Volcanoes

The word volcano comes from the island of Vulcano in the Mediterranean Sea. Long ago people thought this island mountain was the chimney of the blacksmith forge of the Roman God Vulcan. The steam and ash that came out of the vent was a sign that Vulcan was working at his forge making weapons for Jupiter and Mars. In Hawaii and other Polynesian islands, local people once attributed volcanic eruptions to the Goddess Pele. They believed Pele was moving from island to island as she sought to escape her evil sister, Na Maka O Kaha'i, the goddess of the sea. Today, scientists understand that volcanic eruptions are surface reminders of Earth's still hot interior.
The ash cloud formed by the May 18, 1980, eruption at Mount Saint Helens, WA.

Sixty percent of all active volcanoes are found at crustal plate boundaries such as the Pacific Plate. Earth's crust, like the cracked shell of a hard-boiled egg, is broken into a number of "plates". These floating pieces of crust are moving about very slowly on the hotter interior. Where the plates are moving apart or colliding with one another, volcanoes may form. Volcanoes also form oceanic islands in the Pacific Ocean or Mediterranean Sea where "hot spots" occur in the crust and mantle.

Many kinds of volcanic activity can endanger the lives of people and property. Most of the activity involves the explosive ejection or flowage of rock fragments and molten rock. Volcanoes that erupt explosively can send particles as far as 20 miles high and many miles away from the volcano. The volcanic ash from these types of eruptions is a significant hazard to aviation. If an airplane flies into a volcanic cloud, it can lead to engine damage and malfunction and to many other kinds of aircraft damage. Volcanic eruptions near coastlines can generate damaging tsunami waves that can cause death and destruction among coastal communities. To ensure safe navigation and monitor possible climatic impact, NOAA records global historic volcanic eruptions, tracks volcanic ash eruptions affecting the United States, issues volcanic ash advisories and provides ash cloud forecasts

Sony Ericsson K800i: Licensed To Shoot

If you wish to buy a handset with excellent imaging power then, Sony Ericsson K800i fits the bill perfectly. Loaded with high-class imaging features, this Sony mobile phone takes snaps like a digital camera. With a range of supportive features, shooting quality images is as easy as it can get. The mobile phone also boasts of a range of intuitive features to make your mobile communique pleasurable.Sony Ericsson K800i is endowed with imaging options which makes shooting quality snaps easy and comfortable. Also known as a Cyber-Shot digital camera, the mobile phone features a 3.2 megapixel camera with built-in xenon flash and auto focus. In addition, it is also equipped with an integrated video stabilizer. Shooting in dull light also gets possible due to xenon flash. With Bestpic function you can select and save the best image.

Sharing videos and images is hassle-free with Sony Ericsson K800i. Just connect your mobile phone to a PictBridge compatible printer and get prints of your favourite images. You can also transfer the desired images to your computer by connecting you mobile phone to the computer by using a USB cable. With Bluetooth and MMS facility, sending pictures and other mobile content to your friends is just a click away. Browse Internet on your mobile and that too, at high speed- all with 3G technology. The powerful technology also offers fast downloading of multimedia content and a range of interesting features like video-calling and photo blogging. Providing you the best in digital entertainment, Sony Ericsson K800i boasts of an in-built music player and a FM radio to help you listen your favourite music, whichever part of the world you are.

With an array of mesmerizing multimedia and personalization features, your Sony Ericsson K800i invites you to indulge.

Current Use Of Videophone

The widest use of video telephony occurs in mobile phones, as nearly all mobile phones supporting UMTS networks work as videophones using an internal camera, and are able to make video calls wirelessly to other UMTS users in the same country or internationally. As of Q2 2007, there are more than 131 million UMTS users on 134 networks in 59 countries
Videophones can also be used by the deaf to communicate with sign language over a distance. In US the FCC pays companies for providing Video Relay Service to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, where they use a videophone to talk through a sign-language translator to people using audio phones. Videophones are used to do on-site sign-language translation. The relatively low cost and widespread availability of mobile phones with video calling capabilities have given the deaf people new possibilities to communicate with the same ease as others, with some wireless operators even starting up free sign language gateways.
Videotelephony is also used in large corporate conferencing setups, and is supported by systems such as Cisco Unified Communications Manager, and similar systems from companies such as Tandberg, Radvision, and Polycom.