Sprinting Science: Can Usain Bolt Break His 100m Record Again?
One year from now, the 2012 Olympic Games will begin in London, where all eyes will be on the incomparable Usain Bolt -- the Jamaican sprinter who is more than living up to his name.
Since 2008, Bolt has taken a jackhammer to the 100-meter world record, lopping off a whopping .14 seconds. That might not sound like a huge chunk of time until you consider it's twice as much as any other sprinter has shaved off the world record since the advent of electronic scoring.
Logically, one would think that Bolt did so by moving his legs faster than anyone else. Only he didn't.
Speed, as it turns out, may be completely misunderstood.
When Bolt established the current 100-meter world record in the 2009 world championships, running it in 9.58 seconds, he did so by moving his legs at virtually the same pace as his competitors. In fact, if you or I were to compete against Bolt, our legs would turn over at essentially the same rate as his.
This is a theory put forth by academics and track coaches alike who contend that running fast has more to do with the force one applies to the ground than how quickly one can move one's legs.
More than a decade ago, Peter Weyand, a science professor at Southern Methodist University, conducted a study on speed. Comparing athletes to non-athletes, Weyand clocked both test groups as they ran at their top speed. What he found shocked him.
"The amount of time to pick up a leg and put it down is very similar," he says. "It surprised us when we first figured it out."
How to Buy Organic Foods
TIP: If you buy apples or any other fruit, in bulk, and can't afford to buy them organically, that's fine. What you can do is peel the skin off before you eat them to avoid ingesting pesticides and toxic substances.
These are known as "the Dirty Dozen" and should therefore, always be bought organically:
- Peaches
- Apples
- Bell pepper
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Grapes
- Carrot
- Pears
- Onion
- Avocado
- Sweet corn
- Pineapple
- Mango
- Asparagus
- Sweet peas
- Kiwi
- Cabbage
- Eggplant
- Papaya
- Watermelon
- Broccoli
- Tomato
- Sweet potato
2012 Maserati GranCabrio Convertible Sport
Now to say that Maserati isn’t trying is likewise a slap in the face of the Italian automaker. And to be completely on the up-and-up, if there’s a car that can definitely make the world stand up and take notice, the brand’s new 2012 GranCabrio Convertible Sport is that car. Scheduled to be unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the newest Maserati GranCabrio Convertible is nothing short of jaw-dropping. Even though it can't compete with Ferrari in terms of top speed, HP and 0 to 60, it definitely captures your attention with her looks.
2014 Lexus GS 350 Coupe
Lexus will be unveiling the new generation GS sedan on August 18th, in conjunction with the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. That much we already know, but what many don’t know just yet is that the company is planning a coupe version of the model. The new GS Coupe will be a spiritual successor to the SC 430 and will target models like the Audi S5, BMW 650i, and Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe.
In an interview with Inside Line, Ben J. Mitchell, Lexus’ product planner manager said: "I’d like to do a coupe. We’re really trying to increase the emotional qualities of our brand. We want to emphasize exterior styling and dynamics."
2013 BMW Gran Coupe
So it has been a while since BMW gave us something to admire and drop our jaws. Thankfully they finally came to their senses and decided to give us a BMW with a little more personality and character. Well, hopefully...
The Gran Coupe concept has finally been pushed through to production. With the AUdi A7 lurking at the segment and the Mercedes CLS in it's second version, BMW needed a new star. For that they are signing the Gran Coupe with a contract starting in 2012.
Green is NOT just the "New Black"
We sit around and criticize people for trying to be too green, animal-friendly, etc. But guess what: it's not a fad. If people are being green because it's "the new black", then they're wasting their time. It shouldn't be one way of life, it should be THE way of life. People who don't care about what they're doing to the environment because they won't be around forever and therefore, only give a hoot about what the environment is like NOW, are selfish, ignorant idiots: think about your children and their children. Think about your legacy. Think about how you're affecting nature, and making it worse. Here's how you can help right here, right now. These are just a few things to think about.
In a more sentimental perspective, consider the way that the Quechua people in the Andes worship and give back to the mountain upon which they live. In a book I strongly recommend called 'Mountain of Condor', Joseph W. Bastien penetrates their culture by comprehending the importance of the mountain as a metaphor for meaning and hierarchy in their lives. The Earth is what naturally governs them, and why should we not do the same? These Incan people feed the mountain before they feed themselves. A friend of mine told me that during a trekking tour in Machu Picchu, their tour guides would regularly take out a bottle of water and pour some on the ground before they drank some for themselves, which would be their way of thanking the Earth before indulging in its fruitful offerings. If you are still not convinced, watch how the people in BBC's documentary "Human Planet" reciprocate aid to the Earth and animals around them, whether they are animals for food like the Indonesian sailors who harpoon a sperm whale to feed their entire village, or the way that a Mongolian father and son train their eagles to hunt after foxes to feed them during their harsh winters.
Since food production is responsible for 12% of greenhouse gas emissions (Pazderka et al. n.d.), choose your food and eat your meat wisely. Due to mass production, which not only feeds society's stomachs, but our mind set, to make meat or dairy the main ingredient in all three meals of the day, over the past 50 years, world meat consumption has gone up 50%.
At the same caloric and nutrient levels, vegan diets have the least effect on the environment, followed by vegetarian and omnivorous diets. This doesn't mean that vegetarian and vegan diets are always better than carnivorous. If we consumed organic meat, that would be much better for the environment than non-organic cheese, milk, etc.
When organic was compared to conventional systems on each diet, the organic diet wins whether vegan, vegetarian or omnivorous. (Baroni and colleagues, 2006). So maybe instead of going vegan, opt for an omnivorous diet that consists of organic produce.
Water use:
To produce 1 calorie of meat it takes 100 times the amount of water that it takes to produce 1 calorie of grain.
Land use:
Transportation: Moving the food to the animals, then moving the animals to slaughter and transporting the meat to a store magnifies harmful emissions
Energy and Fossil Fuels.Animals must eat 6 kilograms of plant protein to make 1 kilogram of animal protein . Ittakes 40 calories of energy to produce one calorie of beef, making it the worst offender. Following close behind aremilk (14:1), and eggs (39:1). The average energy-in to energy-out ratio for animal protein is 25:1.
Read more at Suite101: Meat's Effect on the Environment: Environmental Impact is Highest for Animal Foods | Suite101.com http://www.suite101.com/
The point is...
In order to reduce the number of gas emissions that are truly harming our environment, we need to consume a little bit less than we do today, not solely in amount, but in variety. Especially since food is constantly being wasted or coming from ruthless (in terms of anti-green) factories who don't care. This doesn't mean that everyone should just go vegan to protect the Earth or cut down their food intake by half. Instead, we should try to consume more organic products in general, so as to not feed the mass production industry of animals for their meat and by-products. The reason that these industries are constantly mass producing animals is because we DEMAND it, and therefore they SUPPLY it. Support grass-fed beef, and organic produce. It's better for your health and the environment.
Stay tuned for upcoming posts:
Meatless (or Eat LESS) Mondays
Companies that do & don't test on animals
Mr. Bean has a V-16 engine in his RR Phantom!!!! V16!
Mr. Bean, now you know who I'm talking about! Bean is known by most as the funniest man in the world. After all Mr. Bean hardly needs an introduction but what most people don't know is that Atkinson is also an avid car lover and collector, and he drives like a pro. After all in one of his movies he was able to brush, undress, dress and eat while late to a doctors appointment.
2012 Audi R8
The Audi R8 was first launched back in 2007 and even though it has remained successful throughout its many years on the market, Audi is preparing it for a major makeover for the 2012 model year (2013 for the US market). The first details of the future model suggest that the car will receive a facelifted exterior and interior design, and more powerful engines - both V8 and V10 options. The new Audi R8 is expected in the summer of 2012.
This is just too sad...
Guide To Table Place Setting And Dining Etiquette To Impress
Party events and holiday celebrations are such fabulous time to spend with people we care about, to share the fun and capture memories with photography. It can also be a time to offend people unintentionally if things were not done right. The same goes when doing business with others. When you have been invited to a formal dinner, it is vital to exhibit grace and poise to make a lasting, positive impression. People adopt strong messages about you and your business from the manner you present yourself or your image. Your manners can speak volumes about you as a professional. Dining etiquette play an important rule here to keep the negotiation alive.
Before we go to the basic dining etiquette that we need to know, let’s take a look at the different table place settings and learn about this inforgraphic on Formal Silverware Functions. When one is entertaining guests for dinner, the first question that crossed our mind is how to arrange the dinner table.
Top 10 Most Extreme Substances
10 Most Expensive Hotel Rooms In The World
Just keep in mind, those prices don't include tax so be prepared to add 10 to 17%
10- The Penthouse Suite, The Martinez Hotel, Cannes
Nightly Rate: $18,000
This is the biggest, most expensive, and the only terraced penthouse suite on the Cote d’Azur. Both of the two suites has a jacuzzi, plasma screen televisions, DVD library, kitchen, open bar, private butler on call 24/7 (ditto for a limousine), and an option to join both suites into one big apartment. The luxury has no limit here – the design is kept in the Art Deco style, with streamlined furniture, silk curtains and teak parquet floors.
The wraparound terrace is 2,000 square feet with the views of the Lerins Islands as well as the entire Bay of Cannes and can comfortably hold 100 people. One Saudi sheik liked the suite so much he wanted to rent it for five years. The hotel said no. What else can you say? Tres magnifique!
Moments some people would like to erase from their memory
Kobe's day with the Jackass crew
Gaming screen of the future
Remote control of the future
Best carpet in the world
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Freestyle Champion Jeremy Lynch
Are women born this way?
Great passwork
Extreme herding
For this video Samsung went to the hills of Wales, armed with sheep, LEDs and a camera. The help of well trained herding dogs and farmers who know a tiny bit more than Samsung about herding was greatly appreciated. They came up with a huge amazing LED display.
Porsche Design Shisha
Chimps reaction to magic tricks
Senior Synchronized Swimming
If We Landed On The Moon Today...
Girl has an orgasm on roller coaster
My Beef Stroganoff Recipe
Some people are born lucky, some even breath luck!
Insane beat box
Awesome people
Watch out gamers, grandma hardcore is online!
A new car for only 5 bucks! For real!
Street art, inflatable garbage bags monsters
Flute beatbox
Intelligent, athletic, creative and impressive wheelbarrow race
Never ending Volleyball rally
Bugatti Veyron Vs Maclaren F1
Need motivation?
An Egyptian revolution would be incomplete without camels
Sears.com accidentally prices iPad at $69
You know the old saying if a deal is too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true?
That's what happened to a major retailer's online shoppers Friday afternoon. Sears.com inadvertently advertised Apple's 16GB iPad 2 for $69, much less than the regular advertised price of $744.99. That low price got the attention of web shoppers and the deal went viral on Twitter and other social media websites.
Many people took advantage of the unbelievable deal, though a Sears spokesperson couldn't give an exact number. Friday night, Sears posted a statement online telling customers the error was made by a third-party vendor and the deal will not be honored.
Human dissection (WARNING Very Graphic Content)
The collection is the product of a 17-year collaboration between David L. Bassett, a School of Medicine alumnus and faculty member known for his elegant dissections and love for the human body, and William Gruber, the photographer who invented the View-Master stereoscopic viewing device.
A deep dissection of the side of the head shows the many blood vessels (red arteries, blue veins) and nerves (graying white) in the facial region. The hole is the external ear canal. The temporal muscle, used for chewing, is the prominent fan shaped muscle on the side of skull, behind the mouth and above the jaw.
Check out the rest...
Go Lebanon Go... OH wait!
Call it impressing, insane, first of it's kind, beautiful, what ever you want but it won't change the fact that Diab is facing either a suspension or a fine for unsportsmanlike conduct.
2011 Ferrari 458 "Italian Stallion" By Wheelsandmore
A friend I met at Frankfurt airport...
For those who didn't believe me when I told them, Kuwait is damn hot!
Charlie Sheen, on Egyptian problems...
Moroccan just for laughs gags
Lebanon Vs Kuwait soccer game end in gun fire
Squirrel dodged a Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 bullet
The best thing to do during a layover in Amsterdam airport
3ed of July 2011, I traveled from Montreal to Kuwait with an 8 hour layover in Schiphol, Amsterdam. Just like any long layover, I started wondering around thinking about a way to pass time. On top of that, I needed to use the bathroom very badly and I just can't find it in me to use the airport stools. Not only I get very disgusted but people using the other stools think that the doors are sound proof, the symphonies you hear are unbelievably gross. Boredom didn't help. When I couldn't hold it any longer I accepted my faith and started looking for the cleanest bathroom. What I came across was better than I would've imagined. Bathrooms with showers cleaner than any place in any airport. At the Mercure hotel on the higher floor they give you the option to shower for as long as you like for 15 euros. The best thing about it is, a person cleans the bathroom thoroughly after every use. I got to use a clean bathroom, shower, pass an hour of my layover and I was fresh and clean again.
Check out the rest of the pictures I took...
A new guest start on Mission impossible 4, The BMW I8
The Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol, will air on December 16, 2011, but while many people think Tom Cruise will be the star of the show, I think differently. I want to watch this movie for it's guest star, even if it's just so I can get a glimpse of the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept car that will inspire the production BMW i8 version.
(watch the trailer here)