Rabbit Thought of the Day

The cats lost her collar, she went out with yesterday morning and come tea time is was gone. Not bad she has had it for nearly two years and it’s the first collar she has lost, I suppose I’ll have to but her a new this weekend, thankfully they aren’t too expensive.  

STANFORD, California (Reuters) - A four-foot-long helicopter flew itself over the Stanford University campus on Monday in a test of artificial intelligence that researchers say could be used to scout wildfires or on military missions.

The autonomous helicopter performed flips, rolls, pirouettes, stall-turns, knife-edges, and an inverted hover over a field. The helicopter is equipped with an artificial intelligence system developed by computer scientists at Stanford and taught itself to fly by watching the aerobatics of a radio-controlled helicopter flown by a human.

"These helicopters can fly maneuvers at the edge of what a helicopter is capable of," said Adam Coates, a PhD student who worked on the project.

The helicopters, which communicate with a ground-based computer that guides it, are still being developed.

PhD student Pieter Abbeel said the research group has been contacted by a number of companies interested in surveillance and mapping applications, while scientists saw the mini-helicopters investigating wildfires and looking for land mines.

Each helicopter costs approximately $4,000 and is outfitted with an accelerometer, gyroscope and a magnetometer to determine its orientation and acceleration, and a GPS or two ground-based cameras to determine its location.

I want one of these, great for going to work in, jast go top sleep and let it fly itself to work, brilliant.

The Right Way to Treat out Armed Forces:  

An appreciation parade is to be held in Wootton Bassett, in Wiltshire, to thank locals for their support when troops killed in service are brought home.

Up to 1,000 residents turn out to pay their respects when funeral corteges of personnel repatriated through RAF Lyneham pass through the town.

The airbase is to organise a special parade, on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), for 12 October.

Marching bands and a C130 Hercules flypast are also planned.

Town mayor Mike Leighfield said: "I really am honoured that they should consider doing this because we don't do it for any recognition.

"But to be honoured in this way, words fail me, I think it's absolutely amazing."

And the Wrong Way:

Five retired Gurkhas and the widow of another veteran are fighting a legal battle for the right to remain in Britain - the country they fought for, and say they love.

The test case has taken nearly two years to come to court.

Madan Gurung, 54, a Gurkha who served with the British Army for 24 years until he retired in 1993, is hoping he will now finally be able to put down roots in the UK.

At the moment is staying with friends and well-wishers. But he stresses he is not ill, does not want to settle here for benefits or free medical treatment, and wants to work.

"If I'd been given the right to stay here I'd be happy to serve the Crown again," he says.

"We are hardworking people."

LONDON (Reuters) - Call the cops quick -- my new rabbit hasn't got floppy ears.

It doesn't sound like a case for Sherlock Holmes but one woman decided it was worth calling the 999 emergency number when her new bunny did not match its newspaper advert description, according to Central Scotland Police.

The force, which said on Monday it wanted to highlight abuse of the 999 phone system, also revealed that two callers had rung up within minutes of each other to complain about being splashed by a car driving through a puddle.

"It is unbelievable that anyone should phone 999 to report being soaked by a passing car, ask for a postcode or report that the item bought from a newspaper advert was not as described," said Chief Inspector Alan Stewart.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian pizza delivery man gave fast food a new meaning when he was caught, and fined, for driving 53 km (33 miles) over the speed limit.

The 20-year-old man, driving on a provisional driver's license, said he was speeding because he was 20 minutes late with his delivery in the tropical northern town of Townsville.

Police clocked him driving at 131 kms (82 miles) in an 80 kph (50 mph) zone on Saturday, but waited for him to deliver his pizza before booking him.

On his return journey to the pizza shop, he was caught speeding at 133 km in the same zone.

Police sergeant Brendan White said on Tuesday the delivery man, who was not named, was fined A$1520 (US$1,226) and lost his license for 15 months.

The aftermath of the collapse of Lehman Brothers will affect all of us in some form or other. The value of our pensions will in inevitably fall, they will recover but it maybe many years before they do. A number of people have put the cause of the trouble on the large financial institutions themselves and a number of others are also in trouble, while these are troubling times and it is becoming harder for every one to make ends meet. I have no sympathy for the traders who have lost they jobs they commanded large salaries and even larger bonuses.

Let us hope that that their Porches and Ferraris are reprocessed and they have to sell their luxury apartments at a huge loss, because these are the people who are reasonable for the situation we are in.

I had the unofficial weigh in this morning and I am down another 2 pounds, it seems top the average at the moment, two or three pounds a week. Which I’m quite happy about, obviously I would prefer more. But you have to be sensible about it, you can’t jug starve yourself, yes you will lose the weight but you will but it on again just as quick. A good diet coupled with exercise is the best way forward that way you get yourself into a mind set. You become fitter and you lose the weight and it you won’t but it back on.

This is the approach I have taken it seems to be working well for me.

Good morning fellow bloggers, am now back in the office after yesterday’s excursion in London for what turned out to be a very informative and interesting seminar. It was well worth attending and I even managed an early finish.

Have just been catching up on my emails, how can you be away for one day and have 59 emails most of them crap mind you, a number of them duplicates. Some of them were appointments which I have declined. So out of a total of 59 emails it has taken me just 5 minutes to whittle them down to 4 that require my attention.

Oh well, that’s life I suppose!