Saturday, January 30, 2010
The 10 best companies to work for in India
Rich Dad Poor Dad
(eBook Self Improvement) Robert T. Kiyosaki - Rich Dad, Poor Dad.pdf (777 KB)
View this on posterous
Rich Dad Poor Dad is a book by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter.
It advocates financial independence through investing, real estate, owning businesses, and the use of finance protection tactics.
Rich Dad Poor Dad is written in the style of a set of parables, ostensibly based on Kiyosaki's life.[1] Kiyosaki stresses the ownership of high value assets, rather than being an employee as a recurring theme in the book's chapters.
Source : http://www.middleastpost.com/87/rich-dad-poor-dad-pdf-download/Broadband speed: Kerala is No.1
From its third position which it held in the trailing quarter of 2009, Kerala -- with an average speed of 1,386 Kbps - has pushed down Haryana (the second quarter's topper) to the second spot (with 1,105 Kbps) and Karnataka to the third position (1,041 kbps), the 'State of the Internet' report by Akamai Technologies for the October-December quarter reveals. read on... |
Friday, January 29, 2010
Battle of the sexes: Who makes a better CIO?
reached a conclusion yet the matter is still under contention. In exclusive interviews with SearchCIO.IN, Niloufer N Vazifdar,
general manager for internal audit and IT at Forbes and Company along
with Mr. Sanjeev Kumar, the CIO of Polygenta Technologies list out 5
important pointers each to prove who makes the better CIO. read on...Courtesy : TechTarget
Introducing Apple iPad.
iPad. Our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price. Starting at $499. Learn more. TM and copyright © 2010 Apple Inc. 1 Infinite Loop, MS 83-DM, Cupertino, CA 95014. |
Courtesy : Apple Inc.
A miracle in Haiti
French rescuers who found Darlene Etienne, 17, said it was a miracle that she had survived for more than two weeks trapped in the debris. She was shocked and dehydrated but happy to be free, they added. more>>Courtesy : Rediff.com
Worst is over for global economy, but challenges ahead - Premji
"Last 12-18 months have been very difficult for the global economy. However, I think the worst is over, 2010 looks positive," Premji said in his message to the global business and government leaders for the annual WEF meeting in Davos. more>>
Courtesy : Rediff.com
New tax code will kill most tax benifits
Thursday, January 28, 2010
KNOW about the "INDIAN INVENTOR OF THE YEAR" - PRANAV MISTRY
WHO IS PRANAV MISTRY???
HE IS AN INDIAN!!!
He IS A IITan!!!
HE IS AN MITaN!!!!
HE WORKED IN MICROSOFT!!!
HE WILL BE THE RICHEST PERSON EVER IN THE WORLD, IF HE COMMERCIALISE HIS INVENTION…
NO WILL NEVER NEED ANY MOBILE PHONES OR ANY GAMING GADGETS…
ALL U WILL NEED IS UR HANDS AND GESTURES AND IT’S ALL ABOUT SIXTHSENSE….
HE HAS ANNOUNCED TO RELEASE HIS CODE AS OPEN SOURCE…
MANY MNCs STAND IN ‘Q’ FOR HIS WORD…
BUT HE DOESN’T WANT TO DO SO…Y???….. READ MORE
‘SixthSense' is a wearable gestural interface that augments the physical world around us with digital information and lets us use natural hand gestures to interact with that information.
We've evolved over millions of years to sense the world around us. When we encounter something, someone or some place, we use our five natural senses to perceive information about it; that information helps us make decisions and chose the right actions to take. But arguably the most useful information that can help us make the right decision is not naturally perceivable with our five senses, namely the data, information and knowledge that mankind has accumulated about everything and which is increasingly all available online. Although the miniaturization of computing devices allows us to carry computers in our pockets, keeping us continually connected to the digital world, there is no link between our digital devices and our interactions with the physical world. Information is confined traditionally on paper or digitally on a screen. SixthSense bridges this gap, bringing intangible, digital information out into the tangible world, and allowing us to interact with this information via natural hand gestures. ‘SixthSense’ frees information from its confines by seamlessly integrating it with reality, and thus making the entire world your computer. The SixthSense prototype is comprised of a pocket projector, a mirror and a camera. The hardware components are coupled in a pendant like mobile wearable device. Both the projector and the camera are connected to the mobile computing device in the user’s pocket. The projector projects visual information enabling surfaces, walls and physical objects around us to be used as interfaces; while the camera recognizes and tracks user's hand gestures and physical objects using computer-vision based techniques. The software program processes the video stream data captured by the camera and tracks the locations of the colored markers (visual tracking fiducials) at the tip of the user’s fingers using simple computer-vision techniques. The movements and arrangements of these fiducials are interpreted into gestures that act as interaction instructions for the projected application interfaces. The maximum number of tracked fingers is only constrained by the number of unique fiducials, thus SixthSense also supports multi-touch and multi-user interaction. The SixthSense prototype implements several applications that demonstrate the usefulness, viability and flexibility of the system. The map application lets the user navigate a map displayed on a nearby surface using hand gestures, similar to gestures supported by Multi-Touch based systems, letting the user zoom in, zoom out or pan using intuitive hand movements. The drawing application lets the user draw on any surface by tracking the fingertip movements of the user’s index finger. SixthSense also recognizes user’s freehand gestures (postures). For example, the SixthSense system implements a gestural camera that takes photos of the scene the user is looking at by detecting the ‘framing’ gesture. The user can stop by any surface or wall and flick through the photos he/she has taken. SixthSense also lets the user draw icons or symbols in the air using the movement of the index finger and recognizes those symbols as interaction instructions. For example, drawing a magnifying glass symbol takes the user to the map application or drawing an ‘@’ symbol lets the user check his mail. The SixthSense system also augments physical objects the user is interacting with by projecting more information about these objects projected on them. For example, a newspaper can show live video news or dynamic information can be provided on a regular piece of paper. The gesture of drawing a circle on the user’s wrist projects an analog watch. The current prototype system costs approximate $350 to build.
How SixthSense works
Laptops and smartphones allow easy access computing power, but researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology want to go one step further by turning the entire world into a computer.
At this year's Computer-Human Interaction (CHI) conference in Boston, the Fluid Interfaces Group at MIT's Media Lab unveiled the latest prototype of SixthSense, a wearable, gesture-driven computing platform that can continually augment the physical world with digital information.
Imagine being able to check your email on any blank wall, simply by drawing an @ sign in the air with your finger, or being able to check the time by using that same finger to draw a circle, which produces the image of an analog watch right on your wrist.
You want to take a digital photograph? Just put your thumbs and forefingers together to make a picture frame
Use your hand as a keypad or dial pad |
Better yet, imagine a system that can display the reason for your flight delay directly on the boarding pass you are holding in your hand.
"We're trying to make it possible to have access to relevant information in a more seamless way," says Dr Pattie Maes, who heads the Fluid Interfaces Group at MIT.
She says that while today's mobile computing devices can be useful, they are "deaf and blind," meaning that we have to stop what we're doing and tell those devices what information we need or want.
"We have a vision of a computing system that understands, at least to some extent, where the user is, what the user is doing, and who the user is interacting with," says Dr. Maes. "SixthSense can then proactively make information available to that user based on the situation."
The SixthSense prototype has changed since it was first introduced to the public last year. Originally, it consisted of a web camera strapped to a bicycle helmet.
But the current prototype promises to be a bit more consumer friendly. It consists of a small camera and projector combination (about the size of a cigarette pack) worn around the neck of the user. An accompanying smartphone runs the SixthSense software, and handles the connection to the internet.
The camera, in a sense, acts as a digital eye, seeing what the user sees. It also tracks the movements of the thumbs and index fingers of both of the user's hands.
The system can project video on to real world surfaces to augment reality |
The idea is that SixthSense tries to determine not only what someone is interacting with, but also how he or she is interacting with it.
The software searches the internet for information that is potentially relevant to that situation, and then the projector takes over.
"You can turn any surface around you into an interactive surface," says Pranav Mistry, an MIT graduate student working on the SixthSense project.
"Let's say I'm in a bookstore, and I'm holding a book. SixthSense will recognize that, and will go up to Amazon. Then, it will display online reviews of that book, and prices, right on the cover of the book I'm holding."
Mistry notes that the system is customisable as well, so that if you don't want Amazon reviews of a book, you could choose instead to find out what the New York Times thinks of it.
He also says that brick and mortar bookstores might decide to provide their own information to the device, which would mean that a customer would not have to necessarily go online to find more information.
The system has been improved to become smaller and more consumer friendly |
The hardware included in the SixthSense system is not that expensive. The current prototype costs about $350 to build. But this attempt to merge the digital world with the physical world requires some serious programming and engineering.
"All the work is in the software," says Dr Maes. "The system is constantly trying to figure out what's around you, and what you're trying to do. It has to recognize the images you see, track your gestures, and then relate it all to relevant information at the same time."
It is not surprising then, that is this initial research phase, the SixthSense team has only developed a few applications. In the longer term, Dr. Maes envisions opening up the SixthSense platform and letting others develop applications for it.
But Pranav Mistry sees some commercial applications for the system in the near future. For example, he wants to develop a sign language application that would "speak out" a translation while someone was signing.
He also sees potential for SixthSense in the field of gaming. Unlike the Nintendo Wii, which keeps you in front of the television, the SixthSense system might "allow a kid to go outside, and be able to get a real tennis lesson on a real tennis court."
No one involved in the SixthSense project feels that their platform will replace laptops and smartphones.
"If I'm doing something like CAD, I'm not going to choose the SixthSense interface," says Liyan Chang, an MIT undergraduate working on the project.
"But in certain instances, it can do something that a desktop or laptop can't do, which is quickly put information right where I want it to be, right on a wall or a newspaper in front of me."
And if SixthSense catches on, what will we all make of the sight of dozens of people checking their e-mails on the walls of airports and train stations?
Dr. Pattie Maes laughs: "Well, I think it might actually be more socially acceptable than those Bluetooth earpieces people use these days. At least with our system you can actually see that people are interacting with information, instead of watching someone that looks like they're just talking to themselves on a street."
BE PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN
MR.PRANAV MISTRY, REALLY U R A MISTERY !!!
Courtesy : Email Fwds
Will ERP continue as at the center of corporate computing?
Find out why John Baan, an ERP pioneer, believes that BPM could be the successor to ERP.A whole generation of ERP applications are up for renewal—but some viewers wonder if those applications will just be left as is, playing the role of legacy as business process management (BPM) architectures take on a more central role in connecting the corporate dots. read more>> Courtesy : TechTarget.com
Monday, January 25, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Spicy Remdies for diseases
7 reasons the world will end in 2012
7 reasons the world will end in 2012
Scientific experts from around the world are genuinely predicting that five years from now, all life on Earth could well finish.Some are saying it'll be humans that set it off. Others believe that a natural phenomenon will be the cause. And the religious folks are saying it'll be God himself who presses the stop button...
1. Mayan Calendar
The first mob to predict 2012 as the end of the world were the Mayans, a bloodthirsty race that were good at two things: Building highly accurate astrological equipment out of stone and Thousands of years ago they managed to calculate the length of the lunar moon as 329.53020 days, only 34 seconds out. The Mayan calendar predicts that the Earth will end on December 21, 2012. Given that they were pretty close to the mark with the lunar cycle, it's likely they've got the end of the world right as well.
2. Sun Storms
Solar experts from around the world monitoring the sun have made a startling discovery: our sun is in a bit of strife. The energy output of the sun is, like most things in nature, cyclic, and it's supposed to be in the middle of a period of relative stability. However, recent solar storms have been bombarding the Earth with so much radiation energy, it's been knocking out power grids and destroying satellites. This activity is predicted to get worse, and calculations suggest it'll reach its deadly peak sometime in 2012
3. The Atom Smasher Scientists in Europe have been building the world's largest particle accelerator. Basically its a 27km tunnel designed to smash atoms together to find out what makes the Universe tick. However, the mega-gadget has caused serious concern, with some scientists suggesting that it's properly even a bad idea to turn it on in the first place. They're predicting all manner of deadly results, including mini black holes. So when this machine is fired up for its first serious experiment in 2012, the world could be crushed into a super-dense blob the size of a basketball.
4. The Bible says...
If having scientists warning us about the end of the world isn't bad enough,religious folks are getting in on the act aswell. Interpretations of the Christian Bible reveal that the date for Armageddon, the final battle between Good an Evil, has been set down for 2012. The I Ching, also known as the Chinese book of Changes, says the same thing, as do various sections of the Hindu teachings..
5. Super Volcano
Yellowstone National Park in the United States is famous for its thermal springs and Old Faithful geyser. The reason for this is simple - it's sitting on top of the world's biggest volcano, and geological experts are beginning to get nervous sweats. The Yellowstone volcano has a pattern of erupting every 650,000 years or so, and we're many years overdue for an explosion that will fill the atmosphere with ash, blocking the sun and plunging the Earth into a frozen winter that could last up to 15,000 years. The pressure under the Yellowstone is building steadily, and geologists have set 2012 as a likely date for the big bang.
6. The Physicists
This one's case of bog-simple maths mathematics. Physicists at Berekely Uni have been crunching the numbers. and they've determined that the Earth is well overdue for a major catastrophic event. Even worse, they're claiming their calculations prove, that we're all going to die, very soon - while also saying their prediction comes with a certainty of 99 percent- and 2012 just happens to be the best guess as to when it occurs.
7. Slip-Slop-Slap- BANG!
We all know the Earth is surrounded by a magnetic field that sheilds us from most of the sun's radiation. What you might not know is that the magnetic poles we call north and south have a nasty habit of swapping places every 750,000 years or so - and right now we're about 30,000 years overdue. Scientists have noted that the poles are drifting apart roughly 20-30kms each year, much faster than ever before, which points to a pole-shift being right around the corner. While the pole shift is underway, the magnetic field is disrupted and will eventually disappear, sometimes for up to 100 years. The result is enough UV outdoors to crisp your skin in seconds, killing everything it touches
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Friday, January 22, 2010
Top 3 lessons to learn from the recession
the lessons learnt. read more >> Courtesy : SearchCIO.IN
From an INFOSCION to a POLITICION - Nandan's Chronicles – 2
Continuing my tryst with capturing the life and times of Nandan Nilekani in his new avatar as a Cabinet Minister, here is what he had penned after his first day in the Parliament. The last entry stopped when the House was just about to begin. Let’s see what happened thereafter….
The House was in pin drop silence. I was brimming with anticipation and excitement!!!! Manmohan had informed me that my introduction was one of the important points of the agenda. I hoped that I will be able to make my speech properly. After so many interviews and conferences, I was nervous today!!!! After the Speaker indicated that the proceedings of the House could begin, Manmohan formally introduced me to the entire House. He mentioned that as the head of the Unique Identification Authority of India, I was responsible to ensure that each and every Indian had a digital smart card as a proof of his existence.
Manmohan spoke about why I was selected and also some references to the various projects executed by me in Infosys were mentioned. The House listened with rapt attention. I was asked to say a few words and I did exactly the same!!! I thanked the Government of India for having given me this opportunity and I assured the House that I would strive to successfully deliver this project. The Speaker then formally inducted me into the House and before the proceedings could move any forward, there was a small commotion on the other side of the hall.
It was Minister of Textiles who had a comment to make before the next point on the agenda. He made a request that I should be attired in a more austere way instead of a flashy suit. It did not go well with the image of a minister who should live to serve the common man and should be less ostentatious in his habits. I stood up to reply. I offered my apologies to the Honourable Minister and assured that I shall be in a more acceptable dress next time. I felt that he was right. We also used to have corporate dress code in Infosys. So it's here as well!!!!
I sat down and felt somebody nudging me. I turned around and to my surprise; it was the former Indian skipper and one of my favourite batsman Mohd. Azharuddin. I remembered that he had recently won the elections. I smiled at him and mentioned to him that I used to like his game very much, shaking his hand. No Rolex, I noticed. Azhar told me that he would “fix” me an appointment with an Italian designer who had designed his dapper Kurta suit. An Italian designer in Milan doing Kurtas!!!!! I made a note of this and reminded myself to give this example to Friedman for his next book,” The World Markets are flattened”.
Since there was no doubt about the “Fixational” capacities of Azhar, I told him to give me the details and I would consider. The proceedings of the House went on with numerous bills being debated and passed as I sat as a passive audience waiting for my project’s turn to come up. After the lunch break, it was the moment for me!!!!
MY PROJECT”S FIRST REVIEW CAME UP FOR PRESENTATION.
I was at sea. My laptop did not have any reserve power. I went to Manmohan and apprised him of the situation. I was sweating. He calmly replied that this would not be a cause of concern. I was flummoxed!!!! The Speaker asked me to explain to the House on what were my plans for the Unique Identity Project. I replied that I have a plan prepared for 30-60-90-120 days’ milestones and I have presentation to make for which I need a power socket, a projector and a screen. I had no idea what was going to happen after this.
The next couple of minutes were a complete jolt for me. I was completely in a tizzy. Let me just summarize what happened. A Joint Cabinet Secretary Committee was set up to judge the feasibility of my request. The Under Secretaries for the Ministries of Power, IT and Broadcasting will prepare a Viability Report after scrutinizing National Security threats to my request. This was because the power socket comes under Power, laptop comes under IT and projector comes under Broadcasting. I have also been told to reconsider my timelines of 30-60-90 days and start thinking in terms of years. Probably, they are right. I did not have the foresight in this matter.
The summary of the issue is that I need to come up with a more inclusive, democratic, comprehensive long term plan for this project to be executed over the next five years. I have also been given a presentation slot 3 months from now (by which the issues related to the power cord etc will also be resolved). I am filled with mixed reactions. I was planning for a quick resolution; the management wants a strategic solution. I come out of the House and text Murthy.
“You won’t believe it but these guys work just like us. I am on a NATIONAL BENCH for the next three months!!!!!!!!”
Monday, January 18, 2010
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mahesh has sent you a message from Computerworld Blogs
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by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
There's this delusion out there even now that Linux is some kind of amateur-hour production that only hard-core geeks can use. Nothing could be further from the truth.