News Friday, January 8, 2010 D Size matters: The 152-inch Panasonic HD 3D plasma TV 152 inches of telly for your viewing pleasure By Fred Attewill New: Microsofts Robbie Bach unveils the Natal in Las Vegas Office staff stressurised with jargon OFFICE workers are being urged to stop using jargon after a list of the most ridiculous business phrases was compiled, ranging from biting the reality sandwich (think practically) to touching base offline (meeting face-to-face). Recruitment firm Office Angels said workers were guilty of using increasingly bizarre jargon and now talk about feeling stressurised (a mixture of pressure and stress). Terms such as singing from the same hymn sheet have been widely used for some time, but the new list included phrases such as: We need the right pin numbers (we need it to work); A lighthouse on a cloudy night (coming up with a good/bright idea); Im coming into this with an open kimono (throwing an idea into the open but being open to criticism); Finger in the air figure (an estimate) and Lets not try to build a chestnut fence to keep the sand-dunes in (face a problem head on, rather than battle it unsuccessfully). David Clubb, managing director of Office Angels, said: Nothing beats plain talking. Communicate clearly, then you and your team can work more effectively. Oink pirate accused over 21million illegal downloads A MAN who ran an illegal pirate music site which allowed 21million downloads had 200,000 in his accounts when police raided his home, a jury heard yesterday. Alan Ellis founded the Oink website, which had around 200,000 members when it was shut down in 2007. The 26-year-old, from Middlesbrough in the UK, has denied conspiracy to defraud. Elliss actions were described to a Teeside court as a large-scale, professional, clever, technical ripping off. The accused was not some poor minnow who has taped a record one night and circulated it to their friends, it heard. Set up in May 2004 by Ellis and others, the site was private, with members-only access for the facilitation of sharing of music files online. Users could even access albums long before they were officially released in the shops, the jury heard. Oink was free to join, but by invitation only, and to be able to propose a friend, users had to pay a donation of at least 5 (5.57). Those users had access to about 200,000 audio files, the court heard. The site was initially hosted in Norway, but switched to Amsterdam in December that year after the music industry asked it to stop. Further investigations led police to raid the server site close to Schipol Airport and Elliss Middlesbrough home in October 2007. Not a poor minnow: Ellis THE worlds largest plasma TV has been unveiled and it probably wont fit in your living room. The 3D 152-inch (386cm) monster is made of separate plasma panels and comes with special eyewear for viewers. The high-definition screen trumps the previous record holder, thought to be a 108- inch (274cm) LCD model from Sharp. And it dwarfed Panasonic president Fu- mio Ohtsubo as he unveiled the giant at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show. Engineers also worked hard to cut energy consumption by 50 per cent, which is sig- nificant with a device this big. Panasonic hinted the giant screens could be used outside the home. Because 3D plasma displays can repro- duce highly realistic images, they are ideal not only for home theatre use but also in business, medical, education and commer- cial applications, a company spokesman said. Three-dimensional TVs are expected to take off this year as Hollywood makes a series of 3D films including the recent hit Avatar. It is not clear when Panasonic will launch the oversized TV, and prices have yet to be released. Meanwhile, Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer had to endure an embarrass- ing power cut during his speech to intro- duce new technology, including its mo- tion-sensing video game controller, Natal, set to rival Nintendos Wii, and which should be on sale by the end of the year. If you have a story for MiniCosm please e-mail us at news@metroherald.ie MINICOSMSCIENCE & DISCOVERY IN BRIEF PLANET PLUNGE: Our planet would have plunged into the Sun shortly after it began to form had it not got trapped in an orbit. Earth survived because its orbit changed while it was growing from dust and it circled around the Sun rather than into it. Variations in temperature are thought to have caused this, according to the study by the American Museum of Natural History and Cambridge University. HEAT SENSOR: Plants have a special in-built temperature gauge to help them develop. They can sense differences of just 1C and adjust their growth accordingly. Now scientists have identified a thermometer gene that is only switched on in warmer weather. It could help them understand how plant species will respond to future global warming, said experts at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK. SELfiSH PURSUiT: Being a hero is selfish if the actions of one fish species are anything to go by. Cleaner wrasse eat parasites off larger fish and will do anything to keep their clients there with males even attacking the females if they do a bad job. The males appear to be sticking up for their clients but are really making sure their food source does not leave, the Zoological Society of London told the journal Science. index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html