New Study of Meteorite Provides More Evidence for Ancient Life on Mars
Explore further Relic of life in that Martian meteorite? A fresh look ALH84001 HistoryScientists estimate that the meteorite, called Allan Hills 84001 (ALH84001), formed on Mars about 4.5 billion years ago, making it one of the oldest known objects in the solar system. Because the meteorite contains microscopic carbonate disks that are about 4 billion years old, scientists have previously hypothesized that the meteorite interacted with water that may have existed on Mars at this time.Much later, about 15 million years ago, a larger meteorite likely struck Mars and ejected ALH84001 into space. After spending most of that time traveling throughout the solar system, the meteorite landed on Earth about 13,000 years ago. Then, in 1984, a team of US scientists discovered it in Antarctica. The meteorite finally made news headlines in 1996, when NASA scientist David McKay and others peered at the rock under a scanning electron microscope and saw what appeared to be nanoscale fossils of bacteria-like life forms. Bacterial or Thermal Origin?Now, McKay, along with Kathie Thomas-Keprta, Everett Gibson, Simon Clemett, and Susan Wentworth, all of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, have revisited the original hypothesis with new observations of the meteorite. The study is published in a recent issue of the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.In the new study, the scientists used advanced microscopy techniques to investigate the carbonate disks and, more importantly, the magnetite nanocrystals within the disks. These embedded magnetites are the apparent fossils that exhibit features similar to contemporary magnetotactic bacteria. During the past 13 years, different groups of scientists have proposed competing hypotheses to explain the origins of these magnetites. Some of the leading hypotheses are non-biological, suggesting that the magnetites were formed via thermal decomposition of the carbonates in which ALH84001 was struck by other meteorites. Such impacts may have increased the temperature of ALH84001 and caused the carbonates to decompose into magnetites via bond redistribution. In some models, ALH84001 may have experienced this shock by a random meteorite impact while still on Mars, while in other models, thermal decomposition may have occurred due to the impact event that ejected ALH84001 from its home planet. This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. More information: K.L. Thomas-Keprta, S.J. Clemett, D.S. McKay, E.K. Gibson, and S.J. Wentworth. “Origins of magnetite nanocrystals in Martian meteorite ALH84001.” Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 73 (2009) 6631-6677. (PhysOrg.com) — In 1996, when scientists examined a meteorite from Mars previously uncovered in Antarctica, they were intrigued by what looked like microscopic fossils of ancient Martian life forms. Now, using new technology that wasn’t available 13 years ago, NASA scientists have found further evidence that the materials and structures in the meteorite are likely signs of ancient life, rather than the results of inorganic processes.
But whatever event might have triggered a thermal decomposition process, the scientists argue in the current study that very few – if any – of the magnetites embedded in ALH84001 carbonates are a product of thermal decomposition. By analyzing details such as the percentage of magnetite volume in the carbonate disks, the trace amounts of impurities observed in some of the magnetites, and the lack of siderite which some previous models suggested may have decomposed to form magnetite, the scientists concluded that these new observations were inconsistent with the previous inorganic-based thermal decomposition hypotheses.By showing that it’s very unlikely that the magnetite originated from the decomposition of ALH84001’s carbonate, the scientists argue that possible biological origins of the magnetite need to be considered more seriously than before. “For the past 10 years, the leading (and only) viable non-biologic hypothesis for the origin of the nanophase magnetites concentrated in ALH84001 has been thermal or shock decomposition of iron-bearing carbonates, a process known to produce small magnetite crystals,” Thomas-Keprta told PhysOrg.com. “Our paper has falsified this non-biologic hypothesis by showing, based on thermodynamics and minor element chemistry, that this non-biologic hypothesis simply cannot produce the ultrapure magnetites actually present in ALH84001 as a significant population of all magnetites. By falsifying this non-biologic hypothesis, we are left with only the biologic hypothesis to explain the detailed properties of the magnetites in this martian meteorite.”Magnetite BiosignatureAlthough they have not yet developed a model for the origin of the magnetite in ALH84001, the researchers’ new observations are consistent with the possibility that the magnetite has an “allochthonous origin,” in which it was exposed to aqueous solutions such as water. As Thomas-Keprta explained, the magnetite in ALH84001 could have been one of several ferromagnetic minerals produced by magnetotactic bacteria that live in aquatic environments. When these bacteria die and their shells degrade, a chain of magnetite is released into the environment. Without its confining shell, the magnetite chain configuration cannot be maintained, so individual magnetite crystals begin to mix with inorganic particles in the water. On Earth, magnetotactic bacteria are quite common in aqueous environments, and scientists often find magnetites in surface and subsurface sediments. “For many years, the presence of the specific kind of nanomagnetite formed by magnetotactic bacteria on Earth have been completely accepted as a biosignature when found in any Earth sediment or rock,” Thomas-Keprta said, noting that these magnetite have very specific properties. “When we first documented these specific properties in the ALH84001 carbonates, the only alternate non-biologic hypothesis that was commonly accepted as viable was the thermal decomposition of iron-bearing carbonate,” she said. “Now that we have completely falsified this hypothesis with this latest paper, we are still left with the specific properties of the ALH84001 magnetite that, if found on Earth, would be a robust biosignature indicating production by bacteria.“We also point to the many discoveries since our original paper showing supporting evidence such as an early strong magnetic field on Mars (necessary for the development of magnetotactic bacteria); the presence of near surface water at many locations on current-day Mars; the presence of possible oceans, major drainage channels, and other features associated with an early wet Mars; and the recent evidence for variable releases of methane into the Martian atmosphere. . . . We do not believe it is too incautious to restate our original hypothesis that such magnetites constitute strong evidence of early life on Mars.” This image of the meteorite, seen through a scanning electron microscope, shows bumps that resemble a fossilized colony of microbacteria. Some of the rounded bumps are preserved at the top of the surface and resemble individual spherical and ovoid-shaped microbes. Image credit: NASA. Citation: New Study of Meteorite Provides More Evidence for Ancient Life on Mars (2009, December 17) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2009-12-meteorite-evidence-ancient-life-mars.html Copyright 2009 PhysOrg.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of PhysOrg.com.
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. Explore further Image: SEIA Germany to cut solar subsidies to households In the United States 956 megawatts worth of all types of solar power were installed in 2010. That gave a cumulative installed capacity of 2.6 gigawatts and while this may sound like a lot of solar power it is only enough to power about 500,000 homes, and it represents less than one percent of all of the installed electricity capacity in the country.Despite the relative scale of the contribution, this growth is still fairly impressive. When you compare it to numbers from the same report in 2009, the total value of solar installations was only $3.6 billion. In 2010 that total just about $6 billion. We can see that the capacity in dollar value almost doubled. Though not all solar sectors showed growth. One shrink of note was in the US’s share of photovoltaic installations, which slipped to 5 percent of the world’s total, down from 6.5 percent in 2009.The reports also show that some states that are doing better on the conversion to solar power than others. California did the most in cumulative capacity of solar installations. Other states with notable cumulative capacity of solar installations include New Jersey, Florida, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Pennsylvania, which between them accounted for 76 percent of the solar capacity installed in 2010.There are no predictions as to whether or not this trend will continue in 2011. Though, there is an industry wide goal of powering 2 million homes with solar power by 2015. (PhysOrg.com) — The report for 2010 was released by the Solar Energy Industries Association on the solar markets and installations of the United States, and it revealed that solar power is a growing market. More information: Report: seia.org/cs/news_detail?pressrelease.id=1292 Citation: Solar power installs almost doubled in 2010 (2011, March 11) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2011-03-solar-power.html © 2010 PhysOrg.com
(PhysOrg.com) — Physicist Stefano Lepri of the Italian National Research Council and his partner Giulio Casati of the University of Insubria, have published a paper in Physical Review Letters, where they demonstrate through mathematical theory that it should be possible to create asymmetric materials that allow most light or sound waves to pass through in one direction, while mostly preventing them from doing so when going the opposite way. Scientists have for years been trying to figure out if it was possible to get around the reciprocity theorem, which states that identical waves passing through the same medium should behave the same way regardless of direction. If such a feat were possible, true one-way mirrors could be created, or soundproof rooms, or taking it further, quantum computers that use light to perform calculations.Lepri and Casati, in their paper, propose the idea of constructing a material composed of several layers of ordinary linear material, such as glass or plastic, but that also has two nonlinear layers of material in the center. They then showed that because waves travel best through material when their frequency has a certain resonance with the material it passes through, it should be possible to create a nonlinear material that is fine tuned to allow the maximum amount of waves to pass through for a certain frequency, going a certain direction; but which would not generally be the case for waves traveling in the opposite direction. The result would be a material that lets through most of the waves traveling in one direction, but not the other.If such materials could be created, scientists envision not just custom building materials that could control how much heat or light comes through, while still allowing people to see out, or true one-way mirrors, or houses made with rooms that are nearly perfectly sound proof, but perhaps wave diodes that could be used in the same way as electronic diodes that allow current to run just one way through a system; paving the way for computers that operate at speeds we can only dream of today.Neither Lepri and Casati, nor anyone else has yet come up with a nonlinear material that can be fine tuned to provide the custom resonance required to create such a material, however, so for now, this new science is still just theory; the authors believe it’s just a matter of time though. © 2010 PhysOrg.com Explore further This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
Citation: New theory shows one-way transmission materials should be possible for sound and light waves (2011, May 3) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2011-05-theory-one-way-transmission-materials.html More information: Asymmetric Wave Propagation in Nonlinear Systems, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 164101 (2011) DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.164101AbstractA mechanism for asymmetric (nonreciprocal) wave transmission is presented. As a reference system, we consider a layered nonlinear, nonmirror-symmetric model described by the one-dimensional discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation with spatially varying coefficients embedded in an otherwise linear lattice. We construct a class of exact extended solutions such that waves with the same frequency and incident amplitude impinging from left and right directions have very different transmission coefficients. This effect arises already for the simplest case of two nonlinear layers and is associated with the shift of nonlinear resonances. Increasing the number of layers considerably increases the complexity of the family of solutions. Finally, numerical simulations of asymmetric wave packet transmission are presented which beautifully display the rectifying effect. Physicists rotate beams of light
World record neutron beam at Los Alamos National Laboratory © 2013 Phys.org Explore further (Phys.org)—Researchers from Institut für Kernphysik in Germany, working with colleagues from Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory, have succeeded in building a compact neutron source small enough to be used in a conventional lab. It’s based, the researchers report in their paper published in Physical Review Letters, on laser pulses directed onto a plastic target doped with deuterium atoms. Journal information: Physical Review Letters This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. Physics researchers around the world have been hoping someone would develop a neutron source small enough to fit in a conventional lab for several years, as neutrons have become an important means for studying the properties of many materials. Currently, most find it necessary to compete with other researchers for time at a nuclear reactor or dedicated accelerator facility to conduct such research. This new source method offers a possible alternative.To create their source, the researchers doped a thin sheet of plastic with deuterium atoms. It was placed just 5 nm in front of second target made of beryllium. A laser was then fired at the plastic sheet, penetrating and ionizing it – the liberated electrons were subsequently pushed to the back of the target causing the ions to accelerate further. When they struck the secondary target a nuclear reaction occurred, producing neutrons.The researchers found that their source was able to produce just 25 percent of the energy of other experimental sources, but the neutrons produced were 10 times as energetic and 10 times more plentiful. They also found that a number of the neutrons were emitted from the source in a forward facing direction, which the researchers note, is likely due to the type of nuclear reaction that took place. To demonstrate the usefulness of their source, the researchers took a series of radiographs by placing objects in front of the neutron beam and recording the shadows produced in a neutron detector.The researchers suggest that with fine tuning for commercialization, their device should be able to fit on a work bench, and that only the target would need shielding to protect researchers in the area. This they note would allow for lab based neutron experiments at the course level, giving students access to science previously reserved for a select few physicists who have access to large nuclear facilities. More information: Bright Laser-Driven Neutron Source Based on the Relativistic Transparency of Solids, Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 044802 (2013) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.044802AbstractNeutrons are unique particles to probe samples in many fields of research ranging from biology to material sciences to engineering and security applications. Access to bright, pulsed sources is currently limited to large accelerator facilities and there has been a growing need for compact sources over the recent years. Short pulse laser driven neutron sources could be a compact and relatively cheap way to produce neutrons with energies in excess of 10 MeV. For more than a decade experiments have tried to obtain neutron numbers sufficient for applications. Our recent experiments demonstrated an ion acceleration mechanism based on the concept of relativistic transparency. Using this new mechanism, we produced an intense beam of high energy (up to 170 MeV) deuterons directed into a Be converter to produce a forward peaked neutron flux with a record yield, on the order of 1010 n/sr. We present results comparing the two acceleration mechanisms and the first short pulse laser generated neutron radiograph. Citation: Researchers build bench size laser-pulsed neutron source (2013, February 1) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2013-02-bench-size-laser-pulsed-neutron-source.html
Credit: CC0 Public Domain This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. © 2018 Science X Network More information: 26th meeting of the CGPM: 13-16 November 2018: www.bipm.org/en/cgpm-2018/ CGPM set to update international system of weights and measures Explore further Officials with the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) have announced that at a meeting to be held next week, four of the base units used in the metric system will be redefined. The four units under review are the ampere, kilogram, mole and kelvin. Citation: Four base units of measure in the metric system about to be changed (2018, November 9) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2018-11-base-metric.html Currently, the kilogram is officially defined as the mass of a cylinder made of a platinum-iridium alloy housed in a bell jar in France—it has been removed from its protected spot every 40 years to serve as a calibration tool for other weights. But according to officials with CGPM, its days are numbered. This is because the 60 member nations that make up the body will be voting to change to a system in which the kilogram will be defined indirectly—by using the Planck constant. The tool used to provide the new base unit is the Kibble balance—a very complex piece of equipment that first measures the amount of electric current necessary to create an electromagnetic force that is equal to a force acting on a given mass. It is during the second stage that the Plank constant comes into play. The reason for the changeover is to reference a more stable basis of measurement and to allow for the development of more precise measuring devices. Several metrologists involved in bringing the changes to a vote have acknowledged that most people will neither understand the changes that have taken place, nor notice that a change has occurred.The metric system is part of the International System of Units, and in places other than the United States, is commonly called SI. Efforts to make it more precise have been underway for years. The speed of light, for example, was updated in 1983, and is now defined as 299,792,458 meters per second. For those interested in the proceedings, the CGPM will be streamed live on the internet. Officials have described the meeting as marking the end of SI measurements based on objects. Prior meetings have already resulted in updating the other three base units in the system: the second, meter and candela. If the measures pass, the changes will take effect in May of next year.
What began three years ago on the internet has come together in an album launch. Meet the Gods Robots – a powerhouse band that intrinsically started with Janaka and Shridevi and now a four member strong team with Alam Khan on the sarod, Suhel Yusuf Khan and Mike on the pipes. Shuffling between San Francisco and Mumbai, Gods Robots have picked the Capital to launch their first official album. Speaking about where it all began, Janaka says that he briefly met Shridevi in Mumbai and then heard her vocals on the internet. Shridevi has a simmilar story to tell about Janaka. But it was a matter of musical coincidence that both parties loved what they heard online and when Janaka wrote to Shridevi about working together – the Gods Robots were on their way. Also Read – ‘Playing Jojo was emotionally exhausting’Gods Robots define a brand new sound by seamlessly blending English lyrics with a pop music edge, classical Indian instrumentation and bass heavy underground rhythms. While Janaka brings in his electronic dance music, trance and dub-step to the sounds, Shridevi blends in the classical Indian and carnatic tunes to it. What results is something that Janaka descibes as – ‘Pop-electronic with bits of trance, break, dub-step on one level, classical and carnatic on another and western classical on a third plane with a strong reggae element’. Wow. Also Read – Leslie doing new comedy special with NetflixLate 2011 saw the band release their critically acclaimed Stormy Weather. In the very first week of its release their music video Stay topped the 100,000 views mark on youtube and is now hovering near 200,000. Gods Robots music has been hitting the international airwaves for a couple years now with BBC Radio 1 describing their music as ‘authentic’ and dubbing them ‘best sound’ and ‘the band to watch out for’ on the show The Strand. Their music is a regular featured on a number of BBC Radio shows. When asked if they had one name for the genre they play, Janaka says, ‘You cannot put a genre to the music Massive Attack makes, we aspire to make music like that.’ With infulences ranging from Lana Del Rey to Guns and Roses and a lot of 60’s music, this is clearly a band to watch out for. ‘Delhi has a great young classical music scene,’ says Janaka, adding that the lively presence and enthusiasm in the Capital is exactly what works for them and their kind of music. While Gods Robots have already performed in Sunburn, the Bombay Lit Fest and even the Jaipur Lit Fest, they are looking forward to more shows across the country post their launch. With a world-wide launch on the cards soon – here’s hoping the Gods Robots land safe!
Kolkata: With the state-wide Safe Drive Save Life campaign launched by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bengal has witnessed a 22 percent reduction in road accidents in the first quarter of 2018, compared to the corresponding period in 2016. At the same time, the fatalities due to road accidents have also gone down by 18 percent in the same time period.The state police have prepared a comparative study on the number of road accidents that took place in the past three years in the areas under the jurisdiction of West Bengal Police and with the completion of the study by March-end, the police have come to know that the first three months of 2018 have recorded the least number of road accidents in the past three years. Also Read – Heavy rain hits traffic, flightsAccidents in the first quarter of 2018 were 15.5 percent less than in the corresponding period in 2017. The police have also compared the figure of 2018 with that of the same period in 2016, before the Safe Drive Save Life campaign was launched and it has revealed that there has been a drop in the rate of accidents by 22 percent.With the police taking up a massive campaign to create awareness on road safety measures, the number of lives claimed due to road accidents has also dropped by 18 percent in the first quarter of 2018, compared to the corresponding period in 2016. Also Read – Speeding Jaguar crashes into Merc, 2 B’deshi bystanders killedComparison of the figures have further revealed that there has been a 12 percent drop in fatal accidents in the first three months of 2018, compared to the corresponding period in 2017.Vivek Sahay, Additional Director General (Traffic and Road Safety), said: “As far as I can see from the police point of view, road safety has finally become a major area of concern for police. Earlier, road safety was not a major portion of activities and focus. So now, with the launch of Safe Drive Save Life by the Chief Minister, road safety has become an important part of action for the police. Besides continuing work to check crime and law and order issues, road safety related issues have also been taken up with equal importance and it has helped in reducing the number of road accidents.”The comparison of figures have also shown that in the month of March 2018, the number of fatalities due to road accidents has gone down by 20 percent, compared to that of March 2017.
Music reflects upon the emotions and feelings in the best way possible. Susmit Sen, one of India’s most celebrated and well-known guitarists and the founder of India’s most popular fusion band, Indian Ocean, has released a new single titled The Iceberg Project.The track features Susmit performing his trademark guitar work and it is a collaboration with cello player Tapan Malik, guitarist Nishant Agarwal and percussionist Varun Gupta.Poignant and melancholic at times, uplifting at others, The Iceberg Project is bound to impress the listeners. The composition is a projection of today’s darkness and how it is transformed into a positive world. Also Read – ‘Playing Jojo was emotionally exhausting’The initial part of the composition questions every aspect of human existence and the latter focuses on how to change the same by diverting attention to the beauty that surrounds us. Launched in association with The Big Band Theory, The Iceberg Project is the culmination of an episodic series that highlighted the various stages of how an idea evolves through and the different elements and aspects in building an original composition.Talking about The Iceberg Project, Susmit Sen says, “It has been a great experience for me working on the composition. I think the track has been able to capture the emotions I wanted to convey. It has been great working with Tapan, Nishant and Varun as well and I would like to thank them for their contributions.” On naming the composition The Iceberg Project, Susmit says “Any creation is a manifestation of a creator’s feelings. Creations witnessed by the world are just the tip of an iceberg. The rest lie submerged – unheard, unseen…..”The Iceberg Project released on the world wide web on Sunday.
Kolkata: Baruipur police have arrested two more accused — Saiful Nashkra and Salaudin Seikh — for their alleged involvement in firing and hurling bombs at the car of Joynagar MLA Biswanath Das that eventually killed three persons including two Trinamool Congress workers.The incident occurred on December 13 when some miscreants hurled bombs at Das’s vehicle parked in front of a petrol pump at Joynagar in South 24-Parganas. Das had gone to the Trinamool Congress party office in the Baharu area and sent his driver along with another party worker to refuel his car. His driver parked it outside the petrol pump and went to have tea during Also Read – Rain batters Kolkata, cripples normal lifethe incident. After the incident, Das claimed that he was the target as he regularly visits the place to have tea from a stall there. On the day of the incident, he directly went to the party office as he was late. The district Trinamool Congress leaders alleged that it was a pre-planned attack by goons backed by an opposition party. Following the incident, the Superintendent of Police (SP), Baruipur Police District and other senior officers rushed to the spot and started a detailed probe. Police have so far arrested 14 persons in this connection. During investigation, the officers came to know that the MLA might not have been the target as they attacked after he got down from the car. Contract killer Babu Kahar, alias Babua, had received a contract. He has been absconding since the incident took place. The district police are conducting raids to nab the culprit. Police are interrogating and verifying the statements of the accused who have already been arrested in this connection. The district police believe they would be able to arrest the main accused Babua soon.
New Delhi: Aiming to discuss, create and debate art, architecture and photography, the third edition of India Arch Dialogue is all set to begin. Starting from February 9, this three-week event, organised by FCDI, is themed “Moments in Architecture – An Exhibition on Architectural Photography, Talks and Events”.Curated by Verendra Wakhloo, Rachit Srivastva, Madhav Raman and Sudipto Ghosh, the event will see interactive sessions with the participation of several architects, artists and photographers across globe who are all masters in the industry with extraordinary skills and unequivocal excellence of design practice, who have worked towards shaping the face of architecture and design milieu. Also Read – Add new books to your shelfAbha Narain Lambah, Abin Chaudhuri, Aniket Bhagwat , Asim Waqif, Dominic Sansoni, Rohan Shivkumar and Partner – Avijit Mukul Kishore, Paul Clemence, Robert Greenwood, Iwan Baan annd Juergen Mayer are some of the architects whose work will be showcased. While visitors will get to see works of renowned photographers like André J. Fanthome, Bharath Ramamrutham, Dayanita Singh, Ram Rahman, Paul Clemence, Sebastian Cortés, Iwan Baan and Dominic Sansoni. Also Read – Over 2 hours screen time daily will make your kids impulsive”The very idea of the Indian Arch Dialogue is to be inclusive and provide an interactive platform for nationally and internationally distinguished architects and designers. Exhibitions, talks,workshops on architecture, art, fashion, photography generate a large resource of ideas,” Wakhloo said.Madhav Ram, another curator said: “This year, we have curated the best architectural photographs and some of the most creative minds from around the world to share their thoughts on photography. The idea is to help people connect with architecture and architecture to connect with people.”
Kolkata: State of Science and Technology and Biotechnology department signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (MAKAUT) in order to introduce two new courses which will help to develop skills for the entrepreneurs who want to come up with new start ups.On Wednesday afternoon, at Vigyan Chetana Bhavan, in Salt Lake, principal secretary to the Science and Technology and Biotechnology department Sayeed Ahmed Baba and Registrar of MAKAUT Partha Pratim Lahiri signed two MoU in presence of minister Bratya Basu. According to the MoU, the two courses are M.Tech on Geoinformetics and Post Graduate (PG) Diploma in Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Business Management. Also Read – Rs 13,000 crore investment to provide 2 lakh jobs: MamataAccording to the scientists, the course on Geoinformetics will help the students to get more jobs Also the PG diploma course on Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Business Management will help the entrepreneurs to handle the critical issues of technology business management using the intellectual property rights as a tool for an organization or start ups which they are running. “The diploma course will help the entrepreneurs to become self dependent using the intellectual property rights. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wants the talent of Bengal to stay here and our aim is to create opportunities,” said Basu.
Tom Brady effectively ended the debate over the greatest football player of all-time when he won his 5th Super Bowl over the Falcons, and Colin thinks if Brady can beat the Eagles and win his 6th title, he’ll surpass Michael Jordan as the greatest team athlete of all-time.Even though Jordan defenders always point to his undefeated Finals record when his greatness is challenged, the teams he beat to do so weren’t nearly as impressive as those that Brady has taken down. Brady has beaten the ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ Rams, a championship Seattle roster, and denied Peyton Manning of multiple Super Bowls with the Colts. Jordan beat the aging Lakers, the Suns, and Utah twice.Colin thinks Jordan’s unparalleled marketing campaign during his career has created a mythology of perfection that still follows him in retirement, but with another Super Bowl, and unbiased comparison of the two careers would go to Brady.“It’s only a two person conversation now as the greatest team athlete ever… Brady wins his 6th, he’s the greatest team athlete ever.” —@ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/GY6DnzaJPR— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 25, 2018 Advertisement
In the spring of 2010, when the Apple iPad was released with overwhelming fanfare, analysts and pundits across the board quickly dismissed its business relevance. True, it was a groundbreaking information access and entertainment device, but that was the extent of it, many said. Yet today, large companies such as Roche, United Airlines, Medtronic and Sears have deployed thousands of the devices among their workforces.The newer story is that smaller companies with high percentages of mobile employees and an affinity for cloud apps can feasibly run their entire businesses on tablets and phones.What’s made this viable is the large number of business tools and apps now available for tablets, the prevalence of cloud-based services for rote, PC-intensive tasks such as invoicing and billing, and business-friendly add-ons such as wireless keyboards and digital pens for users who hate small touch-screen typing. The Microsoft Surface tablet, the first to offer a built-in keyboard, hit stores in late October, promising to further grow interest in business tablets.Businesses transition to tabletsDoug Grabowski used to be a “big Windows PC guy” but is now a tablet devotee. He and the handful of employees at Ubiquitour, a managed tech services company he founded, use iPads and smartphones heavily during the workday.In fact, he’s ditched his beloved laptop altogether. He uses a Bluetooth keyboard and Pages on his iPad for light word processing, such as writing and editing proposals. He still needed his PC, however, for managing financials and QuickBooks. To solve that problem, he loaded an old PC with QuickBooks and Office and uses PocketCloud Remote Desktop to dial in and view company financials using his iPad. He’ll also be moving his company to the Web-based version of QuickBooks soon, he says.“I’ve built my own dashboard on the tablet so I can see all status updates on my clients and I can remote into their environment to help out with a problem if needed,” he adds. Moving away from his clunky laptop has helped his business grow in surprising ways. When he walks into meetings with prospects and quickly gets to his desktop and client desktops using only his Android phone or the iPad, the prospects want to know how they can do it too, he says.Grabowski sees a growing trend in businesses toward investing in the latest tablet technologies instead of buying new laptops: “I think for $800, the Surface is going to clean up in the enterprise.”Even though the lower cost of purchase and maintenance was a big reason why companies initially invested in tablets over PCs, productivity is becoming the more intriguing incentive. For a client of Phil Bush, president of CMIT Solutions of Denver, money wasn’t a consideration in purchasing Windows slate tablets several months ago. “What they loved was they could run all their business apps, such as Oracle and Excel, on the tablet,” says Bush. The tablets ran much faster than their PCs, and users could also write on them — a perfect fit for the client’s project management business.PCs aren’t obsolete just yet …Other small companies, such as Development Management Associates (DMA), a Chicago-based commercial developer, issue iPads to employees, yet aren’t yet abandoning PCs. “We use tablets as a bridge between the smartphone and laptop,” says Jason Westrope, development manager with DMA. “They’re not replacing desktops, which are still the workhorses, but when we’re in the field, the tablet gives us a lot of agility and is helpful when reviewing large visual documents like floor plans.”The firm’s architects and engineers use the Evernote Penultimate app to mark up PDF drawings, and all employees love having access to their Outlook email and calendars from the tablets. To provide secure remote access to desktop files and apps from the tablet, DMA also uses PocketCloud Remote Desktop.Westrope loves how the tablets have enabled him to save time doing repetitive tasks. “If I have my iPad with me on a job site, I can take a photo with it, save it to a file, mark it up if needed and then e-mail it to an architect in just a few minutes,” he says. That efficiency frees up small yet valuable chunks of time, which he uses to inspect a project site or talk to a client.Replacing PCs with tablets and phones won’t work for every business or employee. But for salespeople, executives, project managers, field workers and other employees who are highly mobile and customer-facing, shedding clunky PCs for lighter and faster devices could help their companies get to the next level. Hear from Polar Explorers, ultra marathoners, authors, artists and a range of other unique personalities to better understand the traits that make excellence possible. February 11, 2013 This story originally appeared on Business on Main How Success Happens 4 min read Listen Now
Growing a business sometimes requires thinking outside the box. 2 min read August 12, 2013 New York state financial regulators have issued subpoenas asking Bitcoin-related companies for information into whether safeguards are in place to prevent the virtual currency from being used in illegal activities such as money laundering.The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, said the New York Department of Financial Services also wants information on whether the companies have consumer-protection measures in place, in addition to investment strategies for Bitcoin.Leading companies Coinbase Inc, BitInstant and Coinsetter are among the companies receiving subpoenas, according to the Journal. New York regulators also sent subpoenas to companies backed by high-profile Bitcoin investors, including venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, and Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the Journal said.The Journal says the subpoenas come as New York plans to issue a memo raising questions over whether Bitcoin companies are following state law. The memo and subpoenas also suggest Bitcoin companies will be subject to a host of new rules and regulations, which, up to now, they have avoided.”We believe that — for a number of reasons — putting in place appropriate regulatory safeguards for virtual currencies will be beneficial to the long term strength of the virtual currency industry,” Benjamin Lawsky, New York’s superintendent for financial services, wrote in a draft memo reviewed by the Journal.
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3 min read If gold and silver bling aren’t your thing, maybe it’s time to lighten up — literally.The future of jewelry is weightless, responsive and made of pure light. At least that’s what the creatives behind Neclumi — a slick new virtual “necklace” made only of light — are projecting. Again, quite literally.Related: This ‘Smart’ Yoga Mat Has a Built-In InstructorPanGenerator’s Neclumi is an ethereal, interactive, illuminated necklace, possibly the first of its kind. And, yes, it’s composed of nothing more than projected light aimed at the nape of your neck.You have to see it to believe it: The question, of course, is how does this thing work? The process, which Neclumi’s makers say is a work in progress, is still somewhat clunky. But, if you’re allergic to metal or get a kick out of flashing the latest, craziest fashion tech, rigging it up might be worth the hassle.By clunky, we mean that you have to hide a pico-projector up your shirt. Then you have to connect the mini light projector via HDMI cable to your smartphone. And then, right about when you’re feeling like a wired undercover cop, you launch the custom Neclumi app that tells the projector what to do.Related: Bat-Like Technology Is Giving the ‘White Cane’ a Much-Deserved UpgradeAfter all that set-up, it’s time for the fun. With the app as a remote control, you can rock four unique undulating geometric light patterns on your neck. Using certain smartphone features (accelerometer, microphone, compass, etc.), each design mode responds to your movements in different artsy-freaky ways.When you move, Neclumi moves. Like so: “Airo” mode emits horizontal thin wisps of light that speed up or slow down according to your walking pace. Curved “Movi” zebra stripes bounce when you bounce. Concentric circular “Roto” ribbons rotate when you, yep, rotate. And sound-reactive “Sono” mode explodes firework-like fractals in response to your voice. How awesome would it be to dance and sing with this baby on?Related: Google Is Developing an Ingestible Cancer-Detecting PillNeclumi isn’t PanGenerator’s first foray into futuristic reactive human ornamentation. The Warsaw, Poland-based digital art collective also designed an innovative “smart” wristlet called Tactilu. It’s a Bluetooth bracelet that lets people virtually “touch” each other. Yeah, that. “Teleintimacy,” anyone? Doesn’t exactly scream sexy.With the Neclumi, you’d think a bizarre simulated necklace would look a little dorky, but it’s actually pretty slick. Almost elegant. With shimmering, sensual waves of glowing white light dancing along your throat chakra, it’s like your own personal, portable special effects show. A surefire conversation starter that will put you in the spotlight wherever you go.There’s only one problem: Neclumi isn’t available yet. For now, it’s still just a concept art project. A brilliant one indeed. What crazy apps, gadgets and tech have you come across lately? Let us know by emailing us at FarOutTech@entrepreneur.com or by telling us in the comments below.Related: Forget Necklaces and Rings. This Gold Goes Inside Your Head 
Listen Now 6 min read Small businesses are losing business and potentially harming their reputations because of SEO spam cyberattacks. These attacks are known as search engine poisoning (SEP) attacks. As the name implies, the desired outcome (i.e., action on objective) of this attack is to poison your website results on search engine result pages (SERP).Related: Malware Hits Everyone From Small Businesses to Big Government. What Are You Doing About It?To understand this attack, we have to step back to the basics with SEO. SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” It is the work that goes into your website to help you rank higher when customers search for your business online. Search engines like Google and Bing use special software that quickly reviews or “crawls” the content on websites and then serves up the most relevant sites for a particular query. When your site’s keywords are properly optimized, you’ll get more visitors, which ultimately means more potential customers and more income.There are all sorts of tricks and tips to improve your SEO ranking — but that’s another article for another time. These SEP attacks materialize in what is known as SEO spam. It’s when an attacker injects your site with unwanted links and keywords. Hackers can insert links anywhere on your website, and depending on the tactics they employ, they can embed these links into the meta data or into your website’s content. Hackers use basic HTML anchor elements to link to other pages. Some of the more common locations might be header and footer files because they load with each request, or in specific widgets or menus. But, we see them sprinkled in titles and content in the body as well.Perhaps the most pervasive of SEP attacks is the injection of pharmaceutical ads, but these days you can see injections for things like casinos, fashion and a wide range of other industries — including things like services to write your school papers. In all these instances, attackers find a way to inject spam keywords, often attributed to backlinks to their sites of choice.Related: How to Protect Your Personal Brand’s Website From a Cyber AttackFor example, if a local Seattle marketing consultant’s website experienced SEO spam, it could soon stop showing up in relevant search queries, such as “Seattle marketing consultant” because search engines would instead pick up fraudulent or malicious keywords. In digital marketing, we call this “losing your ranking,” or being knocked further down in the search results for a truly relevant query. Ultimately, this form of cyber attack can cost small-business owners and entrepreneurs business because customers are no longer finding them online.This type of attack is so effective and interesting to attackers because it’s often very difficult to detect (e.g., they are often injected in code that renders off screen) and built on an affiliate business that cares only about impressions, not conversions. What this means is that attackers make money based on the traffic (impressions) they generate for their customers. As long as they are generating traffic, they are happy. It’s such an effective attack that in a recent study we conducted of 60,000-plus infected sites, we found over 73 percent of the infected sites were affected with this malware type.Negative impact of SEO spamSEO spam can also hurt a business’s reputation and mislead potential customers about the content of the site. This is because negative and incorrect keywords could direct straight to the business’s website, giving off an unprofessional or even fraudulent appearance. For example, a high-end salon could have the incorrect keywords “cheap sunglasses” associated with its website. If this happens, visitors may think the site is a scam, or misinterpret what the business actually is. One of the ways that Google will punish your site is flagging it as potentially compromised:Related: 7 Surprising Places Hackers HideHere are a few tips that should help small business stay ahead of SEO Spam threats:1. Register with Google’s webmaster tools. It’s easy, and it’s free. Google is one of the largest search engines and its software is constantly crawling the web. If you register with their tools, it will alert you when it finds an issue — a full 48 hours before it flags it to the public or begins changing how your site shows up in search results. This is a great preventative step that costs nothing to enact.2. Proactively protect your website. Websites are under attack on a daily basis, whether you deploy something on the server, application or in the cloud; you must deploy some form of a protective solution. My recommendation is to go with a cloud-based firewall, as the name implies it is a wall that helps keep attackers at bay. It actively adapts to attacks and helps keep your site spam free.3. Deploy a monitoring service. These types of services monitor your website proactively and identify red flags or warning signs, which you would never see or recognize on your own, including monitoring for SEO spam. This is complementary to Google’s webmaster tools. Partnering with a security provider helps provide peace of mind to small-business owners knowing they have a team with expertise to help them in case anything should go wrong.4. Monitor keywords: This is a great way to get cross-functional teams involved: Have your marketing teams actively monitor your traffic and keyword performance. They are often on the front lines and should be able to notice suspicious behavior like a spike in keywords in industries you don’t participate.Security is very nuanced and constantly evolving. The online threats and issues we were dealing with just a year ago are different today. While this form of cyber attack isn’t discussed as much as phishing or malware attacks, it’s absolutely something all website owners should be aware of. Consider following the simple steps above to ensure no SEO spam is living on your website. Also, remember the value of good SEO optimization to keep new relevant visitors coming to your site. Hear from Polar Explorers, ultra marathoners, authors, artists and a range of other unique personalities to better understand the traits that make excellence possible. November 9, 2018 How Success Happens Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Executive SummaryChapter 2 Abbreviation and AcronymsChapter 3 PrefaceChapter 4 Market LandscapeChapter 5 Market Trend AnalysisChapter 6 Industry Chain AnalysisChapter 7 Latest Market DynamicsChapter 8 Trading AnalysisChapter 9 Historical and Current Extended Stay Hotel in North America (2013-2018)Chapter 10 Historical and Current Extended Stay Hotel in South America (2013-2018)Chapter 11 Historical and Current Extended Stay Hotel in Asia & Pacific (2013-2018)Chapter 12 Historical and Current Extended Stay Hotel in Europe (2013-2018)Chapter 13 Historical and Current Extended Stay Hotel in MEA (2013-2018)Chapter 14 Summary for Global Extended Stay Hotel (2013-2018)Chapter 15 Global Extended Stay Hotel Forecast (2019-2024)Chapter 16 Analysis of Global Key Vendors The Extended Stay Hotel Market research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data and statistically-supported and industry-validated market data and projections with a suitable set of assumptions and methodology. It provides analysis and information by categories such as market segments, regions, and product type and distribution channels. The report includes an analysis of the growth rate of every segment with the help of charts and tables. In addition, the market across various regions is analyzed in the report, including North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. The report manifests the growth trends and future opportunities in every region. Contact us:Mr. Abhishek Paliwal5933 NE Win Sivers Drive, #205, Portland,OR 97220 United StatesDirect: +1-971-202-1575Toll Free: +1-800-910-6452E-mail: help@bigmarketresearch.com The report begins with a brief introduction and market overview, in which the Extended Stay Hotel industry is first defined before estimating its market scope and size. Next, the report elaborates on the market scope and market size estimation. This is followed by an overview of the market segmentations such as type, application, and region. The drivers, limitations, and opportunities are listed for the Extended Stay Hotel industry, followed by industry news and policies. Extended Stay Hotel market is presented to the readers as a holistic snapshot of the competitive landscape within the given forecast period. It presents a comparative detailed analysis of the all regional and player segments, offering readers a better knowledge of where areas in which they can place their existing resources and gauging the priority of a particular region in order to boost their standing in the global market.The Global Extended Stay Hotel Market is gaining pace and businesses have started understanding the benefits of analytics in the present day highly dynamic business environment. The market has witnessed several important developments over the past few years, with mounting volumes of business data and the shift from traditional data analysis platforms to self-service business analytics being some of the most prominent ones. Extended stay hotels are apartment hotels where tourists can stay for as long as they want and can check out whenever they want. In other words, extended stay hotels are just like renting an apartment; however, there is no fixed contract for the occupants. Inquire for Discount @ https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/request-for-discount/3195676?utm_source=RK-HTNAbout Us: Big Market Research has a range of research reports from various publishers across the world. Our database of reports of various market categories and sub-categories would help to find the exact report you may be looking for. We are instrumental in providing quantitative and qualitative insights on your area of interest by bringing reports from various publishers at one place to save your time and money. A lot of organizations across the world are gaining profits and great benefits from information gained through reports sourced by us. By Market Players: HiltonWorldwide, HyattHotel, ChoiceHotelsInternational, InterContinentalHotelsGroup(IHG), MarriottInternational, WyndhamHotelGroup Get Sample Copy of this Report @ https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/request-sample/3195676?utm_source=RK-HTN For the future period, sound forecasts on market value and volume are offered for each type and application. In the same period, the report also provides a detailed analysis of market value and consumption for each region. These insights are helpful in devising strategies for the future and take necessary steps. New project investment feasibility analysis and SWOT analysis are offered along with insights on industry barriers. Research findings and conclusions are mentioned at the end.
Diskovery storage analyzer for Windows by Martin Brinkmann on April 04, 2016 in Software – 14 commentsDiskovery is a brand new storage analyzer for the Windows operating system by the makers of the great Bvckup 2 backup program.The application is available as a beta version only currently, and only from third-party sites as the official project site has not been published yet.You can download the program from Download Crew for instance currently. We will update the review once the site goes up, and then again when the program loses its beta status.DiskoveryDiskovery is a lightweight portable program currently that has a size of just 227 Kilobyte. The program is compatible with all recent versions of the Windows operating system starting with Windows Vista and going all the way up to Windows 10. Both 32-bit and 64-bit editions are supported.A representation of all storage devices and logical volumes is displayed to you on start. The listing may include RAM disks, virtual disks and pretty much any storage device that is connected to the PC at the time of the scan. It may display inaccessible drives on top of that.You may then click on an item displayed in the sidebar to display a wealth of information about it.Storage DevicesHere is just a quick list of important information displayed by Diskovery:Device Capacity, vendor, product name, and serial number.Drive Health status (using SMART), temperature.Drive letter.Partitioning type.Power on hours, power-on count.SATA signaling rate.Supported features.Some information can be expanded. It is for instance possible to expand the SMART data entry to display all attributes in the program interface.Similar options exist for device, capacity, drive letters, the partition table, supported features and SATA signaling rate. The latter reveals the supported rates which may provide you with information on whether the rate is running at maximum speed or not.Supported features offers interesting information as well, for instance if UltraDMA mode is on, or whether the drive supports TRIM.Logical VolumesLogical Volume information are somewhat different. The following information are displayed for logical volumes:Volume ID and pathSerial and label.Volume type, status and access rights.File System, compression, and used storage.Supported features.VerdictDiskovery is a beta program and therefore not rated until the final version of the program is released. The program has a lot going for it already: it is lightweight, portable, and displays lots of information that can be useful when analyzing storage devices connected to the system.What’s missing is an option to print or export the information (you can display the scan log but it is highly technical), and there is no way to compare scans which could be another interesting feature.Summary12345 3 based on 7 votes Software Name DiskoveryOperating System WindowsSoftware Category System Advertisement
What is that popup on Windows 10 that disappears after a split second? by Martin Brinkmann on May 30, 2017 in Windows – Last Update: July 05, 2017 – 58 commentsIf you run Windows 10, you may have noticed a popup window being launched on the screen once a day, or even regularly.It is spawned, and immediately closed again. This makes it difficult to understand what spawns it, why it is launched, and whether it is something that you need to be concerned about.One of the issues of this is that you may be thrown out of fullscreen applications when that happens. Several users of Windows 10 reported that they get the window every hour or so, and that it makes playing games a nightmare because of that.The file that gets executed every hour or so is called officebackgroundtaskhandler.exe, and you find it under C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\officebackgroundtaskhandler.exe. If you log processes on your system for instance, you may notice that this is the case on your Windows 10 device.The issue has been a hot topic since April 15th when a user reported it on Microsoft’s official Answer forum.Is there a really, really good reason that the “OfficeBackgroundTaskHandlerRegistration” task (see it in Task Scheduler, Microsoft, Office) must run every hour? This is what it says that it does: “This task initiates Office Background Task Handler, which updates relevant Office data.”I ask, because it runs officebackgroundtaskhandler.exe in such a way that it flashes a window (itself) on the screen. Only instantaneously to be sure, but it’s noticeable, especially once you catch onto what’s happening. You can run the task manually if you want to see it without waiting.If Microsoft Office runs on the Windows 10 machine, two tasks are scheduled to run OfficeBackgroundTaskHandler. They are:OfficeBackgroundTaskHandlerLogon which runs when the user logs on to the system.OfficeBackgroundTaskHandlerRegistration which runs every hour.SolutionsThe task window should not be launched when the task is run, and there are plenty of ways that Microsoft could have picked to hide the task window instead of spawning it every hour on the user system.The two main options that you have are to disable the task, or to switch it from running under User to System.Disabling the TaskIt is unclear what the task does, and you should monitor Office closely after disabling it to make sure everything works as intended. The task is still run on logon though.Tap on the Windows-key, type Task Scheduler, and hit the Enter-key.Go to Task Scheduler > Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > OfficeLocate the task OfficeBackgroundTaskHandlerRegistration.Right-click on the task, and select the disable option.Run under System accountThe second option that you have is to change the user group the task runs under. Switching it to System reportedly hides the popup window from spawning. Tap on the Windows-key, type Task Scheduler, and hit the Enter-key.Go to Task Scheduler > Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > OfficeRight-click on OfficeBackgroundTaskHandlerRegistration and select Properties.Select “Change User or Group”.Type system.Click ok.Now You: Did you run into the spawning command window issue on Windows before? SummaryArticle NameWhat is that popup on Windows 10 that disappears after a split second?DescriptionIf you run Windows 10, you may have noticed a popup window being launched on the screen once a day, or even regularly. Author Martin BrinkmannPublisher Ghacks Technology NewsLogo Advertisement
Dear pop world: more girlbands please. Sincerely, one devoted gayThe 12 best singles by girl band members gone soloMeet the gay guy whose Spice Girls fandom got him through years of homophobic abuseRead the full article on Gaystarnews: :https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/all-saints-music-motherhood-meeting-george-michael/ How do you think you’d have coped with social media if you were coming up today?Melanie: The thing is – and 20 years ago it was the same thing – we’ve never been that ambitious. We’ve never had this thing: ‘We’ve got to do this, because we’ve got to get there.’ So we were always quite comfortable saying no. I think we’d be the same with social media now. There is a lot of pressure isn’t there? Especially with the physical [side] of it all. That pressure to look a certain way, to act a certain way, in order to achieve something – we don’t have that. All we want is to be happy, and for our kids to be happy and each other to be happy. That is it. We don’t need to dominate the whole world, or be the most famous. We’re just cool being us, doing what we’re doing.What is your biggest pinch yourself moment as a band?Natalie: Shaz’s acceptance speech on stage at the Brits 98 is imprinted in my brain forever.Shazney: Did I see that as a meme?Melanie: No way.Shazney: I saw it the other day. It makes me go: ‘Oh god…’Natalie: You’re a meme![embedded content]Do you have a favorite LGBTI pop star?Shazney: I’m old school. I love Boy George. And my daughter, who’s eight, is obsessed with Boy George! I don’t know where it’s come from. I think she heard Karma Chameleon, asked ‘Who’s that?’ and then I showed her a picture of him. She was like: ‘I love him.’Shazney: Olly Alexander from Years & Years seems really cool. I saw him doing an interview the other day.Natalie: Sam Smith is special as well.Nicole: George Michael was always mine.Did you ever get to meet him?Nicole: Yes, he was so lovely, so sweet. He was magical. He ticked all the boxes.Of your personal idols, who’s the person who’s blown you away the most that you’ve met?Natalie: Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. And we met Janet Jackson, and she said to us: ‘I’m a really big fan of your work!’ I was like: ‘Oh. My. God. Did she just say that to me?!’Nicole: Celine once spoke to us a few minutes before we went on stage, and she just left this amazing feeling. That’s what she does. She’s a wonderful lady. Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading… All Saints are one of the most successful British bands of their generation, scoring five number one hits and even cracking the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 with their signature song Never Ever back in 1998.Over 20 years later, Shazney Lewis, Melanie Blatt and sisters Nicole and Natalie Appleton are closer than ever, and still making amazing music. Their new album Testament, the follow up to 2016’s UK top three album Red Flag, is out tomorrow. Do you feel the press and the music industry are less sexist or more sexist today than back then?Shazney: I suppose as a lot of stuff is coming out now – a lot of stuff that was hidden away, that we didn’t actually realize was there. Now things are coming out, I look back in time to us, four women, and in this industry… Essentially we are the bosses of all these guys that surround us. We’re the only women, really, in our whole scenario. The guys on stage, the crew, management. We’re in charge of the whole ship. That was the same situation back then. The way we are as characters, we are quite strong. We do say a lot of ‘No’s.’ In terms of the record industry, people probably found us a pain in the ass, because we weren’t like ‘Ok…’ We were like ’No.’Natalie: And then we’d be labelled as difficult.Shazney: Whereas if it had been four men in a band, calling the shots, it wouldn’t have been looked at the way it was with us. eTN Chatroom for Readers (join us)
Here, the girls discuss combat trousers, their loyal LGBTI fans and what the Spice Girls should do next…You played G-A-Y in London recently – how was that?Melanie: It was awesome!Natalie: It’s always a big treat. It’s like Christmas.Did you ever play G-A-Y when it was at the [iconic but since-knocked down] Astoria?All: YES!Melanie: We played G-A-Y again recently because it was the 20-year anniversary of when we first played it!Nicole: The crowd…it’s just the same!Shazney: We did it with our band. That was good, we never did that [previously].Have you noticed that 90s fashion is coming back?Nicole: There was an old poster of us on a bus recently, and my kids were like ‘Those trainers are in right now!’Did you keep all of your old clothes?Natalie: Yeah!Shazney: I’ve got my old adidas… It doesn’t age!Melanie: It’s classic.Natalie: Timeless.Did you keep any of your old video outfits?Nicole: I wish I’d kept everything.Natalie: They weren’t ‘outfits’. They were our own old clothes.Melanie: We never got styled.Nicole: It was just… ‘There we were!’So that style just evolved naturally?Nicole: Yeah. And it’s lasted 20 years…I might start dressing like it now. I want some cargo pants, but tight ones…Shazney [conspiratorially]: Yeah…Nicole: You can wear them now!Natalie: Some sexy ones![embedded content]Could you sum up the message of Love Lasts Forever, the lead single of the new album? Is it about patience?Shazney: It’s exactly that. I was inspired to write that for my son, because he’s doing his last year at school. You’re going to make me cry now…Others: Aww!Shazney: He’s going to be leaving his friends that he’s been with since he was three… [Voice cracks, gets teary]Natalie: [Tearily] I’m going as well!Shazney: He’s going to be going off by himself. I just wanted to give him the message that that’s OK. He’s excited now, but I reckon he’ll be nervous. I just wanted him to know that us as a family, we are rooting for him, are still behind him. No matter what, that’s concrete.What form do you think the Spice Girls reunion should take, given your experience of reuniting?Shazney: I don’t know. I suppose whatever works for them.Nicole: It depends what the fans want.Shazney: Because they are such an iconic band, the Olympics – it was so major that, for them, to come back and continuously make music, for an iconic band like that, I don’t think would be so much of a thing. But it would be amazing if they came back and did something massive.Do you have any memories of partying with them back in the day?Natalie: We had some great times with them… But we can’t give any secrets away!Shazney: I’ve got a good memory of partying with Melanie C. It was at my apartment, and what I do have from that night – still – is this silk cushion. There’s still her mascara on it that I cannot get out of it! It was either from Nat or Nic or Mel… What do your LGBTI fans mean to you?Shazney: Everything. They’ve always been there.Nicole: They have such a good spirit.Natalie: I wish I could be with them all the time. They bring such a beautiful…Melanie: Energy.Natalie: Energy!Melanie: They bring something different for the band as well. We’ve never specific to one genre, we’ve always done our own thing. I feel that’s part of the reason, back in the day especially, kids, [they hopefully looked at us and thought]: ‘We don’t have to do what everyone else is doing.’Have you ever had someone on the scene, a pop star or whatever, confide in you about their sexuality and being closeted?Shazney: Yes, I have. I responded with love, and gave my friend confidence, in order for them to speak to their family.Finally, do you have many LGBTI friends and family members?All: Yeah.Shazney: Most of my male friends are gay. My husband’s best friend, my children’s godfather, is gay. We’re surrounded by amazing, beautiful people.Natalie: And our management! Best team in the world!Testament is out tomorrow.Got a news tip? Want to share your story? Email us . GAYSTARNEWS- Because they fell asleep on the sofa or something?Shazney: Yeah, face down!Natalie: I remember this one time me and Mel, I don’t know if it was with a Sharpee or something, were drawing and writing all over our arms. We passed out, and when we woke up, the writing was all over my bed! Literally printed all over my bedsheets.And this was 97, 98 sort of time?Natalie: No, this was last week! [Laughs]I’m just so delighted to hear you guys got on! I didn’t believe it at the time…Nicole: Do you know what, I guess it was fun for journalists to do that.