Latheef's Web Log

JEDDAH: It can be argued that floods and other calamities can bring out the worst in men, due to the looting that often occurs in the aftermath of such disasters. Fatima Al-Ghamdi, however, has a different story to tell. On that fateful day when the flashfloods wreaked havoc in Quwaizah neighborhood, Fatima, a woman approaching her 60s, ventured out into the heavy downpour holding her sick husband’s hands looking for a safe place. She had put all her cash and jewels worth more than SR500,000 in a small suitcase, which she carried in her left hand. The water was rising and it was becoming increasingly difficult for her husband to walk steadily against the current. “If I did not hold him firmly with both my hands he would fall and the floodwaters would wash him away. I had no time to think. I just dropped the suitcase and looked the other way to avoid watching all my valuables disappear in the flood. My husband was dearer to me than anything else in the world,” Fatima told Al-Madinah new...

Toyota showed its new plug-in hybrid Monday and promised the green vehicle for sale to regular consumers in 2011 at an "affordable" price. The plug-in Prius is the first from Toyota Motor packed with a more powerful lithium-ion battery that's different from the batteries used in Prius hybrids on roads today. A plug-in is even friendlier to the environment than the regular Prius because it travels longer as an electric vehicle. Toyota leads rivals in hybrids, especially in Japan, where government incentives have made the Prius a top-seller for months. Link

Dubai: Federal and government organisations will remain open on Thursday, December 17, since the Islamic New Year begins on Friday. According to a circular issued by Humaid Mohammad Al Qutami, Minister of Education and Chairman of the Federal Human Resources Authority, the public sector will resume work on Sunday, December 20, and will not get a holiday in lieu if a public holiday falls in the weekend or coincides with another official holiday. GulfNews Link

For all of you waiting for mobile data networks to catch up to broadband speeds on cable and DSL, the first 4G/LTE network has arrived . . . in Sweden (and Norway too). The Scandinavians get everything first when it comes to mobile, except the iPhone. TeliaSonera launched the first two cities of its 4G network, which promises wireless download speeds of up to 100 megabits per second (yeah, right) using equipment from Ericsson and Huawei. Link

Ordinary paper can be turned into a battery electrode simply by dipping it into carbon-nanotube inks. The resulting electrodes, which are strong, flexible, and highly conductive, might be used to make cheap energy storage devices to power portable electronics. It's now possible to print lightweight circuits and screens for electronics like e-readers, but conventional batteries still weigh these devices down. Carbon nanotubes are a promising material for printing batteries because, in addition to their strength, light weight, and conductivity, they can store a large amount of energy--a quality that helps portable electronics run longer between charges. Link