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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Eavesdropping Antennas Can Steal Your Smart Phone's Secrets



The processors in smart phones and tablets leak radio signals that betray the encryption keys used to protect sensitive data.
  • BY TOM SIMONITE
At the RSA computer security conference last week, Gary Kenworthy of Cryptography Research held up an iPod Touch on stage and looked over to a TV antenna three meters away. The signal picked up by the antenna, routed through an amplifier and computer software, revealed the secret key being used by an app running on the device to encrypt data. An attacker with access to this key could use it to perfectly impersonate the device he stole it from—to access e-mail on a company server, for example.
The antenna was detecting radio signals "leaking" from the transistors on the chip inside the phone performing the encryption calculations. Transistors leak those signals when they are active, so the pattern of signals from a chip provides an eavesdropper a representation of the work the chip is doing. When Kenworthy tuned his equipment to look in the right place, a clear, regular pattern of peaks and troughs appeared on his computer screen. They could be seen to come in two varieties, large and small, directly corresponding to the string of digital 1s and 0s that make up the encryption key.
"[This] antenna is not supposed to work at this frequency, and it's been in someone's attic for years and is a bit bent," said Kenworthy, a principal engineer at Cryptography Research. "You could build an antenna into the side of a van to increase your gain—well, now you've gone from 10 feet to 300 feet."
Kenworthy and Benjamin Jun, Cryptography Research's chief technology officer, also demonstrated how a loop of wire held close to two models of smart phone could pick up their secret keys. The signal from an HTC Evo 4G smart phone was a direct transcript of the device's key, used as part of a common cryptographic algorithm called RSA. The researchers required a more complex statistical analysis to successfully capture a key from another HTC device, which was used as part of an encryption scheme known as AES.

Jun said that all the devices his company has tested produced signals of some kind that could betray their keys, although different eavesdropping techniques were necessary for different devices. While some could be vulnerable to a long-range attack, as in the iPod demonstration, others like the HTC devices would require an attacker to get up close. But that could be practical, said Jun, if contactless receivers used to collect payments from phones with NFC chips were modified by crooks. NFC chips are expected to become widely available in smart phones in coming months as Google and other companies develop contactless mobile payment systems.
The apps used in Jun and Kenworthy's demonstrations were of their own design, because it would be "bad manners" to demonstrate sniffing keys from other company's apps, said Jun. However, the researchers have shown privately that they can eavesdrop on encryption keys from any app or mobile software, he said.
Details of the vulnerabilities uncovered have been provided to handset manufacturers. "We've notified all the phone vendors and manufacturers, and there's a lot of work being done on this now," he said. "I can't name names, but I will say that we're working with one large tablet and smart-phone manufacturer."
Modifications to the hardware or software of a mobile device can muddy the signals that an eavesdropper can pick up. Many wireless credit-card readers already include such countermeasures, said Jun.
In the case of smart phones and tablets, software upgrades that split operations using cryptographic keys into multiple parts that are then combined could protect existing devices without changes to hardware, said Jun. However, such tactics come at a cost. "They do require some kind of performance hit," said Jun, because they ask a chip to do more work. That also means more power consumption, which could deter some developers, who are loath to waste precious battery life.

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Monday, March 5, 2012

Japan finishes Tokyo Sky Tree, world's tallest tower


Japan finishes Tokyo Sky Tree




Tourists ride rickshaws with the Tokyo Sky Tree tower in the background in Tokyo.
Pic: AFP
TOKYO – Construction of the Tokyo Sky Tree, the world’s tallest self-supporting communications tower, finished last week, two months late because of the quake and tsunami that struck Japan last March.
Tourist bosses in the country hope the tower will be a big draw for foreign visitors, whose numbers have plummeted in the aftermath of the disaster and the nuclear crisis it sparked.
“The construction was originally scheduled to finish in December 2011 but was delayed due to a shortage of supplies after the disaster,” said a spokeswoman for the operator, adding that the finished structure is sound.
Construction of the 634-metre (2080-foot) tower near the already popular Asakusa traditional district on Tokyo’s eastern side began in July 2008.
The Tokyo Sky Tree tops the 600-metre Canton Tower in China’s Guangzhou and the 553-metre CN Tower in downtown Toronto.
Some 580,000 construction workers were engaged in the construction, which cost 65 billion yen (US$806 million) for the tower alone, the spokeswoman said.
The Tokyo Sky Tree is expected to overshadow landmarks in the capital’s upscale western parts, including the 333-metre Tokyo Tower, which was built in 1958 and became a byword in Japan for the country’s rapid post-war growth.
It hosts two observation decks – at 350 metres and 450 metres above ground – as well as restaurants and office space and sits at a former freight shunting yard along the Sumida river. – AFP


Tickets for TOKYO SKYTREE are by reservation only with the day/time assigned.

TOKYO SKYTREE TOWN will open on May 22, 2012
There are 5 ways to purchase tickets to TOKYO SKYTREE Observation Deck.
1. Online advance reservation of "TOKYO SKYTREE Web Ticket" starts from March 22 (by drawing).
Credit cards issued in Japan is required for online reservation.
2. Advance purchase may be made at Tobu Travel Box Office from March 22 (by drawing).
3. Tickets from May 22 to July 10 are by Advance Reservation Only. No day tickets will be sold during this period. Day tickets will on sale from July 11.
4. "TOKYO SKYTREE Group Reservation Center" takes reservations for groups of 25 or more.
5. Use travel plans of various travel agencies or accomodation plans offered by TOKYO SKYTREE Official hotels/TOKYO SKYTREE Friendship Hotels.
Website in other languages will be ready very soon. Please visit the renewed pages for details.

About Tokyo Sky Tree

"Tokyo Sky Tree" will appear in the Narihirabashi/Oshiage area of Sumida Ward, Tokyo in 2012. Boasting a height of 634m, the tower will be one of the world's tallest.

Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting and the Role of the New Tower

In July 2011, the current analog broadcasting will end and a complete transition made to digital broadcasting.
Five commercial stations and NHK took this as a turning point to advance preparations towards digital broadcasting from a TV tower with a height of around 600m and decided on the Sumida/Taito area as the site for construction of the tower.
In addition, for "one-segment broadcasting (one-seg)," a digital broadcasting service for mobile devices that was launched in April 2006, it is ideal to have transmissions from a height that is not very vulnerable to the forest of super high-rise buildings that stand at heights of around 200m in downtown Tokyo.
Expectations are also on the tower to serve the role of a tower equipped with disaster prevention features.

Birth of a Town with a Tower

At the foot of the new tower will be a "town with a tower" spans about 400m from east to west, connecting Oshiage Station and Narihirabashi Station, and encompassing an area of about 3.69ha.
A networking plaza leading from Oshiage Station to the tower lobby on level four of the facility, three plazas in front of the station and along Kitajukken River, and Shinsui Park will form a community environment where visitors and nearby residents will gather.

Location

Located about 1km east of Asakusa - a town filled with the atmosphere of a shitamachi (the traditional name for the area of Tokyo that extends from Taito, Chiyoda and Chuo Wards east of the Sumida River where many merchants, craftsmen, etc. reside) - and about 2km northeast of Ryogoku - a town famous for sumo wrestling.
The new tower stands in a major traditional international tourism zone of Japan.
*Address: part of Oshiage 1-chome and part of Mukoujima 1-chome of Sumida Ward in Tokyo

Development Schedule

Fiscal 2006
Basic design
Fiscal 2007~8
Execution design
July 2008
Start of construction
December 2011
(Scheduled) Construction completion
Spring 2012
(Scheduled) Grand opening

Overview of Facilities

Tokyo Sky Tree
Equipment outline
  • Height of tower: 634m
  • Facilities: Observatory (First Observatory at 350m and Second Observatory at 450m), broadcasting facilities, stores, restaurant, etc.
  • Initial investment: Approx. 60 billion yen Pre-opening costs: Approx. 5 billion yen
*Architectural and artistic design and facilities are those envisioned at this point in time, and are subject to further review and change.

You can check the updated information of Tokyo Sky Tree in the PDF brochure.

Japan builds Tokyo Sky Tree, world's tallest tower


Standing 2,080 feet tall, the Tokyo Sky Tree is a new digital broadcast tower built on reclaimed land in the Japanese capital. Engineers are confident it won't topple in an earthquake.
(Credit: Tim Hornyak/CNET)
TOKYO--Nearly a year after the magnitude-9.0 quake that pummeled Japan, construction of the world's tallest tower, the Tokyo Sky Tree, is now complete.
Builder Obayashi, which recently announced plans for a space elevator to start services by 2050, declared the Sky Tree complete ahead of a ceremony Friday. While the world's tallest man-made structure remains the Burj Khalifa in Dubai at 829 meters (2,720 feet), the Sky Tree tops the list of the tallest free-standing towers at 634 meters (2,080 feet).
It's 34 meters taller than the Canton Tower in Guangzhou, China, and nearly twice the height of its predecessor, Tokyo Tower (333 meters). Operated by Tobu Railways and a consortium of media companies, the Sky Tree will serve as a digital terrestrial broadcasting center for Tokyo and the surrounding Kanto region.
The achievement came amid snowy weather in Tokyo. Falling ice from the structure has been a problem for nearby companies and residences in Sumida Ward, a heretofore quiet district on the eastern bank of the Sumida River.
The land is known to be relatively unstable and much of the area was reclaimed from Tokyo Bay long ago. But engineers say the Sky Tree will be able to withstand even the strongest of earthquakes. They point to a traditional building technique that was incorporated in the structure.


The Sky Tree makes use of a shinbashira, a central column that features in the architecture of Japanese pagodas. The column acts as a stationary pendulum to counterbalance seismic waves, greatly reducing the sway in the surounding structure.
Indeed, there are virtually no records of pagodas being toppled in quakes in Japanese history. The tallest wooden tower in the country, the 55-meter (180-foot) pagoda of Toji temple in Kyoto, has been standing firm since 1644.
The Sky Tree's shinbashira is a hollow concrete tube housing elevators and stairs. It's structurally separate from the exterior truss but is joined by oil dampers, which help reduce quake shaking.
"The anti-quake measures in this structure can reduce quake vibrations by 50 percent," Hirotake Takanishi, PR manager for Tobu Tower Sky Tree, told me. "We've run simulations showing the Sky Tree will withstand an 8.0-magnitude earthquake, and can withstand even stronger ones, but we can't say definitely what its upper limit is."
The building suffered virtually no damage in the March 2011 quake, though supply interruptions delayed its completion.
Opening in May, the Sky Tree will have several cutting-edge attractions, including a special observation deck at 450 meters (1,476 feet) that will have an "air corridor" that snakes around the exterior for vertiginous thrills.
Stunning panoramic views
When I visited the Sky Tree on a press preview late last year, I rode the high-speed elevator to the first observation deck at 350 meters (1,148 feet) above ground. I couldn't feel the car's acceleration because it's engineered for a very smooth ride, but I was whisked up in less than a minute.
The view that greeted me was a stunning panorama of Tokyo spreading out in all directions over the Kanto plain. The world's largest metropolitan area, home to some 30 million people, seemed infinite.
Though Tokyo suffers from haze, on clear days in winter Mt. Fuji, Japan's iconic volcano, is visible to the southwest. The 360-degree deck also has a reproduction of a folding screen painting from Japan's feudal period that bears a remarkable resemblance to the panorama. It's a bird's eye view of Edo, the shogun's capital that was the precursor to Tokyo.
Indeed, the past is never far away at the Sky Tree. In Japanese, its height of 634 (meters) can be pronounced "mu-sa-shi," which refers to Musashi, the ancient province that was home to Edo.
Check out more pics in our gallery above, as well as the time-lapse video below of the Tokyo Sky Tree being built.





World’s First Flying Car to make its Debut at NY Auto Show [PHOTOS]






By Monami Thakur | 
For the first time, the world will see the debut of the first practical flying car at the New York International Auto Show next month at the Jacob Javitz Center.
It's the Terrafugia's Transition Roadable Aircraft that has been developed after years of testing and engineering breakthroughs.
Developed by the privately held American corporation Terrafugia, the roadable aircraft has a 23-gallon gas tank and a range of 400 miles. It gives about 35 mpg on the road and burns roughly 5 gallons of gas per hour when it is at cruising speed in the air.
"We selected the New York International Auto Show to continue the roll-out of the Transition because of the value this show brings in terms of exposure to future owners, investors, and partners. The NYIAS is a venue from which we can show the first practical street-legal airplane to the world while meeting the people who will be part of its commercial success in the years to come.  New York is the perfect place to accomplish all of this," said Anna Mracek Dietrich, COO of Terrafugia.
The Terrafugia has currently received about 100 orders with an anticipated base price of $279,000.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Terrafugia spokesperson Steve Moscaritolo mentioned that some of those orders come from people who want it for the "new toy" aspect, but the company has also taken orders from people who commute somewhere each weekend, or almost every day, and want to avoid parking headaches and security lines at the airport.
Catch a glimpse of the Terrafugia's Transition Roadable Aircraft in the images given below:
 
Terrafugia Transition Roadable Aircraft
Source: Terrafugia
 
The Transition Roadable Light Sport Aircraft Proof of Concept with wings extended at home.
Source: Terrafugia

 
 

-- 
 
M Junaid Tahir 

Radha Parthasarathi Jhulan Yatra ( EXCLUSIVE )


Following are the pics of each day of the 5-day long Jhulan Yatra celebrated in Sri Sri Radha Parthasarathi Mandir, ISKCON Delhi.






" The people will be resurrected (and judged) according to their intentions."

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Human beings often tend to put emphasis on their outward actions (forms), rather than the inner side of human personality (substance). In Islam belief and action are inseparable and their true connection is through intention (Niyyah). Apparently, a good deed can be unacceptable to God, if the accompanying intention is foul or defective. Thus the emphasis on action should always be linked to a greater emphasis on purity of intention. Pure and correct intention will always be rewarded, whether the actual action is completed or not. Precisely for this reason, a person can attain martyrdom (shahadah) through pure and consistent intention, even if he or she dies a normal death in bed. On the other hand, many otherwise apparently righteous and glorified people could go to Hell because of their impure intentions. True and pure intentions always result in good actions, but not all good actions accompany proper intentions. God will judge actions, but in the context of a person's intentions.

10 common mistakes in Prayer (Salah, Salat or Namaz):



1. Delaying the Salah intentionally: While being busy in worldly affairs we often delay the Salah from its preferred time. This is the most common mistake in Prayer made by most of us. We think that Praying is last thing to do and we must attend to other matters first. Many workers delay Zuhr and Asr Prayer till night-time. Quran speaks strictly on guarding our Salat:

╚► ï¿½Guard strictly (five obligatory) As-Salawat (the prayers) especially the middle Salat (i.e. Asr Prayers)� [2:238]Here to safeguard the Salat means to perform it at its prescribed time and to be steadfast upon it.


╚►Narrated Ibn Umar (R.A): Allah�s Messenger (ﷺ) said: �Whoever misses the Asr prayers (intentionally), then it is as if he lost his family and property.� [Al-Bukhari]
Another Hadith explains the importance of praying on time:
╚►The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 
(This is the prayer of the hypocrite, this is the prayer of the hypocrite, this is the prayer of the hypocrite. He sits watching the sun until it is between the two horns of Shaytan. Then he stands and pecks four (Rak`ahs) and he does not remember Allah (in them) except very little.) This Hadith is describing the end of the time for the `Asr prayer, which is the middle prayer as is confirmed by a text (Hadith). This is the time in which it is disliked to pray. Then this person stands to pray it, pecking in it like the pecking of a crow. He does not have tranquility or humility in it at all. 
Thus, the Prophet ﷺ said, 
(He does not remember Allah (in them) except very little.) He probably only stands to pray it so that the people will see him praying, and not seeking the Face of Allah. This is just as if he did not pray at all. 

╚►Allah says, 
So woe to the worshippers, who are neglectful of their prayers, Those who (want but) to be seen (of men), [Al-Maa�un 107:4-6]Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but it is He Who deceives them. And when they stand up with laziness and to be seen of men, and they do not remember Allah but little. [4:142]2. Reciting Holy Quran fast in the Prayers: we must pause and take breaks while reciting Holy Quran during Salat. We should not recite the Surah�s so fast that that the verse get intermingled. One of the Hadith emphasizes this issue:
╚► ï¿½The Prophet (ﷺ) used to pause after each verse of Surah al-Fatiha. [Abu Dawood]
╚►The Prophet (ﷺ), who said : 
"A prayer performed by someone who has not recited the Essence of the Quran (Surat al-Fatihah) during it is deficient (and he repeated the word three times), incomplete. Someone said to Abu Hurayrah: [Even though] we are behind the imam? He said: Recite it to yourself, for I have heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say: Allah (mighty and sublime be He), had said: I have divided prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. 
When the servant says: Al-hamdu lillahi rabbi l-alamin ("Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds."), 
Allah says: My servant has praised Me. 
And when he says: Ar-rahmani r-rahim ("The Merciful, the Compassionate"), 
Allah says: My servant has extolled Me, 
and when he says: Maliki yawmi d-din ("Master of the Day of Judgement"), 
Allah says: My servant has glorified Me - and on one occasion He said: My servant has submitted to My power. 
And when he says: Iyyaka na budu wa iyyaka nasta in ("It is You we worship and it is You we ask for help"), 
He says: This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. And when he says: Ihdina s-sirata l- mustaqim, siratal ladhina an amta alayhim ghayril-maghdubi alayhim wa la d-dallin ("Guide us to the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favors, not of those against whom You are angry, nor of those who are astray"), 
He says: This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for." [Muslim]

3. Moving before the Imam in congregational prayers: one should not race with the imam, when Imam says Allahu Akbar, then the person who�s following the Imam in Prayers should say Allahu Akbar. Not before Imam or with Imam. The Prophet (ﷺ) states:╚► ï¿½Surely the imam is there to be followed� [Muslim]
Another Hadith states:╚►The Prophet (ﷺ) said: �Does not the one who raises his head before the Imam does fear that Allah would transform his head into a donkey�s head� [Muslim]

4. Performing the Salah hastily: Salat should be performed slowly and calmly. Rukoo or Sujood must be performed unhurriedly. In order to complete the Rukoo one must stay in Rukoo posture long enough to recite �Subhan Rabbi yal Adtheem� at least three times. In the same manner, for the Sujood the person should say �Subhan-na Rabbi yal-ala� three times slowly. This Hadith commands to complete the Rukoo and Sujood in proper manner:
╚►The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
 ï¿½The worst thief is the one who steals from his own prayer.� People asked: �Messenger of Allah! How could one steal from his own prayer?� He said: �By not completing its rukoo and sujood� [at-Tabarani]


╚►The Prophet (P.B.U.H) said: �He who does not complete his rukoo and sujood, his prayer is void� [Abu Dawood]
5. Gazing right, left or upward during Salat: While performing Salah, one should concentrate on looking to the point where the head is placed during Sujood rather than looking upwards. Because this may lose concentration. In the Hadith recorded by Sahih Muslim the Prophet (P.B.U.H) said:╚► �Let those who raise their gaze up during prayer stop doing so, or else their sights would not return to them� (i.e. they will lose their eyesight) [Muslim]

6. Performing Sujood improperly: most common mistake observed in Prayers is to perform Sujood by resting only the tip of head on floor.╚►The Prophet (ﷺ) said: �I am commanded to prostrate on seven bones the forehead and the nose, the two hands [palms], the two knees, and the two feet� [Muslim]
7. Going to Mosque for performing Salah with rapid walk:
╚► The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
 ï¿½When prayer has already started, do not walk quickly to join in. Proceed calmly and reposefully; then join in whichever part you catch up, and complete whichever part you missed� [Bukhari and Muslim]
8. Eating food of bad smell before performing Prayers: ╚►The Prophet (ﷺ) said: �He who eats from the smelly plant [garlic or onion], let him come not near our mosque; the angels are bothered by that which bothers men� [Muslim] 


9. Not performing Prayers during illness or while traveling: The Prophet (ﷺ) always used to perform Prayers even during His last days before death. He (ﷺ) never neglected it even during combats. Prayer is obligatory and must be performed in any condition. If a person cannot perform ablution due to his illness then he may perform tayammum (dry ablution). If he cannot stand in prayer, he may perform Salah while sitting or even laying down. Same is the case while traveling. The person can combine 2 Salah while traveling i.e. Zuhr Prayer and Asr Prayer. or Maghrib Prayer and Isha Prayer.
10. Crossing in front of a person who is performing Salah: ╚►The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ï¿½Were the one who crosses in front of a praying person to know the consequences of doing so, he would have waited for forty better than to cross in front of him� [Bukhari]
May Allah guide us to perform our Salah perfectly and help us to guard our Salat so when on the Day of Judgment we are questioned about our prayers, we may succeed. Ameen. 


National Sleep Foundation poll explores transportation workers' sleep



The people we trust to take us or our loved ones from place to place struggle with sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation's (NSF) 2012 Sleep in America® poll. It is the first poll to ask transportation professionals, including pilots, train operators,* truck, bus, taxi and limo drivers about their sleep habits and work performance.
Pilots and train operators are most likely to report sleep-related job performance and safety problems.
The results of the poll are striking. About one-fourth of train operators (26%) and pilots (23%) admit that sleepiness has affected their job performance at least once a week, compared to about one in six non-transportation workers (17%).
Perhaps more disturbingly, a significant number say that sleepiness has caused safety problems on the job. One in five pilots (20%) admit that they have made a serious error and one in six train operators (18%) and truck drivers (14%) say that they have had a "near miss" due to sleepiness.
Sleepiness has also played a role in car accidents commuting to and from work. Pilots and train operators are significantly more likely than non-transportation workers (6% each, compared to 1%) to say that they have been involved in a car accident due to sleepiness while commuting.
"Driving home from work after a long shift is associated with crashes due to sleepiness," says Dr. Sanjay Patel, a sleep researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. "We should all be concerned that pilots and train operators report car crashes due to sleepiness at a rate that is six times greater than that of other workers."
Train operators and pilots report most sleep dissatisfaction.
Among all workers surveyed, train operators and pilots report the most work day sleep dissatisfaction. Almost two-thirds of train operators (57%) and one-half of pilots (50%) say they rarely or never get a good night's sleep on work nights, compared to 44% of truck drivers and 42% of non-transportation workers. Bus, taxi, and limo drivers report the best work day sleep satisfaction, with about one-third (29%) saying they rarely or never get a good night's sleep on work nights.
"The margin of error in these professions is extremely small. Transportation professionals need to manage sleep to perform at their best," says David Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation. "As individuals and employers, we need to know more about how sleep improves performance."
Sleepiness is common for all workers.
Roughly one in ten Americans say they are likely to fall asleep at an inappropriate time and place, such as during a meeting or while driving. The poll included a validated assessment tool used by doctors to determine whether a person is "sleepy." Anyone who suffers from excessive sleepiness should seek professional help to identify underlying conditions. This study finds that 11% of pilots, train operators, bus, taxi, and limo drivers and 8% of truck drivers as well as 7% of non-transportation workers are "sleepy."
"We found that although pilots are especially focused on obtaining adequate sleep, one in ten can still be classified as 'sleepy.' This is not acceptable. Who among us wants to take a one in ten chance of flying on a plane with a sleepy pilot?" says CPT Edward Edens, PhD of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
A sleepy transportation worker is far more prone to mistakes: sleepy transportation workers report job performance problems about three times more often and report averaging about 45 minutes less sleep per night than their non-sleepy peers.
Significant number of transportation workers say their schedules do not allow enough time for sleep.
Many transportation workers cite their schedule as a major contributor to sleep problems. Almost one-half of train operators (44%) and more than one-third of pilots (37%) report that their current work schedule does not allow adequate time for sleep, compared to about one-fourth of non-transportation workers and truck drivers (27% each) and one-fifth of bus, taxi and limo drivers (20%).
In general, transportation professionals work more varied shifts than other workers, which may play a role in their sleep problems. Only 6% of pilots and 47% of train operators say they work the same work schedule each day, compared to 76% of non-transportation workers.
Time off between shifts may play a role in transportation workers' sleepiness. Non-transportation workers report having an average of 14.2 hours off between shifts, compared to 12.9 hours for pilots; 12.5 for train operators; 12.1 for truck drivers; and 11.2 hours for bus, taxi, and limo drivers. If given one more hour off between work shifts, over one-half of pilots (56%) and train operators (54%) report that they would use that hour for sleep.
Long commutes cut into transportation workers' already shortened time between shifts. Pilots report the longest commutes with 37% saying it takes more than an hour to get to work from home. Pilots and train operators have the highest average commute time of 45.5 minutes and 31 minutes, respectively, compared to a 23.8 minute average for non-transportation workers. Other research has consistently found that longer commute times have been associated with shorter individual sleep times.
"Transportation workers experience considerable variability in the days they work, the times they work, and the amount of time off between shifts. This makes it difficult for such workers to maintain regular sleep/wake schedules, which can, in turn, make it difficult for these workers to maintain alertness on the job. Employers should put more effort into designing work/rest schedules that facilitate sleep and minimize workers exposure to irregular, variable schedule changes," says Patrick Sherry, PhD, a sleep researcher and professor from the University of Denver Intermodal Transportation Institute.
Pilots and train operators nap twice as frequently.
The poll shows that transportation professionals are taking more naps than other workers. More than one-half of pilots (58%) and train operators (56%) take at least one nap on work days, compared to about one-fourth of non-transportation workers (27%). About one in five pilots (20%), bus, taxi and limo drivers (20%), truck drivers (16%) and train operators (16%) say they take 3-5 naps during the work week. Among those who report napping on work days, one-half of pilots (50%), almost one-half of truck drivers (42%), one-third of train operators (33%) and nearly one-fourth of bus, taxi and limo drivers (24%) say they actually napped during work hours in the past two weeks, compared to about one in five non-transportation workers (19%).
"Transportation workers have challenging schedules that compete with the natural need for sleep. While I'm impressed that transportation professionals nap when they are off duty, we need to better understand how to use naps to reduce sleep deprivation and overcome scheduling issues," says Thomas Balkin, PhD, a sleep researcher from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
For more information about the National Sleep Foundation's 2012 poll, read the complete summary of findings, worker profiles and examples of crashes where fatigue was found to be a contributing factor.
Healthy Sleep Advice
If you are troubled by excessive daytime sleepiness or have problems getting or maintaining sleep, try the following sleep tips:
-- Go to sleep and wake at the same time every day, and avoid spending more time in bed than needed. 
-- Use bright light to help manage your "body clock." Avoid bright light in the evening and expose yourself to sunlight in the morning. 
-- Use your bedroom only for sleep to strengthen the association between your bed and sleep. It may help to remove work materials, computers and televisions from your bedroom. 
-- Select a relaxing bedtime ritual, like a warm bath or listening to calming music. 
-- Create an environment that is conducive to sleep that is quiet, dark and cool with a comfortable mattress and pillows. 
-- Save your worries for the daytime. If concerns come to mind, write them in a "worry book" so you can address those issues the next day. 
-- If you can't sleep, go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel tired. 
-- Exercise regularly, but avoid vigorous workouts close to bedtime. 
-- If you are experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness, snoring, or "stop breathing" episodes in your sleep, contact your health care professional for a sleep apnea screening.
Provided by National Sleep Foundation
"National Sleep Foundation poll explores transportation workers' sleep." March 3rd, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-national-foundation-poll-explores-workers.html
Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek

Research shows brain more flexible, trainable than previously thought




Opening the door to the development of thought-controlled prosthetic devices to help people with spinal cord injuries, amputations, and other impairments, neuroscientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Champalimaud Center for the Unknown in Portugal have demonstrated that the brain is more flexible and trainable than previously thought.
Their new study, to be published Sunday, March 4, in the advanced online publication of the journal Nature, shows that through a process called plasticity, parts of the brain can be trained to do something it normally does not do. The same brain circuits employed in the learning of motor skills, such as riding a bike or driving a car, can be used to master purely mental tasks, even arbitrary ones.
Over the past decade, tapping into brain waves to control disembodied objects has moved out of the realm of parlor tricks and parapsychology and into the emerging field of neuroprosthetics. This new study advances work by researchers who have been studying the brain circuits used in natural movement in order to mimic them for the development of prosthetic devices.
"What we hope is that our new insights into the brain's wiring will lead to a wider range of better prostheses that feel as close to natural as possible," said Jose Carmena, UC Berkeley associate professor of electrical engineering, cognitive science and neuroscience. "They suggest that learning to control a BMI (brain-machine interface), which is inherently unnatural, may feel completely normal to a person, because this learning is using the brain's existing built-in circuits for natural motor control."
Carmena and co-lead author Aaron Koralek, a UC Berkeley graduate student in Carmena's lab, collaborated on this study with Rui Costa, co-principal investigator of the study and principal investigator at the Champalimaud Neuroscience Program, and co-lead author Xin Jin, a post-doctoral fellow in Costa's lab.
Previous studies have failed to rule out the role of physical movement when learning to use a prosthetic device.
"This is key for people who can't move," said Carmena, who is also co-director of the UC Berkeley-UCSF Center for Neural Engineering and Prostheses. "Most brain-machine interface studies have been done in healthy, able-bodied animals. What our study shows is that neuroprosthetic control is possible, even if physical movement is not involved."
To clarify these issues, the scientists set up a clever experiment in which rats could only complete an abstract task if overt physical movement was not involved. The researchers decoupled the role of the targeted motor neurons needed for whisker twitching with the action necessary to get a food reward.
The rats were fitted with a brain-machine interface that converted brain waves into auditory tones. To get the food reward – either sugar-water or pellets – the rats had to modulate their thought patterns within a specific brain circuit in order to raise or lower the pitch of the signal.
Auditory feedback was given to the rats so that they learned to associate specific thought patterns with a specific pitch. Over a period of just two weeks, the rats quickly learned that to get food pellets, they would have to create a high-pitched tone, and to get sugar water, they needed to create a low-pitched tone.
If the group of neurons in the task were used for their typical function – whisker twitching – there would be no pitch change to the auditory tone, and no food reward.
"This is something that is not natural for the rats," said Costa. "This tells us that it's possible to craft a prosthesis in ways that do not have to mimic the anatomy of the natural motor system in order to work."
The study was also set up in a way that demonstrated intentional, as opposed to habitual, behavior. The rats were able to vary the amount of pellets or sugar water received based upon their own level of hunger or thirst.
"The rats were aware; they knew that controlling the pitch of the tone was what gave them the reward, so they controlled how much sugar water or how many pellets to take, when to do it, and how to do it in absence of any physical movement," said Costa.
Researchers hope these findings will lead to a new generation of prosthetic devices that feel natural.
"We don't want people to have to think too hard to move a robotic arm with their brain," said Carmena.
Provided by University of California - Berkeley
"Research shows brain more flexible, trainable than previously thought." March 4th, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-brain-flexible-trainable-previously-thought.html
Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek

A Simple Plan




Radha Krishna deities“Worshiping the Deity at home, serving the devotee, hearing the Shrimad-Bhagavatam, residing in a holy place and chanting the holy name of the Lord are all inexpensive items by which one can please the Lord.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.9.27 Purport)
You’ve decided to have an open mind about it. You will at least take some time to listen to what a preacher has to say. “What can it hurt?”, you think. What is the harm that can come from hearing from someone who thinks spirituality is so important that they will talk to strangers about it, sometimes for hours on end? The problem arises when there are multiple avenues, including different faiths that have their own worshipable figure. Almost like choosing which sports team to support in a big match, how do you decide which faith is for you? For the highest system of spirituality known as bhakti-yoga, there is no question of choosing sides or supporting a single team. The method of implementation is also very specific, leaving no room for misconstruing the purpose behind anything or abandoning the faith and giving the same attention elsewhere. The implementation follows very simple methods that, when enacted sincerely, pack a powerful punch.
Lord Krishna“Isn’t bhakti-yoga about worshiping Krishna, the Hindu God? Doesn’t that make it on par with the systems that support Jesus, Allah, or some abstract concept of a supreme controller?” Bhakti is divine love, and its methods of practice are universally applicable. In addition, with that practice an awakening of the mind follows which allows the individual to view all forms of life equally. The particular form of address for the Supreme Person is not so important, as the acknowledgement of a higher power and acting off of that admittance are what really matter.
The living being is constantly tossed around by material nature, sort of like a washed piece of clothing spinning in a dryer. Because of his ability to think critically and the potential for shaping his immediate future, man tends to think that he is more powerful than he actually is. For instance, if I want to eat at a certain restaurant tonight, I can just get in my car and drive there. In this way afterwards I think that I shaped my future. I could have eaten somewhere else, but I decided at that particular time to go to this one place that I desired. I assumed going in that I would make it to the restaurant successfully, and I also took for granted that I could make it home afterwards. Take this same example and apply it to so many different aspects of life and you see how easy it is to forget the influence of the more powerful force.
How do we know that force exists? For starters, it is not guaranteed that we make it to the restaurant that night. There might be an issue with the car. Then the roads could be blocked up or some type of obstruction could get in our way. Maybe our friend wants us to deal with a life crisis or they want to meet at some other restaurant. Maybe the wife isn’t so keen on eating out that night and convinces us to instead stay home and eat. Then there is the issue of the restaurant itself. What if it is suddenly closed for the night or so booked that they can’t seat us for at least an hour?
There are so many external factors that must fall the right way in order for our desired outcomes to materialize. Because these external factors tend to operate in regularity, we take them for granted, almost as a given. The sun rises and sets at periodic intervals and the seasons come and go at just the right times. Nevertheless, we have no control over these larger forces of nature. Just because we know how to utilize them for our benefit doesn’t mean that we are responsible for their actions.
Time is nature’s strongest force, and it waits for no one. There is no way to stop the aging that occurs with time nor the impending death slated for every single living being. The wise, realizing this fact, make it their life’s mission to find out what they are doing in a material body to begin with. Why should they have to succumb to nature? If they have limited freedom in enjoyment, where should that freedom be directed? After all, crimes against humanity can only exist if there is freedom to start. Thus we know that liberty is not the most important factor; it’s what you do with it that counts.
Hare Krishna mantraIn bhakti-yoga, the free will of the living entity is used towards finding the most lasting happiness. There is intelligence behind nature. Depending on the stage of spiritual intelligence reached, a person may only refer to that higher power as nature. Then if a little faith is adopted, nature turns into an enigmatic force referred to as God. Then there are the preachers who speak the message of God, about how man is supposed to love Him and avoid activity that makes Him angry. Then a faith develops off of that message. Slowly, little by little, more is revealed to the inquisitive soul sincerely interested in spirituality.
In bhakti-yoga, the origin of life and matter is defined as clearly as possible in the beginning. We qualify this statement because the human mind is incapable of fully understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The mind cannot grasp the concept of sanatana, or that which has no beginning and no end. For God to be who He is, He must be sanatana. This entire material creation is but one of His forms. We are amazed looking into outer space or looking down on the land when the airplane we board first ascends to the sky, but this aspect represents only one of the Supreme Lord’s forms, and it is still so amazing that the mind cannot comprehend it.
The Vedas describe God’s original feature as Krishna, or all-attractive. His features are exquisite, delicate, and humbling. His beauty is such that it will capture your mind and at the same time make you so dedicated to keeping the smile on that Supreme Lord that you will never give up His service. In material affairs, the guiding force is mother nature, who is impartial in her dealings. The sunlight is available for everyone, but someone who utilizes that energy improperly can get hurt. The material nature as a whole operates on the same principle, with the various energies open to be used both properly and improperly.
The presiding deity in the religion of love is Krishna. Since He is the foremost controller, the results of action in bhakti are influenced by Him. Someone who sincerely follows the foremost religious path need not worry over success or failure. The implementation is the success, for throughout the process the worshiper remains tied in consciousness to God. This feature is not present in any other type of system of maintenance, be it fruitive activity, philosophical study, or mysticism. Blind allegiance coupled with fruitive activity also doesn’t do much, as consciousness in these stages is limited in its growth.
How can we back up the claims about bhakti? An easier way to understand philosophical concepts is to take real life examples. The understanding is made easier when those examples can be created at the local level. The formula for bhakti-yoga is actually quite easy to follow, thus allowing any person to see for themselves whether or not Krishna is God. One of the simplest methods is worshiping the deity at home. Krishna’s complete material nature is His virat-rupa, or universal form. We cannot worship this form because not everyone is eligible to see it. Think of looking at the world’s largest number without any commas inside of it. Obviously you will go crazy trying to figure out the value of that number, as nothing will aid you in your discernment. The universal form is a similarly complex manifestation which has only been seen a few times in history.
“Arjuna saw in that universal form unlimited mouths and unlimited eyes. It was all wondrous. The form was decorated with divine, dazzling ornaments and arrayed in many garbs. He was garlanded gloriously, and there were many scents smeared over His body. All was magnificent, all-expanding, unlimited. This was seen by Arjuna.”  (Bhagavad-gita, 11.10-11)
Krishna showing the universal formOn the battlefield of Kurukshetra some five thousand years ago, Arjuna, a hesitant warrior preparing for a great battle, got to see that virat-rupa from Krishna Himself. This universal form was unique and had never been shown to anyone before. Previously, Krishna’s foster mother in Vrindavana, Yashoda, saw a version of the universal form when the Lord opened His mouth after having been accused of eating dirt. Prior to that a bird named Kakabhushundi saw the universal form when he was playfully swallowed by Krishna in His form of Lord Rama. Shri Ramachandra, the jewel of the Raghu dynasty, playing as a child in Ayodhya knew that the bird was a devotee, which made him eligible to see the universal form. At a time even prior to that, the venerable Markandeya Rishi saw the universal form in the stomach of Lord Narayana, after the end of a specific creation. Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead, but through His expansion of Lord Narayana, He exhales to generate the creation and then inhales to annihilate it. Markandeya was granted special favor on this occasion to remain alive during the dissolution, which enabled him to understand that Krishna was Narayana and that the Lord never takes birth or dies.
Seeing the universal form is a rarity, but this doesn’t mean that the average person is prohibited from seeing God or worshiping Him. Through the proxy of the deity, or archa-vigraha, any person can worship the Lord in their home. Krishna created matter after all, so if it is shaped properly and under authorized guidelines to display a replica of His spiritual attributes, the matter can become worshipable. An example often cited by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada to explain this concept is the mailbox. If you have an important letter to send, you’ll drop it in a mailbox, which is specially marked. At its core, the mailbox is not different from any other box. It is composed of the same elements, but since it is authorized by the post office, you assume that your letter will be picked up and delivered to the proper destination.
The deity operates in a similar manner, as it is authorized to accept the obeisances of the sincere souls given to worshiping it. With the deity in the home, the devotee essentially invites God to live with them. The most honorable guest is then regularly worshiped with offerings of flowers, food, water, and incense. Just from a simple practice like this the consciousness of the worshiper can ascend to new heights previously considered unimaginable. If you think about it, the benefit of this method should be easy to understand. If going to church once a week is good for you, how can replicating that environment in the home be a bad thing? If worshiping God once a week is beneficial, imagine how many spiritual merits you can accumulate by worshiping Him every single day in your home.
Krishna's lotus feetAnother inexpensive way to serve God is to serve His devotee. The servant takes the time to regularly worship the Lord and praise Him. Thus anyone who serves that servant is playing a role in a very important activity. It has been said many times in the past by the Lord Himself that He feels the greatest satisfaction when one of His servants is honored. This pleases Him more than receiving direct honor. This explains why worshipable figures like Shri Hanuman and Tulasi Devi are honored so regularly. They are God’s exalted servants, and anyone who serves them with a pure heart will receive their blessings in their march towards final emancipation.
Another option in bhakti-yoga is to reside in a sacred place. Based on surroundings you are almost forced to act a certain way. For instance, if you live in a place where there is no animal flesh available for purchase, the vegetarian diet is a must. If no alcohol is around, you will be compelled to give up drinking. These are just the rejections of the negative, but imagine if you lived somewhere that had regular worship of Krishna going on in both public houses and residential quarters. If you lived there, you couldn’t help but be infused by the spiritual culture. In this way just spending a little time residing in a holy land can grant so much spiritual progress, without any difficult effort expended. The association does the trick.
The least expensive method of all, the one that is available to the most number of people, is also the most effective. Chanting the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, is open to every single person, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or level of intelligence. It is not a sectarian practice, nor is it dependent on one’s acknowledgement of a higher power. Even if you are the biggest sinner, the person who hates religion the most, chanting the holy names can do wonders for you. The environments of the temple, the holy place of pilgrimage and the association of the devotee can be replicated in an instant with a pure utterance of the name of Krishna. As saying this once without tainted motivations is quite difficult, the devotees try to recite the holy name as often as possible. It becomes their most important activity, showing that bhakti-yoga changes the way people live their lives.
The specific methods of bhakti-yoga are easy to implement and the results come very quickly as well. At the same time, whatever one thinks they might be missing out on from the other methods of spiritual practice is available too. If you support one team in sports, you are automatically not supporting another. Since Krishna is the reservoir of pleasure, the fountainhead of all energies, supporting Him in earnest through dedicated practice means automatically paying homage to His component parts. The resulting intelligence will allow the sincere soul to learn the true purpose behind the many different systems of maintenance. It will also firmly convince them of the superiority of the religion of love, the only system worth accepting.
In Closing:
Implementing a few items that are simple,
Gives one spiritual merits that are ample.

Install deity in home in which you live,
Offerings to it daily do you give.

Spend time in company of Lord’s servant,
From them hear message of love so pleasant.

Take up residence in a famous holy place,
Witness devotion on each smiling face.

There is one method that is best of all,
Holy name of Krishna do regularly call.