Synthesizer Medley 1985

The history of the stone which was eventually named the Hope diamond began when the French merchant traveller, Jean Baptiste Tavernier, purchased a 112 3/16-carat diamond. This diamond, which was most likely from the Kollur mine in Golconda, India, was somewhat triangular in shape and crudely cut. Its color was described by Tavernier as a "beautiful violet."

Tavernier sold the diamond to King Louis XIV of France in 1668 with 14 other large diamonds and several smaller ones. In 1673 the stone was recut by Sieur Pitau, the court jeweler, resulting in a 67 1/8-carat stone. In the royal inventories, its color was described as an intense steely-blue and the stone became known as the "Blue Diamond of the Crown," or the "French Blue." It was set in gold and suspended on a neck ribbon which the king wore on ceremonial occasions.

King Louis XV, in 1749, had the stone reset by court jeweler Andre Jacquemin, in a piece of ceremonial jewelry for the Order of the Golden Fleece (Toison D'Or). In 1791, after an attempt by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to flee France, the jewels of the French Royal Treasury were turned over to the government. During a week-long looting of the crown jewels in September of 1792, the French Blue diamond was stolen.

In 1812 a deep blue diamond described by John Francillion as weighing 177 grains (4 grains = 1 carat) was documented as being in the possession of London diamond merchant, Daniel Eliason. Strong evidence indicates that the stone was the recut French Blue and the same stone known today as the HopeDiamond. Several references suggest that it was acquired by King George IV of England. At his death, in 1830, the king's debts were so enormous that the blue diamond was likely sold through private channels.

The first reference to the diamond's next owner is found in the 1839 entry of the gem collection catalog of the well-known Henry Philip Hope, the man from whom the diamond takes its name. Unfortunately, the catalog does not reveal where or from whom Hope acquired the diamond or how much he paid for it.

Following the death of Henry Philip Hope in 1839, and after much litigation, the diamond passed to his nephew Henry Thomas Hope and ultimately to the nephew's grandson Lord Francis Hope. In 1901 Lord Francis Hope obtained permission from the Court of Chancery and his sisters to sell the stone to help pay off his debts. It was sold to a London dealer who quickly sold it to Joseph Frankels and Sons of New York City, who retained the stone in New York until they, in turn, needed cash. The diamond was next sold to Selim Habib who put it up for auction in Paris in 1909. It did not sell at the auction but was sold soon after to C.H. Rosenau and then resold to Pierre Cartier that same year.

In 1910 the Hope diamond was shown to Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean, of Washington D.C., at Cartier's in Paris, but she did not like the setting. Cartier had the diamond reset and took it to the U.S. where he left it with Mrs. McLean for a weekend. This strategy was successful. The sale was made in 1911 with the diamond mounted as a headpiece on a three-tiered circlet of large white diamonds. Sometime later it became the pendant on a diamond necklace as we know it today. Mrs. McLean's flamboyant ownership of the stone lasted until her death in 1947.

Harry Winston Inc. of New York City purchased Mrs. McLean's entire jewelry collection, including the Hope diamond, from her estate in 1949. This collection also included the 94.8-carat Star of the East diamond, the 15-carat Star of the South diamond, a 9-carat green diamond, and a 31-carat diamond which is now called the McLean diamond.

For the next 10 years the Hope diamond was shown at many exhibits and charitable events world wide by Harry Winston Inc., including as the central attraction of their Court of Jewels exhibition. On November 10, 1958, they donated the Hope diamond to the Smithsonian Institution, and almost immediately the great blue stone became its premier attraction.

The Hope diamond has left the Smithsonian only four times since it was donated. In 1962 it was exhibited for a month at the Louvre in Paris, France, as part of an exhibit entitled Ten Centuries of French Jewelry. In 1965 the Hope diamond traveled to South Africa where it was exhibited at the Rand Easter Show in Johannesburg. In 1984 the diamond was lent to Harry Winston Inc., in New York, as part of the firm's 50th anniversary celebration. In 1996 the Hope diamond was again sent to Harry Winston Inc., in New York, this time for cleaning and some minor restoration work.

The weight of the Hope diamond for many years was reported to be 44.5 carats. In 1974 it was removed from its setting and found actually to weigh 45.52 carats. It is classified as a type IIb diamond, which are semiconductive and usually phosphoresce. The Hope diamond phosphoresces a strong red color, which will last for several seconds after exposure to short wave ultra-violet light. The diamond's blue coloration is attributed to trace amounts of boron in the stone.

In the pendant surrounding the Hope diamond are 16 white diamonds, both pear-shapes and cushion cuts. A bail is soldered to the pendant where Mrs. McLean would often attach other diamonds including the McLean diamond and the Star of the East. The necklace chain contains 45 white diamonds.

Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean wearing the Hope Diamond with the McLean Diamond (31.26 Carats) and Star of the East (94.8 Carats) attached

In December of 1988, a team from the Gemological Institute of America visited the Smithsonian to grade the great blue stone using present day techniques. They observed that the gem shows evidence of wear, has a remarkably strong phosphorescence, and that its clarity is slightly affected by a whitish graining which is common to blue diamonds. They described the color as a fancy dark grayish-blue. An examination on the same day by another gemologist using a very sensitive colorimeter revealed that there is a very slight violet component to the deep blue color which is imperceptible to the naked eye. Still, one can only wonder that the original 112 3/16-carat stone bought by Tavernier was described as "un beau violet" (a beautiful violet).

The Hope Diamond

Hundreds of years old and coming from Golconda India it was originally 112 carats. A French merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier bought the stone around 1660.

Eight years later Louis XIV bought the gem from Tavernier and had his court jeweller cut it down to 67 carats. It was then given the name of French Blue and was set in gold as a necklace for the king to wear on ceremonial occasions.

It was at the French court that the gemstone acquired its reputation as being linked with evil forces. One of the king’s mistresses wore the gem and subsequently fell out of favour with the court. Louis XIV died of gangrene and as the French revolution came King Louis XVI and his wife lost their heads. The diamond was then stolen.

That was the end of the stone as it was then known. It is believed that it was recut into three stones. One of these stones came into the possession of a London jeweller named Eliason who sold it to a banker Lord Henry Philip Hope. It seems the darker forces came into play again and the Hope diamond was thought to be responsible for the Hope family becoming insolvent.

Famous jeweller Cartier made it into a piece of jewellery and sold it to Evalyn Walsh McLean who was also a victim of the curse of the Hope diamond as her son was hit by a car and killed. She suffered a tragic life after that.

Harry Winston finally acquired the stone and donated it to the Smithsonian Institute. Winston sent it in the mail in a plain brown paper bag. He did not believe in the curse and live to the ripe old age of 82.

It now weighs 45.52 carats and is described as a Fancy dark greyish blue. The clarity is VS1.

It is easy to see how the supposed curse gained credibility. It was told that Tavernier, the original owner of the large stone, had stolen it from a Hindu idol. A priest of the temple was said to have placed a curse on whoever possessed the gem from then on. So we had a string of what should be considered normal, but unfortunate, incidents happening to people owning or associated with the stone and the legend of evil continued.

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REAL LIFE JURASSIC PARK COMING SOON!!!! (kind of)

You can bet on Dubai to have a bottomless budget when it comes to creating out-of-the-world attractions to lure affluent tourists. If you sat biting your nails on the edge of your seat while watching the famous movie ‘Jurassic Park,’ then wait till you get to real Jurassic Park that will come alive in Dubai soon. The first-of-its-kind dinosaur park set in the new City of Arabia promises to take you back into the primitive world and give you some thrilling moments of interacting with dinosaurs. The Million dollar park called the ‘Restless Planet’ spanning over 5,00,000 square foot will feature over 100 animatronic dinosaurs of forty different species. The theme park will recreate a virtual earth complete with mountains and oceans using computer graphics and special effects to give the realistic feel. The dinosaurs will come alive thanks to the pneumatic systems and sensors that are incorporated in them. They are programmed to interact with the visitors to give them a memorable experience.

Scheduled to open in the late 2008, the park is sure to increase the in-flow of dollars to the already cash-rich Dubai. Watch the promotional video released by the developers showing a T.rex charging at visitors and pterodactyls flying overhead while you wait restlessly for the project to be completed.

Walk on new water

They filled a pool with a mix of cornstarch and water made on a concrete mixer truck. It becomes a non-newtonian fluid. When stress is applied to the liquid it exhibits properties of a solid. Recorded at Barcelona, Spain. pool filled with non newtonian fluid.

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Desktop fabricator may kick-start home revolution

17:59 09 January 2007
by Tom Simonite

A cheap self-assembly device capable of fabricating 3D objects has been developed by US researchers. They hope the machine could kick start a revolution in home fabrication – or "rapid prototyping" – just as early computer kits sparked an explosion in home computing.

Rapid prototyping machines are already used by designers, engineers and scientists to create one-off mechanical parts and models. These create objects by depositing layer upon layer of liquid or powdered material.

These machines typically cost from $20,000 to $1.5 million, says Hod Lipson from Cornell University, US, who launched the Fab@Home project with PhD student Evan Malone in October 2006.

The standard version of their Freeform fabricator – or "fabber" – is about the size of a microwave oven and can be assembled for around $2400 (£1200). It can generate 3D objects from plastic and various other materials. Full documentation on how to build and operate the machine, along with all the software required, are available on the Fab@Home website, and all designs, documents and software have been released for free.

Many hands

"We are trying to get this technology into as many hands as possible," Malone told New Scientist. "The kit is designed to be as simple as possible." Once the parts have been bought, a normal soldering iron and a few screwdrivers are enough to put it together. "It's probably the cheapest machine of this kind out there," he adds.

The machine connects to a desktop computer running software that controls its operation. It then creates objects layer-by-layer by squeezing material from a mechanically-controlled syringe. A video shows a completed machine constructing a silicone bulb (16MB, wmv format).

Unlike commercial equipment, the Fab@Home machine is also designed to be used with more than one material. So far it has been tested with silicone, plaster, play-doh and even chocolate and icing. Different materials can also be used to make a single object – the control software prompts the user when to load new material into the machine.

Malone and Lipson hope Fab@Home will grow into a community of enthusiasts who share designs for 3D objects and even modify the machines for themselves. This will prompt the emergence of widespread personal fabrication, Lipson hopes.

"We think it's a similar story to computers," he explains. "Mainframes had existed for years, but personal computing only took off in the late seventies." A cheap self-assembly computer called the Altair 8800, launched in 1975, sparked the rapid development of personal computing, he notes: "We hope Fab@Home can do the same for rapid prototyping."

Copy cat

Adrian Bowyer, who is also working on rapid prototyping machines at Bath University, in the UK, agrees that the technology could have mass appeal once the equipment is cheap enough. One of his own machines can even make some of its own parts (see 3D printer to churn out copies of itself).

"Fab@Home is an interesting idea; it should be easy for anyone in the world to build," Bowyer says. "Once you've used one you never want to go back, it's liberating and enormously fun." Bowyer believes the technology could one day even replace traditional models of manufacturing.

Bowyer adds that the Fab@Home machine could probably already be used to make many cheap injection-moulded products already on the market: "I can imagine people swapping plans of things to make online, or paying to download them instead of going to the shop."

Keepon dancing to a drum

Keepon dancing to Spoon's

STriDER: Self-excited Tripedal Dynamic Experimental Robot

Ominous Asteroid Threatens Mars

Dec. 21, 2007 -- Mars could be in for an asteroid hit.

A newly discovered hunk of space rock has a one in 75 chance of slamming into the Red Planet on Jan. 30, scientists said Thursday.

"These odds are extremely unusual. We frequently work with really long odds when we track ... threatening asteroids," said Steve Chesley, an astronomer with the Near Earth Object Program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The asteroid, known as 2007 WD5, was discovered in late November and is similar in size to an object that hit remote central Siberia in 1908, unleashing energy equivalent to a 15-megaton nuclear bomb and wiping out 60 million trees.

Scientists tracking the asteroid, currently halfway between Earth and Mars, initially put the odds of impact at 1 in 350 but increased the chances this week. Scientists expect the odds to diminish again early next month after getting new observations of the asteroid's orbit, Chesley said.

"We know that it's going to fly by Mars and most likely going to miss, but there's a possibility of an impact," he said.

If the asteroid does smash into Mars, it will probably hit near the equator close to where the rover Opportunity has been exploring the Martian plains since 2004. The robot is not in danger because it lies outside the impact zone. Speeding at 8 miles a second, a collision would carve a hole the size of the famed Meteor Crater in Arizona.

In 1994, fragments of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 smacked into Jupiter, creating a series of overlapping fireballs in space. Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.

"Unlike an Earth impact, we're not afraid, but we're excited," Chesley said.

Eyes

International Knife Throwers Hall Of Fame

Fast Swing Dancing - ULHS 2006

Brief fire breaks out inside White House complex

By Greg Robb, MarketWatch

Last update: 12:53 p.m. EST Dec. 19, 2007
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- A brief fire broke out Wednesday morning in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is adjacent to the White House. No one was seriously hurt and the fire was contained within a half-hour.

The two-alarm blaze started on the second floor of the building. Black smoke, which observers said smelled like plastic, billowed out of the windows overlooking the West Wing of the White House for about 30 minutes.

Firefighters were forced to break windows in the historic building. It appeared that several offices were gutted on the second floor near the ceremonial office of the vice president, but the fire did not appear to have spread to other floors.

Vice President Dick Cheney was not in the building at the time of the fire.

The building, commonly called the Old Executive Office Building, has a long, colorful history. Several presidents had their offices in the building. It also housed the office of the secret White House plumbers, who engineered the break-in of the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate that ultimately led President Richard Nixon to resign.

Renovation was ongoing in the building. There was damage to historic areas, officials said.

The Secret Service quickly ruled out any suspicious source for the fire; the building was quickly evacuated. Only one Marine was slightly hurt when the smoke in upper floors caused him to break a window, according to Washington, D.C. fire authorities.

The building originally housed the State, War and Navy departments between 1871 and 1888. The granite structure, often compared to a giant wedding cake, is one of America's best examples of the French Second Empire style of architecture.

There had been talk of tearing the building down, but it was spared and given historic landmark status. To accommodate an ever-growing White House staff, a new executive office building was erected across the street.