CITIUS 2

Blueocean counts on India, to hire over a 1000 employees

2014-04-27T01:51:00.002-07:00

MUMBAI: While most data analytics companies are figuring out ways to grow at a faster clip in traditional markets in the West, Blueocean Market Intelligence is betting on rising demand from India and other emerging countries. To that end, the Mumbai-based firm is ramping up its headcount to over a thousand from the current 700 and is also scouting for acquisitions.

The company, which bought UK-based analytics technology platform Cognicient earlier this year, is looking for businesses that would help it scale. "We don't want to acquire for size," Ashwin Mittal, president of the company said. "We would look for technology platforms, or companies that would help us scale up in the financial services and automotive space." Blueocean has strong offerings in the technology, consumer goods and life sciences space, Mittal said.

Technology platforms will also help the firm drive revenue without having to add an equivalent number of employees, what is called non-linear growth in IT industry parlance and is much sought after in the sector. For analytics firms, with industry attrition rates north of 20% and a limited number of possible recruits, breaking the link between revenue and employees is key to future success.

The acquisition of Cognicient gave the firm a foothold in the UK market that it will look to grow further. It currently has offices in Dubai, the United States and India. When Blueocean was set up in 2000, it had expected to focus on the Indian market for data analytics. Then, the market in India was not large enough and the firm focused on the much bigger US market, which now accounts for about 80% of its revenues.

"The US does account for the bulk of our revenues but as we grow in other markets, the share of the US to our revenues could come down to about 60% in the next three to six years," Mittal said. He, however, declined to give the company's revenue but said the company was growing rapidly.

The market for data analytics is huge. Research firm IDC says the big data analytics market will be worth $24 billion (Rs 1.4 lakh crore) in 2016. And everyone from specialist analytics services firms such as MuSigma to IT players like Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys are gearing up to get a piece of the pie. Blueocean said it is seeing an increase in interest in analytics in India.

"The market here is small but it is increasing in size. So far, our focus has been on the US but now we will look to grow in the Indian market as well," Mittal added. The Indian market is currently being sized by the company and the National association for software and services companies for the annual analytics report which will be released in June at hyderabad

Where to find keyless finger-scan locks

2014-04-26T22:56:00.002-07:00

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Finger tip access

Swipe your finger across the keyless, code-free entry system to activate the lock

Photo courtesy of Kwikset

Several companies offer biometric keyless locks for entry doors, mostly in the $200 range (as of 2008). One company is Kwikset. Its SmartScan locks are available at home centers and hardware stores (find retailers and more info at Kwikset.com). When you swipe your finger across a sensor, it reads your fingerprint and activates the battery-powered dead bolt. You don't need a key or a key code. Installation doesn't require hardwiring, and the batteries last about one year.

Other companies also sell keyless fingerprint locks. Search online for “fingerprint door locks.”

Sleek iPhone 6 Concept

2014-04-26T22:53:00.002-07:00

If you’ve got your pulse on the internet you may know that this iPhone concept is not new (the video was uploaded a year ago), but it doesn’t change the fact that IT IS SO COOL. The concept was made by YouTube user Schoolpost who creates short films, visual effects, motion graphics, and animation. Let us know what you think in the comments. Does this concept beat out the current model?

DoCoMo to exit India at $1.3bn loss

2014-04-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI: Japan's biggest mobile operator NTT DoCoMo is disconnecting from Tata Teleservices, its partner of five years, by offloading its entire stake at as low as half the original acquisition price of $2.6 billion. It becomes the second Japanese major to exit India in recent weeks after Daiichi Sankyo sold its interests in Ranbaxy Laboratories.

The over two-decade-old DoCoMo had acquired a 26.5% stake in Tata Teleservices between 2009 and 2011 in a deal that was supposed to catapult it into the telecom industry big league but cut-throat tariff competition, regulatory uncertainty and billions of losses have forced the Japanese biggie to hang up on Asia's third largest economy. Besides, this move has left a question mark on Tata Teleservices' future.

Under the 2009 joint venture agreement, DoCoMo had two options: one, to increase its stake to 51% in two phases by March and the second to sell its stake for half the acquisition price or at a fair market price, whichever was higher. Both the options were linked to performance targets and with the Indian joint venture missing the targets, the Japanese major has decided to dial out of Tata Teleservices.The Tata Group holds 65% in India's seventh-largest mobile services company, which lags far behind telecom giants Bharti Airtel and Vodafone. Singapore government's investment arm Temasek and serial entrepreneur C Sivasankaran too own small stakes in the company. DoCoMo said it will exercise its sale option by June.

"We invested in India because at the time we saw excellent growth prospects in emerging countries and we wanted to be involved there," DoCoMo CEO Kaoru Kato said. "We decided to sell because the growth we've seen in five years is not what we expected. Though, withdrawing was a very bitter decision." In FY13, Tata Teleservices reported a loss of Rs 4,858 crore, while its debt was Rs 23,491 crore.

A host of problems like delay in introducing 3G services, telecom licence cancellations and corruption scandals led to the JV's dismal performance, claimed DoCoMo.

In a statement, Tata Group's holding company, Tata Sons, said, "As stated by DoCoMo, it is not possible to predict how events will unfold; however, Tata Sons is cognizant of its responsibilities, and will act keeping in mind the interests of all stakeholders and in accordance with law."

With DoCoMo exiting the alliance, the Tata Group will come under pressure to fund the buyout as well as improve the telco's performance. "With an over 60% promoter stake and recent promise of equity infusion to sustain operations, it places pressure on the Tata Group as a whole. While continuing with operating performance improvement at Tata Teleservices is a pre-requisite, one cannot however rule out group considerations, including consolidation or finding replacement partners," said Thomas Kuruvilla, managing partner at Arthur D Little, a global consulting firm.

Media reports suggest that Vodafone and Russian conglomerate AFK Sistema, which owns MTS India, have held separate talks with Tata Teleservices to combine the business with the Tata Group either bowing out of the telecom business or holding a minority stake in the merged entity. However, Tata Sons said that the company "continues to be an integral part of the Tata Group". India's largest private sector conglomerate recently inked a deal to sell its South African fixed line telecom operator Neotel to Vodafone.

Shahid Kapoor in Vishal Bhardwaj's Maha Kaminey

2014-04-26T07:09:00.001-07:00

Shahid has said that Vishal's Haider is his toughest project till date

Actor Shahid Kapoor is all set to star in Vishal Bhardwaj's Maha Kaminey, which is the sequel to his 2009 hit film Kaminey.

Kaminey had Shahid, Priyanka Chopra and Amol Gupte in lead roles. The film was produced by UTV Motion Pictures.

The film was set against the backdrop of the Mumbai underworld and told the story of a pair of twins, one with a lisp and the other with a stutter.

"The sequel to Kaminey, Maha Kaminey will be made. It will have Shahid in it. It will be more interesting. But the work on this project will start after Haider," sources close to the development said. (Also read: Shahid talks about Haider)

The makers have been planning to make the sequel for quite some time.

Vishal Bhardwaj is presently working on his Haider which stars Shahid and Shraddha Kapoor besides Tabu, Irrfan Khan and Kay Kay Menon. (Also read: Shahid excited about Haider final schedule)

Maha Kaminey will be third collaboration between Shahid and Vishal after Kaminey and Haider.

Petrol gets COSTLIER by Rs 2.35; diesel 50 paise

2013-08-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

In the sixth such hike in three months, petrol price has been increased by a steep Rs 2.35 per litre and diesel by 50 paise per litre on falling rupee and firming international oil prices.

The increase in rates, which will be effective midnight on Saturday, are excluding local sales tax or VAT, Indian Oil Corp, the nation's largest fuel retailer, announced. The actual hike will be higher and will vary from city to city.

Petrol price in Delhi will go up by Rs 2.83 to Rs 74.10 per litre while it will cost Rs 81.57 per litre in Mumbai as against Rs 78.61 currently.

This is the sixth increase in rates since June and in all petrol prices have gone up by a massive Rs 9.17 per litre, excluding VAT. Price of petrol in Delhi has gone up by over Rs 11 per litre after including state tax since June 1.

In a parallel move, diesel price was hiked by 50 paise, excluding VAT, in line with the January decision of the government allowing oil companies freedom to raise prices in small doses every month to wipe out mounting losses.

Diesel price in Delhi has been hiked by 57 paise to Rs 51.97 per litre while it will cost Rs 58.86 in Mumbai from tomorrow as compared to Rs 58.23 currently.

Saturday's hike in the eighth since the January 17 and most of the losses on diesel sales should have been wiped off by now to make the fuel market priced. But the fall in rupee, around 25 per cent since April, has worsened the situation and oil firms are losing Rs 12.12 per litre despite prices being raised by a cumulative Rs 4.75 this year.

Oil firms had on June 1 raised petrol prices by 75 paise, excluding VAT, and followed it with a Rs 2 per litre increase on June 16, a Rs 1.82 increase on June 29, Rs 1.55 hike on July 15 and 70 paise increase from August 1.

IOC said since the last revision in rates effective August 1, the rupee-US dollar exchange rate has deteriorated sharply, from Rs 59.49 to a US dollar to Rs 63.88, necessitating this price increase.

"Currently, the rupee-dollar exchange rate continues to be extremely volatile. Also, geopolitical situation in the Middle-East is leading to pressure on international oil prices as well," it said in a statement.

The movement of prices in international oil markets and exchange rate were being closely monitored and subsequent price changes will reflect developing trends of the market, it added.

Deteriorating exchange rate has led to widening of losses on diesel from Rs 10.22 in first fortnight of August to Rs 12.12 per litre loss. The same has also led to widening of under-recoveries on kerosene to Rs 36.83 per litre from Rs 33.54 at the beginning of the company and on LPG to Rs 470 per cylinder from Rs 411.99.

For the full fiscal, IOC estimated total revenue loss or under-recovery of Rs 144,000 crore on sale of diesel, LPG and kerosene for the industry.

Why Nelson Mandela has six names

2013-08-31T04:28:00.001-07:00

Nelson Mandela became an international figure while enduring 27 years in prison for fighting against apartheid, South Africa's system of racial segregation.

But while the world may know him as Mandela, the man considered to be the founder of South Africa's democracy is known by a number of others names in his own country. Some of the monikers date from his childhood, while others reflect the respect felt for an anti-apartheid hero and the country's first black president

Rolihlahla

At birth he was given the name Rolihlahla Mandela by his father, Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Gadla Henry, according to the Nelson Mandela Foundation. In Xhosa, one of the official languages of South Africa, "Rolihlahla" means "pulling the branch of a tree." More commonly, it's said to mean "troublemaker."

Nelson

The name "Nelson" first made an appearance when the young Mandela was at primary school. According to the Nelson Mandela Foundation, it was given to him by his teacher, Miss Mdingane, on the first day of school in the village of Qunu, but it's unclear why she chose that particular name. It was the early 1920s and, at that time, it was customary to give African children English names to make them easier for British colonials to pronounce.

Madiba

In South Africa, Mandela is most commonly referred to as Madiba, the name of the Thembu clan to which he belongs. Madiba was the name of a Thembu chief who, in the 19th century, ruled over a region called the Transkei in the country's southeast. Referring to Mandela as Madiba is a sign of endearment and respect, according to the Nelson Mandela Foundation. This hut is at the "Great Place" palace at Mqhekezweni where Mandela lived as a child under the guardianship of Thembu regent, Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo.

Tata

Considered the founding father of democracy in South Africa, Mandela is also referred to by many as simply "Tata," the Xhosa word for "father." Here, he receives a hug from a Soweto girl during a visit to a black township near Johannesburg in 1990.

Khulu

The Xhosa language also offers another term of endearment for Mandela. "Khulu" is the shortened word for "uBawomkhulu," which means "grandfather." The word also means "great, paramount, grand," according to the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

Dalibhunga

At the age of 16, Mandela, like other Xhosa boys, was formally initiated into manhood through a traditional Xhosa ceremony. At the time, he was given the name of Dalibhunga, which means "creator or founder of the council" or "convenor of the dialogue," according to the Nelson Mandela Foundation. It adds that, when using the name to greet Mandela, the correct usage is "Aaah! Dalibhunga." This image show young boys from the Xhosa tribe attending a traditional initiation school in Libode in 2008

Amitabh Bachchan: NO desire to make KBC format contestant friendly

2013-08-31T01:53:00.000-07:00

Amitabh Bachchan will host the seventh season of the gameshow Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), which he has helped to make so popular.

The format of the show remains the same but there are a few changes -- the prize money has been increased to Rs 7 crores, a life line called Power Paplu has been added, the fastest finger first will not be the best out of three, the time limit of the phone-a-friend has increased, and the set and location has changed.

Bachchan doesn’t like to take credit for the popularity of the show. "I take zero credit. The show is very well constructed and not just a simple question and answer thing. Very deep research has gone into it.

No more kisses for Mrs Kareena Kapoor Khan

2013-08-31T01:51:00.002-07:00

In Prakash Jha’s Satyagraha, there is a romantic love song called Ras Se Bhare Tore Nain Saawariya, picturised on Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor Khan.

The sequence had required Kareena and Devgn to kiss and make love.

However, one hears Kareena, otherwise a very dedicated artiste, flatly refused do the intimate scene with her co-star.

In Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara, Kareena had done some intimate scenes with Devgn but that had come before her marriage.

"Prakashji wanted at least a brush-on-the-lips since this was a very passionate moment between the lead pair. But after marriage, Kareena will not do any intimate scenes with any of her co-stars. Not even her husband Saif. There is a certain code of conduct that Kareena must follow as a Pataudi bahu. Also, Kareena would do nothing to hurt her mother-in-law (Sharmila Tagore) whom she loves dearly," says a source from Jha's unit.

So Prakash Jha had to make do with just the suggestion of a kiss and zero-proximity between the pair.

Says one of Kareena’s co-stars from Satyagraha, “Bebo has always been fearless before the camera. It isn’t as if she hasn’t done kissing scenes. She kissed Aamir in 3 Idiots, didn’t she? But I think Heroine was her cut-off point as an actress. She did that very bold role with no holds barred and I think she has made up her mind to avoid all intimacy on screen after marriage. Prakashji had to fudge the kissing scene and we just see Bebo lying fully-clothed and alone in bed."

Amitabh Bachchan returns with Kaun Banega Crorepati

2013-08-31T01:49:00.000-07:00

Amitabh Bachchan is back with Kaun Banega Crorepati's seventh season. The newest edition of the quiz show will have a prize money of Rs 7 crore and feature five life-lines.

‘OFF now to the Press Conference for KBC .. to reveal new look and details of Season 7 .. dadada daaaain .. !!’ Amitabh tweeted.

He also shared a picture from the inaugural episode and tweeted: ‘KBC opener, Sept 6, 8.30 Sony...with the incomparable Sonu Nigam ... huhuhhuh haha aahhhuu .. YEEEAAHHH !!

He shared another picture and added: ‘Working the opening of the 7th season KBC .. yours truly .. tasseled shoes and all ... yeeeaaaahhhh baby!’

Starting September 6, the show will air from Friday to Sunday at 8:30 pm on Sony TV.

Microsoft and Google to sue over US surveillance requests

2013-08-30T22:04:00.001-07:00

Technology firms want to be allowed to publish information about US government requests under the Fisa legislation

Microsoft's legal counsel Brad Smith said in a blog post: 'We believe we have a clear right under the US constitution to share more information with the public.

Microsoft and Google are to sue the US government to win the right to reveal more information about official requests for user data. The companies announced the lawsuit on Friday, escalating a legal battle over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa), the mechanism used by the National Security Agency (NSA) and other US government agencies to gather data about foreign internet users.
Microsoft's general counsel, Brad Smith, made the announcement in a corporate blog post which complained of the government's "continued unwillingness" to let it publish information about Fisa requests.
Each company filed a suit in June arguing that they should be allowed to state the details under the first amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech, and in the process defend corporate reputations battered by Edward Snowden's revelations. Critics accused the companies of collaborating in the snooping.
"On six occasions in recent weeks we agreed with the department of justice to extend the government's deadline to reply to these lawsuits. We hoped that these discussions would lead to an agreement acceptable to all," Smith wrote.
The negotiations failed, he wrote, so Google and Microsoft were going to court. He did not specify when, or to which court.
"With the failure of our recent negotiations, we will move forward with litigation in the hope that the courts will uphold our right to speak more freely. And with a growing discussion on Capitol Hill, we hope Congress will continue to press for the right of technology companies to disclose relevant information in an appropriate way."
Snowden, a former NSA whistleblower, gave documents to the Guardian and Washington Post revealing NSA claims about access to technology firms' data via its Prism system.
The companies denied the NSA had "direct access" to their systems but said they were legally unable to disclose how many times they have been asked to provide information on users.
Fisa requests are granted by a special court that sits in secret and can grant the NSA permission to collect data stored by any company about a named person. In 2012, the court granted 1,856 requests and turned none down.
"We believe we have a clear right under the US constitution to share more information with the public," said Smith's post. "The purpose of our litigation is to uphold this right so that we can disclose additional data."
He welcomed a government announcement earlier this week that it would begin publishing the total number of national security requests for customer data for the past 12 months.
"But the public deserves and the constitution guarantees more than this first step. For example, we believe it is vital to publish information that clearly shows the number of national security demands for user content, such as the text of an email."
Such figures should be published in a form that is distinct from the number of demands that capture only metadata such as subscriber information associated with a particular email address, said Smith.
"We believe it's possible to publish these figures in a manner that avoids putting security at risk. And unless this type of information is made public, any discussion of government practices and service provider obligations will remain incomplete."
The post sought to position Microsoft and Google on the moral high ground, linking them to the values of the founding fathers. "We benefit from living in a country with a constitution that guarantees the fundamental freedom to engage in free expression unless silence is required by a narrowly tailored, compelling government interest … our hope is that the courts and Congress will ensure that our constitutional safeguards prevail."

5.9-magnitude earthquake strikes southwest China

2013-08-30T21:53:00.000-07:00

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck Saturday morning in southwestern China, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Officials reported one death and three people injured as emergency teams began to respond, state-run Xinhua News Agency said.

The quake -- with a depth of 10 kilometers -- hit in remote areas near the border of the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, according to the USGS.

Roads are reportedly blocked in some villages by boulders rolling down mountains, and some villagers have been taken to hospitals, Xinhua said.

The Civil Affairs Ministry in Yunnan province was sending tents and clothing, Xinhua said.

The epicenter was near Benzilan Township, the USGS reported.

"We are heading to Benzilan," Liao Wencai, vice secretary of the Deqen County Committee of the Communist Party of China, told Xinhua. "The telecommunication there has been cut off, and many residents cannot be reached by mobile phone."

On Wednesday, a 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit the same region.

Accessorize Your Infant With This Sensor Riddled Sock So You Can Sleep At Night (VIDEO)

2013-08-30T03:56:00.000-07:00

Raising a child is a stressful venture into the realm of trial-by-error that could leave parents wondering if they are doing an adequate job. Among the most stressful periods of childhood on a parent is infancy – when the thought of leaving a baby unattended sends chills down the spines of parents trying to get some sleep. What if the parents of a sleeping infant could know what position their baby is in without getting out of bed? Beginning in autumn, this, as well as the ability to monitor an infant’s quality of sleep, blood oxygenation levels, and skin temperature, will be within reach.

Owlet Baby Care has developed a “smart sock” that may ease the stress of parenthood by monitoring infant comfort and safety, and transmitting this information via Bluetooth 4.0 to a synced smartphone. The data are available at the swipe of a touchscreen, or on the cloud through any Internet connected device. This may be a revolutionary approach to baby monitoring, changing the game from mere audio/visual monitoring to the utilization of a suite of sensors typically found in consumer electronics.

A relevant use case of this technology may be in the prevention of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). It is believed that an infant’s sleep position is a contributing factor to SIDS. More specifically, it is recommended that infants only sleep on their backs, and never face-down. The new baby monitor developed by Owlet is designed to help prevent this by monitoring the baby’s sleep position and setting off an alarm if a face-down rollover occurs. Hopefully, this new technology will help lower the number of infant deaths due to SIDS, as well as help the parents of newborn babies get some much needed rest.

The device that could change life for the visually impaired

2013-08-30T02:57:00.000-07:00

For the visually impaired, the supermarket can be a daunting place to visit. Buying groceries is not an easy task when you have trouble seeing.

But for people like Liat Negris, life is about to become a lot easier.

By wearing the OrCam, Negrin can point to what she wants to read and the device will do it for her.

She said: “It gives me independence, you know, I can do anything by myself. I don’t need favours, I don’t need to be escorted anywhere, I can go to new places without memorising again and again the way”.

The Israeli start-up company, OrCam technologies created the pocket-sized computer using a sensitive camera and sophisticated algorithms.

The camera can be attached to a pair of glasses and scans what appears before it. The device is programmed to recognise a finger, and when the user points to a sign, a newspaper, a traffic light and more, it can read what appears in front of it.

Chairman of OrCam Technologies, Amnon Shashua, said:“People with low vision, they see something but not enough in order to manage their daily lives. So we were thinking about, assume that you have a helper standing beside you, looking to the same direction you are looking at and understands what you are seeing and understands what kind of information you want to get out of the scene.”

The OrCam uses bone-conduction technology, which conducts sound to the ear through the bones of the skull rather than by using an ear piece, so the user’s ear is not obstructed.

It can read bus numbers and red or green signals at pedestrian crossings. It knows how to recognise new products and even faces.

The device can also be used by people who are totally blind, but because a blind person is unable to point exactly at what they want to have read, it must be used differently.

Developing self-destructing mobile phones

2013-08-30T02:41:00.000-07:00

The average lifespan of a mobile phone is about 12 to 18 months, depending on your chosen service provider. But what if instead of discarding your outdated model, the device could simply self-destruct, reducing landfill e-waste and airborne toxins?

That is what researchers at the University of Illinois are working on.

Professor John Rogers is a materials science engineer and chemist at the University of Illinois. He showed us what they can already do: “This is an example of a transient integrated circuit. It’s a simple radio circuit. It involves transistors, some diodes, resistor lines, capacitors, conductors. It’s all built on a thin film of silk, which is a naturally occurring material.”

‘Transient electronics’ means bio-compatible devices that just disappear or dissolve at the end of their useful life without posing a threat to the environment.

The self-destructing microchip made of natural fibres is part of a project called ‘Born to Die’.

“They are born to die, but born to die in a very controlled way. So we’re not talking about unreliable, flaky electronics. We’re talking about electronics that are very specifically engineered to have excellent properties, time independent, until the programmed moment at which you don’t need the device any more and then it dissolves away. That’s the trick,” added Professor Rogers.

Of course it is a huge jump leap from creating a small vanishing chip, to equally soluble motherboards capable of driving the sophisticated electronics we use every day. But Rogers argues that this is the direction to go.

“If you could make key components or eventually the entire mobile phone out of materials that would last for three, five years and then naturally dissolve, that would be ideal,” he concluded.

The research team is also studying the potential use for such devices in the military and medical care, as well as this technology’s benefits for people and the planet.

The evolution of self-destructing devices could be revolutionary. In the US in 2010 alone, about 150 million used phones were dumped into landfills.

Every year 20 to 50 million tonnes of e-waste is generated worldwide

Innovative and eco-friendly: the office of the future

2013-08-30T02:35:00.001-07:00

Called NuOffice and built in Germany, it is considered to be one of the most sustainable office buildings in the world. It uses energy-efficient heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting and aims to minimise its environmental impact.

The building in Munich was completed in November 2012.

Taking a look back at the construction process reveals some of its eco-friendly features.

One of the building’s energy saving secrets is hidden inside its walls.

Hubert Haupt is the owner of the building.

“We have thick exterior walls,” explained Haupt.

“So we don’t have to cool in the summertime and we don’t need to heat a lot during the winter months, which reduces the tenants’ energy expenses. We have worked intensively with simulations, especially in terms of where we placed the windows, because we wanted the energy output to be ideal, and at the same time to have enough daylight in the building. There were many details we had to consider within the broad theme of sustainability.”

Turning away from the glass-walled style of office buildings that have been popular in recent years, the windows at NuOffice are more modest in size and triple-glazed. This means cooler interiors on hot days, reducing the need for air conditioning and less heating on cooler days.

But the building’s greatest secret is found in its basement: an innovative new heating system.

The building’s engineer Romano Schillinger oversaw the progress of its construction.

“Tube loops inside the thermo active ceiling enable us to regulate the temperature inside the concrete. Heating or cooling the mass of concrete from the core results in a consistent warming or cooling of the rooms,” Schillinger said.

Additionally, the office is connected to district heating in the wintertime. In the summer, well water is used for cooling.

Electricity power is given a boost by solar panels on the roof.

Michael Krause and his team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics developed the energy concept.

“Now, since the building has been completed and is in operation, we can measure the energy usage and calculate the energy efficiency of the building,” said Dr Krause, the Group Manager of Building Systems and Services.

Sensors measure the temperature and air humidity both inside and outside the building. This data is used to regulate the indoor climate.

“At the end of the year we expect a primary energy consumption of about 30 kilowatt-hours per square metre, per year. Conventional new office buildings which don’t have any ambitions concerning energy savings range between 100 and 150 kilowatt-hours per square metre each year,” said Dr Krause.

And the low energy consumption of the building has other benefits too.

With local energy prices jumping by over 50 per cent in the last 10 years, green buildings are a welcome solution to rising costs.

Good for the bottom line, and the environment.

Syria’s humanitarian crisis quickens pace

2013-08-30T02:21:00.001-07:00

As the possibility of an American air strike on Syria increases, the flow of refugees leaving the country has quickened, with 12,000 people arriving in Lebanon on Thursday alone.

Around 700,000 are already there, in a country with a population of four million. It has stretched Lebanon’s ability to take care of them beyond breaking point.

“There is no space left, it is crowded with refugees here. At first they were afraid of the chemical weapons, now they are afraid of the new attack. Everybody flees to this place,” said a Lebanese relief organisation representative.

The situation is becoming so critical that it is alarming the United Nations.

“In Syria we are witnessing the physical destruction of the country, a collapse of many of the state institutions and an enormous suffering of the people – those who have been killed and those who have to flee in all directions,” said Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

“In these circumstances, the most important contribution a country can give to this humanitarian drama is to keep the borders open for those in need of protection.”

Jordan has half a million refugees, Turkey 400,000, and Iraq 150,000. Keeping those frontiers open will be extremely difficult.

“The humanitarian needs are immense. There are acute shortages of vital medical supplies, water, food, especially in areas that have been sealed off for months and
where the IRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent were not granted access,” said the ICRC’s Dibeh Fakhr.

Add to these figures the more than four million people who have been internally displaced within Syria and it adds up to a humanitarian time bomb whose fuse is burning ever shorter.

Can a smartphone replace your doctor?

2013-08-30T02:16:00.000-07:00

Cardiologist Dr Eric Topol is a practitioner of the future of medical consultation – equipped with a smartphone and some sensors.

One of his patients – Bill Sousa – has recently had heart surgery and Dr Topol is showing him how they can remotely monitor his recovery.

The doctor has one sensor that check the rhythm of his heart and another that clips over the tip of his finger to determine the oxygen level in his blood stream. The sensors connect to a smart phone and a specialised app sends the results to the cardiologist’s office.

Dr Topol explained: “Instead of having it [the equipment] at a hospital for $3,000 – that’s what it costs, or more, in some places it’s up to $7,000 – you would just use your phone with this app.”

He has developed several of these phone apps himself, convinced they are about to revolutionise medicine itself.

Dr Topol says he is now prescribing more smartphone apps than drugs so he can easily follow his patients’ progress from a distance.

For patients like Bill Sousa, who lives more than an hour’s drive away from the hospital, linking up to a tablet allows him to check his blood pressure twice a day.

He is delighted with how easy it is: “It [the app] automatically sends it [the data] to my doctor, on a weekly basis. So, that’s all I have to do.”

The device is a real money saver in the US, where medical treatment costs more than anywhere else in the world..

Dr Topol and his apps are part of a trend. Soterra Wireless, a San Diego based company, has developed a portable monitoring which is already being tested in a number of hospitals.

Soterra’s Garry Manning explained how it works: “It’s able to show all of the vital signs of the patient: his heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, saturation of oxygen, skin temperature…”

And the patient’s doctor is able to follow-up in real time, via a smart phone, even if the person being monitored is on the other side of the world.

Manning said the device can speed up the process and help diagnosis: “Now, they get that information immediately, so they can make very quick decisions. Eventually, we of course, as other companies may do, will be able to take that information and be able to start to predict the patient’s deterioration, ahead of time.”

The ultimate goal is to be able to predict someone’s medical future.

Dr Topol believes that soon we wil be able to detect diseases with sensors placed on or under our skin: “Someday, maybe five years from now, we will have tiny nano-sensors in the blood. They could detect cancer showing up for the first time in the blood.”

What if in the future those devices could replace doctors – diagnosing and anticipating?

Imagine your son has a rash. A small device identifies it, says it is benign and advises some rest.

Or your daughter doesn’t feel well. A sensor takes her body temperature, and analyses a urine sample. This time the app recommends a visit to the hospital as soon as possible and give you directions to the nearest one.

It is not science-fiction, but something which can become a reality very soon.

Men Feel Threatened When Girlfriends Succeed

2013-08-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

Men may subconsciously suffer a bruised ego when their wives or girlfriends excel, regardless of whether it's in the academic or social realm and regardless of whether the couple is in direct competition, a new study suggests.

Psychology researchers found that men had lower self-esteem when their romantic partner succeeded than when their partner failed. Women, meanwhile, were unruffled by the performance of their husbands or boyfriends, the study showed.

"It makes sense that a man might feel threatened if his girlfriend outperforms him in something they're doing together, such as trying to lose weight," lead study author Kate Ratliff, of the University of Florida, said in a statement. "But this research found evidence that men automatically interpret a partner's success as their own failure, even when they're not in direct competition."

Ratliff and her colleague Shigehiro Oishi, of the University of Virginia, conducted a series of five experiments to look at how self-esteem may be affected by the success or failure of a romantic partner in heterosexual Americans and Dutch couples.

In one study, they recruited 32 undergraduate couples from the University of Virginia. Each participant was given a "test" of social intelligence. The participants read five different scenarios describing a problem someone was having at work or home and had to choose between two different pieces of advice to deal with that conundrum. The students were told there was a correct answer (determined by counselors) and their score on the test would measure their "problem-solving and social intelligence."

The researchers didn't actually grade the tests and the participants were not given their own "scores," but they were told their partner scored either in the top or bottom 12 percent of all university students.

Hearing their partners' scores generally didn't shake the participants' explicit self-esteem, or how they said they felt about themselves in a questionnaire.

But the researchers also measured the participants' subconscious self-esteem, by giving them an Implicit Association Test, which gauges attitudes and feelings that people may not want to report through rapid word associations on a computer screen. Those with high self-esteem, for example, are more likely to associate the word "me" with words like "excellent" or "good" than words such as "bad" or "dreadful."

Compared with men who believed their partner scored in the bottom 12 percent, men who were told their partner had ranked in the top 12 percent showed lower implicit self-esteem. There was not much difference in the implicit self-esteem of women who thought their partner scored high and women who believed their partner scored low, the experiment found.

The researchers said that similar experiments held true in the Netherlands, which has one of the narrowest gender gaps in labor, education and politics.

Why the disparity? The researchers write that one possibility is that men are typically more competitive than women and thus may be more likely to see a partner's success as their own failure. Gender stereotypes may compound this effect.

"There is an idea that women are allowed to bask in the reflected glory of her male partner and to be the 'woman behind the successful man,' but the reverse is not true for men," the researchers write.

The researchers also point to previous studies showing that women tend to look for ambition and success when selecting a mate.

"So thinking of themselves as unsuccessful might trigger men's fear that their partner will ultimately leave them," Ratliff and Oishi wrote. They noted one of their experiments showed that men who were told to think about a time their partner was successful (in either the intellectual or interpersonal domain) were less optimistic about the future of their relationship than men who thought about their partner's failure.

PORK AND PROTECTIONISM IN AMERICA

2013-08-29T11:23:00.002-07:00

China’s farmers, and the land they tilled, were once seen as a sacred symbol of the nation’s ambitious plans for a self-sufficient economy. Over the past several years, though, industrial complexes and housing have encroached on the country’s farmland—even as middle-class people, the beneficiaries of industrial growth, demand more meat, milk, and other farm-grown food. In order to feed a population of nearly one and a half billion, Chinese companies began a global hunt for food—buying farmland in Africa, Latin America, and elsewhere, and snapping up companies that manufacture grain, sugar, spirits, and milk.

Still, for years, Chinese companies avoided the U.S. food and agriculture market, partly out of fear that they wouldn’t be welcome. Now, that is changing. China’s largest state-run food company, known as COFCO, has said that it hopes to invest in American food and farming businesses. And in May, China’s largest hog processor, Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd.,announced plans to buy the American processor Smithfield Foods, Inc. for nearly five billion dollars.

Now, as a U.S. foreign-investment panel reviews the Smithfield deal, Chinese fears of American protectionism appear to be coming true. The planned acquisition has emerged as a symbol of foreign intrusion, raising concerns about how this could hurt American workers, national security, and the economy at large.

Daniel Slane, a commissioner with the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which is tasked with monitoring U.S.-China relations, argues that Shuanghui could eventually outsource production to China and then import bacon and sausage into the U.S., at the expense of American workers. “Smithfield has forty-six thousand employees, including people who are just cutting various parts of the pork,” he said. “If I can get that done for two dollars an hour in China, why would I pay somebody sixteen dollars an hour in North Carolina?” Critics also point to endemic food-safety problems in China, which include hog corpses floating in Chinese rivers and pork tainted with banned substances.

Some even argue that Chinese ownership of Smithfield could pose a national-security threat. “The proximity to multiple U.S. bases and key military installations would provide a potential staging area for Chinese espionage efforts to advance the nation’s military program,” a group of farmers wrote to the government panel reviewing the deal. Smithfield “is a significant supplier of pork products to U.S. military installations,” they wrote, and if a merger went through, a Chinese-owned business “would control a portion of the food supplied to U.S. troops.”

Tim Gibbons, the communications director at the Missouri Rural Crisis Center, a nonprofit concerned with preserving family farms, summed up the wary attitude: “I am uncomfortable with foreign countries and their corporations owning and controlling our food,” he told me.

C. Larry Pope, Smithfield’s C.E.O., called such criticism bunk. “The bottom line is that this is all about U.S. exports to the Chinese market, not Chinese exports, or a loss of US competitiveness,” he said in testimony before the Senate. Smithfield has also said that the deal will benefit American farmers, since having a Chinese owner at the helm could increase export opportunities to that country. Pope added that the company’s rigorous food-safety protocols would remain strong under Shuanghui control.

None of this is new: Americans have long had a love-hate relationship with investors from abroad. On the one hand, the American penchant for capitalism and equal opportunity has always enticed foreign investors, from the French funding the Revolutionary War to the British helping finance the construction of the Erie Canal. Indeed, last year, direct foreign investment in the U.S. hit a record $2.7 trillion, following three decades of steady increases.

On the other hand, Americans have long grappled with an existential fear of foreigners controlling U.S. land and food resources. In 1887, Congress passed a law prohibiting alien land-ownership in federal territories, which was backlash to a growing number of foreigners acquiring homesteads and large tracts of land as the country expanded. “The feudal landlord system should find no encouragement in America,” read an April 1887 piece in the Chicago Daily Tribune. In the early twentieth century, amid a wave of Japanese migration, states passed laws prohibiting people “ineligible for citizenship”—a code for those mainly of Asian descent—from owning land. In 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court deemed California’s alien land law racist and unconstitutional; meanwhile, the U.S., after the Second World War, became more attractive for foreign investment.

By the nineteen-seventies, direct investment from abroad had reached record levels. Much of the money was coming from Middle Eastern states flush with oil money and from wealthy Europeans living under the Soviet glare and looking for places with well-protected land rights. The weakened value of the U.S. dollar made American assets a steal.

Farmland, in particular, was a hot commodity, since it was seen as a stable long-term investment. According to news reports, Prince Franz Josef II, then the ruler of Liechtenstein, had bought sixteen thousand acres of prime ranch land in Texas; the Flick family, heirs of German industrialist and infamous Nazi member Friedrich Flick, owned a cattle ranch in Kansas; and descendants of Prince von Metternich owned a farm in Iowa.

This raised the ire of Americans who were loath to relinquish to foreigners the soil that fed them. “Buying by outsiders is taking away the family-based farming communities that have helped make this country what it is,” a farmer told Time in 1978, in an article titled “The Selling of America.” Farmers worried that European aristocrats and oil-wealthy sheiks were driving up the price of land while also wresting control of the nation’s food supply.

“The general thinking was that it would be bad policy to allow foreigners to own the land on which our food is grown,” Roger McEowen, director of the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation at Iowa State University, told me.

In response to the backlash, Congress called hearings on whether foreign investment should be curtailed. In 1978, it began requiring foreign buyers of farmland to report their holdings to the Secretary of Agriculture. Several Midwestern states also passed laws, or tightened existing laws, limiting foreigners’ rights to own farmland. The laws, for the most part, worked. Today foreigners hold less than two per cent of all agricultural land in the U.S., only a slightly higher percentage compared to a quarter century ago. However, this share is growing as more foreign entities, including pension funds and other investors, look to cash in on a boom in farmland values and commodity prices.

Today, complaints over the Smithfield deal are similarly prompting government scrutiny. And the outcry follows a familiar script: The lament for the vanishing family farm, the dissent over foreigners controlling our food supply, and the anxiety over a triumphant other, in this case the Chinese, who already own nearly $1.3 trillion in Treasury securities. The Senate last month held a hearing on the deal, titled “Smithfield and Beyond: Examining Foreign Purchases of American Food Companies.” And the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a secretive interagency group formed in 1975 by President Ford, has taken up its own examination of the deal.

The truth is that the sale faces few serious stumbling blocks. It’s unlikely that the foreign-investment committee will stop it. Only the U.S. President has the authority to suspend a transaction while it’s being reviewed by that committee; and just twice in American history has a President done that. (Both suspensions, it so happens, were transactions involving Chinese companies.) Virtually no one can stop a deal after the committee has approved it, and in this case, the Smithfield deal is expected to win approval. Smithfield shareholders are set to vote on it next month, and the company has said it plans to close the sale in the second half of this year.

Again and again in U.S. history, the economic arguments for foreign investment have trumped politics. Indeed, foreign companies now own plenty of American food brands. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is owned by Unilever, a British and Dutch company. Gerber, the baby-food company, belongs to Nestle, a Swiss company. And just a few years ago, the U.S. meat processor Swift & Co. was bought by the Brazilian meatpacking giant JBS. Americans will likely have to get used to the idea of companies from China, and the rest of the world, owning more American food and farms.

Business of Greening The World

2013-08-29T11:22:00.001-07:00

India and China need to take the lead in international climate talks and create demand, says clean energy entrepreneur Assaad W Razzouk

A clean energy entrepreneur Assaad W Razzouk says the prevalent climate change discourse needs a serious over-haul before there is any real impact. Group Chief Executive and Co-Founder of Sindicatum Sustainable Resources, Razzouk believes Asia — India and China specifically, need to take the lead in international climate talks and create demand instead of waiting for the west to do it. Recently in Delhi, he shared his views on the environment, carbon trading and Asia’s future with BW.

Razzouk started out his career in 1988 at Price Waterhouse, New York City where he spent 5 years and left as the Manager of International Capital Markets. Born in 1964, Razzouk was an investment banker at Nomura International plc in London from 1993 to 2002. Co-founder of Sindicatum — a global sustainable resources company headquartered in Singapore, he is passionate about the environment and the private sector’s role and often writes for international publications. Razzouk says carbon markets are just a tool and the focus needs to be on the larger problem of climate change. Emphasizing the need for each sector, enterprise, institution and authority to take action, he is confident the current slump in international carbon markets should not worry investors.

Started in 2005, Sindicatum owns and operates clean energy projects located in China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and the United States. At present, it has 18 investment projects — 15 operational and an additional 14 projects, where the it advises others on greenhouse gas abatement and sustainability. So far, it has committed more than $250 million to greenhouse gas reduction and sustainability projects. It is a project development company which finances its own projects, works in joint venture with asset owners. In India, Sindicatum’s projects are focussed on the sugar industry and the use of bagasse technology to generate power from the waste from these factories.

Excerpts from the interview:

What do you think of the collapse of the international carbon market created by UNFCCC?
Yes, there was a collapse in the European carbon markets — one cannot have a market without the ability to adjust supply and demand. Europe determined some projections for itself in 2005 and then it got hit by a financial crisis, production fell and as a result its emissions were nowhere near what they thought they were going to be. But the market had already been given a supply of carbon credits and it had no legislative mechanism to take it back. So the prices went down. Personally I don’t think there is a 3 to 5 year scenario where you are not going to see them go back up because at 4 Euros or 5 Euros the European carbon credits are useless and can drive no policy goal/ achieve no policy goal.

Global carbon markets are really an effort — a whimper of an effort — to have some coordination between the nations on a problem that is global by nature. The carbon trading markets are a symptom and tool, while climate change is the disease we all need to address through all available provisions. At the end of the day these carbon credits are a subsidy. Currently there is no demand and thus the collapse. We just need demand because without demand we have thousands of projects that are stranded today. In some cases we are longer abating any green house gasses.

Where is that demand going to come from? We can no longer just count on the west. We have to own our climate change issues because we are suffering from it. The demand should come from the aviation industry, the shipping industry worldwide and self regulating initiatives in countries like India and China - so that they are not forced by ... say like in the current international carbon market the EU commission.

China is doing its bit. At present it has 7 pilot schemes in carbon trading markets. By 2016 they will have a nation-wide cap in trade similar to the EU ETS scheme. This will allow offsets from Chinese projects that will help ultimately reduce climate change impact.

Here, I feel the need to go into the background on the carbon markets because I believe that the solution to meet the 2050 goals requires both the government as well as the private sector intervention. The latter is mobilized principally through the carbon market. The governments alone simply cannot afford to tackle the problem. The money is in the private sector.

What are your views on climate change?
We have a lot of issues in terms of the emissions and the environment, which by definition are all of a global nature. Since, what you emit from a coal fired power plant in India in effect affects the whole world. There already exists a consensus - we have to reduce emissions to 20 billion tonnes by 2050.

Today, global emissions are around 30 billion tonnes per year and they are growing fast – growing fastest probably in Asia. By Asia I mean principally India and China followed by the high population countries of south East-Asia. The solution to control these emissions is coming together of different tools – legislation of laws and regulations, performance standards and then the market. The former two are government driven while the latter is driven by the private sector.

Taking the various segments of an economy and the tools available, which I have just listed, in effect you can safely conclude that 50 per cent of the emissions goal can be treated via the market as opposed to via government.

So, if you are a government committed to reducing emissions – an I don’t know any in Asia – you will legislate for some industries (buildings and cars beings a perfect example) you will introduce performance standards for other industries, you will introduce carbon tax and you will phase out fossil fuel subsidies without riots in the street. It is very easy to do because the point is that principal recipients of fossil fuel subsidies are not the poorest members of society. And finally you will introduce a carbon trade. The renewable energy credits, to me, are more a part of legislative action.

What are the biggest hurdles in this path?
Within the market are fossil fuel subsidies – at present around $2 trillion per year. You have to think about the number for a bit - 2 TRILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR! The US is $500 billion. China is $300 billion and India is just a bit less than $200 billion. Imagine how big that number is compared to the economy. Fossil fuel subsidies are skewing the market and in effect renewable energy is at a disadvantage because of all these fossil fuel subsidies.

There is some grassroots or entrepreneurial efforts to react to the introduction of renewable energy or feed-in tariffs by setting up solar plants, wind plants etc but it pales in comparison to fossil fuel subsidy. There are approximately 1000 coal fired power plants on the drawing boards in Asia - bulk located in China and India, 76 per cent of the total. The 2 countries have 760 coal fired power plants on the board... those coal fired power plants can only be built if the coal pricing makes sense. The fact that coal prices do not include pollution it causes only causes more disconnect between what is needed and what exists. It is a major policy failure.

And the solution is a long drawn process with planning needed for a minimum of 20 years. So, if you are focused on a 4 to 5 year political cycle you will never focus on the issue properly. That is why the problem is not being addressed in a forceful manner.

Where does Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and its subsequent carbon trading market fit in?
Carbon Credits generated under CDM are important because it is a symptom of what's going on around it. They are needed to incentivise the private sector to reduce their emissions.

Where do you see India in the larger context of clean energy and emission reduction – the main points of entry into the climate change discourse?
In my view an important country like India needs to be shouting and banging on the table at the UNFCCC meetings... but they are quite.

China and India are probably the most vulnerable to climate change. The Indian parliament will find it very difficult to mobilize $ 50 billion of aid within 2 weeks like the US congress did for the hurricane victims. The people who are dying or at the risk of dying due to climate change are predominantly here in asia not in the united states.

In the UNFCCC meetings historically there has been the debate is anchored around responsibility, where developing countries like India say – ‘you the developed countries created this problem, you are much wealthier so you go solve it and we expect some really big cheques while you are at it’. The wealthy countries – don’t have these big cheques because their wealth is with the private sector not with the government; and/ or don’t want to give the big cheques; and/ or they are not at the frontline of the suffering.

Next step - you can either complain for the next 20 years and try to get them to pay for their past sins, but in the meantime you are going to degrade and they are going to be fine. Or you can take leadership and effectively run ahead of the west. I think, India and China I think in particular have historical responsibility to take leadership – because everybody listens to them. If they talk.

So India and China could solve the current credit problem, if they decided to enact caps on their emissions and took on binding commitments.

But there is a huge disconnect between some of the rhetoric and the action on the ground. I am not impressed by how much solar capacity or wind capacity is being installed by India or China because of the 760 coal fired power plants mentioned earlier. These coal fired power plants lock in coal infrastructure for 50 years. The consequences of what is going on is well documented by international forums like the world bank or Indian institutes themselves like TERI. The estimates of what will be in 20 to 30 years in India, Bangladesh, China and South East Asia – where you already have Jakarta, Bangkok at the risk of being flooded within 30 years.

Could you briefly explain the business model of Sindicatum?
We are a company that is focused on Green House Gas (GHG) mitigation. We finance, build and operate clean energy projects mostly in Asia that reduce GHG. We work with the 3 primary sectors – the agricultural sector, utilities like cement and steel and mining. The agricultural sector which generates an enormous amount of waste, in India close to 30% to 40 % onions do not even get to the market. Most agricultural products it is the same story. So we focus on waste from agriculture, waste from coal mining industry, municipal and industrial waste.

We go to asset owners who produce this waste and effectively buy from them this waste/ pollution, subsequently build a power plant and sell clean energy, which is fuelled with that waste.

In the process we generate environmental commodities like carbon credits, electricity or bio-diesel or biogas. And we sell these having taken risk of building, designing and operating the plants. In each country our projects/ approach is tailored to environmental legislative and kind of political conditions.

How did Sindicatum zero in on India and the sugar industry for the clean energy projects?
Trial and error. In India we have struggled for many years to settle down on a specific specialty - at the moment almost our entire focus is on sugar industry. Bagasse co-generation – that is generating fuel, heat, electricity from the waste products of the sugar industry.

The company felt it is an area which is extremely important - of the 10,000 to 12,000 mw potential that can be generated out of bagasse barely 3500 mw is being generated. There is about 8500 mw capacity, which can be added. The second feature is that the Indian sugar industry needs foreign capital and foreign equity coming to sector. Third is the fact that there is no technology risk because the technology is indigenous and only needs to be upgraded. It is all boilers and turbines that India has been working with for many years now.

On a macro level India is a bottom-up company. This is oversimplifying it, but for example China is a top-to-down country and India is a bottom-to-up country. Chinese government says do X and everybody does, while in India the government says do X and everybody does not do it. Instead the private sector takes the initiative - moving from bottom to top. Within the Indian private sector we picked based on the scale of emissions of the sector and diversification of risks and investment, which fits India with its different weather patterns, perfectly. There are a lot of actors in this sector - no one company that owns half the sugar industry.

For me personally another important aspect of the Indian sugar sector is very appealing – the number of people involved. There are the sugar cane farmers and sugar mill employees – thus making it electorally safe. It is an industry with a large number of people dependent on it and is not going anywhere.

If we take a look at the whole packaging - we want to work with a private sector that is important in India, we want it to be in multiple states, with multiple counter parties and dependent on multiple sources for its revenue and the sugar industry fits all our criteria.

It is true that we all need to eat less sugar, but that is different story altogether (he jokes).

Are all your projects registered with different carbon trading markets?
Not necessarily. They are registered where ever you need to be registered, for example US projects by definition cannot be registered with CDM but you could register it with Californian carbon market, of course only if it qualifies for carbon off-sets. In effect we take a project and we maximize its impact depending on its location and its type.

Basically we adjust - you do not need to register with CDM if carbon credits are not fundamental to the project’s well being. And we adjust the pricing with our partner company accordingly - for example when a carbon credit was priced 15 Euros, we priced the project where we put more money on the table compared to the Indian partner because we are counting on these carbon credits to come in the next 10 years.

Are the Asian projects registered with the international CDM board?
No. Neither the existing nor the projects in the pipeline are intended to be registered with CDM. But if we can earn Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) within India we look forward to them.

But the Indian REC market is yet to become popular...
Yes very true. But how we see it is that REC market is legislative - implying that your project qualifies or does not qualify by definition. It is not like we are doing anything special for the renewable energy certificates. REC is a renewable energy subsidy similar to fossil fuel subsidies - either you have a subsidy or you don't. If you don't the price of producing renewable energy goes up and projects become uneconomic, so you do lesser number of projects. - See more at: http://www.businessworld.in/news/opinion/interviews/business-of-greening-the-world/1056804/page-1.html#sthash.KxcGXAZb.dpuf

Another Canvas to Doodle On

2013-08-29T11:18:00.003-07:00

Micromax takes a whack at Samsung’s Note with a phablet and stylus

There’s a long standing joke that what Samsung did to Apple, Micromax will do to Samsung. In a sense, companies like Micromax, Karbonn and others are certainly gobbling up what could have been Samsung’s share, if they had had more affordable phones. IDC recently reported that their data shows homegrown vendors shipped more than Samsung in Q2 of this year, if you leave out Japan. And on the heels of that piece of news, Micromax comes up with another large smartphone, the Canvas Doodle 2, the company’s closest answer to Samsung’s Note series, a new version of which is to launch on 4 September.

A Multi-Fold Flip Cover – And Aluminum?

If you can close your eyes and visualise a Samsung phone, you can do the same for a Micromax phablet. They follow exactly the same design “language” or whatever else you would like to call round-shouldered large phones encased in no end of plastic. The Doodle 2 looks the same as all those as well, but claims to have an aluminum body. Honestly, I am not sure that does very much to counter the tackiness of plastic in this particular design, but well, there you have it. The aluminum certainly feels very plasticky. Now the funny thing is, the Doodle 2 comes with a flip cover, the back of which is transparent plastic. This does an effective job of making the aluminum, if it is that, look like plastic anyway. But it’s an interesting case, protective of the screen but not thick enough to be of much help if you decide to drop the device. The white flip cover, which hopefully can be cleaned with a wet cloth when needed, has an interesting design with foldable segments so you can make a little pyramid of it and use it as a stand.

Two problems I need to mention with the flip cover is that it makes the power button a little difficult to get to by feel and then it overshoots the bottom edge of the phone spot that it sticks out a bit and is sharp to the touch. These things should have been finessed. I was also a bit unhappy with its power cable which while flat and tangle free, is a tight unpolished fit into the micro USB slot – you have to struggle with it to get it in or out.

A Specs Bump

If you are a specs junkie, you may be disappointed that the Doodle 2 (the model is A240) isn’t running on an octa-core processor. Now, that would have been a jump over previous models and variants. But well, it works fast enough on its quad-core 1.2GHz MediaTek MT6589 processor which is adequate unless you are a heavy gamer and need the maximum available for processor-hungry games. There is 1GB RAM and 16GB storage, 11 of which is available. The screen is a 5.7 inch 1280x720 HD with a density of 320 dpi. I found the display a little glare filled and burning out on whites, but otherwise the colours are good and so are the viewing angles. The battery to power all this is a 2600 mAh. The Doodle 2 is on Android 4.2.1, which is about the best it can do for now. The Doodle 2 is a dual sim but can run only one 3G connection.

Doodling On The Doodle

Taking a good whack at Samsung’s Note series, Mcromax has put added a stylus to the Doodle package. It’s a double tipped (thick and thin) metallic little accessory, thankfully not called the M-Pen, though a few apps follow the Samsung naming convention. The stylus has no place to slip into on the smartphone, so its owner will have to be ultra careful. It doesn’t work too badly, though it doesn’t have the sophistication of the Note’s S-Pen which works with a digitizer layer on the screen and also has a lot of non writing or drawing related gimmicks such as bringing up information on a hover or scrolling, taking a screen shot, etc. The Note’s S-pen doesn’t use a rubber tip which is on the Doodle and which sticks to the screen a bit. The Doodle’s stylus is basically for doodling, which you can do in a doodling app, any other appropriate app you find on the

Play Store, or even in messages to friends. Overall, it doesn’t work too badly but you have to be careful of the angle of the tip if you want to get an unbroken drawing or text.

Camera And Multimedia

The cameras are 12MP and 5MP and these run a stock Android interface. The cameras are really average, doing okay in daylight but coming up with grainy noisy pictures in low light. Browsing is not exceptionally smooth but I didn’t encounter stutters as such. It’s neither remarkable for speed nor for the lack of it. Videos played fine, but sound is terribly tinny, a bit low, and not full-blooded.

The cost: Rs 19,990

The Doodle 2 A240 is an upgrade of Micromax’s previous Doodle A111, also a 1.2GHz quad core device. Other specs such as the camera, space, etc., are bumped up. The stylus and the cover is also different. So is the aluminum. The same apps are on both devices too. The A111 came in at a Rs 15,990 price point. I wouldn’t say that old Doodle users need to upgrade to the Doodle 2 because it’s a specs bump not a big change. The Doodle 2 mostly beats the Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 on specs though the Mega has expandable storage, removable battery and more sensors. If you are getting a deal on the Note 2 (as the Note 3 becomes available) and you anticipate a lot of stylus work, you may want to consider that. If however there is a considerable price difference and you are on a budget, think of the Doodle 2 for a stylus toting large smartphone.

Sensex gains 400 points; more measures seen crucial

2013-08-29T11:16:00.001-07:00

The BSE Sensex rose over 2 percent on Thursday as blue chip shares including HDFC surged tracking a rebound in the rupee from a record low in the previous session after the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) move to provide dollars directly to oil companies.

The rupee rebounded after the RBI announced late on Wednesday a special window "with immediate effect" to sell dollars to state-run oil companies through a designated bank.

Still, traders say the government will ultimately need to act to shore up India's sagging economy. Policymakers are at least seen scrambling for solutions to what some economists are now describing as a crisis.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also told parliament he was willing to make a statement on the state of the economy on Friday, when the lawmakers asked him what steps the government was considering to take to deal with the falling rupee.

"More government measures are expected but more walk than talk is required," said Deven Choksey, managing director of K R Choksey Securities.

The benchmark BSE index rose 2.25 percent, or 404.89 points, to end at 18,401.04, rising for a second consecutive session.

The broader NSE index rose 2.35 percent, or 124.05 points, to end at 5,409.05. It had risen as much as 2.7 percent earlier in the day but August derivatives expiry related selling weighed in the final hour of trade.

The stocks gained for the second day in spite of foreign selling of about $1.12 billion worth of shares in the previous nine sessions through Wednesday.

Whether shares can sustain the gains will depend on government action, traders said.

India's central bank should look into the possibility of monetising gold holdings, Trade Minister Anand Sharma said on Thursday, while Oil Minister Veerappa Moily said India is working out the details of measures aimed at lowering the country's fuel consumption.

Among blue chip shares mortgage lender Housing Development Finance Corp Ltd (HDFC.NS) surged 6.5 percent and ITC Ltd (ITC.NS) ended 2.5 percent higher.

State-owned oil companies gained after the RBI announced measures to provide dollars to Indian Oil Corp Ltd (IOC.NS), Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL.NS) and Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL.NS) "until further notice".

IOC rose 0.9 percent and BPCL ended 1.2 percent higher, while HPCL fell 0.5 percent after earlier rising as much as 3.4 percent.

Oil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd (ONGC.NS) also gained 2.1 percent on expectations of a hike in diesel prices after parliament's monsoon session ends on September 6.

Software exporters such as Tata Consultancy Services and HCL rose to record highs on improving U.S. business prospects.

Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS.NS_6">TCS.NS) ended 2.1 percent higher after earlier making its all-time high at 1,970 rupees, while HCL Technologies Ltd (HCLT.NS) rose 3.8 percent after hitting a record high of 1,026.15 rupees.

Tata Motors Ltd (TAMO.NS) rose 2.7 percent after Barclays upgraded shares to "overweight" from "underweight", citing improving performance at unit Jaguar Land Rover Ltd (JLR).

However, among stocks that fell, Fortis Healthcare Ltd (FOHE.NS) dropped 1.5 percent after Morgan Stanley downgraded it to "underweight" from "equal-weight", saying an improvement in margins/returns will take time as leverage remains high.

Facebook considers adding profile photos to facial recognition

2013-08-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

Facebook Inc (FB.O) is considering incorporating most of its 1 billion-plus members' profile photos into its growing facial recognition database, expanding the scope of the social network's controversial technology.

The possible move, which Facebook revealed in an update to its data use policy on Thursday, is intended to improve the performance of its "Tag Suggest" feature. The feature uses facial recognition technology to speed up the process of labeling or "tagging" friends and acquaintances who appear in photos posted on the network.

The technology currently automatically identifies faces in newly uploaded photos by comparing them only to previous snapshots in which users were tagged. Facebook users can choose to remove tags identifying them in photos posted by others on the site.

The changes would come at a time when Facebook and other Internet companies' privacy practices are under scrutiny, following the revelations of a U.S. government electronic surveillance program.

Facebook, Google Inc (GOOG.O) and other companies have insisted that they have never participated in any program giving the government direct access to their computer servers and that they only provide information in response to specific requests, after careful review and as required by law.

Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Erin Egan said that adding members' public profile photos would give users better control over their personal information, by making it easier to identify posted photos in which they appear.

"Our goal is to facilitate tagging so that people know when there are photos of them on our service," Egan said.

She stressed that Facebook users uncomfortable with facial recognition technology will still be able to "opt out" of the Tag Suggest feature altogether, in which case the person's public profile photo would not be included in the facial recognition database.

Facial recognition technology has been a sensitive issue for technology companies, raising concerns among some privacy advocates and government officials. Tag Suggest, which the company introduced in 2011, is not available in Europe due to concerns raised by regulators there.

Google's social network, Google+, also employs similar technology, but requires user consent. And it has banned third-party software makers from using facial recognition technology in apps designed for its Glass wearable computer.

Egan said Facebook was not currently using facial recognition technology for any other features, but that could change.

"Can I say that we will never use facial recognition technology for any other purposes? Absolutely not," Egan said. But, she noted, "if we decided to use it in different ways we will continue to provide people transparency about that and we will continue to provide control."

Facebook also amended its Statement of Rights and Responsibilities on Thursday, adding and tweaking the language so that members under 18 years of age are deemed to have affirmed that a parent or legal guardian has agreed to allow marketers to use some of their personal information in ads.

The language was the result of a recent court-approved legal settlement regarding its "sponsored stories" ads

Lok Sabha approves Land Bill

2013-08-29T11:10:00.004-07:00

The Bill offers a fair compensation and rehabilitation to land owners in both rural and urban areas

A more consultative and time-consuming but more rigorous process of acquiring land for both government and private purposes was today adopted by the Lok Sabha, replacing an antediluvian law dating back to 1894.

While industry complained that the new law would push up the cost and time-frame of setting up new enterprises, "The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2012", seeks to give a fair deal to farmers wanting to sell their land to meet industrial needs, especially valuable multicrop land. The policy to be adopted in the case of arable land has been left to the state governments, Rural Development MinisterJairam Ramesh said, after three states – Kerala, Haryana and Punjab, represented to the centre that all land in their state was multicrop and if there was a bar on selling multi crop land to industry, there would be no industrialisation in their state.

Also Read: Things you must know about the Land Acquisition Bill

The Bill also offers industry the option of leasing land from farmers. It offers payment of compensation up to four times the market value in rural areas and two times the market value in urban areas.

The Bill prescribes identification of project affected families through a social impact assessment after which consent of 80 per cent of these families must be taken. This includes people deriving their livelihood from the land in question for three years prior to the acquisition.

Also Read: Land Acquisition Bill aims to address widespread injustices, says Jairam Ramesh

The Bill includes tenants and sharecroppers among beneficiaries for compensation and R & R and provides for application of its clauses with retrospective effect in three circumstances: if land has been acquired by any entity (government or industry) and no compensation has been given; if compensation has been awarded but 50 per cent of the farmers or more have not accepted compensation; and land was acquired five years ago but no compensation has been paid or no possession has taken. These rules will apply to land acquired for Special Economic Zones (SEZs) as well. Whether the land taken back should be returned to the original owners or should be attached to the state government’s land bank has been left to the states.

The Bill says that the much maligned ‘urgency’ clause under which land could forcibly be acquired on grounds of ‘urgency’ would cease to exist, except in cases of defence, national security or natural disasters.

The BJP earlier questioned the Bill on various counts ranging from its urgency clause to the broad definition of public purpose which allows acquisition for almost any private project.

Taking part in discussions on the Bill, BJP leader Rajnath Singh told the Lok Sabha that while the bill sought to protect farm land, it left the final decision to the state government not to farmers.

Farmers group Bharatiya Kisan Union expressed apprehension about the Bill saying that without amendments it would be a disaster for farmers. BKU leader Yudhvir Singh said that circle rates are being considered for compensation which would shortchange farmers.

Activist Medha Patkar told Business Standard that the government has kept itself out of the need to seek people's consent. If the government is to follow PESA Act it would be bound to listen to community organisations. How can it not respect the wish of the people while expecting others to do so? She asked. She also criticised the all cash compensation and relief offered under the Bill. Cash can't compensate loss of livelihood, Patkar said.