?Harassment from Tikona Internet services and Broadband services asking for settlement after 1.2 years without service usage ?
Hi,
This is to bring into your kind consideration that, I took an internet connection from ?Tikona? at my home address (Agra) 14 months ago and paid the Installation charges + security deposit + advance of one month. I asked them that I need this connection only for 2 months at the time of installation only as I had to get back on Job in Noida(I had accident and was on complete bed rest in Agra).
Later after 20 days of connection installation the service got deteriorated extremely bad thus I asked them to get this whole set up disconnected as I was not having my purpose and complaint resolved.
I constantly asked the local Manager(Vivek- in Agra to whom I contacted for installation) to disconnect my whole setup as the service was very deteriorated, but nothing was done even after trying hard a lot.
I returned Back to Noida after 30 days and went America for 8 months I this duration I haven?t received any outstanding bill and not any single communication neither.
on phone nor on email address.
On 21/ 12/ 2012, we got a call on 09997438233 from some Mr Ganesh Chauhan 09873253424 introduced himself as advocate in Tees Hazaari court.
He asked us to settle down for 2500 Rs or threatened us to pull us into a court case as he mentioned that he sent notices to my address twice.
But I would like to clearly mention that the internet was not used for more than 30- 35 days in total and we have not received any bills/ communications and such notice from any judiciary body after that.
Kindly help us to trivialize the issue as I was handicapped at that time couldn?t do much at that time online. This is not about the money, but something about the wrong ?practice/ process and customer exploitation as I had spent huge time and efforts to disconnect the connection 1.2 years ago and now getting such harassment calls to my Mother at my home without any bills generated and communication in the meanwhile of this 1 year time frame.
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#1 ? Tehnik?
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Location:Poland
Interests:This and that
Posted Yesterday, 01:02 AM
I won a http://turntablelab.com/ $20 voucher, but their shipping costs to Poland are so ridiculously high, that there's no way I'm gonna order anything from them - so I decided to just give away the code to one of my fellow Renoisers. It's of most use for US-based people, let me know if you're sure you're gonna use it (or I might just post it here so the quicker one to use it gets it). It would be a shame to waste $20 after all />
This post has been edited by Tehnik: Today, 09:39 AM
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#2 ? td6d?
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Posted Yesterday, 02:33 AM
What were the shipping costs to Poland?
God have mercy on your hipster soul.
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#3 ? Tehnik?
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Location:Poland
Interests:This and that
Posted Yesterday, 01:03 PM
for the $12.50 AFX cd cheapest shipping option to Poland is $45.02 - crazy if you ask me. People on eBay or Discogs are able to send cds for as little as $1.5...
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#4 ? td6d?
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Posted Yesterday, 07:41 PM
God have mercy on your hipster soul.
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#5 ? organic io?
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#6 ? Tehnik?
Group:Normal Members
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Interests:This and that
Posted Today, 02:49 AM
Hi, sorry organic, gave it to someone and its already used
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels warned on Friday they will target the international airport of the northern city of Aleppo after firing at an airliner preparing to take off, the first direct attack on civilian a flight in the 21-month-old revolt.
Thursday's attack was another sign of the growing confidence of rebels who are also fighting an offensive in the central province of Hama, pursuing a string of territorial gains to try to cut army supply lines and pressure the capital Damascus to the south.
A rebel commander who gave his name as Khaldoun told Reuters by Skype that snipers from the Intelligence Armed Struggle Battalion, part of the Islamist Jundallah brigade, had hit the wheels of Syrian Airways flight RB201 on Thursday.
"Those were warning shots," he said, adding that the plane had been unable to take off. "We wanted to send a message to the regime that all their planes - military and civilian - are within our reach."
There was no immediate mention of the incident on Syrian state media.
Rebels accuse the government of using civilian aircraft to transport weapons and Iranian fighters who they say are helping President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Insurgents have cut off many of the road links to Aleppo, Syria's biggest city.
Fighting around Damascus has made the road to the capital's international airport unsafe for traffic. Foreign airlines have stopped flying there. According to flight schedules, the Cairo-bound RB201 usually flies from Damascus rather than Aleppo.
"What happened with Damascus airport will happen to Aleppo, even if the price is higher," Khaldoun said.
Another rebel urged civilians not to use Aleppo airport or Syrian Air flights "as they will be targets from now on".
"SCUD-TYPE MISSILES" FIRED
The rebels have scored advances across the country, announcing on Friday they had taken over Rayhaneya town in rural Damascus and several other towns in Hama.
Western powers and some regional countries fear that the more the Syrian government is weakened the more dangerous its response may become.
In what he described as acts of "a desperate regime approaching collapse", NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that Assad's forces had fired more Scud-type missiles. "I can confirm that we have detected the launch of Scud-type missiles. We strongly regret that act."
A NATO source said there had been multiple launches of Scud-type missiles inside Syria on Thursday morning.
A video posted on Youtube showed what appeared to be Syrian soldiers firing a long-range missile which opposition activists said was a Scud, launched last week. It was not possible to verify the authenticity of the video or dates and location.
Rasmussen said the Scud launches justified NATO's decision to dispatch Patriot anti-missile systems to NATO ally Turkey - a deployment criticized by Syria, Iran and Russia.
"The fact that such missiles are used in Syria emphasizes the need for effective defense protection of our ally Turkey," he told reporters at NATO headquarters.
"The recent launch of missiles has not hit Turkish territory but of course there is a potential threat and this is exactly the reason why NATO allies decided to deploy Patriot missiles in Turkey," he said.
DRUZE-SUNNI TENSION
Syrian forces shelled the town of Moadamiah southwest of Damascus on Friday, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens who were taking refuge in a residential compound.
"They fired several rockets at the neighborhood where hundreds of people were hiding. The field hospitals are now unable to take in more wounded. The numbers are big," said Murad al-Shami from Damascus.
The revolt against Assad began with peaceful protests calling for greater freedoms but after a heavy security crackdown turned into a civil war largely pitting the Sunni majority against the Alawite sect to which Assad belongs.
Other minorities like Druze, Christians and Shi'ites fear for their freedoms with the growing influence of Sunni Islamist hardliners in the armed revolt.
Opposition activists and rebels said on Friday they were trying to defuse tension between Druze in Sweida province and Sunni fighters from neighboring Deraa province, cradle of revolt against Assad.
The reason behind the confrontation was not immediately clear, but an activist said it started when fighters attacked a government checkpoint in Sweida killing and kidnapping several people, several of them Druze. Residents in the area were angered and in return attacked and kidnapped rebels.
"They exchanged kidnappings and threats but everybody is working on sorting it out," a Druze activist said.
Sweida, home to Syria's Druze minority, is solidly under state control. Most Syrian Druze have stayed on the sidelines of the revolt.
"What happened in the past days breaks the heart and is unacceptable to any free man ... We are confident that we will get out of it," said Mouaz Alkhatib, leader of the newly formed opposition coalition.
"Clashes between neighbors and brothers mean one thing - weakening the revolution and empowering the regime," he said in a statement. "I call on all my people and loved ones to look for a brotherly solution and not to threaten (each other) or kidnap civilians and innocent people".
The perpetual challenge of developing an iPhone-friendly gamepad (or any phone-oriented gamepad) is the bulk, either for a gargantuan case or else a separate controller. If Justice Frangipane's team and iDevices have their way, that clunkiness will be a distant memory. Their proposed FlipSide case for iPhones (we see a prototype here) centers on Bluetooth 4.0 gamepad controls that stay clipped to the back when just checking email, but attach to the front for playtime. They'll save us from hunting down a wall outlet, too; the combination of a sensitive solar cell and a thin film battery from Infinite Power Solutions should keep the case powered up through even indoor lighting. The only real challenge is getting the case produced, as Frangipane is looking for crowdfunding to make the FlipSide a reality. Provided his group makes its donation target, though, there's the prospect of an Android version -- so those who don't play the iOS way could still reap the rewards if they chip in at the source link.
Genetically modified salmon ? despite concerns of environmental groups ? is unlikely to harm the environment. The Food and Drug Administration report is the final step before approval of the genetically modified salmon, which grow twice as fast as regular salmon.?
By Mary Clare Jalonick and Matthew Perrone,?Associated Press / December 22, 2012
This undated 2010 handout photo provided by AquaBounty Technologies shows two same-age salmon, a genetically modified salmon, rear, and a non-genetically modified salmon, foreground. The genetically modified salmon are unlikely to harm the environment, the FDA says, which clears the way for government approval.
AquaBounty Technologies/AP/F
Enlarge
Federal health regulators say a genetically modified?salmon?that grows twice as fast as normal is unlikely to harm the environment, clearing the way for the first approval of a scientifically engineered animal for human consumption.
Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday released its environmental assessment of the AquaAdvantage?salmon, a faster-growing fish which has been subject to a contentious, years long debate at the agency. The document concludes that the fish "will not have any significant impacts on the quality of the human environment of the United States." Regulators also said that the fish is unlikely to harm populations of natural salmon, a key concern for environmental activists.
The FDA will take comments from the public on its report for 60 days before making it final.
The FDA said more than two years ago that the fish appears to be safe to eat, but the agency had taken no public action since then. Executives for the company behind the fish, Maynard, Mass.-based Aquabounty, speculated that the government was delaying action on their application due to push-back from groups who oppose genetically modified food animals.
Experts view the release of the environmental report as the final step before approval.
"We are encouraged that the environmental assessment is being released and hope the government continues the science-based regulatory process," AquaBounty said in a statement.
If FDA regulators clear the?salmon, as expected, it would be the first genetically altered animal approved for food anywhere in the world.
Critics call the modified?salmon?a "frankenfish." They worry that it could cause human allergies and the eventual decimation of the natural?salmon?population if it escapes and breeds in the wild. Others believe breeding engineered animals is an ethical issue.
AquaBounty has maintained that the fish is safe and that there are several safeguards against environmental problems. The fish would be bred female and sterile, though a very small percentage might still be able to breed. The company said the potential for escape is low. The FDA backed these assertions in documents released in 2010.
Since its founding in 1991, Aquabounty has burned through more than $67 million developing the fast-growing fish. According to its midyear financial report, the company had less than $1.5 million in cash and stock left. It has no other products in development.
Genetically engineered ? or GE ? animals are not clones, which the FDA has already said are safe to eat. Clones are copies of an animal. In GE animals, the DNA has been altered to produce a desirable trait.
The AquaAdvantage?salmon?has an added growth hormone from the Pacific Chinooksalmon?that allows the fish to produce growth hormone all year long. The engineers were able to keep the hormone active by using another gene from an eel-like fish called an ocean pout that acts like an "on" switch for the hormone. Typical Atlantic?salmon?produce the growth hormone for only part of the year.
It is still unclear whether the public will have an appetite for the fish if it is approved. Genetic engineering is already widely used for crops, but the government until now has not considered allowing the consumption of modified animals. Although the potential benefits ? and profits ? are huge, many people have qualms about manipulating the genetic code of other living creatures.
If the?salmon?are eventually approved for sale, consumers may not even know they are eating them. According to federal guidelines, the fish would not be labeled as genetically modified if the agency decides it has the same material makeup as conventional?salmon. AquaBounty says that genetically modified?salmon?have the same flavor, texture, color and odor as the conventional fish, and the FDA so far has not shown any signs of disagreeing.
Wenonah Hauter, director of the advocacy group Food and Water Watch, said forgoing labeling not only ignores consumers' rights to know what they are eating, but "is simply bad for business, as many will avoid purchasing any?salmon?for fear it is genetically engineered."
Hauter urged members of Congress to block the impending approval of the fish. Congressional opposition to the engineered fish has so far been led by members of the Alaska delegation, who see the modified?salmon?as a threat to the state's wild?salmonindustry.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Friday she is working to convince fellow senators that approval for the fish should be stopped.
"This is especially troubling as the agency is ignoring the opposition by?salmon?and fishing groups, as well as more than 300 environmental, consumer and health organizations," she said of the preliminary approval.
As many of my readers know, from time to time I deviate from my traditional blogs on business and social issues and open the doors to my readers of new works that expand horizons.? This is true for an interview I offered about a new book ? ?Melpomene? ? the link to purchase the books is here.
Gwendolyn, you?ve written a book entitled ?Melpomene? tell my readers a bit about your book.
Melpomene is my fifth book and the second one I have written under my real name. Named after the Ancient Greek Muse of tragedy, Melpomene is a thematic anthology of poetry/prose. The focus is on the tragic elements of life and the style of the content is centered on the type of poetry written by Baudelaire, Rimbaud and Blake ? namely the French Decadent/Symbolist art movement and the Fin de si?cle (End of the Century).
Melpomene is therefore concentrated on works which have quite bleak ideas, but yet remain beautiful and haunting in their imagery. Overall the intention is to convey beauty in a context where it is not normally unexpected.
What was your motivation in writing this book?
Melpomene started as a personal interest project. Over the last couple of years I have been working with non-fiction and am mostly known for my essays on Perennial Philosophy. However, my earliest writing was in the format of poetry/prose and the first time I was published was as a poet in the ?New Zealand Collection of Poetry and Prose 2002?. So with Melpomene I wanted to return to my literary roots.
Your book is segregated into four sections ? Book of Magic ? Book of Sorrow ? Book of Fate ? Book of Death.? Tell my readers about the significance of each of the four sections?
I selected these sections as being representational of the cycle of time itself, because the passage of time is the factor which causes the greatest element of tragedy in human existence. The first section ? Magic ? is symbolic of the creation of life. Also included in the Book of Magic are the poems/prose/fiction pieces with supernatural themes. As time passes, tragic experiences become inevitable (thus Sorrow is the second principle). Towards the end of the life cycle Fate plays its hand and individuals become aware of their inevitable end ? which for all humans is the final section; the Book of Death. The tragic element in the Book of Fate is that one has an expectation of what lies ahead.
The Book of Death is of course the final end of the cycle of existence, which is why it is also the principle cause of tragedy.
?Which of the four sections mentioned above is most significant to you personally and why?
The Book of Death is personally the most significant for me, and my own writing ?The Dance of Kali? is included in this section. It is especially significant to me not so much because it is the end of the life cycle, but because of what it means symbolically. My piece is symbolist fiction, and it is inspired by a combination of Nietzsche?s ?Thus Spake Zarathustra? and Rimbaud?s ?A Season In Hell?. The symbolism I have employed in it is that Death represents a metaphysical and tautological truth which lies shrouded in esotericism, as one of the greatest mysteries of human experience ? because it can only be normally experienced once. I have approached Death as being the mirror image of Life, and contrasted the symbolism of both with anthropomorphized concepts found in philosophy and art ? Truth and the quest for Beauty. ?The Dance of Kali? does not symbolize physical death, but rather the progress of an initiate in the mysteries towards enlightenment and knowledge.
What do you hope the reader will gain from your book?
I would hope that they enjoy the book and discover more about the new and emerging writers. When I was putting the book together I was surprised by some of the talent that was submitted, and I am quite convinced that some of the writers will go on to achieve greater things. I would like to see the readers continue to explore their works and help support these aspiring authors.
How, by the way, did you go about selecting the poetry that is included in the collection?
A large amount of works were submitted and it was very difficult to choose which ones should be selected. The main criteria I used was the emotional response elicited by the writing, and whether or not genuine feeling was expressed in the text.
Out of the classic works which were selected, most of them were popular favorites. One of the lesser known pieces I included was William Blake?s Book of Thel. This I included because of its early use of Symbolist technique and its metaphysical approach to life. With the exception of this, all the poems by Baudelaire, Blake, Poe, Dickinson and Verlaine are the more well-known pieces.
A number of my readers are in the media, so as we conclude this interview ? what two things would you want them to know about the uniqueness of your book?
The main thing I would like to reiterate with the uniqueness of this book is that because it is approached thematically, it provides not only the option to revisit classics by favorite authors, but also the opportunity to explore the works of? new writers who will surely go on to achieve fame in their own right one day. Melpomene provides a fascinating opportunity to read some early pieces by authors before they reach the pinnacle of their career.
This entry was posted on Friday, December 21st, 2012 at 9:05 am and is filed under Book Reviews, Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
FILE - In this Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 file photo, parents leave a staging area after being reunited with their children following a shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where Adam Lanza opened fatally shot 27 people, including 20 children. People figure there surely were signs of impending violence. But experts say predicting who will be the next mass shooter is virtually impossible _ partly because as commonplace as these calamities seem, they are relatively rare crimes. Still, a combination of risk factors in troubled kids or adults including drug use and easy access to guns can increase the likelihood of violence, experts say. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)
FILE - In this Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 file photo, parents leave a staging area after being reunited with their children following a shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where Adam Lanza opened fatally shot 27 people, including 20 children. People figure there surely were signs of impending violence. But experts say predicting who will be the next mass shooter is virtually impossible _ partly because as commonplace as these calamities seem, they are relatively rare crimes. Still, a combination of risk factors in troubled kids or adults including drug use and easy access to guns can increase the likelihood of violence, experts say. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)
FILE - This undated photo shows Adam Lanza in a Newtown High School yearbook photo. Authorities have identified Lanza as the gunman opened fire Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, inside an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., killing 26 people, including 20 children, before killing himself. People figure there surely were signs of impending violence. But experts say predicting who will be the next mass shooter is virtually impossible _ partly because as commonplace as these calamities seem, they are relatively rare crimes. Still, a combination of risk factors in troubled kids or adults including drug use and easy access to guns can increase the likelihood of violence, experts say. (AP Photo)
FILE - In this July 23, 2012 file photo, James E. Holmes appears in Arapahoe County District Court in Centennial, Colo. Holmes was being held on suspicion of first-degree murder, and facing additional counts of aggravated assault and weapons violations stemming from a mass shooting in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., that killed 12 and injured dozens of others. People figure there surely were signs of impending violence. But experts say predicting who will be the next mass shooter is virtually impossible _ partly because as commonplace as these calamities seem, they are relatively rare crimes. Still, a combination of risk factors in troubled kids or adults including drug use and easy access to guns can increase the likelihood of violence, experts say. (AP Photo/Denver Post, RJ Sangosti, Pool, File)
CHICAGO (AP) ? It happened after Columbine, Virginia Tech, Aurora, Colo., and now Sandy Hook: People figure there surely were signs of impending violence. But experts say predicting who will be the next mass shooter is virtually impossible ? partly because as commonplace as these calamities seem, they are relatively rare crimes.
Still, a combination of risk factors in troubled kids or adults including drug use and easy access to guns can increase the likelihood of violence, experts say.
But warning signs "only become crystal clear in the aftermath, said James Alan Fox, a Northeastern University criminology professor who has studied and written about mass killings.
"They're yellow flags. They only become red flags once the blood is spilled," he said.
Whether 20-year-old Adam Lanza, who used his mother's guns to kill her and then 20 children and six adults at their Connecticut school, made any hints about his plans isn't publicly known.
Fox said that sometimes, in the days, weeks or months preceding their crimes, mass murderers voice threats, or hints, either verbally or in writing, things like "'don't come to school tomorrow,'" or "'they're going to be sorry for mistreating me.'" Some prepare by target practicing, and plan their clothing "as well as their arsenal." (Police said Lanza went to shooting ranges with his mother in the past but not in the last six months.)
Although words might indicate a grudge, they don't necessarily mean violence will follow. And, of course, most who threaten never act, Fox said.
Even so, experts say threats of violence from troubled teens and young adults should be taken seriously and parents should attempt to get them a mental health evaluation and treatment if needed.
"In general, the police are unlikely to be able to do anything unless and until a crime has been committed," said Dr. Paul Appelbaum, a Columbia University professor of psychiatry, medicine and law. "Calling the police to confront a troubled teen has often led to tragedy."
The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry says violent behavior should not be dismissed as "just a phase they're going through."
In a guidelines for families, the academy lists several risk factors for violence, including:
?Previous violent or aggressive behavior
?Being a victim of physical or sexual abuse
?Guns in the home
?Use of drugs or alcohol
?Brain damage from a head injury
Those with several of these risk factors should be evaluated by a mental health expert if they also show certain behaviors, including intense anger, frequent temper outbursts, extreme irritability or impulsiveness, the academy says. They may be more likely than others to become violent, although that doesn't mean they're at risk for the kind of violence that happened in Newtown, Conn.
Lanza, the Connecticut shooter, was socially withdrawn and awkward, and has been said to have had Asperger's disorder, a mild form of autism that has no clear connection with violence.
Autism experts and advocacy groups have complained that Asperger's is being unfairly blamed for the shootings, and say people with the disorder are much more likely to be victims of bullying and violence by others.
According to a research review published this year in Annals of General Psychiatry, most people with Asperger's who commit violent crimes have serious, often undiagnosed mental problems. That includes bipolar disorder, depression and personality disorders. It's not publicly known if Lanza had any of these, which in severe cases can include delusions and other psychotic symptoms.
Young adulthood is when psychotic illnesses typically emerge, and Appelbaum said there are several signs that a troubled teen or young adult might be heading in that direction: isolating themselves from friends and peers, spending long periods alone in their rooms, plummeting grades if they're still in school and expressing disturbing thoughts or fears that others are trying to hurt them.
Appelbaum said the most agonizing calls he gets are from parents whose children are descending into severe mental illness but who deny they are sick and refuse to go for treatment.
And in the case of adults, forcing them into treatment is difficult and dependent on laws that vary by state.
All states have laws that allow some form of court-ordered treatment, typically in a hospital for people considered a danger to themselves or others. Connecticut is among a handful with no option for court-ordered treatment in a less restrictive community setting, said Kristina Ragosta, an attorney with the Treatment Advocacy Center, a national group that advocates better access to mental health treatment.
Lanza's medical records haven't been publicly disclosed and authorities haven't said if it is known what type of treatment his family may have sought for him. Lanza killed himself at the school.
Jennifer Hoff of Mission Viejo, Calif. has a 19-year-old bipolar son who has had hallucinations, delusions and violent behavior for years. When he was younger and threatened to harm himself, she'd call 911 and leave the door unlocked for paramedics, who'd take him to a hospital for inpatient mental care.
Now that he's an adult, she said he has refused medication, left home, and authorities have indicated he can't be forced into treatment unless he harms himself ? or commits a violent crime and is imprisoned. Hoff thinks prison is where he's headed ? he's in jail, charged in an unarmed bank robbery.
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Online:
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry: http://www.aacap.org
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AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/LindseyTanner
Dec. 20, 2012 ? A new study co-authored by the Georgia Institute of Technology indicates that clay minerals, rocks that usually form when water is present for long periods of time, cover a larger portion of Mars than previously thought. In fact, Assistant Professor James Wray and the research team say clays were in some of the rocks studied by Opportunity when it landed at Eagle crater in 2004. The rover only detected acidic sulfates and has since driven about 22 miles to Endeavour Crater, an area of the planet Wray pinpointed for clays in 2009.
The study is published online in the current edition of Geophysical Research Letters.
The project, which was led by Eldar Noe Dobrea of the Planetary Science Institute, identified the clay minerals using a spectroscopic analysis from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The research shows that clays also exist in the Meridiani plains that Opportunity rolled over as it trekked toward its current position.
"It's not a surprise that Opportunity didn't find clays while exploring," said Wray, a faculty member in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. "We didn't know they existed on Mars until after the rover arrived. Opportunity doesn't have the same tools that have proven so effective for detecting clays from orbit."
The clay signatures near Eagle crater are very weak, especially compared to those along the rim and inside Endeavour crater. Wray believes clays could have been more plentiful in the past, but Mars' volcanic, acidic history has probably eliminated some of them.
"It was also surprising to find clays in geologically younger terrain than the sulfates," said Dobrea. Current theories of Martian geological history suggest that clays, a product of aqueous alteration, actually formed early on when the planet's waters were more alkaline. As the water acidified due to volcanism, the dominant alteration mineralogy became sulfates. "This forces us to rethink our current hypotheses of the history of water on Mars," he added.
Even though Opportunity has reached an area believed to contain rich clay deposits, the odds are still stacked against it. Opportunity was supposed to survive for only three months. It's still going strong nine years later, but the rover's two mineralogical instruments don't work anymore. Instead, Opportunity must take pictures of rocks with its panoramic camera and analyze targets with a spectrometer to try and determine the composition of rock layers.
"So far, we've only been able to identify areas of clay deposits from orbit," said Wray. "If Opportunity can find a sample and give us a closer look, we should be able to determine how the rock was formed, such as in a deep lake, shallow pond or volcanic system."
As for the other rover on the other side of Mars, Curiosity's instruments are better equipped to search for signs of past or current conditions for habitable life, thanks in part to Opportunity. Wray is a member of Curiosity's science team.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Georgia Institute of Technology.
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Journal Reference:
E. Z. Noe Dobrea, J. J. Wray, F. J. Calef, T. J. Parker, S. L. Murchie. Hydrated minerals on Endeavour Crater's rim and interior, and surrounding plains: New insights from CRISM data. Geophysical Research Letters, 2012; 39 (23) DOI: 10.1029/2012GL053180
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
On Wednesday, wireless carrier AT&T announced the availability of a new software update for its Galaxy S II users, providing them with the features and enhancements included in the Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich platform release.
The new OS flavor was pushed to other Galaxy S II models a while ago, but AT&T has delayed its release until now.
?As of 12/19/2012 a software update has been made available for users of the Samsung Galaxy II with version 4.0 (ICS) installed,? the wireless carrier notes in a support forum post.
?This update is released to applicable AT&T customers via firmware over the air (FOTA) which includes software notification of availability sent to the device. You must be connected to Wi-Fi for the update to install.?
Up until now, the AT&T Galaxy S II has been running under the Android 4.0.3 OS flavor, and the update to the newer platform release was pushed back by about six months. Unfortunately, AT&T does not offer specific info on the software version being rolled out to its users.
The wireless carrier notes that this is only a minor update for its devices, bringing features such as:
- Improves the AT&T branded application launch process; - An EAS/Office 365 security pop-up fix; - An update to all Google branded applications.
Provided that there still are users who did not get the chance to update their phones to the previous firmware release available for AT&T?s model, they should read all about the upgrade steps on this page at the carrier.
With Samsung getting ready to make the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean platform version available for some of its Galaxy S II devices in the near future (unlocked units will receive it first), it remains to be seen when AT&T might be ready to make this software update available for its users. Stay tuned for more.