Amazing Photos of Global Lightning Strikes [PHOTOS]

Summer is the deadliest season for lightning strikes because of the frequency of thunderstorms and the fact that more people are outdoors.

In the United States, an average of 58 people are killed each year by lightning, according to the National Weather Service. Hundreds suffer permanent injuries.

"Understanding the dangers of lightning is important so that you can get to a safe place when thunderstorms threaten. If you hear thunder--even a distant rumble or a crackling aloft--you are already in danger of becoming a lightning victim," the NWS states on its lightning safety page.

According to the National Weather Service, "each spark of lightning can reach over five miles in length, soar to temperatures of approximately 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit and contain 100 million electrical volts."

Apple to start production of upgraded, ultra thin Sandy Bridge MacBook Air notebooks

Following up its WWDC musings about a post-PC world, Apple is getting ready with its next generation ultra thin 11.6 and 13.3-inch MacBook Air notebooks that are scheduled to begin production and hit market soon.

AppleInsider has exclusively reported that Apple has placed orders for the manufacturing of 380,000 Sandy Bridge-based MacBook Airs this month, in addition to a 80,000 thousand units of the existing MacBook Airs.

The tech site said an analyst who made this finding has made accurate insight into Apple's hardware plans in the past.

Apple unveiled Mac OS X Lion at the WWDC, the eighth major release of which is the technology giant's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers.

The Mac OS X Lion has over 250 new features in the software, including those adopted from innovations in the iPhone and iPad. Apple had said OS X Lion upgrade will be available in July 2011.

Rumors of an upgraded MacBook Air model featuringIntel's latest Sandy Bridge processors had been doing rounds for quite some months. For some time the rumor mill had it that Apple would move its new line of laptops and possibly desktops to ARM-based chips.

However, in early May Apple said it would present an upgraded iMac line-up of desktops. The upgrade included Sandy Bridge chips, Thunderbolt I/O, new Radeon HD graphics processor and in-built FaceTime HD camera.

The Light Peak/Thunderbolt allows users to connect multiple devices with a single cable and transmits data at a speed of up to 10Gbps data from various devices. Apple states that the Thunderbolt I/O technology allows a user to daisy-chain up to six new peripherals - such as the Promise Pegasus RAID or LaCie Little Big Disk1 - plus an Apple LED Cinema Display.

Apple had unveiled its ultra-thin range of MacBook Air's in Oct. 2010. Available in 11-inch and 13-inch models, the laptops weigh 2.3 pounds and 2.9 pounds respectively. AppleInsider report says the consumer electronics giant will wind down production of existing MacBook Airs this month with a final run of 80,000 units.

Everything we know about iOS 5...for now

Apple announced plenty of features in its iOS 5 update for iOS-based devices at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco (WWDC) on Tuesday. The big ones like Notification Center, iMessage and Twitter integration are new to iOS, but Android and BlackBerryusers will smile smugly with the knowledge they already have something similar a long while back.

Then you have apps that have been enhanced with more features--the Photo app now allows you to edit, crop and rotate pictures--but again, we've already seen this before on Android devices. That's not to say iOS doesn't have anything new, but the implementation is really the key to making the OS experience usable for anyone.

What's new

Notifications Center
Notifications in iOS have always been somewhat lacking, and the new Notifications Center hopes to change this. Swipe down from the top and a list will appear with all the notifications. You can also set which notifications you want to see.

Also, instead of popping up and interrupting you while you are using an app, notifications now appear at the top of the screen, and you can tap to respond or ignore. The Lock Screen has also been enhanced: Notifications now appear on the screen, and you can swipe to respond directly.

iMessage
Think BlackBerry Messenger and you just about got this right. iMessage will allow you to send messages to other iOS 5-equipped devices. SMS options are still available, though Apple will allow you to turn it off completely. You may still want to stick to the cross-platform WhatsApp or PingChat! though, as they will let you message non-iOS users if you don't want to use SMS.

PC Free
Apple has made some big changes here. Where previous devices required activation via iTunes, new iOS 5 devices will have over-the-air (OTA) activation and updates.

When there are software updates, don't worry about massive downloads coming your way, as Apple has said that this will be done with delta updates, this means only parts that need changing get downloaded. This should help if you have a slow Internet connection.

Being free of the computer also means that everything will be synced and backed up to iCloud, including system restores. There's also a Wi-Fi Sync where your device will automatically sync wirelessly with iTunes if it's charging. Of course, it's likely that you can still sync your iOS device with your computer via a cable, and you may want to do this if you have lots of large files to transfer.

Twitter
You can now tweet from anywhere on the phone, whether it's to share a picture or a book you just bought. This should be fun for social media junkies, and if you're wondering why the other social media giant is missing, clickhere to read our take on this.

Newsstand
The Newsstand app allows you to view all your magazine and newspaper subscriptions in one convenient location. It also seems that at least one newspaper from Asia will be partnering Apple at launch.

Reminders
Reminders is also a new app and one that lets you create a to-do list, but also with the ability to set a location as a marker instead of a time. Say you set the office as a marker tagged with a reminder. When you reach the office, the reminder will then be triggered to alert you.

What's improved

Photos
The Photos app won't just be a dumb picture viewing gallery anymore. Instead, you will get basic image-editing features like rotating and cropping. There's also an Auto-Enhance feature that tries to fix your picture and another feature that corrects the red eye effect you get when you take pictures with flash.

Camera
The previous Camera app was very basic, meant for just taking pictures. It's now been upgraded with a bunch of functions, including the ability to use the volume up button as a shutter. Find out more here.

Safari
Safari gets tabbed browsing at last, and also gets a feature called Reading List that's similar to Instapaper where you can save pages for reading later. The browser also features a Reader mode that's similar to the desktop version.

Mail
The Mail app receives a much-needed update with the ability to format your emails. You can now bold, italicise or underline your text. You can also set indents and flag important messages. Mail also works with iCloud, so you get a free email account that syncs across your devices.

Calendar
The Calendar app is probably the one smartphone users tend to use regularly, so it's nice to see Apple making some improvements here. You can now see your entire year at a glance on the iPad, while iPhone and iPod touch users get a week view. The app also gets the iCloud treatment, which means your calendar will be synced to all your iOS devices.

Game Center
Lastly, the app that is probably used the least, Game Center, receives a few enhancements to entice you to use the app more.

Profile pictures and achievement points will be implemented, and you will be able to see who your friends are following and even connect with them. There will also be friend recommendations for people who play the same games as you. Lastly, you can now buy games straight from Game Center, instead of having to switch over to the App Store.

Source : cnet asia

By : Aloysius Low

Google Launches Flight Search Tool

Google has introduced a nifty flight information search function that makes vacation planning a tad easier.

The function allows those with a particular destination in mind to find out which airlines serve that route, and when they fly. Those who are looking to fly from Hong Kong to Thailand, for example,can search for “flights from HKG to BKK.”

The search will then return with a list of non-stop flights, including when the flights take off and land, what airlines offer them, and what days of the week the flights operate.

Flight fares are not part of the new feature, so sites like Expedia will still be the main hub for travelers looking to book tickets.

First foray into flight info

But this is a useful tool to see quickly and easily if any airline offers direct flights between your chosen cities, and with Google’s announcement that they acquired ITA last month, it probably won’t be a long before they list prices too.

Users can also search for all the destinations served by non-stop flights from a particular airport by typing, for instance, “Flights from Okinawa.”

The search function only gives routes connected by direct flights. For instance, searching “Flights from Hong Kong to Bhutan” will not return any results other than the usual travel sites.

The function is currently available in 10 languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Turkish, and Catalan.

Source : CNN

Nintendo unveils the Wii U system

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Nintendo is taking the idea of the "second screen" to a new level.

The company on Tuesday showed off a prototype gaming system called Wii U, which consists of a smartphone-like remote control that lets gamers play on two screens at the same time.

The controller has a touch-sensitive, 6.2-inch screen -- kind of like a giant Android phone -- that players can use to zoom in on TV images and to interact with games that show up both on the remote control and on the television.

For example, in a video demo of the system, which Nintendo showed off during a press conference at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles, a player puts his finger on a throwing star on the remote control's screen. With a swipe, the player throws this weapon at the TV screen across the room, and the object shows up there immediately -- as if it really flew through the air.

The Wii U remote also connects to the Internet, allowing users to essentially throw photos or videos from the controller onto the television.

Nintendo executives say the Wii U is just a prototype. They did not offer details about when the system will be available in stores or how much it will cost. Only one game is officially in the works for the system: "Lego City Stories," which Nintendo is developing in partnership with TT Games, the company said.

Executives compared the Wii U's release to the 2006 debut of the Wii, which was the first system to let players control games with movements of their bodies instead of clicking at buttons on hand-held controllers.

"It's a system we will all enjoy together but also one that's tailor-made for you," said Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo America. "Is it unique, unifying, maybe even utopian? The answer is also yes to all of this."

He added: "It's different from anything you've played before. It's infinitely complex and yet perfectly simple at the same time. It can change the way you game personally, and it can change the way you interact with family and friends."

The new system is also an attempt by Nintendo to capture hardcore gamers, who have shied away from the company's family-friendly titles. The remote includes lots of hardware buttons -- on the right left and back of the control -- in order to allow these more traditional gamers to play complicated games.

"As an industry, what we haven't achieved yet is a game platform that is equally satisfying for all players," said Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's global president. "Yet this is exactly what we intend to create with our new home platform."

To that effect, the company trotted out an executive from EA, the major gaming company, to give his endorsement for the Nintendo prototype.

The Wii U controller includes all the technical innards of a smartphone -- accelerometers, a gyroscope, cameras and a microphone -- which make the controller act in some fundamentally new ways when compared to the remotes that control other console gaming systems.

Wii U users can turn the controller's screen off to play games just as they would on any other console -- like the Microsoft Xbox 360 or Sony Playstation. They also can play some games -- a board-game example was shown -- on the Wii U remote by itself, without the help of a television screen. Or, uniquely, players can use both the remote and TV screens together, creating new possibilities.

A shooting game demo showed a sniper using the screen on the Wii U remote to zoom in on target inside a building's window while the image on the television remained static. Another clip showed a player using the remote's screen to aim at a fly ball and make an outfielder catch it in a baseball game.

Another player weighed herself on the Wii Fit Balance Board while holding the Nintendo remote in her hand. She got graphics about the progress of her health over time right on the remote's screen instead of on the TV.

Source : CNN

By : John D. Sutter and Doug Gross, CNN

World's 10 most exotic wellness retreats

Forget plain old spas, wellness is the buzzword now. Retreats that give you a medical overhaul while you sun, swim and scoff healthy gourmet fare.

Here are 10 of the best:

1. Terme de Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort

Italy

This Tuscan idyll probably has the world's most exotic facial treatments, using diamonds, gold and Antarctic ice as ingredients.

Also on offer are Craniosacral Attuning, Micronized Nasal Showers and Physiokinesiotherapy. It all sounds very technical, but the effects are pure bliss.

The spa sits beside an ancient thermal spring said to have healing powers, and is also awash in waterfalls, pools and impressive Roman baths. There are two restaurants, an 18-hole golf course and 53 treatment rooms.

Rate: Room and breakfast from €210 (US$302) per person per night, treatments extra.

58014 Saturnia (Grosetto), Italy; +39 0564 600888/9; www.termedisaturnia.it

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2. Sha Wellness Clinic

Spain

The world’s only macrobiotic spa is a favorite of Kylie Minogue and Naomi Campbell.

Supremely serene, this white temple of minimalism brings an oriental style and philosophy to Spain’s Costa Blanca. You’ll be offered reiki -- a treatment which aims to balance your energies without the therapist actually laying hands on you -- and a session in a private “floatarium” -- a dimly lit room taken up by a shallow pool of salty water.

Despite the gourmet chef fresh from elBulli, expect a lot of brown rice and absolutely no meat, eggs or dairy.

Rate: Room and all meals from €200 (US$288) per person per night, treatments extra. Double that for a two-day package including access to classes and three treatments.

Verderol 5, El Albir, 03581 Alicante, Spain; +34 966 811 199; www.shawellnessclinic.com

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3. Clinique La Prairie

Switzerland

This secretive clinic on the shores of Lake Geneva came to fame for its sheep embryo injections, said to have rejuvenated scores of the rich and famous.

Happily, the painful shots have been replaced by an extract which is now drunk after a comprehensive medical -- this must be the only spa in the world with 60 in-house specialists and its own MRI scanner.

Also expect out-there treatments like Lomi-Lomi, a Polynesian healing massage, and Sat Asanas, in which you’re massaged while performing different yoga positions.

When not receiving treatments, you can walk round the lake or enjoy busy Montreux. The spa cuisine is superb.

Rate: Weekly programmes only, inclusive of six nights and full board, full medical check-up and a tailored program from CHF 10,370 (US$12,177) per person.

Chemin de la Prairie 2, 1815 Clarens, Switzerland; +41 21 989 3311; www.laprairie.ch

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4. Como Shambhala Begawan Giri

Indonesia

The flagship wellness retreat in central Bali has become a blueprint for a whole raft of Como properties. But it would be hard to beat this original, set among the rice paddies outside Ubud, where an osteopath, chiropractor, physio, psychologist, nutritionist and Ayurvedic doctor are all on hand to sort out your chakras.

Energy healers, life coaches and “influential thinkers” visit some weekends, but at all times there’s yoga, pilates, meditation, aquatherapy, mountain biking and hiking, plus sublime spa treatments and outstanding cuisine.

Rate: Three-night minimum package including room and all meals, wellness consultation, massage, classes and return airport transfers from US$1,400 per person.

Banjar Begawan, Desa Melinggih Kelod, Payangan, Gianyar, Ubud 80571, Indonesia; +62 361 978 888; www.cse.como.bz

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5. La Quinta

United States

The desert resort of Palm Springs may not seem compatible with bone density scanning equipment used by NASA, but beautiful, colonial-style La Quinta has that gear and much more.

Rarefied spa treatments include a rose-quartz facial, a massage with “sacred stones,” a body polish with the seeds of wine grapes from the Napa Valley and an oxygen "power lift” for the complexion. There’s even a kids’ spa -- where young athletes can get a sports massage -- golf and tennis, and 41 swimming pools.

Rate: Room rates start at US$109, room only. WellMax check-up including skin laser treatments as well as full diagnostic package US$3,500.

49-499 Eisenhower Drive, La Quinta, CA 92253, USA; +1 760 777 8772; www.wellmax.com / www.laquintaresort.com

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6. Carmel Forest Spa

Israel

This eyrie high above the Med near Haifa was once a center of emotional healing for Holocaust survivors.

Now it tends to the aches, pains and stresses of their descendants. The world’s best massage therapists deliver divine salt, vanilla and lavender peels or shiatsu. Reiki, physiotherapy and reflexology are all on tap.

A wine bar dispensing fine Israeli vintages distinguishes this place from most wellness centres, but in spite of the alcohol and abundant cuisine, the food is very healthy. And you can walk it off in the forest, on the tennis courts or with a swim in expansive indoor and outdoor pools.

Rate: Double rooms from US$435 including room, full board and activities, treatments extra.

PO Box 90 000, Haifa 31 900, Israel; +972 (04) 830 7888; www.isrotel.com

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7. Carnac Thalasso @ Spa Resort Hotel

France

Thalassotherapy -- the harnessing of seawater and seaweed to improve health -- was invented more than a century ago in the westernmost French province of Brittany.

One of the best thalasso spas is at Carnac, with a huge indoor-outdoor seawater pool and new age waterbeds which beam out color therapy as they gently rock you.

Other treatments include wraps in warm seaweed, floats in a salty hydrotherapy bath, and massages delivered while tepid seawater drips on your back. Don't miss the passive but deeply therapeutic experience of staring out at sea and sky from a sybaritic relaxation room.

Rate: Double rooms from €85 (US$122) including access to therapeutic baths. Treatments extra.

6 Allee Fleur de Sel, 56343 Carnac, France; +33 (0)2 9752 5354; www.thalasso-carnac.com

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8. Blue Lagoon

Iceland

This full-service indoor-outdoor spa is built atop the largest of the country’s many natural hot springs, and lies conveniently halfway between the airport and the capital, Reykjavik.

Research shows bathing in geothermal seawater offers significant benefits to the skin as well as the psyche. You can slather on the rich mix of minerals, silica and algae provided in buckets along the sides of the huge outdoor pool, or get a professional massage, but there is also a clinic for psoriasis sufferers.

The Blue Lagoon has its own hotel, restaurant, superb shop and great line of skin care products; it’s worth paying extra for access to the VIP club as a day visitor.

Rate: Double rooms including breakfast and Lagoon access from €140 (US$200); entrance-only €28.

240 Grindavík, Iceland; +354 420 8800; www.bluelagoon.com

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9. Chiva Som

Thailand

This exotic Thai resort offers a “total lifestyle transformation." After 16 years, Asia’s first dedicated wellness resort is still winning multiple awards for its blend of Western diagnostics and Eastern philosophies served up in ritzy, but vernacular, style.

A new anti-aging doctor can ferret out triggers for disease and prescribe bio-identical hormones or herbal medicine. Also new are a biofeedback test to monitor response to stress, facial acupressure and a kinesthetic assessment to identify spine alignment imbalances.

But don’t expect a guitar lesson if you sign up for a Heavy Metal Profile; it’s a test to seek out lead, mercury and other toxins in your system.

Rate: Rooms from US$305 per night.

Hua Hin, Thailand; +66(0)32 536 536; www.chivasom.com

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10. Lifehouse

United Kingdom

After half a century of health farms, Britain finally has its first true wellness retreat in Lifehouse. This contemporary, light-flooded spa set in gorgeous gardens once beloved of Queen Mary, offers traditional treatments like facials, pedicures and both western and eastern style massage.

You can get cranio-sacral therapy, acupuncture, personalized flower remedies, reiki, kinesiology, spiritual and psychic healing and even a virtual gastric band.

Food is healthy, innovative and excellent, there are yoga and exercises classes, and as with every great wellness spa, just hanging out in beautiful, tranquil surroundings is a major part of the experience.

Rate: Two-night package including all meals, transfers from railway station, access to classes and two treatments from £290 (US$474) per person.

Lifehouse, Frinton Road, Thorpe-le-Soken, Essex CO16 0JD; + 44 1255 863468; www.lifehouse.co.uk

Source : CNN