Brain Teaser

Below are a few questions that you can use to test your friend's intelligence.


1. A bear walks south for one kilometer, then it walks west for one kilometer, then it walks north for one kilometer and ends up at the same point from which it started. What color was the bear?


2. A chicken farmer also has some cows for a total of 30 animals, and the animals have 74 legs in all. How many chickens does the farmer have?


3. Three students checked into a hotel and paid the clerk $30 for a room ($10 each). When the hotel manager returned, he noticed that the clerk had incorrectly charged $30 instead of $25 for the room. The manager told the clerk to return $5 to the students. The clerk, knowing that the students would not be able to divide $5 evenly, decided to keep $2 and to give them only $3.
The students were very happy because they paid only $27 for the room ($9 each). However, if they paid $27 and the clerk kept $2, that adds up to $29. What happened to the other Dollar?


4. You start walking north and you walk in a straight line for two kilometers. When you look at the map, you discover that you actually walked one kilometer north and one kilometer south. How is this possible?

5. At a party, everyone shook hands with everybody else. There were 66 handshakes. How many people were at the party?


6. The grandson is about as many days old as the son is in weeks. The grandson is approximately as many months old as the father is in years. The ages of the grandson, the son, and the father add up to 120 years. What are their ages in years?

7. You have to measure exactly 4 liters of water, but you only have a 3-liter bottle and a 5-liter bottle. How do you do it?

8. The government pays farmers a specific fee for each row of four trees that they plant. An enterprising, but dishonest farmer found a way of planting five rows of four trees using only ten trees. How did he do it?

See all the answers and also some other question here.

Batman and Robin

For someone whose age goes way beyond the 60s and 70s, Brian Vann and Alan Holden sure have have a passion and mind of a teenager. For one thing, Brian Vann, a 74 years old retired construction worker, managed to change his old electric scooter to what we can say a pretty good batmobile. 


Brian created this mobile after deciding to join the Cancer Research relay race which he did it in the memory of his wife. It took only four weeks to finish and Brian now is very happy as his creation was praised and make people smile.

'People drive past in their cars and stop when they see me, get out, and ask for a photo. I've had loads of people tell me how much they like the scooter.

'I feel like a bit of a celebrity - I know how the Beckhams must feel when I go out in my Batmobile.


'It's a bit of a laugh and if it brings a smile to people's faces, then it's done the job.'



Even better, if Brian is the Batman, the sidekick, Robin was taken by Alan Holding, Brian's friend. You can see the pictures of Brian and his sidekick here. Watching this grandfather of 5 really makes me wonder, at what age must we stop having passion? The answer is none. We must never stop and pursue our dreams no matter at what age we start. It is never too late. =)

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2008318/Holy-Smokes-Batman-A-great-granddad-transformed-mobility-scooter-Batmobile.html?ITO=1490

Photons Can't Exceed The Speed of Light.

Among the many questions that scientists ask in our science world, there is this one question whether or not something can exceed the speed of light which is about 299.79 million m/s. Physicist Professor Shengwang Du from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology with his team, investigated and published about their study on the maximum speed that photons can achieved.

Light can be described as a packet of photons.


In the attempt to answer this question, Du and his team must first isolate and produce single photons. As photons usually exists and travel in group, the question was more addressed to whether or not single photons can exceed the speed of light as the group photons, can't. In this experiment also, Du and his team need to separate the optical precursor, the wave-like propagation exists at the front of optical pulse. This is because previous experiments in macroscopic level suggest that the optical precursor is the fastest part in the propagation of the optical pulse. And this study was the first study conducted to prove that optical precursor exists at even in the single photons level and is also the fastest part in single-photon wave packet.

The simple understanding about the method used in the experiment, as explained in here, is as follows:

"In order to separate the optical precursor from the rest of the photon, the scientists generated a pair of photons, and then passed one of the photons through a group of cold rubidium atoms, while using an electro-optic modulator to shape the photon’s waveform. The atoms had an effect called electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), which enabled the scientists to separate the single-photon precursors from the main wave packet. As the optical precursor and main wave packet traveled through a second group of rubidium atoms, the scientists took measurements on the speed of the two photon components"


The experiment found out that the optical precursor wave front in single photons always travel at the speed of light whereas the main wave packet travels with the maximum speed of c and can be delayed up to 500 ns in slow light medium where it travels below c. Du explained that in slow light medium, the main packet always follows the group velocity and as the density increases, the group velocity decreases.

The understanding of optical precursor is very important as of its effect in communication industry. But Du said due to our limited technology, this is not yet practical. But hopefully, with the competition that we had in communication industry, the optical precursor communication can be achieved by improving the technology industry. 

Simple understanding about photons.
Source: As edited from http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-06-photons.html

Super Hovercar

You can say this one as the continuation of the story about super hoverbike. Well, unlike the hoverbike which is ready to be on the market soon, this hovercar will need to have some time before it can be achieved.



The hovercar, was designed by chinese designer, Yuhan Zhang, a 21 years old with a degree in Industrial Design. Her idea is to create a car that is able to move in many terrains that cover China. The design of the car is made so that it can move on the road, snow, lakes, river, coastal waters and many more. 



This hovercar is named Volkswagen Aqua and like most hovercraft, it uses more than one engine to move. The primary engine will be powered by hydrogen fuel and is used to drive the main fan in order to raise the car slightly above ground. The four other fans at its back is powered by individual and separate electric motors and these fans are used in order to control the car's thrust and direction. 





The hovercar is simply a good idea for clean environment and smooth journey. The design is superb and hopefully it can be more than just a design. Personally, i love hoverbike more than this one. =)



Super Hoverbike

The world sure grew up fast. Just when i thought the invention of Martin Jetpack is by far the coolest vehicle ever made, this guy Chris Malloy managed to build up a working prototype of a bike that use propellers to move. This flying bike were made over the course of two and a half years and is expected to be ready on the market by late 2012.

Chris Malloy with his invention.


Putting his invention to practice. The red and blue thing attached to it
from the ground is actually a holder to test if the machine is capable to
fly or not. 
The size of a hoverbike.

The twin propellers, as the same in the helicopter, spin to opposite direction of each other to cancel the torque reaction. This hoverbike can speed up to 173 miles per hour and is capable of flying at almost 10000 ft high. Malloy said he wants his invention to be used as a working vehicle. Well, this helps many things especially in search and rescue mission and aerial filming. The price of one hoverbike is said to be around $40 000 but due to high number of pre-orders, the price could come down significantly and can be a good competitor for a high end motorbike. 

Hopefully something like this also can come out real soon!

You can read the full story here or here.




Wireless Charger

Hi. I discovered this news few days ago but didn't have time to write about them. But well, the wireless charger was patented by Apple, a giant in our computer industry. The patent, called Wireless Power Utilization In a Local Computing Environment, was designed in order to enable the power transfer in 1 meter range.

Image taken from here.

Apple said that as for right now, they have not think of a device that uses this kind of application but the idea of charging your Iphone, Ipad or even Ipod simply by placing it near your Mac desktop is really convenient. Plus, to have to use USB port or power outlet for charging when it is fully used by other devices rendered the user to think about how convenient this technology will be for them. 

Imagine how convenient it will be to charge all of these devices
just by putting it near each other. 


As nothing can be said with certain now, this application may be a boost in our technology industry. However, the effect, efficiency and disadvantage of such technology must be studied thoroughly as to not harm the user in any way. Personally, i think to be able to charge my phone just by placing it near my laptop is really convenient. Plus, i won't need that stupid cable anymore! 

Beautiful Astronomical Picture

Upon gazing the stars at night, do you even wonder about the world? About the universe we live in? Certainly most of you did not. Well, here's the picture of beautiful astronomical event that we should see so that we can appreciate the beauty of the universe.


A giant looking hand trying to reach the hot supernovae explosion. 


Hubble's Metamorphosis


Lagoon Nebula taken not by Hubble Telescope, but by 20" telescope on Earth


The Bubble Nebula. 


The Whirpool, only at 23 million years away.


The Aurora Australis taken from International Space Station.


The Sprawling Carina Nebula.



Source: 

Artificial Heart to Prolong Life

For years, scientists have tried perfecting the artificial heart in order to help those in need, especially the one involving the need of heart transplant. But don't worry, Dr Billy Cohn and Dr Bud Frazier have the solution. Their artificial heart, although is not the same as the usual artificial heart, is proving to be very successful in calf. The first heart transplant using this artificial heart, also was successful but the patient died due to underlying disease that attacked his other organ.



Back to the story of the heart, Dr Cohn and Dr Frazier's artificial heart as i mentioned earlier is not the same as the usual artificial heart because it lacked heartbeat, simply put, it is a heart that does not beat and yet the person having this heart can function normally. EKG test will show flat line indicating that the person is dead. The trick involved in using a device called ventricular assist device, VAD that has been used to assist failing heart since 1980s. This VAD has a rotor of blades that circulate and push the blood forward in a continuous flow to help either left or right ventricle.

An X-Ray image showing the VADs that helped the first human
patient to extend his life few months before his death.

Cohn and Frazier use this device, which is usually to help only one section of the heart in their artificial heart. They hooked two of these VAD and it would essentially work as both side of the heart. The idea of this new artificial heart is yet to be approved by FDA but it has shown significant promise and hopefully the final design and the approval from FDA can help those in need of new heart.

Read the full story here.

25 Astronomical Facts That You Should Know

1. The Drake Equation was used to identify the possibility of other living organism in our universe.

2. Group that is responsible for searching the extraterrestrial organism is called SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence). They send a radio wave signal to outer space and wait for a contact to happen.

3. The supermassive black hole is said to be responsible for creating the galaxies. In fact, scientists now have proved that black hole exists in the center of every galaxies.

4. 100 000 light years are needed in order for sun to orbit the Milky Way.

5. The biggest star known in our universe is called Cygnus, or the Swan. This hyper giant star is almost a million times bigger than the sun.

6. Mars is red because it contains oxidized iron in its soil.

7. Big Bang theory started when Hubble telescope proved that the universe is expanding, which led us to believe that it was once stayed in one place.

8. Slingshot is a technique used by space probes in order to save fuel while on its journey to distant planets. It uses the nearby planet's gravity to catapult them away.

9. Ganymede, one of the many moons that Jupiter have, is the biggest moon known in our Solar System.

10. In Uranus, the winter caused darkness to last for 20 years. During summer, the sun will not set for 20 years and in autumn, the sun rises and sets every 9 hours.

11. Halley's comet was named after Edmond Halley. He discovered that the comet will come back and it really did, 16 years after he died. In fact, he was the first person to ever succeeded in predicting the arrival of a comet.
12. Yuri Gagarin was the first man ever to be in space.

13. Dog Laika was the first living creature to ever be in space in the first to die in space too.

14. The closest galaxy to our Milky Way is named Andromeda. Its only 2.5 million light years from Earth.

15. The geology in Mars, essentially the riverbed, led scientists to believe that there was once water flowing in Mars.

16. The cost of a spacesuit is 11 million USD.

17. The universe is believed to be 15 billion years. But the oldest star was found to date around 18 billion years ago. So either the calculation for that star is wrong, or the universe is older than that.

18. A mirror was left during the first moon landing to reflect the laser beam fired from earth to calculate the distance from the moon to the earth and is done with amazing accuracy.

19. Nicholas Copernicus was the first man to suggest that the Sun was at the center and the Earth is orbiting it. And he learned that not from watching the sun, but by learning ancient astronomy.

20. Titan on Saturn, Lo on Jupiter, and Tritan on Neptune are the three moons thought to have their own moon.

21. Neptune's Triton is the coldest place on solar system. It is estimated to be around -236 degree Centigrade.

22. A supernovae emits 10^44 joules of energy. (1 followed by 44 zeros!!)

23. The biggest asteroid in the Solar System is named Ceres, after the goddess of agriculture in ancient Roman religion.

24.  Einstein’s theory of Special Relativity (1905) shows that all measurements are relative, including time and speed. In other words, time and speed depends upon where you measure them.

25. The Milky Way belongs to a cluster of 30 galaxies called the Local Group, which is 7 million light years across.

Source: http://amazingspacefacts.50webs.com/index5.html

Interview: Dr. Ben Goertzel on Artificial General Intelligence, Transhumanism and Open Source (Part 2/2)

(PhysOrg.com) -- Dr. Ben Goertzel is Chairman of Humanity+; CEO of AI software company Novamente LLC and bioinformatics company Biomind LLC; leader of the open-source OpenCog Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) software project; Chief Technology Officer of biopharma firm Genescient Corp.; Director of Engineering of digital media firm Vzillion Inc.; Advisor to the Singularity University and Singularity Institute; Research Professor in the Fujian Key Lab for Brain-Like Intelligent Systems at Xiamen University, China; and general Chair of the Artificial General Intelligence Conference Series. His research work encompasses artificial general intelligence, natural language processing, cognitive science, data mining, machine learning, computational finance, bioinformatics, virtual worlds and gaming and other areas, Dr. Goertzel has published a dozen scientific books, 100+ technical papers, and numerous journalistic articles, and the futurist treatise A Cosmist Manifesto. Before entering the software industry he served as a university faculty in several departments of mathematics, computer science and cognitive science, in the US, Australia and New Zealand.

Read part 1 here.

General Theory of Relativity Lecture.

Hi. I found this video on Youtube where you can expand your knowledge by watching it. It's more than 1 hour long, so make sure you have a fast internet connection.


The video is the courtesy from Stanford University and the one who gave the lecture was Leonard Susskind. You can browse the youtube for more videos and lectures from him. The General Theory of Relativity has 12 lectures featuring him. Make sure you learn something while watching the video!

Name of The Planet and Its Meaning

1. Jupiter - Jupiter is the King of God in ancient Roman history. His Greek name is Zeus (now everyone's familiar with it). He has an eagle messenger, can throw a lightning bolt and with his ability, all other Gods are terrified with him. Nevertheless, Jupiter was a little scared with his wife, Juno. The word Jupiter means "Father Jove."



2. Neptune - Neptune is considered as the god of the sea. His Greek name is Poseidon, the one that carried a trident. In Roman history, Neptune was not considered as an important god as Romans are basically poor sailors.



3. Pluto - Pluto, or Hades in Greek, was given the title god of the dead. In ancient Roman, they believed that if they ever even whisper Pluto's real name, they afraid that he might notice and they'll die afterward. The underworld, where only the dead can enter, they must pass through the river of the dead called styx. They must first pay the ferryman Charon in order to cross the Styx and pass through Cerberus, the dog with three heads. It is believed the only one who survived when fighting the Cerberus is Hercules, the strongest man in the world.



4. Saturn - The father of Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto. He was given the title God of time and his weapon is the scythe. His sons, Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto represents the Air, Water and Death, which are three things that time can't kill. Nevertheless, Saturnine in English means serious and gloomy and its Greek name is Cronos.



5. Uranus - Uranus is the god of the sky and his wife, Gaia, is the goddess of the earth. This man and wife are the parent for Saturn. It is said that Uranus and Gaia was once having a big argument and then split apart. That is why the earth and the sky nowadays are separated.



6. Mars - Mars or Ares in Greek, was given the title God of War. He was also the son of Jupiter and the father of Romulus and Remus, although he left them to die when they were young and being adopted by a mother wolf. He was one of the most important figure to Romans as Romans were great soldiers. The name "March" was derived from Mars because that was the time where the soldiers started fighting again after the winter.



7. Venus - Also called the Aphrodite in Greek, Venus was the goddess of love in ancient Roman history. Venus was also the mother of Cupid and Aeneas. Venus promised Helen to Paris if he chooses her to be the fairest among Juno and Minerva in order to get the golden apple. Unfortunately Helen was married. So Paris carried Helen all the way to Troy where Helen's husband came with allies and Troy was destroyed. An irony for a Goddess of love.



8. Mercury - Be called Hermes in Greek, Mercury was the messenger of the Gods and was given the title god of travellers. Mercury was very skilled and he had a winged hat and sandals that helped him to move. His staff also has wings and snake winding around it. He managed to steal Apollo's cow and create a special shoes so that the cow would walk backwards. He also created a musical instrument called lyre but was given to Apollo after he found out that he was the one who stole his cow.



9. Earth - Other planets were name after Roman God and Goddess except for earth. The name Earth simply came from the German word "Erde" which means the ground. Among all the names, Earth was at least 1000 years old from when the naming took place.


All writing materials are taken from here.

Interview: Dr. Ben Goertzel on Artificial General Intelligence, Transhumanism and Open Source (Part 1/2)

Interview: Dr. Ben Goertzel on Artificial General Intelligence, Transhumanism and Open Source (Part 1/2)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Dr. Ben Goertzel is Chairman of Humanity+; CEO of AI software company Novamente LLC and bioinformatics company Biomind LLC; leader of the open-source OpenCog Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) software project; Chief Technology Officer of biopharma firm Genescient Corp.; Director of Engineering of digital media firm Vzillion Inc.; Advisor to the Singularity University and Singularity Institute; Research Professor in the Fujian Key Lab for Brain-Like Intelligent Systems at Xiamen University, China; and general Chair of the Artificial General Intelligence Conference Series. His research work encompasses artificial general intelligence, natural language processing, cognitive science, data mining, machine learning, computational finance, bioinformatics, virtual worlds and gaming and other areas, Dr. Goertzel has published a dozen scientific books, 100+ technical papers, and numerous journalistic articles, and the futurist treatise A Cosmist Manifesto. Before entering the software industry he served as a university faculty in several departments of mathematics, computer science and cognitive science, in the US, Australia and New Zealand.

*The story was taken from Physorg.com and apparently, i can't simply reproduce the story here. So make sure you click the link and read the interview. 

The 7 Wonders of The Ancient World

I know some of you only know 2, 3 or 4 from 7 wonders of the world. Below i listed the original 7 wonders of the world (these 7 wonders got change from time to time without me knowing the reason why. Still need to read a lot though).

1. The Colossus of Rhodes.


The statue of Greek god Helios on the island called Rhodes. Constructed to celebrate the victory of Rhodes over the ruler of Cyprus. Stood at about 107 ft high, it was considered to be one of the tallest statues in the ancient world

2. The Great Pyramid of Giza.


Constructed about 2560 BC, this pyramid was built as a tomb for the fourth dynasty Pharaoh, called Khufu. The building stands at 480 ft tall and was the tallest man-made building for over 3800 years. Among the 7 original wonders of the world, this is the only one that remains intact and still can be seen until today. 

3. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon


The gardens, which were believed to be built around 600 BC by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II and were destroyed during 2 BC due to several earthquakes that hit the area. Nebuchadnezzar II created these gardens to please his sick wife who longed for the trees and the fragrant plants of her homeland. The argument made by historians was whether this one was actually built or just a poetic creation due to the lack of documentation about this building. 

4. The Lighthouse of Alexandria.


Built in around 280 BC to 247 BC, the lighthouse of Alexandria was about 390 to 450 ft and was also among the tallest man-made structures during that time. Located on the small island at the coast of Alexandria, the lighthouse served its function to guide the mariners at night and being a landmark during the day. The lighthouse was claimed as a structure that can be seen from 29 miles away. It destroyed during the 13th century due to a series of earthquakes occurred in that area. 

5. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. 


This building was built around 353 to 350 BC and served as a tomb for the ruler of Caria, Mausolus and Artemisisa II of Caria, Mausolus wife. Stood at 148 ft in height, this building was located at Halicarnassus, the place where Mausolus decided to built his new capital that can protect the city from being captured. Mausolus made Halicarnassus so that it fit with his role as the warrior prince. The series of earthquakes shattered the columns and during 1404 AD, only the base of the Mausoleum is recognizable. 

6. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia.


Made by the Greek sculptor, Phidias, the statue of Zeus was built in the Temple of Zeus, Olympia, occupying about half of the width of the aisle of the temple built to house it. Existed at around 432 BC until 475 AD when it was burned (the method and the time of destruction are still debatable). With the height of 43 ft tall, this statue was made with lots of luxury as the sculpture was wreathed with shoots of olive worked in gold and seated on a magnificent throne of cedarwood, inlaid with ivory, gold, ebony, and precious stones. 

7. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus.


Also known less precisely as Temple of Diana, this was a greek temple made for the goddess of the hunt, Artemis. The creation of this building occurred at several phases. In seventh century, a great flood destroyed the initial creation and its reconstruction occurred at around 550 BC. The temple was 377 ft long and 180 ft wide with the height of the columns at about 40 feet. This second phase building was destroyed in 356 BC, very soon after its completion. The Ephesians began the third face in 323 BC with 450 ft long, 255 ft wide and 60 ft tall. This time, the temple managed to survive up to 600 years before it was destroyed by Goths, an East Germanic Tribe around 268 AD. 







The 12 Zodiacs

Hi. I know some of us may believe in constellation and astrology especially in the 12 zodiacs that can help you the general characteristics of a person. Below are the 12 zodiacs characteristics i wanna share with you guys, part of it is true but some just plain wrong. Anyway, enjoy!


The 12 zodiacs

The first sign of the zodiac has aggressive, assertive characteristics. Planets in Aries take on an initiating, fiery and highly active disposition. When positively aspect Aries can be accomplishing, highly self-confident, and apt to draw a crowd due to the pronounced leadership abilities. Daring, enterprising, courageous, highly spirited, and freedom loving - these are the qualities of an Aries.
People born under this sign are action oriented and extroverted. They tend to look outward with excitement and delight at the wonderful opportunities and adventure in the world. They are the ones who pave the way for others.
The negative side? Aries are the kinds who take on a selfish energy, ones who act too quickly and leap into situations head-first without proper preparation. Aries is the first to get things going and can be highly defensive. But what Aries lack in emotional restraint, calmness of thought and consideration for others is offset by boundless energy and enthusiasm. Romance, drama and daring fill the life of those born under Aries.


"The Bull" - First earth sign in the Zodiac.
This sign gives a financial and materialistic energy to planets which may reside in it. Taurus is money-minded, concerned with gains, profits, and has quite an aesthetic vibration tied to it as well. When well aspected, planets here can be expressed with a high degree of charm, beauty, and grace which is quite correct in form and structure. They have rich-tastes and a certain zealousness, yet are loyal to friends and often quite generous to those they hold highest.
On the negative side, this sign can exhibit a virtually unmoveable stubbornness and will be inclined to forsake everything to its powerful greed for materialism. Taureans are tenacious, sometimes inflexible and slow to change. However, once committed to a project they will hang in there and follow through to completion. Taurus planets express themselves in ways which portray their innate worth.


"The Twins" - Has the air sign in the Zodiac.
This sign has an active energy revolving around diversity and change. People born under this sign have a great drive to share perceptions with others, to listen and tell stories. Those located here have a cornucopia of expression and always find means to express themselves in new and different ways.
The positive side of Gemini has an adroit thought process tied to its energies and planetary vibrations have an understandable communicative expression tied to them. They are often quite versatile and able to do multiple tasks at once.
Difficult aspects make the negative Gemini inconsistent and unable to pursue a course of action long enough to derive any benefit from it. Though Gemini is honest in intent, those born under the sign can be fickle. Gemini 's planets always can find alternative ways for expression.


"The Crab" - First water sign in the Zodiac.
Cancer is a sign concerned with care, protection, and nurturing. It lends an emotional energy to planets and they tend to be expressed according to a feeling rather than due to logical thoughts. Positive aspects provide this sign with a parental and ambitious energy. Quickly changing mood swings make Cancer emotional, highly romantic and even tearful. A vivid imagination belongs to Cancer, as well as a keen memory.
Negative vibrations give Cancer an over-sensitive, clinging stance which does not respond to reason. Cancerians are often shy, sensitive and self-protective. This sign relates strongly towards domestic and family activities.


"The Lion" - First fire sign in the Zodiac.
Drama, pride, and commanding leadership are characteristics ingrained in Leo. This attention getting sign gives a royal and classy gloss to planets located within it. Favourable aspects enable planets here to be expressed in ways which draw respect and admiration. Proud and dignified, Leo can be emotionally passionate and professionally ambitious, a natural leader. Leo thrives best when surrounded by luxury.
Negative vibrations influence planets to put on too much of a show and demonstrate a great deal of arrogance. Leo is capable of success, but frequently lacks opportunity for it and therefore may be inclined to fight. In this sign, there is a great need for recognition, appreciation, and applause, to the extent that they may become disruptive in their efforts to command attention. However, Leo can also be very quiet and unobtrusive, nobly standing above the battle, refusing to be pulled into common conflict.
Leo is a sign concerned with creativity.


"The Virgin" - Second earth sign in the Zodiac
Work, devotion to duty, and an innate desire to be of service are characteristics associated with Virgo. Planets residing here are expressed in a systematic, methodical way which is laced with plenty of logical thought.
When positive, Virgo energy is projected with a precision designed to create perfection. This sign expresses a desire for ordering things, for sorting out, cataloguing, tidying and applying thought to matter. Another important aspect of this sign is a desire to be of service and to share work with others. Often Virgos are attracted to the healing arts or help professions.
On the other hand, negative aspects tend to scatter energy towards small almost meaningless trivial activities. Though Virgo lacks self-confidence, associates respect the intelligence and stability of those born under the sign. Physical fitness and health concerns are much a part to this sign's scenario.


"The Scales" - Second air sign in the Zodiac
Libra is primarily concerned with others. either through friendship, social affairs, or joint ventures such as marriage. This sign lends harmony and artistic expression to its planets, as well as a strong intellectual factor.
At its best, Libra is pleasing, fair, and a master at compromise. People born under this sign are thinker-linkers, with the ability to show how one thing is related to another, and with a talent for mediation and an aptitude for understanding others.
On the down side, Libra tends to wait to long to act, and finds it too difficult to initiate and carry out projects alone. Libra's danger is the tendency to be too reasonable, too understanding, too co-operative, and for this reason it can be taken advantage of. While Libra is good at offering opinions to others, those born under the sign tend to put off personal decisions. Libra is the great peacemaker of the Zodiac.


"The Scorpion" - Second water sign in the Zodiac
This sign is intense, secretive, and mainly concerned with handling other peoples resources and talents. Planets in Scorpio are expressed to the extreme limits of their energies and often have a fatalistic, all-or-nothing expression.
Positive expression enables Scorpio to survive with and make the best of the most dire situations, and they frequently find new uses for old and forgotten items. People born under this sign are intense, analytical, investigative, probing, digging, wanting to get to the bottom of things. Scorpios are inclined to great secrecy, but there are times when they can be exceedingly and courageously honest, and can appear to be cruel in their willingness to articulate difficult truths.
However, this sign can be much too forceful, manipulative, and destructive when expressed negatively. Scorpios have a tendency to make other people feel uncomfortable- their intuition is always at work probing the surface appearance of things, piercing the facade of human pretensions.
Scorpio's usually bring deep and lasting changes to all they encounter.


"The Archer" - Third fire sign in the Zodiac
Adventure, travel, and a continual desire to expand horizons are marked characteristics of Sagittarius. Planetary energy here is expressed freely and unrestrained.
At its best, Sagittarius is kind, generous, and projects its energies as an educator. People born under this sign have a great urge to share feelings, to share enthusiasms with others. Sagittarians are often gifted with administrative skills, with the ability to organise, to manage, to delegate responsibility, and to direct action.
At its worst, this sign is often involved in more than it can handle and makes promises it can't keep. Those born under the sign may find themselves personally over-burdened.
Sagittarius is quite concerned with principals, moral standards, spiritualism, and broadcasting opinions to the world at large. Often attracted to team efforts and sports.


"The Goat" - Third earth sign in the Zodiac
Ambition, reputation, and status are Capricorn's main concerns. Planets here take on a conservative hue, and are expressed with a plan geared towards control and management.
Wisdom and steadfast reality provide Capricorn with the ability to make steady progress over the long haul. This a no-nonsense kind of sign, earthy, practical, sensible, materialistic and often ambitious. Capricorn people are good trouble-shooters and crisis handlers, inclined to find solutions to problems rather than cry over spilled milk. People born under this sign have a capacity to develop skill in whatever field they chose to undertake.
However, negative energy gives this sign a scheming vibration and unwillingness to entertain new ideas. Practical to a fault, those born under the sign do well in business, but may lack emotional tenderness. Slow-moving Capricorn is unsuited to change but finds success late in life. Capricorn's are builders and strict followers of their perceived rules and regulations.


"The Waterbearer" - Third air sign in the Zodiac
Aquarius is a sign which relates to freedom, independence, and breaking new ground with progressive thoughts and ideas.
Uniqueness and inventiveness are given to planets here. Harmonious aspects enable Aquarius to be the best of friends with much in the way of excitement. People born under this sign seek to understand outer circumstances by drawing upon inner and subjective ideas. This is one of the 'sweet' signs and those under this sign are usually casual, easy going, not at all petty and very likeable.
The darker side prompts this sign to disdain rules or boundaries, and act too impulsively. Those born under the sign are compelled to move quickly and rarely relax. Eager to do right and driven by curiosity, Aquarius will work long hours, even to the detriment of personal health. Aquarius is a sign mainly concerned with doing things in its own special way.

Pisces
"The Fishes" - Third water sign in the Zodiac
Pisces is intuitive, psychic, and the most spiritual sign of the Zodiac. Planetary energies in this sign are expressed via inspiration and retain high artistic qualities.
Positive energy enables this sign to demonstrate a great deal of sympathy for those who are weak or hurt in some manner. This sign is empathetic and compassionate. It is so attuned to others that it often feels the other persons pain, sorrow and joy as though it were happening to them. Pisceans are imaginative, emotional and responsive to rhythmical flow such as dance and music.
The negative side makes Pisces too vague, deceptive, and prone to live in its own fantasy world. Pisces is a comforting sign, one eager to make self-sacrifices.

p/s: as you can see, the sign of the pisces is a bit different. The reason being is that the image given from the original side is broken. So i had to replace it. =)

source: as copied and pasted from http://www.empathys.co.uk/67.html