by Kazuhiro Shimamura
TOKYO, March 28
(AFP)
Japan�s Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. has developed robotic bears, cats and tigers as pets to comfort the growing number of old people in the country.
With 27 percent of the population expected to be over 65 by 2025, it expects a growing and increasingly lucrative market for a gadget that can even save its owners� lives.
Weighing just one kilogram (2.2 pounds), the furry robot, available in cat, tiger and bear varieties, smiles and delivers verbal greetings when touched, according to Matsushita spokesman Yoshihiro Kitadeya.
A microship inside the pet stores every interaction with its owner and analyses the log to decide for itself when to wake up and kick off a conversation with a friendly �good morning,� Kitadeya said.
�Its eyes are composed of a liquid crystal display panel so the robot can smile at you or act like a living pet by simulating sleepy eyes,� said the spokesman.
The robotic pet�s information logs can be accessed through telecommunication links such as mobile telephones to monitor interactions with owners living without human company.
30/03/1867 - Alaska was purchased from Russia for two-cents an acre!
30/03/1923 - The Audubon Ballroom in New York City was the scene of the first dance marathon. Alma Cummings danced the fox trot, one-step and waltz with half a dozen partners. It is not known who was among the survivors...
30/03/1981 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan was shot in the chest by a would-be assassin as the President walked to his limousine in Washington DC. Press Secretary, James Brady, and two police officers were also wounded in the attack. John W. Hinkley Jr. was convicted of the crime.
30/03/1853 - Vincent van Gogh was born (post- impressionist artist: The Potato Eaters, Sunflowers, The Night Cafe)
30/03/1937 - Warren Beatty (actor: Bonnie and Clyde; director: Reds, Dick Tracy)
30/03/1945 - Eric Clapton (rock guitarist: group: Yardbirds: For Your Love; song writer: Layla, score for The Hit; Grammy Award-winning singer: Bad Love [1990], Tears from Heaven and Unplugged LP [1993], I Shot the Sheriff, Lay Down Sally, Promises, I Can�t Stand It, Wonderful Tonight)
31/03/1943 - Christopher Walken (actor: Deerhunter, Batman Returns, Wayne�s World 2, Pulp Fiction)
01/04/1778 � Businessman Oliver Pollok from New-Orlean had invented a dollar sign � $.
01/04/1826 - Samuel Morey of Oxford, New Hampshire, patented the internal combustion engine. It was pretty much the kind of engine we still use in cars and trucks, but not as complicated and needing less maintenance than those of today. That�s what we call progress.
01/04/1957 - All of Great Britain was fooled this April Fool�s Day by England�s famous newscaster, Richard Dimbleby. The newscaster, wrapping up the day�s news on �Panorama�, the BBC�s current affairs program, reported about the �spring spaghetti crop in Italy.� The filmed report showed the spaghetti (some ten pounds of the stuff) being picked from a tree. Many Brits believed him, by Jove!
01/04/1987 - Steve Newman became the first man to walk solo around the world. No joke! The 15,000-mile trek took him four years and untold pairs of shoes to complete. His first words after completing the journey, �Man, my dogs are achin�!�
April, 2
The State Philharmonic sosiety. The State Orchestra �Academy of Soloists�. 6.00. p.m.
From 4 th of March
Gallery of Modern Art �Orkhon�. Bouquet of Flowers Exhibition.
From 5.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.
From 21st of March
The Kosteyev State National Museum. German Paintings of the 15-19 centuries.
The Kosteyev State National Museum. Exhibition of Richard Spooner�s private Collection.
The Kosteyev State National Museum. Exhibition of the works of S. Kalmykov, I. Itkind, V. Eifert, and Rudolf Nuriev�s painting.
From 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Closed on Monday.
All Over the Globe is published by IPA House.
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