French bulldogs at risk of various health problems.

French bulldogs at risk of various health problems.French Bulldogs, predicted soon to become the most popular dog breed in the UK, are vulnerable to a number of health conditions, according to a new study published in the open access journal Canine Genetics and Epidemiology. Researchers at The Royal Veterinary College (RVC), UK found that the most common issues in French Bulldogs over a one year period were ear infections, diarrhea and conjunctivitis (inflammation of the eye surface). Dr. Dan O'Neill, RVC Senior Lecturer and the main author, said: "French Bulldogs are a relatively new arrival to the list of common UK breeds so there is very little current research on them in the UK. Our study -- the first on this breed in the UK -- is based on anonymised records gathered from hundreds of UK vet clinics. It provides owners with information on the issues that they could expect and should look out for in French Bulldogs. It may also help potential new owners to decide if a French Bulldog really is for them." Dr. O'Neill adds: "One of the interesting finding from our research is that male French Bulldogs appear to be less healthy than females. Males were more likely to get 8 of the 26 most common health problems while there were no issues that females were more likely to get than males."

Camera fitted on sheep in Faroe Islands to create Google Street View.

The Faroe Islands have some of the most beautiful roads in the world. It is impossible to describe what it feels like driving through the green valleys and up the mountains, or alongside the ocean, surrounded by steep drops and tall cliffs. It’s an experience like no other. A group the sheep view 360 decided to show case their world,to a bigger world by helping Google to come on line. The island will be picked up easily by Google as sites and sounds of Faroe. Faroe Islands with a population of 49,000 isn't always the first place to benefit from new technology. Residents are strapping cameras to sheep across the islands in a bid to get the country on Google Street View. The project dubbed Sheep View 360 ,a team with the help of a local shepherd and engineer to build a harness, have been capturing photos of the 18 islands. Durita Dahl Andreassen, Faroe Islands, the leader of the movement,gently placed a 360˚ camera, powered by a solar panel, on the back of a sheep that would take photographs as the animal freely grazed the open hillsides of the Faroe Islands .Photos are then transmitted back to his mobile phone so that he can upload them to Google Street View and finally putting the Faroes on the map in a very unique way. As at today panoramic images from five locations have been uploaded to the service and a 360 degree video gives a tour of the island, from the perspective of a sheep. "My sheep are great for capturing the tracks and trails of the Faroe Islands, but in order to cover the big sweeping Faroese roads and the whole of the breath-taking landscapes, we need Google to come and map them." Google hasn't commented on whether it will map the islands and it's possible for anyone to upload photos to Street View. This can be done using a phone, DSLR camera or specialist Trekker cameras, which can be borrowed from Google. These cameras can be strapped onto the back of a wearer and will capture the view as they walk around. This approach will develop better business models and trade strategies as well as grow the tourism industry.This is actually the new rave of marketing ,business pitching and entertainment in the VR world. Contributed by Wired UK.

UK Defense Firm BAE Systems Wants to “Grow” Drones in Vats with Chemical 3D Printing.

As UK defense and aerospace company BAE Systems prepares themselves for the upcoming Farnborough International Airshow, some of their scientists and engineers were asked to outline their current ides for the future of designing and manufacturing military aircraft. They envision the 3D printers of the future to be a lot more efficient, and a lot different than what we have available to us today. The BAE scientists believe that within this century they will be capable of growing Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) using advanced chemistry and large chemical baths. The process would be capable of creating functional, near fully assembled drones for specific military operations within a matter of weeks. The ideas and concepts or these lab-grown aircraft were developed as part of their collaborative approach to sharing technology and scientific ideas with other established companies, new tech startups and researchers in academia. The process would require a cutting-edge chemical 3D printer and computer called a “Chemputer” that would grow the customized aircraft and some of their electronic systems at the molecular level. The drones would take shape by introducing raw materials into the chemical baths and apply centrifugal force. This would encourage the aircraft to form into their final shapes, and the process could even be used for larger aircraft components that could later be assembled. “This is a very exciting time in the development of chemistry. We have been developing routes to digitize synthetic and materials chemistry and at some point in the future hope to assemble complex objects in a machine from the bottom up, or with minimal human assistance. Creating small aircraft would be very challenging but I’m confident that creative thinking and convergent digital technologies will eventually lead to the digital programming of complex chemical and material systems,” explained Regius Professor at the University of Glasgow Lee Cronin, who is also the Founding Scientific Director at Cronin Group PLC, the company that is helping to develop the Chemputer. While BAE Systems and their corporate partners seem to be focused on the potential military and aerospace applications, the same process could also revolutionize civilian industry and technology. Similar chemical 3D printers could be used to manufacture anything from cars and other vehicles, personal electronics and even furnishings. Welcome to a world of possibilities!!! 3D PRINTING WORLD Contributed by 3dprint.com