Thursday 31 July 2014

Driverless cars could be on UK roads by 2015

Driverless cars will be allowed on public roads in the UK from January 2015, the government has announced.




They've asked cities to compete to host special trials to test the technology.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "Today's announcement will see driverless cars take to our streets in less than six months."
He said it would put the UK "at the forefront of this transformational technology and opening up new opportunities".
Driverless Car
Driverless cars could become a familiar sight from January 2015
The cars work by using a system of sensors and cameras and engineers have been experimenting with them for some time.
From CBBC newsround

Saturday 26 July 2014

Super cute Rare red panda cubs born in Scotland

The Highland Wildlife Park in Scotland has welcomed TWO new arrivals - rare twin red panda cubs!

Red panda cub
The super cute cubs join big brother Kush, who was the first red panda to be born in Scotland for 13 years.
They don't have names yet and keepers are trying not to disturb the family, so they don't know if they are male or female.
panda cub
There are thought to be less than 10,000 red pandas left in the wild. They're on the IUCN red list for protected species.
Numbers are low because their natural habitat is being destroyed and they're a target for poachers.

Pandas?

Despite what their name suggests, red pandas are not related to giant pandas (which are part of the bear family), but are distantly related to the raccoon family.
From CBBC newsround

Saturday 19 July 2014

Japanese rice field transformed into giant artwork



A rice field in northern Japan has got tourists flocking to it after being transformed into a giant artwork.
The scene is about the legend of Mount Fuji and has been created by artists using coloured rice plants.
The display has been made to commemorate the Mount Fuji's registration as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.
From CBBC Newsround


Tanbo Art is made by using various types and colors of rice to create giant pictures in the rice fields. It started back in 1993 as a way to revitalize the rice village of Inakadate, in the area of Aomori. For the first nine years, the farmers created a simple picture of Mount Iwaki but the art has now evolved into more complex designs featuring popular characters that appeal to both kids and adults.
Every April, the villagers meet and decide what to plant for the year. They first sketch out the designs on computers and then sow seeds of the varying rice plants. This year, the huge images have crossed the island’s limits and feature a host of awesome designs, including the famous “Ushiwaka and his subordinate Benkei” and Mazinger Z.

From: http://inhabitat.com/giant-rice-paddy-art-flourish-in-japan/tanbo-art-giant-illustrations-rice-fields-japan-7/

Friday 18 July 2014

Marvel’s new Captain America will be African-American

Marvel has announced that a new Captain America will be African-American.

New Captain America
The cover of the New Captain America comic book

In an online article the character Sam Wilson, also known as The Falcon, was named as the replacement for Steve Rogers.
The move follows an unexpected event, which left Rogers unable to carry on.
The post reads, "Robbed of his superior strength and vitality, Steve Rogers must surrender his blues for a sturdy cane."
Chris Evans
Chris Evans will play Captain America in Avengers: Age of Ultron
The change of character is only set to affect the Captain America comic book series.
Chris Evans, who has played him in The Avengers film, will also play the role in Avengers: Age of Ultron which is set for release in 2015.
Captain America first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1941.
New female Thor
There's a new female Thor, the God of Thunder
The news about Captain America comes a day after Marvel announced that Thor, the God of Thunder, would now be portrayed as a woman in that comic book series.
Marvel comic editor Tom Brevoort says "We're not anywhere near finished."
"Change is one of the watchwords of the Marvel Universe, so there are even more startling surprises to come."
From CBBC newsround

Wednesday 16 July 2014

Giant salamander spotted on walk to school


A rare giant salamander has been spotted by a boy on his way to school in 
Japan.

Yu, a high school student in Kyoto, saw the creature slithering along the path by a river bank.
He filmed the salamander and asked police to guard it until it went back into the river.
Yu said: "I was just walking without really paying any attention to it but once I got close to it, it started to move"
"That's when I realized it was this giant salamander".
Japanese giant salamanders are amphibious, meaning they live on land and in water, and can grow up to 150 cm.

From CBBC newsround

Saturday 12 July 2014

Loom band dress bid reach £170,000 in online auction

A dress made entirely from loom bands being auctioned online is attracting bids of over £170,000!
There have been over one hundred bids so far for the clothing on eBay described as a "multi coloured dress made from loom bands".
The loom bands craze has travelled the world since its invention in 2011.
The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, brought the bands to grown-ups' attention by wearing a loom bracelet on her trip to New Zealand.
David Beckham and Harry Styles have also picked up on the trend.
Single mum Helen who is studying degree in forensics in Wrexham said she had the idea after helping her 12-year-old daughter Sian who is "mad" about making loom band designs.
"My friend Katherine physically made it because she's out of work and gets bored.
I said why don't we make a dress from loom bands and Katherine said she'd be happy do do it because she's too ill to work. She did an hour here or there in between her house work to keep her busy.It took her about 45 hours to make but that was over weeks and weeks.
She made it by running one long strip of loom bands then got one of Sian's dresses and laid them both on the floor and got the pattern from there."
– HELEN WRIGHT
Helen said the dress cost £47 spent on 47 packets of loom bands.
"When it was done we thought we'd stick it on eBay as a bonus for £50 and thought if it went over the £50 we might have a day out," she said.
"Last night we checked Ebay and thought it was a joke when we saw it had gone over £100,000."

It took 47 packets of loom bands to make the dress says mum Helen. Credit: Geoff Abbott

The bids rocketed after buyers waged war on each other in a tit-for-tat contest for the dress modelled by Helen's daughter Sian.
Helen says her daughter is a size 12 and it took two of them to get it on her and it was very heavy.
The rainbow loom was invented by Cheong Choon in 2011 and has seen millions of children making bracelets and necklaces.
The loom band craze continues to grow. Credit: PA
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/28275986
http://www.itv.com/news/wales/2014-07-11/looney-price-for-loom-dress-mum-tells-of-shock/

Friday 11 July 2014

Peacock gang upsets neighbourhood

 
A gang of peacocks has been causing a flap in a suburb of Greater Manchester.
No-one knows how the birds came to settle in Laleham Green but the feathered five are causing a nuisance to residents.
One resident claims the birds entered her home and did a poo in the kettle.
She told BBC North West Tonight that she wants the birds to find a new home.



From CBBC newsround





Tuesday 8 July 2014

Kudoso router only allows internet access after chores

A router that only allows internet access after household chores have been completed is being developed in the US.

Kudoso router
Kudoso only allows internet access when the chores are done

Kudoso allows parents to set a list of tasks that unlock minutes to be used online.
The device's makers hope to eventually incorporate fitness apps into the system to reward children who regularly exercise.
One parenting expert told the BBC she thought the technology "seems a bit over the top".
Parenting author Judy Reith, who runs parentingpeople.co.uk, said concern was growing about internet use.
"I've interviewed a lot of parents," she said.
"The number one worry is technology, and that's not going to go away any time soon."
But she added: "The business of this special router doing that for you seems a bit over the top for me.
"A parent's voice does carry a lot of power even if the parents don't feel it does. They should set up firm but fair rules about all kind of things, including internet usage."
Mrs Reith said as well as monitoring children's internet use, it was important parents considered their own as well.
'Dilemma'
Developer Rob Irizarry is trying to raise money on crowdfunding site Kickstarter to support the project, which has been in development for 18 months.
"Parents today are faced with a dilemma about how to manage the amount of time their kids spend on the internet and the content they are exposed to," the Kickstarter appeal page says.

Screenshot of Kudoso app
Chores earn "currency" that can be spent to get internet time

"Kudoso lets your children earn points - by doing chores, studying or even exercising - that allow them to access the internet sites you approve for blocks of time that you define."
By carrying out the chores, children will earn currency that can be "spent" accessing websites.
Parents can set which websites are more "expensive". For example, the same amount of currency could allow for 30 minutes on an educational site, but only 10 minutes on an entertainment page.
Mr Irizarry said his technology was more effective than current projects on the market due to the fact it blocked internet access into the home completely, rather than just using software that must be installed on each device - and could be circumvented by particularly enterprising children.
As well as being sold as a pre-installed router, Kudoso will also be available as software to be installed on a range of routers from other manufacturers.
From BBC News

Saturday 5 July 2014

A huge bug jumped on James Rodriguez at World Cup quarter-final

A bug in Brazil obviously knows a talented footballer when it sees one - after a giant beastly jumped on superstar James Rodriquez at the World Cup.

The insect latched onto the playmaker during the quarter-final and proved to be a lucky charm as Rodriguez tucked away his penalty.
In Brazil they call this bug Esperanza (hope). And it really was connected with the Colombians hope to pass the quarter finals with the penalty scored by the excellent player, James Rodriguez is.
The bug - which looks a bit like a large grasshopper - jumped on the Columbian after he scored a penalty during his team's quarter final against Brazil.


It was really big and disgusting!

Wednesday 2 July 2014

Who is Paddington Bear?

Paddington Bear is a fictional character in children's literature. He first appeared on 13 October 1958 and was subsequently featured in more than twenty books written by Michael Bond and first illustrated by Peggy Fortnum. The polite bear from darkest Peru, with his old hat, battered suitcase (complete with a secret compartment, enabling it to hold more items than it would at first appear), duffle coat and love of marmalade has become a classic character from English children's literature. Paddington books have been translated into 30 languages across 70 titles and sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.

There's a bronze statue of Paddington Bear in Paddington Train station in London 
Paddington is an anthropomorphised bear. He is always polite -- addressing people as "Mr", "Mrs", and "Miss" and rarely by first names -- and well-meaning, though he inflicts hard stares on those who incur his disapproval. He has an endless capacity for getting into trouble, but he is known to "try so hard to get things right." He was discovered in Paddington Station, London by the (human) Brown family who adopted him, and thus he gives his full name as "Paddington Brown."
in Wikipedia