My Life

Image via Wikipedia

An Alaskan shorebird was recently found to have the longest non-stop flight every measured of 11,500 kilometres.

The bird (wader called a bar-tailed godwit) migrates from New Zealand to Alaska taking nine straight days to complete the journey.

“This shows how incredible and extreme birds can be,” said Phil Battley of New Zealand’s Massey University, who took part in the study.

“The prospect of a bird flying all the way across the Pacific was so much further than what we thought possible, it seemed ludicrous,” he said.

The study was conducted by fitting 16 birds with satellite transmitters at two locations in New Zealand. Apparently two different transmitters were fitted. Internal and external ones. The male birds that were fitted received external transmitters while the female received internal. Although the internal transmitters were heavier researches believed that the external transmitters impacted on the birds aerodynamics which thereby caused the male birds problems during flight and saw the males land a couple of thousand kilometres from their target area.

Battley was amazed, he said, to find that one of the birds, dubbed E7, flew some 6,340 miles (10,200 kilometers) directly to a wetland on the North Korea-China border (see map).

After feeding and resting there, she continued another 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers) to Alaska.

[via Alaska Bird Makes Longest Nonstop Flight Ever Measured]

Thanks,

Marat

A couple of nights ago I was looking up beer, how it’s made and how they differ on Wikipedia and came across this very interesting list.

The following list as the title of this blog post suggests, is a list of countries ordered by beer consumption per capita (or per person).
Read the rest of this entry »

Currently in the world there are nine countries that possess nuclear weapons. 90% of all nuclear bombs are owned by two countries, United States and Russia.

The first working nuclear bomb was tested by the United States in 1945, the first by the Soviet Union was in 1949.

The table below shows the estimated numbers of all nuclear weapons active and in total in the world today.

Country	Warheads active/total*	Year of first test
Five nuclear weapons states from the NPT
United States	5,163 / 9,938[6]	1945 (“Trinity“)
Russia (former Soviet Union)	5,830 / 16,000[7]	1949 (“RDS-1“)
United Kingdom	200[8]	1952 (“Hurricane“)
France	<350[9]	1960 (“Gerboise Bleue“)
China	200[10]	1964 (“596“)
Other known nuclear powers
India	70-120[11]	1974 (“Smiling Buddha“)
Pakistan	30-80[12]	1998 (“Chagai-I“)
North Korea	1-10[13]	2006 (The Beginning)[14][unreliable source?]
Undeclared nuclear weapons states
Israel	75-200[15][16][17]	unknown or 1979 (See Vela Incident)

*All numbers are estimates from the Natural Resources Defense Council, published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, unless other references are given. If differences between active and total stockpile are known, they are given as two figures separated by a forward slash. If no specifics are known, only one figure is given. Stockpile number may not contain all intact warheads if a substantial amount of warheads are scheduled for but have not yet gone through dismantlement; not all “active” warheads are deployed at any given time. When a range of weapons is given (e.g., 0–10), it generally indicates that the estimate is being made on the amount of fissile material that has likely been produced, and the amount of fissile material needed per warhead depends on estimates of a country’s proficiency at nuclear weapon design.
Read the rest of this entry »

Berkshire Hathaway is a company that is currently managed by Warren E. Buffett.

Warren E. Buffett is undoubtedly the single greatest investor of all time. Named this years richest man in the world by Forbes magazine, Warren Buffett has knocked Bill Gates off the top spot after a 13 year streak. Worth approximately $62 billion compared to Bill Gates’ $58 billion (slightly lower mainly due to the stock fall after Microsoft’s bid for Yahoo).

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (Berkshire) is a holding company owning subsidiaries engaged in a number of diverse business activities. The most important of these are insurance businesses conducted on both a primary basis and a reinsurance basis. Berkshire also owns and operates a number of other businesses engaged in a variety of activities. Berkshire’s insurance and reinsurance business activities are conducted through approximately 60 domestic and foreign-based insurance entities. Berkshire’s insurance businesses provide insurance and reinsurance of property and casualty risks worldwide and also reinsure life, accident and health risks worldwide. Berkshire’s insurance underwriting operations comprise four sub-groups: GEICO and its subsidiaries; General Re and its subsidiaries; Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group (BHRG), and Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group. ~ Reuters

A single Berkshire Hathaway Class A share at this point in time after today’s trading is worth $135,500.00 USD.

Berkshire’s Class A shares sold for over $150,000 as of December 7, 2007, making them the highest-priced shares on the New York Stock Exchange, in part because they have never had a stock split. Shares closed over $100,000 for the first time October 23, 2006. ~ Wikipedia

Thanks,

Marat

Most might not think about clouds that often, and I can guarantee that most of you wont even believe how many different clouds there are in our atmosphere. I stumbled upon the Wikipedia page titled “List of cloud types” and I was amazed by how many different clouds there were.

There are five main cloud types

1. Fog
2. Cumulus
3. Stratus
4. Cumulonimbus
5. Cirrus

But that’s only the beginning. Each cloud type has dozens of clouds, ranging from their size, to their perspiration, to their colour and density.

Check out the link above for a list and description of all the clouds.

Thanks,

Marat

The flea is not an insect we might think about too often but nonetheless is a very interesting one to read about.

“Flea is the common name for any of the small wingless insects of the order Siphonaptera. Fleas are external parasites, living by hematophagy off the blood of mammals and birds. Genetic and morphological evidence indicates that they are descendants of the Scorpionfly family Boreidae, which are also flightless; accordingly it is possible that they will eventually be reclassified as a suborder within the Mecoptera. In the past, however, it was most commonly supposed that fleas had evolved from the flies (Diptera), based on similarities of the larvae.” ~ Flea, Wikipedia

Fleas are considerably small just 1.5 to 3.3mm long, have laterally compressed bodies (flattened side to side) and are usually dark coloured.
Read the rest of this entry »

Most car enthusiasts would know the car I am going to talk about, but at the same time most of the population would quickly think of the Bugatti Veyron. Actually the worlds fastest production car (street legal that is) is now the Barabus TKR (not to be confused with Brabus, a Mercedes Benz tuner).

The new Barabus TKR has been recently released sporting a stunning 6.0L V8 twin-turbocharged with dual intercoolers engine churning out 1005 brake horse power (BHP). When these specifications and pictures were first released last year, many had wondered if it would really be a Veyron killer.

Recent speed tests of the TKR, showed just how impressive the car really is. Turning out a 0 – 60 mph (0 – 97 km/h) in just 1.67 seconds and an impressive top speed of 270 mph (434.5 km/h).

When compared to the Veyron’s 0 – 60 mph in 2.5 seconds and a theoretical top speed (Drag Limited) of 257 mph (414 km/h) we can really see how good this car is. Plus taking into consideration that the Veyron has an 8.0L W16 engine (equivalent to two v8 engines) an engine that produces 1001 BHP, has 10 radiators and four turbocharges, the TKR doesn’t do too bad for when compared to the big boys.

Barabus will be producing 300 – 400 TKR’s over the next three years with a fetching price of £360,000 ($840,000 AUD or $738,000 USD) which is quite a bargain when compared to Veyron’s price of £757,359 ($1,760,000 AUD or $1,550,000 USD).

Just for fun, when comparing the TKR to Veyron to F1:

Engine Type

• TKR: 6.0L V8 twin-turbocharged (1005 BHP)
• Veyron: 8.0L W16 quad-turbocharged and intercooled (1001 BHP)
• F1: 2.4L V8 naturally-aspirated (850 BHP)

Performance

• TKR:
• 0 to 100 km/h: 1.67 seconds
• Top speed: 270 mph
• Veyron:
• 0 to 100 km/h: 2.5 seconds
• 0 to 200 km/h: 7.4 s
• 0 to 300 km/h: 18.2 s
• Top speed: 257 mph
• F1:
• 0 to 100 km/h: 1.9 seconds
• 0 to 200 km/h: 3.9 seconds
• 0 to 300 km/h: 8.4 seconds
• Top speed: 256.6 mph

But of course the Formula One cars also have superior handling, superior brakes and incredible aerodynamics.

References:

Bugatti Veyron
Formula One car
Barabus 1000 bhp supercar
Barabus TKR: 0-60 mph in 1.67 secs, 270 mph top speed
Barabus 1005 hp supercar

Thanks,

Marat

This is something most of us never think about, but this is actually something that is very fascinating.

Lets begin with how we sneeze and why.

Sneezing occurs when a particle enters the nose, passes through the nasal hairs and reaches the nasal mucosa.

A sneeze is a result of a sudden relaxation of the diaphragm together with the intercostal muscles that expand our lungs and abdominal muscle contraction. This results on a mass compression effect of the lungs on a short onset and causes a violent expulsion of air in the form of the sneeze. ~ Why do we sneeze at such a speed?

Sneezing is a complex reflex. It starts with irritation of the lining of the nose, and ends in an explosion of air from the nose and mouth. Nerve impulses travel from the nose to the brain, then back to other nerves that control the muscle of the abdomen, chest, diaphragm, neck, face and eyelids as well as the mucus glands and blood vessels of the nose. That’s why we always end up closing our eyes when we sneeze, and why the nose often runs afterwards. ~ Sneezing: Facts and Fiction

The main purpose for sneezing is to get rid of the particle that has entered the nose.

The speed we sneeze at has been cited all over the Internet with varying speeds, from 150 km/ph to around 300 m/ph. The Guinness Book of Records has the record set at 115 m/ph.

Up to 40,000 droplets (particles) can be ejected from your nose and can travel a distance of 2 to 3 metres.

Sneezing can be classified as:

Paroxysmal sneezing -This type of sneezing is mostly acute in nature and often caused by bacterial or viral or fungal infection. This occurs during the start of the disease.
Continuous or allergic sneezing – Mostly these types are chronic in nature and caused by allergic tendencies of the body. It occurs due to constant exposure to dust, pets, etc.
Seasonal sneezing – Mostly in seasons, when pollens are more in wind. Seasonal allergic rhinitis usually results due to pollens of tree, grass or weed.
Perennial sneezing – Persists throughout the year, due to persistent pollution or allergen. ~ Sneezing

The longest sneezing fit in the world was achieved by Donna Griffiths of the UK whom at the age of 12 had sneezed from January 13 1981 to September 16 1983 a total of 978 days.

It is estimated she sneezed more than 1 million times in the first year. Her sneezes came at 1 minute intervals in the beginning and slowed down to 5 minute intervals near the end. ~ The Longest Sneezing Fit

References:
Sneezing
Why do we sneeze at such a speed?
Sneezing: Facts and Fiction
Sneeze
The Longest Sneezing Fit

Thanks,

Marat

I have decided to make a new category title “Random Facts”. I seem to like my random facts and I always get told that I know quite a bit about the world and everything that goes on in it.

I will try to post a new random fact every week. Lets begin with random fact 1.

The longest range sniper kill ever recorder and confirmed was 2,430 metres. This shot was fired by a Canadian sniper, Corporal Rob Furlong who was on Operation Anaconda in Afganistan in a three-man sniper team lead by Master Corporal Graham Ragsdale from the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI).

A three-man al-Qaeda weapons team was moving into a mountainside position when Furlong shot and killed one carrying an RPK machine gun.
His first shot missed entirely, and his second shot had hit the knapsack on the militant’s back. The third struck the target’s torso. ~ Wikipedia

The shot had been fired from .50 BMG (12.7mm) McMillan TAC-50 bolt-action rifle.

This meant that the bullet had a flight time of ≈ 4.5 seconds, and a drophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trajectory_of_a_projectile#Height_at_x of ≈ 70 meters (230 feet). ~ Wikipedia

Although this feat looks incredible, without the special circumstances that were in place during this operation the shot could not have been possible from the rifle and bullet used. The maximum effective range of the .50 BMG cartridge that was used is between 1,500 – 2,000 metres.

The ambient air density in the Shah-i-Kot Valley where Corporal Furlong operated is significantly lower than at sea level due to its 2,432 m (9,000 ft) mean elevation. This increases the maximum effective range of a high powered sniper rifle like Corporal Furlong used by ≈ 600 m (1968 ft). ~ Wikipedia

The previous record was held by US Marine sniper Carlos Hathcock, achieved during the Vietnam War, at a distance of 2,250 meters. ~ Wikipedia

References:
Sniper
Rob Furlong
Carlos Hathcock
Sniper rifle

Thanks,

Marat