First H1N1 case in Meghalaya: footballer tests positive

A 17-year-old footballer, who had recently returned from UK, on Tuesday tested positive for the H1N1 virus making him the first case of swine flu in Meghalaya.

Dawki-resident Salwit Tongper had returned on August 3 and was admitted at Shillong Civil Hospital with cough, cold and fever on August 8.

"Today we got the report of the throat swab from the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases and it was positive for H1N1 virus," Director of Health Services (DHS) K H Lakiang said.

Another boy Gauranga Paul, who had returned from Bangalore, developed influenza-type symptoms and his nasal and throat swabs were sent for tests.

Maintaining that Tongper's case was imported and not indigenous, Lakiang said the doctors have been asked to examine the people, including his family members, with whom he came in contact with.

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Taiwan helicopter crashes during typhoon rescue

TAIPEI, Taiwan – An official says a helicopter with three crew aboard has crashed into a mountain while on a mission to rescue villagers whose homes were destroyed by a powerful typhoon.

Disaster official Chen Chung-hsien says the helicopter crashed Tuesday in bad weather while flying to Wutai, a mountainous region in southern Pingtung county. TV stations earlier erroneously reported six people were aboard.

Chen says wreckage of the helicopter was spotted on a riverbed but it was unclear if there were survivors.

Mudslides triggered by Typhoon Morakot inundated several remote villages on Friday and Saturday.

Authorities say at least 41 people were confirmed dead and 60 were missing. Officials said another 100 residents may have been buried alive in Shiao Lin village.

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Toshiba joins Blu-ray disc camp

Toshiba is to start making products that can play Blu-ray discs.

The decision marks a big change for the electronics firm which was the prime mover of the rival HD-DVD format.

Blu-ray and HD-DVD went head-to-head to see who could dominate the burgeoning market for movies produced in the high definition format.

The format war was effectively won in early 2008 when the Blu-ray camp won the backing of all four of the biggest movie studios.

Blu-ray was largely developed by Sony. Its efforts to dominate the HD market were also helped by sales of the PlayStation 3 which has a Blu-ray player built-in.

Toshiba said it would begin production of stand alone Blu-ray players as well as drives for PCs and laptops. Its first products are likely to be ready for the end of 2009.

The Japanese firm also said it would join the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) - the industry body which oversees development of the high-definition format.

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45 Ways To Improve Your Life

1. Smile more, it doesn’t cost you money and will knock years from your face off

2.Stop thinking about your regrets and start living your life

3.Forgive and forget. Holding grudges is like having excess baggage on a flight. You only end up paying hefty fines for them. So just bin those grudges and travel light.

4. Watch a movie by yourself; you will gain a whole new perspective.

8. Do something you’ve always wanted to do

9. Learn to use technology, it unfolds pleasant surprises everywhere.

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DNA computer 'answers questions'

A computer with DNA as its information carrier can solve classic logic conundrums, researchers say.

DNA has been used to do simple number crunching before, but a system developed by Israeli scientists can effectively answer yes or no questions.

Strands of DNA are designed to give off a green light corresponding to "yes".

In Nature Nanotechnology, the team also describes a program which bridges the gap between a computer programming language and DNA computing code.

The team, led by Tom Ran and Ehud Shapiro of the Weizmann Institute in Israel, has been developing DNA-based computation systems for a number of years, including "computers" that can diagnose and treat cancers autonomously.

But the current approach is fundamentally different, Professor Shapiro told BBC News.

"Using more sophisticated biochemistry, we were able to implement simple logic programs, which are more akin to the way people program electronic computers," he said.

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Swine flu panic strikes Pune parents

After swine flu claimed a life in Pune, there's panic among parents. They are rushing to hospitals for a swine flu test. Hundreds of people have rushed to Pune's Naidu hospital, the government-designated hospital for the test.

Worried parents are taking no chances and getting their children tested for the flu.

Police has been called in to control the crowds at the Naidu Hospital in Pune. This is two days after 14-year-old Reeda Sheikh became India's first swine flu patient to die.

A central team of doctors and experts is currently in Pune to assess the situation and mainly to find out just how Reeda got swine flu.

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20 Mindblowing Concept Laptop Designs

The technological trends change very fast. If you are not able to change with technology then new technology makes you outdated. So, we have to keep an eye on the past and future trends of technology.

Initially an idea makes a concept which in turn takes shape and then we see the products based on that concept in the coming days, months or year. Enlisted below are such concept laptops which may be a trend of our future.

Fujitsu’s Turn Table PC

Aspiring DJs to scratch and spin digital media files on the Turn Table PC, a prototype of a combo system from Fujitsu that can serve as a notebook or as a digital turntable.

The design calls for a 20-inch LCD screen that can be folded closed to use the turntable function. Users control the turntable by a touch screen on the outside of the notebook’s lid. Also in the future tech department, Fujistu showed the Ultra Mobile, a handheld computer with a touch screen that includes a built-in digital camera, a digital music player, and support for wireless Internet access. The same size as a CD jewel case, the Ultra Mobile uses a novel method to turn the system on and off: users rotate the front half of the machine–including the screen–45 degrees, changing the computer’s shape from a square to a star.

Cario – Notebook On The Go by Anna Lopez

A slim line, lightweight concept Notebook for the mobile worker. This notebook gives the user possibility to use it without a notebook bag. As Adjusted for use in car whilst stationary to enable a work space for the business commuter. Inside the car the notebook is designed to fit the interior, Once connected into the cars system, through the notebook the user has easy access to personalize the vehicles environment and settings to their preferences. The Notebook would only work in the car while driving as a HUD (head up display) with the projector, for a safe driving. And turn into workmode while stationary and adjusted on the drivers steering wheel.

Intel’s Metro NoteBook

The “metro notebook”, an ultra-thin, ultra-light laptop for the ladies. Designed to be carried over the shoulder, the sub-0.7in thick, 1kg device sports an always-on secondary display for fast info updates. Core 2 Duo, a colour non-volatile e-ink display, entirely wireless communications with reconfigurable antennae able to switch between the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and WiMAX links the laptop’s envisaged to maintain.

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