Laser-Wielding Scotsmen to Turn Landmarks into Holodeck Experiences

Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland Historic Scotland, via The New York Times

In April, a team from Glasgow School of Art will shoot lasers at the heads of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson. And they will do it all in the name of preservation.

The Scottish artists have perfected a system of laser scanning giant monuments, ensuring the digital preservation of even their finest nooks and crannies. They have already completely digitized Scottish landmarks like Rosslyn Church and Stirling Castle. The team is also working in conjunction with CyArk, a non-profit dedicated to laser scanning 500 UNESCO world heritage sites.

The artists use a specialized laser scanner that records 50,000 points per second. They simply sweep the laser across the monument they're looking to digitize, and a receiver records the minute changes in range as points in 3-D space.

An inventor, and co-founder of CyArk, created the process in the wake of the Taliban's destruction of the giant Buddha statues in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. Armed with precise measurements of monuments taken with the laser device, engineers could reconstruct an exact replica of any site that suffers destruction similar to the Buddhas.

Of course, these scans do more than just provide a blueprint for future restoration. When combined with high-def 3-D graphics, the library of images created with laser scanning could one create a basis for virtual tours of the world's most impressive monuments.

Additionally, the scanning of regular buildings with this technology would allow the construction of incredibly detailed virtual cities. Placed on the Internet, users could roam these virtual cities or model the effects of new construction projects.

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Winner in Contest Involving Space Elevator

By KENNETH CHANG

A start-up company from the Seattle area won $900,000 on Friday in a NASA contest to build a miniature prototype of a machine that could one day climb from Earth to outer space.

The idea of a space elevator — passengers and cargo traveling up and down a 60,000-mile cable — has long been a fixture of science fiction, notably in Arthur C. Clarke’s novel “The Fountains of Paradise.”

A real space elevator is still decades in the future, but the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, along with the nonprofit organization Spaceward Foundation, sponsored the contest to encourage development of some of the needed technologies.

“It’s a way to get work done in an interesting area that probably wouldn’t be done otherwise,” said Andrew Petro, manager of NASA’s Centennial Challenges program.

The challenges program is sponsoring other contests, too. This month, Masten Space Systems of Mojave, Calif., won $1 million for demonstrating precision flying of a rocket simulating a lunar landing. Another challenge will test designs for improved astronaut gloves.

For the space elevator challenge, three competing teams built prototypes designed to climb a one-kilometer cable held aloft by a helicopter. Each took turns, shining lasers on the ground at photovoltaic cells on the climbing machines to power the electric motors.

On Wednesday, an 11-pound pyramid-shaped contraption built by LaserMotive of Kent, Wash., successfully made the climb in 4 minutes 2 seconds, fast enough to qualify for a $900,000 second-place prize. A second attempt was one second faster.

The LaserMotive team then started hacking off pieces of their machine in hopes of making it lighter and faster. To qualify for the $1.1 million top prize, the climber needed to reach the top of the cable in less than three minutes. On Thursday, the LaserMotive team was able to shave 13 seconds off the climb time, to 3 minutes 48 seconds, with the machine averaging an upward speed of not quite 9 miles per hour.

The final attempts on Friday, however, were stymied after too much laser power was focused on their climber’s photovoltaic cells, burning out some of the electronics.

Meanwhile, a team of University of Saskatchewan students was never able to get far off the ground, while a climber built by a team called the Kansas City Space Pirates got most of the way up but never quite reached the destination.

In four years of the power-beaming competition, LaserMotive is the only competitor to qualify for a cash prize.

Thomas Nugent and Jordin Kare, the company’s principals, do not believe that a space elevator will be built any time soon, but they say the technology will find other commercial applications like powering small robotic aircraft. “This is a business for us,” Mr. Nugent said. “We’re trying to turn this into a commercial endeavor.”

Mr. Nugent declined to say how much LaserMotive had spent in competing the past three years, but said, “We will win more than we have spent.”

After months of preparations and three days of competition, he said, “a lot of us might celebrate by going to sleep.”

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Mongolia had Five Champions in Judo World Cup

Written by Kh.Ganchimeg

The Judo World Cup took place in Central Palace of Sport, Ulaanbaatar on October 31st and November 1st, 2009.

There were 128 judo wrestlers from 13 countries such as Mongolia, South Korea, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Germany, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Russia, Spain and Poland engaged at the tournament.

Results
Country overall:
1. South Korea with seven gold, two silver and three bronze medals
2. Mongolia with five gold, six silver and 16 bronze medals
3. Ukraine with two gold, two silver and four bronze medals
4. Germany with one silver and two bronze medals
5. Japan with one silver and one bronze medals
6. Poland with one silver medal
7. Kazakhstan with one silver medal
8. Czech with one bronze medal
9. Uzbekistan one bronze medal

On October 31st, the tournament was held under three men’s categories (60kg, 66kg and 73kg) and four women’s categories (48kg, 52kg, 57kg and 63kg) and Mongolia’s wrestlers received five gold, four silver and nine bronze medals during that day.

Mongolian Judo Wrestler and World Judo Champion, Kh.Tsagaanbaatar, grabbed gold medal, Sergiy Drebot (Ukraine) received silver medal, B.Khishigbayar and Hevorg Hevorgyan (Ukraine) took bronze medals in men 66 kg’s category.

Ch.Boldbaatar won gold medal, G.Boldbaatar took silver medal, O.Chinbat and D.Tomorkhuleg received bronze medals in men’s 60kg’s category.
Gui-Man Ban (South Korea), won gold medal, Piotr Kurkiewicz (Poland), received silver medal, O.Bold-erdene and S.Nyam-Ochir (Mongolia) took bronze medals in men 73kg’s category.

Jung-Yeon Chung (South Korea) was awarded with gold medal, M.Urantsetseg (Mongolia) took silver medal, E.Nomin and B.Uranchimeg (Mongolia) received bronze medals in women 48kg’s event.

M.Bundmaa (Mongolia), won gold medal, B.Bat-Erdene (Mongolia) received silver medal, Keum-Mai Choi (South Korea) and Lucie Chytra (Czech) took bronze medals in women 52kg’s event.

Ts.Tserennadmid (Mongolia), garnered gold medal, D.Sumya (Mongolia), took silver medal, T.Battogs (Mongolia) and Jan-Di Kim (South Korea) received bronze medals in women 57kg’s event.

Ts.Monkhzaya (Mongolia), was rewarded gold medal, Da-Woon Joung (South Korea), took silver medal, Svetlana Chepurina (Ukraine) and S.Enkhzaya (Mongolia) received bronze medals in women 63kg’s event.

On November 1st, the event under four men’s categories (81kg, 90kg, -100kg and +100kg) and three women’s categories (70kg, -78kg and +78kg) took place at the central palace of sport.

For results:
Men’s 81kg:

1. Dae-Nam Song from South Korea
2. G.Dashdavaa from Mongolia
3. Nick Hein from Germany
3. Artem Vasylenko from Ukraine

Men’s 90kg:
1. Vadim Synyavskiy from Ukraine

2. Timur Bolat from Kazakhstan
3. Yong-Woo Kwon from South Korea
3. Khurshid Nabiev from Uzbekistan

Men’s -100kg:

1. Hee-Tae Hwang from South Korea
2. Akinori Hongo from Japan
3. B.Temuulen from Mongolia
3. Artem Bloshenko from Ukraine

Men’s +100kg:

1. Stanislav Bondarenko from Ukraine
2. Soo-Whan Kim from South Korea
3. B.Sugarjargal from Mongolia
3. Kazuhiko Takahashi from Japan

Women’s 70kg:

1. Se-Yul Hwang from South Korea
2. Natalia smal from Ukraine
3. O.Monkhtsetseg from Mongolia
3. P.Lkhamdegd from Mongolia

Women’s -78kg:

1. Gyeong-Mi Jung from South Korea
2. Annika Heise from Germany
3. B.Monkhtuya from Mongolia
3. Ya.Dulmaa from Mongolia

Women’s +78kg:

1. Na-Young Kim from South Korea
2. Tserenkhand from Mongolia
3. O.Jargalsaikhan from Mongolia
3. Christina Krahe from Germany

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Vasyl Fomytskyi, Street Musician

Street Musician, Vasyl Fomytskyi plays the double-bass for a living in Central Park in New York City. The acoustics produced by the arcade make it an ideal location for many musicians who perform in the park.

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Liquid Granite: Building Material Of The Future Unveiled

ScienceDaily (Nov. 4, 2009)

Scientists have developed a new building material that is fire resistant to temperatures in excess of 1100 degrees Celsius, is made largely from recycled material and is as versatile as concrete.

Liquid Granite offers a real breakthrough in reducing fire risk in buildings as, unlike concrete, it doesn't explode at high temperatures. It can also withstand high temperatures for longer periods, offering valuable minutes in the case of a fire.

The material is made up of between 30 and 70 per cent recycled material, mainly base products from industry. It uses less than one third of the cement used in precast concrete, which also reduces its carbon footprint.

The product was developed at Sheffield Hallam University and is available from Liquid Granite Ltd. The new material is being used by a number of organisations in building projects as it has a four hour fire rating, meaning that it provides the top level of protection in the case of a fire.

Professor Pal Mangat is the Director of the Centre of Infrastructure Management at Sheffield Hallam University and developed Liquid Granite. He explains, "Liquid Granite is a very versatile material that can be used in a similar way to concrete. The fact it has a high level of fire resistance means that it can be used in areas where fire safety is crucial, such as around power stations, and in domestic and commercial buildings can offer added time for evacuation in case of an emergency.

"The product replaces most of the cement in standard concrete with a secret formula of products to change the basic properties of the material. I believe it has great potential for the future."

Bob Richards from Liquid Granite said, "There has already been a great deal of interest from the building industry about this product, and it has been supplied onto projects such as the Olympic Village and Stratford Shopping Centre in London in the form of fire rated lintels manufactured by King Stone Products'. It will really make a difference to the safety of our buildings and could potentially save lives."

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Ontario announces green plate for green cars

Canadians can have their very own green driving plate to go with their green car from next year.

The Canadian province of Ontario is set to introduce the green licence plate to encourage consumers to buy electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The design of the new plate- which has green lettering on a white background with the picture of a trillium in the middle- was selected through an online poll.

Drivers sporting the plates will be able to use Ontario’s High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes even if there is only one person on board, will have access to recharging facilities and designated parking lots.

The government of Ontario is aiming to ensure one out of every 20 vehicles in the province is electric by the year 2020 as part of its Electric Vehicle Initiative. This initiative will see rebates of between C$4,000 to C$10,000 for plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles that are bought after July 1, 2010.

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Vietnam tops medal tally at AIG 3

Vietnam continues to rank first among participants at the third Asian Indoor Games (AIG 3) after snatching 19 gold, 12 silver and 11 bronze medals on November 3.

It was followed by China with 18 golds, 11 silvers and six bronzes. Kazakhstan with eight golds, five silvers and seven bronzes came third.

On November 3, the fourth day of competition, Nguyen Tuan Hoc brought home gold in the Kurash event--a form of upright jacket wrestling which originated in central Asia and has been practiced for more than 3,500 years. He secured the top spot after defeating Boboev Uktam from Uzbekistan in the 73 kg weight division

Also on the fourth day of the competition, To Trung Hieu beat Yang Zheng from China to 2-1 to take bronze in the E-Sports’s FIFA Soccer 09 event.

November 3, however, was regrettable for Vietnam ’s Kabaddi players, who had to leave the games early after two defeats at the hands of their Indian and Sri Lankan rivals on their first day of competition.

On the same day, Pencak Silat artists from Asian countries gathered at the Hai Duong Stadium to compete in 18 matches in the qualifying round’s combat event with absolute and overwhelming victories going to those from the host country.

In Ho Chi Minh City , Li Hewen took one more Billiards & Snooker gold medal for China after defeating his Singapore rival, Chan Keng Kwang, in the men’s singles 9-ball event.

The host country’s Dang Dinh Tien made a successful start as he knocked out Al-Buaimain Mohd from Qatar in the men’s singles one-cushion Carom event.

Tien’s teammate, Cao Thanh Truc, attained an overwhelming win against his Qatar competitor, Abdulatif Al-Fawal, on November 2.

On the day, chess players stepped into the semi-finals in the men’s and women’s rapid chess events. Two Chinese players, Wang Hao and Bu Xiangzhi, will meet face to face in the final match of the men’s rapid chess event while Hou Yifan of China will vie with Qatar ’s Zhu Chen for gold in the women’s event on November 4.

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Good times downtown deserve recognition

In the month of October, some exceptionally positive events took place in downtown Santa Cruz that deserve recognition.

The Downtown Gala, hosted by the Downtown Association, was an exciting and elegant soiree that drew more than 300 people to commemorate the rebuilding of downtown 20 years after the Loma Prieta earthquake.

Five days later, more than 60 professional women participated in a progressive dinner at the "Cruzin' Courses" extravaganza throughout downtown Santa Cruz, featuring stops at six of downtown's finest establishments.

These two events provided opportunities to connect, celebrate and come together to enjoy and experience our dynamic downtown, from beautiful architecture, unique cuisine, specialty stores, art and more.

This weekend, thousands of children will trick-or-treat downtown and the streets will be filled with families in colorful costumes having fun.

We are lucky to have a downtown and community that is so vibrant.

Emily Bernard, Santa Cruz

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California castles fit for a king and queen

Carole Terwilliger Meyers

While iconic European castles such as Ashford in Ireland and Amberley in England evoke images of fairy tales and living happily ever after, the truth is these medieval palaces were built as fortifications designed to keep out brutal marauders. These days, castles fall pretty much into the romantic category, so here are a few California knockoffs for fun - or build your own and watch it crumble in the surf.

1. Castello di Amorosa winery, Calistoga

Winemaker Dario Sattui built what is America's only authentically replicated 12th century medieval Italian castle. It has eight levels and 107 rooms - 95 of which are devoted to winemaking - plus a drawbridge, well and church. The Castello's walls are made with hand-chiseled local stone and ancient brick from Europe, and its doors, light fixtures and other details are handmade using medieval designs and methods of construction. The winery tour includes a barrel tasting and a sampling in a subterranean private tasting room. 4045 N. St. Helena Highway, Calistoga. (707) 967-6272. www.castellodiamorosa.com. Tour $25-$30; must be age 5 or older. Reservations advised.

2. Hearst Castle, San Simeon

Designed by architect Julia Morgan for newspaper czar William Randolph Hearst and called a castle, this structure is more a spectacular mansion. It took 28 years to build and has 56 bedrooms, 102 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms, two libraries, a kitchen, a movie theater, a billiard room, a dining hall and an assembly hall, and is filled with art and antiques from all over the world. You can choose from five tours. Throughout December, the castle and guesthouses are decked out for the Christmas holidays. 750 Hearst Castle Road, San Simeon (San Luis Obispo County). (800) 444-4445.www.hearstcastle.com. Tours $24-$30, 6-17 $12-$15. Reservations advised.

3. Vikingsholm, ddEmerald Bay at Lake Tahoe

What's old is new again - this castle-like, 39-room Scandinavian-style mansion has a "green" sod roof (early summer visitors see wildflowers growing on top). Constructed by hand in 1928 using local materials, the house was completed in one summer and features a round turret and bedrooms that are locked from the outside. The mansion is open to the public only in summer, but the grounds may be visited year-round. 9999 Emerald Bay Road, South Lake Tahoe. (530) 525-7232; in summer (530) 525-7277.www.vikingsholm.com. Tours $5, 6-17 $3. Closed Oct.-May.

4. Sand castle contest, Carmel

How can you not love a contest that encourages contestants to bribe judges with food and drink? You might want to start planning now for next fall to participate in this frivolous sand castle contest. Carmel's 49th Annual Great Sand Castle Contest, sponsored by American Institute of Architects and City of Carmel, takes place in September or October, depending on the tides. Carmel Beach. (800) 550-4333.www.carmelcalifornia.org.

5. Howden Castle, Ben Lomond

Built in 1927 by retired tilemaker Robert Howden, this unusual vacation rental was modeled from his memory of castles in his native Scotland. A mini castle complete with turret, it has four bedrooms (one with a "queen" bed), four baths and sleeps 11. The dungeon has been converted into a game room, and the Grand Room features soft kane stone from Europe originally imported for Hearst Castle. Highway 9, Ben Lomond (Santa Cruz County). (650) 328-1058. www.howdencastle.com. Weekly rentals run $2,000-$2,500.

- Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Special to The Chronicle

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Die Fledermaus Opera in Ulaanbaatar

Written by M. Bayarmaa

O.Uyanga, Ch. Tumendemberel,B. Sainbayar, Ts. Dorjsuren,Ts. Battur, S. Munguntsetseg and Sh.Narantsetseg are Mongolian young opera singers thatperformed in Die Fledermaus Opera. The opera was produced by G. Erdenebaatar, and conducted by N. Tuulaikhuu.

It had many comic speaking so it demanded more acting from opera singers. During the performance music specialists said that our young opera singers have good singing technique, big energy and big talent.

The opera premiered on April 5th, 1984, at the Theater an Der Wien in Vienna.

Opera has three acts, at Eisenstein’s Apartment, A summerhouse in the Villa Orlofsky, and in prison offices of Governor Frank.
The role of Eisenstein is written for a tenor, but has performances, with alterations, by a baritone.

The first act: Eisenstein’s apartment.

Gabriel von Eisenstein has been sentenced to eight days in prison for insulting an official, partially due to the incompetence of his attorney, Dr. Blind. Adele, Eisenstein maid, receives a letter from her sister, who is in the company of the ballet, inviting her to Prince Orlofsky ball. He pretends that the letter says her aunt is very sick, and asks for a leave of absence (‘my sister Ida writes to me’).

Falke, Eisenstein’s friend, arrives to invite him to the ball. (Duet: ‘Come with me to the souper’). Eisenstein bids farewell to Adele and his wife Rosalinde, pretending he is going to prison.(Terzett: ‘Oh dear, oh dear , how sorry I am’) but really intending to postpone jail for one day and have fun at the ball.

After Eisenstein leaves, her lover, the singing teacher Alfred, who serenades her (‘Dove that has escaped’), visits Rosalinde. Frank , the governor of prison, arrives to take Eisenstein to jail, and finds Alfred instead. In order to not to compromise Rosalinde, Alfred agrees to pretend to be Eisenstein and to accompany Frank. (Finale, drinking song: ‘Happy is he who forgets’ followed by Rosalinde’s dfence when Frank arrives: ‘In tete-a-tete with me so late and Frank’s invitation: ‘My beautiful, large bird-cage.’)

The second act: A summerhouse in the Villa Orlofsky.

It turns out that Falke, with Prince Orlofsky’s permission, is orchestrating the ball as a way of getting revenge on Eisenstein. The previous winter, Eisenstein had abandoned a drunken Falke dressed as a bat (and thus explaining the opera’s title) in the center of town, exposing him to ridicule the next day. As part of his scheme, Falke has invited Frank, Adele, and Rosalinde to the ball as well. Rosalinde pretends to be a Hungarian countess, Eisenstein goes by the name ‘Marquis Renard,’ Frank is ‘Chevalier Chagrin,’ and Adele pretends she is an actor.

The ball is running (Chorus: ‘A soupier is before us’) and the Prince welcomes his guests (‘I love to invite my friends’). Eisenstein is introduced to Adele, but is confused as to who she really is because of her striking resemblance to his house cleaner. (‘My lord marquis,’) sometimes referred to as ‘Adele’s laughing Song’).

Then Falke introduces the disguised Rosalinde to Eisenstein (Csardas: ‘Sounds from home ’). During an amorous tete-a-tete, she succeeds in extracting a valuable watch from her husband’s pocket, something that she can use in the future as evidence of his impropriety. (Watch Duet: ‘My eyes will soon be dim’). In rousing finale, the company celebrates (The drinking song: ‘In the fire stream of the grape’; followed by the canon: ‘Brothers, brothers and sisters’; and ballet and waltz finale, ‘Ha, hat joy, what a night of delight.’)

The third act: The prison offices of Governor Frank.

The next morning they all find themselves at the prison where the confusion increases and is compounded by the jailer, Frosch, who has profited by the absence of the prison director to become gloriously drunk.

Adele arrives to obtain the assistance of the Chevalier chagrin (Melodrama; Couplet of Adele: ‘If I play the innocent peasant maid’) while Alfred wants nothing more than to get out of jail. Knowing of Eisenstein’s trickery, Rosalinde, Eisenstein wants to begin an action for divorce, and Frank is still intoxicated.

Frosch locks up Adele and her sister Ida, and the height of the tumult arrives when Falke appears with all the guests of the ball and declares the whole thing is an act of vengeance for the ‘Fledermaus’. (Trio between Rosalinde, Eisenstein, Alfred: ’A strange adventure’). Everything is amicably arranged (with Eisenstein blaming the intoxicating effects of champagne for his act of infidelity and Orlofsky volunteering to support Adele’s artistic career), but Eisenstein is compelled to serve his full term in jail (Finale, ‘Oh bat, at last let the victim escape’).

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