distilled white vinegar is that it lasts for years. Simply close it tightly after each use and store the bottle in a cool, dark place

Source

Nike Cosplay

The Green Lantern

Green Lantern is an upcoming superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name appearing in DC Comics. The film will star Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, with Martin Campbell directing a script by Greg Berlanti and comic book writers Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim, which was subsequently rewritten by Michael Goldenberg.^[1] Green Lantern is scheduled to be released on June 17, 2011 in 3D.


In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan.


Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris(Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax…he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.


Source

McLaren MP4-12C

McLaren MP4-12C supercar is cleaner, faster, meaner than... everything

By Rory Reid (@rory79) on 14 February 2011, 11:46am





McLaren redefined what was possible with sports cars when it launched the ground-breaking McLaren F1 back in the 90s, and the British car company is set slap 21st century supercars upside the head gasket with its MP4-12C.

McLaren today confirmed performance figures for the MP4-12C, and they make for good reading. Actually, they made us spit our morning coffee out, because they indicate the MP4-12C is faster, more powerful and significantly cleaner than any of its rivals from Ferrari, Lamborghini or Aston Martin. 

Its 3.8-litre, twin-turbo, V8 engine chucks out 592bhp and 600Nm of torque -- 30bhp and 60Nm more than the 4.5-litre V8 in a Ferrari 458 Italia. 0-62mph flashes up in 3.3 seconds (3.1 seconds with optional Corsa C performance tyres), making it 0.07s quicker than a Mercedes SLS AMG. It'll do a quarter-mile sprint in 10.9 seconds and it'll keep going 'til it headbutts the horizon at 205mph.

The MP4-12C offers fabulous braking and handling too -- 62mph-0 takes just 100 feet. The car features Brake Steer technology that automatically activates the inside rear brakes in high speed corners to reduce understeer (skidding straight on instead of turning). Intriguingly, this tech was used briefly on McLaren's MP4-12 Formula One car, but was subsequently banned for giving McLaren drivers an unfair advantage.

The MP4-12C spanks its rivals for efficiency. Somehow McLaren has managed to coax 24.2mpg from its engine, which has carbon dioxide emissions of just 279g/km. Compare those figures to the 17.2mpg and 388g/km of the slower Aston Martin DBS and you'll begin to appreciate the technical wizardry employed by McLaren's boffins.

Despite being better (on paper, at least) than most other sports cars, the McLaren MP4-12C won't be any more expensive. It'll cost £168,500 when it goes on sale in spring, with McLaren hoping to produce 1,000 examples for worldwide distribution before 2012.
It's fair to say we're terribly excited by this thing, as should you be. Have a gander through the photos in our gallery above, then go check out some of the hands-on shots we took when we saw the MP4-12C in the flesh back in March last year.





Source