How to use Ms Paint in Windows 7

Using Paint

Paint is a feature in Windows 7 that you can use to create drawings on a blank drawing area or in existing pictures. Many of the tools you use in Paint are found in the ribbon, which is near the top of the Paint window. The following illustration shows the ribbon and other parts of Paint.

The Paint window

Drawing lines

• Open Paint by clicking the Start button , clicking All Programs, clickingAccessories, and then clicking Paint.

You can use several different tools to draw in Paint. The tool you use and the options you select determine how the line appears in your drawing. These are the tools you can use to draw lines in Paint.

Brushes

Pencil tool

Use the Pencil tool  to draw thin, free-form lines or curves.

1. On the Home tab, in the Tools group, click the Pencil tool .
2. In the Colors group, click Color 1, click a color, and then drag the pointer in the picture to draw.
   To draw using the Color 2 (background) color, right-click while you drag the pointer.

Use the Brushes tool  to draw lines that have a different appearance and texture—it's like using different artistic brushes. By using different brushes, you can draw free-form and curving lines that have different effects.

1. On the Home tab, click the down arrow under Brushes.
2. Click the artistic brush that you want to use.
3. Click Size, and then click a line size, which determines the thickness of the brush stroke.
4. In the Colors group, click Color 1, click a color, and then drag the pointer to paint.
   To paint using the Color 2 (background) color, right-click while you drag the pointer.

Line tool

Use the Line tool  to draw a straight line. When using this tool, you can choose the thickness of the line, as well as the appearance of it.

1. On the Home tab, in the Shapes group, click the Line tool .
2. Click Size, and then click a line size, which determines the thickness of the line.
3. In the Colors group, click Color 1, click a color, and then drag the pointer to draw the line.
   To draw a line that uses the Color 2 (background) color, right-click while you drag the pointer.
4. (Optional) To change the line style, in the Shapes group, click Outline, and then click a line style.

Tip

• To draw a horizontal line, press and hold the Shift key as you draw from one side to the other.
• To draw a vertical line, press and hold the Shift key and draw up or down.

Curve tool

Use the Curve tool  to draw a smooth, curved line.

1. On the Home tab, in the Shapes group, click the Curve tool .
2. Click Size, and then click a line size, which determine the thickness of the line.
3. In the Colors group, click Color 1, click a color, and then drag the pointer to draw the line.
   To draw a line that uses the Color 2 (background) color, right-click while you drag the pointer.
4. After you have created the line, click the area in the picture where you want the arc of the curve to be, and then drag the pointer to adjust the curve.

Drawing different shapes

You can use Paint to add different shapes in a picture. The ready-made shapes range from traditional shapes—rectangles, ellipses, triangles, and arrows—to fun and unusual shapes, such as a heart, lightning bolt, or callouts (to name a few). If you want to make your own custom shape, you can use to the Polygon tool  to do this.

Shapes in Paint

Ready-made shapes

You can use Paint to draw different types of ready-made shapes. Here's a list of them:

• Line
• Curve
• Oval
• Rectangle and Rounded rectangle
• Triangle and Right triangle
• Diamond
• Pentagon
• Hexagon
• Arrows (Right arrow, Left arrow, Up arrow, Down arrow)
• Stars (Four-point star, Five-point star, Six-point star)
• Callouts (Rounded rectangular callout, Oval callout, Cloud callout)
• Heart
• Lightning bolt

1. On the Home tab, in the Shapes group, click a ready-made shape.
2. To draw the shape, drag the pointer.
   To draw a shape with equal sides, press and hold the Shift key as you drag the mouse. For example, to draw a square, click the Rectangle , and then press and hold the Shift key and drag the mouse.
3. With the shape still selected, you can do one or more of the following to change its appearance:
   • To change the line style, in the Shapes group, click Outline, and then click a line style.
     If you don't want your shape to have an outline, click Outline, and then clickNo outline.
   • To change the outline size, click Size, and then click a line size (thickness).
   • In the Colors group, click Color 1, and then click a color for the outline.
   • In the Colors group, click Color 2, and then click a color to fill the shape.
   • To change the fill style, in the Shapes group, click Fill, and then click a fill style.
     If you don't want your shape to be filled, click Fill, and then click No fill.

Polygon tool

Use the Polygon tool  to make a custom shape with any number of sides.

1. On the Home tab, in the Shapes group, click the Polygon tool  .
2. To draw a polygon, drag the pointer to draw a straight line. Then, click each point where you want additional sides to appear.
   To create sides with 45- or 90-degree angles, press and hold the Shift key as you create each sides.
3. Connect the last line to the first line to finish drawing the polygon and to close the shape.
4. With the shape still selected, you can do one or more of the following if you want to change the appearance of it:
   • To change the line style, in the Shapes group, click Outline, and then click a line style.
     If you don't want your shape to have an outline, click Outline, and then clickNo outline.
   • To change the outline size, click Size, and then click a line size (thickness).
   • In the Colors group, click Color 1, and then click a color for the outline.
   • In the Colors group, click Color 2, and then click a color to fill the shape.
   • To change the fill style, in the Shapes group, click Fill, and then click a fill style.
     If you don't want your shape to be filled, click Fill, and then click No fill.

Adding text

In Paint, you can also add your own text or message in your picture.

Text tool

Use the Text tool  to enter text in the picture.

1. On the Home tab, in the Tools group, click the Text tool  .
2. Drag the pointer in the drawing area where you want to add text.
3. Under Text Tools, on the Text tab, in the Font group, click the font face, size, and style.
   The Font group
4. In the Colors group, click Color 1, and then click a color for the text.
5. Type the text that you want to add.
6. (Optional) If you want the background of the text area to be filled, in theBackground group, click Opaque. In the Colors group, click Color 2, and then click a background color for the text area.
7. (Optional) If you want to change the appearance of some of the text in the text box, select the text you want to change, and then choose a new font face, size, style, or color for the selected text.

Work faster in Paint

There's a fast way to put the commands you use most often in Paint in easy reach—put them on the Quick Access Toolbar above the ribbon.

To add a Paint command to the Quick Access Toolbar, right-click a button or command, and then clickAdd to Quick Access Toolbar.

Selecting and editing objects

In Paint, you might want to make a change to part of a picture or an object. To do this, you need to select the part of the picture that you want to change, and then make the edit. Some changes you can make include the following: resizing an object, moving or copying an object, rotating it, or cropping the picture to only show the selected item.

Select tool

Use the Select tool  to select part of the picture that you want to change.

1. On the Home tab, in the Image group, click the down arrow under Select.
2. Do one of the following, depending on what you want to select.
   • To select any square or rectangular part of the picture, click Rectangular selection, and then drag the pointer to select the part of the picture you want to work with.
   • To select any irregularly shaped part of the picture, click Free-form selection, and then drag the pointer to select the part of the picture you want to work with.
   • To select the whole picture, click Select all.
   • To select everything in the picture except for the currently selected area, clickInvert selection.
   • To delete the selected object, click Delete.
3. Determine if the Color 2 (background) color is included in your selection by doing the following:
   • To include the background color with your selection, clear Transparent selection. When you paste the selection, the background color is included and will appear in the pasted item.
   • To make the selection transparent so no background color is in the selection, click Transparent selection. When you paste the selection, any areas using the current background color will be transparent, which will allow the rest of the picture to appear in its place.

Crop

Use Crop‌  to crop a picture so only the part you selected appears in your picture. Cropping lets you change the picture so only the selected object or person is visible.

1. On the Home tab, in the Image group, click the arrow under Select, and then click the kind of selection you want to make.
2. Drag the pointer to select the part of the picture you want to show.
3. In the Image group, click Crop.
4. To save the cropped picture as a new file, click the Paint button , point toSave as, and then click the file type for the current picture.
5. In the File name box, type a new file name, and then click Save.
   Saving the cropped image as a new picture file prevents overwriting the original picture file.

Rotate

Use Rotate  to rotate the whole picture or a selected part of it.

• Depending on what you want to rotate, do one of the following:
  • To rotate the whole picture, on the Home tab, in the Image group, clickRotate, and then click the rotation direction.
  • To rotate an object or part of a picture, on the Home tab, in the Imagegroup, click Select. Drag the pointer to select the area or object, click Rotate, and then click the rotation direction.

Erasing part of a picture

Use the Eraser tool  to erase areas of your picture.

1. On the Home tab, in the Tools group, click the Eraser .
2. Click Size, click an eraser size, and then drag the eraser over the area of the picture that you want to erase. Any areas that you erase will reveal the background color (Color 2).

Resizing a picture or part of it

Use Resize‌  to resize the whole image or to resize an object or part of a picture. You can also skew an object in the picture so that it appears slanted.

Resize part of the picture

Resize the whole picture

1. On the Home tab, in the Image group, click Resize.
2. In the Resize and Skew dialog box, select the Maintain aspect ratio check box so that the resized picture will have the same aspect ratio as the original.
3. In the Resize area, click Pixels, and then enter a new width in the Horizontal box or new height in the Vertical box. Click OK.
   If the Maintain aspect ratio check box is selected, you only need to enter the horizontal value (width) or vertical value (height). The other box in the Resize area is updated automatically.
   For example, if a picture is 320 x 240 pixels and you want to make it half that size with the same aspect ratio, in the Resize area, with the Maintain aspect ratiocheck box selected, enter 160 in the Horizontal box. The new picture size will be half the original size at 160 x 120 pixels.

1. On the Home tab, click Select, and then drag the pointer to select the area or object.
2. On the Home tab, in the Image group, click Resize.
3. In the Resize and Skew dialog box, select the Maintain aspect ratio check box so that the resized part will have the same aspect ratio as the original.
4. In the Resize area, click Pixels, and then enter a new width in the Horizontal box or new height in the Vertical box. Click OK.
   If the Maintain aspect ratio check box is selected, you only need to enter the horizontal value (width) or vertical value (height). The other box in the Resize area is updated automatically.
   For example, if the part you selected is 320 x 240 pixels and you want to make it half that size with the same aspect ratio, in the Resize area, with the Maintain aspect ratio check box selected, enter 160 in the Horizontal box. The part will be half the original size at 160 x 120 pixels.

Change the drawing area size

• Do one of the following, depending on how you want to resize the drawing area:
  • To resize the drawing area and make it larger, drag one of the small white boxes on the edge of the drawing area to the desired size.
  • To resize the drawing area by entering a specific size, click the Paint button , and then click Properties. In the Width and Height boxes, enter the new width and height, and then click OK.

Skew an object

1. On the Home tab, click Select, and then drag the pointer to select the area or object.
2. Click Resize.
3. In the Resize and Skew dialog box, type the amount to skew the selected area (in degrees) in the Horizontal and Vertical boxes in the Skew (Degrees) area, and then click OK.

Moving and copying objects

After you select an object, you can cut or copy the selected item. This lets you use one object many times in your picture if you want, or move an object (when it's selected) to a new part of your picture.

Copy and paste

Cut and paste

Use Cut  to cut a selected object and paste it in another part of your picture. When you cut a selected area, the area that is cut is replaced with the background color. Therefore, if your picture has a solid background color, you might want to change theColor 2 color to match the background color before cutting the object.

1. On the Home tab, in the Image group, click Select, and then drag the pointer to select the area or object you want to cut.
2. In the Clipboard group, click Cut.
3. In the Clipboard group, click Paste.
4. With the object still selected, move it to a new place in your picture where you want it to appear.

Use Copy  to copy a selected object in Paint. This is useful if you have lines, shapes, or text that you want to appear multiple times in your picture.

1. On the Home tab, in the Image group, click Select, and then drag the pointer to select the area or object you want to copy.
2. In the Clipboard group, click Copy.
3. In the Clipboard group, click Paste.
4. With the object still selected, move it to a new place in your picture where you want the copy to appear.

Paste a picture into Paint

Use Paste from to paste an existing picture file into Paint. After you paste the picture file, you can edit it without changing the original (as long as you save the edited picture with a different file name than the original).

1. In the Clipboard group, click the arrow under Paste, and then click Paste from.
2. Find the picture file that you want to paste into Paint, click it, and then click Open.

Working with color

There are a number of tools to help you work specifically with color in Paint. They let you use the colors you want when you're drawing and editing in Paint.

Hide all

Color boxes

The Color boxes indicate the current Color 1 (foreground color) and Color 2 (background color) colors. How they're used depends on what you're doing in Paint.

The Color boxes

• When using the color boxes, you can do one or more of the following:
  • To change the selected foreground color, on the Home tab, in the Colorsgroup, click Color 1, and then click a color square.
  • To change the selected background color, on the Home tab, in the Colorsgroup, click Color 2, and then click a color square.
  • To paint with the selected foreground color, drag the pointer.
  • To paint with the selected background color, right-click while you drag the pointer.

Color picker

Use the Color picker tool  to set the current foreground or background color. By picking a color from the picture, you can make sure that you're using the color you want when drawing in Paint, so your colors match.

1. On the Home tab, in the Tools group, click Color picker .
2. Click the color in your picture that you want to set as the foreground color, or right-click the color in your picture that you want to set as the background color.

Fill with color

Use the Fill with color tool  to fill the entire picture or an enclosed shape with color.

1. On the Home tab, in the Tools group, click Fill with color .
2. In the Colors group, click Color 1, click a color, and then click inside the area to fill it.
3. To remove the color and replace it with the background color instead, click Color 2, click a color, and then right-click the area to fill it.

Editing colors

Use Edit colors  to pick a new color. Mixing colors in Paint lets you choose the exact color that you want to use.

1. On the Home tab, in the Colors group, click Edit colors.
2. In the Edit Colors dialog box, click a color in the color pallette, and then click OK.
   The color will appear in one of the color boxes, so you can use that color in Paint.

Viewing your picture

Changing the view in Paint lets you choose how you want to work with the picture. You can zoom in on a certain part of the picture or the whole picture if you want. Conversely, you can zoom out if the picture is too large. In addition, you can show rulers and gridlines as you work in Paint, which can help you work better in Paint.

Hide all

Magnifier

Use the Magnifier tool  to zoom in on a part of your picture.

1. On the Home tab, in the Tools group, click the Magnifier , move the magnifier, and then click to zoom in on the part of the image shown in the square.
   Drag the horizontal and vertical scroll bars on the bottom and right side of the window to move around the picture.
2. To reduce the zoom level, right-click the Magnifier again.

Zoom in and out

Use Zoom in and Zoom out to see a larger or smaller view of your image. For example, you might be editing a small part of it and need to zoom in to see it. Or the opposite might be true; your picture might be too large to fit on the screen, so you need to zoom out to view all of it.

In Paint, there are few different ways to zoom in or out, depending on what you want to do.

1. To increase the zoom level, on the View tab, in the Zoom group, click Zoom in.
2. To reduce the zoom level, on the View tab, in the Zoom group, click Zoom out.
3. To view the picture in the Paint window at its actual size, on the View tab, in theZoom group, click 100%.

Tip

To zoom in and out on a picture, you can also click the Zoom in  or Zoom out  buttons on the Zoom slider at the bottom of the Paint window to increase or decrease the zoom level.

The Zoom slider

Rulers

Use the Rulers to view a horizontal ruler at the top of the drawing area and a vertical ruler on the left side of the drawing area. The rulers let you view the dimensions of your picture, which can be helpful when resizing pictures.

1. To show rulers, on the View tab, in the Show or hide group, select the Rulerscheck box.
2. To hide rulers, clear the Rulers check box.

Gridlines

Use the Gridlines to align shapes and lines when you're drawing in Paint. Gridlines are useful because they can help provide a visual reference for the sizes of objects as you draw, and they can help you align objects.

1. To show gridlines, on the View tab, in the Show or hide group, select theGridlines check box.
2. To hide gridlines, clear the Gridlines check box.

Full screen

Use Full screen  to view your picture full screen.

1. To view the picture on the entire screen, on the View tab, in the Display group, click Full screen.
2. To exit full screen and go back to the Paint window, click the picture.

Saving and using your picture

When editing in Paint, you should save your work frequently so you don't accidentally lose it. After you save your picture, you can use it on your computer or share it with others in e‑mail.

Hide all

Save a picture for the first time

When you save a new picture for the first time, you'll need to give it a file name.

1. Click the Paint button , and then click Save.
2. In the Save as type box, select the file format you want.
3. In the File name box, type a name, and then click Save.

Open a picture

Instead of starting with a new picture, you might want to open an existing picture and edit in Paint.

1. Click the Paint button , and then click Open.
2. Find the picture you want to open in Paint, click it, and then click Open.

Set your picture as your desktop background

You can also set the picture, so it's used as the desktop background on your computer.

1. Click the Paint button , and then click Save.
2. Click the Paint button , point to Set as desktop background, and then click one of the desktop background settings.

Send your picture by e‑mail

If you have an e‑mail program installed and configured on your computer, you can attach your picture to an e‑mail message, and then share it with others through e‑mail.

1. Click the Paint button , and then click Save.
2. Click the Paint button , and then click Send in e‑mail.
3. In the e‑mail message, enter the person's e‑mail address, type a short message, and then send the e‑mail message that has the picture attached.

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Posted in: Microsoft,Tip

Google begins testing Google Music internally

Welcoming Google to the party: At the 2009 Vevo launch party, Google CEO Eric Schmidt (center) visited with Doug Morris (left), the then CEO of Universal Music, and Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, former CEO of Sony Music.
(Credit: Greg Sandoval/CNET)

Google has begun testing Google Music internally, a sign that the much anticipated service is nearly ready to launch.

Employees at the online behemoth have begun a process commonly referred to in Silicon Valley as dog-fooding, in which employees try out a new service or product, music industry sources told CNET.

Two weeks ago someone writing at the XDA Developers forum claimed to have accidentally discovered Google Music after installing the Honeycomb version of the Android operating system on a phone. Turns out, that was indeed a working version of the service, the music industry insiders said, adding, however, that the final version could be much different.

Google did not respond to an inquiry from CNET about Google Music. Technologically speaking, then, Google Music--a streaming service users would access from Web-connected devices--appears close to being ready. However, the sources said the actual launch is being held up by the lack of one vital component. Music.

Google managers told counterparts at the top four record companies last year that they hoped everything would be in place for a launch by late 2010, sources said. More recently, Google tentatively planned to demonstrate the service earlier this month at the South by Southwest conference.

Negotiations with at least some of the top publishers and with the four largest record labels are ongoing, according to sources. The delays are largely due to the complexity of the subject matter. Google is after cloud music rights and not just for songs acquired from Google Music.

Related links

• Study: Streaming music use to explode in five years

• Sony's Qriocity aims to put Connect, iTunes behind

• 'Steve Jobs once nixed my music-subscription pitch'

• Spotify hits 1 million subscribers; U.S. still out

CNET and others have reported that Google is negotiating for the right to store users' existing music libraries on the company's servers, the sources said. According to a report in Bloomberg this month, the labels are in similar discussions with Apple about cloud music, or music stored on third-party servers rather than on one's personal computer or other device.

Licensing rights for digital lockers of this sort is largely uncharted territory for the labels. There are no templates for these kinds of deals lying around and the record companies want to move cautiously as they assess Apple's and Google's plans.

What's certain is the labels want Google to join the digital-music fray. The possibility that an iTunes competitor of Google's caliber will soon hit the scene has music industry executives giddy.

The past year, digital music has stagnated. All the sector's excitement and promise seemed to seep out starting two years ago when the second wave of iTunes challengers began to disappear.

Imeem, Lala, SpiralFrog, Ruckus, Project Playlist, MySpace Music, Zune--they followed AOL Music, Urge, and Yahoo Music into oblivion or irrelevancy. They all took their whacks at the fearsome combination of Apple's software, hardware, and music store, and all lost. It remains to be seen what will come of Sony's new Qriocity streaming-music service.

Against such a force as iTunes, it can't hurt to have a challenger come in that's of equal size. Google is one of the most powerful advertising companies of all time and has a history of providing consumers access to sought-after and cheap content. Unlike many past so-called iTunes killers, Google can also combine a digital-music service with popular hardware (Android-powered phones).

Let's also not forget that Google has already seen some success in digital music. YouTube's music videos, which are ad supported and free to viewers, have become a popular way to discover new songs.

It's anybody's guess as to when Google Music might finally launch. Unveiling it could make for a nice opening act for incoming CEO Larry Page, who takes over in April. Otherwise, I'm guessing we might see the service in May, at the company's I/O conference.

[via cnet]

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Posted in: Google,Social Media,Tech

Under the hood with Nintendo's 3D baby

Tomorrow sees the UK launch of the Nintendo 3DS, the world's first video game console capable of glasses-free 3D. Will this new display technology add some depth to gaming, or is it just another gimmick? New Scientist has been testing the device to find out.

The 3DS has two screens, just like its predecessor the Nintendo DS. The bottom touch screen hasn't changed much, but the top screen is now wider, and more importantly 3D. There's no denying that the 3D effect makes a stunning first impression. Boot up the device and you're presented with a menu of options accompanied by 3D animations on the top screen that seems to float behind the display. The 3D effect mostly goes into the screen, but objects can also appear to pop out above the console. 

Games look equally impressive. Titles like Street Fighter and Resident Evil are essentially shrunk-down versions of the Xbox 360 and PS3 games - quite literally, because the 3D effect makes characters look like miniature figures - while 3DS exclusives like Kid Icarus really show off what the console can do.

(Image: Noah Berger/Bloomberg/Getty)

The 3DS also comes with some built-in augmented reality (AR) games that overlay virtual characters on the real world, courtesy of the pair of cameras built in to the outside case. These can also be used to take 3D photographs, while a single camera on the inside lets you take 2D pictures of yourself.

Hold still, this will hurt

So Nintendo seems to have delivered on their promise of 3D games in the palm of your hand, but how does it work? All 3D displays work by sending one image to the left eye and another to the right, but the 3DS achieves this without the need for specialised glasses. That's because the splitting is done within the screen itself by a device called a parallax barrier, which sits in front of the LCD screen. The left and right eye images are interlaced across the screen, but the parallax barrier ensures that each eye only sees one image, creating the stereo vision effect. Watch the video above to see it in action, along with the AR games and 3D camera - unfortunately we can only film it in 2D, but you get some idea of how it works.

Of course, this parallax technique only works if your eyes are in the right place. 
The 3D effect is best when looking straight at the 3DS from a distance of around 30 centimetres, though this can be adjusted with a "volume" slider to the right of the screen, which varies the 3D depth or can even turn it off. That's fine when the console is still, but some games use the internal accelerometer and gyroscope sensors to track your movements, making it easy to lose the correct focal point.

I had problems even when the console was stationary. Every time I used the 3DS, even for a short period, I'd experience sharp headaches that would take some time to fade. But anotherNew Scientist reporter took the 3DS home for a week, and his children had no such problems - "Wow" was their only reaction to glasses-free 3D.

You know, for the kids?

Nintendo warns that children under six should not use the 3D effect, and provides a parental lock system to disable it. "We've looked at all the research and evidence out there, and that has suggested that children under the age of six shouldn't view 3D images at all," explains Nintendo marketing manger James Honeywell. 

Ultimately we are trying to act as a responsible company. We just want to make sure that we are giving parents all the information they need to make that decision for themselves

The built-in health and safety manual also warns gamers to take a 10- to 15-minute break every half an hour when using the 3D effect, and to avoid it all together while travelling as a passenger in cars or on public transport. But will people actually heed this advice, since young children on long journeys are prime consumers for handheld consoles?

I raised these warnings with Bernard Chang, honorary secretary of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, who explained: 

Very little is known about how vision develops in children - we don't have full knowledge of how it actually works

So Nintendo is erring on the side of caution. "I suspect that it's mainly precautionary, because this sort of technology hasn't been around for us to see what happens with it, " says Chang. While children can safely watch 3D movies, most only last a couple of hours - 3D games have the potential to be played for much longer. Chang adds:

If you're using that sort of screen day-in day-out, does it have any potential side-effects on your vision? Nobody really knows

3D is good for you

Using the 3DS could even be beneficial, helping to diagnose problems with 3D vision. "If a child can't actually see the image as three dimensional that might pick up problems earlier" he said. As for my headaches, Chang suggested they would go away over time:

Headache from straining your eyes is quite a common thing. There's a learning curve to seeing 3D on the screen, I'm sure

Vision concerns aside, the 3DS is a genuinely impressive piece of kit and the start of a new era for 3D. It's not the first commercially available device with glasses-free 3D - Fujifilm has a range of cameras that can both capture and display 3D - but if it replicates the success of its predecessor, the best-selling handheld console of all time, it's likely to be many people's introduction to the technology.

To learn more, check out our briefing on the future of glasses-free 3D.

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Posted in: Entertainment,Nintendo,Tech

More robots sent in to tackle crisis at Fukushima

(Image: iRobot)
Robots from other nations are joining in the efforts to stabilise the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

In addition to the Monirobo radiation monitoring robots reported previously, the Japanese have also used an unmanned fire engine. This was operated by the Tokyo Fire Department, which introduced its first robot, the Rainbow 5 water sprayer, in 1986. Such robots are used for fires which are too large or too hazardous for human fire-fighters to approach. The engine sprayed seawater from an eight-hundred-metre hose directly into the spent fuel rod pool at No. 3 reactor for thirteen hours to prevent overheating.

A much more powerful unmanned water cannon has now been flown in from Australia. Made by Bechtel Corporation, the system is manoeuvred into place remotely and can spray nine thousand litres a minute out to a distance of a hundred and fifty metres. The system includes a number of pumps and trailers and is so large that two RAAF C-17 cargo aircraft were needed to transport it from Australia to Yokota Air Base where it arrived on Tuesday.

Meanwhile the iRobot Corporation of Bedford, Massachusetts, has supplies four machines for use by Japan's Ground Self-Defence Force at Fukushima. Two 510 PackBots and two larger 710 Warriors are being sent, and members of the Self-Defence Force are being trained in their operation.

Normally used for bomb disposal and similar tasks, iRobot machines are much smaller and more agile than the tank-like Monirobo. They may be sent inside the damaged buildings, as they ar capable of climbing stairs and the Warrior could even drag a hose. However, they lack Monirobo's heavy radiation shielding.

"It's a 50/50 shot on what radiation will do to it," says Robin Murphy of CRASAR, the Centre for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue at Texas University. "But if it gets valuable data, dying in place is a noble thing for a robot."

On Saturday the French group INTRA (Groupe d'INTervention Robotique sur Accidents, Robotic Intervention in Accidents) was preparing to send a team to Japan on a giant Antonov transport plane. INTRA maintains a fleet of specialised robots for use in nuclear accidents. These include the six-ton ERASE which has a powerful hydraulic manipulator, and the smaller EROS for indoor operations. A radio relay robot, ERELT, allows the machines to be controlled from several kilometres away.

"Just before loading the aircraft, we received the message that Japan declared "they don't need INTRA robots in the current situation", Michel Chevallier, INTRA's Director General, toldNew Scientist. "Our robots are now back in our headquarters."


[via newscientist]

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Posted in: Entertainment,Social Good,Tech

Google Now Supports Cherokee Language

In an attempt to preserve the endangered Cherokee language, Google has added it as an interface option.

The addition, announced today, means Cherokee speakers can now make it their default language for searches, and help keep the language alive. Google also introduced an on-screen keyboard option. In practice, this means anyone who can read and write Cherokee can look up anything on Google. Users can change their language setting to Cherokee here.

Cherokee, an Iroquoian language, did not have a written form until the early 19th century, when it got a syllabary (a set of written symbols to represent syllables) writing system. The Cherokee Nation has about 300,000 members, though only about 20,000 people speak the Cherokee language.

“I believe that efforts like those of Google are essential to keeping our language alive,” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith said in a statement. “We have been working hard to get our young people interested in learning our Native tongue, but we cannot be successful unless they can read and write in the medium of their era -– all the digital devices that are currently so popular.”

With this latest addition, Google now supports 146 interface languages and encourages users to sign up for Google in Your Language to make a case for interfaces in other endangered languages.

Google made similar additions of other North American native languages Maya and Nahuatl last year.

[via mashable]

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Posted in: Google

YouTube Adds Animation Tools for Easier Content Creation

Planning on having a productive afternoon over there in your cubicle? Think again, because YouTube has added a trio of new creation features, including everyone’s favorite meme-maker: Xtranormal.

YouTube recently announced it is launching a beta version of what it calls youtube.com/create, a section of the site where YouTubers can use Xtranormal, Stupeflix and GoAnimate to make videos for upload.

The above is good news for everyone who has had the ardent dream of creating their own YouTube show, but lacked a camera (or editing skills — although that hasn’t stopped some people).

If you’re not familiar, GoAnimate and Xtranormal Movie Maker allow users to make animated videos with prepackaged characters (my favorite of this ilk being “Hipster Dating”), while Stupeflix lets you make slideshows from your photos, clips, pictures, etc.

Now get animated! The world has a dearth of robots discussing kittens.

[via mashable]

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Posted in: Entertainment,GoAnimate,Stupeflix,Xtranormal,Youtube