Sreejith C J

Nightlife in Kerala and the return of the Hanuman Padaram

2011-11-04T13:05:00.001+05:30

Nightlife in Kerala borders around being nil. Those star-studded skies
reflecting against the crashing waves, the sight of a distant Nishagandhi
blooming, the dance of a hundred fireflies to the music of the foxes, the
multi-colored brilliance of the disco lights shooting across the pub floor –
the visualization is entirely lost on the native Malayalee who has quit being a
witness to the magic of Kerala’s nightlife long ago, thanks to the rising crime
rates in the state.

The situation has deteriorated to such an extent that the new-age Malayalee is
reduced to describing Kerala’s dusk-to-dawn hours from what he has learned
through the narrator on National Geographic. Because, come seven o’clock and
the Mallu bolts his gates and double-checks his doors, and tucks his children to
bed early – just in case the “Hanuman Pandaram” of the night (native version
of the bogeyman) decides to pay them a visit.

And that is just what they have become –Kerala’s nocturnal rackets– the
modern day network of bogeymen, now reigning the nightmares of the average
Malayalee adult. The fears firmly rooted in the incidents one reads or sees in
the news, nightlife in Kerala –except in cities like Kochi- is presently limited to
men, that too preferably in a group.

As remarkable as it is, burgeoning IT industries and the consequent Tech parks
in the state have not managed to change the off-work attitude of the Mallu.
Whereas metros like Mumbai have their jacks and jills hopping pubs after
a ‘neck-breaking’ nine-hour work regime, the coders and testers of Kerala head
straight home to the promises of the television set. Better safe than sorry. No,
it is not the lack of night clubs or getaways, but organized crime that is curbing
the Malayalee’s enthusiasm.

Kerala has the second highest crime rate in the country, a good share of the
crimes targeting womenfolk. The massive socio-economic advancements
the state has hitherto made pale when placed against its glaring crime rates.
Kerala’s achievements on the literacy front, its developments in the technology
front and its hot seat as a preferred tourist destination – all stand wasted
under the rule of the bogeymen lurking in the shadows of the still night.

Google launches 'self-driving' car technology

2011-10-21T18:53:00.001+05:30

Search giant Google has now unveiled a self-driving car technology that is designed to help people with mobility issues and to combat congestion.

The website's co-founder, Sergey Brin, recently announced that ten percent of the company is working on innovative projects outside the web domain, the first of which is the building of "autonomous" cars.

The driverless vehicles would travel through normal roads under the instruction of computers and would help people to combat congestion.

"There are a lot of people who can't get around, whether you have a disability, whether you're old or you're young," Fox News quoted Brin, as saying.

"There's also just incredible urban congestion caused by the need for parking. There's highway congestion because humans don't accurately drive on roads with smaller spacing. There's a tremendous opportunity to improve the world," he added.

According to the report, the car works using a rotating 75,000-dollars laser on its roof called a "lidar" that gives a 360-degree, 3D understanding of the car's surroundings that is accurate to two centimeters.

A computer in the trunk compares this information with known maps, and as a result, the car knows every road and traffic light.

The car is also capable of reacting to other cars and pedestrians, in any weather conditions and at any time of day.

Brin said that autonomous cars successfully completed a "1,000-miles challenge," in which they drove through a complex route including city streets and fast highways without human intervention.

But he also said the project remains in the research and development stage and will not go on sale for some time.

Etiquette tips for the office

2011-04-12T16:16:00.000+05:30

Many people spend more time with their colleagues than with members of their own family. That's reason enough to strive for a good climate in the workplace. Observing a few rules of etiquette is often sufficient to get along with co-workers. There are so many pitfalls between the office kitchen and the conference room.

Gossiping about colleagues, getting too familiar with superiors or wearing a far-too-deeply plunging neckline are perfect ways to earn a dubious reputation on the job. People who want to work in an office with a nice atmosphere should by all means watch their manners while on the job. Here's a list of the most important rules guiding office behaviour:

Be punctual and dependable: "Most people become annoyed when someone wastes their time," said Susanne Helbach-Grosser, a business etiquette trainer in Germany. Employees should ask for help early when they are unable to handle their workload, but they should also be aware that if they constantly complain about stress it can get on their co-workers' nerves.

Eating at one's desk: When someone occasionally munches an apple at his or her desk, it is completely acceptable, said Agnes Jarosch of a German organisation dedicated to counselling people about etiquette. "But when I sit at my desk and unpack a steaming hot cutlet that spreads its aroma throughout the bureau, that is inconsiderate toward colleagues," said Jarosch. It's better to consume meals like that in the breakroom or at a restaurant.

Heat on or window open?: This is a classic conflict because it's often the case that the room temperature is too hot for one colleague, but too cold for another. "There's often a row when a co-worker simply throws a window open or lowers the air conditioning without asking first," said Helbach-Grosser. There's no simple solution for this problem. "The colleagues must talk with each other. There's no way around it."

Office attire for men: Men have it easier than women when it comes to selecting the right clothing for the office, said style consultant Renate Sperber. Men don't always have to wear a business suit, however.

"It's important that his clothes are well-groomed. Thanks to its collar, a polo shirt has a completely different effect than a simple T-shirt," Sperber said. "But a colleague who wears a wrinkled T-shirt to work signals to his colleagues that he doesn't care what impression he makes on them. That isn't much appreciated."

Office attire for women: "Women should uphold the business dress code unfailingly," said Sperber. Dressing in sexy clothing is taboo. Women can get by with wearing bright colours these days. "But the trend is moving toward neat and preppy. You should also occasionally dress in a solid colour." She added that discreet makeup is an absolute must.

Mobile phone etiquette: As long as there are not constantly private conversations, using a private mobile phone in the office usually doesn't cause a problem, said Helbach-Grosser. But be careful with ringtones: Those that make the sound of a crying baby or tweeting birds for example are unprofessional, she said.

Ladies first: "Certain chivalrous gestures continue to make a good impression," said Jarosch. But colleagues should realise that woman can also be polite. When a male colleague carries a huge pile of files, for example, the female colleague should hold the door open for him.

New emigration law to safeguard interests of Indians abroad

2010-03-26T23:34:00.001+05:30

The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) is drafting a new emigration legislation to safeguard the interests of Indians settled abroad, union Minister of State for Planning and Parliamentary Affairs V.Narayanasamy Thursday said.

Promising to pursue a pro-active policy to transform the emigration system and empower emigrants through systematic interventions of the MOIA, he said the government is doing its best to protect the Indian emigrants from unscrupulous elements.

Addressing a gathering here after presenting visa papers to 200 immigrants to Canada at an ceremony of World Wide Immigration Consultancy Services (WWICS) here, Narayanasamy stressed the need for seeking legal route for emigration.

Noting that international migration was an important dimension impacting economic relations between the developed and developing countries, he hoped that the 200 new immigrants will bring laurels to the country by their hard work.

WWICS provides global resettlement solutions for emigration to countries like Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia under the skilled worker, business and study visa categories.

WWICS chairman B.S. Sandhu revealed that the Canadian government is reconsidering its priority occupation list (POL) of 38 occupations and a new list will come into effect from May 1 this year. He advised the aspirants to file their papers before May 1, if their occupation is already listed in the POL.

He said that since its formation in 1993, WWICS has settled nearly 400,000 people abroad.

New BSNL Broadband Users Get Unlimited Downloads

2010-03-26T18:12:00.000+05:30

While private players are doing all they can to cash in on the recent IPL fever, BSNL, who never seemed least interested in the cashing in on any phenomenon has thrown a surprise and has announced a plan that might just make all you BSNL broadband users happy. Even though existing users would not be benefited by these offers, they can always hope for something on these lines would be introduced for them as well.

BSNL has revealed the details of a new plan for broadband service that can be availed by users taking a new connection from BSNL. Under this offer, all users who register for the service before March 31 will enjoy unlimited downloads at speeds of up to 2mbps.

BSNL also adds that they will not charge registration charges for these new connections. Note that BSNL will offer speeds of up to 2mbps for the first 15 days on these connections. After the 15 day period, the plan will revert to the one that the customer had originally chosen. Users who chose a plan that offers less than 2 mbps, will get a speed upgrade for 15 days after which the speed will drop. The user will need to pay Security

Deposit for the opted Broadband Plan and the Modem Security Deposit (in case Modem is taken on hire basis from BSNL). These would reflect in the first bill you receive. BSNL has also informed that the minimum period of hire for customers who avail this scheme would be one month. Head to the BSNL website for more information on this.

To overcome the staffing shortage and increase the number,UAE needs around 7,000 more nurses

2010-03-25T09:05:00.002+05:30

The UAE needs around 7,000 more nurses to overcome the staffing shortage and increase the number by at least 25 to 30 per cent. There are approximately 23,000 nurses and midwives working across the seven emirates.
The secretary of the Nursing and Midwifery Council said that low wages, low status and limited career progression are all factors influencing the shortage. An increase of 30 per cent would bring the number to almost 30,000, ’The National’ newspaper quoted the council officials as saying.

Fatima al Rifai, director of the federal department of nursing at the UAE’s Ministry of Health and secretary of the new council, said the shortage of nurses and midwives was compounded in the UAE by the perceived low status of the profession. "A lack of unified regulation also affects the identity and image of nurses and midwives," she said, adding By 2015 we would like to have a new system where nurses and midwives only need to register with one agency and will all meet the same minimum standard."

The History of Valentine's Day

2010-02-13T12:15:00.007+05:30

Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial — which probably occurred around 270 A.D — others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.

The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February — Valentine's Day — should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt.

In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged.

Web-conferencing tool - a cost free communication media.

2010-02-08T12:10:00.001+05:30

In this expanding world of business transactions, web conferencing is the latest technological advance to allow business owners to work smarter within the short span of time. Web conferencing enables the participants to log into a system and share information with others involved in the same project.While some web conferencing allows for an instant message-type chatting between participants, others give a virtual whiteboard for running through ideas. This has made the communication medium far more easier than the traditional way which is costlier and far more time consuming.

The benefits of web conferencing are wide-reaching. It makes the business world run more effectively and efficiently by using a few simple tools. The primary benefit of web conferencing is the time saved through using these systems. Instead of planning a meeting based on getting everyone to a single location, companies can hold meetings quickly with web conferencing.It allows at-home workers to be present at company meetings. Entrepreneurs at home can host meetings without revealing their work location. Web conferencing also is environmentally friendly as it reduces fuel costs associated with work travel.

The benefits of web conferencing open new possibilities for small businesses to large corporations. Business owners cut costs, time, and energy by planning through web conferencing tools. While the benefit may seem small to larger companies with multi-million-dollar budgets, the small business owner will save money that then can go to other company projects. Using web conferencing also permits companies to work globally in a way that was difficult before the Internet. Workers in any country with Internet access can participate, opening personnel options for small companies thus paving the way for effective business transactions.

Maintain personal safety while Cyber Dating.

2010-02-08T12:09:00.001+05:30

Today can you imagine a home or work place without internet . Internet has become a dare devil. The more one gets accustomed to the tool, the more we enjoy exploring with it. But danger lies ahead if we don't smell that sneaky mouse trap set for fall. In a very busy and complex world, there is limited time for socializing which has prompted users to find friends and life partners online. Today cyber dating has become one of the most popular dating venues. Gone are those days when lovers had to wait desperately for sharing flowers and candies.Not only does cyber dating enlarge our social circle and contacts, but can also court them.

This does not mean that cyber dating can always land you up in trouble. But today nobody is safe anywhere. Especially when you seek the aid of internet for choosing your spouse. Once you have displayed your personal identity you become others public property. Like any other dating situation you should take precautions. When you meet someone online, remember never to post,fax,e-mail or share personal information. Do not provide tidbits of information that can retrive your personal address,phone number or work place.

Cyberdating is just equal to blind dating.Accept the fact that inspite of chatting,texting,corresponding or talking online,they are strangers.Who knows if the details are fake or exact. When the time has come for meeting your cyberdate try to arrange the meeting in a public place such as a mall or zoo. Contact your neighbourhood friends or family and tell them about the arrangement. If your date raises objections to this, there is something fishy. Don't depend on the entire details said by them. Imagine they have told some lies to you. Consider the feedback you get from your family and friends about this individual.

Safety counts first.After all cyber dating is a great way to meet people.

Is your so called boyfriend!!?? really playing tricks with you....

2010-02-08T12:08:00.001+05:30

To be frank, majority is indeed trying to hide their real identity in the name of love. Most of the guys never prefer to make commitments as they fear about the reality. Lot of women trust their boyfriend blindly.But is your spouse true to you? Many guys out there want to be with you just to have some time, fun and nothing more. Before you fall into a unescapable trench make your detective nerves more sharp and open. Check these tips:
1. If your surprise visits to his workplace or home irritates him, then there is something fishy for sure. His objections imply that he is trying to hide something from you.

2. If he refuses to meet you on some specific days of the week, he must have made an arrangement with someone else.

3. If he likes meeting you in secluded and far off places, he does not want anyone to spot you with him.

4. He avoids talking about his past life, past relationships and his family. A man who is not serious about his relationship would never like to discuss such personal matters. Even raising such topics will make him distracted and disturbed.

5. Guys who wish to flirt is never willing to spend the entire day together with you. The maximum time he wishes to spend with you would be not more than 5-6 hours.

6. He prefers to maintain a secretive space on his cell phone,and usually walks off at a distance to listen to his phone calls. He becomes angry if you even touch or fiddle with his cell phone or laptop.

7. He changes his appointments with you very often posing that something urgent at work or home is holding him back.

8. If the guy does not show any interest in your friends or family, that means he won't be there by your side for long.

9. He never prefers to open the topic of you and him together.He avoids talking about the two of you moving in together and ignores the topic of marriage and kids.

These are the warning signals indicating a foul greasy trap in your relationship.But never doubt your boyfriend when you notice one of these visible signs in him.But if more than three of these signs are evident, then you must start your own spy work to know about your boyfriend's integrity.

Operate home appliances via SMS

2010-02-05T18:27:00.000+05:30

A ’low cost device’ for operating electrical home appliances through short message service (SMS) via cell phones has been developed at the Zakir Hussain College of Engineering and Technology here. The device will allow users to operate electrical appliances at their home from anywhere in the world at any time at a very low cost, a college spokesman said.

Existing technologies for home automation presently require Internet, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi systems which are comparatively expensive, he said.

The device was developed by Abdullah Azhar and Kamal Gupta, both final year B.Tech students of Department of Electronics. The device won the second prize at the international exhibition of ’Electrical and Industrial Electronics’ held in Mumbai recently.

Singapore may be the new financial hub

2009-11-28T21:50:00.002+05:30

The jury is out on what the future holds for Dubai. Fund managers and high-street bankers see the fall of Dubai as a prelude to the emergence of Singapore as the undisputed financial centre of Asia.

But for diamond merchants who left Antwerp to escape the harsh Belgian laws, traders handling third-country exports to the Arab world and Africa, and slush money dealers who found Dubai more friendly than the Swiss banks, the city state has no equal. For them, it could even make sense to re-enter the Dubai property market which drew Bollywood actors as well as the Russian mafia.

“Dubai has a different charm. Many Indians, I feel, have discovered the world of numbered accounts in Dubai... besides, there’s no tax for individuals and corporates. Only foreign banks and insurance companies have to pay a nominal tax,” says Dilip J Thakkar, an expert on Fema matters.

Surely, Singapore or Hong Kong, with tax rates of 18% and 16%, respectively, can’t match this. Many, like Mr Thakkar, are betting that it will soon be business as usual. They think that investors will take haircuts, European banks (which may be holding as much as $40 billion of Dubai’s $80 billion debt) will sell a slice of their investments, and a Kazakh-style clean-up and debt write-off will get the builder’s paradise up on its feet.

But many fear the stigma would stick.

“Market forces in Dubai never work the way they do in other parts of the world. Dubai never really became a financial centre and a large part of its progress was based on what was taking place in its real estate market. It never attained the stature that was given to a market like Hong Kong,” feels Munesh Khanna, managing director of the investment bank Centrum Capital. Singapore, according to Mr Khanna, will be a major beneficiary.

It will be a bigger damage if Dubai authorities are not quick enough in striking a deal with the lenders, as this will impact capital flows to many emerging markets. The very shadow of default could make life difficult for the private sector in the entire Gulf region. Over the past few years, private firms have turned more dependent on foreign borrowing to fund their local growth, and chances are that foreign banks may trim exposure to the region.

Indeed, “increased scrutiny by foreign lenders could curtail domestic growth in the region and aggravate the credit constraints on large family groups,” said an internal note of one of the foreign banks with exposure to the region.

There is a higher possibility that investors would now prefer to operate out of more established jurisdictions, says Siddharth Shah who heads the corporate and securities practice group at the law firm Nishith Desai Associates. “What could help Singapore is its long history of a successful financial centre,” says Mr Shah.

According to Seshagiri Rao, CFO and joint MD of JSW Group, markets may not collapse dramatically, but people fear that there may be more defaults of this kind in the days ahead. While many would agree with Mr Rao that the present sell-off in the financial market is to an extent sentiment-driven, global banks are grappling with an element of mistrust and disbelief.

“Even if this does turn out to be a voluntary restructuring, the lack of clarity and ill-timing of this announcement are likely to raise the international cost of financing for the Emirate for some time to come,” says a note prepared by a large US bank. “Why did it happen? We frankly find no compelling explanation for such a move,” says the note.

Forget net banking,you can m-bank on the go

2009-11-28T21:44:00.001+05:30

Internet banking has made lives enormously simpler for those who have access to the world wide web. But in terms of penetration, net banking is yet to achieve the kind of usage that is witnessed by ATMs.

“Post RBI’s regulations on mobile banking issued in September last year, several banks had started working on launching their mobile banking services, and the hectic activity seen in this space in the last few days is the result of the culmination of these efforts,” says Ajay Adiseshann , managing director of PayMate, an mcommerce facilitator.

Though services such as balance check, transaction enquiry and alerts were available with most banks even earlier, this has gained momentum now, as rolling out of full-fledged m-banking facilities is in full swing. Most banks allow their customers to avail of mobile banking even if they have not registered for Internet banking services.

Banking on the move

As per RBI guidelines, an individual can transfer funds — to another account with the same bank or other banks through his/her mobile, subject to a cap of Rs 5,000 per day. For paying your bills/making purchases through your m-banking account, this limit would stand enhanced to Rs 10,000 per day.

Furthermore, banks are allowed to set monthly limits for their customers. For instance , State Bank of India has placed a ceiling of Rs 30,000 in a month for these transactions.

Within these restrictions, you can carry out almost all the transactions that you can do through net banking, including transferring funds, paying credit card and other utility bills, ordering cheque books and demand drafts and issuing stop payment instructions from your cell phone.

Getting started

To avail of these services, you need to download the mobile banking application from your bank’s website on to your cell phone, and get registered for this facility. Generally, any Javaenabled cell phone model (cost starting at Rs 3,000) would be able to support this application .

You would require a GPRS mobile Internet connection (which your cellular operator will make available on request) to transact through this channel. This facility is meant to be operator-agnostic , meaning, that it should be available across cellular operators.

However, you would do well to check the list of telecom service providers through whom your bank is offering this service currently. Some banks also offer m-banking on the sms platform.

While the bank will not levy charges for offering this service, you may have to pay some charges — for use of GPRS/SMS — as specified by your cellular operator. However, some banks could levy nominal charges if you are using your debit or credit card for the purpose.

Securing transactions

The central bank, in its guidelines, has laid down certain parameters for ensuring that mobile banking transactions are done in a protected environment.

Within this framework, banks have taken steps to secure these transactions .

“Access to the customer’s account is protected through a secure Internet PIN (IPIN) known only to the customer. Further, for any funds transfer or payments-related functionality, the customer has to set-up the payee online and only then transfer through mobile,” informs Vijay Ramchandran, chief marketing officer of Citi South Asia.

For using your credit card, apart from entering your card details, you would need to enter your date of birth and create an MPIN — similar to an ATM PIN — that is used to validate all transactions.

If you lose your mobile phone, besides contacting your telecom service provider to deactivate the SIM card, you need to contact your bank or credit card issuer to inform them about the same. “ngpay is a tamper-proof digital wallet on your phone that stores your bank account /credit card/debit card details in an encrypted form.

Even if you lose your phone, unauthorised users cannot access ngpay or your payment/banking transactions without the unique MPIN.

This provides 128-bit end-toend financial grade security from the user’s handset through to the application servers,” explains an SBI Cards spokesperson.

Like in case of any other password-protected transactions, in addition to security measures taken by banks, you need to take basic steps such as ensuring that your mobile banking password is not saved on your mobile phone itself or noted down elsewhere.

AirAsia, low-cost carrier tickets become cheaper

2009-10-22T12:29:00.002+05:30

AirAsia, low-cost carrier in Malaysia is providing a gate way from Kuala Lumpur to major cities in Asia and Australia. It will launch direct flights from Indian cities of Kolkata, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram to Kuala Lumpur and from Kuala Lumpur to other cities.

AirAsia will begin its daily direct flights at a starting price of Rs. 1499 from Indian cities to Kuala Lumpur. The current price is for the one way trip. The booking ends on October 25.

This present fares will be in effect for the period of November 12, 2009, to July 31, 2010, for Kochi, November 16, 2009, to July 31, 2010, for Thiruvananthapuram and November 19, 2009, to July 31, 2010, for Kolkata.

AirAsia has also announced its air fares from Kuala Lumpur to major cities in Asia and Australia. The ticket fare from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore is Rs. 435. To Phuket(Thailand) is Rs. 1482 and to Melbourne or Perth in Australia is Rs. 3728. Kuala Lumpur - Bangkok is Rs.2, 756.60 and Kuala Lumpur - Hong Kong is Rs.2917- 2184 Rs.These are the fares for one way trip only.

The total air fare for to and fro journey to Australia from India will be Rs. 10454. To Thailand will be Rs. 5962, to Singapore, Rs. 3868 and to China is Rs. 8510.

AirAsia also announced holiday packages along with stay in Kuala Lumpur. The stay is for four days and three nights. The fare includes the charges of both flight and hotel.

Some of the hotels and their packages are
Tunes Hotel- Starting from Rs. 5283
Citrus hotel- Starting from Rs. 6427
Chorus Hotel- Starting from Rs. 6933
Hotel Equatorial- Starting from Rs. 8449
Renaissance- Starting from Rs. 7944

Norms simplified for grant of mega power status

2009-10-02T21:22:00.001+05:30

The Centre has approved a slew of modifications to the Mega Power Policy, essentially aiming at simplifying the procedure for grant of mega certificate for projects and encouraging indigenous manufacturing in the field of super-critical power equipment. A ‘mega’ status entails fiscal benefits such as tax holidays and duty breaks on import of equipment for the project developer.

The amendments to the policy, approved by the Union Cabinet on Thursday, include scrapping the condition that required a mega power project to sell electricity to more than one State. The clause on inter-State power sale has been done away in view of a multi-fold increase in demand across States, which now makes it possible for large industrialised States such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat to consume all of the electricity that a mega project can generate, a Power Ministry official said.

New rules

Under the new rules, States purchasing power from mega projects will not be required to privatise their distribution utilities to qualify for the fiscal sops under the scheme, as was mandated earlier. Instead, they just need to “undertake to carry out distribution reforms as laid out by the Power Ministry,” according to the modified policy.

Benefits of the scheme have also been extended to the new super critical-technology based projects to be awarded through international competitive bidding, with the mandatory condition of setting up indigenous manufacturing facility.

Besides, while a basic Customs duty of 2.5 per cent will be imposed on imports for expansion of existing mega projects, all other benefits under the policy available to Greenfield projects would also be available to expansion units as well.

The modifications to the policy includes the withdrawal of the 15 per cent price preference for domestic equipment makers bidding for projects being executed by public sector companies under tariff-based competitive bidding process. However, the 15 per cent price preference will continue for domestic bidders in the case of cost plus projects being set up by public sector companies.

Threshold size

The threshold size requirement — 1,000 MW for fossil fuel-fired plants and 500 MW for hydel units — for projects to qualify for the mega power benefits has, however, not been tinkered with. While the term ‘mega’ project denotes stations that qualify under the Mega Power Policy criterion, the new term of ‘Ultra Mega Power Projects’ has been coined for a slew of generation plants that are coming up across the country, which have a minimum size of 4,000 MW each.

“The basic idea behind the amendments was to rationalise the policy and bring it in consonance with the National Electricity Policy 2005 and Tariff Policy 2006,” a Power Ministry official said.

New bill to make immigration process simpler

2009-10-02T21:21:00.000+05:30

It is good news for those wanting to go abroad for greener pastures as the proposed immigration bill, which is likely to be tabled in the next session of Parliament, seeks to transform the process into a simple and hassle-free exercise.

Although the proposed law, which will replace the existing one, will make immigration transparent, it also aims to tighten noose against those unscrupulous agents who often dupe people seeking to go abroad.

“The objective of the proposed new law is to transform immigration into a simple, transparent process while it will have stricter penal provision against unscrupulous agents,” a top official of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs said.

The official said, under the new law, an Emigration Management Authority (EMA) is proposed to be created replacing the existing Protector General of Emigrants and EMA will create a user-friendly online system to ensure hassle-free emigration.

He said as per the new bill, all the recruiting agencies will be regulated and registration of agencies made mandatory based on specific criteria. “Human smuggling and exploitation of emigrants are being criminalised with stringent penalties for offences .

BSNL launches festive tariff scheme

2009-10-02T21:19:00.002+05:30

State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) on Friday announced the launch of a tariff scheme for the festive season. It has introduced night packs where the user would be charged 20 paise per minute for local calls and 50 paise per minute for S TD calls between 11 pm and 7 am, BSNL said in a statement.

Under its GPRS plan, BSNL will provide unlimited data usage for Rs 230, it added. It has also launched two SMS packs for Rs 30 (all local and national messages would be charged at 10 paise) and Rs 50 (300 local and national SMS free).

“BSNL has launched aggressive pricing strategy to increase penetration in the country as well as to make its products competitive and value for money in this fiercely competitive market,” BSNL said.

The co has also introduced one paise per second pulse (for local calls) and two paise per second pulse (for STD calls) in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.

Meena's marriage started contemplating divorce

2009-07-28T20:06:00.004+05:30

Actress Meena had tied the knot with the Bangalore based software engineer Vidyasagar on July 12 at the holy abode of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala. It has been hardly a week since their grand wedding reception had taken place in Chennai and the latest news is that the couple have already started contemplating of divorce!

Well that may sound too cinematic, if it may said so. However some who attended the wedding reception did sense the cold vibes between the actress and her husband. At their wedding reception, he was often sported standing alone and pictures have been floated in the web of the actress scolding her husband dear in midst of the gathering. Before the commencement of the function, Vidyasagar was seen standing aloof without any interest in the proceedings whatsoever.

The grapevine is rife with stories of the actress not keen on continuing with the relation and likewise the husband hardly willing to bear the brunt of an unhappy relation.

Kavya- Nishal heads for a splits ville?

2009-07-23T14:18:00.001+05:30

Marriages are made in heaven, so they used to say, till our glamorous stars have given new meanings to relationships. Marriage is no longer a bond of love, but one of convenience, lacking commitment, let alone love and understanding.

Keralite’s favorite actress Kavya Madhavan is ready to get divorced. It is heard that Kavya’s family may approach the family court today as part of arranging the divorce.

The actress got married at the Kollur Mookambika temple on February 5 this year to Nishal Chandran, working as a technical advisor in National Bank of Kuwait. Soon after the marriage, however, differences began to crop up between the two, leading to divorce.

It is because Nishal is from Trivandrum that the family decided to file the case in Trivandrum. There are reports that the court will be approached with media attention on another day.

The divorce case has been filed through a prominent lawyer from Ernakulam. The lawyer has reminded Kavya’s family that only if the married couple lives separate for a year would they be eligible to apply for divorce. However, the family has decided to approach the court.

Fly high, but keep your phone bill grounded

2009-07-10T18:41:00.000+05:30

Millions of us will make a break for foreign climes this summer, forking out an average of £2,100 for a holiday for a family of four, according to the Office of National Statistics. So the last thing we need while enduring the post-holiday comedown is a huge mobile phone bill for calling envious friends and family from the beach.

The good news is that the European Union has succeeded in curbing the costs of calling within the EU area, with the "Eurotariff" introduced last summer. The costs of texts are expected to go the same way.

But in the meantime, providers can hit holidaymakers and business trippers hard with call, text and data download costs, and your usual mobile habits in the UK could cost thousands of pounds from overseas.

Last summer, the EU imposed a cap on the amount a mobile provider in a member country could charge for calls made and received abroad. You should not pay more than 49 cents (around 35 to 38 pence) per minute to make a call and around 24 cents (18 to 19 pence) to receive a call per minute.

But making calls while abroad does not fall into any prepaid "bundle" of call minutes, so you will pay extra for the calls regardless of whether you have any free minutes or not in your package. And for now, any international text message will still cost you between 25 and 40 pence.

And that's not all. "It is common practice to charge a full first minute for any national or roaming call made, regardless of length," warns Ed Richards, chief executive of the communications regulator Ofcom. "If the call lasts longer than a minute, the remainder is charged per second or, sometimes, per 30-second interval. This means that a 20- or 30-second call could be charged as if it took one minute."

The cost of downloading data while roaming is the stuff of nightmares. It costs between £3 and £8 to download one megabit of data – that's the equivalent of one photo message. Trawling the internet or downloading a few emails to your blackberry could easily cost you £50 a time. Woe betide you if you download that essential last episode of The Apprentice – a couple of hours' worth of BBC iPlayer and you could very easily come home to a bill for thousands of pounds. Outside the EU things get worse as, generally, the further from the UK you get, the more expensive using your mobile becomes.

"We have concerns about the high cost of text, data and voice roaming," says Richards. "Before travelling, consumers must check their tariff and ensure that they are aware of the cost of making calls, texting and downloading data in advance."

"Racking up extortionate bills on your mobile is easy," adds Rob Barnes of price comparison site Moneysupermarket.com. "But by doing a bit of research, and being careful with your mobile usage, you can save yourself a nasty shock when you get your next bill."

Myth busting

"Assuming that you are saving money on expensive calls by texting or getting your friends and family to call you is a very common mistake," warns Barnes. "Because international text message costs are for now uncapped and unregulated, engaging in a text conversation with someone could cost you more than briefly calling the person. And people often don't realise that when someone calls them, the recipient, and not the caller will be charged the extra cost of the international call over the UK call."

Calling your voicemail is also a big no-no as this is a call to the UK. Recording a voicemail greeting, asking callers only to leave urgent messages, may mean that you don't waste cash retrieving messages from friends innocently asking whether you fancy a drink at your local pub while you are in Cambodia.

Passport control

Before you go, check out the international packages offered by the UK mobile networks, such as Vodafone's Passport service. These arrangements must be put in place before you go away. A month's roaming tariff can be anything up to £3, but can be free depending on your network. If there is a monthly charge, you will have to actively cancel it when you get home otherwise you will continue to be charged.

"This is probably the best option for you if you are going to be away for a while and will be using your phone a lot," says Barnes. "Otherwise, the cost of the service may not be worth it."

International networks, such as T-Mobile, which operates in the United States and Europe as well as the UK, may also offer better deals. Calling the UK from the US for example, will cost around 50p a minute, one of the cheapest rates available.

Dropping out

If you are overseas for longer than a few weeks, a local SIM card may be a better solution than using your regular phone provider. "Buying local SIM cards for your destination country will remove the international call cost altogether because when calling within that country, you are on a local not international call," Barnes suggests.

"This is most suited to travellers who are away from home for a few months, and may be calling friends in the local area."

A number of providers sell local and global SIM cards, such as Story Telecom (www.story telecom.com), Go-SIM, (www.gosim.com) and Sim4Travel (www.sim4travel.com) as well as the national networks in your destination country. Some even allow you to keep your existing number when you switch.

But one of the cheapest ways of calling internationally is to bypass the networks all together. Millions of people worldwide have come round to the voice over internet protocol (Voip), which allows users to call each other via the internet for free.

Although newer mobiles often have internet connection features, operating Skype from a mobile is a task for experts. But late last year, the 3 network released the Skypephone, a 3G internet phone with Skype capability. It means that as long as you are in a Wi-Fi area, you can contact other Skype users for free, or call non-users for only three or four pence. The Skypephone costs pay-as-you-go customers £49.99 and is free for contract customers on 3.

Procrastination [Never wait till tomorrow]

2009-07-04T00:23:00.002+05:30

Now the economic sector is down on the rock and has disturbed the comfortable lives of the people. The present jobs of the employees are in joepardy and cutbacks are frequently experienced everywhere. In such a situation everyone is busy trying to post their resumes in different companies to make themselves secure. W ith so much tension and frustration in your head you get depressed and procrastinate about things that need your attention.

Procrastination arises when the person keeps waiting for the right time or the right mood to be favourable for work.

Procrastination also results from the person's inability to organise oneself and focus on the specific goals. Perfectionism, fear of failure and poor decision skills also spell doom on one's level of thinking and performing the task specifically and rationally. Whatever, procrastination sets a real drawback in this fast paced and highly intensive competitive world.For every problem there is a solution is a usual saying. Thanks to your habit, a little bit of effort along with getting into a virtuous pattern of doing things in the right manner within a specified time is the cure to this .

Following these simple methods not only helps you to do the assigned tasks with confidence and determination but also moulds you to lead a disciplined life.

1. Get organised. Scheduling your priorities and creating a to-do list keeps you focused on track. Physical and mental clutters cloud one's thinking and motivational levels. Highlight your preference in bold letters so that it sets as a reminder for immediate attention. If required print it on your pillow so that you cannot enjoy a good night's sleep without completing whatever you have to do. Never dream up an excuse to put off the task.

2. Start early. It is foolish and devastating to keep waiting for the right time or mood if the project is important and especially holds a deadline. Mould yourself into that mood by organising yourself and understanding its relevance and purpose. Surprisingly, once you have been motivated and gets started, you get into the mood without you realising it. This will speed up the process of accomplishing the task.

3. Create workable goals for yourself. Having a clear- cut goal is highly essential to keep you focused and unemotional on what needs to be done each day and poeple who are able to articulate their goals clearly and succintly have more success in achieving them. knowledge about one's positive and negative sides

4. Use self-imposed deadlines. setting a realistic timeline is an excellent way to spur you into action, keep you on track and achieve your goals with minimal difficulty and sacrifice. Match each of your goals with a specific timeline and stick to your schedule. If the task does not require immediate attention, ensure you don't get rushed in the last moment by reversing your calendar to schedule your work.

5. Ban the concept of perfectionism. The idea of perfectionism often reduces the energy and vigour to finish the task due to fear of criticism, appreciation. Forget about perfectionism. Our most important task is to get the work done within the given time.Perfectionism is the bane of getting things done at all.Always remain realistic about your goals and expectations.

6. Get help. Too many cooks spoil the broth is a famous proverb.But in times of crisis seking the help of your friends and team mates provide much more moral support and motivation. Once you have asked someone to help you out with a task, then it is difficult to back out. When you are experiencing high stress levels or fear of failure,stay focused on the mechanical side. Just keep working without thinking about the aftermaths or results.When you stop thinking about the results ,your energy levels will greatly improve and you will be able to do the job well.

7. Appreciate and reward yourself. Rewards not only provides a sense of accomplishments, but also gives a break from the work stress. Vacation or a cup of hot coffee or chocolates brings relaxation to your frayed nerves. Reward is a powerful motivating tool, and you can come back to work more refreshed, renewed and eager for more.

So remember, never wait till tomorrow since it is not meant for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is Studying abroad academically and personally rewarding?

2009-06-24T19:52:00.002+05:30

Education is the knowledge acquired by learning and instruction. In the present day of life, many people opt their studies to continue outside their country thinking educations in other countries are better than in their own country. They consider education in a foreign University with international student recruitment is both academically and personally rewarding. The most preferred educational destinations U.S, U.K, Australia, Singapore and China have also now become a catching center for education.

The most popular fields of study for students were business and management, engineering and physical and life sciences, social sciences, mathematics and computer science, fine and applied arts, health professions, intensive English language, education, humanities, and agriculture.

More students are going abroad for undergraduate programmes. This is quite an expensive proposition, but it is easy for who completed their undergraduate education in foreign countries to get admission for further studies in institutions of repute. Now several banks are lending money for college expenses.

Student Loan Consolidation:

With the rising cost of education, parents - especially among the middle-class - often find themselves in a predicament. While they aspire to give their children the best education possible, the finances required deter them from embarking on this journey. Consolidated student loans can provide a great opportunity for students to have a lower payment, fixed interest rate, and increased credit score. It makes managing your money and making sensible payments very convenient.

Consolidation for private student loans is a great help for self-supporting students. Student loans consolidation programs generally will help you in refinancing your student loans right after graduation. There are many companies that offer private student loans consolidation as part of their programs. If you have applied for federal student loan consolidation before, but were not able to include your private student loans, then you’ve come to the right place. You can lower your monthly payments for as much as 60% with the federal consolidation loan programs that are offered by many companies.

Now, there are many companies that offer online application for students loan consolidation that you can accomplish in just a matter of minutes.

When you get a student loan consolidation, your pre-existing loans are paid in full and another loan is established; having your pre-existing loans consolidated shows on your credit report as loans paid in full. Thus, potentially causing an increase in your credit score.

Recent Trends

Statistic study showed that the number of students flying to foreign lands is steadily increasing not only for higher education but also for undergraduate programmes.For instance, we may note that the number of students from India at the U.S. colleges and Universities reached an all time high during academic years. Indian students constitute 15 per cent of the total U.S. University foreign enrollment.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Studying abroad

Studying abroad is a good choice but they also have advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that you can gain more experience and can become self-reliant. The second one is that opportunity to learn foreign languages. For example, if you study in china, you will be forced to speak Chinese every time and everywhere. Hopefully, when you come back from china, you can speak the language fluently. Beyond all these advantages, there are some disadvantages. The cost of living in other countries is quite expensive, so we need to spend more money on it. Another important factor is that becoming abusive. The students may become drug addicts and also tend do criminal things. These can cause major problems to their life.

The reasons why students go abroad for pursuing studies include:

• Offer of better placement and richer job opportunities. Those who have qualifications from reputed foreign universities would stand apart from other job seekers in a competitive job market.

• Better infrastructure facilities in laboratories and workshops. Very expensive equipment is used for research process in biotechnology, bioinformatics, and nanotechnology. The funding of Indian universities and institutions is often limited, and this poses a serious constraint in adequately equipping the laboratories. Consequently the quality of research in India would not match with that in countries like the US.

• Opportunities to study and do research in centers of excellence at the global level.

• Education in a foreign university with international student recruitment offers unique global experience. It is both academically and personally rewarding.

• The programmes offer a lot of flexibility, unlike in India with the straightjacket type of curricula and syllabi.

• Opportunity to develop special skills including language and communication skills in a global environment. This would increase personality and self-confidence.

• Exposure to diverse cultures would enhance your tolerance and develop a balanced approach to problems in life.

• Internship in a global market place would enrich your business capabilities.

• Your friendship circle would be wide and dispersed in all parts of the globe.

The Goal Setting Strategy That Always Works

2009-06-18T23:57:00.002+05:30

There are lots of goal setting strategies such as being specific, writing your goals down, putting a date on them, turning goals into action plans, and the list goes on. However most people are missing the most important ingredient in their goal setting; an ingredient that will ensure your success.

If you are missing this essential ingredient then you are making it much harder to achieve your goal and even if you do achieve your goal you will probably find that it doesn't make you happy.

The missing ingredient is WHY.

Most people set a goal without really taking the time to work out why this goal will make them happy. As a result they often end up with the wrong goal for them. Having the wrong goal makes it tough to develop the passion needed to achieve the goal and it turns the journey toward the goal into suffering rather than joy.

The first why to answer is why do you want to set goals at all?

You see, most goals that people set are 'what' goals. They are goals that say what you want but not why you want it. Examples of 'what' goals are 'a new car', '$10 million dollars', 'a particular job', 'a particular romantic partner', ' a certain lifestyle' and so on.

The underlying 'why' here is that somehow these goals are going to make you happy; but are they really? Why should a car or an amount of money or a job or anything else miraculously make you happy? If you can become more specific about why you want to set goals in the first place then you will be able to set a goal that helps you achieve that end.

Here is an example of one possible answer to why set goals. 'I want to have a sense of fulfillment in my life and the freedom to choose how I will gain that sense of fulfillment.'

The important two components in this particular answer is the sense of fulfillment and freedom to choose. The sense of fulfillment implies that you will be involved in some activity that is emotionally rewarding for you and the freedom to choose implies that you will have a strong financial foundation either from your own resources or from a sponsor who funds your activities.

Now you are in a position to set a goal that will be a stepping stone to achieving the underlying reason. This goal may be to pursue a particular course of study that will lead to fulfilling work, or it may be to achieve a certain level of wealth that will allow you to pursue fulfilling activities, or it may be that you could achieve wealth by following fulfilling activities now. The possibilities are endless.

Discovering the why will lead you to the what. Because you know why you are chasing that particular 'what' you will be willing to do what it takes because you are clear on what the personal rewards will be to you.

From the 'what' you can determine the 'how', in other words the strategy that you will follow in order to achieve the goal. The how leads to the achievement of the what and the what satisfies the why. Now you have a goal that will actually enhance your life in some meaningful way.

So now it's time for you to re-examine your own goals to see if you have a really clear picture of why you are chasing that goal. What is the underlying benefit that will enhance your life in some major, meaningful way? If you discover a good reason then you can use that to fuel your energy and passion for achieving the goal.

If can't find a clearly defined reason for pursuing your current goal then you would be better served by answering the why set goals at all question and then set a new, empowering goal to follow.

Tips For Online Shopping

2009-06-18T23:57:00.001+05:30

Online shopping makes a perfect remote connection between buyers and sellers, and involves consumers purchasing products/services over the Internet. Web selling is all about satisfying customer needs through one-to-one selling.

Creating a website for the purpose of selling products or services entails a large amount of research and planning. Before you start the online selling process, it is vital that you understand the sales mechanism a little more in depth.

Aside from these global auction sites, there are the LOCAL classified sites that are transforming the Web into the spot for neighborhood shopping. These local classified sites offer convenience, selection, and low prices that would expect to find online, along with the safety and privacy of local shopping. Best of all, you can feel good about buying from-and also selling to-your neighbors.

Wheel and deal on collectibles, vintage clothing, sporting goods, even real estate-all with people you know and trust in the comfort and privacy of your living room or study. The benefits of these local classified sites don't stop with these intangibles.

In todays world the companies spend vast amounts on promotion of their products and advertising. The customers get attracted and the next step is enquiry. This means that they will be encountering the front-end of your business and it will be the most crucial meeting which can make or break your business and also decide the success of new product.

The mystery shopping service is just the right choice for the job. The whole process of mystery survey is a tool to evaluate the performance of the staff and the interaction between them and the customer and ultimately the level of customer satisfaction. The interesting thing about such service is that the programs can be customized according to your needs.

To pull in business, most online retailers employ discounting; Amazon.com is one example of this, with many hardback books priced at 10% to 15% over wholesale, which translates into a cover discount of 30% or more. Other shops, such as overstock.com, take remaindered lots of products and do much the same thing.

What this has done to brick and mortar businesses has been illustrative of market dynamics at work: Low prices dominate over everything else, and consumes vote with their credit cards. Entire market segments are rapidly shifting to online shopping models, most noticeably in items that are "commodity" products, like books.

Promotional offers include festival off, seasonal discounts, free shipping, gifts, buy one & get one free offer, and other discounts like online coupons, gift vouchers that allow shoppers to enjoy attractive purchase benefits. These promotional goodies not only increase sales but also help consumers save a lot of money on a range of products and services such as garments, sports goods, stationery, cosmetics, electronics, and health products. Keep your customers updated on the latest promotional offers through email and newsletters.

The key idea behind online selling is to assure people that they can find whatever they want! Both the buyers and sellers benefit in many ways. Now, let us have a look at the advantages.

• Saves your set-up operational costs
• Minimises order-processing costs
• Increases your sales opportunities at a global level
• Assures quick and safe payment transactions
• Enables easy introduction of new products by tracking customer feedback

Avoid informal Internet mailing styles in business communication

2009-06-06T20:06:00.000+05:30

Language is meant for effectively communicating our views and ideas to whom ever concerned.How efficiently we handle the skill of communicating plays a vital role in determining the success in our lives. A small communication gap can distort the entire meaning resulting in a bad relationship.In this age of Internet revolution, electronic communication has taken the world by storm. Email had replaced the traditional mail because of it's cost effectiveness and speed. But this rapid and affordable medium of communication is not free from the flip side.

The informal language of messaging is pacing up fast within the workforce which has become a serious concern for the employers. Hooked to this informal style, ignoring grammatical conventions among the employees is a commonly witnessed trend while writing to their clients.Organisations have woke up against this insidious menace and is trying to curb these new trends of messaging. Introducing email policies spells out the do's and don'ts regarding the company's email system and imparts training to employees on email etiquette.

A well versed email etiquette certainly makes you stand apart from the crowd. Fortunately, anyone can master the craft of effective email writing with a little care and practice. Knowing these insights can help you draft emails that look professional and sound effective:

1. Use the 'subject' header: The purpose of writing the message should be clearly and precisely mentioned to the reader. It is a good practice to mention the topic of your email in the subject folder. But remember to use a heading that is meaningful to both you and the recipient. The usage of code words and abbreviations can result in confusion to the reader.

2. Be concise: Always be precise and get to the point quickly. Lengthy emails often results in boredom and also can diverge the focus from the main point. Using short paragraphs and leaving blank lines in between makes the layout easy and attractive to read. Being specific helps you to get the right kind of response you require.

3. Check your mail before sending: Going through the draft helps you to view the message from the recipient's point of view and make the necessary corrections , omissions and adding of unwanted or relevant information. This prevents the reader to distract from the main message. Always making use of the spell check option is important because spelling mistakes and grammatical error not only conveys a bad impression on you and your company but also distorts the intented meaning.

4. Avoid jargon: Be careful with word selection. Avoid using jargon, cliches and obscure words while typing mails. Using complex words and sentences is often confusing and counter productive. Using code words, abbreviations, short forms and symbols can be equally confusing to the readers. Using bulleted points and simple language is helpful in this regard. Stick to professional language and be wary of using humour.It might cause offence and lead to misunderstanding. Capitalisation of words should also be avoided unless necessary.

5. Customise the content: Open the email with a greeting such as 'hello' followed with the name of the recipient. Personalised content is more effective than a standard template. Avoid attaching cc and send reply unless absolutely necessary as a result of confusion. Sending too many attachments clogs the network and also spreads viruses.

6. Respond quickly: People send emails when they wish to receive the response quickly. Not replying or a late reply will no doubt annoy them. So be quick in responding to the mails of the clients. Make sure to respond before the end of the day or atleast within 24 hours of receiving it. Regarding any doubts, clarify it so as to avoid further mails on the same subject. If you need time to answer convey to them when you will be back. They will surely wait for your response.

7. Check the tone: Terse language, skipped pleasantries and blunt questions reflect your emotional state and are like viruses infecting the tone of your messages.Carry a tone check on your mail and if necessary it can vary. Business mails are to be more effective when they are written in a tone of courtesy.

In the world of business written form of communication is equally important as the spoken word. What you say is confirmed through writing. So professionalism in all your mail communications forges stronger business relations. Check it out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

World’s first battery that charges on air

2009-05-21T19:23:00.001+05:30

The world’s first battery fuelled by air, which could provide up to 10 times the energy storage of designs currently available and could power electric cars, mobile phones and laptops, has been unveiled.

Scientists say the revolutionary ‘STAIR’ (St Andrews Air) battery is charged in a traditional way but as power is used or ‘discharged’, an open mesh section of the battery draws in oxygen from the surrounding air.

This oxygen reacts with a porous carbon component inside the battery, which creates more energy and helps to continually ‘charge’ the cell as it is being discharged, the Daily Telegraph reported.

By replacing the traditional chemical constituent, lithium cobalt oxide, with porous carbon and oxygen drawn from the air, the cell is much lighter than current batteries.

And as the cycle of air helps re-charge the battery as it is used, it has a greater storage capacity than other similar-sized cells and can emit power up to 10 times longer. “The key is to use oxygen in the air as a reagent, rather than carry the necessary chemicals around inside the battery,” Peter Bruce of the University of St Andrews, who’s part of the research team, said.

According to Bruce, the battery is much smaller and lighter so better for transporting small applications. The size is also crucial for anyone trying to develop electric cars as they want to keep weight down as much as possible, he said.

Bruce reckoned his kit, in addition to being light, could be cheap, as the porous carbon matrix which holds the Li2O2 ought to be economical. “Our target is to get a five to ten fold increase in storage capacity, which is beyond the horizon of current lithium batteries,” he said. “The key is to use oxygen in the air as a re-agent, rather than carry the necessary chemicals around inside the battery.”

The four-year research project began two years ago and is scheduled to end in 2011. Bruce expected it would be at least five years before the STAIR cell is commercially available.

Mathematical model to predict future of love

2009-03-31T22:39:00.000+05:30

Couples wondering if true love will last need not visit astrologers, for a mathematical model by a top Oxford don may provide the answer. A team led by Professor James Murray, a maths expert at Oxford University, have perfected a model whereby they can calculate whether the relationship will succeed or fail.

"I am still absolutely amazed that human emotions can be put into a mathematical model and that a prediction can be made," Murray was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

In a study of 700 couples, the professor predicted the divorce rate with 94 per cent accuracy after they subjected themselves to a mathematical test, the British daily said.

Murray's calculations were based on the simplest of things - a 15-minute conversation between a couple on contentious issues, such as money, sex, or relations with the in-laws.

Ranging from plus four to minus four, Murray awarded positive or negative points depending on the conversation.

Murray, a Fellow of The Royal Society, said the scores of the wife and the husband were fed into the mathematical model and plotted onto a graph. The point at which the two lines meet illustrated the marriage's chances of success or failure.

He said "most stable relationships are those which take a more old-fashioned view and see marriage as mainly about companionship."

New visa rules for UK education

2009-03-31T22:18:00.002+05:30

Britain introduced a new visa regime for Indian and other students of non-European Union countries to prevent fraud and to provide for more stringent immigration checks.

Home secretary Jacqui Smith said the new arrangements as part of Tier 4 of the points based system will make the visa process simpler, more objective and more transparent for applicants and prevent abuse of the immigration system.

From today, all British education providers (schools, colleges, universities) who recruit international students need to be registered with the UK Border Agency.

More than 2,100 universities, independent schools and colleges have applied to be licensed sponsors. The institutions are responsible for ensuring that international students comply with the conditions of their visas while they are in the UK.

Before a student makes a visa application, he needs to ensure that he has an unconditional offer of a study place from a licensed education provider.

The student also needs to show that he has sufficient funds to cover course fees and living costs during his studies. The student will be issued with a visa for study at a particular institution, and for the full duration of his course if degree level or above.

In 2008, almost 29,000 Indian students received visas to study in the UK. This represents a 30 per cent increase on 2007 figures.

Smith said: "These new measures make sure people who come here to study - and the people who teach them - play by the rules. This new tier of the points based system allows us to know exactly who is coming to the UK to study and crack down on bogus colleges".

Professor Mary Ritter, Pro Rector, International Affairs, at Imperial College London said: "International students play a big part in making Imperial the dynamic and exciting place it is, and we feel very fortunate that so many motivated, highly talented people from around the world want to pursue their studies here".

US legislation for separate visa category for nurses

2009-03-04T00:25:00.002+05:30

A resolution has been introduced in the US House of Representative, which calls for creation of a special non-immigrant visa category for registered nurses. The legislation, if passed, would facilitate much easier and faster availability of nursing visas to registered and practicing nurses from countries like India, China and Philippines.

The US is currently facing a massive shortage of nurses.

Called the "Nursing Relief Act of 2009" the legislation proposes to make provisions for the new category of visas for registered nurses with an annual limit of 50,000.

The resolution introduced by Congressman John Shadegg has been referred to House Committee on Judiciary. It is cosponsored by Congressmen Jeff Flake and Ed Pastor.

Introduced at a time when the American economy is facing deep recession and nearly 3.6 million jobs have been lost in the last 14 month, Congressional observers are skeptical that such a bill can survive the legislative process.

The legislation notes that there are more vacant nursing positions in the US than there are qualified registered nurses and nursing school candidates to fill those positions. And according to the Department of Labour, the current national nursing shortage exceeds 126,000.

Doctors and nurses join criticism of data sharing powers

2009-03-04T00:25:00.001+05:30

Eight medical groups call for patient records to be exempt from controversial government proposals

Several of the most influential healthcare organisations in the UK have teamed up to attack the government’s data sharing plans and have called for medical records to be exempt from the forthcoming legislation.

Eight organisations, including the BMA, the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Surgeons, and the Royal College of Nursing have written to justice secretary Jack Straw to express their concerns about the controversial Coroners and Justice Bill.

The Bill contains measures that would amend the Data Protection Act (DPA), and proposes the use of Information Sharing Orders that overturn the principles of the DPA to enable data collected for one purpose to be used elsewhere.

The medical groups have warned that the plan would allow unprecedented sharing of confidential patient health records. This would “undermine the presumption of confidentiality, corrode trust in the doctor-patient relationship and could have a disastrous impact on both the health of individuals and the public,” they said.

Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of council at the BMA, said: “The doctor-patient relationship is based on trust. If patients cannot be 100 per cent sure that their records are confidential, they will inevitably be reluctant to share vital information with their doctor.”

Criticism of the Bill has been growing in recent weeks.

Even data watchdog the Information Commissioner has said the data sharing proposals are too wide ranging.

YugaPurushan: Lime light on Sree Narayana Guru’s life.

2009-02-10T18:57:00.004+05:30

The shooting of the, much awaited mulitistarrer period film, on Sree Narayana Guru by Director R.Sukumaran has started. The movie named Yugapurushan has started the shooting early this January.

Sree Narayana Guru (1856-1928) was a prophet, saint, sage and social reformer of Kerala. The movie features two megastars Mammooty and Mohanlal together after their success in twenty- twenty.

Initially Mammooty was decided to play the role of Sree Narayana Guru, later he turned down the offer, politely saying that his figure will be a mismatch for the character. The makers have finalized upon Tamil actor Thalaivasal Vijay, to do the part of sree Narayana Guru.

Mammooty will be handling an equally important role as a contemporary activist of Guru’s period who stood by the principles and teachings of Gurudevan in his entire life. Mohan Lal will be doing the part of Swamy Vivekanandha. Also in the cast are Navya Nair, Jagathy Sreekumar, Kalabhavan Mani, Saikumar, Siddique, Babu Antony, Devan, Saiju Kurup, Sukumari and Shobha Mohan.

The movie will also present historic personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Tagore, Chattambi Swamikal, poet Kumaranasan, T.K. Madhavan, Ayyankaali and Mannathu Padmanabhan, who all lived and interacted with the guru, when he was vigorously fighting for his ideals: equality, social justice and casteless society.Ramachandra Babu handles the camera. The film is produced by A.V. Anoop.

Visit Keral.com for more pictures and videos

http://keral.com/movies/YugaPurushan1.htm

Brunettes are more successful in work and love than blondes

2009-01-16T18:51:00.000+05:30

It has been believed for decades that blondes have more fun and that men prefer blondes over brunettes, but the facts suggest the opposite.

A new study has now revealed that dark-haired women earn more and are more successful in the workplace and the bedroom than blondes or redheads.

A survey of 6,000 people, both men and women, by cosmetics line Garnier has showed that women with dark hair are more likely to earn a salary of over $65,000 a year than their fellow blonde or redheaded colleagues.

More than 75 percent thought brunettes were the brainiest women, while 71 percent of men picked brunettes as their ideal partners.

The poll also revealed that dark-haired women are the most successful in love and relationship. A quarter of the surveyed brunettes have rated themselves as above average in bed, considerably more than blondes and redheads.

Color psychologist Anjula Mutanda says that brown hair goes hand in hand with confidence
and self-awareness, and that it was a good option for women who wanted more gravitas.

“Some hair colors tend to darken naturally with age and so brown hair can be associated with confidence and self-awareness. These positive qualities instill a sense of trust and assurance which is mirrored in how others behave towards them. Therefore many women who become brunettes often report a difference in reaction to them - for the better.” Mutanda explained.

The latest survey findings contradict earlier research results that suggested dyeing blonde hair in order to perk up the sex appeal. A team of experts from Nottingham Trent University In September last year showed a link between a sexually active behavior and hair dye. The study claimed that women who dye their hair blonde are more sexually active.

Hair coloring is the latest fashion trend, and more and more people now-a-days color their hair to look all new. Some believe that a hair color can add shine, drama and fun to their hairstyle, while for others it is probably the quickest way to change their looks.

Today there are a number of colors one can choose from, but if you want to experience a boost in feelings of attractiveness towards the opposite sex and general confidence, go for dark color, the latest survey indicates.

Putting A Stopper On Thumb Sucking

2009-01-16T18:46:00.001+05:30

Thumb sucking "Behaviour that is adorable in one so young can be a concern in an older child", says Dr Alan Green MD FAAP (Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics)

Why do children suck their thumbs? How can this be stopped without causing a psychological strain to the child?

Experts agree that up to the age of five, sometimes thumb sucking is not really a problem. ''It's not a sign of insecurity--it's simply a habit,'' says Susan Heitler, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in Denver. ''It's a coping skill, much like pacing or cigarette smoking is to an adult,'' says Dr. Heitler. If a child is agitated, it calms him down; if he's bored, it stimulates him. If the child is under five, the best policy might be to ignore it. ''If the child thumb-sucks only occasionally and it doesn't appear to be harming teeth or fingers, there's no need to do anything,'' says Stephen Goepferd, D.D.S., professor of paediatrics dentistry and director of dentistry in the Division of Developmental Disabilities at the University Hospital School at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

Why do Children suck their thumb?

Dr Benjamin Spock says, “Infants have an inborn need to suck. Up to age 6 months, thumb-sucking is a way to satisfy this need. After that age, children suck their thumbs out of habit or because they find it soothing. They may suck more when tired, bored or tense”

Experts believe, the young babies suck their thumbs when they have not had enough sucking at the breast or bottle to satisfy their sucking needs. Sucking helps babies relieve physical and emotional tension. Most babies get into this habit before they are 3 months old.

How to stop children from sucking their thumb?

1. Don’t nag; “If you've been nagging your child about his thumb-sucking, now is the time to call it quits,” says Dr. Friman.

2. Understand the child’s signals, says Dr. Heitler. “If your child automatically sucks her thumb when she's tired, hungry or bored, help her verbalize those feelings and look for other solutions”.

3. Choose a proper time; do not talk about this to the child when the family is going through turmoil like a death or shift.

4. Discuss solutions together; involve the child.

5. Fix a reward; provide motivation.

6. Develop a warning system. “The hardest part of quitting is for the child to realize that his thumb is in his mouth, since it goes in by automatic pilot,” says Dr. Heitler.

7. Cover up the thumb to stop the sucking at night.

8. Offer an encouraging word. “Don't underestimate how difficult breaking this habit is for your child,” says Dr. Heitler. '”Thumb-sucking is a very rewarding habit, and doing without it creates a feeling of loss or emptiness”. So be patient with your child.

Hence, without nagging and scolding, almost all children can quit thumb-sucking habit before age 4 or 5. For the very few, who do not, their parents and doctors can help them loose the habit in a very competitive manner. Understanding and help is all that children need

Thought of money lights up brain

2008-12-26T16:00:00.001+05:30

Like the dollar signs in the eyes of cartoon characters, thoughts of money light up visual areas of the brain, a study has found. An international team, led by California University, has found that thoughts of money light up visual areas of the brain, including a part of visual cortex known as “V1” which represents basic features such as edge orientation and colour.

Researchers have based their findings on an analysis of brain scans of a group of volunteers as they chose between red and green targets that varied in value at different times.

Selecting a target might yield ten cents or nothing. But those who made the right choices could earn up to $10. The findings revealed that rewards altered brain activation in many areas of the human visual system.

One of these was “V1”, the first visually responsive region of the brain, the Daily Telegraph reported. Activation was also seen in the frontal and parietal regions of the brain which have previously been implicated in anticipating and tracking rewards.

Lead researcher John Serences said: “When a target has been valuable in the past — if selecting it had paid off with money — the visual system represented it more strongly. Rewards affected information processing, not just at a high level of cognitive function but right from the get-go. “It raises the intriguing possibility that we see things we value more clearly — much like the way the brain responds to a bright object versus a dimly-lit one.”

In an unusual finding, the researchers found that the brains of the subjects seemed to remember which targets were more rewarding even if the subjects themselves actually forgot.

Plenty of factors go into decisions about things that we think are rewarding and the instant judgments of our brains may play just one part in a wider picture. For example, Serences said, our choices about eating ice cream or vegetables may depend on things like whether we’re on a diet.

But the findings suggest that there may be an ingrained bias in the human brain, he said. “Right from the start, you might be predisposed to the ice cream, because your brain is more predisposed to it than the vegetables.”

Techies marriage market goes down

2008-11-04T19:06:00.001+05:30

Farmer O P Kurien, whose income has for ages depended on the fluctuating prices of farm produce, had just begun to look for a well-settled techie groom for his techie daughter when the current global financial meltdown washed away his dreams for a more stable future.

Till recently young men and women working in India's mushrooming information technology (IT) firms and earning fat salaries were among the most sought after potential brides and grooms in the marriage market. But not any more.

Kurien's daughter who works in one of the top IT firms in the country has made it clear that she is just not going to marry another techie.

"My daughter tells me jobs in IT firms are no more stable and it is better to marry someone in the more traditional manufacturing sectors where there is greater job protection," says Kurien.

Early this year, the 150-odd IT firms in Kerala employing about 25,000 techies, for the first time notched up software and services export revenues of more than Rs10 billion.

It was then party time for IT professionals with hefty pay hikes, foreign trips and all kinds of special perks and allowances. But the lights began to go off from the beginning of October. Suddenly, IT companies were handing over pink slips.

With media reports indicating that more than 200 software professionals have already been sacked in the state, the others employed in the IT sector are now sleepless in Kerala.

IT firms in the state such as IBS Software Services, a leading software company in the field of travel, transportation and logistics, have recently come under fire from the media for terminating jobs without notice.

IBS, for instance, recently asked close to two dozen techies to leave in a whiff.

Says a shell-shocked software professional earlier with IBS: "I was asked to report to the HR department. They asked me for my ID card and said
that I have to resign or else I would be handed a job termination letter. I had no option but to leave."

IT firms, however, say it is business as usual.

"We do regular performance reviews of our employees and this is not the first time that we have asked employees to leave. Maybe right now this appears to have hit headlines because of the global recession," an IBS spokesperson told IANS.

In the past few days newspapers and television channels have been highlighting the woes of IT professionals and how firms are asking them to leave without notice.

Even websites that carry news of software technology parks such as Technopark here are now full of reports and analyses by techies who feel that things are not rosy.

Technopark's founder and chief executive officer, G Vijayaraghavan, however, feels there are a lot of positives as well as negatives in what is happening now.

"The sad part is that right now only the negatives are being highlighted and this is not going to augur well for the industry prospects here," he says.

"If there is a crisis in the public sector, governments pump in money but when there is a crisis in the IT industry, it is the entrepreneur who has to take care of himself," says Vijayaraghavan, defending the action of the IT firms.

Job cuts in the IT industry also spell trouble for banks as they target IT professionals for home and car loans as techies with just three years' experience earn as much as Rs 40,000 a month.

"If this tight situation continues for months together, home and car loan repayments will come to a grinding halt. God forbid that such a thing should happen," says a bank manager here requesting anonymity.

All the publicity in the media has now forced the state government to react.

"Labour laws have to be followed even if an IT firm is in a special economic zone," said state Labour Minister P K Gurudasan. Special economic zones enjoy many benefits such as tax waivers and easier regulations.

"We have come to know about recent happenings in Technopark companies where employees are being treated with disdain. We will interfere even if there are no complaints," said Gurudasan.

The minister has asked the state Labour Commissioner to visit Technopark and submit a report.

Now, an artificial heart that beats!

2008-10-29T00:30:00.001+05:30

Scientists have created what they claim is the world's first artificial heart that beats. A European team, led by French cardiac surgeon Alain Carpentier, has unveiled the fully implantable heart that can respond instantly to changes in blood pressure and adapt the heart beat rate accordingly.

"If you showed the electrocardiogram to a cardiologist he would say 'that's a human heart.' Well no, it isn't: it's a prosthesis," Prof Carpentier was quoted by British newspaper 'The Daily Telegraph' as saying.

Prof Carpentier, the Head of Research on cardiac grafts and prostheses at Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris, and his team have come up with the artificial heart after 15 years of research. In particular, he used his expertise as a world authority in artificial heart valves to overcome the problem of blood clots - the main stumbling block in other attempts to build an artificial heart. He did this by using specially sterilised "bioprosthetic" pig cartilage and by replicating the exact same blood flow - or hemodynamics - of the human heart that reduce blood clot risks.

"The aim of this heart is to allow patients to go from an impossible life where they can do just a few steps from their bed to an armchair to a normal social life. They will even be able to run - although naturally not a marathon," he said.

Weighing around a kilo, the only external part of the man-made organ is its battery having a five-hour charge life.

Prof Carpentier said the new heart was necessary given the chronic shortage of heart donors and growing heart patient waiting lists. "I couldn't stand seeing young, active people dying aged 40 from massive heart attacks," he said.

Google "gadgets" called gateways for hackers

2008-08-10T17:16:00.000+05:30

Hackers turned computer security specialists accuse Google of setting users up for online disasters by letting them personalize home pages with applications that could be tainted.

Software that hackers can trick people into installing on "iGoogle" home pages can track users' activities and control their machines, SecTheory chief executive Robert Hansen showed AFP on Friday.

"I could force you to download child porn or send subversive material to China," Hansen said. "The exploitation is almost limitless. Google has to fix it."

Google lets people customize iGoogle home pages with mini-software programs called "gadgets" such as to-do lists, news feeds, currency converters, and calendars.

Hackers can program malicious code into proffered gadgets or break into systems hosted by engineers providing legitimate mini-programs.

"It turns out a lot of people who develop these things aren't good at security," Hansen said, citing research he and Cenzic security analyst Tom Stracener shared at a notorious annual DefCon hacker gathering in Las Vegas.

"We pretty much break into anything we try."

Hackers can resort to a tactic of luring people to websites that trick people into installing applications in iGoogle home pages. A hacker can remotely control a victim's computer as long as the iGoogle page is open.

Gmail users face danger from the same "hole" in security, according to Hansen, whose hacker name is "RSnake."

"We've been telling Google about these vulnerabilities for years and they have not made corrective actions," Hansen said.

"They chose to open the doors and insomuch put a lot of consumers at risk."

Google says it checks gadgets for malicious code, rarely finding any, and that it removes tainted programs.

Photography Equipments buying tips

2008-08-03T18:27:00.001+05:30

How To Buy Photography Equipments

Photography is a much loved hobby around the world. Many people would want to get their hands on a camera and start shooting away, or get some supplies to be able to build their own darkrooms and develop the films themselves.

Photography is a fulfilling hobby, however, there are many equipments out there which can be sources of confusion especially for beginners. The mere number of equipments can stir up one’s head.

What better way to guide a photography student than to give tips on how to buy a camera, which is of course, the most basic equipment in photography. This article tries to give some basic tips regarding the things that you have to consider when buying a camera.

What Do I Need?

If you want to buy a camera, you must first ask yourself- “what am I going to use it for?” there are many different kinds of cameras out there and they are used for different purposes. What we would recommend, especially for beginners, is to get a good, sturdy point-and-shoot camera. These cameras are very handy and can be used in any occasion. Well, the most intriguing pictures are the ones which capture unique events from unique angles. You may not be able to bring a more intricate piece of equipment when exciting things happen, but a point-and-shoot camera is always carried by photographers. There also are many other features that you might want to look at or avoid in choosing cameras such as stands and shutter features.

Research

A photography enthusiast needs to be able to know about what he wants to do when taking pictures. Reading different materials such as photography magazines (example: Apogee Photo or Popular Photography” can give you updated and fresh information about photography in general and photography equipments.

Know Your Budget

Getting the best pictures doesn’t mean that you have to buy the latest and the most expensive model on the market. It all depends on who is taking the photograph and the equipment is just a tool. More features mean more expenses. A buyer must be able to assess what features he needs to be able to get comfortable with a camera. It’s really a waste of money if you buy a top-of-the-line camera and don’t know how to use half of its features.

These are just some basic tips on how you can start assessing what camera to buy. You must look into the details of a certain camera and assess the features and prices.

Generate your own power, use it and sell it too

2008-07-29T19:12:00.001+05:30

The Indian government has placed solar energy development at the centre of its strategy for energy security and combating climate change. There is a town in Germany where most new buildings have solar power roofs that not only cater to all the energy requirements of homes, but also allow residents to sell power to the grid.

With more than half the world's population living in cities now, and the figure estimated to go up to 70-80 percent by 2025, the focus of planners dealing with climate change is shifting to making cities self-sustainable in renewable energy production.

Freiburg is a city in Germany that has perhaps moved more in this direction than any other. Its chief architect, Wulf Heinrich Daseking, explained exactly how this was being done at a recent session of the Salzburg Global Seminar on Combating Climate Change at Local and Regional Levels: Sustainable Strategies, Renewable Energy.

Planners and academics from around the world attended the session. IANS was the only media organisation from Asia to be invited.

A city of around 200,000 people near Frankfurt, Freiburg started with a basic disadvantage - it had no industry, so it was not a rich city. "That is an advantage in some ways," said Daseking. "When you don't have much money, you have to find the best way to use what you have."

The greening of Freiburg started with local opposition to a proposed nuclear power nearby. The locals won, "but then the question was: How do we keep the lights from going out?" Daseking said.

"Six to eight people got together and said, 'We have the city with the most sunshine hours in Germany, let us try to use that'. From that small start, we now have entire neighbourhoods with solar panels as their roofs."

Private entrepreneurs put in the roofs and take care of maintenance for the first three years as part of the contract. By that time, residents have already recovered the extra cost of putting in the solar power roofs because they do not have to pay any electricity bills.

What is more, the solar panels generate more electricity than the household can consume, so the residents sell it to the grid and have a perpetual source of income from their homes.

Apart from its solar-powered houses, Freiburg has a public transport system that makes it quite unnecessary to own a car. Be it trams, buses, local trains, intercity trains, cable cars, aircraft, private cars, or bicycles - all are interchangeable at one hub, the railway station.

"The trick is to integrate all the transport systems at one point," Daseking said. "The commuter obviously finds it most convenient. And the city also saves money."

A single ticket that costs 53 euros a month enables the commuter to use all these forms of transport as often as he or she wishes. On weekends, families can travel without paying anything extra. With dedicated lanes, travelling by tram or bus is faster than driving - and far more comfortable.

There are two dedicated bus lanes and tramlines, one going from the eastern end of the city to the western end, and the other from north to south. The city planners have placed as many offices and residential neighbourhoods close to these lanes as they can.

The result, there are parts of Freiburg where the number of cars per 1,000 residents has come down from 550 to 85, even as the per capita income is going up.

Of course, this has the major additional advantage of saving energy and thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the Earth's atmosphere and leading to climate change.

"We must build up the density of population in a city, not reduce it," Daseking said. "Everyone lives together, as they did for so many centuries. That also reduces the overall energy used for transportation."

That was the way to go, in more senses than one, said one delegate at the end of Daseking's presentation.

How to apply in international universities

2008-07-16T21:25:00.004+05:30

Apply right -
Applying to international universities may seem overwhelming at first glance. However attention to details and meticulous planning can ease your burden.

Karan Gupta lists down the vital requirements and furnishes some important tips.

Applying abroad can be an arduous task. However, if you pay careful attention to the details of the entire process, you will have no problem in preparing an effective application.

Below is a list of documents required by most overseas universities:

Application form -

Most universities now prefer online applications. In fact, some universities do not accept paper forms and students have no choice but to go online and file the application form.

Even if you file the application form online, you still have to send the supporting documents by regular mail. If you are applying to the US as an undergraduate, you can use a common application form, which can be sent to over 240 universities.

Keep in mind that some universities will additionally require a supplement to the common application form. Undergraduate students applying to the UK can use the UCAS (Universities & Colleges Admissions Service) and apply to six different courses by using just one form.

Application fee

Applying to colleges in the US is an expensive ordeal as most US universities require an application fee along with your application. Some private liberal art schools and Ivy League universities in the US waive application fees for undergraduate students.

A fee waiver from your school or college counsellor can help you s ave application fees to schools. It is best to check the individual university website for the most accurate and up-to-date information on the application fee.

Some universities may offer you a discount if you apply online!

Statement of Purpose (SOP) -

Writing an essay can be demanding and stressful. It is your chance to tell the admission committee who you are.

As the name suggests, the SOP is your personal statement about who you are, what has influenced your career path so far, your professional interests and your plans for the future.

The SOP usually ranges from 500 to 750 words. Keep in mind that the Statement of Purpose is your chance to talk directly to the admission committee.

If you want to stand out from other applicants, you can use the SOP to convince the admission committee that you have interests and experiences that are different from other applicants.

Remember that a good Statement of Purpose will increase your chances of getting admission and sometimes may even compensate for your weak areas. A ‘not-so-good ’ SOP will certainly be used against you and most likely will get your application rejected.

If you have faced obstacles in your career, breaks in your education years, or have had extraordinary life experiences, you can explain these in the SOP. Don’t whine and moan in your SOP.

Resume -

Even though most universities do not require resumes, it is a good idea to send the resume along with application.

A resume outlines all your achievements, activities, skills etc. Please remember that a resume is not a curriculum vitae, but is a one-page document highlighting your strengths.

Recommendation letters -

Recommendation letters can be obtained from school/college teachers. Try to get recommendation letters from people who know you well and who have had ample opportunity to interact with you.

Avoid letters of recommendation from people in high positions who have not taught you. For instance a letter from the principal of your school/college who has not taught you has less importance than a letter from a teacher who has taught you for two years.

If the university has its own recommendation letter format, use it in addition to a general letter of recommendation.

Make sure that the letters of recommendation are written by different people and not by the same person.

Financial Aid form -

Undergraduate students applying to private colleges in the US can apply for financial aid and must fill in a separate financial aid form. Make sure that you carefully state the amount that you can pay for your education based on your family income, assets and savings.

Check with the university before hand if they offer funding to international students.

Bank letter and Affidavit of Financial Support -

Universities in the US require international students to prove that they have enough funding available to cover their educational costs. Universities in the UK may not need a bank letter along with your application.

The bank letter should state that your sponsor has sufficient funds in his or her account. Letters stating "solvent to the tune of" and "capable of paying" are usually not accepted by universities.

Financial affidavits can be made on letterheads instead of government stamp papers and should be attested by a Special Executive Officer (SEO).

If your university has a separate form for financial affidavits, you must use it.

Transcripts and Mark sheets -
Make sure that you send official sealed copies of your mark sheets and transcripts to the universities you are applying to. If you have graduated, you must also send your degree to the universities.

Notaries or SEOs cannot attest transcripts, mark sheets and degrees. The respective institute must attest them.

Once you have all your documents ready, make sure that you have checked the application deadline of the schools you are applying to.

If your university requires standardised test scores, you must use an Additional Score Request form (ASR) and request ETS (Educational Testing Service) to send your official test scores directly to your universities.

Many universities require the official standardised test scores to be in your file by the application deadline date, so make sure that you do not delay your official score reporting.

When your application is ready add a cover letter and send your application to the address stated on the application. Make sure that everything in your application is well explained and keep a copy of your application for your records.

Remember, your college application should convey who you are and what things are important to you. Make each university application with great care and stick to university rules.

Nanotechnology would revolutionalise psychiatry

2008-07-06T00:48:00.002+05:30

Recent research in Psychiatry using nanotechnology would revolutionise treatment in the field, Dr A Shivathanu Pillai, Chief Controller (R and D), DRDO, said The present practice of painful electric shocks for treatment of the mentally challenged would be eliminated and would be replaced with specific localized electric and magnetic stimulation of the parts, using magnetic nano particles with minimal pain for the patients, Pillai said.

Delivering the 3rd convocation of Karunya University, on the outskirts, Pillai said Nano Bio medical sensors would play a major role in early detection of dreaded diseases like AIDS, as 'immuno assays' can be used for detecting antigens in blood samples by introduction of nanoshells attached to anti-bodies while sampling blood.

Nanotechnology offered a wide range of opportunities such as synthetic scaffolding and nanoceramic coatings for tissue repair and implants respectively, he said.

Emergency? Indians can dial 108 for help

2008-06-23T00:35:00.002+05:30

India is gradually moving to use of one emergency telephone number across the country, 108, on the lines of America's 911 and Britain's 999.

In June, the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand adopted this number for providing emergency services. A 108 service for Delhi is in the pipeline.

The three-year-old Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI) service also operates in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Assam, and Jammu and Kashmir, hoping to provide services to 100 million people by 2010.

"This is India's first coordinated response service, at one number across the country, like the UK's 999 and Europe's 112, taking a call every two seconds," Venkat Changavali, CEO of EMRI, told.

The 108 service in India is ambulance-based. It has more than 600 advanced life-saving ambulances operating in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. The Tamil Nadu government has made available 200 such emergency medical technician-manned ambulances for the EMRI service.

"The service is free of charge," Changavali said. "Even necessary hospitalisation for the first 48 hours is free."

Take the case of A. Teja. A letter the child wrote to "Respected Satyam Computers Ramalinga Raju uncle" is revealing: "I am A. Teja, studying in 5th Class. On Sep 30, I reacted to some medication that I took to control vomiting and had convulsions.

"It was 11 p.m. The government hospital is 10 km from our place. My parents called 108, I was taken at once to the hospital, my condition improved and I am now good.

"I wish that the Vijayawada Goddess Kanaka Durga will shower her blessings on you at all times. I shall study well at school. When I grow up I wish to become a collector (district administrator), do good work like you."

The Byrraju Foundation and B. Ramalinga Raju and brothers set up the EMRI and the emergency services telephone call number 108 in Devar Yamzal on the outskirts of Hyderabad in August 2005 "with the objective of establishing capability to respond to 30 million emergencies annually across India."

India's 28 states and seven union territories have long had different emergency numbers. There are different numbers for police and fire services. Hospitals provide different numbers for ambulance services, and disaster management services have different telephone numbers.

For example, 100 is for police, traffic police is 103 and if you are outside the city, it is 108. So whom should you call in case of an accident?

Perhaps, actually, it is the hospital service 102 that should be first called if lives are to be saved.

"In Tamil Nadu, we will keep all the other emergency numbers alive, but we will link 600 ambulances and police, fire services and as many hospitals as possible to the 108 service to ensure that not a single life is lost due to lack of emergency medicare at the earliest possible time from the receipt of the call," P.W.C Davidar, special secretary in Tamil Nadu's department of health and family welfare, told.

His department is overseeing the rolling out of the 108 service in the state.

EMRI officials say, "Reaching assistance at the earliest" is most important. When blasts took place in Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid May 18, 2007, one EMRI ambulance managed to reach the blast site in one minute, and two more reached the site in another 15 minutes.

When a cyclist fell on a road divider in Kurnool, an iron rod pierced his throat. The EMRI ambulance that reached him, cut the rod and took the victim to hospital, with part of the rod still stuck in the throat of the man, providing him the necessary pre-hospital care to keep him alive.

At Tadepalligudem, a 65-year-old man, who fell into a borewell, was rescued by the emergency rescue team, which kept oxygen pumped into the well for five hours to keep him alive.

Be it an aircraft crash in a roadless field or a roadside delivery, the EMRI number 108 responds to all kinds of emergencies.

In Mehboobnagar, a family had buried a newborn girl child. Three hours later, the village head called 108 and the emergency team dug out the baby, it was still alive.

If people get to know and use just one number, saving a life becomes that much easier, say those who support 108.

Delta testing cell phone-based airline check-in

2008-06-18T09:46:00.000+05:30

If you're flying Delta Air Lines out of New York's LaGuardia Airport, you can now flash your cell phone to get onboard. On Tuesday, the airline rolled out a partnership with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to test out a "paperless check-in"--passengers download a boarding pass onto their cell phones and have it scanned by the TSA at the airport's security checkpoint as well as when they board the plane.

Fellow domestic carrier Continental is already testing a similar program.

The speedier check-in is limited to cell phone customers who can access the mobile Web on their phones, a release explained. And, at least for the time being, Delta's test only applies to domestic travelers flying out of LaGuardia.

"Passengers can now quickly check in for their flight while en route to the airport in a taxi or walking from the parking lot to the terminal," Steve Gorman, executive vice president of operations at Delta, said in the release. "The check-in process now can take place from anywhere, any time within 24 hours of flight departure."

They'll have to present ID, of course. Earlier this month, the TSA ruled that if you refuse to show ID, you can't get on the plane.

Small, "techie" enhancements have been appearing on the airline-news radar recently, as U.S. carriers look for inexpensive ways to make up for cutbacks elsewhere in response to high fuel prices--charging for checked baggage, eliminating perks. United Airlines is rolling out iPod hookups through a partnership with Apple that Delta and Continental will be joining, JetBlue's BetaBlue plane has expanded its in-flight e-mail, and Virgin America used gadget fetishes to pull itself into a "premium" niche.

And if some airlines have their way--heaven forbid--you might be able to keep using that cell phone right up into the air.

Dasavatharam - Kamal's perfect ten

2008-06-13T20:30:00.000+05:30

One striking feature that hits you in the face once you have watched ‘Dasavatharam’ is Kamal Haasan's passion for filmmaking. All the ten roles he has essayed have been meticulously planned right from the body language to dialogue delivery. Be it the American president George Bush, the Vaishnavite priest of the 12th century or Fletcher, the American baddie.

The eyes are considered the most effective tools in creating the right kind of attitude for any actor and Kamal Haasan is a master at that. There are many a time in the film when the audience would have to force themselves to believe that it is the same actor who is the good guy as well as the bad guy.

The expressive and determined eyes of the priest, the mushy and yet funny countenance of Balaram Naidu, the hilarious CBI officer and the peaceful martial artist eyes of the Japanese character have all shaped up to fit into any acting text book. Hats off to Kamal Haasan on the acting front!!

Based loosely on Chaos theory, the narration of the film promises a lot of excitement and as the story unfolds, somewhere down the line there are a few missing links that have been forcefully stitched together. Govind, the bio-scientist in the United States of America has been wronged by his boss who has intentions of selling his invention to wrong hands. The determined scientist doesn't give up. He sneaks it away and after a few accidents the invention lands in India. The hunt and race against time especially with Fletcher, the ex-CIA baddie sniffing at his neck with murderous intent culminates into Govind meeting an irrationally sentimental and at times sweet Andal (Asin). The baddie with sizzling Mallika Sherawat for company proceeds along the vulnerable Indian security system and shows up at the right places at the right time.

The narration then makes sure most of the characters played by Kamal get into close proximity in terms of geography. The stunt sequences are quite professional with its share of thrilling moments, but then there are too many coincidences consistently. The protagonist and his slowly, but surely falling-in-love lady companion seem to be jumping off just about everything. Soft landing seems to be a predictable option at most times.

When it comes to action and stunt scenes, ‘Dasavatharam’ is head and shoulders above most Indian films. The music element in the film is passable with some breathtaking re-recording bits in patches.

Cinematography has been simply awesome. The heavy compositing and trick shots have not dampened Ravi Varman's innate talent at creating the right kind of mood the film depicts.

‘Dasavatharam's’ review can never be complete without talking about the makeup part. Apart from the desired result one can guess the kind of effort and hard work Kamal Haasan would have had to go through just to get them on and that too on a daily basis. Makeup has been good overall except for a few shots that show off a kind of plastic look.

Computer Generated Imagery plays a huge role in the film. When the same actor plays seven feet plus youth and an old woman who is barely five feet, one can imagine the kind of intensive scaling and image manipulation by the CG team. Recreation of the 2004 Tsunami is impressive and the action part weaves the intensity of the story.

The direction has been apt sticking to the script in the true sense of the term. K. S. Ravikumar known for his simple style of narration has not been himself with ‘Dasavatharam’, but has shown sparks of ingenuity.

Kamal Haasan has stuck to his favorite subject of the 'no God' debate in this film too and has glorified himself probably for the first time on screen with a dialogue directed at him as being the 'Ulaga Nayagan'.

With Kamal Haasan playing ten roles, all other actors have been completely overshadowed.

This is a movie that has highlighted a highly talented and passionate actor in his entire splendor. At the end of the film one tends to ask….has Kamal Haasan been so spectacular that he has overshadowed the script and story this time?

Making Money, the How-To Way

2008-04-24T11:02:00.001+05:30

Learning how to turn a flashlight into a laser is not a top priority for most people. Yet Kip Kedersha’s step-by-step instructional video that teaches how to do just that has been seen online by more people (1.88 million) than live in Manhattan (about 1.6 million).

Mr. Kedersha’s online library of 94 videos includes tips on how to chill a Coke in two minutes, simulate a gunshot wound and start up a PC quickly.

Many of the clips have been played hundreds of thousands of times, turning Mr. Kedersha into the top earner on Metacafe, a video-sharing Web site that pays the makers of popular videos. In little more than a year, the site has written him checks totaling $102,000.

That puts Mr. Kedersha, a 50-year-old video producer from St. Petersburg, Fla., near the front of the latest online stampede: the rush to capitalize on the popularity of how-to videos on the Web.

“You never know when something like this is going to go away,” Mr. Kedersha said. “I better ride the wave.”

Some 25 years after “Jane Fonda’s Workout” topped the home-video charts in the United States, Americans’ fascination with instructional videos has shifted to the Internet, where a virtually unlimited amount of shelf space guarantees there is something for everyone.

Do-it-yourself tips, self-help, cooking and beauty advice, sports and musical instruction are all available in a smorgasbord that offers the serious alongside the satirical, the humorous and the esoteric. Viewers can learn how to swaddle a baby, grow plants hydroponically or teach their cat to use the toilet.

“Almost everything we sell requires education and explanation and instruction,” said Richard Revis, the co-owner of Black Jungle Terrarium Supply in Turners Falls, Mass., who is featured in more than 30 videos on how to feed, breed and care for poison dart frogs.

Most clips tend to run a few minutes or less — but not all. In a series of videos running a total of more than five hours, an Australian veteran of the Vietnam War demonstrates in minute detail how to build a replica of a working Sherman tank at two-fifths its original scale.

Plenty of entrepreneurs and financiers are hoping that the wave Mr. Kedersha has begun to ride is a long way from cresting. In the last two years, investors have put tens of millions of dollars into start-up companies with names like WonderHowTo.com, VideoJug, Howcast, ExpertVillage and Graspr, which are all hoping to become the YouTube of how-to video clips. Of course, a good share of these videos are on YouTube itself. And traditional media companies like Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and Scripps Network are putting much of their own how-to content online.

These start-ups have attracted former television executives and veterans of Internet giants like Google, Yahoo and MySpace. Most of them readily admit that, as with many Internet fads, profits remain elusive for now.

Scores of independent video producers, experts and self-styled experts are, meanwhile, vying to make a name for themselves in hopes of sharing in the expected profits. Plenty of others are making how-to clips just for fun or for a few minutes of Internet fame.

For Meghan Carter, 23, how-to videos offer the chance to turn her love of home decorating into a career. Early last year, she began driving around the country to conduct on-camera interviews with experts on subjects ranging from concrete countertops to green homes. Gradually, she grew more comfortable in front of the camera and began taking on the role of expert herself.

In April, she began posting her “girl next door meets Martha Stewart” videos on YouTube under the name AskTheDecorator, and the clicks started coming. Her 87 tutorials include how to make a bow (81,000 views) and how to fold towels so they look just so (43,000 views).

“That one really surprised me,” Ms. Carter said of the towel folding video. “We were playing with new cameras and did it for fun. Out of nowhere, it skyrocketed in popularity.”

Ms. Carter is following in the footsteps of her father, Tim Carter. Mr. Carter’s Ask The Builder franchise, which is more than a decade old, includes a nationally syndicated newspaper column, TV appearances and a popular Web site. Ms. Carter has a long way to go to catch up, but she is upbeat about her prospects.

“It’s not a real income kind of money,” Ms. Carter said of the advertising revenue that YouTube shares with her. “But I have no doubt it is going to take off at some point. We hope that in three years we will have a critical mass of videos that will help us turn a substantial profit.”

Sites like ExpertVillage and Howcast are approaching the production of how-to videos as something of a manufacturing process. Working with hundreds of independent video producers around the country, ExpertVillage has created 90,000 how-to videos and is adding about 12,000 every month. Its “channel” on YouTube has 73,000 videos, far more than any other.

“It’s what the Internet screams for,” said Byron Reese, founder of ExpertVillage. “People get up in the morning and type, ‘how do I treat a sprained ankle?’ ‘how do I get a bee sting out of a kid’s arm?’ ”

Last year, ExpertVillage was acquired by Demand Media, a Los Angeles-based company whose chief executive, Richard Rosenblatt, was the chairman of MySpace’s parent company before it was sold to the News Corporation.

Freelance video producers, like Paul Muller of Miami, sign up for assignments on ExpertVillage’s Web site. Mr. Miller’s favorite topics are performing arts, martial arts and fitness. He said he often used Google to find experts on any subject. Since he earns $20 a clip, the trick to making money is figuring out how to do multiple clips quickly. “I prepare the expert ahead of time,” he said. “It is crucial that they have a list of 15 to 20 short segments.”

The qualifications of the so-called experts vary widely. Michael Sanchez, a 34-year-old stand-up comedian and video producer from Chicago, found out about Howcast on Craigslist. He picked up a handful of assignments to earn “a little extra cash here or there,” he said.

Mr. Sanchez says he does not drink and does not cook much, but that did not stop him from creating clips on how to cure a hangover (25,000 views on YouTube and 1,000 on Howcast) and how to make brown rice (only 465 views). He also enlisted his girlfriend for a video on how to kiss with passion (227,000 views on YouTube and 4,600 on Howcast).

“I’d be curious to know why people are clicking on them,” Mr. Sanchez said. “I would never go to a Web site to watch how to do things. I’m more apt to read about it.”

But Stephen Chao, the chief executive of WonderHowTo, a site that aggregates instructional videos from across the Internet, says many of the clips are as much for entertainment as they are for instruction.

“To me, it is a window into something I never thought about,” said Mr. Chao, who helped create shows like “America’s Most Wanted” and “Cops” when he was a top executive at Fox. “I find it the most thrilling combination of video that I can find.” For Mary Leon, 35, of Salinas, Calif., ExpertVillage has become a source of both entertainment and instruction. She said she had used the site to learn new hair-cutting techniques, crocheting, how to decorate and paint her new home, how to set a table and how not to overpack for a trip to Spain.

“Oh my gosh, I’ve watched a lot of videos,” Ms. Leon said. “They are not trying to sell you anything. It’s just how-to. That’s what I love about it.”

It is not clear that the genre will turn into big business. But some media executives suggest that how-to videos may be just the thing in a slowing economy.

“People want to do more things for themselves,” said Wenda Harris Millard, president for media at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. “It is kind of timely.”

Lights. Camera. Cellphone Action.

2008-04-24T08:03:00.001+05:30

Who says cellphones are good only for talking? Today they are bringing together two unlikely brand names: Nokia and Spike Lee.

Spike Lee will assess the video, music, photos and text material created by consumers with their cellphones, then help assemble the various snippets into a three-part film.

Mr. Lee, the director, is teaming up with Nokia, the cellphone maker, to direct a short film comprised of YouTube-style videos created by teenagers and adults using their mobile phones.

By hiring Mr. Lee for the project, Nokia is seeking to combine the populist appeal of user-generated content with the power of a famous director’s pedigree. The film will have three acts, each three to five minutes long, with the theme loosely based on the concept of humanity.

“I’m interested because it’s a great collaborative effort,” Mr. Lee said. “Within five years, new movies will be made with devices like these.”

He added: “I like working with people who have talent but aren’t in film school.”

The project is an experiment for Mr. Lee, but it is also a way for Nokia to promote its wares. Cellphone companies are all trying to position their products not just as devices for talking, but as multimedia devices that can play music, search the Web and capture video.

Many companies are also preparing for a new wave of mobile entertainment, as social networking on sites like MySpace and Facebook migrates from the Web to cellphones.

Nokia in particular is trying to turn itself into an entertainment-friendly company, much the way Steven P. Jobs has changed Apple’s image with the iPod and iPhone.

Nokia, based in Finland, said it surveyed 9,000 consumers last year and concluded that by 2012 one out of every four consumers will create, edit or share entertainment with friends, instead of getting it from traditional media outlets like television or movie studios.

And that, Nokia executives said, led them to seek out a movie director willing to dabble in mobile video.

“This is not a marketing gimmick,” said Craig Coffey, Nokia’s vice president for North American marketing and a former PepsiCo executive. “The notion of social networking and entertainment is real.”

There have been several other efforts in the realm of films that were shot with or meant to be viewed on phones. Most have involved independent filmmakers or young Steven Spielbergs in training. In 2006 Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute announced a partnership with the largest wireless association in Europe to sponsor five short films for mobile viewers. They were created by, among others, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, who directed the Academy Award winner “Little Miss Sunshine.”

Early last year, Paris held its own mobile film festival for novice filmmakers, sponsored by the French mobile operator SFR. Similar festivals have been held in Hong Kong and Yokohama, Japan.

John Stratton, the chief marketing officer of Verizon Communications who works closely with media companies to offer content to customers, said he did not expect films shot on phones to become their own genre. “But the notion of shared media is powerful,” he said.

That is one reason Nokia chose to exploit the social networking possibilities of mobile phones. Contributors can upload material created with their phones — video, music, photos and text — to www.nokiaproductions.com for review by Mr. Lee and assistant directors who will help revise entries. Mr. Coffey said other site visitors will be able to peruse these and combine them with their own material to make something new.

Mr. Lee, who in recent years directed “Inside Man” and the documentary series “When the Levees Broke,” conceded that he will be in unfamiliar technological terrain.

“Me, I’m personally a dinosaur,” he said. “My children have to help me turn on the television.”

During an interview Mr. Lee corrected himself twice, remembering that he was supposed to call the cellphone a “mobile device.”

Mr. Lee said he would assess the submissions to the site and even write a blog giving young filmmakers advice. “We want people to send sounds, music, maybe a baby crying in the park,” he said.

And if thousands of aspiring Spike Lees show up seeking feedback on their work? “I can only do so much; I have a full-time job,” he said. Then he added: “We’ll manage.”

During the months-long project, visitors to the site will be asked to vote for their favorite videos for each of the film’s three acts. After that Mr. Lee will pick a winner for each act and edit them into the final film, which will have its premiere next fall in Los Angeles.

The film will also be available for viewing online, but Nokia has yet to work out one important detail: which carriers will distribute it to viewers on mobile phones. Nokia hasn’t found anyone yet. Sounding like a hopeful Hollywood producer, Mr. Coffey said, “I’m optimistic.”

Tips for filing H-1B visa

2008-03-28T07:47:00.001+05:30

With less than two weeks to go before the start of the H-1B visa rush, the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) released rules today to prevent applicants from trying to unfairly boost their odds in the expected visa lottery.

According to new rules, employers will no longer be able to hedge their bets this year by filing multiple applications for H-1B visas for the same job candidate.

The new USCIS rule that was published Wednesday in the Federal Register aims to ensure a fair distribution of the much-sought work visas.

In case any prospective employer is caught violating the rule, he will have all of their petitions for H-1B visas denied or revoke.

However, the new rule does not preclude related employers -- such as a parent company and its subsidiary -- from filing petitions on behalf of the same workers for different positions, based on legitimate business need.

So, as the H1-B stakes go higher, here are a few tips for employers planning to file H-1B applications.

* Check filing fee amounts and submit fees in separate checks to avoid inadvertent errors.

* Answer all questions in the application and check answers for consistency. Original signatures are required. Blue ink makes it easy for USCIS to confirm an original.

* Send only one petition per envelope.

* USCIS uses the information in Part C of the H-1B Data Collection and Filing Fee Exemption Supplement (Form I-129, page 11) to determine whether a petition is subject to the 65,000 and 20,000 (US master's degree or higher) H-1B numerical limitation caps.

Part C, #4 of the Supplement does not refer to all Js with a waiver of the two-year foreign residency rule. Do not check "yes" unless the worker is a doctor who has been granted a Conrad 30 waiver to work in a medically underserved area.

* Clearly label all H-1B cap cases in red ink in the top margin of the I-129 petition. Use the following codes:

# Reg. Cap (65,000 regular cap cases minus the C/S cap cases received)

# C/S Cap (Chile/Singapore H-1B1s)

# US Masters (20,000 cap exemption for beneficiaries with US Masters or higher degrees)

# Exempt (for petitions filed by certain institutions of higher education; non-profit organisations; and non-profit research organisations or governmental research organisations, as defined in USCIS regulations)

TRAI for cheaper STD, ISD calls

2008-03-28T07:38:00.000+05:30

Your telephone calls have just got cheaper. The Access Deficit Charge (ADC) on all domestic calls has been phased out with effect from April 1.

The levy called ADC is being paid by the telecom service providers to compensate BSNL for offering rural services, which were considered unprofitable.

However, BSNL has been advocating for continuation of this levy. It was getting the ADC of Rs 5,000 crore annually till about two years ago from private players to compensate the PSU for providing services in rural areas, where private companies were reluctant to go.

Bharti has already said it will pass on the benefit, and cut call rates. ADC on international calls has also been cut by 50 per cent.

“Private operators should not be asked to fund BSNL's expansion plans under any circumstances," said a private cellular operator.

"The TRAI had itself said in its consultation paper that ADC was not required any more. It had given mathematical calculations to justify the end of the regime. We don't think there is any rationale to subsidies rural telephony any more as operators are themselves rolling out services in these areas.”

The ADC has two parts. First is 0.75 per cent of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) that service providers pay to BSNL and second, Re 1 per minute on international incoming calls paid to the PSU by international long distance service providers.

The regulatory body has issued the ninth amendment to the Interconnection Usage Charges (IUC) regulation that deals, among other things, with the ADC payable by private operators.

Through the amendment, Trai has decided to phase out ADC as a percentage of AGR from April 1, 2008, making all domestic calls free from the incidence of ADC from that date.

Data ruling may shelter illegal file sharers

2008-03-28T07:36:00.001+05:30

The agony of the recorded-music industry as it fights the "world of free" on the internet may have become a little more painful in Germany this month, with a court ruling that seems to restrict surveillance of web users.

Following the example set by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the German music companies have been tracking down web users, mostly 15 to 30 year olds, who download music in breach of copyright. It reports them to the police.

The industry in western Europe's most populous nation says it employs 98 sleuths working 24 hours a day. They use crack computers from a bland Hamburg office building to spot the file sharers.

They collect the IP numbers - a kind of internet phone number - of the downloaders and the times and dates they were observed.

To actually link up an IP - or internet protocol - number with a user requires scrutiny by police of phone-company records.

However that may prove difficult in the light of a March 19 Constitutional Court ruling that police can only obtain telephone company data to uncover serious crime. Copying music on the internet may not be considered serious enough.

A debate in the US on reforming copyright laws to encourage freer exchange has only echoed quietly in Germany, but Eco, the German internet business association, welcomed the court ruling as a rebuff to music-industry snooping.

Eco promotes new ways of earning money online and has been critical of the music industry.

In both Europe and North America, the industry has been accused of failing to adapt to the internet age and the Web's culture of sharing communities. Critics describe the major labels as dinosaurs, likely to go the same way as telegraph companies: extinct.

The music industry declared confidence that it could continue to pursue the "bootleggers" under legislation that took effect at the start of this year, making it an offence in Germany to download music from sites that are obviously not the legal owners.

Dieter Gorny, chief of the German Music Federation, which funds the hunt, said it was "established practice" for public prosecutors to obtain names and addresses of telephone company customers which matched known IP numbers and monitored times of use.

Gorny insisted that the Constitutional Court had only restricted police use of data about two-way contacts, such as telephone numbers called or the recipients' addresses for e-mails, as well as the duration of phone calls.

This position has yet to be tested in the courts, but this fine distinction may not convince some judges, who may see the Constitutional Court as sheltering file sharers as well.

In the past year, some media companies have agreed to free up copying, and have abandoned a software known as digital rights management (DRM), which is designed to prevent copying but annoys many customers.

Gorny insisted that protecting the industry's intellectual property rights had nothing to do with any privacy issues, although many of the 30,000 people who brought this week's class-action case said they were concerned about surveillance by big business.

"We support privacy, but privacy should not be used as an invisibility cloak for copyright breaches on the internet," Gorny said.

The Music Federation argues that its pursuit of downloaders is not conducted under the legislation, which was partially stayed this month, requiring data retention by telephone companies for six months as a tool to track down terrorism and other serious crime.

The Federation says it relies on section 113 of the German Telecommunications Law, which requires a telco to release customer names and addresses to police who are investigating a witnessed offence.

Last year alone, 312 million music tracks were illegally downloaded in Germany, the Federation says.

The peak time of the week for bootleggers is Sunday afternoons when young users take time off studies to replenish their collections. Some studies claim that as much as 70 percent of all internet traffic is file swapping of video and music tracks.

Sony BMG, one of the biggest labels, says the recordings market has shrunk 40 percent with the advent of file sharing.

Edgar Berger, head of Sony BMG Germany, advocates banning the downloaders from the internet. But he said this month that Sony BMG knew the answer if it could not stop the bootleggers: it must reduce its dependence on recordings sales.

It was remaking itself as an "entertainment company", with revenues from live performances, merchandising and the like soon to equal income from recordings, he said.

Gene behind hair loss identified

2008-02-27T00:49:00.000+05:30

People anxious over their hair loss might not need to worry anymore, for a gene that prevents regeneration of hair has been identified - opening a broad path to treatments for thinning locks.
A healthy individual loses about 100 strands of hair daily, with losses occurring evenly around the whole scalp. However, this hair is replaced.
The problem begins when the shedding goes beyond that number, and replacement lags.
Now, after six years of study, researchers at the University of Bonn have identified a gene that causes a rare hereditary form of hair loss - Hypotrichosis simplex - throwing open the possibility of regenerating hair.
These researchers are the first to identify a receptor that plays a role in hair growth. They now hope that their research findings will lead to new therapies that will work with various forms of hair loss.
"Although Hypotrichosis simplex is very uncommon, it may prove critical in our search for an understanding of the mechanisms of hair growth," Nature quoted project leader Dr. Regina Betz from Bonn's Institute of Human Genetics, as saying.
At fault is a genetic defect that prevents certain receptors on the surface of hair follicle cells from being correctly formed.
For the hair follicle to function normally, messengers must bind to these receptors, triggering a chain reaction in the cell interior.
The fact that a receptor plays a specific role in hair growth was previously unknown.
Professor Dr. Markus Nothen, who holds the Chair of Genetic Medicine at Bonn University's Life & Brain Centre, said: "The defective receptor structure falls into the category of what are known as G-protein-coupled receptors."
This is good news, Dr Nothen says, because, "they are particularly well suited as points of impact for drug treatments."
The researchers have also been able to find an endogenous messenger that binds in the hair follicle to the receptor, which opens up opportunities for developing new active agents.
As part of the study, another member of the project team, dermatologist Khalid Al Aboud of the King Faisal Hospital in Makkah examined a Saudi Arabian family with Hypotrichosis simplex.
DNA samples from the parents and from nine of their 10 children - including four sufferers - were analysed, providing the researchers the key to understanding some of the fundamental mechanisms of hair growth and loss.
The researchers now hope that this individual genetic case will lead to developments that can benefit more patients.

Cold air makes PC memory vulnerable

2008-02-27T00:46:00.000+05:30

Want to break into a computer's encrypted hard drive? Just blast the machine's memory chip with a burst of cold air.
That's the conclusion of new research out of Princeton University demonstrating a novel, low-tech way hackers can access even the most well-protected computers, provided they have physical access to the machines.
The Princeton report shows how encryption, long considered a vital shield against hacker attacks, can be defeated by manipulating the way memory chips work.
The researchers say the ease of their attack raises fears about the security of laptop computers increasingly used to store sensitive information, from personal banking data to company trade secrets, to national security documents.
Freezing a dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, chip, the most common type of memory chip in personal computers, causes it to retain data for minutes or even hours after the machine loses power, the report found. That data includes the keys to unlock encryption. Without freezing, the chip loses its contents within seconds.
Hackers can steal information stored in memory by rebooting the compromised machine with a simple program designed to copy the memory contents - before the computer has a chance to purge sensitive data, according to the study.
Laptops left in hibernation or sleep mode, or simply not turned off at all, are the most vulnerable to the new type of attack.
"These risks imply that disk encryption on laptops may do less good than widely believed," according to the report, which was published this week by researchers from Princeton, the Electronic Frontier Foundation digital rights group, and Wind River Systems software company. "Ultimately, it might become necessary to treat DRAM as untrusted, and to avoid storing sensitive confidential data there, but this will not be feasible until architectures are changed to give software a safe place to keep its keys."
Researchers have known since the 1970s that cooled DRAM chips can retain their contents long after power to them is extinguished, but the researchers said they believe their study is the first security paper to focus on the phenomenon.
National security agencies may also have been aware that the types of breaches outlined in the study are possible, the researchers said, but added they weren't able to find evidence of that in any publications.
The attacks were carried out by spraying an upside-down canister of multipurpose duster spray directly onto the memory chips, freezing them to minus 50 degrees Celsius, about minus 60 Fahrenheit.
One challenge faced by the researchers was the threat that booting the system will automatically overwrite some parts of the memory.
To make sure the contents were retained, they used small, special-purpose programs known as memory-imaging tools, which can be loaded over a network connection or a USB device, to save images captured from the memory chip. The attacks even work when the DRAM chip is removed and transferred to a machine set up by the hacker.
Special programs were then used to correct errors in the recovered memory contents and reconstruct the keys used for encryption.
The researchers said their results suggest that "this faith in the strength of disk encryption may be misplaced," arguing that a moderately skilled attacker can bypass many widely used encryption products - including BitLocker, included with some versions of Windows Vista; Apple's FileVault; open-source TrueCrypt; and dm-crypt - if a laptop is stolen while it is powered on or suspended.
"The use of encryption is not, by itself, necessarily an adequate defense, and data in stolen laptops may be compromised even when encryption is used," the researchers said.

Gene variation can effectively predict antidepressant response

2008-01-27T22:51:00.001+05:30

A recent study has revealed that a certain genetic variation can effectively predict the response of antidepressant drugs.

The study led by Manfred Uhr found that certain variants in the gene for a protective transporter protein that drives drugs and other substances out of the brain supports the efficacy of the antidepressants such as citalopram (trade name Celexa) and venlafaxine (Effexor).

“Antidepressants are the first-line treatment for major depression, but their overall clinical efficacy is unsatisfactory, as remission … occurs in only one-third of the patients after a trial with an adequately dosed single drug, and remission rates further decline following successive treatment failures,” wrote the researchers.

The research conducted over a mice model investigated the function of transporter protein, called P-gp that prevents entry of antidepressants into the brain.

They first knocked out genes for the transporter protein in mice and administered the antidepressants to the animals.

The researchers found that brain concentrations of citalopram and venlafaxine were regulated by P-gp—that the antidepressants were thus “substrates” of the transporter.

In another study conducted over 443 patients on the antidepressants, they looked for variants in the human gene that were linked to reduced efficacy of the drugs. Their genetic analysis identified 11 such variants.

“To our knowledge, our results provide for the first time evidence that genetic variants in the [gene for P-gp] account for differences in the clinical efficacy of antidepressants, most likely by influencing their access to the brain,” they wrote.

“From a clinical point of view, the findings warrant that patients receiving a drug that is a P-gp substrate for the treatment of brain diseases are genotyped to exclude the possibility that a patient receives a drug that fails to enter the CNS to an extent required for efficacy,” researchers wrote.

The findings appear in in the January 24, 2008, issue of the journal Neuron.

US spy satellite in free fall, could hit earth

2008-01-27T22:40:00.000+05:30

A large US spy satellite has lost power and propulsion and could hit the earth in late February or March, government officials said.

The satellite, which no longer can be controlled, could contain hazardous materials, and it is unknown where on the planet it might come down, they said on Saturday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is classified as secret.

"Appropriate government agencies are monitoring the situation," said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council. "Numerous satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly. We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause."

He would not comment on whether it is possible for the satellite to be perhaps shot down by a missile. He said it would be inappropriate to discuss any specifics at this time.

A senior government official said that lawmakers and other nations are being kept apprised of the situation.

The largest uncontrolled re-entry by a NASA spacecraft was Skylab, the 78-ton abandoned space station that fell from orbit in 1979. Its debris dropped harmlessly into the Indian Ocean and across a remote section of western Australia.

In 2000, NASA engineers successfully directed a safe de-orbit of the 17-ton Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, using rockets aboard the satellite to bring it down in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean.

In 2002, officials believe debris from a 3,175-kilogram science satellite smacked into the Earth's atmosphere and rained down over the Persian Gulf, a few thousand kilometres from where they first predicted it would plummet.

Strong passwords: How to create and use them

2007-10-26T23:57:00.000+05:30

Your passwords are the keys you use to access personal information that you've stored on your computer and in your online accounts.

If criminals or other malicious users steal this information, they can use your name to open new credit card accounts, apply for a mortgage, or pose as you in online transactions. In many cases you would not notice these attacks until it was too late.

Fortunately, it is not hard to create strong passwords and keep them well protected.

What makes a strong password

To an attacker, a strong password should appear to be a random string of characters. The following criteria can help your passwords do so:

Make it lengthy. Each character that you add to your password increases the protection that it provides many times over. Your passwords should be 8 or more characters in length; 14 characters or longer is ideal.

Many systems also support use of the space bar in passwords, so you can create a phrase made of many words (a "pass phrase"). A pass phrase is often easier to remember than a simple password, as well as longer and harder to guess.

Combine letters, numbers, and symbols. The greater variety of characters that you have in your password, the harder it is to guess.Other important specifics include:

The fewer types of characters in your password, the longer it must be. A 15-character password composed only of random letters and numbers is about 33,000 times stronger than an 8-character password composed of characters from the entire keyboard. If you cannot create a password that contains symbols, you need to make it considerably longer to get the same degree of protection. An ideal password combines both length and different types of symbols.
Use the entire keyboard, not just the most common characters. Symbols typed by holding down the "Shift" key and typing a number are very common in passwords. Your password will be much stronger if you choose from all the symbols on the keyboard, including punctuation marks not on the upper row of the keyboard, and any symbols unique to your language.

Use words and phrases that are easy for you to remember, but difficult for others to guess. The easiest way to remember your passwords and pass phrases is to write them down. Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing wrong with writing passwords down, but they need to be adequately protected in order to remain secure and effective.

In general, passwords written on a piece of paper are more difficult to compromise across the Internet than a password manager, Web site, or other software-based storage tool, such as password managers.

Create a strong, memorable password in 6 steps

Use these steps to develop a strong password:

1.Think of a sentence that you can remember. This will be the basis of your strong password or pass phrase. Use a memorable sentence, such as "My son Aiden is three years old."

2.Check if the computer or online system supports the pass phrase directly. If you can use a pass phrase (with spaces between characters) on your computer or online system, do so.

3.If the computer or online system does not support pass phrases, convert it to a password. Take the first letter of each word of the sentence that you've created to create a new, nonsensical word. Using the example above, you'd get: "msaityo".

4.Add complexity by mixing uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers. It is valuable to use some letter swapping or misspellings as well. For instance, in the pass phrase above, consider misspelling Aiden's name, or substituting the word "three" for the number 3. There are many possible substitutions, and the longer the sentence, the more complex your password can be. Your pass phrase might become "My SoN Ayd3N is 3 yeeRs old." If the computer or online system will not support a pass phrase, use the same technique on the shorter password. This might yield a password like "MsAy3yo".

5.Finally, substitute some special characters. You can use symbols that look like letters, combine words (remove spaces) and other ways to make the password more complex. Using these tricks, we create a pass phrase of "MySoN 8N i$ 3 yeeR$ old" or a password (using the first letter of each word) "M$8ni3y0".

6.Test your new password with Password Checker. Password Checker is a non-recording feature on http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/checker.mspx that helps determine your password's strength as you type.

Password strategies to avoid
Some common methods used to create passwords are easy to guess by criminals. To avoid weak, easy-to-guess passwords:

Avoid sequences or repeated characters. "12345678," "222222," "abcdefg," or adjacent letters on your keyboard do not help make secure passwords.

Avoid using only look-alike substitutions of numbers or symbols. Criminals and other malicious users who know enough to try and crack your password will not be fooled by common look-alike replacements, such as to replace an 'i' with a '1' or an 'a' with '@' as in "M1cr0$0ft" or "P@ssw0rd". But these substitutions can be effective when combined with other measures, such as length, misspellings, or variations in case, to improve the strength of your password.

Avoid your login name. Any part of your name, birthday, social security number, or similar information for your loved ones constitutes a bad password choice. This is one of the first things criminals will try.

Avoid dictionary words in any language. Criminals use sophisticated tools that can rapidly guess passwords that are based on words in multiple dictionaries, including words spelled backwards, common misspellings, and substitutions. This includes all sorts of profanity and any word you would not say in front of your children.

Use more than one password everywhere. If any one of the computers or online systems using this password is compromised, all of your other information protected by that password should be considered compromised as well. It is critical to use different passwords for different systems.

Avoid using online storage. If malicious users find these passwords stored online or on a networked computer, they have access to all your information.

The "blank password" option
A blank password (no password at all) on your account is more secure than a weak password such as "1234". Criminals can easily guess a simplistic password, but on computers using Windows XP, an account without a password cannot be accessed remotely by means such as a network or the Internet. (This option is not available for Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows Me, or earlier versions) You can choose to use a blank password on your computer account if these criteria are met:

* You only have one computer or you have several computers but you do not need to access information on one computer from another one
* The computer is physically secure (you trust everyone who has physical access to the computer)

The use of a blank password is not always a good idea. For example, a laptop computer that you take with you is probably not physically secure, so on those you should have a strong password.

How to access and change your passwords
Online accounts
Web sites have a variety of policies that govern how you can access your account and change your password. Look for a link (such as "my account") somewhere on the site's home page that goes to a special area of the site that allows password and account management.
Computer passwords
The Help files for your computer operating system will usually provide information about how to create, modify, and access password-protected user accounts, as well as how to require password protection upon startup of your computer. You can also try to find this information online at the software manufacturer's Web site. For example, if you use Microsoft Windows XP, online help can show you how to manage passwords, change passwords, and more.

Keep your passwords secret
Treat your passwords and pass phrases with as much care as the information that they protect.

Don't reveal them to others. Keep your passwords hidden from friends or family members (especially children) who could pass them on to other less trustworthy individuals. Passwords that you need to share with others, such as the password to your online banking account that you might share with your spouse, are the only exceptions.

Protect any recorded passwords. Be careful where you store the passwords that you record or write down. Do not leave these records of your passwords anywhere that you would not leave the information that they protect.

Never provide your password over e-mail or based on an e-mail request. Any e-mail that requests your password or requests that you to go to a Web site to verify your password is almost certainly a fraud. This includes requests from a trusted company or individual. E-mail can be intercepted in transit, and e-mail that requests information might not be from the sender it claims. Internet "phishing" scams use fraudulent e-mail messages to entice you into revealing your user names and passwords, steal your identity, and more. Learn more about phishing scams and how to deal with online fraud.

Change your passwords regularly. This can help keep criminals and other malicious users unaware. The strength of your password will help keep it good for a longer time. A password that is shorter than 8 characters should be considered only good for a week or so, while a password that is 14 characters or longer (and follows the other rules outlined above) can be good for several years.

Do not type passwords on computers that you do not control. Computers such as those in Internet cafés, computer labs, shared systems, kiosk systems, conferences, and airport lounges should be considered unsafe for any personal use other than anonymous Internet browsing. Do not use these computers to check online e-mail, chat rooms, bank balances, business mail, or any other account that requires a user name and password. Criminals can purchase keystroke logging devices for very little money and they take only a few moments to install. These devices let malicious users harvest all the information typed on a computer from across the Internet—your passwords and pass phrases are worth as much as the information that they protect.

What to do if your password is stolen

Be sure to monitor all the information you protect with your passwords, such as your monthly financial statements, credit reports, online shopping accounts, and so on. Strong, memorable passwords can help protect you against fraud and identity theft, but there are no guarantees. No matter how strong your password is, if someone breaks into the system that stores it, they will have your password. If you notice any suspicious activity that could indicate that someone has accessed your information, notify authorities as quickly as you can. Get more information on what to do if you think your identity has been stolen or you've been similarly defrauded.

Children need to watch out for junk sleep

2007-09-21T20:05:00.000+05:30

Meet class XII student Pareekshit. He is a gadget freak, his room is his world, his laptop keeps him company after dinner. He takes a break only to answer calls from friends and then it's back to the laptop, only to doze off by 2 am.

"Sometimes I doze off even without switching off my laptop," says he.

Pareekshit's meager hours are no longer an exception among teens. A recent survey by the Sleep Council in Britain found that 30 per cent of children between the ages of 12 to 16 are sleeping just four to seven hours a day.

The reason: they are distracted by electronic gadgets in their rooms. Experts say this is a trend catching up with children in India too.

"Not only do children lose sleep because of the mental stimulation provided by these gadgets, the light or sounds emitted can disturb their sleep. Their sleep quality is becoming poorer," says paediatrician Apollo Hospital, Dr Vidya Gupta.

The Sleep Council calls the phenomena junk sleep — that is sleep that is of neither the length nor quality that it should be in order to feed the brain with the rest it needs to perform properly at school. And it is as bad a lifestyle choice as junk food.

Says Dr Gupta, "As it is children in their teens tend to be difficult to deal with. This just adds to that difficulty."

But all one needs to do to make sure your child sleeps well is to switch off that distracting gadget before your child hits the sack.

Now pay Rs 15 extra for withdrawing money from ATM

2007-08-04T08:28:00.001+05:30

Debit cards have become a part of our life, most do not even remember the days of withdrawal slips and long lines to with draw money. But now the comfort of ATMs will come at a cost.

Banks that were giving debit card services for free till now will now charge customers an annual fee of Rs 99 for the card.

Also, the next time you withdraw money from your bank's ATM, remember that only six transactions are free in a month. After that you will be charged a fee of Rs 15 per transaction.

There is also bad news for those who fail to maintain the minimum balance required in their accounts. ICICI bank and UTI bank have already hiked the penalty for not maintaining the minimum balance to Rs 750.

SMS alerts too will be free only for 6 months after registration.

Banks claim these charges will help popularise online banking. They feel that it will also promote the increased use of cards while shopping, as there are no charges for paying through debit cards.

According to RBI guidelines, banks have a right to fix their service charges, but the bank should notify the customer prior to any hike in charges.

Data Recovery - Tape, Hard Drive and Optical

2007-07-13T20:21:00.000+05:30

Tape Data Recovery

Tape data recovery is the successful retrieval and copying of data from a tape cartridge that has been damaged due to any of the following:

* Heat and Smoke Damage
* Water Damage - Sprinkler System or Flooded
* Damage Resulting from Dropping the Cartridge
* Data Residing after an EOF Mark (Overwritten)
* Damage Resulting from the Tape Drive
* Damage as a Result of Aging (Past Warranty)
* Damage Resulting from Exposure to Extreme Temperatures or Humidity
* Internal Cartridge Mechanism Failing
* Permanent Errors Residing Mid File

As in all data recovery operations, recovering data from tapes is very specialized. There are primarily two recovery types -
Physical and Logical.

Physical Data Recovery is necessary when there is a physical problem with the media or plastics which prevents the data from being read normally. This type of recovery may include dealing with issues such as deteriorating magnetic coatings, cracked or broken reels/cartridge shells, creased tape edges, twisted or folded tape, stretched or broken tape, etc. This recovery type also includes capturing the data from media that has mistakenly subjected to adverse conditions such as water, mud, or other debris. While these physical issues are often difficult to handle, recovery of these types can usually be achieved in the high 98+% range.

Logical Data Recovery is typically the most difficult, and consequently, the most expensive. Recovering files logically includes recovering the data portion of a tape that was successfully recorded, but for some unknown reason cannot be read. The recovery of files from this type of problem often requires multiple passes using proprietary software that restores the file to the HDD. If hard errors occur, "dummy blocks" are written in their place, the file fragments are pieced back together and the logically re-created file written to the appropriate output tape.

Other forms of Logical Data Recovery include tapes that were written with misaligned heads, and tapes that contain critical data and were re-initialized by mistake. All of these problems can be recovered, or at least partially recovered using internally developed proprietary software and processes.

Hard Drive Data Recovery

Hard drive data recovery involves replacing failed components such as read/write heads, head assemblies, magnets and drive motors in a clean environment. In most cases, the recovery process involves restructuring of the data by examining the low-level data sectors and determining what fixes to filesystem structures are needed to get access to the data. Using highly sophisticated techniques and proprietary equipment and software, our engineers are able to fix and recover data from raw images of all operating systems.

Typical Hard Drive Recovery Situations

* Hard disk failure
* Failed components (read/write heads, head assemblies, magnets, drive motors, etc)
* Drives that have been formatted or overwritten
* Corrupt or missing critical file system structures
* File deletion
* Application crash
* Computer viruses and worms
* Partitioning or boot-up problems
* Damage due to a power failure or surge

Data Storage Devices

* All Hard Drive types, models and sizes including IBM Microdrives.
* Currently manufactured models: Seagate, Maxtor, IBM, Western Digital, Fujitsu, Quantum, Toshiba, Hitachi, and others.
* Out of manufacture models: Kalok, JTS, Connor Xebec, Imprimis, Miniscribe, Micropolis, Microscience, Rodime, and others.
* Floppy disks 3.5", 5.25", 8", and other media such as 120M SuperDisk, CDR/W, Optical and Worm, Iomega ZIP and JAZ, Syquest.

Operating Systems and Platforms

* Windows XP, NT, 2000, ME, 98, 95, 3.x (Fat16, Fat32)
* All MS-DOS, and PC-DOS versions (Fat12, Fat16)
* OS/2, OS/2 Warp
* All Novell Netware versions (NFS)
* All MacOS versions
* Sun OS
* CP/M
* SCO UNIX, XENIX, SGI Irix, AIX, Linux
* Pick

Hard drives under manufacturer's warranty, that require clean room stabilization due to physical failures, still carry the warranty. eMag's clean room facilities do not void the warranty, and the drive can be replaced.

Optical Data Recovery

Recovering image files from Optical Media is much different than tape. Image files are normally recovered to CD's, but other media types may be appropriate in certain situations. Since Optical Disks are recorded on two sides, corruption on one side does not necessarily mean both sides will be affected, or that the same issues are present on both sides. Recovery is never attempted from the original disk, but rather from an Image we take of the disk. This eliminates the possibility of further damage during the recovery process.

Corruption may be experienced with Filenames, Root Directories and Folder Names in addition to the files themselves. When recovering image files from Optical media, it is common to find readable files that cannot be associated with a parent folder or index. These "Orphan Files" are put into their own Orphan File Directory for the customer. If the Parent Folder is missing or cannot be identified, the customer may be able to re-build that part of their structure for these Orphan Files. As with conversion of Optical Disks, all of the system, application, and software information that the customer can provide will be critical in recovery attempts.

Tape Data Recovery Basic Precautions

Many times retrieval is made more difficult by the users trying to recover data themselves and inadvertently making the situation worse. If you are in a situation where data recovery is needed, observe some basic precautions:

* If the tape cartridge is wet, speed is of the essence, but don't try to hurry up a drying process. The tape can react badly to fast changes in temperature, humidity, etc.
* If there is something loose in the tape cartridge, running it in a tape drive can cause severe physical damage to the tape surface.
* Act quickly to seek advice when a disaster occurs. The effects of temperature, humidity, water damage, etc. can become gradually worse over time.
* When sending tape media to eMag for recovery, be sure to package securely. Be aware that water escaping from tape media can disintegrate the packaging. Ensure the package is water tight and padded.

Boeing unveils Dreamliner plane

2007-07-09T19:23:00.000+05:30

US plane manufacturer Boeing has unveiled it's 787 Dreamliner - the firm's first all-new jet since 1995.

It is the only big commercial aircraft made mostly of carbon fibre rather than aluminium and is billed as the most environmentally friendly ever built.

Boeing says the 787 is much more fuel efficient than its competitors and produces 20% less CO2.

The firm says it already has more than 600 orders. The first test flight is expected in August or September.

Sunday was chosen for Dreamliner's premiere as it is 8 July, or, in the American date style, 07/08/07.

An audience of thousands was in attendance in Seattle as the aircraft was presented to the media.

"Our journey began some six years ago when we knew we were on the cusp of delivering valuable new technologies," Mike Bair, who heads the 787 programme, told the crowd.

Hours earlier, Boeing said it had received 35 new orders for the plane.

The orders, from Air Berlin and a Kuwaiti leasing firm, mean Boeing now has 677 orders from 47 customers for the midsize, long-haul jet.

Read Malayalam Manorama On Your Nokia Handset

2007-07-07T13:26:00.000+05:30

Nokia has launched the industry's first 'vernacular news portal' with Malayalam Manorama, South-based publication group and Kerala's largest selling newspaper. With this innovative offering, all Nokia GPRS-enabled handsets users in Kerala will be able to get national and international news in their native language across categories of news - sports, travel, music, astrology and movies, amongst others.

Speaking at the launch of this innovative service, Devinder Kishore, marketing director, Nokia India, said, "Ease-of-use is a key Nokia proposition. As the leader, we are continuously working towards providing features and services that simplify the lives of our users. We have once again launched a path-breaking application -- vernacular news portal, a mobile newspaper in the palm, that enables users to view news updates in there native languages at their convenience."

Commenting on Nokia's tie-up with Malayalam Manorama, Kishore said, "We are delighted to launch Nokia news portal in Malayalam in association with Kerala's leading media house Malayalam Manorama. I am confident that this application will revolutionise the way consumers view their daily news updates."

Additionally with the launch of this 'mobile newspaper', Nokia brings the benefits of all value-added services for the first time in 10 vernacular languages. These include Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Oriya, Assamese, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada in association with leading media houses across India. This application also supports 'Search' and 'Mobile Advertising', while making the 'Internet' and the 'Search' facility available to the non-English literates for the first time in the country.

H1B visa programme draws flak

2007-07-07T13:16:00.000+05:30

A top Republican Congressman has slammed the H1B visa programme, saying that there was no mechanism to find out if anyone, whose time has expired, has left the country and there was little penal action against those overstaying the visa.

Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo, who is also a Presidential candidate has argued that even though Congress had authorised the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to put in place an entry-exit system, which should have been operational since January this year, it is not yet ready.

Tancredo was responding in an interview with Fox News on the subject of the H1B visas in the context of the role of doctors in England in the bombings.

"The H-1B has been really a problem for a long time. The fraud inside that particular visa programme is enormous and I have come out in opposition to it long before the events in London," he said. Tancredo was critical of the rationale behind the visa programme.

"The reason is that the programme itself was set up in order to bring in people with unique skills -- unique -- we cannot find them anywhere else in the United States, and there are one or two individuals throughout the world that may have it. And so that's why we have an H-1B programme, unique skills," Tancredo said in response to a question.

"What has happened is that it has been simply used as a way of getting cheap labour into the US for higher-echelon jobs, for white-collar jobs. We have never, ever, not one person has ever been prosecuted here for overstaying that visa," he added.

Tancredo was asked to respond to the role of people like Bill Gates who have been pushing for expanding H-1B visas, so that more of those people can come from countries like India.

"That's exactly right. They have. And the reason, of course, is because they're cheaper...it's got really very little to do with experience or ability," he said adding that if he became President he would tighten up the H1B process particularly going after the visa over-stayers.

There are probably six to seven lakh H-1B overstays in the US today, he said. "This is because we have never checked on a single one of them to make sure they go back. Because there is absolutely...no system," Tancredo said.

He said the Congress authorized ICE to actually put in place an entry-exit system. It was supposed to be in place January this year.

"It's not in place. They're telling us, we don't know that it will ever get in place. Right now, anybody can come into this country with a visa. They can leave when it's time," the Republican law maker said.

Category of Visas available

2007-06-28T11:18:00.000+05:30

Note: Change of purpose is not permitted once you have reached India. Depending on the nature of your journey, apply for the correct visa category.

TOURIST VISA: Valid for 6 months to 10 years. Ten (10) year visa is available only to US citizens under a bilateral arrangement. Irrespective of the duration of validity of visa, on each visit maximum period of stay in India is limited to 6 months (180 days). Multiple entry visas are given.

TRANSFER OF VISA: For transferring an Indian visa from an old passport to a new passport. The regular visa application form with 2 photographs is required along with a fee of $25.

TRANSIT VISA: A transit visa is granted for the sole purpose of enabling the holder to travel through India to reach his/her ultimate destination. Change of purpose is not allowed. The visa will ordinarily be valid for a single/double journey and for entry within three months of date of issue. The Transit visa is valid for direct transit only for a maximum period of 3 days. Confirmed airline ticket for onward journey and valid visa for final destination are required. For a stay in India beyond 3 days, an appropriate visa should be obtained.

ENTRY VISA: Valid for six months to five years stay with multiple entry is given only to persons of Indian origin. However, members of the family of a person employed in India are also eligible for Entry visa.

BUSINESS VISA: Valid for six month or one/more years with multiple entries. However, the period of stay in India (for each visit) under this category is limited to six months only. A letter from the sponsoring organization indicating nature of applicant’s business, probable duration of stay, validity of visa, places and organizations to be visited and also a guarantee to meet maintenance expenses etc. should accompany the application. Business visa valid for ten years with multiple entries is available to foreign businessmen who have set up or intend to set up joint ventures in India.

EMPLOYMENT VISA: An appointment letter, contract letter, applicant’s resume and proof that the organization is registered in India are required. Duration of visa would depend on the period of the contract.

STUDENT VISA: (Valid for the period of study in India). Multiple-entry visas are given to bona fide students to pursue regular studies at recognized institutions in India. A letter confirming admission from such an institution along with evidence of financial arrangements for stay in India should accompany the application. In case of admission in medical or paramedical courses in India, a letter of Approval or No objection certificate from the Ministry of Health, Government of India, is also required. Similarly, for admission to graduate or post-graduate courses in engineering/ technical institutions in India, a letter of approval or a No objection certificate from the Ministry of Human Resources Development (Department of Education) is required.

RESEARCH VISA: Approval of Ministry of Human Resources Development (Department of Education), New Delhi, should accompany the visa application. The validity of the visa would coincide with the research period.

MISSIONARIES: Single entry visa valid for the duration approved by the Government of India is issued. Three copies of the letter from the sponsoring organization indicating intended destination in India, expected length of stay, and nature of work to be discharged should be attached along with a guarantee for applicant’s maintenance while in India. (Note: Processing of application for a Missionary Visa may take up to three (03) months.)

JOURNALIST VISA: Journalist visa is given to professional journalists and photographers for up to three months' stay in India. (If you are intending to make a documentary in India, kindly contact the Press and Information wing in the Embassy /Consulate General of India). The contact details of the Press and Information Wing of the Embassy of India are available on the web site.

CONFERENCE VISA: A letter of invitation from the organizer of the conference is to be attached along with the visa application. Visas for international conferences, or on certain subjects, as decided by the Government of India from time to time, can be issued only after clearance for the said conference is received from the Government of India.

Credit cards with you, yet robbed

2007-06-28T11:16:00.001+05:30

Life seems to be going downhill for a pickpocket today. And with the advent of the credit card, it’s not even a well paying job anymore. So is this the end of pickpockets, as we know it?

Sadly, no. Because credit cards are no more failsafe. What’s taken the world by storm now, is skimming, where it's no more necessary to pick your pocket to steal your credit card.

Skimming is the theft of credit card information by a dishonest employee, manually copying down numbers, or using a magnetic stripe reader on a pocket-sized electronic device.

Even your ATM, debit or driver's license details can be stolen the same way. What’s most scary is you won't even know your credit card has been copied, reproduced and used until you get a huge bill.

So here are the precautions:

* Do not let your credit card out of sight in petrol bunks or restaurants.

* Cover your hands when you type in the number at the ATM.

* Check receipts and bank statements thoroughly.

It all just shows how hard it is to change an infrastructure once it's in. But there's hope in the very near future. Today you can put a thousand rupees into a single plastic card, tomorrow, you can put as many plastic cards as you want, into a single cell phone.

CanvasM, a VAS provider launched its research centre in Noida a few weeks ago, where it unveiled some technologies that are already at the testing stage.

This includes mobile instruments, which essentially double as your credit cards. Just visit your bank, type in a unique password that activates your card, and flash it through the reader to make the transaction.

Even if you lose your cell phone, the credit card can't be activated unless you type in the code, which is not stored in your cell phone. Now that's bound to put the skimmers out of business, for a while at least.

B1 visa, an alternative for H1B

2007-06-14T10:39:00.001+05:30

With no headway on the issue of increasing H1B visa cap, some Indian IT companies are now pitching for B1 visa, which is issued to visitors for business in the US.

Industry majors have suggested to the US embassy in the capital that B1 could be considered as an option for allowing IT professionals in the US for a shorter duration.

Unlike H1B visa, which is issued to a maximum of 65,000 professionals only, there is no cap on B1 visa. This means employers would be able to send as many professionals as they want on B1. But there is a catch -- B1 visa is valid only for six months, against the three-year stay allowed under an H1B visa.

“They are actively considering the suggestion of increasing the time span of B1 visa from six months to one year. This will provide us some relief, as many employees need not stay longer than that. And those who have to, can come back to India for a week, and then again fly to the US to finish the project,” said a source in a leading IT company.

A B1 visa holder can conduct negotiations, solicit sales, make investments or purchases, attend meetings, interview and hire staff, and conduct research. He, however, can’t run a business and get payment by an organisation within the US.

The industry, however, stresses H1B visa remains its first priority and there is a need to raise the cap, which was scaled down from 1,95,000 two years ago.

Currently, Indian applications, led by those from Infosys and Wipro, make up about 70% of the total H1B applicants. Nasscom has also been asking for a separate professional services visa for some time. Currently, in selected cases the US consulate issues an employment-authorised B1 visa in lieu of H1B visa on conditions that the worker must engage in a specialty occupation in the US and should be permanently employed and paid by the employer outside the US.

Mesothelioma Risk Calculator - MesoBlog.org

2007-06-12T08:45:00.001+05:30

Mesoblog.org proudly presents mesothelioma risk calculator. This is a unique risk calculator that has been specially devised keeping in mind the seriousness and the importance of mesothelioma cancer. This mesothelioma risk calculator has been designed after giving careful consideration to the necessary conditions measured against the circumstances that can cause mesothelioma.

The end result is an almost accurate mesothelioma risk calculator that collects all the relevant information that might have a hand in causing mesothelioma such as asbestos exposure, smoking and other genetic or environmental factors.

After measured calculation, you get the result for your mesothelioma risk factors. Depending on the factors that you chose, your result will indicate if you have any chance of suffering from mesothelioma cancer.

There are a large number of people who can benefit from this mesothelioma risk calculator. If you are afraid that you worked in a place where asbestos exposure could have taken place or if you wonder that they symptoms you are experiencing stem from mesothelioma, this is time for you to make use of this mesothelioma calculator and confirm your doubts.

Mesoblog.org mesothelioma risk calculator will tell you in clear terms if you are suffering from mesothelioma, if you are at risk of suffering from disease or if you have any chance at all of getting this malignant cancer.

Feel free to check out your mesothelioma risk factors by taking full advantage of our mesothelioma risk calculator at http://www.mesoblog.org/risk-calculator.php

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No more apologies; It's time to ban asbestos in Canada

2007-06-12T08:43:00.000+05:30

Canadians have a reputation for being self-effacing and apologetic. Our attitude is so globally well-known that recently Monty Python alumnus Eric Idle quipped, "The first draft of your national anthem, 'O Canada', was actually called, 'Oh, Sorry!' "

Funny, but not necessarily true. O Canada, our home and native land, continues to promote, mine and export asbestos. According to Ban Asbestos Canada (BAC), "The Canadian asbestos trade has taken a deadly toll at home and abroad and will continue to do so for many years to come. This unnecessary loss of human life is unacceptable." The problem is that all forms of asbestos are carcinogenic. According to BAC, this includes chrysotile, a white asbestos that is mined and exported in Canada. What is so troubling is that this isn't news. We've known about the dangers of asbestos since the early 1920s.

But asbestos means jobs, particularly in Quebec where the banning of asbestos would mean eliminating the jobs of the 4,000 workers who are directly or indirectly employed by the industry. Ironically, many of those workers will be among the front-line victims of the deadly cancer, mesothelioma, caused by asbestos exposure. The trade off doesn't seem reasonable, fair or humane. And yet we continue to be one of the world's largest exporters of this deadly substance.
A whopping 95 per cent of Canada's asbestos production is exported to the developing world where health and safely regulations are almost non-existent.

According to an article entitled The Asbestos Cancer Epidemic, by Joseph LaDou, (Environmental Health Perspectives, 2004), "The asbestos cancer epidemic may take as many as 10 million lives before asbestos is banned worldwide and exposures are brought to an end. In many developed countries, in the most affected age groups, mesothelioma may account for one per cent of all deaths. In addition to mesotheliomas, five-seven per cent of all lung cancers can be attributed to occupational exposures to asbestos."

Enough is enough. On June 22, The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) will meet to consider the call to ban asbestos. The CCS is arguably the most powerful anti-cancer lobby in Canada. It is the profound and desperate hope that the condemnation of the CCS may finally get the government's attention and stop the deadly production and export of asbestos.

As a result, activists, labour unions and health coalitions are calling upon the Canadian public to put aside their quiet apologies and let their voices be heard. Write, e-mail, phone the CCS as soon as possible and encourage them to call for a ban on this deadly substance.

"Why should you care?" asks activist Janet MacNeill, "Because asbestos is nasty, and it affects people from all walks of life: factory workers, teachers, students, the families of workers, families with asbestos insulation in their houses, First Nations communities - in other words, asbestos is a scourge that affects us all. And Canada exports it to developing countries where health and environmental protections are even less developed than our own. Many countries have banned asbestos. Canada is long overdue."

Enough said. Apologies, this time, are not accepted. It is no longer OK to be uniquely Canadian and wonderfully non-committal. We are spreading death at a painfully slow and horrible rate.

Unlike other cancers, where mortality rates are falling, a diagnosis of mesothelioma is generally considered a death sentence. According to Cancer UK, "By the time someone has symptoms and goes to their doctor, the disease is very often advanced. Because few people are diagnosed early, there are no reliable statistics for five-year survival rates for the early stages of mesothelioma. Generally, of all those people diagnosed with mesothelioma only about one in 10 (10 per cent) will be alive three years later and one in 20 (five per cent) will be alive five years later."

Indian IT despairs over surging rupee

2007-06-07T18:04:00.000+05:30

India’s IT industry expressed serious concern on Wednesday over the impact of the rupee’s surge on export-dependent software exporters, already struggling with high costs.

Any hope for the industry lies in the US economy performing better than expected and the US tweaking interest rates to prop up the dollar, said Kiran Karnik, president of the National Association of Software and Service Companies,(NASSCOM).

"We have had an eight or nine percent increase in the rupee in just the last threeto- four months,’’ Karnik, told reporters in Bangalore. The US accounts for two-thirds of Indian software sales, and any rise in the rupee trims profit margins of companies such as Tata Consultancy and Infosys Technologies that are at the vanguard of the 48 billion dollar industry.

NASSCOM has estimated India’s software exports at 31 billion dollars in the year ended March. Net foreignexchange earnings make up 51 percent of sales at Tata Consultancy, 56 percent at Infosys and 35 percent at Wipro.

‘‘All our expenditure is in rupees so we take a huge hit,’’ said Karnik. The advance of the rupee to decade highs, making the currency one of the biggest gainers this year and propelling India to a trillion dollar economy, has not been foreeseen by either economists or exporters who bill in dollars.

The rupee has also risen too high, too fast and ‘‘there is bound to be a correction,’’ Karnik said.

Fedora 7 Tips Hat to Developers

2007-06-05T18:20:00.000+05:30

Red Hat's (Nasdaq: RHAT) Fedora Project has released the Fedora 7 version of the Linux operating system, which features a new build capacity allowing for the creation of custom appliances to meet individual needs.
Fedora 7 offers users an appliance development platform that it says is 100 percent open sourcewith an entirely free distribution build tool chain. The Fedora 7 source code is hosted in a public version control system, the RPMs (Red Hat Package Manager) are built on an external build system and the distributions are built with an external, open source composing tool that allows access by the entire Fedora community.
"We hope developers will share what they create, but there is no obligation for them to do so," Jack Aboutboul, community engineer at Red Hat, told LinuxInsider. "We are discussing how we can create an online spot within our community where developers can offer the appliances they developed, but it won't be an official packet release within the Fedora 7 distribution."Attract Outsiders
Fedora's major goal the last few years has been to allow proven non-Red Hat contributors to have greater influence and access to the Fedora Project, Max Spevack, Fedora project leader at Red Hat, wrote on the company's blog. This flexible, public build environment gives Fedora 7 users the ability to customize the operating system's live CD, DVD and USB technologies.
After customization, developers can load Fedora onto various forms of bootable media, allowing users to run their operating systems without a hard disk installation.
From the technical side, the attraction of non-Red Hat contributors has been pushed forward by the Fedora Extras and the Fedora Infrastructure projects, according to Spevack.
Red Hat Differences
"Fedora 7 development has focused on improving the manner in which all Fedora releases will be made," said Spevack. "Beyond the usual set of upstream changes and improvements, our latest release is by far the most exciting and flexible to date. The ability to create appliances to suit every particular user need is incredibly powerful."
The Fedora 7 release is an upstream development for what will eventually get into the Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions, explained Aboutboul. It will be subjected to two years' worth of testing before Red Hat puts the components of Fedora 7 into its commercial Linux product.
While both the commercial version and the newer Fedora 7 come from the same core code, they are really two different Linux distributions. Only the commerical release comes with training and support that is built around Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Aboutboul explained.
Fedora 7 offers Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) and Qemu virtualization technologies in addition to Xen. All implementations can be managed using the Fedora graphical virtualization manager.
KVM provides a full virtualization solution, letting users choose from KVM, Xen or Qemu.Open Packages
The Fedora 7 release merges the separate repositories the community maintained for software packages for the Fedora OS and Fedora Extras project. Fedora Extras are sets of packages that supplement the Fedora Core but do not replace Fedora Core component packages. Now both Red Hat employees and community members can access the entire Fedora repository in one location.
The Fedora Project is a different Linux distribution than the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Red Hat Enterprise Linux targets the commercial market, including mainframes. It is provided for free, but customers pay for support.
Red Hat's Fedora Project, which sponsored the release of Fedora 7, is a Linux-based operating system using the Fedora Core. Fedora is developed by volunteers comprising the Fedora community. Fedora distributions are free for anyone to use, modify and distribute

Big new Airbus soars over India's congestion

2007-05-21T18:18:00.001+05:30

Does size matter? It's a question that haunted me as I walk towards the world's largest passenger plane with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

The Airbus A380, developed at a cost of $10 billion (5 billion pounds), has been plagued by production delays.

Its entry into commercial service is already two years overdue, but India is the world's fastest growing aviation market and the European-built plane was in New Delhi last week on the first stop of a world tour.

Kingfisher Airlines is the only Indian carrier to have ordered the A380 and it organised a demonstration flight on the 525-seat double-decker for a few hundred people.

Everyone from the pilots and the cabin crew to the marketing managers, travel agents and even the security guards seemed to use the same one word to describe the plane: huge.

It certainly has the vital statistics to support that description: maximum take-off weight of 560 tonnes, a take-off thrust equivalent to the power of about 2,500 cars, and a wing span of almost 80 metres (260 feet).

At first sight from the front, the size hardly registers. But it begins to hit you as you walk to the plane's side, with its height and enormous wings Inside, it seems like Airbus has taken two planes and put them one on top of another to create a twin-deck giant.

The seats in economy class are comfortably wide, so is the leg space, as are the aisles. The overhead luggage bins are deep. You can even almost stretch your arms in the toilets.

The trepidation kicked in as the aircraft began to move slowly onto the runway for the 100-minute flight from New Delhi to Mumbai.

GENTLE GIANT

We are told that the A380 does not require as long a runway as a Boeing 747, which is a relief since Indian airports are known for anything but their size.

But the wings need more shoulder space.

To accommodate them, airport authorities in Delhi had to chop down grass on either side of the runway and clear stones and pebbles that could have got sucked into the engines.

The engines whine and the plane picks up speed, and before we know it the wheels are up and hoots and clapping fill the cabin
Captain Ed Strongman, one of the two pilots, later told me in the cockpit that the flight crew used only 75 percent of thrust to get plane airborne.

In the air, the cabin is so quiet the humming of the air-conditioning in our office seems louder. Early into the flight, we experience some turbulence and the A380 wobbles gently like a cradle or a giant vessel skimming a rough wave.

Vijay Mallya, India's beer baron and chairman of Kingfisher -- named after the popular brand of beer he makes -- flew the A380 simulator in Britain and called it "mindblowing".

Kingfisher has ordered five of the planes, with an option on five more.

"It just floats in the sky. It's outstanding," said Mallya, who is licensed to fly a Boeing 727.

As we land in Mumbai with not so much as a rattle, it looks like everyone working in the airport has gathered on every inch of space available to watch the landing.

These days, India's main airports are in the news for all the wrong reasons, choked with new private airlines and struggling to cope with booming passenger and freight traffic.

Modernisation plans have yet to be implemented, a fate common in many areas of India's infrastructure
Five days after my ride, a report in India Today magazine gave a harrowing account of what it called the country's "aviation mess".

"Air traffic is growing ... but infrastructure is crawling, rendering flying in India a nightmare," the weekly said. "In India, air travel is losing its USP (unique selling proposition) -- saving time."

That reality caught up with me later on the day of my one-way ride on the Airbus after a few hours in Mumbai.

The narrow roads back to the airport were so clogged with traffic that I missed my flight home.

Life after marriage is wonderful: Aishwarya

2007-05-18T07:00:00.000+05:30

Life after marriage is “wonderful” for the new Mrs Bachchan who is currently on a honeymoon with her actor-husband Abhishek and gets ready to return to work in a week's time.

“I am feeling wonderful. I am very happy. By the grace of God, everything is wonderful,” Aishwarya Bachchan Rai told NDTV in Cannes where she is set to walk the red carpet with her husband at the film festival.

In perhaps her first interview after her marriage on April 19, the Bollywood actress said, “It's all things good. It's a blessing. And it's a wonderful family,” she said, going on to describe Abhishek as “superlative and fantastic”.

Aishwarya said she had found wonderful parents in her parents-in-law Amitabh and Jaya.

Asked if she had changed after marriage, she said, “No. I am just a normal girl in a wonderful time of my life, a very special time. It's fantastic. It's all things good.” Aishwarya said she was at the Cannes Film Festival for a day after which she would continue with her holiday that is at its fag end.

She said she was looking forward to working with husband Abhishek and father-in-law Amitabh in Sarkar II. “...Which will be a kind of working with family as we are all related now. It's always a privilege to work with actors like Abhishek and an iconic legend like my father-in-law,” Aishwarya said.

The Bachchans will also be seen together in Karan Johar's forthcoming project.

Harry Potter latest on web

2007-05-04T23:19:00.000+05:30

For the millions of fans who grew up with Harry Potter, the fact that the forthcoming book ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ is the last version is too painful a reality to accept.
Added to this, the announcement that two of the main characters in the book will die has sent adrenaline running high in Potter-buffs.
But wait, this is not what we want to tell you.
For all the curious fans out there, the wait for the new Harry Potter version is finally over and this is much ahead of the scheduled July 21 release.
And like all the good things is life, this one is absolutely free. The book is not available at your regular book shops or your local library. Currently, they are exclusively available as a portable document format (pdf) file and it takes less than five minutes to download the 2 MB file which has around 780 pages, similar to the original.
If you find this hard to believe, then be prepared for more shocks, for the new version is packed with surprises. Realising the disappointment of fans about it being the final book, not one, but five versions have been released, and you can choose between versions which are funny or explicit.
However, die-hard Potter fans do not believe them to be original. Vidya, who got a copy of the pdf book, says that there were quite a few files available for download and she did not open to see if all were different or the same.
“My view is that the style is not really J K Rowling’s.
The fact that the pdf books are not original is not a deterrent for eager fans. Ten-year-old Keshav Agarwal says, “I just can’t wait. The very first thing I am going to do is to turn to the last page to see if Harry survives.” Some believe that having the pdf version makes them feel good, but are not sure if they want to spoil the fun by reading it now.
One million copies of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” have been printed in the first edition and the publishers are guarding the original book at the highest level.
Whether authentic or not, the pdf book makes for good reading, feel the fans.