Tech_Journey

Robots that "show emotion" by David Hanson

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:33:00 +0000

How I repaired my own heart by Tal Golesworthy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:29:00 +0000

Let's transform energy -- with natural gas by T.Boone Pickens

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:24:00 +0000

Leaked emails raise doubt over Osama bin Laden being buried at sea

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:36:00 +0000

NEW DELHI: A huge controversy has erupted over the remains of slain al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden and what exactly happened to them. Osama bin Laden was apparently buried in the waters of the north Arabian sea, but there are now emails that suggest otherwise.

The new emails that were leaked and posted online by WikiLeaks raise serious questions as to whether Osama bin Laden was buried at sea or was he cremated in the US.

The emails were allegedly obtained by the hacker group Anonymous from Stratfor, an organisation dealing with analysis of intelligence and geopolitical analysis, Times Now reported.

After Osama was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, the Barack Obama administration said his body was buried at sea in accordance with Islamic tradition.

In a set of emails given to WikiLeaks, the Stratfor's vice-president for intelligence, Fred Burton has reportedly said he doubts the official White House version of what happened to Osama's body.

So far there has been no reaction from Pakistan, where the terrorist leader was gunned down.

No world problem can be resolved without US and China: Hillary Clinton

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:26:00 +0000

WASHINGTON: Observing that China has a seat at virtually every table and a role in virtually every institution of importance in the world, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that no problem in the world today can be resolved without the United States and China.

"We and others around the world are looking for even greater leadership from China. China and the United States cannot solve all the problems of the world together. But without China and the United States, I doubt that any of our global problems can be solved," Clinton said in a major foreign policy speech.

Delivering the remarks at think-tank the US Institute of Peace to mark the 40th anniversary of the China visit by the then US President Richard Nixon, Clinton said the US wants China to be a full stakeholder, embracing its role as a major global player, to helping strengthen the international system that makes its own and its success possible.

Clinton said its power, wealth, and influence have pushed China rapidly to a new echelon in the international order.

"What China says and does reverberates around the globe, and simply by changing itself, China affects the world around it. At the same time, it is still working on its great economic mission, bringing development to millions more of the Chinese people," she said.

Clinton pointed out that China's response at times has been to seek to have it at both ways, acting like what she called a selective stakeholder.

"In some forums, on some issues, China wants to be treated as a great power; in others, as a developing nation. That's perfectly understandable, because China has attributes of both. Nonetheless, the world is looking for China to play a role that is commensurate with its new standing. And that means it can no longer be a selective stakeholder," she said.

China, she noted, has already shown increased leadership on some regional and global issues, like countering piracy and sustaining the global economic recovery.

It has also contributed substantially to UN peacekeeping missions worldwide, and we applaud these steps, she added.

"But we do believe China will have to go further to fully embrace its new role in the world to give the world confidence that it is going to, not just today or on one set of issues, but for the long run, play a positive role that will enhance security, stability, and prosperity," Clinton said.

Moscow struggles to believe in Putin's tears, thousands contest his victory at rally

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:01:00 +0000

MOSCOW: High emotion, cold calculation or just brought on by the wind? The moment when Vladimir Putin shed tears became such a talking point in Russia Monday that it even led to naming a protest.

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny coined the slogan "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears" for the mass anti-Putin rally set for Monday evening, using the title of an Oscar-winning Soviet melodrama.

The perennially popular 1979 film by director Vladimir Menshov tells the story of a group of women friends. By curious coincidence, the three-hour film was shown by state television on election day Sunday and Monday night.

"The armed forces are guarding the stolen votes. Public sector workers are grimly silent as they cheer 'We won!'" Navalny wrote darkly on his blog of Putin's election triumph.

"It's enough to make anyone cry," he added.

Putin clearly had tears running down his face as he appeared in front of tens of thousands of people outside the Kremlin to celebrate his victory in presidential elections. He later said his wet eyes were brought on by the wind.

Putin's detractors riffed on "crocodile tears" and "Botox tears" on Twitter, referring to suspicions that the Russian strongman, 59, has had cosmetic injections to keep him looking young.

A cruel one-liner circulating on Twitter ran: "He's not crying, it's just the Botox leaking."

The Russia word for tears even became a hashtag shortcut on Twitter.

But some of his supporters praised him for showing a more human side -- even if the strongman blamed his tears on a cutting wind.

Anastasia Pronina, an activist from pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi, wrote on Twitter: "Yesterday I saw Putin crying on stage and I felt so good, I had tears in my eyes myself. It was so cute."

Craggy-faced Putin has shown his emotions in the past, such as when he appeared choked at the funeral of Boris Yeltsin, the first Russian president who picked him as his successor.

However, he is better known for coarse jokes and critics said the tears outside the Kremlin were a case of too little, too late.

"We didn't see any tears about the Kursk or about the children of Beslan, by the way," wrote blogger Ilya Dombrovsky on Snob.ru website, referring to a submarine disaster in 2000 and the hostage tragedy in a school in 2004.

Thousands of Russians are gathering for a massive rally to challenge Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's victory in Russia's presidential election.

Putin won more than 63 percent of Sunday's vote according to the nearly complete official returns, but the opposition and independent observers say the election has been marred by widespread fraud.

International election monitors pointed at the lack of real competition in the race and said the vote count "was assessed negatively" in almost a third of polling stations observers visited.

The criticism of the vote added fuel to Monday's protest in downtown Moscow by Putin's foes who are questioning his victory and demanding an end to his 12-year rule. The rally, which follows a series of massive previous protests against Putin's rule, has been sanctioned by authorities.

Manipur: Cong set to retain power

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:47:00 +0000

IMPHAL: The ruling Congress led by chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh is marching towards a majority and all set to form the third consecutive government in Manipur. Of the 27 seats declared so far, the Congress has won 19 seats.

The state assembly has 60 seats.

Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh has retained his Thoubal seat defeating his rival Indira Oinam of the BJP by over 15,000 votes. His wife Landhoni Devi retained her Khangabok seat defeating her main rival Jatra Singh of Manipur People's Party (MPP) by over 9000 votes.

The opposition alliance received a set back with its top three leaders - Radhabinod Koijam (NCP), O Joy Singh (MPP) and Th Chaoba Singh (MPP) - losing the elections.

Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress has won four seats so far, while Jok Janashakti Party (LJP) and Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP) have won one seat each.

The Naga People's Front (NPF), which went to the election on the issue of integration of Naga areas of northeast, has opened its account winning two seats in Senapati distrcit. But, the party performed below its expectation. Manipur has eleven Naga-dominated constituencies.

Prominent winners in Congress include state PCC president Gaikhangam and Government spokesman N Biren Singh.

After winning his Heingang seat, Biren Singh said the Congress will get an absolute majority. "We are forming the government on our own. We will not win less than 35 seats," Singh said.

Manipur Assembly Elections 2012

Elections 2012 News

Election results: BJP-MGP combine leading in Goa

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:45:00 +0000

PANAJI: The BJP-MGP combine was leading in nine seats in Goa while ruling Congress bagged one seat and was leading in another in the 40-member assembly.

BJP was leading in eight seats while its alliance partner MGP was ahead in one.

Congress candidate Mauvin Godinho won the Dabolim seat defeating his nearest rival Premanand Nasnodkar of MGP by a margin of 944 votes.

MGP candidate and sitting MLA Deepak Dhavalikar is leading from Priol.

Congress was leading in Quepem while its ally NCP was leading in Tivim.

BJP sitting MLA Damodar Naik is facing tough fight in Fatorda from independent Vijay Sardessai, who is leading by 996 votes.

Goa Vikas Party has maintained its leading trend in two constituencies in South Goa in the second round too.

Goa Assembly Elections 2012

Elections 2012 News

Election results 2012: BJP, Cong in neck-and-neck race in Uttarakhand

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:41:00 +0000

DEHRA DUN:- A neck-and-neck race is on in Uttarakhand in the 70-member Assembly.

Both the Congress and the BJP were leading in about the same number of seats. The latest trends from Uttarakhand showed that Congress was leading in 31 seats and BJP followed closely with 25.

BSP was leading in five seats while Uttarakhand Kranti Dal-Panwar (UKD-P) was leading in one seat while others were ahead in the rest of the five seats.

Chief minister B C Khanduri was trailing from Kotdwar seat by 90 votes against S S Negi of Congress.

Congress leader Indira Haridayesh was leading with 4000 votes from Haldwani constituency against Renu Adhikari of BJP.

However, state BJP president Bishan Singh Chufal was leading by 688 votes from Didihaat constituency.

Senior Congress leader Harish Rawat said his party will get "comfortable majority" in Uttarakhand to form government on its own.

"As far as chief ministership is concerned, that will be decided by the party. But Congress will form the government in Uttarakhand that I am confident. We will form the government with the quite good margin," Rawat, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, said.

The Congress leader expressed full faith in the wisdom of the people of the state and said that Congress will get comfortable majority. To a question whether he will be made chief minister of the state in case Congress is voted to power, the Congress party leader said, "Harish Rawat is a humble soldier. Our focus is on the future. Congress traditionally does not project a leader where we are not in power".

Uttarakhand Assembly Elections 2012

Punjab election results: Olympian Pargat Singh wins maiden political match

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:37:00 +0000

JALANDHAR: Former Indian Hockey captain Olympian Pargat Singh has won his maiden political match from Jalandhar Cantt constituency on a SAD ticket defeating Congress' Jagbir Brar - who first shifted loyalty from SAD to PPP and then to Congress. Pargat defeated Brar with a margin of 7798 votes bagging 48290 votes.

Village Sansarpur is a part of the Jalandhar Cantt constituency which is called Indian Hockey's nursery. This village and a few other neighbouring villages in the country have produced several Olympians, international and national players of hockey.

Pargat Singh was director, Sports Punjab, and was persuaded by Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Badal to contest elections.

During Pargat's campaign in Sansarpur and other villages, his campaign speech always centered around hockey.

Pargat Singh has played on grounds in his village Mithapur (also part of Jalandhar Cantt constituency) as well as Sansarpur, and now the same area has sent him to the Punjab assembly with a win.

According to Dr Bhupinder Singh Kular, a professor of Jamia Milia Islamia University who has authored two books on hockey in the village, Sansarpur alone has has produced 306 hockey players including 14 Olympians.

Punjab Assembly Elections 2012

Elections 2012 News

UP assembly elections 2012: CM will be Mulayam, says Akhilesh

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:31:00 +0000

LUCKNOW:- As Uttar Pradesh headed towards a hung Assembly, the Samajwadi Party today said it was too early to say whether it would approach Congress for support in the formation of the next government.

"It all depends upon what numbers we get...It is too early to say anything," was the refrain of SP leader Akhilesh Yadav when asked whether his party would align with Congress after having emerged the single largest party in the politically crucial state.

At the same time, he doubted whether Congress, leading the coalition at the Centre, will impose President's Rule in UP in the wake of a hung vedict. "I doubt they will go for President's Rule...but if that happens, we'll certainly oppose it," he said.

Akhilesh, who led the SP campaign, declared that he was "not in the race" for the chief ministership and the post will go to "Netaji" - his father Mulayam Singh Yadav- as he was the "popular choice" of the party cadre.

He steered clear of questions as to what advice he had for Rahul Gandhi who spearheaded the Congress campaign.

While refusing to comment on the rule of BSP supremo Mayawati, he said the money spent on parks and memorials could have been better spent on development of the state.

SP is leading in 196 seats in Uttar Pradesh but is still short of the majority magic figure to form the government in the 403-member House.

The party needs a figure of 202 seats in the House to form the government.

BSP, which won majority in the 2007 assembly polls with 206 seats, is leading in 97 seats while the Congress-RLD combine is leading in 51 and BJP in 49. Others are ahead in 11.

Two Indians dead, 22 hurt in Malaysia accident

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:22:00 +0000

KUALA LUMPUR: Two Indian tourists were killed and 22 injured Monday after a tour bus skidded and flipped over while returning from the popular resort of Genting Highlands in Malaysia's Pahang state.

District police chief Mohamad Yusri Hassan Basri said all 24 victims were Indian tourists aboard the bus on their way down from Genting Highlands.

He said the bus hit the road divider and flipped into the opposite lane, Xinhua reported.

The dead were a woman in her 50s and a man, police said.

Two drivers of the bus were also injured.

Police are investigating the cause of the accident.

Mohamad Yusri said police are collecting information from the tour agency that the group travelled with and would then contact the Indian embassy.

The Star Online cited authorities as saying that four of the victims were in critical condition. It added that all the passengers were from Punjab.

Genting Highlands is a popular tourist destination at an altitude of 2,000 m altitude.

There are indoor and outdoor theme parks. One of the most popular attractions is the casino, the only one in Malaysia.

Obama: 'Loose talk' of war plays into Iran's hands

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:16:00 +0000

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama says he does not want war but insists that he would attack Iran if that was the only option left to stop the nation from getting a nuclear weapon. "Loose talk of war" only plays into Iran's hands, Obama said on Sunday.

On Monday, Obama sought to assure Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu that the US would always "have Israel's back" but said there was still time for diplomacy.

Netanyahu, in a show of unity with an American leader with whom he has had a rocky relationship, said at the White House that both Israel and the US stood together on the need to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

"The bond between our two countries is unbreakable ," Obama said. The two men, sitting side by side and smiling at each other in the Oval Office, sought to present a united front in the Iranian nuclear standoff after weeks of mounting concern that Israel would preemptively strike Iran on its own.

"We believe there is still a window that allows for a diplomatic resolution," Obama said. Netanyahu made clear that Israel would be the "master of its fate" in deciding how to deal with Iran, which has called for the destruction of the Jewish state.

Iran court orders retrial of 'US spy'

Iran's Supreme Court has overturned a death sentence for spying handed down to former US Marine Amir Mirzai Hekmati, Iranian media reported on Monday, quoting a top judiciary official. "The sentence was overturned by the SC... The case has been sent back to the court for retrial," prosecutor general Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei said, ISNA news agency reported without elaborating.

Putin wins, Russia erupts in protest

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:08:00 +0000

MOSCOW: European election observers issued a harsh critique of the Russian presidential election on Monday, saying that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's victory was preordained and unfair because of overwhelming bias in the television media and the use of government money and resources in support of his campaign.

Putin, who has already served eight years as president and four years as PM, won a new six-year term on Sunday with an official tally of 63.75% of the vote. He has already suggested that he might run again in 2018, potentially extending his tenure as Russia's pre-eminent leader to 24 years, on a par with Brezhnev and Stalin.

The observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said that the election was heavily tilted in Putin's favour, and that incidents of voter fraud and other irregularities were not as significant as the overall framework of the campaign, which they said gave opposition candidates little chance.

"Conditions were clearly skewed in Putin's favour" while the vote count was "assessed negatively in almost one-third of polling stations," they said.

Their observation came as a teary-eyed Putin told tens of thousands of his supporters , "I promised you we would win, and we won... We have won in an open and honest battle. We proved that no-one can force anything on us."

Hours later, thousands gathered for a massive rally in Moscow to challenge Putin's victory, chanting 'Shame!' and 'Russia without Putin!'" "The campaign has been unfair, cowardly and treacherous," said opposition leader Grigory Yavlinsky , denied registration for the race on a technicality.

Sergei Udaltsov, an organizer , urged protesters to stay on Moscow's iconic Pushkin Square until Putin steps down. "If it was a free election, why have they flooded the city of troops?" Udaltsov shouted to the crowd, which responded with cries: "They fear us!"

Khodorkovsky case will be reviewed

President Dmitry Medvedev held out an olive branch to opposition protesters, telling Russia's prosecutor general to study the legality of 32 criminal cases, including the jailing of former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Medvedev also told the justice minister to explain why Russia had refused to register the liberal opposition movement PARNAS.

Everyone supported us, cautious Mulayam says

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:21:00 +0000

LUCKNOW: Widely tipped to bag Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Partychief Mulayam Singh Yadav Monday declined to comment on the likely electoral outcome Tuesday but said "all sections" supported his party.

Even as his son Akhilesh Yadav spoke to some television channels, the senior Yadav did not meet the media while discussing the situation in the country's most populous state with his senior colleagues.

But talking to IANS on telephone late Monday, Mulayam Singh said he would not comment on the exit polls, most of which predicted that he would finish on top of a hung 403-seat state assembly.

His voice writ with fatigue, he said: "Baatcheet chal rahi thi din bhar, chunavi aanklan, dekhein kal kya hota hai" (I was discussing the situation the whole day, analyzing the feedback from the ground. Let us see what happens tomorrow.)

He added that the party workers and leaders had done their best and there was an "in the air" feel in favour of the party.

"Sabhi vargon mein party ke liye samrthan dikha hai," (There was all round support for the party, in all sections of the society), he added.

If exit polls are to be believed, the wrestler-turned-politician could be the king of Uttar Pradesh Tuesday.

The Samajwadi Party office on Vikramaditya Marg wore a deserted look, with only a handful junior office bearers shuttling from one room to another.

Journalists waited in vain at the gate hoping for some VIP to turn up.

Both Mulayam Singh Yadav and son Akhilesh, the state party president, spent the day closeted in the sprawling bungalow on Vikramaditya Marg - an address often referred to as 'Netaji's kothi' in Lucknow.

The final results are likely to be known by noon Tuesday.

The Samajwadi Party faced a drubbing in the last elections in 2007 and was voted out of power, managing just 97 seats as against Mayawati's 206.

Narendra Modi criticises cotton export ban, writes to PM

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:18:00 +0000

NEW DELHI:Opposing the Centre's decision to ban cotton exports, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying the "anti-farmer" decision was taken without consulting states.

"Narendra Modi has written a strongly worded letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to immediately revoke the ban imposed by the Government of India on cotton exports," according to a statement posted on his website.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued a notification banning exports of all grades of cotton with immediate effect.

Gujarat along with Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are the major cotton producing states in the country.

The chief minister also questioned why decisions of such importance were taken without consulting the affected states. "Does the Centre have no regard for the rights of state farmers," the statement added.

Terming the Centre's decision to impose a ban on cotton exports as "arbitrary", the chief minister said that such decisions affect the economic interests of Gujarat cotton farmers the most and that the Centre must refrain from playing with their economic interests.

He pointed out that when such a ban was imposed last year, China took great advantage of this move when the immense profits could have easily gone to the Indian farmers.

A similar decision by the Centre, last year cost the farmers of Gujarat Rs 14,000 crore and a policy reversal at a later stage caused further losses when the farmers were forced to sell their cotton at throw away prices, Modi pointed out.

NBA: Obama knew about Lin 'way back when'

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 06:45:00 +0000

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama said on Thursday that he had known about NBA star Jeremy Lin's talent long before the Asian-American's "Linsanity" phenomenon swept the sport.

"I knew about Jeremy before you did, or everybody else did, because Arne Duncan, my secretary of education, was captain of the Harvard team," Obama told noted US sportswriter Bill Simmons in a podcast.

"And so way back when, Arne and I were playing and he said, 'I'm telling you, we've got this terrific guard named Jeremy Lin at Harvard.'

"And then one of my best friends, his son is a freshman at Harvard, and so when he went for a recruiting trip he saw Lin in action. So I've been on the Jeremy Lin bandwagon for a while," said the president, who is a Harvard Law School graduate.

Lin, the New York Knicks' point guard, has had a meteoric rise in the past month from undrafted and twice-discarded benchwarmer to high points scoring stardom in Madison Square Garden, the world's biggest basketball stage.

He is the first US-born player in the NBA of Taiwanese and Chinese heritage and he has already developed a devoted following among many Asian-Americans and in China, Taiwan, the Philippines and other countries.

Traffic to the NYKnicks.com website surged as basketball fans from around the world search for Lin news and video highlights.

"He seems like a wonderful young man. And, look, it elevates this great sport all around the world," said Obama, a Chicago Bulls fan, alluding to the labor dispute that led to the delay of the NBA season opening.

"If you've got billionaires on one side and millionaires on another, you guys can figure out how to divide some money up. And ultimately they did. And it was the right thing to do," said the president.

"And what's been encouraging is to see how fast the sport has bounced back."

But he sounded a note of caution on how much basketball costs to watch.

"It's real important for professional athletes and sports owners to just remember you got a whole bunch of folks out here, all across the country, who invest so much in their teams, and they don't begrudge these guys making millions of dollars, or the owners making gazillions of dollars -- most of them -- very rarely can they afford to buy a ticket to go to an actual game.

"All they ask is don't be so selfish about it that you're not looking out for your fans," Obama said.

US plans new laws to tackle hacker menace

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 06:32:00 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO: Technology security professionals seeking wisdom from industry leaders in San Francisco this week saw more of the dark side than they had expected: a procession of CEO speakers whose companies have been hacked.

"It's pretty discouraging," said Gregory Roll, who came for advice and to consider buying security software for his employer, a large bank which he declined to name because he was not authorized to speak on its behalf. "It's a constant battle, and we're losing."

The annual RSA Conference, which draws to a close on Friday, brought a record crowd of more than 20,000 as Congress weighs new legislation aimed at better protecting US companies from cyber attacks by spies, criminals and activists.

If the bills suggest that hackers are so far having their way with all manner of companies, the procession of speakers brought it home in a personal way.

The opening presentation by Art Coviello, executive chairman of conference sponsor and recent hacking victim RSA, set the tone with the Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want."

RSA, owned by data storage maker EMC Corp, is the largest provider of password-generating tokens used by government agencies, banks and others to authenticate employees or customers who log on away from the office. Not long after last year's RSA conference, the company said an email with a poisoned attachment had been opened by an employee.

That gave hackers access to the corporate network and they emerged with information about how RSA calculates the numbers displayed on SecurID tokens, which was in turn used in an attack on Lockheed Martin that the defense contractor said it foiled.

Coviello said he hoped his company's misfortune would help foster a sense of urgency in the face of formidable opponents, especially foreign governments, who are being aided by the blurring of personal and professional online activities. Some 70 percent of employees in one survey he cited admitted to subverting corporate rules in order to use social networks or smartphones or get access to other resources, making security that much harder.

"Our networks will be penetrated. People will still make mistakes," Coviello said. He argued that with better monitoring and analysis of traffic inside company networks, "we can manage risk to acceptable levels."

If that didn't inspire enough enthusiasm after the worst year for corporate security in history - including the rise of activist hacks by Anonymous, numerous breaches at Sony Corp, and attacks on Nasdaq software used by corporate boards - there was more to come.

Next onstage was James Bidzos, CEO of core Internet infrastructure company VeriSign, which disclosed in an October securities filing that it had lost unknown data to hackers in 2010. He was followed by Enrique Salem, CEO of the largest security company, Symantec, which recently admitted that source code from 2006 version of its program for gaining remote access to desktop computers had been stolen and published.

FBI Director Robert Mueller spoke on Thursday, warning that he expected cyber threats to pass terrorism as the country's top threat.

Though all sounded an upbeat call to arms, some watching grumbled that vendors with little credibility were trying to use their own shortcomings to peddle more expensive and unproven technology.

"There's some panic" among the buyers, said a security official with ING Groep NV who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the press. Banks are very sensitive to questions about security breaches and often deny they have any significant problems in this area.

That panic contributed to vigorous panel discussions and hallway debates about who should be in charge of safeguarding defense companies, banks and utilities - private industry itself, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or the National Security Agency, which has the greatest capability but a legacy of civil liberties issues.

A pending bill backed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid would put DHS in the lead, with assistance from NSA. Former NSA chief Michael Hayden said in an interview at the conference that should suffice.

"The Net is inherently insecure," Hayden said. "We need to quit admiring the problem and move out. No position could be worse than the one we're in now."

Coviello said one of the few pieces of good news was that the country as a whole is now realizing the gravity of the loss of its trade and government secrets, along with the difficulty of reversing the trend.

"People have definitely talked more seriously after our breach," he said in an interview. "Maybe a sense of realism has settled in."

Google-Motorola Gets European Seal of Approval. Is U.S Next?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:29:00 +0000

Google announced on Monday that European regulators have approved its proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobility.
“This is an important milestone in the approval process and it moves us closer to closing the deal,” Google’s vice president and deputy general counsel Don Harrison wrote in a blog post. “We are now just waiting for decisions from a few other jurisdictions before we can close this transaction.”
Reuters reported last week that regulators in the United States will soon give their go-ahead on the deal, as well. Many reports have predicted that decision to come later this week.
Harrison said in this blog post that “the combination of Google and Motorola Mobility will help supercharge Android. It will also enhance competition and offer consumers faster innovation, greater choice and wonderful user experiences.”
Motorola holds one of the mobile industry’s largest collections of patents. Google will be able to produce its own line of smartphones to go with its immensely popular Android platform, thanks to Motorola’s extensive network of hardware manufacturing facilities. Motorola is one of the leading producers of Android-based phones.
Google will buy Motorola for a price of $12.5 billion, assuming that the deal gets ultimate approval.
The European Union’s antitrust regulators did not impose any restrictions on the acquisition. But Europe’s competition commissioner Joaquín Almunia said in a statement that the blessing “does not mean that the merger clearance blesses all actions by Motorola in the past or all future action by Google.”
The Motorola acquisition would be Google’s first expansion into the technology hardware business. The search giant has seen waves of antitrust criticism in recent years as it moved into other online sectors, including daily deals and shopping.
Do you think Google should be allowed to acquire Motorola and move into the hardware business? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.

Obama’s 2013 Budget: Full of Tech and Science

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:12:00 +0000

President Obama released his proposed 2013 budget Monday, and it gives us a glimpse into the president’s hefty tech and science wish list.
T

his includes wireless broadband, science and tech education, protection from cyber attacks, intellectual property rights and technology in government.
Follow along as Mashable digs up the details on the 2013 budget proposal.

Overall Research & Development

Obama’s proposed budget calls for $140.8 billion in overall research and development projects, aiming that money towards areas “most likely to directly contribute to the creation of transformational technologies that can create the businesses and jobs of the future.”
The specifics? Investment in non-defense research will be increased by 5 percent from this year. $13.1 billion will be divided between the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. That money will go to research on clean energy, biology, advanced manufacturing, “smart” infrastructure, wireless internet and cybersecurity. An additional $51 million is dedicated to the NSF for solving wireless spectrum problems.
Additionally, NASA would get $1.3 billion to develop new technology that would “keep the aerospace industry . . . at the cutting edge in the years to come.” However, NASA as a whole will see a drop of $59 million from this year’s funding level.

Wireless Broadband

Obama’s budget considers nationwide wireless broadband access an essential part of the U.S.’ future. $10 billion will be made available for a nationwide wireless broadband network and “spectrum innovation.”
“High-speed, wireless broadband is fast becoming a critical component of business operations and economic growth. The United States needs to lead the world in providing broad access to the fastest networks possible.”
To do that, the president wants owners of mobile spectrum to be able to rent out their spectrum in voluntary auctions. In exchange, spectrum owners will share any profits made over their signal. According to the budget, this repurposing is “critical” to get more wireless access for smartphones and tablet devices across the country.
Spectrum will also be made available for “unlicensed” use and to first responders who need to communicate quickly and easily during a crisis.

Intellectual Property Rights

The Obama plan seeks to get the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office an additional $2.9 billion in resources by providing it with full access to its fee collections. The plan also calls for a quickening of the patent process as required under the America Invents Act, signed into law in September of last year. By quickening the rate of patents, the office would be able to collect more in fees in a given time frame.
The budget supports stronger intellectual property protection both in the U.S. and around the world, citing the PRO-IP act passed in 2008 as a blueprint for future enforcement (The Obama administration came out against SOPA and PIPA last month).

Cybersecurity

The Obama budget includes cybersecurity as one of the “emerging threats for which the United States must be prepared,” alongside nuclear attack, biochemical warfare and terrorism.
Specifically, the plan calls for an enhancement of all existing Department of Defense cybersecurity programs, both defensive and offensive. $769 million would head to the Department of Homeland Security’s National Cyber Security Division to help develop new cyberdefense capabilities.
The budget also allows the Department of Defense to find new ways to work with businesses that operate “critical information infrastructures” to protect them from cyberattack.

Science and Tech Education

Obama’s 2013 plan calls for preparing 100,000 new teachers in science, technology, education and math over the next ten years while recruiting 10,000 new teachers over the next two years. The budget puts aside $80 million for a state grant-based program to to accomplish those goals.
President Obama is also calling for a new partnership between the Department of Education and the National Science Foundation that will help improve science education for students from the time they enter kindergarden through college graduation.

Tech in Government

Finally, The Obama plan also puts money aside for revamping and improving the way the government itself uses technology.
“The American people expect the Government to use information technology (IT) to provide the same level of service they experience in their everyday lives,” reads the proposed budget.
By moving data to central servers, the Obama administration plans to save $3 to $5 billion. And by moving services to the cloud, federal agencies will be able to pay only for services they use instead of a one-size-fits-all software package.

Your Take

A president’s proposed budget is an executive wish list: President Obama wants these reforms and projects, but he likely won’t get all of them approved by Congress. But the budget does show where the president’s heart lies in terms of the country’s future.

We’ve embedded the full proposed budget below. What do you think of the tech and science investments in Obama’s plan? Sound off in the comments below.

President Obama’s Proposed 2013 Budget

OPEN SCIENCE

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:35:00 +0000

BRIDGEING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE TECHNOLOGY

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:32:00 +0000

ROBOT TECHNOLOGY

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:15:00 +0000

GOOGLE NEW PRIVACY POLICIES

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:21:00 +0000

One policy, one Google experience

We’re getting rid of over 60 different privacy
policies across Google and replacing them with
one that’s a lot shorter and easier to read. Our
new policy covers multiple products and features,
reflecting our desire to create one beautifully
simple and intuitive experience across Google.
This stuff matters, so please read our updated
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service when
you have a few minutes. These changes will take
effect on March 1, 2012.

Easy to work across Google

Our new policy reflects our desire to create a
simple product experience that does what you
need, when you want it to. Whether you’re reading
an email that reminds you to schedule a family
get-together or finding a favorite video that you
want to share, we want to ensure you can move
across Gmail, Calendar, Search, YouTube, or
whatever your life calls for with ease.

Tailored for you

If you’re signed into Google, we can do things
like suggest search queries — or tailor your
search results — based on the interests you’ve
expressed in Google+, Gmail, and YouTube. We’ll
better understand which version of Pink or Jaguar
you’re searching for and get you those results
faster.

Easy to share and collaborate

When you post or create a document online, you
often want others to see and contribute. By
remembering the contact information of the people
you want to share with, we make it easy for you
to share in any Google product or service with
minimal clicks and errors.

SOCIAL NETWORKING

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Social networking may be a boon for new-age choices:-

The next time your parents order you to log off Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, and focus on studies instead, it may be a good idea not to listen to them. When it comes to preparing for new-age careers, Facebook may do a better job than your textbook.

Ask Jaideep Bir. This 28-year-old entrepreneur quit his job in a dotcom a few years ago to start his own social media marketing company that uses social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to market products and brands. Today, his clients range from large multinationals to education institutions for which he has designed fan pages on social media sites.

"We also work offline, distributing RFID (radio frequency identification) cards to people who attend events conducted by various brands. The RFID card automatically updates your location on Facebook, so that all your friends know you are attending the event. This helps publicize the brand," says Jaideep.

He is just one among a growing number of Indians opting out of conventional careers and treading the path less taken. Like Himani Khurana, who stumbled upon a career in jazz, ballroom and contemporary dance while studying English at Lady Shri Ram College. While most professionals learn dance from the age of five, Himani began at 20, when she joined a class near her college. What started out as a hobby turned into a career. "I had the opportunity to work with dancers from overseas and even went abroad to pursue dance," says Himani.

Serendipity has had a hand in several career choices. Take for instance artist O P Rathore, the voice behind a host of advertisements, both for the government as well as corporates. Rathore chanced upon the field 20 years ago when he lent his voice to a radio promo on the freedom struggle. "The promo did very well and people wanted to know whose voice it was. That's how I started getting more contracts. I never thought I would end up making a career of it," he says.

While selecting a career has, traditionally, been a weighty affair, youngsters are now experimenting with their lives till they zero in on a field that interests them. Simar Sukhija, who runs a nail bar in Delhi, specializes in decorating nails and offers everything from manicures to nail extensions.

Though video games and mobile phone applications may be the bane of the average middle-class parent, creating them is now a lucrative career option, often paying better than the good, old-fashioned careers.

While entrepreneurship doesn't quite fit in with the traditional Indian dream of a stable career, some, like Rishabh Gupta, took the plunge. "Turning entrepreneur has been a childhood dream. I have always been in awe of folks like Richard Branson," says Gupta, an economics graduate from Delhi University.

After an MBA from Manipal, Rishabh figured he had no experience of how to run his own business, and so he joined the corporate sector to gather work experience. "But after switching three jobs in two years, I figured this was not my calling. I decided it was time to turn entrepreneur," says Gupta, who joined hands with a friend and began a company that links young people with corporates.

While the idea initially revolved around summer internships, it has now expanded to several areas involved with equipping students for the corporate sector. "We have roped in students as brand ambassadors on campus for various companies, and are using social media to spread the word. We also get young people to work part-time for corporates on areas such as presentation and cleaning up digital content. These jobs are are a perfect fit for youngsters seeking exposure to the job market," adds Rishabh.