Sinag

Sinag, the very first solar powered car designed and built in the Philippines, will see action in Australia for the World Solar Challenge in October 21 this year.

The car is conceptualized and constructed by the students and faculty of De La Salle Univeristy-Manila with the help and partnership of the Philippine Solar Car Society, Inc. It is equipped with a model A-300 monocrystalline silicon solar cells provided by SunPower, the world’s leading solar power company and is capable of delivering 2kW of power. It weighs 150kg and its hull is made of pre-scored Termanto PVC boards covered with carbon fiber weave, which would make the car strong yet as light and flexible as possible, helping to further reduce its power needs.

Sinag can reach speeds up to 100kmph and its electrical system includes Kokam Lithium Polymer batteries that store excess power generated by the solar cells. This excess power can be tapped by the motor when there is a sudden reduction of energy received from the sun. The 120v batteries can be charged to full capacity in 5 hours and can continuously power the car at top speed for 4 hours.

Sinag will face its ultimate test in the World Solar Challenge in Australia. Kudos to all who is behind this endeavor project. Proudly Philippine made.

Longest Domain Name

After so much browsing and exploring the web, I actually found two sites to claim the longest domain name.

http://Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochuchaf.org.uk

http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/

It seems that domain names are limited up to 63 characters only not including the top level domain suffix. But if you count the domain suffix, the first one would win by three characters.

The first one sounds like a non-sense domain name, but according to the site, "Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
(locally known as Llanfairpwll or Llanfair-PG) is a village on the Isle of Anglesey, North Wales. The upper village is known as Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochuchaf. The suffix -uchaf means "upper" in Welsh. Welsh is the predominant language in Anglesey (Ynys Môn) and much of North Wales."

To find out more about the village, to learn how to pronounce the name, or to find out what it means, you can visit the village website at : www.llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk

The second holds true to its name as the longest because they do list a collection of world's longest stuff.

An example would be:

What is the longest song in the world?

Before we get to that there is a definition you should know:

Aleph-nought:
(noun)
aleph-null, aleph-nought, aleph-zero
the smallest infinite integer

Now for the world's longest song:

Aleph-nought bottles of beer on the wall:

Aleph-nought bottles of beer on the wall,
Aleph-nought bottles of beer,
You take one down, and pass it around,
Aleph-nought bottles of beer on the wall.
(Repeat till you pass out)

Mini Artworks

What will you get if you put a superbly patient, determined and ingenious forger in a prison cell for 25 years.

A pinhead carved with the Lord's Prayer in full text. Mr. A. Schiller, convicted of forgery back in the 1800s and was sentenced for 25 years, meticulously etched the prayer in not just one but seven pinheads. Schiller went blind because of this artwork. Read the full story here. Now, Mr. A. Schiller is not alone in this feat. Willard Wigan from Birmingham, England is very famous for his microscopic artworks as is Mr. Nikolai Syadristy of Ukrane. Here are samples of their amazing works.

Animator vs. Animation 2

Here's the awaited sequel to the wonderfully crafted flash animation by Alan Becker. This time, the animation is labeled 'The Chosen One'. Will the animator be able to thwart the animation's wrath? Let's see!
Animator vs. Animation II

The Origin of Humpty Dumpty

"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again!"

Do you ever wonder where this popular nursery rhyme ever came from? Well it's your lucky day!

Humpty Dumpty was a powerful cannon during the English Civil War (1642-49). It was mounted on top of the St. Mary's at the Wall Church in Colchester defending the city against siege in the summer of 1648. (Although Colchester was a Parliamentarian stronghold, it was captured by the Royalists who held it for 11 weeks.) The church tower was hit by the enemy and the top of the tower was blown off, sending "Humpty" tumbling to the ground. Naturally the King's men* tried to mend him but in vain.
* The "men" would have been infantry, and "horses" the cavalry troops.
- From the East Anglia Tourist Board in England

Animator vs. Animation 1 by Alan Becker

An amazingly ingenious and fun to watch flash animation by Alan Becker. Watch this as the animator himself gets tangled with his own creation. The animator labels his character as a victim, putting him in a box but eventually escapes and ravages his flash interface with anything he gets hold of. It's hilariously fun and wonderfully crafted work. Enjoy!

Animator vs. Animation