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Monday 31 October 2011

Now, 'spy' smartphone to track 'every move' of cheating spouses










Wives can now track every text, every call and every move their disloyal spouses make, thanks to a new smartphone software.
The software can track its users, record their calls, copy their emails, read their text messages, once it is loaded onto their phones.
And the best thing is that the victim wouldn't know his phone had been comprehensively hacked.
"When you begin to notice signs of a cheating spouse, the best way to catch that cheat is to spy on his or her cell phone using spy software," Sky News quoted one of the developers of mobile phone spyware as saying.
"Such software is required because the cell phone has become the modern day keeper of secrets and its uses are as versatile and diverse as their makes and models," the developer stated.
Jason Hart, a cyber security expert with Cryptocard, explained how easy it is to turn a mobile phone into a pocket spy.
It starts with a little "social engineering".
By hacking the phone of someone the victim might trust, and learning something about them from reading their Tweets and Facebook page, the attacker will send a personalised email from a known account.
The user opens an email and a document, a picture, letter or pdf file.
A programme can be embedded in the attached document which takes the hacked user's phone off to a secret website site which covertly downloads spying software onto the smartphone.
Shortened weblinks are also a risk.
"Using Facebook and Twitter (and) getting an individual to click on a shortened link would actually take them to a website and automatically install malware," said Hart.
"There is no way that a victim would know his phone had been comprehensively hacked," he noted.

Friday 28 October 2011

Don't Forget Your Health on Diwali!







   





Diwali exposes you to fire, smoke, heavy doses of artery-clogging fats, sugar quantities much, much higher than your daily recommended intake. If you drink, there's the 5 days of fighting hangover with even more alcohol.


This dangerous traditional recipe can be overcome.
Pay attention to the following health tips - these are the bare minimum you need to stay fit, happy and healthy enough to party into the New Year.


Burning Up the Air 




Respiratory ailments are going to see a jump in city folk. These include allergies, asthma and pollution, caused not only by firecrackers but the number of people driving around delivering Diwali goodies. Asthma patients should avoid firecrackers - especially those that emanate smoke. If you have to, organize a aerial-firecracker display early in the evening (9-ish), before the air gets clogged with sulfurous smoke. Keep your inhaler and asthma medication nearby before and after Diwali.

Practicing Mithai Safety




More than avoiding binging on the mithai, the increase in food adulteration around Diwali is what will hurt your health more. There is reportedly an increase in misbranded, substandard and unsafe sweets during Diwali.

To keep yourself safe, remember to check the manufacturing and expiry dates, along with license number of packed products, and always get a bill against your purchase. Kaju and besan sweets are the safest - they have the least chances of adulteration. Avoid 'chhena' and 'khoya' sweets, along with sweets and milk products from roadside shops.

Diwali, Snacking and Weight Gain






A sudden shock to both normal meals and regular sleep patterns comes from late night parties binge-eating, 'tanking' up on alcohol and lack of exercise. Instead, undertake a military-like mindset towards practicing moderation, especially towards friers food, alcohol. Replace oily snacks with a combination of fresh fruits, curd dips, raw salads, roasted food items and nuts like almonds and pistachios.

And, since being a monk during Diwali is socially frowned upon, the drinking and eating out needs to be balanced with a post-Diwali detox.  This requires a change in diet, as will as Ayurvedic massages and steam bath to leach out toxins.Replace carbohydrates and proteins with fibre and vitamins in your diet, and take more water.

Nokia unveils Windows smartphone Lumia






Nokia Corp. on Wednesday launched its long-awaited first Windows cell phones, hoping to claw back market share it has lost in the tough, top-end smartphone race to chief rivals, Apple Inc.’s iPhone, Samsung and Google’s Android software.

But some analysts say it may be too little, too late, for the world’s top mobile phone maker.

With price tags of 420 ($580) and 270, the Lumia 800 and 710 are based on Microsoft Corp.’s Windows 7 software and come eight months after Nokia and the computing giant said they were hitching up.

“Lumia is reasonably good ... but it’s not an iPhone killer or a Samsung killer,” Neil Mawston from Strategy Analytics said. “But where Nokia does stand out is on their price it looks like they are going to be very competitive.”

Lumia 800, with Carl Zeiss optics and 16GB of internal memory, will be available in selected European countries in November, including France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Britain. It will be sold in Hong Kong, India, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan before the year-end.

Lumia 710, with a 1.4 GHz processor, navigational applications and Nokia Music, mobile music-streaming app will first be available in Hong Kong, India, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan toward the end of the year.

The company’s share price jumped almost 3 per cent to 4.96 ($6.90) in otherwise depressed market in Helsinki.

Nokia also unveiled four cheaper smartphones aimed at emerging markets, the Asha handsets priced 60 to 115 with cameras, navigation applications and fast downloads, in a bid to help “the next billion” users connect to the Internet, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said at the Nokia presentation in London.

Equipped with QWERTY keyboards and some with the popular dual SIM cards, the Asha handsets will be shipped globally in the fourth quarter or early 2012.

Nokia, which claims 1.3 billion daily users, has steadily been losing ground in smartphones, squeezed in the low end by Asian manufacturers like ZTE and in the high end by the iPhone, Research in Motion’s Blackberry, Korea’s Samsung Electronics and Taiwan—based HTC Corp.

The iPhone has set the standard for smartphones among many design-conscious consumers. The Blackberry has been the favourite of the corporate set and increasingly Google Inc.’s Android software has emerged as the choice for phone makers that want to challenge the iPhone.

Samsung and HTC snapping at Nokia’s heels for third place in top-end smartphones behind the iPhone and Samsung are the biggest users of the Android platform.

Nokia is still operating Symbian software, older than Apple’s software and considered clumsy by many, although it has been upgraded. Nokia also introduced the MeeGo platform in its flagship N9 model launched last month.

Mr. Elop has said Windows software will become the cell phone maker’s main platform but that Nokia won’t stop developing Symbian or MeeGo.

Friday 21 October 2011

India, Pakistan play out thrilling draw





Pakistan and India played out a thrilling 1-1 draw in the men's draw of the International Super Series hockey, here on Friday in a game full of chances for both sides.

In a thrilling showcase of the potential of the new format, the rivals played at a frenetic pace. India dominated for the most part, but Pakistan missed a golden opportunity to seal the win as the respective goalkeepers produced a host of superb saves.

With three minutes to go and India down a man after a green card offence, Pakistan won a penalty face-off, but Indian custodian Bharat Chetri blocked the shot.

India dominated the first half and attacked constantly. Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Shah had to make two brilliant saves to deny the Indians the lead in the first 10 minutes.

Pakistan takes lead

Pakistan took the lead on one of its rare forward sorties, Waseem Ahmed giving it the upper hand in the 12th minute from a tight angle.

However, it lasted less than 60 seconds with Ravi Pal equalising with a diving reverse stick shot.

Meanwhile, Australia men made it two wins from as many matches by thrashing New Zealand 7-1.

Meanwhile, the Indian women's team got its act together after being on the back foot in the first-half to force a 1-1 draw against Australia. Star forward Ashleigh Nelson put Australia ahead in the 10th minute before her Indian counterpart Y. Soundarya cancelled it out just five minutes before the hooter. Vandana Kataria tore through the Australian defence to enter the top of the circle and quickly push the ball to Soundarya, who was waiting at the far corner of the goal-cage.

Satisfaction

India, which lost its last match 0-5 to the hosts last Saturday, can derive a lot of satisfaction in the end result even though they did not inspire much confidence in the first-half. In fact, the Indians were lucky to concede just a solitary goal in the first-half, during which Australia mounted several attacks on the visiting team's goal.

The Australians just could not get the finishing right and were also denied by the Indian goalkeeper Yogita Bali's brilliance under the bar. Australia earned six penalty corners in the first-half, indicative of its dominance during that period of play.

India replaced an injured Jasjeet Kaur Handa with Soundarya midway through the first-half, but even that did not have much impact on an attacking Australia. However, India managed to avoid defeat through Soundarya's strike after an improved performance in the second-half.

The man who made the Taj Mahal disappear






once made the the Taj Mahal disappear for over a minute. It has been his most famous act as an internationally acclaimed magician. When asked how he did it, Harary's answer was: “It was the perfect illusion."

Through March, the American illusionist will host his 90-minute, over-the-top, hyper-sensory spectacle at New Delhi's Kingdom of Dreams, in the 840-seater Nautanki Mahal.

The blue-domed, gold-studded, rose-petaled, outrageous design of the recently opened Kingdom of Dreams is a display of India’s heritage and artists traditions at the least, and a riotous, ironic spoof on India’s kitsch aesthetic at its best.

The other live act inside the Kingdom is Bollywood musical "Zangoora, the Gypsy Prince" which has been selling out to audiences from around the country since it opened in September 2010.

Culture Gully showcases each state of India in its traditional architecture in a Venetian canal atmosphere, with astrologers, tarot readers and food and artisans from each state.

One of the (ironic) highlights is the mock Indian wedding, complete with an acting bride and groom, with a host of dancers and musicians following. Their tag line: “A Magical, Mystical & Memorable Experience of India.”

This same idea of India becomes the literal stage to unite the worlds of control and fatalism, of fear and safety, and of ordinary, extra-ordinary and magic. In the other-worldliness of The Kingdom of Dreams, magician Harary is right at home.
Trick o' techno, mind over magic
His entrance is nothing short of a high-budget sci-fi film, as a giant silver spaceship peels open to reveal a man in a silver jacket, arms welcoming loud applause, black shades, spiked hair.

The glitterati of the bedecked purple and gold Nautanki Mahal, where "Mega Magic" is staged, is perfectly congruent to Franz Harary’s own theatrical embellishments.

Cinema screens light up 180 degrees around the stage, confetti and foam flies from the air and 10 women in mini skirts and bikinis enter. Rock and roll blasts from the speakers.

Smoke billows from every corner: this is the first and most physical manifestation of the mysterious haze that surrounds Harary’s work.

He walks past the ladies casually -- we  realize his powers of seduction as the evening grows -- and picks one. He puts her in a box, covers the box in a sheet and lets his fingers hover and dance, appealing to the age-old gesture of abracadabra.

The sheet is removed and much to the disappointment of many in the audience, the girl is nowhere to be found. In her place lies, instead, a stray, furry, grey cat from a shelter, purring almost as his previous, bikini-clad avatar might have.

This is the magician’s prestige: the seduction, the secret and the eternal un-resolution.

It is this last factor that separates magic from other entertainment forms and likens it more to life itself where hints inspire us to search for answers that finally elude us.

But it is Harary’s almost hyper-human view of magic that is intriguing. He insists that his magic is only based in optical illusions that take advantage of our limited senses, and that real magic exists in the everyday unknowns of the world outside the stage.

His act opens with this thought-provoking sentence: "Magic by its definition is anything outside the laws of science. As science progresses, magic's evolution must remain just ahead of it…

"In a sense, surfing the wave of technology. Scientific discovery depends on mankind's ability to dream. Magic rekindles that child-like ability.

"Linked together in a perpetual dance, magic and science are forever advancing each other… Each one driving the other forward at the speed of wonder."

So just as science oddly appeals to our sense of logic, so does Harary’s magic.

As he has done for Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Alice Cooper concert tours, Harary employs new, complex technological systems and formulae to achieve a cat in place of a woman, endless streams of paper emanating from a mouth, a lady divided in eight inside a box appearing unharmed, one woman’s torso attached to the legs of another, a man splintered with iron rods disappearing, a ring borrowed from an audience appearing in the hand of a woman in a bathing suit who miraculously appears inside a previously empty aquarium, a man levitating even as a hoopla-hoop swipes the air above and below him.

Harary capitalizes upon our sense of fear, our sense of desire and the ultimate knowledge that magic will keep the protagonist safe.

And it is this very belief that Harary utilizes, rather meta-theatrically, at the end when he gets inside a heavy chamber hung from the ceiling of the theater and midway, the box breaks open and a crew member appears with headphones saying, "Stop the show!"

Harary’s hands and feet are seen flailing in the air, his breath loud against the microphone. The audience is -- if only for a moment -- slightly alarmed.The box is finally revealed: and there is no one in there. Something shiny and silver glitters from where the audience is seated. A spotlight hits Harary, his hair raised, wearing a silver jacket -- an old magician’s costume -- smiling with irony and triumph. Harary’s uniqueness is in his utilization, ultimately, of constructed, human skill: he is an engineer before a magician, designing each instrument to carry out his illusions and relying on our sense of wonder to do the rest.

Win over England not revenge, says Dhoni






 India's One-day series win over England should not be regarded as revenge for the side's humiliating defeats to their rivals a few months ago, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said. The Indian captain added he was disappointed at England's behaviour on the field, saying the strategy to intimidate the opposition was clearly not paying dividends.

"Revenge is a very strong word and should not be used in sport," Dhoni said after the world champions scored a five-wicket win in Mohali on Thursday night to take a 3-0 lead in the five-match series. "On one hand we talk about the spirit of the game and on the other we talk about revenge. It should not be like that."
Young batsman Ajinkya Rahane top-scored with 91 as India surpassed England's challenging 298-4 with four balls to spare after Dhoni smashed two boundaries in the final over.
The series win came after a disastrous tour of England in July-September when India were blanked 4-0 in the Tests to concede the number one spot and also lost the one-dayers 3-0. "I am quite happy with the performance of the team when it comes to the one-day format. Victory is always a good feeling," said Dhoni, who led India to World Cup glory in April.
India won without seven top stars, including Sachin Tendulkar, who were part of the team that beat Sri Lanka in the World Cup final in Mumbai. Dhoni, however, warned England to tone down their aggressive behaviour on the field, which earned the wrath of the umpires during the second game in New Delhi on Monday.
That match was marred by verbal exchanges between Indian batsmen and England's fielders, and the tension also appeared to spill over on the field in Mohali.
"There were lots of gestures flowing around in the field when it came to the England side," Dhoni said. "But I don't think that strategy is working. It's not only about 'giving it' to the opposition. You have to be fair. If our players are saying something to the opposition, which happens at times, I don't want them to get really personal or say things that are not within the guidelines."
"A bit of chit-chat is fine, because that makes the game interesting. You don't always want a friendly series, as long as things don't get too personal. "But I think they (England) should change the plan for the next two games," the Indian captain said.
England fast bowler Tim Bresnan was quoted earlier this week as saying that his team was using verbal volleys to intimidate batsmen since Indian pitches offered no assistance to the bowlers.
"It's part of the game," Bresnan said. "We can't really use the ball to intimidate as much as we would like, so we have to do other things to get into the batsman's bubble, like a little bit of a word or a look or a stare."
England captain Alastair Cook was, however, more concerned about trying to avoid a 5-0 whitewash. "We prepared as well as we could have prepared, but just have not quite delivered," Cook said.
"But we've got two more games to go and need to pick ourselves up when we've already lost the series. That is the challenge. There was desperation out there to try to win, and we've got to keep that desperation for the next two games."

The fourth one-dayer will be played in Mumbai on Sunday before the final game in Kolkata on October 25. England will end the tour with a one-off Twenty20 international in Kolkata on Oct 29.

Thursday 20 October 2011

BMW 6-Series coupe launched in India‎


















BMW has launched the 2012 6 Series Coupe in India. The 6-Series coupe is the hard top version of the convertible that was launched in March this year.










Market introduction with three engine variants: BMW 650i Coupe with eight-cylinder power unit (300 kW/407 hp), BMW 640i Coupe with a six-cylinder in-line petrol engine (235 kW/320 hp), BMW 640d Coupe with a six-cylinder in-line diesel engine (230 kW/313 hp).




All engine variants combined with an eight-speed Sport automatic transmission as standard equipment; BMW EfficientDynamics measures that have no peer in the segment (including Auto Start-Stop function and ECO PRO mode for the BMW 640i Coupe and BMW 640d Coupe); optimised efficiency combined with a significant 30 kW, 35 kW and 20 kW power increase over predecessor models (BMW 650i, BMW 640i and BMW 640d, respectively).









Captivating aesthetics, top-class performance, an exclusive interior and exceptionally innovative equipment features give the third-generation BMW 6 Series Coupe “dream car” its credentials.










Newly developed suspension; only car in the segment available with Electric Power Steering and optional Integral Active Steering; Driving Experience Control as standard equipment, Dynamic Damper Control and Adaptive Drive optional.


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First car in the segment with Adaptive LED Headlights for low and high beam, including cornering function, fog lamps and rear lights also implemented with LED technology.


Standard BMW iDrive control system with free standing control display; unrivalled range of BMW ConnectedDrive features, including the latest generation of BMW Head-Up Display (with high-definition, full-colour-spectrum graphics); also available: Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go function, lane change warning, lane departure warning, rear-view camera, Surround View, Speed Limit Info, BMW Night Vision and Parking Assistant.



Driving pleasure tailored to individual preferences by virtue of unique equipment options, including comfort and sports seats, active seats, seat ventilation, exclusive Nappa leather, ceramic applications, and a newly developed, model-specific Bang & Olufsen high-end surround sound system.










The hearts of sports car aficionados with an eye for luxury and innovative technology will beat a little faster at the sight of the new BMW 6 Series Coupe.



In its own attractive manner, it combines superior sportiness with exclusive touring comfort and 460 litres of luggage space.








The new BMW 6 Series Coupe impresses with its irresistible design and inspires with even sharper driving dynamics than its predecessor, noticeably optimised by virtue of its comfort features and added space.
























                           















Tuesday 18 October 2011

Shankarpali : Special Diwali Sweet Recipe!



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Shankarpali is a traditional Diwali recipe handed down generations of grandmothers. Diwali is a time of celebrations when families meet and there is lots laughter and chatter. To accompany those happy moments you have this Indian dessert. Shankarpali is that perfect 'something sweet' to munch on when you are just chatting or having fun. It is in a way the perfect festival food; something you can eat in a hurry and still enjoy. Even if you are short of time this Diwali recipe will not be a problem for you to manage on Diwali 2011.

This Diwali sweet recipe is made out of lots of flour and ghee and involves deep frying. So this dessert like others is soaked in calories; definitely not for fussy calorie counting eaters. Try this Diwali recipe only if you are willing to give your taste buds precedence over your health consciousness.

Get a mobile application and find a job





Can a credible storyline, a set of characters in animation format, and ninety-bullet episodes streamed onto the mobile handset help you get a job? Perhaps they can, going by what the developers of a recently launched m-learning package for job hunters say.

‘Jobseekers,' an innovative m-learning module jointly developed by the British Council and value-added service provider Avon Mobility Solutions, seeks to enhance the employability of those looking for a job by delivering audio-visual content to their 2G/3G mobile phones.

The content — in the form of 90-second video cards — is delivered to mobile users subscribing to the product in the form of a URL that can be viewed on the Wireless Application Protocol site.

The learning curve, which involves vocabulary, pronunciation, composing CVs, preparing for interviews and honing soft skills, is spread over three months with the subscriber receiving one video card a day.

“We have kept the price point at the lowest possible level…In fact, at just Re. 1 per video card the content comes cheaper than a daily cup of tea,” said Rony Zachariah, CEO, Avon Mobility.

The soft skill modules are expected to be relevant, particularly to youth of Tier-II and Tier-III towns where there is relatively scant access to English language learning facilities. “We are also looking at other ways of delivering the content,” Mr. Zachariah said.

‘Jobseekers' has been initially locked in an exclusive arrangement, whereby it is now only available to the 900 million subscribers of Tata DOCOMO, though negotiations are under way to make it available on other telecom platforms.

While the content is available in a view-only streaming form, or can be downloaded for revisits on mobile phones (each episode about 2 Mb with a cumulative file size of about 180 Mb), it is also accessible via the Internet against credit card/debit card payment (www.enrichyourenglish. com/jobseekers.html).

The content, largely involving situation-based narratives centred on four characters Neha, Arun, Farah and Rohit, who are looking for a job, and an enigmatic gentleman in the role of friend-philosopher-guide. Each character seeks a job in a different sector — food and retail, hospitality, and the call centre industry — with Rohit's case being more offbeat as he dreams of becoming a Bollywood star.

“This exciting venture in digital content distribution marks a first for us in India,” said Paul Sellers, Director, South India of British Council, a pioneer in content creation for mobile-learning platforms.

The content was put together under the supervision of English language experts of the British Council, while the Avon partnership took care of the wrap-around graphics and presentation, he said.

The product summates the feedback from extensive market research, right from homing in on employability enhancement as one of the most pressing needs in the Indian context to the Indian English accent used in the animated series, says Nirupa Fernandez, who heads the examinations division at the British Council.

The British Council-Avon partnership is already working on the theme for animation series sequel, which would focus on enhancing employee performance.

India thrash England again in huge win







       the best time in india World champions India rattled England once again with bat and ball to win the second one-dayer by eight wickets on Monday and take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Seamer Vinay Kumar returned with his best international figures of four for 30 as a lacklustre England were shot out for 237 in good batting conditions at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground in New Delhi.

Virat Kohli then smashed an unbeaten 112, his seventh one-day century, and Gautam Gambhir made 84 not out as the under-strength hosts surpassed the modest target under lights in the 37th over.
Tempers flared in the second session between England's fielders and India's batsmen, forcing the umpires to intervene on at least three occasions.
India, depleted by the absence of seven World Cup-winning stars due to injury or poor form, will wrap up the series if they win the third match in Mohali on Thursday. The hosts had won the first game in Hyderabad by 126 runs last Friday.
A series win will help Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men make amends for the disastrous tour of England recently where they were blanked 4-0 in the Test series before losing the one-dayers 3-0.
Kevin Pietersen's 46 was the top score for England as wickets tumbled at regular intervals after captain Alastair Cook won the toss and elected to bat on an easy-paced pitch. Fast bowler Tim Bresnan gave England a lifeline when he removed both openers, Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane, by the seventh over to make India 29-2.
But Delhi team-mates Kohli and Gambhir delighted some 30,000 home fans with an 209-run winning partnership to take India home. England had made a disastrous start, losing openers Cook and Craig Kieswetter before a run had been scored.
Cook slashed the fifth ball from Praveen Kumar to point, while Kieswetter edged Vinay to Kohli at slip in the second over. The shackles were broken when Praveen conceded 17 runs in his third over as Jonathan Trott smashed three consecutive fours and Pietersen also helped himself to a boundary.
Trott made a fluent 34 with seven fours when he was caught behind off Vinay to reduce England to 48-3 by the 10th over. Ravi Bopara helped Pietersen add 73 for the fourth wicket before India hit back by removing both batsmen in the space of four deliveries.
Bopara was leg-before to off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for 36 and Pietersen was caught behind chasing a wide ball from seamer Umesh Yadav.
Samit Patel and Jonathan Bairstow carried the total past the 200-run mark from a shaky 121-5, adding 86 for the sixth wicket before both fell in quick succession. Patel (42) was trapped leg-before by Yadav and Bairstow holed out in the deep off Ravindra Jadeja after making 35.

Saturday 15 October 2011

Dhoni, Raina star in India's big win















In a matter of minutes, what was promising to be a contest ended in humiliation for England, helping India end a winless streak of 11 matches in 2011, and four games in Uppal.
On a slow, low wicket at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, skipper MS Dhoni (87) and Suresh Raina (61) powered India to 300-8 with some intense hitting in the last 15 overs in which they made 150 runs.

England were on course at 111-2 before Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja blew a hole through their middle order that was clueless against the spinners' subtle variations.
The 126-run margin is India's second-biggest over England in ODIs, and didn't look likely given how evenly the game was poised during India's innings.
EXPLOSIVE FINISH
There were concerns about Dhoni's form through for long, but they can be buried for now. The Indian skipper posted his fourth ODI fifty on the trot, with scores of 69, 78 and 50 earlier in England.
With Graeme Swann hurtling through his overs, India's scoring had come to a crawl. But when the mandatory batting Powerplay was claimed in the 36th over, India's run-rate burst through the roof.
Suresh Raina overcame a scratchy start, completing a swift fifty by hitting Tim Bresnan over the sightscreen for a gorgeous six. He added 70 with Dhoni in 10 overs, and India's revival was underway.
Earlier in the innings, Ajinkya Rahane made a dull 15 (41b) after being dropped on zero. Parthiv Patel was run-out for 9. Gautam Gambhir batted positively for 32 but fell LBW to a loopy full-toss from Jade Dernbach. It left India tentative at 79-3.
Virat Kohli (37) and Raina sought relief by trying to punish Samit Patel. But Kohli was caught at long-off trying one time too many to push the scoring against the left-arm spinner. A score of 250 would have been respectable from hereon, but Dhoni and Raina exceeded all expectations.
That partnership provided India the impetus, but Raina fell on 61, trying to slog Steven Finn. Whatever hopes this breakthrough gave England were quickly quelled by Jadeja's hectic 27, and a 65-run stand with Dhoni in just seven overs, which brought India to the doorstep of 300.
Dhoni finished brilliantly, employing his helicopter whips and chips over cover. After a good start, England's seamers ended in waywardly.
ENGLAND SPUN OUT
With England skipper Alastair Cook moving to a smoothly paced 60, the chase was nicely set-up. India's pace attack with Vinay Kumar and Umesh Yadav was inexperienced. But their swift collapse to spin was classic. Starting with Jonathan Trott, successive batsmen failed to get forward and low to counter the turn and dip.
Cook holed out to deep midwicket off Jadeja. Trott missed the line trying to slog-sweep a straight ball in Jadeja's next. England struggled to read Ashwin's carrom ball and straighter ball.
Ashwin also accounted for the wicket of Kevin Pietersen, with a direct hit from mid-on. Pietersen was troubled plenty by Vinay Kumar, who caught on to his habit of walking down the wicket to pacers. Vinay bounced him a couple of times, once striking him on the arm and once giving him a painful blow on the fingers.
Dhoni had investigated the playing conditions here yesterday and found out there was plenty of dew. Hence he went with three pacers today.
Yadav wasn't always accurate, but ended up with two cheap wickets after the spinners had done most of the damage.
In a jiffy, England had lost 6-37, and the game was all but over in the 32nd over -- roundabout the time India began their fightback in the first innings.

This series began as a contest between India struggling to create momentum and England going through the form of their lives. At this rate, it may end up being a contest between India's classical strength -- spin -- and England's classical inability to counter it.

Friday 14 October 2011

Researchers create computer algorithm to help identify Bible's authors






Washington, Oct 14 (ANI): A group of Israeli researchers has built a computer algorithm that analyses biblical text to decipher its different authors.
The algorithm, which compares sets of synonyms, along with common words like prepositions, identified two main writing styles in the Bible: priestly and non-priestly, Discovery News reported.
Computer scientist Moshe Koppel of Bar-Ilan University, a member of the team that developed the algorithm, noted that one of the interesting results is that the synonyms for "God" weren't that important.
"Some of the (synonyms) that do the heavy lifting on the Pentateuch had been noted before by scholars, but the most famous synset-names of God-actually didn't help at all," he stated.
That may sound counter intuitive, but Koppel notes that there are about 150 different sets, so the fact that a word of historical significance doesn't help isn't that shocking.
To test out the algorithm the researchers took two well-known books of the Bible, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
They cut the text up and essentially mixed them together at random. The algorithm managed to separate the two with near 99 percent accuracy, so that showed the method worked.
Koppel stressed that the algorithm can't say exactly how many authors the Bible has (or doesn't have). But it can say where styles change that can shed light on debates over authorship.

Thursday 13 October 2011

Australian court bans sale of Samsung Galaxy tab






A court has temporarily banned Samsung from selling its new Galaxy tablet computer in Australia, another setback for the South Korean electronics giant in a global patent battle with Apple Inc. that accuses it of slavishly copying the iPad and iPhone.

Federal Court Justice Annabelle Bennett on Thursday granted a temporary injunction against sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia. The decision prevents Samsung Electronics Co. from selling the device in Australia in its current form until a further court order, or until a pending patent lawsuit between the warring technology giants is resolved.

The ruling is a blow for Samsung, which had hoped to launch the new product in time for Christmas sales. It comes after courts in other countries including Germany and the Netherlands made judgments that upheld Apple’s claims that its intellectual property had been appropriated by Samsung.

The patent battle spanning 10 countries has underlined the perception of Samsung as an efficient imitator among technology companies rather than a pace setter. Over the years, the company has grown to become the global No. 1 in TVs and No. 2 in smartphones by sales. But unlike archrival Apple Inc., it has not mesmerized consumers with its originality and innovation.

In April, Cupertino, California-based Apple Inc. sued Samsung in the United States, alleging the product design, user interface and packaging of Samsung’s Galaxy devices “slavishly copy” the iPhone and iPad.

South Korea-based Samsung Electronics Co. fought back with lawsuits of its own, accusing Apple of patent infringement of its wireless telecommunications technology.

Apple filed the Australian lawsuit in July, accusing Samsung of copying its touch screen technology. In her ruling Thursday, Ms. Bennett said she was granting the temporary injunction in part because she felt Apple had a sufficient likelihood of winning the trial against Samsung.

The judge’s full orders will not be published until Friday. It was not immediately clear whether Samsung could or would attempt to sell a variation of the device that removed the features Apple objected to in the Australian lawsuit.

“We are disappointed with this ruling and Samsung will be seeking legal advice on its options,” Samsung said in a statement. “Samsung will continue its legal proceeding against Apple’s claim in order to ensure our innovative products remain available to consumers.”

Samsung, which filed its Australian countersuit in September, said it remained confident it could prove Apple violated its wireless technology patents. “We will continue to legally assert our intellectual property rights against those who violate Samsung’s patents and free ride on our technology,” the company said in a statement.

An attorney for Apple declined to comment after the hearing.

Samsung shares fell 0.9 percent to 890,000 won in Seoul.

ODI series trophy unveiled







The two captains – Mahendra Singh Dhoni of India and Alastair Cook of England – unveiled the Airtel Trophy for the five-match one-day series commencing here on October 14.

Dhoni and Cook held aloft the trophy together in the presence of Sharlin Thayil, CEO, AP, Bharti Airtel Ltd.

The two captains did not speak anything at the function which was delayed by more than 75 minutes.

The Trophy, designed by Frazer and Haws, is made of silver with 24 karat gold plating.

It may be recalled that Airtel had been given the sponsorship rights by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for all international matches to be played in India till 2013. The Indian cricket team, minus Gautam Gambhir, had a three-hour long training schedule at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium on Wednesday. The England team which played a warm-up game against Hyderabad on Tuesday, preferred to take a break.

Tuesday 11 October 2011

Army to test re-structuring plan in war game





A Grand Strike Corps exercise that will take place in Rajasthan next month will be the test bed for a new doctrine of “theaterisation” that is likely to transform the structure and deployment tactics of the Indian Army.

The “Sudarshan Shakti” exercise, which is being led by 21 Corps but will include elements of the Air Force and Navy, will be the test bed for the new doctrine that was drawn up as part of the Army’s “Transformational Study” led by a group of top Generals and the concept will be implemented on the basis of the results.

The Armed Forces have for long talked about moving from a threat specific approach to a capability based approach, but this is the first time the concept is being tested in a full scale war game involving thousands of troops and all three armed services.

Under the new concept, the entire combat resources and support elements that are engaged at war in a particular theatre or front will be utilised optimally from a command centre that will use the latest technologies to get a complete picture of the battle. The battlefront will be managed seamlessly through the command centre or centres without the administrative “borders” of various commands slowing things down.

Sunday 9 October 2011

Aakash tablet production cost less than $35





A dream project of the government, the ‘world’s cheapest tablet PC’, Aakash, is being produced at less than $ 35 (approximately Rs 1,750) per unit, but the replacement warranty attached to it has led to an increase in its price by about $14 to $49.98 per piece.

“The government has asked for a special replacement warranty. Government has asked us not to to repair it (Aakash Tablet)... You will have to replace it... which is a big cost,” Suneet Singh Tuli, the CEO of Datawind, the company manufacturing the tablet, told PTI.

Mr. Tuli further explained that the ratio of defects in any device sold in India is higher when compared to America because of the harsh climatic conditions in New Delhi.

“Those kinds of costs add to it. This (Aakash) is Rs 2,200... It can be Rs 1,700. Actual manufacturing cost still is less than Rs 1,750. But there are all these other conditions which take it above Rs 1,750,” he said.

On July 22, 2010, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal had unveiled a prototype of the device and announced that it would be developed for use at around $35 per unit.

To ensure complete transparency and a level playing-field, the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NME-ICT) decided to task IIT Rajasthan, Jodhpur, with the job of procuring and testing these devices, based on the design and specifications that the mission’s team had finalised.

IIT Jodhpur had floated tenders and the lowest bidder quoted an ex-factory price of $37.98, which was close to the cost mentioned by the minister.

This cost comprised components and material, as well as manufacturing expenses. The final landed price of $49.98 (Rs 2,276) per unit included taxes, levies, and charges like freight and insurance, servicing and documentation, etc.

Mr. Tuli said people have been challenging the development of such a low cost device, but by selling this device to the government, Datawind is making enough profits, which even allows him to donate 10 per cent of the total profit to charity.

Mr. Tuli said that over-and-above the production cost, Datawind pays almost 20 per cent as taxes, which add to the cost of the device.

“If we bring it after making in China, then there would have been no issues, because it’s exempted from duties. I would have not been required to pay 4 per cent VAT (value added tax). Getting it from China and selling in India would have not make it exciting. Therefore, we made it at Hyderabad,” Mr. Tuli said.

He said that company will sell the commercial version of Aakash in the market for Rs 2,999, which -- unlike the government’s Aakash tablet with a 1-year replacement warranty -- will carry only a 30-day replacement warranty.

Mr. Tuli has said that he will sell the government Aakash tablets for Rs 1,750 if the government orders 10 lakh units.

At present, Datawind has an order for supplying 1 lakh units to the government.

The government is buying the tablets for Rs 2,276 per unit and giving them to education institutes at a 50 per cent subsidy.

Mumbai stun Bangalore in low-scoring Champions League final






With all the injuries and replacements at the start of the tournament, one wouldn't have given Mumbai Indians a chance of getting to the knockouts at the Champions League, let alone winning it today.
On a slow wicket at the Chidambaram Stadium with just 139 runs to defend, Harbhajan Singh led Mumbai astutely. He took 3-20 and Royal Challengers Bangalore were crushed by 31 runs in a low-scorer.

Bangalore started the chase strongly with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Chris Gayle adding 38 in four overs. In the next 10, they made 39-5. Harbhajan and Chahal choked the runs dry on a wicket that seemed considerably slower than earlier.
Mumbai raised their fielding a notch, took the catches that mattered. By the end, Bangalore had fallen so far behind the required rate, it's hard to tell looking at the scoreboard that they were ever in the chase.
Harbhajan gambled by giving Lasith Malinga a third over in his first spell. Malinga delivered with his first ball. Dilshan swung across the line and missed. Gayle fell to a dubious LBW to Harbhajan when his front leg was a long way down the wicket. Mumbai had a foot in the door.
Mayank Agarwal and Virat Kohli, still feeling the effects of batting on the Chinnaswamy belter, didn't last long and were caught in the deep slogging slow turners. Arun Karthik and Mohammad Kaif fell the same way but they were under considerable pressure from the mounting run-rate.
Three run-outs dented Mumbai before they could steer the innings to substantiality. It wasn't sensational fielding but Mumbai's sloppiness. Opener Sarul Kanwar was ball-watching at the non-striker's end when he ignored Aiden Blizzard's call and got him out.
Suryakumar Yadav was promoted above Kieron Pollard and batted usefully for 24. Then he backed up too far and Vettori ran him out in his follow-through. The big wicket was James Franklin's (41) and some lazy running with Pollard cost him his wicket.
In the next over by Vettori, Mumbai fell apart. Pollard strange half-hearted loft couldn't clear mid-on. Harbhajan Singh was given not-out by Kumar Dharmasena to plumb LBW first ball. But he was given LBW to a faster delivery next ball which clearly seemed heading down the leg-side.
This loss extends Bangalore's poor run in T20 finals. They had lost IPL finals in 2009 and 2011.





The Original Divas of Bollywood: Simi Garewal












Simi Garewal or 'The White Woman' is a person who defines 'evergreen'.
From the beginning of her career to her present age Simi has hardly undergone any change, in terms of appearance. The chic and fashionable yesteryear actress is still considered to be a style icon in the country despite being in her sixties. She brought along class and sophistication in her films and gave the audiences of her time a breath of fresh air from the regular tragedy-struck heroines.




























The Beginning
Simi Garewal's first tryst in front of the screen was the English language film 'Tarzan Goes to India' opposite Feroz Khan. Simi was a mere 15 year old at that time and the role was given to her solely because of the fact that she was an England returned lass who, obviously, had a good command over the language.














Claim to Fame
Simi Garewal acted in a few films like 'Do Badan', for which she won a Filmfare, 'Saathi' and Bengali film 'Aranyer Din Ratri' before she appeared as the charismatic teacher, Miss Mary in 'Mera Naam Joker'. The role is still the most remembered of her entire career.












The Oomph factor
Simi Garewal's oomph factor lay in her long silken tresses and her unique personality as compared to other actresses. She was not the usual Hindi film actress of those times. She was bred in another country. Her image was cool and sophisticated which made her stand out from the crowd.

















The Calling
Simi was merely five years of age when she saw the Raj Kapoor film, 'Awara' and was blown away by it. It was then and there that she had decided to become and actress. While in her teens she landed in India and started her course towards an acting career.















Did You Know?
Simi Garewal had a year long affair with Salman Taseer who went on to become the Governor of Punjab, Pakistan.















Simi Garewal Now
Simi is well over 60 today but has shown no signs of aging. She keeps coming back with something new for her fans. She presently hosts the talk show 'Simi Selects: India's Most Desirable' where she gets celebrities to spill the beans.


















While a lot of people have been quick to criticize her for trying to act young, we can only laud her efforts to keep time and age at bay for such a long time. She was a woman who lived her dream of acting and has constantly sought to re-invent herself in spite of all the criticisms that came her way. Simi Garewal is indeed a true classic beauty and a shining light when other actresses have faded into oblivion.






Saturday 8 October 2011

Adobe to sell software online







 Adobe Systems Inc is overhauling the way it sells its most popular software to spur more frequent purchases by distributing programs such as Photoshop and Dreamweaver over the internet.

Chief Technology Officer Kevin Lynch plans to release what Adobe calls its Creative Cloud software package early next year. The company will let customers rent programs on a monthly basis and share their work across PCs and mobile devices, rather than make larger purchases that can cost more than $1,000.

The move may help San Jose, California-based Adobe, the largest maker of graphic-design software, rely less on biennial releases to spur sales and record more consistent revenue growth. The Creative Cloud products make it easier for Adobe users to share their ideas over the Web, Lynch said in an interview.

"The reason we're still here is we're willing to change," Lynch said in his San Francisco office, surrounded by the six computers, two tablets and a massive digital drafting table he keeps to test new product ideas. "If you look at Adobe software historically, it's a person using a computer to make something. It's no longer a solo experience. You're not alone in the cloud."

Sharing work

Creative Cloud will move Adobe tools including the Photoshop photo-editing software, website-design tool Dreamweaver and publishing application InDesign to versions that customers can download for a subscription over the Web. They can share their work online through a so-called cloud computing service.

Adobe's creative-solutions division supplied 45 percent of the company's profit last quarter and delivered a gross margin of 95 per cent. The company is facing competition from Apple Inc and Microsoft Corp and an industry shift away from its Flash technology for Web programming.

The new way of selling software will add another challenge: protecting a gross profit margin that tops the software sector, according to Bloomberg data.

Computer users will pay less for online versions of Adobe's tools than they do for versions that run on Macs and Windows PCs, said Brent Thill, an analyst at UBS AG in San Francisco.

Pricing to come

"In the near term, the cloud is dilutive," said Thill. Adobe, which plans to set pricing for the cloud computing version of its design tools in November, may need to keep prices affordable to attract freelance designers who are typically tight on cash, he said. Large publishing and advertising companies that use Adobe tools will continue to buy more expensive desktop versions because they'll perform faster.

"Creative professionals don't have a lot of money," said Thill, who recommends buying Adobe shares because they are inexpensive. "Until the bandwidth gets good enough, no one's going to go all the way to the cloud."

Lynch compares the change from desktops to mobile devices and Web software to the shift from typed commands to mice 20 years ago. Creative Cloud will include access to six new "Touch Apps" for creating printed pages and websites using iPads and other tablet computers. Adobe announced the software earlier this week at a technical conference in Los Angeles.

While not as robust as Adobe's pricey desktop tools, the Touch Apps may provide enough features to satisfy many users, said Lynch.

Soul of Photoshop

"It's not everything Photoshop can do today on the desktop, but it is the soul of Photoshop," he said.

Adobe has tinkered with subscription pricing before. Its Creative Suite 5.5 -- an interim release in April -- let customers download subscription-priced versions of Photoshop and Dreamweaver. This time, the company is folding Web, desktop and tablet versions of its software together under one pricing plan.

Lynch, who joined Adobe through its 2005 acquisition of his old company, Macromedia Inc., is also reckoning with the increasing popularity of HTML5 and other industry-standard software tools for creating video and graphics on the Web. Adobe got Flash in the deal, and the tools have been widely used.

Now the HTML5 programming language is supplanting them, and Adobe is adapting by supporting the new technology in more of its products. One new tool is the development software for mobile devices called PhoneGap that Adobe gained in its Oct. 3 acquisition of closely held Nitobi Software. State of Innovation

"We see HTML in a state of great innovation right now," said Lynch. "We are absolutely very focused on delivering new technology to the Web."

Flash software has been shunned by Apple for its iPhone and iPad devices, most notably in a 2010 letter Steve Jobs wrote and posted online. The letter criticized Flash as outdated and ill- suited for the mobile device world.

Microsoft says the new design for Windows 8 won't allow the use of Flash in its Internet Explorer 10 Web browser. Another version of the browser that relies on the older design of Windows will still run Flash.

Lynch declined to speculate on how relations with Apple might change in the post-Jobs era. He preferred to recall his days as an early Mac developer in the 1980s, and of demonstrating Dreamweaver on stage with Jobs in 1997.

"He's a very quick thinker, his patience is very short -- all that is true," he said. Happily, the demo went well.

Adobe fell 5 cents to $25.28 yesterday in New York. The stock has dropped 18 per cent this year.

Malinga bowls Mumbai into CLT20 final





MUMBAI INDIANS beat Somerset in the second semi-final of the Champions League. They've made the final an all-IPL affair, as Royal Challengers Bangalore had qualified yesterday -- and this didn't look likely at the beginning of the tournament when most of Mumbai's first-choice players were out injured.
Chasing 161, Craig Kieswetter's 62 ran Mumbai close but what sealed the deal were Lasith Malinga's fast, furious yorkers which never seem to be off target. He took 4-20, all four wickets bowled.

Kieswetter and James Hildreth (39) added 83 to put Somerset on course for an unlikely win. This was after Malinga had flummoxed Peter Trego and Reolof van der Merwe with two fast, dipping yorkers.
James Franklin bowled Mumbai's crucial 19th over when Somerset needed 22. Franklin took 2-7 in the over but Mumbai also gained from a freak injury to Kieswetter who felt the full impact of a powerful straight-drive from Jos Buttler on his fore-arm.
Franklin's good over made Malinga's work easier in the final over, in which he had 15 to defend.
After the crazy scoring rates in Bangalore, a slow wicket at the Chidambaram Stadium brought a degree of parity between bat and ball. Mumbai Indians chose to bat.
Mumbai's problem in the tournament has been their batting. But today Aiden Blizzard rose to the occasion with a swift 53 (39b) as Mumbai battled on through a frequent fall of wickets -- Sarul Kanwar, Ambati Rayudu and Franklin all failed to cross 20.
Somerset skipper Alfonso Thomas, an acknowledged specialist of bowling the final overs, dealt Mumbai a huge blow in removing Kieron Pollard (24) before he could cause further damage.
Suryakumar Yadav, in the squad for Andrew Symonds, and Rajagopal Sathish provided 43 precious runs -- 20 of which were stolen from Thomas' 19th over.
Sathish, one of the Indian faces of the now-defunct Indian Cricket League, hadn't made a notable contribution yet for Mumbai Indians but his 25 (12b) proved precious today.
Lastly, there was a bit of history associated with the game. Compton is the grandson of England great Denis Compton. In 1944, Denis had played the Ranji Trophy semi-final at this ground for Holkar against Madras.
Denis had made 81 in a big win for Holkar, a team that also had the Nayudu brothers and Syed Mushtaq Ali. Sadly for his grandson, there was no such glory in the Champions League semi-final.