Tricky TALKS

World's Longest Bus set to Roll on Roads

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:26:00 +0000

Auto Tram Extra Grand

Auto Tram Extra Grand is developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for traffic and Infrastructure Systems. Considered as the longest bus in the world, it is nearly 31 meters long, has four steering axles and can carry 256 passengers. Combining the capacity of a small train with the maneuverability of a bus, the vehicle runs mostly on electric power.

I cost over 1.25$ million (approximately 6.2 Crores)

Watch IPL T20 LIVE

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:23:00 +0000

CLICK HERE to watch Live

How to get Aadhaar Card?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:27:00 +0000

Aadhaar Card

With the government making Aadhaar Card (unique identification card) mandatory in procuring LPG connections, issuing passports, sale or purchase of houses, opening a PF account or withdrawing your provident fund, opening a bank account, etc, the queue of people waiting to lay their hands on the card seems to be getting longer and longer.

How to get the card:

* Aadhaar card enrollment is free and you need to enroll only once as an individual is entitled for only one card.

* You can go to any authorized Aadhaar enrollment center anywhere in India with your identity and address proof.

* UIDAI process accepts Proof of Identity and 33 Proof of Address documents. Common proofs of identity and address are election photo ID card, Ration card, passport and driving license.

* Photo ID cards like PAN card and government ID cards are permissible for identity proof. Address proof documents also include water - electricity - telephone bills from the last three months.

* In case you do not have above mentioned proofs, certificate of identify having photo issued by Gazetted Officer/Tehsildar on letterhead is also accepted as proof of identity.

* Certificate of address having photo issued by MP or MLA /Gazetted Officer/Tehsildar on letterhead or by Village Panchayat head or its equivalent authority (for rural areas) is accepted as valid proof of address.

* If someone in your family does not have individual valid documents, the resident can still enrol if his/her name exists in family entitlement document.

* Where there are no documents available, residents may also take the help of 'Introducers' at the enrolment centre. The Introducers are notified by the registrar.

* At the enrollment center, your photo, finger-prints and iris scan will also be taken as a part of the enrollment.

* You need to enrol only once. Enrolling again is a waste of your time as you will get only one Aadhaar number.

* Based on the information provided, your details will be verified and If the application is successful, an Aadhaar number will be generated and mailed to your address.

* The waiting time for Aadhaar may vary from 60-90 days after receipt of resident data packets.

* Click here for the list of documents that can be submitted as proof of identity and address.

* After enrolment, quality checks are done by the enrolment centre supervisors, followed by correction process (where required) and data packet consolidation.

* Subsequently, the Enrolment Agency sends the data to UIDAI data centre. The data undergoes various stages of screening and validations in CIDR. This ensures that the source of data is authenticated besides ensuring that no duplicate exists.

* Sample quality checks are done on demographic and biometric data collected from residents.

* Apart from that the operator/supervisor/introducer/enrolment agency and registrar, information in each packet is also validated. Only after passing the data quality checks and other validations, the packet goes for de-duplication and Aadhaar gets generated.

* In case of any errors, the packet goes on hold. For example, if the particulars of the operator who enrolled the resident are found to be inconsistent with database or there is a mismatch observed in photo and age/gender (e.g. a child's photo with age mentioned as 50 years), then the packet is held for further enquiry.

* Corrective actions are taken on such packets, wherever possible, else a rejection letter guiding resident to re-enroll is dispatched to the resident.

* India Post is entrusted with the responsibility of printing and delivery of Aadhaar letters. Depending on backlog for generation, location of delivery etc.

* India Post may ordinarily take 3-5 weeks to print and deliver Aadhaar letters to the residents.

Benefits of an Aadhar card

* The unique identification or Aadhaar project would result in saving of about Rs 110,000 crore by 2020 (around 58 per cent of expenditure of major public welfare schemes), a Planning Commission study released said.

* By providing a clear proof of identity, Aadhaar will empower the underprivileged residents in accessing services such as the formal banking system and give them the opportunity to easily avail various other services provided by the government and the private sector. (With inputs from http://uidai.gov.in/aadhaar.html)

NASA's Best of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 16:42:00 +0000

Nasa reveled some awesome images captured this year.

Sun Spots in Moon at Full Eclipse in May 2012

Cloud-free Night Image

Britain, Ireland and part of western Europe

A dying Stars Cosmic tantrum

Night image of Europe, Africa and Middle East

Venus transit of the sun

Cassini Spacecrafts Saturn image

Infra red image of Zeta Ophiuchi star

Cricket to miss Mr.Cricket!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 16:25:00 +0000

Mike Hussey

Mr.Cricket one last time in test arena to represent Australian cricket team for New year's test against Srilanka. Mike Hussey who announced his retirement yesterday said that 4th test against Srilanka will be his last test. Mike Hussey who has been called as Mr.Consistent, Mr.Cricket over the years played as a middle order pillar for his team.

A one of great finisher for Australia after the departure of Michale Bhevan, Mike Hussey entered into test arena after scoring loads of runs in domestic carrier, debuted against West Indies in 2005. From that on he has become an integral part of Australia's test side who saved matches for his team.

Even in ODI and T20 format he finishes the match for his team. He is a kind of player who used to construct his innings, back himself and finally ensure victory for his team. His absence will leave a huge gap in Australia's test side. Former Australian played thought that his retirement come at wrong time especially before tour against India and for Ashes in England next year. Anyway, he retires on a high notch of his game, unlike ponting.

Michael Hussey's announcement of his retirement has shocked many former's. On twitter, they all praised the achievements of Mr. Cricket.

Tom Moody: @TomMoodyCricket
Congrats Michael Hussey, an outstanding career true winner that worked as hard as anyone I've had the pleasure to play with or coach #class

Mickey Arthur: @MickeyArthur
Was shocked when Huss told me of his decision-he will retire a champion.

Jason Gillespie: @YCCCDizzy
Huss, all the best pal! You deserve a strong send off at the SCG. Finish with a win! #respect #qualityplayer #qualitybloke

Glenn Maxwell: @Gmaxi_32
Also can't believe mr cricket announced his retired!! Feel privileged to have played with him & be there for his last test!

Travis Birt: @T_Bird81

Rubbish day for cricket. Passing of a legend and retirement of Mr Cricket. #RIPTonyGreig

Vishwaroopam to premier on DTH Platforms

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 11:34:00 +0000

Vishwaroopam

Vishwaroopam is an upcoming bilingual (Tamil-Hindi) Indian spy thriller film written, directed and co-produced by Kamal Haasan also featured as film hero. It is the first Indian film and second around the world to be sounded with Auro 3D sound format. Vishwaroopam will be the first film set to premier on DTH platform, before theater release on basis of one time watch for Rs.1000.

After few hiccups between theater owners and Kamal Hassan, now Kamal Hassan official announced that movie all set to release on 5 DTH platforms eight hours before theater release. The latest buzz is that 'Vishwaroopam' would premier on five DTH platforms- Sun Direct, Dishnet, Airtel, Videocon and Big TV. Some leading DTH service providers have already started promotions for 'Vishwaroopam' premiere which is slated at 9.30 pm on January 10, 2013, eight hours before to the release of the movie in Cinemas for same Rs.1000 per pay view.

Source said, it will be a single viewing and people will not be able to record the film due to some encryption technology.

Which is the Most Favorite Color We Choose for our Cars

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:45:00 +0000

When they say it’s as simple as white, it doesn’t mean it’s boring.

White Colored Car

In fact, white remains as the most favored automotive color globally, according to a recent survey by paint company PPG Industries.

According to the survey, released last October 10, some 22 percent of respondents said they prefer white, followed by silver with 20 percent. Black is at third with 19 percent, grey at 12 percent, red at nine percent, and natural at eight percent. Other colors, including green, are placed at one percent.

On the other hand, white is tied with silver as the most popular automotive color in the Asia Pacific region with 23 percent for each. Black is the next most popular color in the region at 19 percent, followed by natural with 10 percent, red with nine percent, gray with eight percent, and blue with seven percent. Green is still in the bottom rung with only one percent.

There are no indications as to the reasons for the color preference. However, the previous 2011 survey showed that most of the respondents said that color is a factor in their automotive purchase decisions. In addition, buyers of premium vehicles would put more value on cars with the color of their choice.

PPG Manager Jane Harrington said that the automotive segment continues to be influenced by culture, nature, fashion, interior design, among others. “Our consumer research has clearly shown that color is critically important to car buyers.”

The survey was presented during the annual Automotive Color Trend Show in Michigan last September. PPG Industries also showed 64 new colors, which are targeted at everything from electronic devices, automotive, heavy industries, to homes and commercial businesses.

Meteorite Found in California

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:07:00 +0000

Meteorite Found in California

A meteorite from a fireball that lit up the night sky over Northern California last week hit the roof of a Novato house and landed in the backyard, scientists say.

Homeowner Lisa Webber, a nurse at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, found the space rock Saturday (Oct. 20), after reading an article about the dazzling Oct. 17 fireball in the San Francisco Chronicle. She recalled hearing a sound on her roof the night the meteor was reported and went searching behind her house, where she found a 2.2 ounce (63 grams) stone.

Webber contacted Peter Jenniskens, head of the CAMS (Cameras for Allsky Meteor Surveillance) project, which is jointly run by NASA and the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute. The CAMS project put out a public call for information on possible meteorite sightings soon after the fireball last week.

However, Jenniskens ultimately identified the rock as a meteorite. The stone, he reports, is dense and responds to a magnet, although scientists recommend not bringing magnets near suspected meteorites to avoid disrupting their natural magnetic fields.

Jenniskens and Webber's neighbors Luis Rivera and Leigh Blair inspected the house's roof and found a small dent consistent with the rock having hit it from a southwest direction.

The stone, which is a mixture of light and dark material, appears to be breccia, a composite made of mineral and rock fragments bound together.

The meteorite's discovery helps scientists define the trajectory along which the meteor fragments fell. The path began east of San Rafael and continued over west Novato, toward Sonoma, Jenniskens said. He hopes the find will help the CAMS team uncover more meteorites from the same fireball soon.

"The significance of this find is that we can now hope to use our fireball trajectory to trace this type of meteorite back to its origins in the asteroid belt," Jenniskens said.

The fireball was seen at 7:44:29 p.m. PDT (10:44 p.m. EDT) by many people in the San Francisco Bay Area, with numerous observers catching the blaze on cell phone cameras and videos. The fireball also created a loud sonic boom that was also reported by witnesses. It occurred just days before the peak of the annual Orionid meteor shower over the weekend.

The CAMS team "obtained two views of the fireball track, one by our regular 20-camera station, the other by the single-camera station at San Mateo College," the scientists wrote.

"We propose the name Novato meteorite, pending approval by the Meteorite Nomenclature Committee," they added.

More Confidence, will brings in More Success to your Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:25:00 +0000

Confidence

The secret to success at work doesn't seem to be about whom you know, or even what you know, but how you feel about yourself.

New research suggests that confident employees have more successful careers than their peers who aren't as self-assured.

Research from the University of Melbourne revealed a strong correlation between confidence and occupational success. As part of the pilot study, researchers interviewed more than 100 employees from large corporations in Melbourne, New York City and Toronto about their levels of confidence while in elementary school, high school, college and on the job.

The research revealed that those who self-reported higher levels of confidence earlier in school earned better wages, and were promoted more quickly.

The study's lead author, Reza Hasmath, from the University of Melbourne's School of Social and Political Sciences, said the research demonstrates a crucial ingredient of workplace advancement.
"The implications are tremendous in terms of the personality employers should look for when it comes to hiring or promoting staff," Hasmath said.

Researchers said the findings also shed new light on previous studies that argued better-looking people were more likely to get ahead in the workplace, or that taller people earn higher salaries.
"We now know it's actually higher confidence levels — which may be a byproduct of attractiveness and height — which make all the difference," Hasmath said.

The study also found that workers who described themselves as extroverted, neurotic, open to experiences or agreeable, the standard indicators of hard workers, were also found to be more motivated and having professional success in terms of wages and career advancement.

"The findings imply that we should stress confidence-building activities at an early age," Hasmath said. "Such activities should be strongly encouraged both in formal schooling and within the family unit."
The full study, which also looks at job search, hiring and promotion processes in those large corporations, will be released at the end of the year.

Find your Ways to do what you Love

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:16:00 +0000

Do what you love

While most of us would love a career we are passionate about, too many employees are stuck in jobs they don't even like, let alone love. Finding a way to do what you love for a living benefits both you and your employer, but how do you turn your dream into a reality? Here are 10 ways to turn your passion into a career.

Soul searching
Steve Zeitchik, founder and CEO of Focal Point Strategies, said that to do something you love, you have to first spend time thinking deeply about things that bring you enjoyment.

"Take a step back and figure out what it is that you enjoy doing,” including as many specifics and details as possible, Zeitchik said. "Don’t categorize it into a specific career or industry."

Only after you come up with the list of things that bring you joy should you think about the careers that each might fit.

Make time to make it happen

Once you’ve determined which of your passions you want to shape into a career, Deirdre Maloney, business consultant and president of Momentum, said, it is critical to take the steps necessary to turn that idea into a reality.

"Once we pinpoint ideas, we need to do something decidedly not passionate: schedule time in our calendars to come up with our plan to get there," Maloney told BusinessNewsDaily. "The plan must be written down, even if it’s broken out into tiny, baby steps."

Figure out how to profit from your passion

Executive coach Melanie Connallee said that to turn something you love into a business, you of course have to determine how to make money from it.

"Spend some time brainstorming," said Connallee, president of the MLC Group. "Look at it from several avenues – from your perspective, from the buyer’s perspective, the end user’s perspective and the audience perspective."

She said, for example, people who love art could fund their passions in several ways, including by teaching art, working in a gallery or doing portraits.

Talk to others who have done it

As someone who loves what they do for a living, Alan Kong, founder of Big-Hearted Furniture, said you should find other entrepreneurs already working in your area of interest.

"If you start to spend time and really talk to the market, ones who may have the same passions as yourself, then you will start to uncover hidden pains that will help you figure out how to launch a business model," Kong said.

Surround yourself with supportive people

Sara DiVello knows firsthand what it takes to make the switch to a true passion, having left her corporate public relations job to become a yoga teacher four years ago.

She believes the key is surrounding yourself with supportive people.

"Because your colleagues may feel just as trapped and scared, a dynamic can evolve where they can actually contribute to holding you back," DiVello said. "Some coworkers were overtly discouraging, telling me I'd be back, that I'd miss it."

Divello said the support of friends can make people feel less alone — and much braver.

Be fearless

Making a career change can be a scary prospect, but Jim McKeeth, chief developer-evangelist for RemObjects Software, said you can't be scared to take the plunge.

"Too many people I talk to are afraid to try doing what they love, because they are afraid they are no good or will make a mistake or that they're not ready yet," McKeeth said. "Experiment in your quest for greatness, and when you make a mistake, just keep going."

Don't wait around

Chryssa Zizos, founder and president of Live Wire Media Relations, said she believes that the longer people wait to make a career switch to something they love, the less likely they are to ever do it.

"If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, then you should act quickly," Zizos said. "Open the business you have been dreaming of, because as you get older, you are less likely to take risks."

Take classes

Before jumping in with both feet, however, Ben Seidel, president of Igniting Business, says those interested in switching their careers to something they love should take some classes or get some professional instruction on the industry. That way, they can make sure the career that truly suits them.

"Invest in some coursework or professional training in that area in order to gauge your talent and endurance," Seidel said.

Don't try to do it all on your own

While many may think doing something they love requires that they start their own business, Joe Weinlick, vice president of marketing of career network for Beyond.com, said this doesn't have to be the case.

“An easier path is to find a company that does something related to your hobby, and try to get a job there," Weinlick said

For instance, Weinlick said a friend of his loves dogs and that her dream was to start a non-profit that cares for canines.

"She found a job working at an Internet site that provides pet advice and sells pet meds, which is a great fit," he said.

Be patient

Yeosh Bendayan, owner of Push Button Productions, said people pursuing a passion must ready themselves for the early struggles that will inevitably occur.

"Be patient," Bendayan said. "It took us nearly two years between the start of business and being able to comfortably afford our salaries, so we could quit our day jobs."

Nano System Developed by Indian Researchers to Cure Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 06:48:00 +0000

Cancer Cell

Work by a team of Indian researchers, who have developed a novel multi-component magnetic nano system that could image and kill cancer cells, has been highlighted in the latest issue of internationally acclaimed `Nature India` magazine.

The magazine is an international journal, with original, groundbreaking research spanning all scientific disciplines.

The design of nano system is bridged on graphene - a carbon allotrope, which could specifically target cancer cells, and deliver cargo of anti-cancer drugs and imaging agent.

"The challenge was to design a multi-component nano system and simultaneously which would be bio-compatible for cancer cells," says team leader Dr Jayant Khandare, who works with Piramal Healthcare Ltd. India.

The magazine has noted this manuscript as a ‘Research Highlight’ indicating the importance of this research designed by team of scientists from Piramal Healthcare Ltd.

This multi-component nano system acts as a stronger cellular probe in imaging cancer cells, which is a powerful diagnostic tool. It can also be directed to target cancer cells and cancer tumour using external magnetic field, Khandare told PTI.

Besides researchers from Piramal Healthcare Ltd, the team comprises researchers from the Center for Structural and Functional Materials and Chemical Engineering Department, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, USA.

French Woman gets 11,721,000,000,000,000 bill

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 14:37:00 +0000

A French woman nearly had a 'cardiac arrest' when she received a bill for €11,721,000,000,000,000, but she managed to convince the company they had made a mistake.

Solenne San Jose from Bordeaux nearly was shocked when she saw how much money she owed when she went to close her account at Bouygues Telecom.

She told French newspaper Sud Ouest: "I almost had a cardiac arrest. There were so many zeroes, I couldn't even work out how much it was."

Fortunately, she convinced the company they had made a mistake and when the organisation reviewed the situation they realised it was a printing error, and Solenne was then given her corrected bill of €117.21.

A Complete List of Pc's, Laptops, Tablets which carries Windows 8 along with them

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 14:12:00 +0000

Dozen of new PCs are launching alongside Windows 8. Some are inventive new designs with sliding keyboards and removable screens, others are simple retreads of existing products, occasionally augmented by a new touch screen.

Here you'll find links to all the major new Windows 8 hardware being released this holiday season, sorted by brand. Many of these systems are available to pre-order now, and most will ship when Windows 8 launches on October 26 (a handful have yet to even be announced, so we'll add those to this list when they are).

Acer

A big part of Acer's Windows 8 plan is to rebrand the company as a purveyor of high-end laptops. Hence, the expensive, but very attractive, S7 ultrabook.

Aspire S7 ultrabook

Aspire S7 ultrabook, 11-inch (touch-screen laptop)
Aspire S7 ultrabook, 13-inch (touch-screen laptop)
Iconia W700 Windows Tablet (hybrid tablet/laptop)
Iconia W510 (hybrid tablet/laptop)
Aspire V5 (laptop)
Aspire M5 (laptop)
Aspire 5600U (all-in-one desktop)
Aspire 7600U (all-in-one desktop)

Dell

Dell has resurrected one of its most unique designs in the convertible XPS 12, formerly known as the Duo 12. It's also one of the biggest PC makers trying out a Windows RT device.

XPS 12

XPS 12 (convertible laptop)
XPS 10 Tablet (Windows RT Hybrid)
Latitude 10 tablet (hybrid tablet/laptop)
Latitude 6430u ultrabook (laptop)
XPS One 27 (all-in-one desktop)
Inspiron One 23 (all-in-one desktop)

HP

HP plays it mostly safe with a collection of updated products and slightly expanded product lines, including a detachable-screen hybrid and a touch-screen laptop.

Envy Spectre Touchsmart XT

Envy Spectre Touchsmart XT (touch-screen laptop)
Envy Touchsmart X2 (hybrid tablet/laptop)
Envy m4 (laptop)
Pavilion Sleekbook 14 (laptop)
Pavilion Sleekbook 15 (laptop)
Spectre One (all-in-one desktop)
Envy Touchsmart 23 (all-in-one desktop)
Envy Touchsmart 20 (all-in-one desktop)
Pavilion 20 (all-in-one desktop)

Lenovo

Lenovo is going all-in on convertible laptops, offering several variations, along with a hybrid and even a Windows RT system.

IdeaPad Lynx

IdeaPad Lynx (hybrid tablet/laptop)
IdeaPad Yoga 11 (Windows RT) (convertible laptop)
IdeaPad Yoga 13 (convertible laptop)
ThinkPad Twist (convertible laptop)
ThinkPad Tablet 2 (hybrid tablet/laptop)

Samsung

Samsung adds Windows 8 and touch to some of its high-design laptops, but so far doesn't have a break-out unique product.

Series 7 Slate PC

Series 7 Slate PC (hybrid tablet/laptop)
Series 5 (laptop)
Ativ Tab (Windows RT) (tablet)
Ativ Smart PC (hybrid tablet/laptop)
Ativ Smart PC Pro (hybrid tablet/laptop)
Series 7 (27-inch) (all-in-one desktop)
Series 7 (23-inch) (all-in-one desktop)
Series 5 (21.5-inch) (all-in-one desktop)

Sony

Surprisingly adventurous, Sony grabbed our attention with its 20-inch tablet/all-in-one and a cool-looking slider PC.

Vaio Tab 20

Vaio Tab 20 (all-in-one desktop/tablet)
Vaio Duo 11 (convertible laptop)
Vaio T13 (touch-screen laptop)
Vaio E17 (laptop)

Toshiba

Satellite S955

Toshiba plays it a bit too safe as well in most of these Windows 8 laptops, but it also has a take on the slider PC, which may be the most practical way to combine a laptop and tablet.

Satellite S955 (laptop)
Satellite P845t (touch screen laptop)
Satellite U945 (laptop)
Satellite U925t (convertible laptop)

Awesome New Features In Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 13:52:00 +0000

Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini

Well, well. The Korean tech giant isn’t far behind when it comes to bringing up the rear. The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini is finally official. Not going by the name ‘mini’, it could actually pack a punch! With the successful run of its older brother, the S3 Mini hopes to mirror the success that defined the Galaxy S3.

Let’s take at a look at the features that Galaxy S3 Mini will sport.

Display

The younger sibling carries a Super AMOLED 4-inch display with a screen resolution of 800 x 400 pixels, fair bit of compromise when compared to the Galaxy S3.

The resolution on the S3 Mini seems out-of-date when the competition, hauling the same screen size, comes in better HD resolution schemes.

There isn’t tad much of a difference in screen resolution when viewed by the naked eye, it’s not going to slip under the eyes of the experts.

Processor

Samsung Galaxy S3 runs on a quad-core Exynos processor clocked at 1.4GHz. It’s an interesting piece of detail when compared to the new kid on the block. It looks like the Korean giant halved the spec sheet with the Galaxy S3 Mini.

Powered by a 1 GHz dual-core processor, the mini S3 is quite efficient of running applications and looks more than comfortable to run Android 4.1 aka Jelly Bean. The chipset is a Mali-400 based GPU, meaning that the benchmarking results will be optimised; not nearly as capable as the Galaxy S3 but enough juice to power major applications and processes.

Operating System

It all comes down to who is garbed in Android clothing better; in this case, the S3 Mini.

While the Galaxy S3 is still shipped with the earlier version of the Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich, the S3 Mini will come with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box.

It will grace Samsung’s TouchWiz UI while bringing in a more intuitive interface which the Jelly Bean carries.

Score one for the S3 Mini.

Design

The design echoes its elder brother, the Galaxy S3, with a few changes of its own. Stuffed into a thicker casing, the Galaxy S3 Mini mirrors the Galaxy S3 quite closely.

Its removable battery rear, its plastic casing, the colour scheme are all a shade less than the Galaxy S3. The dimensions stand at 9.9mm x 63mm and weighing in at 119 gm.

Connectivity

In the connectivity department, the S3 Mini isn’t behind the Galaxy S3.

Both devices carry NFC wireless comm., both have the industry standard Bluetooth/GPS and Wi-Fi and both have a microUSB.

The thing most about the microUSB is its MHL compliance. You can watch HD videos but with only the correct cable, a cable meant for Samsung’s own connectivity options. A downer, considering the USD 30 the cable costs.

Reportedly, Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini is expected to hit the market during Christmas and it is expected to be priced between USD 350 to USD 430.

100 Million Year old Data Card!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 15:13:00 +0000

Data card of million years

Researchers claim to have developed a new water proof storage device that can endure extreme temperatures and hostile conditions like fires and tsunami 'forever' without degrading.

Japanese multinational conglomerate Hitachi has unveiled the chip, which it claims is resistant to many chemicals and unaffected by radio waves, can be exposed directly to high temperature flames and heated to 1,000 degrees Celsius for at least two hours without being damaged.

The chip is also waterproof, meaning it could survive natural calamities, such as fires and tsunami, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

"The volume of data being created every day is exploding, but in terms of keeping it for later generations, we haven't necessarily improved since the days we inscribed things on stones," Hitachi researcher Kazuyoshi Torii said.

"The possibility of losing information may actually have increased,' he said, noting the life of digital media currently available - CDs and hard drives - is limited to a few decades or a century," he said.

The company's new technology stores data in binary form by creating dots inside a thin sheet of quartz glass, which can be read with an ordinary optical microscope.

Provided a computer with the know-how to understand that binary is available - simple enough to programme, no matter how advanced computers become - the data will always be readable.

"We believe data will survive unless this hard glass is broken," said senior researcher Takao Watanabe.

The material currently has four layers of dots, which can hold 40 megabytes per square inch, approximately the density on a music CD, researchers said, adding they believe including more layers should not be a problem.

The company has not decided when to put the chip to practical use but researchers said they could start with storage services for government agencies, museums and religious organisations.

Water in Mars?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 15:06:00 +0000

A rocky outcrop on Mars has sent a shot of excitement through the scientific community with the evidence it provides of an ancient riverbed -- Martian "water transport" -- according to NASA.

NASA's Curiosity rover has sent back pictures of a section of the Martian surface called Link, an outcrop of rocks whose surface is not coated in the ruddy dust of Mars but is exposed and clean, the space agency says.

As the Los Angeles Times' Science Now reported Thursday, the combination of sandy rock and large pebbles tells a story of an ancient river, with rocks that traveled far, bumping into -- and smoothing -- one another out. It was water, not wind, that created that rocky scenario on Mars, scientists said.

Water flow in Mars

Link, says NASA, shows rock formed by water deposits, made up of smaller, rounded rocks cemented together. "Water transport is the only process capable of producing the rounded shapes of clasts [gravel fragments] this size," according to NASA.

As of Thursday, Curiosity was 2 to 4 miles from a triangular network of channels, an alluvial fan. Another indicator of ancient water activity on Mars, the slope looks as though flowing water may have spread material downward.

Like other formations in this portion of Mars, by the way, Link gets its name from a noted rock formation in Canada.

In an earlier interview with The Times, Curiosity deputy project scientist Ashwin Vasavada explained that the landing site and Glenelg -- the formation where Curiosity is headed -- were named prior to the rover's landing.

"Both our landing site and Glenelg are within the Yellowknife quadrangle, named for the Canadian city that is the jumping-off point for expeditions that study the oldest rocks in North America," he said. "Glenelg and other features within Yellowknife on Mars are named for the geologically famous rock outcrops around the Yellowknife area on Earth."

4D Clock Up for tick tock

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 16:35:00 +0000

Scientists have proposed to build the first ever 4D space-time crystal clock that they claim will keep accurate time forever, even after the heat-death of the universe.

This is the “wow” factor behind a device known as a “space-time crystal,” a four-dimensional crystal that has periodic structure in time as well as space, scientists said.

Researcher Xiang Zhang from Berkeley Lab’s Materials Sciences Division, who led this research, and his group, have come up with an experimental design to build a crystal that is discrete both in space and time— a space-time crystal

However, there are also practical and important scientific reasons for constructing a space-time crystal.

With such a 4-D crystal, scientists would have a new and more effective means to study how complex physical properties and behaviors emerge from the collective interactions of large numbers of individual particles.

A space-time crystal could also be used to study phenomena in the quantum world, such as entanglement, in which an action on one particle impacts another particle even if the two particles are separated by vast distances, scientists said.

Scientists from the US Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has proposed the experimental design of a space-time crystal based on an electric-field ion trap and the Coulomb repulsion of particles that carry the same electrical charge.

The concept of a crystal that has discrete order in time was proposed earlier this year by Frank Wilczek, the Nobel-prize winning physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

While Wilczek mathematically proved that a time crystal can exist, how to physically realize such a time crystal was unclear.

Do You know why Facebook trying to Delete over 5M account?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 17:15:00 +0000

Facebook

A majority of employers and recruiters are now using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, search engines and criminal records to learn the truth about job seekers.

A survey conducted by Australia-based software firm Nuage Software showed over half of human resource managers surveyed ran a Google search on candidates, 74 per cent checked LinkedIn, 23 per cent Facebook and three per cent Twitter.

According to tech firm Nuage's managing director David Wilson, some employers are asking to view Facebook and Twitter profiles at interviews in order to avoid privacy concerns, Perth Now reports.

"The internet has a very long memory. An ill-advised or impulsive post can be rapidly replicated across many sites and be impossible to take back," the report quoted Wilson, as saying

"People really do enjoy the freedom of expression on social media, but it is worth considering the cumulative effect of their postings," he added.

According to the report, Australia's National Crime Check managing director Martin Lazarevic said the variety of employers getting police checks on applicants had grown rapidly in the past six months, and as many as one in ten checks were catching people out.

NASA to examine Pyramid in Mars..

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 15:01:00 +0000

Mars Pyramid

Curiosity's robotic arm is set to get its first workout. It's been tasked with examining a football-sized rock whose odd pyramidal shape caught the eyes of NASA scientists--and fueled the imagination of earthlings everywhere who are perhaps a tad too eager for the rover to find evidence of intelligent life on the Red Planet.

"The target rock looks like a miniature Great Pyramid of Giza, with one face artisans neglected to maintain," noted The Christian Science Monitor. "It is not something you would expect to see on the surface of Mars," wrote the Daily Mail.

Turns out there is a straightforward explanation for the rock. Project scientist John Grotzinger told The Independent that the pyramid rock shape is not uncommon on Mars. Wind erosion probably did the carving.

So the Jake Matijevic -- the name given to the rock, after a NASA engineer who died on Aug. 20 -- is probably just a rock.

"Our general consensus view is that these are pieces of impact ejecta from an impact somewhere else, maybe outside of Gale Crater [where the rover landed], that throws a rock on to the plains, and it just goes on to sit here for a long period of time," he said to The Independent. "It weathers more slowly than the stuff that's around it. So, that means it's probably a harder rock."

Curiosity's arm sports a spectrometer for reading a target's chemical composition and a lens for close-up imaging.

Now! Call Your Loved One's from Mt.Everest

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 16:10:00 +0000

Standing atop the mighty Everest can be an exhilarating experience, but imagine being able to make video calls from the base station of Mount Everest. Reports confirm that a Chinese company has installed its station at a base camp that is at a height of 5200 metres.

A Call from Mt.Everest

Reports quoted Zhuo Feng, General Manager with the branch as saying that the signal from the station at the base camp can reach as high as 6,500 metres. He went on to add that several tourists complain of being unable to make phone calls while at the base camp. "Now they can call their friends here and show them the picturesque landscape of Mount Qomolangma, the local name for Mt Everest,” he added.

A statement issued by the mobile operator’s Tibetan branch read, “A just-finished week-long trial of the No 2 China Mobile 3G base station at the camp has found to be working well, providing a stable network service”.

As per Zhou, there are no plans yet to move the base station to a higher altitude, because of pressure from environmentalists. Interestingly, he went on to add that the mobile network has been spread across 90 percent of the areas, along the route linking Lhasa, capital of southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, and the base camp. The base camp is known to be often used as a place to rest for climbers preparing for ascent or descent of the 8,848-meter-high Mountain.

An attempt to study the effects of climatic change on Mt. Everest gained popularity recently. A webcam, developed by a Germany-based surveillance firm, Mobotix had been set up at Kalapathhar, a base camp close to Mt Everest, which stands at an altitude of 5,675 meters. The webcam is powered by solar energy, and operates during the day. The camera began operations last year, and can withstand temperatures as harsh as minus 30 degrees. The live images sent in by the webcam will be wirelessly transmitted to Ev-K2-CNR Pyramid Laboratory, which will then be studied by scientists from Italy, who are running the entire project.

Just this morning, we reported about state-run operator, BSNL together with SIS Infosystems launching telephones with video calling capabilities, in what is a much wider attempt to replace several of the existing Public Call Offices with public Video Call Offices.

In his statement to reporters, BSNL Chairman and MD, R K Upadhyay affirmed that using the telephones with video calling capabilities, BSNL will set up public Video Calling Offices (VCOs), where users will be able to make voice calls to any phone and video calls to any other IP (Internet-based) phone.

A 45-second video calling session at a VCO will cost a user Rs 3, which is inclusive of the 30 percent commission for the franchise owner. Upadhyay was further quoted as saying, “There will be no need to use computers for making video calls for user of these video phones.”

US government A Cyber Crooks: This report Says!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 17:07:00 +0000

As the U.S. government defends our interests and technology in the escalating global cyberwar, could it inadvertently be handing cyberweapons to criminals?

Cyber Crooks

Last week, security firm Kaspersky hinted that such a nightmare situation may have taken one step closer to reality. Kaspersky revealed that a sophisticated program had been used to record instant messaging and social networking logins and bank account information and passwords -- including targets such as Citibank and PayPal accounts -- on some 2,500 infected PCs.

It may have been based on the Stuxnet cyberweapon widely attributed to the U.S.

This program, dubbed Gauss, raised alarms for its financial focus: Rather than trying to disrupt nuclear lab equipment or steal cruise missile plans it seemed devised for monetary gain, the very goal of cybercriminals worldwide.

"There's no doubt in our mind that the authors [of Gauss] needed to have access to that [Stuxnet] source code to create this malware," Roel Schouwenberg, senior researcher at Kaspersky Lab, told FoxNews.com. "Therefore, we're convinced this is coming from the same factory which created Stuxnet."

"The only alternative is that the source code has been leaked or stolen, which is an extremely scary scenario."

'We're convinced this is from the same factory which created Stuxnet. The only alternative is an extremely scary scenario.'

- Roel Schouwenberg, senior researcher at Kaspersky Lab

Millions of dollars were invested in viruses like Stuxnet, which was designed by the United States and Israel, according to The New York Times, to infiltrate and then disrupt Iran's nuclear program. If that cutting-edge, expensive software fell into the wrong hands, and hackers were able to reverse engineer the program, then banks, brokerages, and businesses all over the planet could be vulnerable.

Unfortunately, once a program like Stuxnet or its derivative Flame is released on the Web, it is then "in the wild," meaning that a determined crook -- or other espionage agency -- could get his hands on it and turn it into his own weapon of choice.

Contrast this situation to the days of the Cold War, when a foreign power would have to physically steal a fighter jet, James Bond-style, to uncover an enemy's secret technology. Today, simply releasing a spy program on the Net could mean that one is essentially handing over the blueprints to your country's latest cyberstealth technology.

That possibility is "scary" because of the level of sophistication of this espionage software. For example, Flame can not only record every keystroke on a computer but also grab screen images and turn on a microphone, eavesdropping on conversations in the room or during an online call.

Programs like Flame are also difficult to trace and difficult to detect because they contain multiple self-destruct mechanisms like a modern-day "Mission Impossible" tape recording. There's also the challenge of determining exactly who created it or what information the program is seeking because portions of the software are encrypted to such a degree that Kaspersky Lab has been unable to crack it.

"Malware overall is an arms race," noted Michael Sutton, vice president of security research at Zscaler, pointing out that the techniques used by Flame and other programs "will certainly be studied and adapted by other malware authors that may well be involved in cybercrime."

The extreme efforts taken by the software to conceal Gauss' source mean it's difficult to say who's responsible -- cybercrooks or cyberspies -- but this very feature also is a potential silver lining: If security researchers can't crack its encryption, then it's unlikely that any hackers can copy the software. (Kaspersky is now petitioning other researchers to help it crack Gauss.)

There is at least one reason to think that Gauss is the work of government espionage and not crooks looking to skim millions from bank accounts. Most of the infected computers -- but by no means all -- were in the Middle East and most of the targeted banks were in Lebanon. Some of those banks have been accused of laundering money for drug smugglers and terrorists.

Whoever developed the software may have simply been looking for terrorists, following Deep Throat's advice to "Follow the money."

Terrorist networks tend to trade information via SMS and funnel money through online banks. Tracing the flow of money could lead a government to a terrorist's physical location and reveal networks of operatives.

Unfortunately, the malware genie may already be out of the bottle. It's been demonstrated time and again that just about any encryption scheme can be broken -- given the proper amount of effort and computing resources. So it may only be a matter of time until criminals -- or other governments -- have their hands on espionage-grade software.

If they don't already.

Mr.Bean's New Game on Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 16:09:00 +0000

Mr.Bean's New Game

Hello everyone! The Mr Bean team are super excited about the brand new game app that they have launched for Facebook fans! Click on the link to play -http://www.facebook.com/MrBean/app_208195102528120

Track your Tracks by GPS Shoes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 15:29:00 +0000

GPS shoes

An English shoemaker has invented a pair of shoes that can help you navigate anywhere you want to go with three simple clicks.

The shoes are called 'No Place Like Home' after Dorothy's famous line from 'The Wizard of Oz.'

The heel of the left shoe is hollowed out to hold a GPS unit, ABC News reported.

A small antenna, covered in red fabric on the back of the shoe reads signals from GPS satellites, the report said.

To start the GPS, you just click your heels three times. A magnet in the right shoe and a sensor in the left detect when you've done it.

The GPS is powered by a small battery similar to that in a cellphone.

There is a computer program that allows you to plot your destination on a map, which you upload to the shoes via USB cable.

The left shoe has a circle of LED lights on the toe that light up to show you the direction you need to go.

The right shoe has a line of LEDs that act as a progress bar, telling you how close you are to your destination. The shoes communicate via wireless, the report said.

The shoes have red calf leather inside, homage to Dorothy's red shoes, Dominic Wilcox from London said.

Wilcox was commissioned by the Global Footprint project to design a pair of shoes. He was allowed to make any shoe he wanted.

"I thought about the 'Wizard of Oz' and Dorothy and how she clicks her heels three times to get home," Wilcox said.

"I thought, 'Is it possible to make that real in some way using the technology that we have?'"

Wilcox said he doesn't have any plans for the shoes yet, calling them a "work in progress."

He originally made one pair just for the exhibition at the London Design Festival, but because of all the attention they've been getting, he may try to make more, he said.

Why your dogs are thinks like a doggie?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 16:10:00 +0000

Doggy

You say your pet is your baby. But when you speak human, it thinks in doggie. Here's how to get on the same page

Aneesha Rai, a pet groomer, admits to being a "paranoid pet parent who used to humanise my pets and treat them as my babies". She cooed enthusiastically when four-monthold Elsa and five-year-old Bubbles played rough and tumble games for hours. She allowed Bubbles to sleep up on the bed and get away with disobedience, putting it down to her being a brat.

Slowly, as the disobedience issues got worse, she realised the problem was of communication. She was sending them signs, which in doggie language, meant they were the boss and did not have to listen to her.

This gap in language is usually the root of a lot of parent-pet discord. According to canine behaviourist Shirin Merchant, the best thing you can do for your pet is understand (s)he is a dog and relate to it as such. Here are a few behaviours that we could think are cute but mean something more serious in the doggie world.

Rough play
If you have two or more dogs, they tend to play rough games that involve nipping with each other, especially if one or both of them are puppies. They are practising dog-to-dog aggression, and are most likely to carry it on to other dogs, or even humans. This would pose a problem with socialisation. Aneesha figured this out and now lets them play together only when they are too tired to play rough games. The aggression is channelised into chew toys, walks or runs.

Hugging
A hug is a greeting gesture for us, but dogs only stand on their hind legs and hug each other when they attack. While pet dogs may have been bullied by our affections into accepting this behaviour, strange dogs find this very intimidating. So if you are going to greet an unknown stray with an embrace, don't blame it if it bites.

Sleep on the bed: You think its love; the dog thinks its promotion. In animal packs, the leader usually sleeps in an elevated position. So when you allow your dog on the sofa or bed, and (s)he does not climb off when you tell it to, it's because (s)he thinks (s)he's the boss. Usually, such a dog with also show other signs of disobedience, such as not coming when called, refusal to give his/her toy to you or growling when you touch his/her food. That's because it can't understand why (s)he has to listen to underlings like you.

Playing tug
Playing tug by itself is a fight for dominance, but it can be a game if you set the rules. You should initiate the game, not it; and it should let go of the toy when you ask. Pull in an up-down motion, or backwards and forwards; never side-ways. This mimics the motions of killing a prey, and you don't want it to make that association with the toy.

Mild reprimands
If your dog barks at another dog, and you just reprimand mildly by saying, "No baba. Don't do that. You're a good dog, na?" the dog is hearing, "Good job. Go, get that pest." When dogs display attention, they glance back at their owners or elder dogs to confirm support. They wouldn't take on another dog without being assured of back-up. The first step is to not make eye-contact with a dog when there is mild barking (while still sitting down), and when it gets out of hand, give a sharp tug and say 'No' in a very loud, sharp voice. Dogs catch on to tone more than the meaning of words. Soft tones mean encouragement and if you sprinkle the words 'good' or 'nice', they do not get the meaning and perceive it as encouragement.

Jesus Married or Unmarried? New Reports

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:53:00 +0000

Jesus

A previously unknown scrap of ancient papyrus written in ancient Egyptian Coptic includes the words "Jesus said to them, my wife," -- a discovery likely to renew a fierce debate in the Christian world over whether Jesus was married.

The existence of the fourth-century fragment -- not much bigger than a business card -- was revealed at a conference in Rome on Tuesday by Karen King, Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

"Christian tradition has long held that Jesus was not married, even though no reliable historical evidence exists to support that claim," King said in a statement released by Harvard.

"This new gospel doesn't prove that Jesus was married, but it tells us that the whole question only came up as part of vociferous debates about sexuality and marriage."

Despite the Catholic Church's insistence that Jesus was not married, the idea resurfaces on a regular basis, notably with the 2003 publication of Dan Brown's best-seller "The Da Vinci Code," which angered many Christians because it was based on the idea that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had children.

King said the fragment, unveiled at the Tenth International Congress of Coptic Studies, provided the first evidence that some early Christians believed Jesus had been married.

Roger Bagnall, director of the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World in New York, said he believed the fragment, which King has called "The Gospel of Jesus's wife," was authentic.

But further examination will be made by experts, as well as additional testing of the papyrus fragment, described as brownish-yellow and tattered. Of particular interest will be the chemical composition of the ink.

The fragment is owned by an anonymous private collector who contacted King to help translate and analyze it, and is thought to have been discovered in Egypt or perhaps Syria.

King said that it was not until around 200 A.D. that claims started to surface, via the theologian known as Clement of Alexandria, that Jesus did not marry.

"This fragment suggests that other Christians of that period were claiming that he was married" but does not provide actual evidence of a marriage, she said.

"Christian tradition preserved only those voices that claimed Jesus never married. The 'Gospel of Jesus's Wife' now shows that some Christians thought otherwise."

King's analysis of the fragment is slated for publication in the Harvard Theological Review in January 2013. She has posted a draft of the paper, and images of the fragment, on the Harvard Divinity School website:

http://www.hds.harvard.edu/faculty-research/research-projects/the-gospel-of-jesuss-wife