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Tahukah Anda Radio Paling Awal?

Deskripsi sistem transmisi radio paling awal ditulis oleh Dr. Mahlon Loomis (1826-1886) pada 2 Juli 1864. Diperagakan di antara dua buah layang-layang berjarak lebih dari 22 kilometer di Bear's Den, Loudoun County, Virginia, Amerika Serikat pada Oktober 1866.


Robot Pemecah Rekor Jalan Cepat

Robot sederhana dengan dua kaki bernama RunBot tidak dapat berlari. Namun, ia mampu berjalan cepat bahkan memecahkan rekor robot-robot sebelumnya.
Robot buatan para peneliti Eropa setinggi 30,5 centimeter ini mampu berjalan dengan kecepatan sekitar 3 meter perdetik atau sebanding dengan kemampuan manusia. Kemampuannya berjalan dua kali kecepatan robot tercepat sebelumnya Spring Flamingo buatan Institut Teknologi Massachusetts (MIT).
"Ada beberapa prinsip yang dipakai di sini sehingga desain ini lebih efisien daripada robot tercepat sebelumnya," kata pakar komputasi otak Florentin Worgotter dari Universitas Gottingen Jerman. Seperti manusia yang sedang berjalan cepat, lutut RunBot relatif lurus saat berjalan. Pinggulnya lebih banyak digunakan untuk melangkahkan kaki daripada mengayun lututnya.
Para peneliti juga melengkapinya dengan jaringan syaraf tiruan sederhana yang fungsinya meniru syaraf manusia. Dua buah sensor bekerja seperti neuron untuk mengendalikan motor-motor di pinggulnya.
Sensor-sensor di bagian pinggul akan memberitahu motor untuk berputar lebih cepat sehingga menghasilkan langkah lebih banyak. Neuron-neuron di lutut menjaga agar bagian tersebut tetap kaku untuk menghasilkan langkah yang efisien dan tidak menekuk saat berjalan cepat.
Penelitian ini merupakan hasil kolaborasi para peneliti dari Universitas Gottingen, Universitas Glasgow, dan Universitas Stirling Skotlandia. Hasil penelitian ini dipublikasikan dalam International Journal of Robotics Research edisi Maret. Sumber: KCM


Indonesia adalah Negara Asia Pertama di Piala Dunia?

Diakui atau tidak, Indonesia adalah negara Asia pertama yang berlaga di ajang Piala Dunia, tepatnya Piala Dunia 1938 di Prancis. Meski saat itu belum merdeka, Indonesia mengusung nama Nederlandsche Indiesche atau Netherland East Indies atau Hindia Belanda. Panasnya keadaan di Eropa dan sulitnya transportasi ke Prancis secara tak langsung memberikan keuntungan. Jepang menolak hadir dan memberikan kesempatan bagi Hindia Belanda untuk tampil mewakili zona Asia di kualifikasi grup 12. Lalu Amerika Serikat yang jadi lawan berikutnya menyerah tanpa bertanding.
Jadilah anak-anak Melayu ini melenggang ke Prancis. Pengiriman kesebelasan Hindia Belanda bukannya tanpa hambatan. NIVU (Nederlandsche Indische Voetbal Unie) atau organisasi sepak bola Belanda di Jakarta bersitegang dengan PSSI yang telah berdiri April 1930. PSSI yang diketuai Soeratin Sosrosoegondo, insinyur lulusan Jerman yang lama tinggal di Eropa, ingin pemain mereka yang dikirimkan.
Namun, akhirnya kesebelasan dikirimkan tanpa mengikutsertakan pemain PSSI dan menggunakan bendera NIVU yang diakui FIFA.
Ditangani pelatih Johannes Mastenbroek, pemain kesebelasan Hindia Belanda adalah mereka yang bekerja di perusahaan-perusahaan Belanda.
Tercatat nama Bing Mo Heng (kiper), Herman Zommers, Franz Meeng, Isaac Pattiwael, Frans Pede Hukom, Hans Taihattu, Pan Hong Tjien, Jack Sammuels, Suwarte Soedermandji, Anwar Sutan, dan kiri luar Nawir yang juga bertindak sebagai kapten.
Pada babak penyisihan, Hindia Belanda langsung menghadapi tim tangguh, Hungaria, yang kemudian meraih posisi runner-up.
Tak banyak informasi yang didapatkan mengenai pertandingan di Stadion Velodrome Municipale, Reims, 5 Juni 1938, tersebut. Pada pertandingan yang disaksikan 9.000 penonton itu, Hindia Belanda tak mampu berbuat banyak dan terpaksa pulang lebih cepat setelah digilas 6-0. Meski belum menggunakan bendera Merah-Putih, inilah satu-satunya penampilan tim Melayu di Piala Dunia, hingga sekarang! (Koran Tempo, 11 Mei 2006)


Tahukah Anda Mobil Pertama Porsche?

Keluarga Porsche meluncurkan mobil pertama dengan merek nama keluarga pada 17 Maret 1949. Mobil yang diberi nama Porsche 356 itu untuk pertama kalinya tampil di "Jenewa Motor Show" ke-19 di Swiss. Porsche 356 dibangun oleh Ferdinand Porsche, yang baru keluar dari penjara karena bekerja untuk Hitler, dan putranya Ferry.
Mobil ini adalah versi sport dari Volkswagen yang dirancang Porsche atas permintaan Hitler. Mobil yang memiliki rancangan klasik dengan mesin di belakang itu sangat diminati konsumen. Pada 1950, Ferdinand Porsche merayakan ulang tahunnya yang ke-75. Saat itu namanya melambung sebagai pembuat mobil sport. Kariernya mulai menanjak ketika menjadi ahli mesin di Mercedes.
Ia kemudian ikut mengembangkan Volkswagen dan akhirnya berkibar di dunia otomotif dengan bendera sendiri, Porsche. Setahun kemudian Ferdinand terserang stroke dan tak pernah pulih sampai meninggal pada Januari 1952. Ferry, sang putra, membangun Porsche Company yang berkembang menjadi perusahaan besar hingga kini. (historychannel)
Diterbitkan di: Otomotif Sejarahon Mei 2, 2006 at 12:02 pm Komentar


Tahukah Anda Ada Piramid di Bosnia?

Salah satu lembah di Bosnia memiliki bukit berbentuk segitiga. Persis piramid. Dan bukit setinggi 650 meter bernama Visocica di bekas ibu kota Bosnia pada era sebelum milenium pertama itu, menurut arkeolog, kemungkinan besar buatan manusia. Itu piramid –tidak berbeda dengan piramid di Mesir atau Maya atau candi di Indonesia.
Teori bahwa bukit ini sebuah piramida buatan manusia pertama kali dimunculkan Semir Osmanagic, arkeolog yang sekarang memimpin tim penggalian. Osmanagic, yang selama 15 tahun mempelajari piramida di Amerika Latin, percaya bahwa bukit itu piramida dari fakta sederhana.
"Kita bisa lihat, permukaannya terlalu rata," katanya. "Ini bukti penting bahwa yang kita bicarakan ini adalah piramid." Selain itu, arah bukit ini terlalu tepat dengan arah mata angin. Buatan alam sangat sulit bisa setepat ini. Jika benar, ini piramida pertama yang ditemukan di daratan Eropa.
Sumber: Tempo Interaktif
Diterbitkan di: Sejarah Arkeologion at 7:56 adalah Komentar (2)


Tahukah Anda Sedan Parade Hitler?

Sedan Mercedes-Benz 770K adalah mobil tunggangan pemimpin Nazi, Adolf Hitler. Sedan cabriolet keluaran 1930–1937 inilah yang kerap mengantar Hitler saat ia menggelar parade. Pada 6 Januari 1973, sedan mewah elite pada masanya itu dilego sebesar US$ 153 ribu atau Rp 1.3 miliar saat acara lelang mobil-mobil kuno. Dan merupakan sedan bersejarah yang dilelang dengan harga termahal saat itu.
Diterbitkan di: Otomotif Sejarahon at 6:42 adalah Komentar (0)


Tahukah Anda SBY bukan Presiden RI ke-6, tapi ke-8?

TERJADI kekeliruan sejarah pada tulisan yang disampaikan di berbagai media massa bahwa Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono adalah presiden ke-6 Republik Indonesia (RI). Anggapan umum bahwa tokoh yang pernah menjadi Presiden RI berturut-turut Soekarno, Soeharto, BJ Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid, Megawati, dan kini SBY.
Padahal ada dua tokoh yang terlewat, yaitu Sjafruddin Prawiranegara dan Mr. Assaat. Keduanya tidak disebut, bisa karena alpa, tetapi mungkin juga disengaja. Sjafruddin Prawiranegara adalah Pemimpin Pemerintahan Darurat Republik Indonesia (1948) ketika Soekarno dan Hatta ditangkap Belanda pada awal agresi militer kedua, sedangkan Assaat adalah Presiden RI saat republik menjadi bagian dari Republik Indonesia Serikat (1949).


Tato dari Tinta yang Mudah Hilang

Bila Anda berencana menuliskan nama kekasih Anda dalam bentuk tato di tubuh, sebaiknya hal itu ditunda dahulu. Alasannya, sekarang ada jenis tinta baru yang lebih aman dipakai dan jauh lebih mudah dihilangkan bila kelak ternyata Anda berpaling ke lain hati. Atau Anda khawatir suatu saat akan digaruk polisi karena dianggap preman.
Badan Urusan Makanan dan Obat-Obatan AS (FDA) sejauh ini memang tidak memiliki standar keamanan untuk pewarna yang dipakai dalam seni melukis tubuh. Dan dari bahan-bahan yang digunakan, antara lain terdapat karbon hitam, garam-garam logam, dan bahan lain yang juga dipakai dalam percetakan dan pengecatan mobil.
Padahal logam-logam berat dan bahan beracun yang ada dalam pewarna tersebut bisa masuk ke sistem kelenjar getah bening, kata Martin Schmieg, presiden perusahaan Freedom-2 di Philadelphia, yang berencana memperkenalkan serangkaian produk pewarna yang telah disetujui FDA untuk digunakan dalam dunia kosmetik, makanan, obat, dan peranti kedokteran.Pewarna itu belum pernah dipakai untuk menato sebelumnya karena sifatnya mudah terserap tubuh. Guna mengatasinya, Rox Anderson dari RS Umum Massachusetts di Boston telah mengembangkan cara untuk melapisi pewarna tersebut dalam butir-butir polymer yang diameternya hanya 1 hingga 3 mikrometer. Ini membuatnya cukup kecil untuk bisa dimasukkan dalam kulit dan diserap sel kulit dalam bentuk warna-warna tato.
Pigmen tersebut dapat dengan mudah dihilangkan menggunakan laser. Cukup sekali tembakan, butir-butir polymer akan terbuka dan pewarna akan terserap ke dalam sel, dan tato akan hilang. Ini berbeda dengan pewarna tato biasa, yang walau sudah dilaser sepuluh kali hanya bisa hilang separuhnya. Sumber: KCM
Diterbitkan di: Kesehatanon Mei 4, 2006 at 1:10 pm Komentar (1)


Tahukah Anda Apa Pentingnya Periksa Kesehatan?

Jangan kira Anda merasa fisik sehat lantas merupakan jaminan kesehatan prima. Bisa mungkin karena dari beberapa kondisi penyakit biasanya tidak merasakan sakit tersebut. Ambil contoh penderita kencing manis yang belum terlampau berat. Pasien hanya merasa lemas untuk kemudian rasa lemasnya hilang. Atau pasien kolesterol, boleh dibilang umumnya kolesterol tinggi tidak bergejala. Bilapun ada gejala, semisal pegal tapi akan hilang dengan aktivitas tertentu.
Maka, secara tak sadar, gaya hidup di zaman sekarang yang cenderung suka menyantap makanan cepat saji dan tinggi lemak sayur-sayuran yang kaya akan serat, justru mulai dijauhi, ditambah lagi kebiasaan merokok, ternyata mengundang berbagai timbulnya kanker kolerektal (usus besar), disamping itu memang memiliki faktor keturunan. Atau, bekerja lebih dari 40 jam dalan satu minggu, tapi lamanya tidur kurang rata-rata di bawah 5 jam, mereka ini memiliki kemungkinan untuk terkena penyakit jantung.
Pemeriksaan kesehatan, bila dulu 5 hingga 10 tahun lalu patokan perusahaan tertentu mengambil karyawan batas usia 40 tahun mendapat jatah medical check-up, tapi sekarang melihat perkembangan penyakit sepertinya halnya hipertensi, kencing manis, serangan jantung dan stroke yang cenderung mengena usia muda 35 tahun maka kini paling utama bagi mereka melakukan pemeriksaan kesehatan secara rutin untuk maksud mendeteksi lebih dini kemungkinan derita penyakit, adalah batas usia 35 tahun. Malah, dianjurkan setiap memasuki pergantian tahun, siapapun yang ingin menjalani hidup yang lebih baik, melakukan pemeriksaan kesehatan menyeluruh, sebagai penjaga awal. Namun, lain hal bila seseorang itu keturunan hipertensi, diabetes, dari orangtua, maka cek kesehatan dilakukan pada usia 30 tahun.
Tekanan darah
Tekanan darah tinggi adalah salah satu perintis utama menuju penyakit jantung, dan juga meningkatkan risiko pecahnya pembuluh darah yang dapat menyebabkan stroke. Sebab itu disarankan oleh para ahli untuk memeriksa tekanan darah setiap tahun. Malah, bila dalam riwayat keluarga ada masalah tekanan darah atau penyakit jantung, sakit kepala, atau obesitas, dianjurkan untuk melakukan pemeriksaan tekanan darah setiap 6 bulan sekali. Seseorang yang mempunyai tekanan darah tinggi sekalipun usia di bawah 30 tahun, ternyata punya kecenderungan terkena stroke, serangan jantung dan terkena gangguan ginjal nantinya.
Kolesterol Darah
Kegemukan dan kelebihan berat badan, memiliki resiko tinggi gangguan kesehatan, seperti: hipertensi, kolesterol tinggi, trigliserida tinggi, diabetes mellitus, PJK maupun stroke. Kegemukan dan kelebihan berat badan dinilai dengan BMI (body mass index atau indeks masa tubuh). Bagi yang mempunyai keluarga dengan memiliki riwayat medis menderita gangguan jantung koroner, tekanan darah tinggi atau stroke, sebaiknya memeriksakan diri. Ditambah memiliki faktor risiko lainnya (perokok dan hipertensi) maka resiko meningkat berlipat ganda.
Tulang kuat
Tak sedikit yang mengabaikan penyakit osteoporosis. Padahal, penyakit perapuhan atau pengeroposan pada tulang ini bisa menyengat telinga bila mengetahui akibat yang ditmbulkannya. Memang, puncak kepadatan adalah sekitar usia 30-35 tahun. Tapi gaya hidup orang perkotaan, mempercepat terjadinya osteoporosis.
Begitupun, banyak hal yang dapat dilakukan mulai usia remaja hingga awal masa dewasa. Antara lain dengan mendapatkan kecukupan kalsium dari makan, rutin berolahraga dan mendapatkan juga sinar matahari yang dapat membantu tubuh menyerap kalsium dengan lebih efisien.
Gigi bersih
Kesehatan gusi sering memberikan tanda-tanda kesehatan secara keseluruhan. Periksa gigi setiap tahun, pentingnya terlebih pada pertambahan usia di mana gusi gigi makin rentan terhadap gangguan. Oleh dokter gigi dianjurkan untuk memeriksakan kesehatan gigi secara teratur, melakukan pembersihan gigi secara teratur, melakukan pembersihan gigi secara baik sesuai dengan oral hygiene, nutrisi yang seimbang, hindari merokok dan mengunyah tembakau bagi orang dewasa.
Mata Indah
Ketika seseorang mengalami sedikit gangguan pada mata, biasanya tidak memperdulikannya sepanjang itu tidak terlalu mengganggu aktivitas sehari-hari. Tapi beberapa ahli mata menyarankan bahwa sebaiknya kenali sekecil apa pun perubahan yang terjadi, dan kunjungi dokter mata Anda, terlebih bagi yang punya penyakit diabetes atau memiliki keluarga yang punya riwayat kena glaukoma. Malah, sebelum ada tanda-tanda: pandangan kabur, sakit kepala dan melihat bintik atau bayangan di depan mata, bergegaslah ke ahlinya.
Sumber: Male Emporium via Cybermed

Just months after Coldplay released their #1 debut album, Parachutes, in England, they were hailed as Band of the Year 2000 in the music press. How did these four college friends become the poster children for a nation's emotions? It may have happened at the speed of light, but it wasn't as easy as it seems.

Coldplay secured a permanent position in Britain's music elite by writing beautiful, simple songs that gently pulled at the heartstrings of a nation. Somewhere in between the confident, vulnerable guitar playing of Jonny Buckland, the melodic bassline of Guy Berryman, thoughtful drumming of Will Champion, and lead Chris Martin's stark, tenor vocals are answers for the soul. Although melancholy stands behind every Coldplay song, each one is also steeped in an unusual and sincere optimism rarely found in English bands. Songs face an inevitable sadness and yearning - a little thing called being real - to get to a better place where the truth held firm in pure emotion is pivotal. Songs like the remorseful "Trouble," with its memorable piano-line, the lonely "Spies" and mega-hit single "Yellow" reveal a hybrid of lyrics that can only be described as joy and remorse, all wrapped into one. "We just want the songs to reflect reality," says Chris.

In doing so, Coldplay may well be the most profound British act to emerge out of the millennium thus far. No one is more surprised by their popularity than the band. Who knew such an austere and tactile musical existence would lead to such greatness? Yet it has.

It all began when the members of Coldplay met in 1996 - their first week of college (University College London). Two and a half years later, they had their first official band session - a rehearsal in Jonny's bedroom in January of 1998. Jonny and Chris had been working on songs since they met, but the other two members hadn't really been around much until Guy joined the band to play bass just before dropping out of engineering school. The other two stuck with their studies, while also pursuing music.

Will, also still in school, loved playing guitar but was persuaded to become Coldplay's drummer so the band could play their first gig (at a Cuban Caf?at a festival for unsigned bands called "In The City" in Manchester) in late 1998. They had just six songs written including "Don't Panic" and "High Speed" - now found on Parachutes. They soon released 500 copies of an EP called Safety (financed by their now manager, Phil) and released the single "Brothers And Sisters" on a small English label called Fierce Panda, after which the UK label Parlophone signed them in 1999 just before final exam time. As they say, the rest is history, or in the stars, or whatever. In any case, another EP on Parlophone, The Blue Room, followed, as did the single "Shiver."

Before the band, lead singer/guitarist/pianist Chris Martin grew up in a close family from Devon, England. In fact, he still lives at home as the eldest of five kids raised by a teacher mum and accountant dad, where he started bashing out tunes on the family piano at an early age. Typical of the first-born, he is an over-achiever and self-proclaimed worrier. Although anything to do with "injustice" will rile him up, no one can accuse him of being the typical tortured and drunken English musician since he rarely drinks, never smokes and admits life can be pretty damn good. He's a shy product of boarding school where he soon graduated to the guitar and has been in bands since the age of 15. He considers the big three in music to be: Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Tom Waits. Oh, and the Flaming Lips aren't bad either.

Lead guitarist Jonny Buckland doesn't think he's a very good guitar player, but the rest of the world begs to differ. He was born 22 odd years ago in London, then his family relocated to Mold, North Wales when he was just four. Jonny first picked up a guitar at the tender age of 11, encouraged by his older brother who was a huge My Bloody Valentine fan. Both boys grew up in a house filled with Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix from their dad's record collection. Yet it wasn't until Jonny discovered The Stone Roses that he started taking the guitar seriously. People describe him as shy and nonchalant, but he argues he's just happy to be quiet.

Bassist Guy Berryman was born in Scotland, although his family later moved to Kent, England where he started to collect rare groove and funk records when all the other kids were into indie rock. He started playing bass at age 13 and is still inspired by a love of those early records.
Words like "calm," "reliable" and "enthusiastic" are used to describe drummer Will Champion. He was born in Southampton, England to teacher parents who encouraged him to spend his formative years learning to play a variety of instruments including guitar, bass, piano and the tin whistle. He had never played drums before joining Coldplay but was so musically inclined that he quickly caught on. "He's very quiet and very wise," says Chris about Will. "As a musician, he's got the most amazing sense of melody. He can play just about anything ... and he can do little impressions. He's good at entertaining people."

When the band went into the studio early last year with co-producer and engineer Ken Nelson to record Parachutes, they agreed that nothing would go on the album that they all four didn't agreed on. This led to a fierce and gut wrenching recording session that the guys thought might be their last. Songs ended up veering from fragile to forceful, from understated to epic, all-the-while carried by Chris' gorgeous vocal range and endearingly bashful lyrics. On a bittersweet morning in May, the album was finished.


No one predicted that just a short time later, Parachutes would debut at #1 and continue to hover in the Top Ten Charts for the remainder of the year. The band was also nominated for an esteemed Mercury Music Prize, received the Q Award for Best Album, signed to an American label (Nettwerk America/Capitol) and were exhausted by year's end from endless promotional duties and touring. Having been tirelessly in the spotlight for months now, the members of Coldplay are reticent to talk about themselves - subscribing to the school of thought that "those who say less tend to be wiser." Yet what they have to say can be heard in the music, which speaks louder than any words spoken ever will.

Chris admits that the last track on the album, "Everything's Not Lost," is the message of Coldplay's entire work up until now. The song says that when things happen to you in life, your first inclination is to think everything's terrible, what's the point? Then you realize the point is simply that - that it's not that bad and you have to keep going. Finally, you come to realize that life is good. Look for Coldplay to embark on their first-ever American tour in the beginning of 2001.

Rokok adalah silinder dari kertas berukuran panjang antara 70 hingga 120 mm (bervariasi tergantung negara) dengan diameter sekitar 10 mm yang berisi daun-daun tembakau yang telah dicacah. Rokok dibakar pada salah satu ujungnya dan dibiarkan membara agar asapnya dapat dihirup lewat mulut pada ujung lain.

Ada dua jenis rokok, rokok yang berfilter dan tidak berfilter. Filter pada rokok terbuat dari bahan busa serabut sintetis yang berfungsi menyaring nikotin.

Rokok biasanya dijual dalam bungkusan berbentuk kotak atau kemasan kertas yang dapat dimasukkan dengan mudah ke dalam kantong. Sejak beberapa tahun terakhir, bungkusan-bungkusan tersebut juga umumnya disertai pesan kesehatan yang memperingatkan perokok akan bahaya kesehatan yang dapat ditimbulkan dari merokok, misalnya kanker paru-paru atau serangan jantung.

Manusia di dunia yang merokok untuk pertama kalinya adalah suku bangsa Indian di Amerika, untuk keperluan ritual seperti memuja dewa atau roh. Pada abad 16, Ketika bangsa Eropa menemukan benua Amerika, sebagian dari para penjelajah Eropa itu ikut mencoba-coba menghisap rokok dan kemudian membawa tembakau ke Eropa. Kemudian kebiasaan merokok mulai muncul di kalangan bangsawan Eropa. Tapi berbeda dengan bangsa Indian yang merokok untuk keperluan ritual, di Eropa orang merokok hanya untuk kesenangan semata-mata. Abad 17 para pedagang Spanyol masuk ke Turki dan saat itu kebiasaan merokok mulai masuk negara-negara Islam. (wikipedia)

Dimulai dengan adanya ‘kompetisi’ pemilihan tujuh keajaiban dunia yang diadakan (secara inisiatif pribadi) oleh Bernard Weber memunculkan banyak reaksi keras terutama dari UNESCO, yang langsung menanggapinya bahwa UNESCO tidak memiliki hubungan apapun dalam pemilihan tersebut. Selain tanggapan dari UNESCO, muncul reaksi dari beberapa negara yang memiliki keajaiban dunia namun tidak termasuk dalam daftar tujuh keajabian dunia yang dihasilkan dari pemilihan tersebut, sebut saja Mesir yang memiliki Piramid.

Pemerintah Indonesia pun tidak ketinggalan, Departemen Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata menuding Pemerintah Daerah bertanggungjawab atas hal ini.

Menurut pendapat saya, hal ini sebetulnya tidak perlu dihiraukan, karena sistem pemilihan tujuh keajaiban dunia ini hanya berdasarkan voting layaknya sebuah acara talent show (AFI, Indonesian Idol ,KDI dsb). Amat sangat tidak layak apabila kebesaran peninggalan sejarah hanya ditentukan dari sebuah voting. Harus ada kriteria-kriteria tertentu (secara ilmiah dan obyektif) untuk menilainya. Dalam hal ini saya rasa UNESCO adalah badan internasional yang paling berhak untuk melakukan pemilihan, proses penilaiannya pun amat valid dan tidak sembarangan.

UNESCO sendiri tidak terpaku pada patokan jumlah keajaiban dunia adalah 7 (tujuh). UNESCO hanya memberikan istilah “World Heritage” (peninggalan -sejarah/kebudayaan- dunia). Daftar peninggalan dunia yang telah diakui oleh UNESCO bisa dilihat disini. Indonesia sendiri memiliki 7 peninggalan sejarah/kebudayaan yang diakui, baik itu buatan manusia maupun terbentuk oleh alam, termasuk Borobudur.

Kesimpulannya, Pemerintah seharusnya tidak usah seperti kebakaran jenggot sampai menuding sana nuding situ, karena sebetulnya yang berhak melakukan penilaian adalah UNESCO, bukan yang lain, apalagi hanya hasil dari voting.

Sandynata

Featuring a dynamic fusion of several alternative stylistic touchstones, Snow Patrol's compositions combine songwriting aptitude with guitar rock's sharpest strains. Originally from Northern Ireland, Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar) and Mark McClelland (bass, keyboards) first got together in Dundee, Scotland, where they were studying, prior to the addition of Jonny Quinn (drums), who completed the lineup. Signed to the U.K.'s Jeepster label in 1998, they released their debut album, Songs for Polar Bears, in August of that same year. The record was a large success across the U.K., where they also gained a large fan base for their live show. The British trio graduated soon after, and decided to move from Dundee to Glasgow in late 2000. Their second full-length, When It's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up, was released in April 2001. Quickly thereafter, guitarist Nathan Connolly was added to the group, and Snow Patrol found themselves a deal with Polydor. Producer Chris Lord-Alge signed on for the release of Final Straw, which appeared stateside in April 2004. With the success of singles such as "Chocolate," "Run," and "Spitting Games," Final Straw sold two million copies in their native U.K. It also became the 26th most popular British album of that year. In March 2005, founding member Mark McClelland left the band to pursue other avenues, leaving Snow Patrol a trio with Lightbody, Quinn, and Connolly. Shortly thereafter, former Terra Diablo bass player Paul Wilson and touring keyboardist Tom Simpson were permanantly added to the band. An opening slot on U2's Vertigo Tour of Europe followed in summer 2005. Snow Patrol's fourth album, the epic Eyes Open arrived in May 2006. That fall, with a successful run through North America under their belt and the mainstream appeal of "Chasing Cars," Eyes Open was certified gold. Snow Patrol also became the first U.K. rock act in 13 years to break the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. ~ Mario Mesquita Borges, All Music Guide

U2 Biography
More than 115 million albums since their formation at Dublin's Mount Temple High School in 1978 - at the instigation of Larry Mullen who pinned an ad to the bulletin board - there's little denying that U2 have cemented their reputation among the greatest rock acts in history. Moreover, by learning to roll with the punches through the years, together they have shared the memorable victories, and rare defeats, of an extraordinary career thus far. Remarkably, more than two decades later, they remain intact. No one has ever left U2, no new member has ever joined.

In the tradition of the late '70s, U2 were a band before they could actually play, although all four members testify to the raw chemistry and unique spirit of the group being there from the outset. Burning with the intense energy of punk, the nascent U2 reacted against the burgeoning blank attitudes of their doomy, raincoat-wearing new wave contemporaries, emerging with wide-eyed hope.

Their first one-off Irish release, the U23 EP for CBS Records in 1979, was supported by a self- organized tour that left no one doubting that U2 were driven men. Despite no offers of a major record deal following a round of London showcase gigs, the tour culminated in a sold-out show in front of two thousand fans in Dublin - a rare achievement for a band that, to all intents, remained unsigned. Further bolstering their reputation, in January 1980, the band topped five categories in the readers' poll of Irish rock magazine Hot Press. In April of that year, U2 signed to Island Records, releasing their first single, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, the following month.

Over the next three years, U2's relentless touring and blistering live performances regularly saw Bono go to extraordinary lengths to capture the audience's imagination: scaling PA stacks without a safety net; teetering along the lip of theatre balconies; turning his back to the front rows and then free-falling into a sea of hands. Their first three Steve Lillywhite-produced albums - Boy (1980), October (1981) and War (their first UK No.1 in 1983, yielded the breakthrough hits New Year's Day and Two Hearts Beat As One) -.

Furthermore, U2 were fast being regarded as the most politically motivated band since The Clash. At a Belfast show, before the first public airing of the provocative Sunday Bloody Sunday Bono bluntly announced "If you don't like it, let us know...". What became clear was that U2 - on both political and emotional levels - were beginning to connect with a far wider audience worldwide. In the wake of 1983's Under A Blood Red Sky, a live document of the group's landmark performance at Colorado Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the writers of Rolling Stone magazine named U2 Band Of The Year.

Early in 1984, U2 made the surprising announcement that experimentalist Brian Eno (David Bowie, Talking Heads) and his protégé Daniel Lanois were to produce their fourth studio album. Recorded in the suitably cavernous ballroom of Slane Castle, near Dublin, The Unforgettable Fire offered a new, expansive, cinematic U2 sound as evidenced in Pride (In The Name Of Love), their biggest hit up to that point in both the UK and the U.S.. The seemingly never- ending tour that followed witnessed the band sell out New York's Madison Square Garden and make their pivotal appearance at Live Aid in 1985 before headlining Amnesty International's Conspiracy Of Hope Tour the following year.

The following year, U2 were touted as "Rock's Hottest Ticket" on the cover of Time magazine, following the release of their fifth album The Joshua Tree, which won the distinction of the fastest-selling UK album ever by going platinum within its first 48 hours on sale. The staggering success of the record - fuelled by hits With Or Without You, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For and Where The Streets Have No Name - would far exceed even the band's own expectations, as it reached number one in twenty-two countries with worldwide sales to date of 19 million copies. By 1987, awarded Grammys for Album Of The Year and Best Rock Performance, U2 were quite simply the biggest rock band in the world.

Rattle And Hum was to follow, a film chronicling The Joshua Tree tour, directed by Phil Joanou and accompanied by a Jimmy Iovine-produced double soundtrack album of live tracks and new studio material which emerged in October 1988. The project traced U2 cutting their own, individualistic path down through the roots of blues and rock 'n' roll, collaborating with BB King on When Love Comes To Town and scoring their first UK number one single with the rootsy Desire.

By the end of the '80s, however, it seemed U2 had looked so deep into the past, they'd forgotten about their own future. At the close of their Lovetown tour of Australia, New Zealand and Japan, U2 performed four triumphant homecoming shows in Dublin. On the final night, New Year's Eve, 1989, Bono made a strong, symbolic hint that the band were on the verge of significant change. "This is just the end of something for U2," he announced to an estimated radio audience of 500 million, tuning in via the BBC and RTE. "It's no big deal, it's just that we have to go away and dream it all up again."

At the close of that decade, few could have predicted the transformation that U2 would undergo with the dawning of the '90s. Ready for the laughing gas, U2 travelled to Hansa Studios in Berlin and re-emerged in 1991 with Achtung Baby, before launching into the Zoo TV live experience. Widely lauded as the Sgt. Pepper of rock tours, it circumnavigated the globe twice in almost two years and the momentum propelled them through Zooropa - a planned single to be recorded in touring breaks that grew into an EP and eventually became their eighth album in 1993.

In 1997 came its successor, Pop, with producer Flood joined by Howie B and Steve Osborne, both with immaculate credentials for cutting edge production. The experiment paid off as Pop topped the charts in 27 countries and gave them their third UK number one single in Discothèque. It was accompanied by the lemon scented sci-fi disco supermarket that was the PopMart world tour and which saw U2 fulfil their Zoo TV promise to bring their live show to the fledgling peace of Sarajevo.

A collection, U2: The Best of 1980 - 1990 came in '98, and has sold more than 13 million copies to date.

Meanwhile, the band returned to the studio with Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno to record All That You Can't Leave Behind. Released in October 2000 it went to number one in 32 countries, with first single Beautiful Day also taking the top spot in the UK. The album garnered a total of seven Grammy Awards including Song of the Year for "Beautiful Day" and two consecutive Record of the Year awards for "Beautiful Day and "Walk On." U2 were also honoured with two Brit Awards. Once again, U2 was named Band of the Year by Rolling Stone magazine, as well as by Spin magazine and Bono graced the cover of Time. Playing a series of gigs in small clubs for the first time in 17 years, Bono announced that U2 were reapplying for their old job …the world's biggest rock band. As they took the Elevation tour through Europe and the States (twice) in 2001, the unanimous verdict was that they had succeeded, selling out all 113 arena dates while the album, with more than 10 million sales in its first year, is the fastest selling new release of their career.