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Showing posts from June 6, 2010

Junior Apprentice woned by 17 years old boy

He is 17 and has A levels in Physics, Maths and systems control . He built his first computer at the age of 12 and is now running a computer repair business from home.  Meet Arjun Rajyagor, the winner of Junior Apprentice of BBC. The show is like Donald Trump’s The Apprentice, but BBC chose to focus on the young minds. After beating close contender Tim Ankers in the final, Arjun won 25,000 pounds. He calls himself a maths fanatic and lives in Essex, London. Lord Alan Sugar, Donald Trump’s counterpart on this show appointed Arjun as the winner and said, “He has that natural business flair combined with intelligence that some people are born with – you can’t learn it. I know that Arjun is going to become the best at whatever he wants to do and I will be here for support all the way.” Arjun’s £25,000 will be controlled by Lord Sugar – to launch his business career. The last task of the participants was to market a bottle of water. Tim and Arjun targeted 20-someth...

cleaner and eco-friendly air travel

Future air travel is expected to be quieter, cleaner and more eco-friendly. Experts from the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE) are calling for a 50 percent cut in carbon dioxide and noise emissions by 2020 and a reduction in nitrogen oxide output by 80 percent.  The goals are ambitious, said Holger Hanselka, professor and head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability in Darmstadt, Germany. European Union's 'Clean Sky' project comprises 86 participating industry and research partners from 16 countries. Their goal is to develop unique technologies for specific applications and to evaluate and advance the entire aeronautics system. 'At every level of the undertaking, goals must be precisely defined, so that everyone knows exactly what he or she has to do,' said John Simpson, the Fraunhofer programme manager and steering member. For the first time, the researchers also intend to take into acco...

Why it takes "men just milliseconds to fall for attractive women"

Blame it on their genes, but men take just a fraction of a second to judge a woman on her looks and whether she will be a potential partner or not.  They weigh up potential partners based on their appearance because their "ancient" genetic preference for attractive mates leads them to, experts claim. According to research, men take a woman with an attractive face to be fertile and able to continue the family line, which appeals to the man's survival instinct.  On the other hand, women take longer to decide their feelings for a man because they need to weigh up whether he will be a committed partner who will provide for them well - part of their survival programming. Professor Mark van Vugt and Dr Johanna van Hooff, from the University of Amsterdam, and postgraduate student Helen Crawford, from the University of Kent, were behind the study. They tested men and women's bias towards looks by conducting a series of tests on 20 women and 20 men, making them per...

LAUNCH : "Google Web TV"

Integration is always a risky business and Google's latest attempt to do something different is a gambit, but it does carry the potential of transforming both the web and TV. Web search king Google Inc on Thursday showed off a risky attempt to marry the Web to television and reach the $70 billion TV advertising market, chasing a dream that has eluded even archrival Apple Inc. Developers at a conference applauded Google TV, and a slew of tech industry titans, including microchip maker Intel Corp and TV maker Sony Corp, sent their chief executives to announce that they had joined the project and that TV sets would be ready in time for Christmas buying. The key to Google TV is an on-screen search box, just like on Google's Web site.  The TV search box accesses Google's search engine to look through live programs, DVR recordings and the Web, delivering a relatively compact list of results that can be accessed with a push of the button. Internet television has been a mi...

Connect "your home and office PCs"

It's a common problem that your documents and important files are stored on your home computer, and now you want to access them from your office PC. There are ways by which you can access your files from anywhere so long as you have an Internet connection.  You can use an online backup service such as SugarSync, Carbonite or Dropbox - they will automatically upload onto the Internet files saved on your home computer, and you can then access them via the Web from any other computer.  The upside with this approach is that your files will always be available to you even if the home computer is not running. SugarSync and Carbonite have a mobile optimised website so you can access your files from a mobile phone as well.  The downside is that if you are using any of these services for the first time, you'll have to wait until all your data uploads to the cloud, and this process takes long if you have too many files on your home computer.  Universal connectivity ...

How to get good appraisal or, appreciation

It is a frustrating part of the year. Not just because of the searing heat outside but more on account of the anger and frustration that has built up inside you ever since you got the appraisal letter.  You have not got the promotion that you expected and worse, you think the salary hike has not been commensurate with your performance. You worked hard and delivered results but what is irritating you is the fact that others in your peer group who you thought did not measure up to your performance have snagged a better deal. You feel like chucking your job and suddenly your career appears to be at the crossroads. It is not. Bad appraisals are part of the game.  There is no point in getting emotional about it and messing up your career. The first step in dealing with a bad appraisal is to have an honest mindset and introspect your performance vis-a-vis the targets. A talk with your immediate boss to understand what could have gone wrong may put things in perspective.  ...

compare Ra. One vs. Raavan

Shahrukh Khan is amazed that his fans are confusing the title of his upcoming project Ra. One with Mani Ratnam's Raavan. Call it Ra. One or Raavan, it sounds the same. However the Baadshah of Bollywood has decided to clear the air once and for all. "Abhishek's Raavan is different from our Ra. One. Our film will release later this year. It's very different from Mani sir's Raavan," he clarifies. Raavan is ace director Mani Ratnam's upcoming big budget bilingual tentatively titled Raavana in Tamil.  The film, said to be the modern adaptation of the epic Ramayana, revolves around Raavan, the ruler of Lanka, who kidnapped Sita. The story culminates with Sita supporting Raavan instead of Rama, who suspects her chastity after having spent so much time in Raavana's custody. Vikram plays the villain. Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai are the lead pair in Hindi, while Vikram will play the lead opposite Aishwarya in Tamil. Music is by Oscar winner A.R....

HP injecting Internet technology into new printers

SAN FRANCISCO -- The rise of smart phones has presented Hewlett-Packard Co. with a problem.  For years, HP has relied on the sale of its printer ink to supply a big piece of the company's profits.  Smart phones are a challenge because they're by design not connected to printers, and with people reading more of their Internet content on their phones, they're printing fewer pages.  HP, the world's No. 1 printer maker, hopes changes it announced Monday will help reverse that trend.  The company is rolling out technology that will give Internet capabilities to all of its new printers that cost $99 and up. They will each have their own e-mail address, to which smart-phone users can send photos and any other files they want to print.  The printers will also be able to connect to an HP website, from which users can tell their printers to do specific things at certain times, such as printing out copies of the day's top news stories every morning.  ...

Back to the Future,' 'Jurassic Park' to become episodic video games

Telltale Games is going back in time for a new series of video games. The developer is creating episodic titles based on the "Back to the Future" and "Jurassic Park" franchises. The popular Universal Studios film trilogies spawned several games in their heyday in the '80s and '90s but have been absent from the interactive realm.  The as-yet-untitled Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PC and Mac games are set to be released this winter. "I think it's a prime time to reintroduce these properties in the digital world," said Dan Connors, CEO at Telltale Games. "Telltale Games has always set out to be a great storytelling company.  We've been honing our chops over the past six years, and we're ready to take on these two iconic properties and continue to advance storytelling in games. " Telltale Games previously created episodic games based on Aardman Animations' Oscar-winning animated film series "Wallace and Grom...

NASA says Aliens exist on Saturn’s moon

Scientists at US space agency NASA have found vital clues that primitive aliens could be living on Titan, one of Saturn’s biggest moons. On the basis of chemical composition found on Titan’s surface, the experts believe that life forms have been breathing in the planet’s atmosphere and also feeding on its surface’s fuel. The research based on the analysis of data sent from NASA’s Cassini probe has been detailed in two separate studies. The first paper, in the journal Icarus, shows that hydrogen gas flowing throughout the planet’s atmosphere disappeared at the surface. This suggested alien forms could breathe. The second paper, in the Journal of Geophysical Research, concluded that there was lack of chemical on the surface as it had been possibly consumed by the living aliens, The Telegraph reported. “We suggested hydrogen consumption because it’s the obvious gas for life to consume on Titan, similar to the way we consume oxygen on Earth,” said Chris McKay of NASA. ==> ...

Lindsay Lohan strips for Vogue

Hollywood's troubled star Lindsay Lohan has stripped down to just her undergarments for a photoshoot for German Vogue. The 23-year-old beauty dressed in Scandinavian-looking lingerie, wore a pair of boots which hide her alcohol monitoring bracelet for the shoot on the Malibu beach, Aceshowbiz online reported. Adding fierce impression to the shoot, Lohan posed with a bow and arrow. The Mean Girls actress wrote about the photoshoot on her Twitter page, writing "Nice days work from 9am-7pm shooting German Vogue with Ellen Von Unwerth ahhhhh tired. (sic)".  Lohan has previously worked with the famous photographer back in October 2009 for The London Times' Style magazine. She, at that time, also posed seductively in a ruched black Emanuel Ungaro minidress, thigh boots, a sequined black beret and a large Chanel scarf in Paris.  Lohan is expected to return in court in July for a hearing to determine if she's violated the terms of her driving under influence...

Britney sexually harassed bodyguard!

Britney Spears has landed in fresh trouble. The singer’s top minder has claimed that she sexually harassed him. Fernando Flores, 29, has quit his job as the Toxic hitmaker’s bodyguard after allegedly facing a series of bizarre come-ons.  The former cop told his friends that Britney, 28, often paraded naked in front of him and beckoned him into her bedroom. He is now considering legal action against her. "She was always giving him the come on and he felt if he didn't reciprocate he could lose his job. He finally handed in his notice last week and is considering legal action," the Sun quoted a pal as saying. "Working for Britney is tough. She's a nightmare to deal with and her emotions are totally out of control.  "She runs round the house naked and yelling at staff.  "All her guards knew they could be removed if they looked at her the wrong way. Unfortunately for Fernando, she took a liking to him, so he was under more pressure than mo...

NASA's 'Face in Space' site to send your snaps into space

Washington, : The US space agency, NASA, has invited the public to send their own photographs into orbit onboard either Space Shuttle Discovery or Endeavour. STS-133 will launch the Space Shuttle Discovery on September 16, and STS-134 will launch Endeavour in November.  The fleet is scheduled to retire after their missions. NASA will fly photographs of anyone who uploads a head shot onto their 'Face in Space' website, http://faceinspace.nasa.gov/index.aspx, and when the shuttle returns, they can print out a "flight certificate" signed by the mission commander, The Telegraph reports.  The Face in Space campaign follows a tradition of spacecraft carrying personal mementos out of the Earth's atmosphere.  People over the age of 13 can upload their photographs and choose which of the last two Space Shuttle missions they wish them to fly on. Since 1997, shuttle missions have carried school students' signatures as part of an outreach project called Student...

Ad free channels in India soon

India may soon have advertisment-free channels on the lines of BBC, ABC and HBO. These may be in the genre of movies, kids and sports. Ad-free channels are normally present internationally in the digital addressable platforms like the direct-to-home and IPTV.  The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), which is also the broadcast sector regulator, recently discussed the modalities of launching ad-free channels with the broadcasters and the cable industry.  "Trai is interested in knowing the minds of the broadcasters who have been complaining of the existing tariff-caps hampering the growth of certain genres within the television space," a senior executive of a leading international broadcasting firm said. Ad-free channels, once launched, will have to depend solely on the subscription revenue, and therefore, will require a regulatory atmosphere without any tariff cap, as currently practiced for paid channels in the country.  In the US, ad-free channels l...

you can Save Rs 1,000 through Windows 7

Windows 7, the latest operating system (OS) from the Microsoft stable, can help businesses save about Rs 1,000 per PC annually on power, a study today said. According to a report by Mindteck's Smart Energy Lab, companies can save about Rs 1,000 per computer a year on an average through Windows 7 as compared to older operating systems like Windows XP or Vista.  "Energy efficiency is a key factor that companies are concentrating on, and the research shows that the new OS helps companies to not only save money but also contributes to the various green initiatives they are taking," Microsoft India Director (Windows Client) Sumeet Khanna said.  As organisations look at saving on operating expenses and reducing exposure to fluctuating energy prices, green initiatives are among the top focus areas in corporate IT roadmaps.  "Optimising desktop power management is one of the simplest, yet effective, ways to reduce power consumption in an enterprise. Increasing energy ...

3G: What does it mean to us?

If there is one term that is least understood but still continues to generate a lot of buzz, it has to be 3G. I'll demystify this jargon and find out exactly what it is and how we can benefit from it. 3G will also unleash an amazing number of new gadgets that will redefine the way we look at entertainment, education and communication.  3G stands for third generation, a wireless technology that helps to simultaneously transfer voice (telephone calls) and data (broadband Internet). 3G is an evolution of the existing 2G technologies that has limited capabilities, both on the device side and on the network side. The mobile connectivity we currently use runs on 2G network and its plagued on two accounts. One is the limited network bandwidth which explains why our calls can't go through because of network congestion. The second is extremely lean data bandwidth, which explains why surfing on the mobile phone or the GPRS data card is so pathetically slow. 3G could be our solution...

Read Making of '3 idiots' in a book

Mumbai, Making of '3 idiots', which is the most successful film of Hindi cinema, now comes out as a book 'The Original Screenplay' comprising the screenplay and every behind-the-scene happenings. 'The book is the screenplay of the film '3 idiots'. The screenplay is not only be read to understand the film but reading a screenplay itself is an enjoyment,' Vidhu Vinod Chopra, the producer of the film, told IANS after the launch of the book at Landmark, Phoenix Mill here.  'The book also contains every details of how the films was made. Its not only to know the Screenplay but a lot that happened around making of the film,' he added. Inspired from Chetan Bhagat's bestseller 'Five Point Someone', the film revolves around three friends Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan and Sharman Joshi and their college days.  Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, the film also stars Kareena Kapoor and Boman Irani. The book has been compiled by Smriti Kiran, who had...

first private metro in india by Jan 2013

India's first privately funded, promoted and soon-to-be operational Rapid MetroRail Gurgaon Limited (RMGL) would be a pleasing sight, along with being a state-of-the-art mode of transportation. Slated to begin in January 2013, the service meanders through DLF City and touches corners at DLF Cybercity, that has a horde of multinational companies. Promoters say they have designed it with world-class aesthetics. Starting from Sikanderpur Metro station, the RMG would meander through the posh DLF City (II) and touch Belvedere Park and Towers, DLF Cybercity, National Media Centre, Ambience Lagoon apartments before turning towards DLF SEZ in DLF City III. Other locations include Hotel Leela Kempinski, Ambience Mall, Hotel Trident Hilton and border Toll Plaza on Gurgaon Expressway.  Besides features such as the Automatic Train Operation (ATO) system, that does not necessarily require human drivers, the aesthetics of the entire 6.1 km long metro service would be on the lines of ...

If Can't quit smoking? Shake it off

Smokers who have found it difficult to kick the habit may now be shaken out of their craving thanks to a vibratory-cum-acupressure technique likely to be tried out in two Delhi government hospitals and its tobacco cessation clinics.  A German-made bio-resonance (vibration therapy) device works with the body''s own electrical signals to eliminate nicotine craving.  Dr Nimesh Desai, Director at the state government-run Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, said, "The bio-resonance machine works by eliminating the craving for your next cigarette.  The treatment is non-invasive and pain-free, and involves no drugs, chemicals or hypnosis." "Nicotine craving is based not only on psychological but biological factors.  All you have to do is place your hands on the machine. Vibrations from the machine will lead to body vibrations and the resultant nerve impulses will reduce the craving to smoke," he said. "We had placed it in Aruna Asaf Ali ...

In two days, CWG tickets worth Rs 80 lakh sold in New Delhi

In two days, Games tickets worth Rs 80 lakh sold New Delhi,  In just two days since the sale began, tickets worth more than Rs 80 lakh were sold for 19th edition of the Commonwealth Games to be held from October 3 to 14 in the Capital.  On day one, 1700 tickets worth Rs 20 lakh were sold. "The response is overwhelming. We hope to reach our target very fast," a Commonwealth Games (CWG) organising committee spokesperson said. He, however, could not specify the number of tickets sold so far. The organising committee expect to sell 17 lakh tickets generating Rs 60-70crore.  Tickets can be bought from seven branches of Central Bank of India, five Hero Honda showrooms and from the Commonwealth Games (CWG) website.  Ticket are priced from Rs 50 to Rs 1,000, but prices for the opening ceremony have been kept between Rs 1,000 and Rs 50,000 and for the closing, from Rs 750 to Rs 50,000.  An added advantage for those queueing up to purchase tickets is that ea...

OBJECTIVES OF JIHAD

OBJECTIVES OF JIHAD  In May 1999, Lashkar-e-Toiba published a booklet, Why we do Jihad, written by Abdul Salam bin Mohammad. It listed eight objectives:  1. Muslims should fight as long as a dispute persists  2. It is obligatory for Muslims to fight till Allah's kingdom is established in the world  3. It is obligatory for Muslims to fight till they overthrow all infidel governments 4. Wherever there is oppression, Muslims are bound to fight it  5. If any infidel kills a Muslim, it is to be avenged  6. If any nation breaches a contract with Muslims, it is obligatory to fight that nation  7. Muslims should fight against aggression by any other nation  8. If infidels encroach upon any part of a Muslim land, it is obligatory to fight them and restore it ==> If you liked this post, then why not buy me a beer so I can cool off?

Govt. job for langur @ Rs 10K pm AT ESIC

Kanpur, Many youths toil day and night and yet cannot take home a pay packet of Rs 10, 000 per month. However, a black-faced langur Mangal Singh has landed a job which earns him a package of Rs 1.2 lakh per annum! The langur is hired by the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) here as a 'guard' to keep common marauding monkeys at bay. Deputy Director of ESIC, Prabhat Sharma told HT, "The monkeys had made life miserable for the employees and those living on the campus. These monkeys had destroyed several important documents and other records with important financial details." The marauders had also injured several employees. Sharma said that many times, he saw these monkeys 'reading' departmental files and then tearing them into shreds but he could not help save important data.  Sharma said the department tried contacting the Kanpur Zoo oficials and other departments concerned for check the monkey menace but all efforts proved futile. The z...

Anamika Veeramani wins Indian-American US Spelling Bee contest

No theatrical flourishes for Anamika Veeramani. She kept her hands behind her back and rattled off the letters of every word she was given - until she was crowned the spelling bee champion.  The 14-year-old girl from North Royalton, Ohio, won the 83rd Scripps National Spelling Bee on Friday, acing the word medical word "stromuhr," a device that measures blood flow and speed, to claim the winner's trophy and more than $40,000 in cash and prizes.  Anamika became the third consecutive Indian-American bee champion, and the eighth in the last 12 years.  It's a run that began when Nupur Lala won in 1999 and was featured in the documentary "Spellbound." Anamika was one of the favorites among the 273 spellers who began the three-day competition, having finished tied for fifth last year.  She stood deadpan while the audience cheered, not cracking a smile until the trophy was presented.  There was a three-way tie for second. Adrian Gunawan, 14; Elizabeth Pl...