Ergo October 29

A BYTE OF LIFE

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

02 TOO GOOD FOR CRITICS Rayar’s Mess serves sumptuous idlis and vadas FREE CIRCULATION

Vol. 2

05 WINDOW SHOPPER Nice Casuals in Alwarpet

No. 205

Ghosts and chills » PAGE 03

Techies attacked, ONE CRITICAL ERGO CORRESPONDENT

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gang of seven brutally assaulted three software engineers on Monday night following a confrontation between the two parties at a tea shop in Mettukkuppam near Thoraipakkam. One of the engineers was seriously injured. Police have arrested six of the attackers and are on the lookout for the seventh. The arrested were Munusamy (29), Gopi (21), Venkatesan (25), Raja (26), Raghavan (24) and Vadivelu (22), all from Mettukkuppam. According to police sources, software professionals Neeladhri Hussain Malik (26) of Orissa, Sanjay Devnath (26) of Madhya Pradesh and Sandeepan Maitra of West Bengal, were residing in a rented house in Kumaran Kudil, 2nd Street in Mettukkuppam. On Monday night, the trio had gone to a tea shop near their house. They got into an argument with the accused Munusamy and two of his friends there, which snowballed into a fist fight. The two parties parted ways shortly. Munusamy and his two friends gathered four others and reached the software engineers’ residence, brutally assaulted them and fled the scene. The three professionals suffered severe head injuries and were admitted to a hospital in Perungudi. One of the victims, Sandeepan Maitra, is in a critical state. Thoraipakkam police have charged the accused of attempting to murder the engineers. ■

For this Halloween special, tell us about the scariest film you have watched. Or is there a book that gave you sleepless nights? Write to us about anything that gave you the chills and if you have a photographic evidence, even better! Space is a constraint, so do not send us more than 150 words. Anonymity will be maintained on request. Write to us at [email protected] with the subject line GHOSTS AND CHILLS by Thursday morning.

02 NAMMA CHENNAI

ERGO Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Let’s dance Children’s Day is round the corner and FitnessOne is organising a dance competition for children between six and 11 years. Participants need to register before November 3. Preliminary rounds will be conducted at the Kilpauk, Alwarpet and Anna Nagar centres. For details call 2467 1222/ 2621 1222.

Gospel rocks Infosys employee releases music album

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programme analyst who now has a music album to his credit. Ditto Moses is thrilled. His debut gospel album, En Nesare (My Lover) – En Ulagame Neer Thaane (You Mean the World to Me), which was recently released in the city, has caught the attention of many. “For the last four months I have been working on the album, for which the lyrics and tune have been penned by me,” says the Infosys, Mahindra City, employee. His love for music and a penchant for penning songs set ablaze the desire to launch a Tamil album. En Nesare… has 11 songs, a few of which have his IT colleagues lending their voices, too. “This apart, I had professionals who helped me fine-tune my work,” says Moses. According to Moses, the lyrics are sure to “tug at heart strings, taking the form of soothing melodies and peppy beats”. Dilan Lamb, Ravi Bharath, Peter Richard and Joel Thomas are among those who have lent their voices to the album. Ask him how this journey has moulded him, and he says, “Music is a great source of comfort and my work on this album has been a great relief in every step I took.” The album is priced at Rs. 60. To order call 98411 99888. ■ Ergo Correspondent

Come home to Rayar’s Idli and vadai might be staple food for most Chennaiites, but this mess makes every meal sumptuous ANUSHA PARTHASARATHY & NANDHINI RAMKUMAR

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magine walking into your friend’s place for lunch, with them waiting over you, making you feel like the Rajas and Ranis. That’s exactly how Rayar’s mess off Kutcheri Road makes you feel. Having been in business ever since the times of the British Raj, this little mess has served people from all walks of life, be it bachelors on job hunts or dignitaries like Cho Ramaswamy. “My grandfather Srinivasa Rao started this business, after which my father Padmanaba Rao took over. Now my brothers and I have been running it for over 15 years,” says P. Kumar. Idli, vadai, pongal with a hot tumbler of filter kaapi is the staple breakfast menu for Chennaiites and this is what the mess serves in the mornings from 7 a.m. to 10. 30 a.m. Rava dosas and bondas make up the evening tiffin, and all this without burning a hole in your pocket. The price range is between Rs. 4 and Rs. 12. The place serves freshly prepared food, hot and served on banana leaves. Parcel services are also available. “We serve only five customers at a time since we prepare everything sizzling hot for them. Even the customers prefer to wait and have the food hot and fresh,” Kumar explains. Rayar’s caters to over a hundred people a day and they feel that their inter-personal rapport and service are the main factors that attract customers. “We have customers who have been coming for over five decades.” The hunger helpline of the mess allows you to contact them between 11 a.m. and noon or from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in case you are bringing along

Idlis and vadais unlimited.

FILE PHOTO: S.R. RAGHUNATHAN

We serve only five customers at a time since we prepare everything sizzling hot for them.

a gang. Rest assured that you will be served a scrumptious meal.■ (Too Good for Critics is a weekly column to celebrate Namma Chennai’s ‘Kaiyendi Bhavans’ and small eateries. If you can think of a similar place, mail us at [email protected])

How to get there: No. 13, Arundale Street, Mylapore. (Lane opposite Mylapore Post Office) Must-try items: Idli and Vadai Contact No: 2467 0519

03

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Seriously funny Chris Prason Christopher Robin, 26, a.k.a. Chronic Writer is a business analyst turned event manager turned ad critic cum writer. His blog, www.chronicwriter.com, has been ranked Asia’s Best Humour Blog and the No. 2 in the World Rankings in the Humour Category by www.web2rank.com and ‘Best General Blog’ by www.linq.com. Anusha Parthasarathy shares a crazy chat online with the funny man. Why did you start blogging? One common thing between me, Sachin Tendulkar and Rakhi Sawant is our height. We all stand 165 cms tall, or should I call it 165 cms short. I was neither a good cricketer nor a sensual item dancer. But my funny bone sure did not let me down. It made me become a blogger

You call yourself a funny person? Till recently, I was a very serious human being, who was devoid of laughter.

So, if you are that serious a person, when did you become funny?

My love life made me a serious guy. As every Tom, Beep and Harry, I fell in love, too. I took it up as a challenge and in due course of time I started loving the challenge more than the girl. She told me that I was not serious in the relationship. That’s when I realised that “If I am not serious in the relationship, I am at least funny.” The funny guy was born.

Is that why you think they ranked you Asia’s funniest? Yup! My ex-girlfriend did not find me serious and they didn’t find me serious either.

How do you feel after being ranked so high on a global level? You’re the second funniest person online too, according to web2rank.

Paris Hilton is poor? Yes. I’ve seen some of her videos and she seems to have a lack of clothes at home. So I get cozy with her, in a social point of view.

What’s your blogging schedule on an average day? Eight hours of sleep. Eight hours of blogging and eight hours of work sums up my day.

What do you do apart from blogging? I was a business analyst with an IT firm. Then I moved on to event management and then I became an advertiser. Now I am scripting a book

Book? What is it about?

If I say I am sad would you believe me! I am still hunting for that numero uno guy. If I could just murder him… Jokes apart, it’s always a good feeling. It was as good as watching a Penelope Cruz movie or listening to The Beatles or eating litchi.

The book is a love story. The love of a three-year-old boy – the world from his eyes. Written in a simple way, in simple English but packed with humour in every nook and corner. It is targeted at all age groups.

What, according to you, is the attraction factor of your blog?

Yes, I would. I would. If people follow what I am gonna say, they would come up in their life. Men: Do not get serious in a relationship. Women: Love me like you always do. Kids: Do not wet your bed in the night. Senior citizens: Thanks a bunch for exploding the population of our country. Now just sit back and watch our game And, finally, working professionals: Visit my blog when you can, do not use proxy sites to access blocked sites and don’t spend too much time in the cafeteria. ■

Humour. I have to pull my readers and make them read my crap. In order to do that, I spice my posts with audio, video pictures and controversial topics packed with humour. And the most important reason is that I bash myself in most of my posts. Readers do not usually like to read someone bragging about himself.

I hear you get very cozy with celebrities like Paris Hilton on your blog? I am very socially conscious and I work for the upliftment of the poor.

Would you like to leave a social message?

04 KALEIDOSCOPE

ERGO Wednesday, October 29, 2008

New MacBook Family Apple has unveiled the LED cinema display featuring a 24-inch LED-backlit widescreen display with built-in iSight video camera, mic and speakers in an elegant, thin aluminium and glass enclosure. Designed for the new MacBook family, the product will be available from November through Apple Authorised Resellers. It is priced at Rs. 60, 900.

Stressed about credit crunch?

Onion goes live The Onion News Network, an offshoot of the satirical newspaper the Onion, will be available to online viewers across the U.K., Europe and Asia following an exclusive deal with digital distributor MyVideoRights.com. The service is kicking off with the run-up to the November 4 election, with the deal partly fuelled by what the partners call “the unprecedented interest that the U.K. and Europe have shown in the U.S. presidential election to date.” The Onion News Network, launched in March 2007, produces footage of current events, both real and imagined, and broadcasts 24/7. It parodies news networks such as CNN and ABC, with much of its humour stemming from interviews and news footage of current events.

CHILLAX Brits chill out in ‘world’s most relaxing room’

81-year-old finds love online An 81-year-old Chinese man has proved age need not be a barrier to Internet love, marrying a 58-year-old bride he met online. Wu Jieqin, a retired Beijing art professor who has spent time in an aged-care home, married Jiang Xiaohui, 23 years his junior, in a ceremony, the Beijing News reported. “The Internet doesn’t belong to the young alone,” he told the paper. He said he had been using the Internet since 1998. There are no rules against old people seeking love online. But to reach the altar, Wu had to overcome the opposition of Jiang’s parents, aged 85 and 86, who feared he was too old. The couple met after Wu, single since his divorce a decade ago, put a lonely hearts notice on a Chinese website last year with the help of a student.

Internet is changing minds The Internet is altering the way our brains work, according to a neuroscientist. Gary Small, a neuroscientist in California who specialises in brain function, has found through studies that Internet searching and text messaging has made brains more adept at filtering information and making snap decisions. But while technology can accelerate learning and boost creativity, it can have drawbacks as it can create Internet addicts whose only friends are virtual. This has sparked a dramatic rise in Attention Deficit Disorder diagnoses. Small, however, argues that the people who will come out on top in the next generation will be those with a mixture of technological and social skills. WENN

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s the financial crisis kicks in and stress levels surge, one British boffin claims to have invented the world’s most relaxing room – just the thing to soothe away the troubles. Professor Richard Wiseman has examined 30 years’ worth of research to concoct what he believes is the most relaxing combination of colours, sounds and smells. Once inside the room at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, north of London, people lay down on soft mats, bathed in green light, gazing at a screen of blurred blue light, as cloud-like smoke, the scent of lavender and soothing sounds of soprano and strings drift though the air. Stressed-out bankers, frazzled city types and worried workers of London’s commuter belt have trooped into Wiseman’s ultimate chill-out zone to try it for themselves. And the scientist’s heart rate monitors show his mysterious mix is certainly having a calming effect.

US $ Pound Euro 100 Yen

50.09 78.61 62.76 53.72

SOURCE: RBI

Rejuvenating “It’s been a lovely experience,” said health coach Mary Barton, 54, from nearby Welwyn Garden City. “I feel ready to face the day much more calmly now. My heart rate went down from 84 to 68. The best thing was giving

myself permission to stop. I forgot about the rest of my life.” Psychology expert Wiseman explained the science behind the sensory elements in his retreat. “With some of them, we know why they work, with others we just know that they work,” he told.

The science “The green light reminds people of being outside in a very natural environment. The blue light turns people’s attention inwards and stops them worrying about daily anxieties.” “The lavender has a very direct impact on the brain, affecting beta waves and making people more relaxed, and the music is very soothing, there’s nothing

People feel great when they’re in there and that has a longer-lasting effect. We know that good mood is associated with creativity, people are much better socially; they’re more able to cope with their problems

Inside the relaxing room. PHOTO: AFP

jagged in there – we know that danger is associated with sudden sounds. “It lets people know they’re in a very safe environment.” Despite the heart rate monitors, it is participant feedback rather than reams of data that Wiseman is after to fine-tune his relaxation room. Groups of businessmen, children and the general public have tried the space in the Weston Auditorium. “There are two benefits to being in the room,” he explained. “One is a lowering of all the physiological indicators of stress – blood pressure and heart rate, and so on. “The second is also enhancement of mood: people feel great when they’re in there and that has a longer-lasting effect. We know that good mood is associated with creativity, people are much better socially, they’re more able to cope with their problems.” Wiseman believes it could be the perfect budget antidote to the credit crunch. “Stress is a problem at the moment,” he said. Andrew Bendefy, 43, a hypnotherapist from nearby St Albans, said he had witnessed a recent rise in clients with workrelated problems and relaxation rooms could be of help. ■ AFP

05

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Very nice! Clothes from leading international labels available at a fraction of their original cost – Nice Casuals in Alwarpet is for the smart buyer

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urray’s Gate Road is, perhaps, best known for sizzler joint Tangerine. Proceed a little further, to Maharaja Surya Rao Road, and you’ll come across Nice Casuals. With the tagline ‘No Matter Wear’, this one-month-old store is a den of surprises. Stocking clothes for both men and women, Nice Casuals is the coming together of owner Md. Usman’s decade-long experience in the garment wholesale business. The clothes here are mostly export surplus stock that has been sourced from Tirupur, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. The store is a good source for western wear from leading international brands. For women, there are frocks, tunics, hooded jackets with interesting patchwork motifs, ponchos, t-shirts with graphic prints, beach dresses, corduroy skirts, silk dresses and the like. Be it for college wear, party wear or for

PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN

no specific occasion, you’ll find a variety on the shelves. Men can choose from a range of casual shirts, trousers, cargos and jackets. Check out the t-shirts, which come in some rather quirky designs. The store also plans to stock up on accessories shortly.■

Nice Casuals, No. 14, Maharaja Surya Rao Road, Alwarpet, Chennai - 600 018 Ph: 044 - 3912 6225 Store timings: 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. (Open all days) Website: www.nicecasuals.com

06 VILLAGE

ERGO Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Beatles The Beatles’ first Number 1 hit song was the 1964 tune Love Me Do.

US newspaper circulation drops

Ballots from space

Circulation dropped sharply at most major US newspapers in the six months ending in September, continuing a slide which has led to cutbacks in newsrooms across the United States, according to figures released on Monday. The Audit Bureau of Circulations, citing preliminary figures subject to audit, said circulation for 507 daily newspapers fell 4.64 per cent in the period to 38.16 million copies from 40.02 million in the same period last year. Sunday circulation for 571 newspapers fell by 4.85 per cent during the period to 43.63 million from 45.85 million in the same period last year.

Americans from all over the world will vote for the next US president November 4 but some ballots will come from the space also. Commander Edward Michael Fincke and flight engineer Gregory Chamitoff are living and working onboard the International Space Station. Although they are 350 km above the earth, orbiting at 28,000 km per hour, they will still be able to participate in the upcoming election. A 1997 bill passed by Texas legislators has set up a technical procedure for astronauts - nearly all of whom live in Houston - to vote from space. A secure electronic ballot, generated by local county clerk’s office, is uplinked by NASA’s Mission Control Center. An e-mail with crew member-specific credentials is sent from the county clerk to the crew member. After the astronauts cast their votes the ballot will be downlinked and delivered back to the county clerk’s office by e-mail.

AFP

China to boost women’s status China has put forward development targets for women in the coming five years that aimed to further boost women’s involvement in social and economic development and their participation in state affairs, according to the on-going national women’s congress. The targets also aim to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of women are fully protected. Chinese women’s ability should be further improved so that they could play a bigger role in building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, said All-China Women’s Federation DeputyChairwoman Huang Qingyi at the opening of the Tenth National Women’s Congress in Beijing. Huang, who delivered a work report on behalf of the ninth ACWF Executive Committee, said the targets also aim to improve women’s ability to create their own businesses and their abilities of science and technology innovation.

Xinhua

Japanese sailor convicted of US military leak A Japanese officer was found guilty on Tuesday of leaking data on the US-developed Aegis combat system, the first conviction in Washington’s close ally over the security of US military information. But the naval officer escaped prison time, with the court ruling that Japan did not have a proper system in place to prevent the incident which set off concern in Washington. Lieutenant Commander Sumitaka Matsuuchi, 35, was convicted of giving a CD with Aegis information to a colleague, who wanted to use it as an educational tool.

Xinhua

AFP

Hate crime down, anti-gay crime up in US Racial bias remains the most common motive, accounting for more than half of all reported hate crimes

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ate crime incidents decreased slightly last year, despite a surge in crimes targeting gays and lesbi-

ans. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported more than 7,600 hate crime incidents in 2007, down about one per cent from the previous year. The decline was driven by decreases in the two largest categories of hate crimes- crimes against race and religion. But prejudice against sexual orientation, the third-largest category, increased about 6 per cent, the report found.

The FBI report does not compare its data from one year to the next because the number of law enforcement agencies participating in the annual count varies from year to year. Although more agencies contributed to the 2007 report than the 2006 report, some trends are clear. Racial bias remains the most common motive, accounting for more than half of all reported hate crimes. Blacks, Jews and gays were the most frequent victims of hate crimes, the report found. The FBI report is purely statis-

tical and does not assign a cause for the slight overall decrease or increase in anti-gay hate crimes. More than a third of all hate crime incidents were categorised as vandalism or property destruction. The report was based on data drawn from 13,241 law enforcement agencies nationwide, covering about 85 per cent of the nation’s population. By comparison, the broader crime report the FBI puts out every year draws data from about 17,000 law enforcement agencies. ■ PTI

07

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Homosexuality

This day, that year

During World War I, the punishment for homosexuality in the French army was execution.

It was in October 29, 1863 that the International Committee of the Red Cross was founded.

Moscow enjoys economic boom F

oppish businessmen flirt with models in glitzy dresses, women crowd around jewellery displays, club revellers sip champagne – Russia’s party scene is showing little sign of a financial crisis. “Moscow’s not the kind of city where you feel a crisis,” said Katya Kochubei, a designer showing off her decadent 18th centurystyle gowns inspired by French queen Marie Antoinette at Moscow Fashion Week. While the rest of the world sinks into ever greater economic gloom and Moscow’s stock markets crash, the good times roll on for a Russian elite used to big spending during an unprecedented economic boom over the past few years. In a report last week, US research consultancy Bain and Company said markets like Russia would provide “a buffer of growth” for luxury goods companies and would continue to grow at 20 per cent a year over next five years. “Our clients are high class. They’re company directors. They’re not feeling it,” said Mikhail Afanasyev, a tailor who makes English suits for oil tycoons in Siberia and the Urals for some 8,000 dollars (6,000 euros) each.

There was little hardship at the fashion fair bonanza, where girls in backless dresses shimmied to thumping music and raked through the latest designs as chain-smoking youngsters sipped six-dollar (five-euro) espressos. Some of Russia’s super rich have felt the pinch – relatively speaking. Metals tycoon Oleg Deripaska, until recently Russia’s richest man, has lost billions of dollars from a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine this year at some 28 billion dollars and experts are warning the fall-out could get bigger. The shake-up in the Russian elite will be “in every way as big” as the 1998 financial crash that caused 80 percent of Russian names to disappear from the Forbes rich list, said Vladimir Fedorin, the deputy editor of Forbes Russia. But the influential Vedomosti business daily said in a recent editorial that even if some billionaires go under, a new generation with connections to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and state corporations will take their place. The tabloids meanwhile appear to have been more concerned recently with the fate of Maxim Galkin, a television perso-

Nepal to resume international adoptions

nality who has apparently been forced to halt construction of his imitation French chateau near Moscow by the crisis. Among those shrugging off the prospect of economic bad times ahead for Russia were exhibitors at the Extravaganza ‘luxury lifestyle’ fair this month in Moscow’s Manezh exhibition hall. ■

Markets like Russia would provide “a buffer of growth” for luxury goods companies and would continue to grow at 20 per cent a year over next five years, says US research consultancy Bain and Company

AFP

Obama or McCain?

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epal is to restart international adoptions after tightening regulations in the wake of widespread corruption allegations, an official said on Tuesday. Adoptions of Nepalese children by foreigners were stopped last year following reports of middlemen charging prospective parents up to 20,000 dollars. “New applications for adoption will be accepted within a month,” said Prakash Adhikari, an official at the ministry of women, children and social welfare. In the past, adoptive parents could approach children’s homes individually, but this practice had been ended, the official said. Adopting parents will pay 5,000 dollars to the children’s home

and 3,000 dollars to the government. In August, a United Nations report into adoptions in Nepal found that children were being sold, abducted and trafficked. Around 80 per cent of the 12,000 children in homes around Nepal had family they could live with and should not put up for adoption, said the report. ■ AFP

Adoptions were stopped last year following reports of middlemen charging prospective parents up to 20,000 dollars

쒀 Two Halloween pumpkins with the faces of Barack Obama and John McCain carved by Hugh McMahon, are displayed at an apartment in New York. AFP PHOTO

08 SPORT

ERGO Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Ponting’s fitness under scanner Australian captain Ricky Ponting is taking cortisones to keep his injured right wrist in shape for the third and crucial Delhi Test beginning on Wednesday. Ponting, who had surgery on his right wrist earlier this year, is receiving almost daily treatment from team physio Alexander Kountouris.

Aussie skipper

talks tough

Prakash-Jesse win Indian Davis Cupper Prakash Amritraj and Jesse Levine overcame a stiff challenge from American wild card pair of Scott Oudsema and Tim Smyczek to advance to the quarterfinals of the USD 50,000 ATP Challenger event in Louisville, US. The unseeded Indo-American partner beat their rivals 6-4, 6-7 (5-7) 10-6 to move to the next level. They next face winners of the match between Americans Zack Fleishman-Eric Nunez and Russian-American pair of Kevin Anderson and Sam Warburg. In the singles, Prakash will open his campaign against Warburg. PTI

Boxers excel V Santosh Kumar (64kg) and Bajrang (54kg) booked their pre-quarterfinal berths with convincing wins as Indians rounded off yet another good day at the inaugural AIBA Youth World Boxing Championship in Guadalajara, Mexico. Santosh opened the proceedings for India, and put on a dominating performance to send Armenian Aram Martirosyan packing with a 12-5 win on Monday. The Indian takes on Javier Minor Mendoza Salazar of Costa Rica in the pre-quarterfinals. Bajrang then out-punched Filipino Francis Aston Palicite 27-8 in a lopsided bout to make it two wins in a row for the Indian camp. He will now be up against Dominican Republic’s Angel Miguel Queliz de la Cruz. However, the day ended on a disappointing for the Indians after K Roshan Singh lost 6-14 to Ukraine’s Sheffer Oleg in his opening bout of the feather weight category. With Santosh and Bajrang through to last 16, the number of Indians in the pre-quarterfinals stage stands at five after Balwinder Beniwal (69kg), Neeraj Goyat (60kg) and Thokchom Nanao Singh (48kg) also advanced with easy wins on Sunday. PTI

Ponting admits Hayden was overaggressive in Mohali

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aptain Ricky Ponting has made it known to Matthew Hayden that the opener had made a mistake by overdoing his aggression as it cut his batting stint short during the second innings of the Mohali Test against India which Australia lost by 320 runs. Chasing a mammoth fourth innings target of 516, Hayden came out all guns blazing, took on Indian fast bowlers, particularly Zaheer Khan, and raced to 29 off 20-balls. But Hayden did not stop his aggressive batting even after the introduction of Harbhajan Singh and was dismissed by the Indian offie’s first delivery in that innings. Ponting said, in his column in The Australian, that Hayden should have slowed down and curbed his aggression by the time Harbhajan was introduced. “I’ve made a point of talking to every player at some stage during training over the past couple of days just to see how they’re going. That includes a good chat with Matty Hayden about the way he batted during the second innings of the second Test, when he took on Zaheer Khan. Haydos (Hayden) plays his best cricket when he gets himself locked into a oneon-one battle with a bowler. There’s no doubt about that. When you see him glaring back at the bowler you know he’s really up for the contest. He went beyond that in the second innings after Zaheer had dismissed him in the first three innings. Haydos wanted to put the pressure back on the bowler but he was actually through that stage,” he said. “He got to 29 and didn’t need to go hard any more. He’d won that battle and there was a change of bowler. Harbhajan Singh came on and I think he could have pulled the reins in a little bit then,’’ Ponting wrote. The Aussie skipper also did not

mince words that pace spearhead Breet Lee has failed to live up to expectations. “Brett Lee’s probably been putting extra pressure on himself. He was obviously disappointed after the second Test. He was one of a number of players who didn’t meet their expectations, including me. It’s important to do what he’s done. Have a couple of days of reflection and then get that all out of the way and look at what he needs to do building up to this Test to give himself the best pos-

sible chance of playing well. Everything that’s come out of his mouth and his actions in the past few days have been spot on. He’s been in the gym doing extra weights and doing extra running and bowling sessions, so he’s giving himself every opportunity to be ready for this game. To see him take things on like that and have a bit of an extra spring in his step about it will be great for him and hopefully rub off on the rest of the team.” ■ PTI

Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting (left) shares a light moment with teammate Brett Lee during a training session at Feroz Shah Kotla ground in New Delhi. PHOTO: AFP

09

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

WADA removes hair-loss drug from banned list A popular hair-loss drug known for its parallel use as a masking agent for other banned substances has been taken off the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list, WADA said. Finasteride, usually prescribed to slow the process of hair loss, has been removed from WADA’s 2009 banned list because scientists can now more easily detect the drugs it can be used to mask.

Who will have the last laugh? PHOTO: AFP

Epic F1 battles Tragedy and triumph mark F1 deciders

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ewis Hamilton may be just a hairsbreadth away from the Formula One world championship, but the sport’s history books show how final race title deciders are littered with tragedy and triumph. The British driver knows to take nothing for granted. Twelve months ago, he needed to finish only fifth at the closing Brazilian Grand Prix to take the title, but mechanical and tactical errors handed the crown to Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen by just one point.

Scary history The dangerous, daring days of the 1970s witnessed plenty of last race dramas. At the 1974 US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, Emerson Fittipaldi, like Hamilton a McLaren driver, Clay Regazzoni and Jody Scheckter all stood a chance of claiming the title. The race, however, was marred by the death of Austrian driver Helmut Koinigg who was killed when his Surtees car crashed at high-speed into a barrier. On the track, Fittipaldi’s

fourth place was enough to clinch the championship. The 1976 championship was also decided in the last race at a wet and wild Fuji. That season had already seen Niki Lauda, in a Ferrari, and extrovert McLaren pilot James Hunt tussle for the title but the Austrian’s hopes seemed over when his car crashed in flames during the German Grand Prix. Lauda returned to action but saw his 26-point lead over Hunt trimmed to just three by the time they came to the season’s climax in Japan. In torrential rain, Lauda, believing the conditions were too dangerous, retired at the end of the opening lap. Hunt finished third, took four points and grabbed the championship by one point. “It had been raining that week like you couldn’t believe and, in my opinion; it was too dangerous to drive,” insisted Lauda who was world champion in 1975, 1977 and 1984. “So I pulled out after one lap. I was lucky to have survived that far and I had the choice not to risk my life again.”

In 1986, three drivers went to Adelaide for the final race of the season still in with a chance of the title – Nigel Mansell had 70 points, Alain Prost was on 64 while Nelson Piquet had 63. Mansell, who was to be champion in 1992, saw his chances wrecked when his left rear tyre exploded in spectacular style, handing the lead to Williams teammate Piquet who then surrendered it to Prost who went on to claim a second successive world championship.

Schumi’s tragedy In 1994, Michael Schumacher went into the season-ending Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide leading by just one point from Britain’s Damon Hill. But the pair collided after the German turned his Benetton into Hill’s Williams. Neither finished the race and so Schumacher won the title. “I don’t think it’s a question of forgiving. It was all very exciting at the time and you just try to get stuck into the next season,” said Hill who went

on to be world champion two years later. “It was disappointing that I didn’t win but, to be fair, it was a closelyfought championship and a sad one because we lost Ayrton Senna (who was killed at Imola earlier in the year). So quite honestly I was glad to see the back of it.” Schumacher was again involved in title-deciding controversy in 1997 but this time came off worst as his Ferrari battled with the Williams of Jacques Villeneuve in the season finale at Jerez. The German led the Canadian by a point but the two cars came together on lap 48 as Villeneuve attempted to slip by on the inside. Schumacher had to retire; Villeneuve finished third to take the title by three points while the German was later stripped of his runners-up spot. “If there were a situation in my career which I could undo, it would be this,” Schumacher confessed nine years later. ■ AFP

10 FLICK

ERGO Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Don’t be silly People on the set of The Truman Show (1998) were forbidden from uttering phrases from Jim Carrey’s past “silly” movies.

Hudson’s nephew found dead D

esperate pleas for the safe return of starlet Jennifer Hudson’s seven-year-old nephew ended in despair on Monday when police found the boy’s bullet-riddled body in an abandoned vehicle on Chicago’s west side. Julian King had not been seen since Hudson’s sister discovered the bodies of their brother and mother shot to death in the family home on Friday afternoon. While it is too soon to guess at a motive, police believe “it wasn’t the case of a stranger-type homicide,” superintendent Jody Weis told reporters. Weis said he was “pretty optimistic” the evidence would lead them to the killer. Police have not yet identified a suspect in the case but the boy’s stepfather, William Balfour, is

Desperate pleas end in despair as body of kid found in abandoned vehicle

considered a “person of interest,” Weis said. Balfour, who was taken into custody for questioning on Friday, is being held on a parole violation but has not been charged. Estranged from Hudson’s older sister Julia, he has denied involvement in the murders or disappearance, law enforcement sources said. The Oscar-winning star of Dreamgirls used

her website and MySpace page to post photos of the chubby cheeked boy and offer up a 100,000 dollar reward for his return. In one photo, a smiling Julian cuddles with his grandmother: “that’s how close they were” Hudson wrote. Others show how “he loves his mom” or “does the fat kid dance” or is “not the size of an average seven-year old” but has “a baby face.” Hours after his body was discovered, Julian’s photo and the reward were removed from Hudson’s website and replaced with the simple note: GETTY IMAGES

Portman in ‘Love and Other Impossible Pursuits’

Now, Rambo V

S

N

atalie Portman is all set to act in Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, a film adaptation of an Ayelet Waldman novel that will be directed by Don Roos. The flick is based on a young woman, played by Portman, who finds the key to recovering her marriage in her relationship with her precocious stepson. David Molner, managing director of Screen Capital Intl. and chairman of Incentive Filmed Entertainment, the financial entity, revealed that the Anywhere But Here actress retrieved the flick, which was imperilled when Jennifer Lopez abruptly dropped out. “We were left in the lurch by one actress and rescued by another,” Variety magazine quoted Molner as saying. ■ ANI

Julian King in a file photo

ylvester Stallone has revealed that he plans on bringing back Vietnam veteran John Rambo for a fifth instalment. In the fourth instalment of the action movie franchise in 2008, Rambo returned to battle the Burmese army 26 years after he took his big screen bow in 1982’s First Blood. With the Rambo IV being a big hit, Stallone (62) is now eager to bring out the fifth part, and he reveals that talks are already underway for it. “Rambo hopefully will be back. We’ve just got to give you guys a story that’s worthwhile,” Contactmusic quoted him as telling TMZ.com. ANI

“Thank you all for your prayers and calls. The support has been overwhelming and we thank you for being there for us through this tough time. Sincerely, The Hudson Family.” Police believe Hudson’s brother, Jason (29) was shot through the door of the family home on Chicago’s south side. The shooter then entered the home and kept firing, hitting Hudson’s mother Darnell Donerson (57) as she entered the room. Hudson’s older sister, Julia, discovered the bodies around 3 p.m. on Friday but there was no sign of her son. Julian was found in the back seat of his uncle’s missing sports utility vehicle shortly after 7 a.m. on Monday, police said. ■ AFP

11

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Sound sound

Flushed

The first movie to use Dolby surround sound was Star Wars (1977).

The first time movie audiences were treated to a flushing toilet was in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 release, Psycho.

What peeves

Reeves? Civil trial of Keanu Reeves begins over paparazzi incident

Best opening ever for a movie musical

D

isney’s High School Musical 3: Senior Year ruled the weekend box office with a gross business of 42 million dollars, the best opening ever for a movie musical. ■ ANI

A

civil trial on allegations that actor Keanu Reeves tried to run over a celebrity news photographer with his Porsche 911 got underway on Monday, with opening arguments heard by the jury. The plaintiff’s lawyer Joseph Farzam said his paparazzi client Alison Silva fell to the ground and hurt his hand when Reeves drove his car into him on March 19, 2007. He claimed 40,000 dollars in medical expenses for the injury. Reeve’s lawyer Alfred Gerisch, in turn, said Silva was three metres (yards) from the actor’s car during the alleged incident in a posh neighborhood in southwest Los Angeles. He accused the photographer of aggressive behaviour. In September, a Los Angeles judge dismissed assault claims filed against Reeves by Silva, saying there was no evidence to support the allegations, ruling out a criminal trial. The judge said Silva had fallen when he tripped over his own feet and that Reeves himself appeared to have been the victim of an assault by Silva when the photographer put his hands on the actor’s car. ■ AFP

Mariah Carey in X Factor

M

ariah Carey is all set to sing at the X Factor show on November 8. The judge of the show, Simon Cowell, has always appreciated her singing talent, and has even compared acts to her singing. “Simon loves Mariah – he’s always comparing acts to her. And finally all the compliments have paid off. It’s amazing to have such a big name singing on a British talent show,” British tabloid The Sun quoted a source as saying. “Mariah is one of the most successful female artistes of all time. It’s going to blow Strictly Come Dancing out the water,” the source added. ■ ANI

GETTY IMAGES

12

ERGO Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Friday’s question: What would you say if you are caught sleeping at your desk? ■ Form downloading is slow, so I was thinking about my target. Vijayaraj, Perot Systems

■ Boss! Why did you interrupt me? I had almost figured out a solution to our biggest problem.

Babloo Allsec

■ Nenga thongum pothu nan disturb panna matten, nan thongum pothu neengalum disturb panna kudathu. Peachu peacha irukanum. Okva.

Srinivasan, Verizon

■ Suffering from headache and feeling feverish since this morning boss, was just coming to you to inform you that I will not be coming tomorrow.

Musfira, TCS

■ To Manager: “Sir, I was OVERWHELMED by the love you show on me by feeding me (with work) so much, that for a moment I felt at home.”

Jai, CGSL

■ I would show the picture I clicked when my boss was sleeping and would say, “Sir I am your sincere follower.”

Lakshmi, Ramco Systems

■ I feel really fresh after doing meditation for 5 minutes. All our team members can practise this wonderful mind relaxing technique sir.

Gaja Lakshmi, Cognizant

■ I would say that I was thinking about a program that works automatically even if a person is sleeping at his desk so that he doesn’t get backlogs in his project.

Pradeep, STLND

■ I would say that I was meditating in order to concentrate on my work.

Serena, Allsec

■ Pathu nimisam kalichu eluppi vidringala? Pls…

■ My Team Leader Touch my shoulder suddenly I said, “Mannarey nam kotaikul yaro ethiri naatu ottran nurazhinthu vittan”. Elayaraja, Allsec

■ I would say to my boss that I was not sleeping but was doing meditation to relieve my stress, work pressure.

Sundar Shri Ganesh, CGSL

■ Start shouting ‘EUREKA, EUREKA I have identified the root cause of the error in my processes and start typing frantically on keyboard.’

R Suresh, CGSL

■ Oooops... Actually I was just thinking about that project by just closing my eyes and yes it’s really worth doing like this! Now I got more ideas.

Sunil, CGSL

■ The issue is so big and critical which made me think so deeply... Still I didn’t get solution, should continue it till I get a solution.

Vijayan from CTS has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime. This photo was taken in Ooty

Joe, TCS

■ Deeply thinking about U.S stock market as I put up in U.S projects.

Satish, Ramco Systems

■ Don’t get up at all and act as if I had fainted.

Vijaya, Infosys

■ I am dreaming for a solution to the problem we had today. In the team meet you asked us to dream BIG to progress. So I was following your advice.

G.Abel Missier, CGSL

■ I will say, "Actually I was thinking deeply about a critical issue, closing my eyes. I was not sleeping, just thinking."

Rakshita Sreenivasan, Oracle DBA, Wipro Technologies

■ Actually I was thinking about merging of X file with Y file and adding those with Z file.

Manonmani Kesav, HCL

Shyam Kumar from Pals Advertising has nominated his team for Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked in Kodaikanal.

■ I would say I was mediating to keep myself focussed at work. Sunil S, Dell, Sutherland I am ideating.

Ganesan, TCS

[email protected], CGSL

■ Why did you disturb me? I was just to get the solution for one of our greatest problems.

Kalai, E4E NITTANY

■ I would say that I was thinking how to proceed with the client requirement.

Padmini, Wipro

■ I wasn’t sleeping I was just trying to pick up my contact lens wit out hands.

Rajesh

■ I am relaxing my eyes from computer radiation / Thinking of better solution for your problem.

Magesh

■ I am jus trying to do what my desk leader does.

Vj- God Of Humour (Wipro)

■ I would say that I was meditating for the peace of human mankind.

Karthik, Perot Systems

■ Working for project in dreams also

Jagadeesh Reddy, Polarìs

■ I am under thought process. Just thinking about this problem.

Shikha Arora, TCS

■ Suddenly I will change the plate n say my boss that I got a dream in that he got a higher promotion.

Bhargavi, Perot Systems

Today’s Query: The one cost-cutting measure you would love to see is ...

Ravi C from Tidel Park has nominated his team for Partners in Crime. This picture was taken in Tidel Park.

13

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

■ Hi Ramya, I Wish You Belated Happy Birthday. I found the meaning of friendship only from you... On your birthday I Wish You All Success. I thank to god and ask him to give you as my friend in my every birth. Yours, Sivaprakash. Perot Systems

■ Dear Subha Wish You Many More Happy Returns of the Day! Your are very special to us and you always deserve the best. We wish you a wonderful life filled with Love and happiness always.

Birthday Wishes From all of us... Your Team Mates., Sundaram Business Services Ltd.

■ Dear Deepa (DD), “Let the god decorate each golden ray of the sun reaching u with wishes of success, happiness & prosperity for you”. Wish u a wonderful happy birthday :)

With loads of love & wishes, Sanjay,Wasim,Santosh,Surender, Jaiyanthi,Praveen,David,Achu Allsec Technologies Pvt Ltd.

■ Hai T. Arun (CGSL) Wishing you a belated Birthday greeting and praying for many more returns of the day. Being a long weekend we are celebrating it on Tuesday the 28th Oct 2008. God Bless you with all prosperity

Irfana Thasnim.H from Wipro Technologies doodled this.

■ Hi Mohan Babu "Happy Birthday to you :)”

With tons of love and regards,

Best Wishes From R.Vaasanthi, Infosys

■ Hi Priya, We wish you a very happy birthday. Wishing you a prosperous year ahead.

Cheers, ASD – Tyco Team” Infosys

■ Dear Radee, On your birthday we wish you much pleasure and joy; hope all of your wishes come true. May each hour and minute be filled with delight, And this year be perfect for you! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Regards, Satyam SAP Solution Studio Team

■ Hi Padhu, Wish You A Happy Birthday Friend... May u have the God’s best in everything. Have a great day and wonderful year Ahead.

Regards Manju K Mathai, HCL Technologies, Gream’s Road

■ Dear Apu (PSL), Count ur life by smiles, not tears. Count ur age by friends, not years. May this Birthday b just d beginning of a yr filled wit Happy memories, Wonderful moments & Shining dreamz. May ur Nytz b fil’d wit Comforting Dreams & wishes to come. Just lik fine wine, u grow better wit d yrs. May this yr b ur best ever. HaPpY bIrThDaY...

Cheers, Charles, Polaris

■ Dear Ezhil, May your birthday bring you as much happiness as you give to everyone who knows you. Happy Birthday !!!

Hearty Wishes from, UST-Global

Mani: When we go out somewhere if a cat crosses us what does it mean? Ashok: I hope it means something bad is going to happen or the work that you are going to do will not succeed. Mani: No..., it means "the cat is also going somewhere." Manikandan RR Donnelley

■ Dear Ashwathy, Hope all that you do turns out happy for you and all that you wish comes your way, So each hour will bring every wonderful thing you could ask of a wonderful day. Happy Birthday !!!

Hearty Wishes from, UST-Global, Chennai.

14 TRAFFIC JAM

ERGO Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Fat Mexican wedding The world’s heaviest man has tied the knot. Manuel Uribe, who hasn’t left his bed in six years, married his longtime girlfriend Claudia Solis Sunday in northern Mexico.

sudoku

Mohamed Raffie from Satyam clicked this picture at Chettiyar Park in Kodaikannal. Hobbies: Photography, travelling, cooking

KAKURO So you think you would make a terrific photographer but never really had the platform? Mail us your best work and we’ll publish it in this space, with credit. E-mail: [email protected]

TEAM Editor: Karthik Subramanian [email protected]

Sr Dy Chief Designer: J.A. Prem Kumar Dy Chief Designer: R. Ravi Kannan Illustrator: R. Venugopal Technical Support: V.R. Vasudevan, K.G. Gurumurthy N. Ravichandran, E. Baskar Head of Advertising: Sriya Narayanan [email protected]

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Printed and Published by S. Karthik on behalf of KASTURI & SONS LTD., at Plot B-6 & B-7, CMDA Industrial Complex, Maraimalai Nagar, Chengleput Taluk, Kancheepuram Dist., Pin: 603209 & at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002. Editor: S. Karthik (Editor responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553

15

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Word’s worth

Getaway kart

"Pactitious" (pack-tish-us) an obsolete and rare adjective meaning ’characterized by being agreed upon or specified in a contract.’

A seven-year-old went on a mini crime wave in a shopping centre in Germany - using a go-kart as his getaway car.

B.C ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20 It’s likely to be an average day for professional work. Mundane tasks may consume lot of time and still your concern for quality of work may remain high. You may be worried about pending work. Love may need to be handled with utmost care.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20 At the beginning of the day you might have to do lot of work. As the day progresses, you may feel worked up and tired. In second half, you will be concerned about love life so you may not spend long hours at office and rush to meet sweetheart.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20 You will be developing good professional skills in first half of the day and second part is all about putting those skills into practice. The day demands more ’mental hard work’. In second half, you may need to ensure that your love life is not sidelined.

BORN LOSER

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20 Ganesha augurs you enjoying good time at work. In second half you have scope of proving your professional skills. Time is good for working on new assignments. Love relationships may strike better level of understanding in second half of the day.

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20 Constant thinking process may keep you busy today. Be it home or office, you may be busy making plans. In later part of the day, you may be highly concerned about domestic affairs. You will be very serious about matters related to heart.

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

FREE RANGE

WORKING IT OUT

In first half of the day, you may talk more and work less, but in the second half of the day you may work more and talk less. Ganesha finds you exchanging sweet dialogues with sweetheart. You may enjoy nice dinner with your beloved.

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20 At the beginning of the day, your focus will be on yourself. You may think about money matters and job security later. Your relations with your lover may strengthen up because of a positive event. It’s day to count on people you love the most.

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20 Even if the day doesn’t begin with any good news, not to worry, as later part of the day favours you completely. In later part of the day you may be appreciated by peers. You will be able to share some precious time with your beloved.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20 Ganesha foresees you keeping very busy with various activities at office. Later part of the day is slightly unfavourable for important professional decisions but it is a good time for love life. You may spend a wonderful evening with your beau.

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20 You may remain energetic in first part of the day but towards later part of the day your focus may shift to gains. If you apply same rules in personal life, they may not work. Your lover may demand lot of attention and may wish to spend time with you.

PREVIOUS ISSUE’S SOLUTIONS

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20 You will be sharing your views with the team members. It might be slightly difficult to convince everyone on each point but you may try hard to prove your points. In love life you will be able to strike perfect balance and keep your partner happy.

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20 First part is totally uneventful but in second half, you will be motivating others and may also be giving interesting suggestions. You will share your sentiments with someone very close and if you are in love, you will spend time with your lover. Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni

16 !

ERGO Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Baby towed with car British traffic wardens towed away a car parked outside a doctor’s surgery - without spotting a two month old baby inside.

Sudoku superstar

Lennon paid tribute John Lennon’s school pal Stan Williams has revealed the identity of the pretty nurse featured in The Beatles’ hit Penny Lane as Beth Davidson. Beth Davidson, who till date was identified as a woman wearing cadet nurse’s uniform and selling poppies, was actually Lennon’s chum when he was just 14. Williams revealed Lennon chatted to Beth with him on the Liverpool Street in October 1954, reports British tabloid The Sun. Later, he paid tribute to her in his 1967 hit, with the lyrics: “Behind the shelter in the middle of the roundabout, the pretty nurse is selling poppies from the tray.” Beth later wed Lennon’s pal Pete Shotton, of the skiffle group The Quarrymen, which evolved into the Beatles. ANI

Lenson Andrade is one of the three people representing India at the World Puzzle Championships in Belarus MITHRA SURESH [email protected]

S

udoku is the most challenging puzzle for this M.Tech student from IIT-Madras. And for all those years spent poring over number puzzles, Lenson Andrade’s efforts have paid off – he is one of the three Indian representatives to be participating in the ongoing World Puzzle Championships being held in Belarus. In the qualifiers held last month, he had to solve 25 puzzles in two and a half hours, which was a mix of maths puzzles such as Sudoku and Kakuro. “Last year, India’s rank was 13 in the finals,” he says and explains that the rank should not fall this year. So what kind of a chance does this youngster see of winning? “This year, the team only has newbies, in the sense none of us have participated in the World Puzzle Championships before. So, we’re practising hard, but I can’t say what advantage the previous Indian team had over us.” On being asked what it takes to qualify for a competition of this magnitude, he says, “I think it is important to be able to solve puzzles quickly, which is possible after a considerable amount of practice. I

have been at it for the last four years, but still there are some Sudoku puzzles which I cannot solve.” But Lenson does rely on solving at least a puzzle a day, on which he spends at least 15 minutes. But then, as part of mental sports, what is the interest for an average human being? Although Lenson’s IQ stands in the 142-150 range, he says, “Frankly, I don’t believe in IQ tests. It does help to measure what a person is capable of, but there is no saying what one can achieve after practice.” A person may just have to

spend an hour a day solving puzzles to participate in competitions, he believes. ■

This year, the team only has newbies, in the sense none of us has participated in the World Puzzle Championships before. So, we’re practising hard

Laptops to detect quakes Six-pack Khan A brawnier Aamir Khan unveiled the first look of his much-awaited film Ghajini in Mumbai on Tuesday. The one minute clip shows Aamir in his new six-pack abs, for which he had to work out three to four hours every day for several months. The film, which was scheduled for release on Diwali, will now hit the theatres on Christmas, Dec 25. “We were planning to release the film on Diwali, but it did not happen because of my injury, so we decided to at least unveil its first look on this day,” Aamir told reporters. Aamir said it was quite difficult for him to work on his new looks as he was required to build a perfect body, including six-pack abs. “After I finished Taare Zameen Par, I started to work on my look for the film. It was a tough time when I had to work on my body for nearly three to four hours a day.” IANS

I

n a new project, scientists have used laptops to detect several earthquakes, taking the help of small accelerometer chips inside the machines. The project is known as the project Quake Catcher Network (QCN). Scientists have found out that the tiny accelerometer chip is a pretty good earthquake sensor as well, especially if the signals from lots of them are compared, in order to filter out more mundane sources of laptop vibrations, such as typing. The project has about 1500 laptops connected in a network that has detected several tremors, including a magnitude 5.4 quake in Los Angeles in July this year. Led by Elizabeth Cochran at the University of California, Riverside, and Jesse Lawrence at Stanford University, QCN uses the same BOINC platform for volunteer computing that projects like SETI@home rely on.

The project has about 1500 laptops connected in a network that has detected several tremors, including a magnitude 5.4 quake One of the benefits of this new technology is price. Research-grade earthquake sensors typically cost between 10,000 dollars and 100,000 dollars. Though they are much more sensitive, and can detect the subtle signals of faraway quakes that laptops will never pick up, but they are expensive. According to Lawrence, “With many more cheap sensors, instead of guessing where strong motions

were felt by interpolating between sensors, we should be able to know where strong motions were felt immediately, because we have sensors there.” Another advantage is that QCN sensors can record the maximum ground shaking. Many high-sensitivity sensors cut short the full extent of the oscillations they are measuring even for moderate earthquakes. ANI