TECHNO LA LA

An Australian vessel has arrived in East Antarctica in a renewed bid to free a scientific mission ship trapped in dense pack ice since Tuesday. But bad weather is hampering efforts to reach the Russian Academician Shokalskiy, says the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). Earlier rescue attempts by Chinese and French icebreakers were foiled by the thick ice. Seventy-four scientists, tourists and crew are on the Shokalskiy. The vessel is being used by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition to follow the route explorer Douglas Mawson travelled a century ago. The Shokalskiy remains well stocked with food and is in no danger, according to the team. Despite being trapped, the scientists have continued their experiments, measuring temperature and salinity through cracks in the surrounding ice. Three-metre wall AMSA which is coordinating the rescue, said the Aurora Australis was having trouble reaching the Shokalskiy because of "poor visibility".

After a flood, hurricane or earthquake, people need shelter, but providing it can be difficult and time-consuming. Adem Onalan , an industrial designer from Istanbul, came up with an answer: the  LifeBox , a winner of an award from Red Dot design institute in Germany. Lifebox is a foldable shelter that doubles as a container for supplies. Each LifeBox is small and light enough to be carried by two people — the whole thing is only about four feet long by two feet high and two feet wide and weighs in at about 165 pounds. A typical pallet can hold eight of them. A 50-foot truck can carry 192 and a small cargo plane can transport 160.