Noureen DeWulf

DeWulf, an Indian American, was born in New York City, New York, and was raised in Georgia. Her parents are from Pune, Maharashtra, India. She attended Boston University and is now a Hollywood Actress.

DeWulf was first known as the star of the 2007 Academy Award (for Live Action Short Film) winning musical comedy – West Bank Story – in which she played a Palestinian fast-food cashier named Fatima who falls in love with an Israeli soldier. DeWulf also starred in 2006’s American Dreamz alongside Hugh Grant and Mandy Moore. She was next seen as one of the leads in the Fox Feature Comedy, The Comebacks, which was released in the United States in October 2007. DeWulf played a small comedic role in Ocean’s Thirteen as Frank Catton’s main Expo girl Mirage, which released in summer 2007 and also “Littly Singh” in Americanizing Shelley, for which she wore a fat suit.

As well as her film acting career, DeWulf’s television career also includes guest appearances on CSI: NY, Numb3rs, Love Inc., Girlfriends and new NBC Comedy Chuck (TV series) where she plays a beguiling undercover counter agent. She has also starred in 3 network comedy pilots for the WB, Fox, and CBS.

In 2009, DeWulf began recurring on the CW hit show 90210 (TV series). Also in 2009, she was seen in the Matthew McConaughey release Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. She is also in “The Goods: The Don Ready Story” starring Jeremy Piven. She is in the new Fox Network Drama “Courtroom K”, which stars Alfred Molina.

DeWulf was ranked #100 on Maxim Magazine’s Hot 100 List (2007).

LONDON (Reuters Life!) – Holidaymakers, be warned: London has the worst food, Paris is the most overrated and Brussels is the most boring, according to a survey of what travelers think about European cities.

In the poll of nearly 2,400 travelers, by website TripAdvisor (www.tripadvisor.com), the British capital was voted the dirtiest in Europe, home to the worst-dressed people and the most expensive.

Paris did not come off any better, with travelers saying it was the least friendly city and the second-most expensive.

But both popular destinations redeemed themselves in the online poll, with Paris voted as having the best cuisine and best-dressed people, while London was seen as having the best nightlife, best public parks and most free attractions.

“Europe’s capital cities all have their highs and lows, but no other continent offers travelers’ such a wealth of culture and sights within such short distances,” TripAdvisor spokesman Luke Fredberg said in a statement.

“Despite London emerging as the dirtiest and most expensive city, its fantastic free attractions prove that you don’t need to be a millionaire in order to enjoy the capital.”

Venice beat both Paris and Rome as Europe’s most romantic destination, but it was also voted the third-most expensive, after Paris and London.

Traveler seeking friendly locals should go to Dublin, while the health-conscious may prefer Denmark’s Copenhagen, voted the Europe’s cleanest city.

Prague was picked as the best bargain destination, while people seeking visual treats should head for Spain’s Barcelona, but avoid Warsaw in Poland, which were seen as the cities with the best and worst architecture respectively.

And the most boring city? Travelers voted for the Belgian capital Brussels, with Switzerland’s Zurich a close-runner up.

Full stats here – [News Provider]

Upon returning from a recent trip to Thailand, friends of ours related experiences of what it’s like to travel on somewhat primitive roads in somewhat primitive vehicles. Disconcerting at first, but totally acceptable after a few trips prove that it’s (relatively) safe. The vehicles of choice in Thailand, along with a bunch of other far-away locales, are Tuk Tuks, three-wheeled machines that marry the front end of a scooter to the rear end of a passenger car. Soon, you’ll be able to get one in America.

We just got an email message from Tuk Tuk North America informing us that the company has officially been granted both DOT and EPA approval for its line of Mitsubishi-powered three-wheelers. This means that the Tuk Tuk will be completely road legal here in the United States. We’re not so sure you’d want to drive one cross-country (though we understand it’s fully capable of such trips), but as an around-town errand-runner, the little scoots might work out just fine, returning an estimated 55 miles per gallon.

The Tuk Tuk will come in many different styles, ranging from a three-passenger model up to the 12-passenger hauler. In addition to the passenger vehicles, there’s a pick-up truck, dump truck, garbage truck (!), flatbed, van and even a bare chassis for DIY projects, with prices starting at just under $10,000.

[Source: Tuk Tuk USA]

Ok I’ll be honest here, while rickshaws are cool, I don’t really care if they become a big thing here in the US or not as I and most everyone I know of owns a car to get around. So yeah, why did I post this? Simple – ’cause of the girl in the image – the cutie caught my eye and I had to post it.

Speaking of cuties, the cheerleaders from this season of IPL are incredible as well. Some of them include the Mischief Gals of the RCB team.

Source: http://content.cricinfo.com/iplpage2/content/site/iplpage2/mischiefgal.html

Also wanted to get this story in but didn’t wanna post the whole thing here on my blog. So here’s an excerpt with a link to the final article!

Believe it or not, your terrifically fast Core i7 fresh off Intel’s assembly line contains DNA that dates back over three decades. The same is true if you roll with AMD’s latest silicon, the Phenom II X4. We’re of course referring to the longstanding x86 microprocessor architecture that has dominated the desktop and mobile scene since before some of you were even born, and will probably be a mainstay still yet for many more years to come.

Invented by Intel in 1978, the x86 architecture has evolved through the ages, not only getting faster, but increasingly flexible as more and more extensions and instruction sets accompany each new release. It’s been a wild ride the past 30 years, and whether you lived through it all or have only recently picked up your first processor, we invite you to join as we look back at not only the most popular x86 CPUs in its history, but ones you may never even have heard of. Of course, if we’ve missed any of your favorite CPUs, chime in on the comments section and point out any omissions!

A Brief History of CPUs: 31 Awesome Years of x86

Honda FC Sport Design Study Suggests Hydrogen Sports Car Future

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19, 2008 ? Honda today revealed the Honda FC Sport design study model, a hydrogen-powered, three-seat sports car concept, at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show.

The FC Sport emphasizes the design flexibility and potential of Honda?s V Flow fuel cell technology ? already deployed in the Honda FCX Clarity sedan ? and reconfigures it into a lightweight sports car design with an ultra-low center of gravity, powerful electric motor performance and zero-emissions. The design study concept is inspired by supercar levels of performance through low weight and a high-performance, electrically driven fuel cell powertrain.

The Honda FC Sport explores how to satisfy automotive performance enthusiasts in a world beyond petroleum,? said Dan Bonawitz, vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. ?People who love sports cars will still have a reason to love in a hydrogen-powered future.?

The high-output Honda fuel cell powertrain and a sleek, aerodynamic body contribute to the vehicle?s performance potential. A modular approach to fuel cell component packaging and the electric drivetrain contribute to the FC Sport?s low center of gravity with the majority of vehicle mass distributed between the axles, creating the balanced weight distribution sought after in sports cars.

The ideal placement of the Honda V-Flow fuel cell stack and related components demonstrates the benefits of a platform-specific, hydrogen-powered fuel cell powertrain. The FC Sport is configured to accommodate a custom-formed high-power fuel cell stack, located between the rear seats, and a battery pack placed low in the middle of the vehicle. The electric motor resides just forward of the rear axle. Two fuel storage tanks, visible from above, are located above the rear axle.

The optimal placement of fuel cell components for performance also allows for a relatively large passenger cabin by conventional supercar standards with enough space for three seating positions. The interior layout focuses primarily on the driver with a racecar-like center driving position. The enclosed canopy opens upward from the rear to allow for entry and exit. Two rear passenger seats flank the driver?s left and right side.

The sleek, low-profile body is designed to convey a high-technology appearance with sculpting that combines angular shapes in the front of the vehicle that taper into geometric, hex forms in the rear. The rear hex forms house cooling radiators for the fuel cell. Formula 1-style barge boards behind the front wheels enhance high speed aerodynamics and convey the vehicle?s racing pedigree. The hydrogen storage tanks, visible from the rear deck, showcase the FC Sports fuel cell technology in much the same way that a ?naked bike? motorcycle showcases its engineering technology.

The glacier white body color conveys the FC Sport?s clean environmental aspirations while the dark wheels and deeply tinted glass provide a symbolic contrast befitting of the vehicle?s unique combination of clean power and high performance. Green construction techniques further contribute to a reduced carbon footprint. An organic, bio-structure theme is carried through to the body construction where exterior panels are intended to use plant-derived bio-plastics.

The Advanced Design Studio of Honda R&D Americas, in Pasadena, California, developed the FC Sport design study with the primary objective of using existing fuel cell technology as the basis for an ultimate Honda sports car. Designer Jason Wilbur led the design efforts.

The new FC Sport fuel based car from Honda was recently displayed at the LA Auto Show is one traffic stopper. The designers have taken into their advantage the flexibility which is extended by the fuel cell powertrain as it is placed on the back of the driver. It?s a 3-seater with the styling of sports car major McLaren F1 vehicle, where in the driver is in the middle with passenger seats on side and back. The concept car is right now under study and testing to understand the full utility of the product. Though there may be a possibility of Honda releasing a full fledged version for commercial use.

Ok so I’ve been putting this of for a while now but it’s about time I made this post. I upgraded and got this kick ass new setup a few months ago when I was back home in Texas. I’m back up north in the Midwest until next month and unfortunately couldn’t bring the desktop with me for the duration. So this post maybe a work in progress with more details and specifically pics to come when I’m back home and am actually using the new system again!

Currently running smoothly on Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1.

Anyways here are some stats on this bad boy, not bad at all for $600 (I just checked the prices and even today for all of this retails for well over $1000):

Case - Antec Mini P180 Black Steel MicroATX Mini Tower [NewEgg]

Mobo - ASUS P5E-VM HDMI

CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

RAM - Mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) SDRAM [NewEgg]

Video Card – eVGA GeForce 8800 GTS (G92 Core)

Main (boot) HDD – Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 1.5Gb/s

PSU - CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX 620W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply [NewEgg]

Cooling - Thermalright Ultra-120 CPU Cooling Heatsink and Noctua NF-P12 fans – 3 installed in the case!

Drives - 2 x LG Black SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe [NewEgg]

Wireless PCI Card – 802.11 N capability and reach/range.

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And this is even older news but last year I finally switched over to a LCD display after I got the Dell SP2208WFP 22 inch Widescreen Flat Panel Display with Webcam, Mic & USB ports. It has HDMI, DVI-D as well as D-Sub (VGA) for multiple and simultaneous connections, all in a sexy silver body with a glossy screen. Got it all for $300. (More details)

All this talk about ’stimulus packages’ and ‘bailouts’…

A billion dollars…

A hundred billion dollars…

Eight hundred billion dollars…

One TRILLION dollars…

What does that look like? I mean, these numbers are being tossed around like doggie treats, so I thought I’d take Google Sketchup out for a test drive and try to get a sense of what exactly a trillion dollars looks like.

We’ll start with a $100 bill. Currently the largest U.S. denomination in general circulation. Most everyone has seen them, slighty fewer have owned them. Some have lost ‘em as soon as they have gotten ‘em. They are, however, guaranteed to make friends wherever they go.

A packet of a hundred $100 bills is less than 1/2″ thick and contains $10,000. Fits in your pocket easily and is more than enough for a week or two of shamefully, decadent fun and debauchery.

Believe it or not, this next little pile is a million dollars (100 packets of $10,000). You could stuff that into a grocery bag and walk around with it. Yeah not so impressive, right?

So, while a measly $1 million looked a little unimpressive, a $100 million is a little more respectable. It fits neatly on a standard pallet…

And a $1 BILLION … now we’re really getting somewhere…

Next we’ll look at ONE TRILLION $$$. That is the number we’ve been hearing so much about. What is a trillion dollars? Well, it’s a million x million. It’s a thousand x billion. It’s a one followed by 12 zeros to be precise.

You ready for this?

It’s pretty surprising.

Go ahead…

…

Ladies and gentlemen… I give you $1 TRILLION dollars…

Notice those pallets are double stacked.
…and remember those are $100 bills.

So the next time you hear someone toss around the phrase a “trillion dollars”… that’s what they’re talking about.

[Source]

* Step by step calculations & dimensions are here for those who may be interested.
* You may also be interested to see the U.S. National Debt in $100 dollar bills.

Obese men reported better sexual function after losing lots of weight in a new study, one of several to show the side benefits of slimming down.

The research involved 97 men with an average age of 48, all of whom were “morbidly obese.” The conclusions are based on the patients’ own reporting of sexual function before and again several months after gastric bypass surgery that allowed them to shed significant poundage.

“We estimate that a man who is morbidly obese has the same degree of sexual dysfunction as a non-obese man about 20 years older,” the researchers conclude.

The findings were published in December in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

While the results might make gastric bypass surgery seem attractive, the procedure is not without complications and often disappointing results. Experts suggest it only for the desperate who’ve had no luck cutting pounds through better diet and exercise. Risks range from vomiting to anemia, diarrhea and dizziness to death by respiratory failure or blood clots. Further, a patient’s system post-surgery will not absorb nutrients as effectively as it should, according to the National Institutes of Health.

At least the sex might be better.

However, the surgery works only if the patient makes wholesale changes to diet and lifestyle. “Without changing your lifestyle, the surgery will not be a success,” the NIH states.

A smarter strategy for most people would be exercise and good nutrition.

In a 2006 study reported in the Journal of Urology, obese men who did little exercise were at 2.5 times greater risk for erectile dysfunction (ED) – certainly a showstopper behind closed doors – compared with men who were not overweight and averaged 30 minutes of vigorous exercise a day.

Other research has shown that erectile dysfunction is “not a natural sign of aging,” the NIH states. Rather, it indicates poor health. “It [ED] may mean your blood vessels are clogged. It may mean you have nerve damage from diabetes,” according to the NIH.

Men as young as 20 report erection problems attributed to obesity or inactivity, one study found. Smoking has also been linked to ED.

The overall emerging point: Sex need not be a downhill slide if one can stay healthy and exercise into middle age. A survey reported in BJU International, the British journal of urology, showed that men in their 50s enjoy sex almost as much as those in their 20s.

• What Science Says about Enlightened Sex
• Forecast: Sex and Marriage with Robots by 2050
• Best Sex is Short and Sweet

Robert Roy Britt is the Editorial Director of Imaginova. In this column, The Water Cooler, he takes a daily look at what people are talking about in the world of science and beyond.

No really, honestly, whodathunkit? Lose some weight, enjoy some great sex. Pretty simple, innit!

Suggestion Testing: Well, it works but wouldn’t it be better if…

Secession Testing: The bug is dead! Long live the (new) bug!

Poisson Testing: Alors! Regardez le poission!

Oppression Testing: Test this NOW!

Digression Testing: Well, it works, but can I tell you about my truck…

Egression Testing: Uh-oh, a bug… I’m outta here.

Congressional Testing: Are you now, or have you ever been a bug?

Confessional Testing: Ok, ok, I did program that bug.

Compression Testing: []

Expression Testing: &^%^&!(&($, a bugg, oh gnoes!

Repression Testing: It’s not a bug, it’s a feature. TTWIW (That’s The Way It Works)

Obsession Testing: I’ll find this bug if it’s the last thing I do.

Depression Testing: If this thing doesn’t work, I’m gonna kill myself.

Aggression Testing: If this doesn’t work, I’m gonna kill somebody else.

Focusing on the Right Numbers

IT happens to all of us: the moment when one finds out that more megapixels and better photographs aren’t always the same thing. To be disabused of the Megapixel Myth — this decade’s analog of the Megahertz Myth — can lead to an existential buyer’s crisis in miniature.

Disbelief, at first, gives way to a sort of embarrassing self-questioning: You mean, 15 megapixels isn’t three times better than 5 megapixels? This year’s model isn’t better than last year’s? I spent all that money upgrading — for nothing?

The panicky consumer is then faced with the choice of dumping digital electronics and becoming a Luddite, or learning about camera technology and taking control of purchasing decisions.

Upon pursuing this latter path, one soon realizes that all is not lost. Newer generations of digital cameras and camcorders, which almost always have more megapixels or higher resolutions, still tend to produce great output.

But there is more to a digital camera’s sensor than resolution. Understanding some of the basics may just convince you that, at least this year, buying last year’s model is a smart move.

In a sea of specifications, one of the most overlooked is the size, not the number, of pixels on a camera’s sensor. Bigger sensors usually mean bigger pixels, which provides some advantages when it comes to making an image.

The mechanics of this can be understood by thinking of a digital camera sensor as a flat sheet of material pocked with millions (hence “mega”) of cylindrical, cuplike pixels. In other words, picture the digital sensor as a tiny cupcake tin.

Photons (light particles) pass through a camera’s lens and are captured by the cups in the tray. Each cup is either red, green or blue (the three colors that are the building blocks for all other colors). The more photons a cup catches, the brighter that cup’s color. Totally empty cups record black; totally full cups record white.

Larger pixels (cups, remember), with larger surface areas, capture more photons per second, which in electronics-speak means a stronger signal — and in camera-speak means less noise and cleaner colors. Bigger pixels can also capture more photons per exposure without filling up, so larger pixels hold on to their color longer and don’t go white as quickly as smaller pixels.

Since sensor sizes in compact cameras haven’t gotten much bigger, but their megapixel count has, increasing the number of pixels can be accomplished only by using smaller pixels. For this reason, it’s often not worth paying extra for the newest megapixel champion, says Phil Askey, editor of dpreview.com.

“Once you get beyond seven or eight megapixels in a compact point-and-shoot camera, the small lenses are struggling to keep up,” Mr. Askey said. “And you’re cramming so many pixels in such a small sensor that noise is becoming a real issue. We started worrying about this back in 2006, but it’s only gotten worse.”

With Aamir Khan’s Taare Zameen Par appealing the masses, the actor has surely made an impressive directorial debut. The sensitivity with which he has handled the subject is worth appreciating. However, one of the forwards related to the film being sent around on emails talks about what TZP would be like if the film was made by some other Bollywood filmmakers.

If Karan Johar made Taare Zameen Par …

Obvious starcast: Shah Rukh Khan as the arts teacher (duh duh duh!!), Aryan Khan as the dyslexic child (even if he could not act for nuts), Rani Mukerjee as the kid’s mom (assuming Kajol is unavailable), Abhishek Bachchan as the kid’s dad, Amitabh Bachchan as the school principal (who cares if the role is ultra minute, he can afford it).

It would be shot in New York to appeal to the NRI audience.

The story line would obviously be different. SRK would fall for the dyslexic kid’s mom. The last scene would have the mom running to the teacher rather than the kid. And again, like in so many other movies, SRK would get someone else’s girl.

It would have one dance number.

The film would be titled ‘Kuch Taare Zameen Par’

If Sanjay Leela Bhansali made Taare Zameen Par …

Obvious starcast: Salman as the teacher, Rani as the mother,

Of course the whole film would be shot on elaborate sets. The school would be nothing short of Harvard University.

An orchestra would play every time anyone cried.

Slow motion, different camera angles for every scene.

The school uniforms would match the classroom walls even though that does not make a f***ing difference.

The film would cost INR 60 crores.

If Farah Khan made Taare Zameen Par …

Obvious starcast: SRK as the teacher (yawn),

In the original TZP, Aamir makes an entry at the interval point. In Farah’s version, SRK would be on screen on for 2.30 hrs out of the 2.45 hrs and would be introduced in the first scene itself.

The story would be changed to make sure the above happened. The focus of the film would be a teacher who helps the kid fight dyslexia.

To make it a complete entertainer, there would be a romantic angle, comedy, and action thrown in. Oh idea!! Nikumbh’s character likes another teacher and the kiddo helps him… throw in some comedy moments there and you have romance and comedy settled.

For action… hmm.. lemme see.. Oh yah, the kid gets kidnapped and the teacher fights the baddies to save him. Wow!! I’m quite an imaginative writer. I can see how Farah can write a film from scratch in two weeks straight.

The film posters would have a big SRK with the tiny image of the kid in the background.

If Rakesh Roshan made Taare Zameen Par …

Obvious starcast: Hrithik Roshan as the teacher,

Since Rakesh Roshan cannot think beyond science fiction these days, this film would have that too. Instead of dyslexia, the kid would have alienositis or something, a condition induced due to him witnessing an alien abduction.

Instead of Nikumbh being an arts teacher, he would be a physics teacher, and instead of asking kids to be creative, he would ask them to challenge the science we know.

In the scene where Nikumbh asks the kids to open their minds and make whatever they want outdoors, the kid Ishaan, instead of making a boat, would end up making a working spaceship prototype.

Nikumbh would cure the kids problem by making a full fledged version of the kid’s prototype, traveling to the alien planet, and asking them to give the kid his powers back.

The film would have music by Rajesh Roshan ripped off from some world music.

The film’s name would again start with a K probably ‘Kuch Aliens Taaron Se Zameen Par’.

The director would make sure Hrithik gets to show all his abilities. This would mean a scene with Roshan Jr flexing his muscles and a dance competition in the end, instead of an arts competition.

If Priyadarshan made Taare Zameen Par …

Obvious starcast: Akshay Kumar as the teacher, Paresh Rawal as the kid’s dad.

It would be a brainless comedy. The kid’s dyslexia would be made fun of. Half the times the parents will be running after the kid from one room to the other and that, in the director’s opinion, would be funny.

The film will be full of sex jokes. So for example, when Akshay would come to the parents telling them that their son has dyslexia, the ignorant father would say something inappropriate like ‘iss umar mein? par kaise, woh to hamesha boys school mein padha hai!’. And yes, the director would think it is funny.

In the climax of the film, all the characters in the film would run around in the amphitheater for no reason, spilling colors on each other. That’s where the film will end, without any logical conclusion.

And of course, Paresh Rawal would emote like an epileptic himself, making us question the boy’s mental abilities anyway.

Via [IndiaFM aka BollywoodHungama]