Live It Oct09

feature Vol. 2 Issue 13

120 Profile

contents october 2009

38 50 53 56 59 73 74 77 88 90 101

Great Gadgets for Health and Beauty 24x7 Shopping! Geek Goes Glam Tech lends Wings to Couture Culture Technology in Communication Entertainment – When You Want It Futuristic Wearable Technology Redefining Kitchen Experience 5 Innovations that Changed Our Life Access Total Tech in Vogue for lifestyle buffs

tech tip

24

Different Sites to Suit Different Moods

62 My KidZui4: Safe Browsing for Kids

27

Ideas for Modern Home Décor

41 Style IT

63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72

Free International Calls from PokeTALK Clerkdogs for Movie Recommendations Net PC from Airtel Touch up your Digital Photos Generate a Virtual Credit Card RBI Norms for Safe Shopping Embellish photos with paint.net Finerday: Where families connect Soundsnap: Explore the sound library Bomomo: Art on Digital Canvas

86

Internet @ 40

118 Star Diary

how to

Founder Vishwa Nath (1917-2002)

106 Watch Multiple Computers through Netflix 108 How to hide or show genius bar in iTunes8 110 Keyboard shortcuts for punctuation

Editor, Publisher & Printer Paresh Nath Editorial Office E-3, Jhandewalan Estate, Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi-110055 Phones: 41398888, 23529557 E-mail: [email protected]

marks in Kindle 2

112 Disable the rumble effect on Wii remote 114 Capturing newborns with your lens

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regulars 6 Letter from Editor 8 Tech News 12 Did You Know? 17 Letters to the Editor peek & pick 116 Tech Career 124 Magic Keyboard 122 Profile - Sreelakshmi Suresh 125 8 GB USB Flash Drive & 130 Shopper’s Guide Personal Safety System for Women 131 Q&A 126 Radio Control Helicopter & Car & HP F2235 MFP Printer-Scanner-Copier 132 Glossary 127 Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Netbook 128 Logitech 4 Port USB Hub & Mobile Express Card Reader

129 Citizen Body Fat Analyzer

129

Dell XPS One

Regional Offices Ahmedabad: 503, Narayan Chambers, Asharam Road, Ahmedabad - 380009, Phone: 26577845

15

Care IT

Chennai: 14, First Floor, Cison’s Complex, Montieth Road, Chennai - 600008, Phone: 28554448 Jaipur: Geetanjali Tower, Shop No. 114, Opp. Vyas Hospital, Ajmer Road, Jaipur - 302006, Phone: 3296580 Kochi: G7- Pioneer Towers, 1 Marine Drive, Kochi - 682031, Phone: 2371537 Kolkata: Poddar Point, 3rd Floor, 113 Park Street, Kolkata - 700016, Phone: 22298981 Lucknow: B-G/3, Sapru Marg, Luck now - 226001, Phone: 2618856 Mumbai: A 4, Shriram Industrial Estate, Wadala - 400031, Phones: 65766302, 65766303 Patna: 111, Ashiana Towers, Exhibition Road, Patna - 800001, Phone: 2685286 Secunderabad: 122, Chenoy Trade Centre, 116, Park Lane, Secunderabad - 500003, Phone: 27841596 Printed and published at Delhi Press Samachar Patra Pte Ltd., A-36, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad and Delhi Press, E-3, Jhandewalan Estate, Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi - 110055. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publishers. This copy is sold on the condition that jurisdiction for disputes from sale, subscription and the published matter will be handled at courts/forums/tribunals at Delhi. Title Live IT is registered with Government of India as trademark. 2008 © D elhi Press Patra Prakashan Pte Ltd., New Delhi - 110055, India.

Letter

From Editor’s Desk IT for a trendy lifestyle It’s been a year since we started out with our venture of bringing out a magazine that blended IT and living for the modern contemporary woman. In many ways, Live IT was, in fact, an experiment to bring IT closer to home and to the everyday user – one who was not interested in learning the engineering behind the technology, but would rather focus on the use of IT in her daily life. Whether at school, college, workplace or at home, IT has become an inextricable part of our life. And yet, many of us know so little about it beyond the basic uses. Over the last year, therefore, in these pages of Live IT, we have tried to bring you closer to fastevolving technologies and make you more aware of the innumerable nuances of the digital world – all of which can help us live a more wholesome life. From travel to education, gaming to entertainment, nano technology to Web 2.0, our endeavour has been to demystify the world of IT and present it to you in simple and lucid writing. And now as we have completed the first year of Live IT, we bring to you a special issue dedicated to the underlying philosophy behind the magazine, that of bringing together IT and trendy living. In this issue, we explore the various ways in which IT is seamlessly becoming a part of our emerging fashionable lifestyle. Be it fashion, home décor, tech gadgets, shopping, health or travel, through a curious mix of overt and covert ways, IT is seeping through all the different aspects of what constitutes our trendy lifestyle. This issue talks about the interesting ways that detail how our IT quotient can push up our chic quotient, and what all one should look out for in the coming times from the digital world, which would make for our smart living. Hope you enjoy reading this special issue of Live IT and find some fascinating ideas that provide a true blend of IT and lifestyle. Anant Nath Managing Editor

News News compiled by Priyanka Dey

A H IT W S E M O C X A M KING I IN M F O N IO IT D E I L DIWA FLASH DRIVE

ion of products, has launched the Diwali edit r and supplier of DRAM and Flash ture ufac seems a man ly al sure glob this ing n, lead a dow x, Kingma the economic slow celebrate the festival of lights. After to GB) (4 e n. driv chai flash key USB esha i Gan Min k Super Stic y is also gifting a Lord . Along with the product, the compan year er x’s bett a gma rs Kin ume er, cons furth ali wish to Diw nice way echo the spirit of ensures high speed data transfer. To and of rpro t wate is i mos Min the k is a Stic er nesh The Sup p of Lord Ganesha. “Ga l firework package and a golden stam rence design team has rolled out a colourfu ents, his ‘puja’ is a must,” stated Law ishm mpl passage on the road to acco oth smo re in India ensu ds To bran ies. e deit thre of s top auspiciou become one of the blessings, we believe that our aim to his th “Wi x. gma Kin of t iden Pres Chang, will become a reality.”

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MICROSOFT ZUNE HD

success by finally beating Apple at its own game Microsoft has been trying for years and it is quite likely that they may taste (16 GB) and that started with the iPod. Microsoft’s wonderful Zune HD, priced at $219.99 $289.99 (32 GB), seems to be giving quite a tough competition to the iPod touch. The only disadvantage for the Zune HD is the robust App Store. Otherwise, it flaunts a beautiful touchscreen, a brilliant user interface, HD radio and perhaps the best browser since Apple’s mobile Safari. While the Touch is the best PMP available, the Zune HD comes quite close and it is strongly recommended for those who don’t want to use iTunes. The Zune HD is definitely smaller, lighter and more chic. Also, at the only capacity where the two players overlap (32 GB), the Zune HD will cost you $10 less.

IT ’S HOT! IT ’S ZUNE 4.0

Microsoft is certainly going great gun s as it has launched the new Zune 4.0 software with amazing features and improvements for Windows 7 based a whole lot of systems. What’s more, it is a must for ente rtainment lovers as the Zune Marketp catalog will be available through the lace service browser. Just pay $14.99 (Rs. 720 app rox.) and you can access a vast library of six million songs for streaming. MS has also add ed an Apps Catalogue to download apps from the Zune Marketplace. Users can also stream or download audio as well as video podcasts from Zune.net. There are more features to gladden your heart including the Smart DJ, which automat ically creates a playlist from the music featu red on your system, PC library or even the online Zune Marketplace. All you need to do is to right-click on a song, artist or album and your Sma rt DJ Mix will be right there at your service. Once the Smart DJ Mix is up, music from your collection , as well as from the Zune Marketplace, will be pulled for playing. If you own a Zune Pass, song s from Zune Marketplace will appear as Suggested; else they will be greyed out. You can save the Smart DJ Mix queue as playlist. The software also offers playback controls and Quickplay opti on for instant access to your favourite music.

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News

IT ENTICES POLITICIANS TOO

Sonia Gandhi, chief of India’s ruling Congress Party, recently inaugurated Infosys Global Educ ation Centre-II, the extension of its world class training facility GEC-I. Sprawled over 337 acres of land, the Mysore campus has the capacity to groom a total of 14,000 IT professionals. Considering its infrastructure and size of operations, Infosys’ Global Education Center seems to be the largest corporate education centre in the world. In fact, it is so impressive that Sonia herself has been bowled over. After the inauguration, she remarked in a lighter vein that she wished to be with the students for a few days. “This visit is giving me the opportunity to bunk my school of politics for a few hours. And after I have done a tour of this campus and admired its beautiful facilities, the buildings, the environment, the trees, the flowers, I honestly want to say that I wish I could bunk a few days and stay on here with you all,” she added.

CE A F R E T IN Y T T A F S IM R T FACEBOOK

tning-fast experience. So may not have been a ligh ok ebo Fac ng eni op ns, clutter. And for the status es or dial-up connectio s down on the graphical cut t tha n For those using cell phon sio ver te’ ‘Li h a limited debut of its n. It Facebook has come up wit sque tagging twist. the slimmed-down versio site is giving a Twitter-e ng rki wo net ial soc menting with the looks of the eri exp tly updates, ren cur is , ers n 250 million memb Facebook, with more tha , as it has looks a bit heavy though popular added a feature which is with a much-hyped short iments messaging service. Exper ok Lite, are, thus, on with Facebo that has a leaner-looking interface USA gone live last month in the sion has and India. The ‘light’ ver for those been especially designed slower parts of the world with s is what those Internet speeds. Now thi the home page, including aims to some toolbar areas from ove rem d the new-look Facebook an to es ks pag lin w den that sho d speed of graphics-la normal Facebook pages do: Increase the downloa l dominate the areas of wil ce spa ite Wh s. age im and for status updates, links d advertising. otos posted by friends an ph & eos vid ns, tio applica

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APPLE’S 1GB IPOD SHU MA K E S A Q U I E T E X I T F F L E

Amid the hurried annou ncements of iTunes and iPod last month, Apple qu same cool gadget we had ietly retired the 1 GB iPo with buttons on it. Instea d shuffle. Yeah! It is the d, Apple is focusing on the both 2 GB and 4 GB cap tiny buttonless model, wh acities. The company has ich is now available in also rolled out the thirdalong with the classic bla generation shuffle in all ck and silver. In addition, new blue, green and pin Apple is offering a specia stainless steel. It is availab k, l edition version that is enc le in 4 GB only. Besides ased in super shiny the pricing, new colour op generation iPod shuffle rem tio ns and the 2 GB capacity op ains the same. tion, the third-

CHROME 3 GE TS MORE STABLE a newer, more stable version of the browser and the On the occasion of Chrome’s first birthday, Google announced to kick off well as some revamping of its as Web. Now that will mean significant speed improvements for the browser most loved features. “This release comes hot on the heels of 51 developer, 21 beta and 15 stable updates and 3,505 bugfixes in the past year,” Google wrote in a Tuesday blog post. According to Google, the new release is faster, with a 25 per cent increase in Javascript performance over the last stable version. The looks have also been worked upon like that of the Tab page, which takes on a sparser look. Performance of the browser's Omnibox URL/search field has also been optimised, helping users distinguish suggested sites from search, bookmarks and browser history. And then there’s the Themes gallery, which makes the browser even more customisable. I October ‘09

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Did You Know aptop skins are resistant to tears, sunlight and water as chemicals are injected into these skins to tackle radiation, chemical corrosion and extreme heat and cold.

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ut of the 160 billion e-mail messages sent out daily, 97% happen to be spam.

acebook leads photo uploads by hosting more than 10 billion photographs while Flickr is a distant second and hosts only 3 billion photographs. uilding with plastic actually saves the environment because it is energy efficient. More than 50 plastic varieties are used in the construction industry for different purposes and nearly 20% of the plastic materials used in Europe are later utilised in building products. Second only to transport, housing sector is one of the biggest energy consumers. But plastic products help increase energy efficiency as they happen to be really good sealers and insulators. They also help reduce the harmful CO2 emissions to a great extent. So all that is plastic is not bad!

B

with the press of a button. If this is not enough, hold your breath! The building will be 313 metres in height with 68 floors. What’s more, the building will be highly energy efficient as it will be powered by wind and solar energy. Huh! Such a stunning tower should have some great designer behind it. And that designer is David Fisher. he Bahrain World Trade Center is considered the largest wind-powered design built into a huge building. It has three massive wind turbines planted between its two towers that form the main building. The towers are designed in such a way that the air around accelerates each of the 80 ft turbines, thus generating enormous power supply.

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arth is surely facing some stiff competition from other planets. Virgin Group and Google Inc.

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? w o n k U d i d

total of 1.4 billion Apple iPhones were sold between June and October, 2007. But there were 2,50,000 missing phones which were not activated to run on AT&T’s wireless network. It is believed that owners of these missing phones plan to unlock them so that they can be used on other cellular networks.

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lthough Google uses around 15 billion kWh of electricity every year, it generates a lot of power by using solar panels for its operations.

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ubai has been creating waves for its architectural breakthroughs like the Burj al-Arab (Tower of the Arabs), which is the world’s tallest hotel. The next in row is the Rotating Tower, a bigger technical and structural wonder. Thanks to some mind-blowing technologies, the floors of this tower will rotate continuously and the view can be changed

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are launching Virgle Inc., a jointly owned and managed project that will work on human settlement on Mars. Virgle Inc. has a 100-year plan with various short-team goals including Virgle pioneer selection (2008-2010), the first journey of man to Mars (2016), development of the first permanent Martian municipality, the Virgle City (2050), and finally, the creation of a self-sustaining Martian civilisation with a population of more than one lakh (2108).

arlier, IMAX Adlabs in Mumbai was considered the world’s largest screen. Now Prasad IMAX in Hyderabad has been crowned the single most popular theatre in the world. It features a 95 ft wide and 75 ft high screen with a 12,000 watt sound system and a seating capacity of 635. Prasad IMAX came into the limelight when people crowded the theatre to watch Spiderman and the Harry Potter series on the giant screen.

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n 1968, IM David Levy challenged John McCarthy, a researcher in Artificial Intelligence at Stanford, that the former could win any computer-versus-human game for the next 10 years. And guess what? He won the game. Now that’s a cool bet to win. I

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Buzz Byte

Buzz Byte re you an Internet addict? Do you think that surfing the World Wide Web is the best possible way to dig up the information you need? Well, if you are always glued to your system or checking online stuff on your smartphone, chances are you are quite conversant with the Net and its pros & cons. Here are SEVEN brain teasers to test how you work, play and interact on the Net. Take this quiz and find out yourself.

A

Q

d family is to os with friends an ot ph l ta gi di e ar The best way to sh . maintain an album A. Print them and everyone. em and send th to ail e-m to em th ch B. Atta nd out the link. sharing sites and se o ot ph e lin on to C. Upload them

Q

ayer as

palm/mp3 pl ur laptop/phone/ yo e ad gr up u yo Do ions are available? soon as newer vers A. Not really. nally. B. Yes, but occasio C. Yes, always.

Q

ishing if you land on a ph What would you do online? site while shopping in detail. A. Explore the site ping. and continue shop B. Cancel the page sites. rator to block such C. Tell the administ

Q

g new mpanies, suggestin Do you write to co products? r ei th to ld be added ou sh at th es ur at fe A. Not at all. B. Sometimes. C. Always.

Q

bo? application is Mee What kind of Web aring. A. Online video sh aring. B. Online photo sh messaging. C. Online instant

Q

g at the latest line spent in lookin on e tim ur yo of t Is mos ? ts coming out soon electronic produc . track of such things A. No, I don’t keep . B. Yes, occasionally to research more. try I C. Always, and

Q

ultilingual? Is Google Maps m Spades A. Diamonds and es B. Hearts and Spad s ub C. Hearts and Cl Check out the next page to see how well you scored! October ‘09

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Buzz Byte

Congratulations!

You finished the quiz! Now, calculate your score. A carries 1, B carries 2 and C carries 3 points. Did you check mostly A, B or C?

If your score is

:

bternet and We In e th h it w ce e xperien Between 0-7 . Learn about th ve very little e ry a o h e u th o Y e r. th e n n o in rush up You are a beg you need to b e b y a M the enormous s. g e ic in y rv jo se n so e d le rt a b ena nd information logies and st a o s n p h ti c f te o t le lo y a st gives basics of life d offline. Live IT n a gies. e n li n o s ie lving technolo o v e e opportunit th t u o b now more a that you may k Between 8-15 You are compe titive. Internet is a wonderful explore so mu medium that a ch. With the ad llows you to vancing techn ologies and life you may need style applicatio to learn more ns, of the tricks an to learn them, d tips. If you are you are sure to keen find a lot of reso get to know m urces online. S ore through Liv o e IT articles.

1 e best of it. th t e g d n a g B etween 16-2 rfin e nerd! Enjoy su ls to harness th il Yep, you are a sk d n a e st a g d k nowle te, shop or po ri w , d a re Improve your to in ne tools. Log with lot more s e v li r u o powerful onli s e h hnology enric comment. Tec . Excel! fun and magic

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Care IT diagnosis may be likely, as well as an opportunity to communicate with and obtain information from other patients who have had similar results in the past. On the second visit to the doctor, the patient may be referred to a specialist but before he decides whom to consult, he will have a chance to search for the views of other patients regarding the best specialist to go to. The specialist will diagnose him/her along with a prognosis and potential options for treatment. The patient will now have the opportunity to research these treatment options and take a more proactive role in coming to a joint decision with his/her doctor. He/she can also choose to submit more data about the nature of illness, such as through a personalised genomics service, to identify any risk factors that might improve or worsen the prognosis. As treatment commences, the patient can track his/her health outcome through an online data-sharing patient community to determine whether the treatment is having a positive impact on them, and can stay up to date on research opportunities and clinical trials for their condition. They will also have the social support of interacting with other patients diagnosed with the same condition throughout the world. When it comes to evaluating the usefulness of this system, it has been estimated that nearly one-third of the 100 million Americans who have looked for health information online say that they or the people they know have found the sources on the Internet significantly useful, but this study only considers the broader use of the Internet for health management rather than Health 2.0 in particular. Little empirical evidence exists to understand how much Web 2.0 is being used in general. A study examining physician practice in the USA has suggested that a segment of 245,000 American doctors are using Web 2.0 for their practice, indicating that the use of the system is beyond the early stages. In fact, as part of the provisions of President Barack Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, physicians throughout the USA will be eligible for a payment of around $45,000 for increasing adoption of electronic health records by 2014.

Mehak Siddiqui

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hat do you do when you have a health complaint? The most obvious answer would be that you go to a doctor, get tests done, if required, get diagnosed and follow the prescribed treatment. But technology today – specifically the Internet – is revolutionising conventional approaches to medicine. One such concept is Health 2.0, a system that involves telemedicine, electronic medical reports and the use of the Internet by patients through such avenues as weblogs, message boards, RSS feeds, wikis, podcasts, etc. The general idea is to enable patients to have greater insight into, and control over, their medical information. An example of this increased engagement of a patient in his/her treatment will be as follows: A patient visits a general physician. The doctor may make a diagnosis or send the patient for some tests. These test results will be transmitted directly to the patient’s individual electronic medical record, which will be accessible by him/her. Before a second appointment (in cases where one is required), the patient will have time to research (through the Internet) what the test results may mean and what

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Care IT It has been noted that the traditional model of healthcare, where physicians act as gatekeepers to patients’ information, sharing their test results only when and if it was deemed necessary, operates relatively well in situations such as acute care, where information about specific blood results will be of little use to a lay person, or in general practice where results were generally benign. But, in the case of complex chronic diseases, psychiatric disorders, or diseases of unknown etiology, Health 2.0 proves more useful and allows the patient to seek greater knowledge about his/her condition. On a Website called PatientsLikeMe, members from across the globe swap stories about their ailments and discuss subjects like adverse drug interactions, dosing strategies, new drugs and trials for more than a dozen diseases. A report by the California Health Care Foundation, a think-tank, argues that in dealing with multiple sclerosis, a neurological disorder for which there is no cure as yet, “the collective wisdom on this Website may rival the body of information that any single medical school or pharmaceutical company has assembled in the field.” However, it is easy to be sceptical about such online communities. A fatal illness will not be cured, for example, by Twittering about it. And for many people, nothing will replace the personal relationship between a patient and his doctor. Health 2.0 has also been criticised since the use of Google and other search engines as diagnostic tools may be effective only for conditions with unique symptoms and signs that can easily be used as search terms. Also, there are concerns over the effects on patients obtaining information online, such as the possibility of the patient delaying a visit to the doctor thinking that the Net will help him self-diagnose and treat the condition. There is also the question of how much of the user-generated information is factually accurate? One study has suggested that in certain support groups only six per cent of the information is wrong and that only three per cent people reported that online advice had caused serious harm. Nonetheless, there is still a risk of dangerous misdiagnoses. There are also issues regarding ownership and privacy of people’s personal information as well as loss of control over it. But, despite all this, it seems clear that patients are going online to get more information on their illness and to see what other consumers think of new medications and to get emotional support from fellow sufferers. Even doctors, who may seem to have the most to lose from such patient-centred digital medicine, increasingly support the move online. Many of them are keen users of secure medical chat rooms. Thomas Lee of Partners Community Healthcare thinks such social networking helps make up for the “water-

“

cooler chats” of yesteryear that allowed doctors to exchange knowledge across specialisations. Neil Seeman, who runs a health-strategy innovation group at the University of Toronto’s Massey College, says that “Health 2.0” is important “because it reinvents how we identify opinion leaders and exploit disruptive innovation.” His research has shown that the most active communities on social networks, such as MySpace, concentrate not on celebrity gossip or sport but on chronic illness – especially stigmatised conditions like depression. In conclusion, the arrival of digital medicine in full force is expected to serve as a vital tool in tackling the great healthcare challenges of this century. That is, dealing with the cost of chronic care for the ageing population of the rich world and helping the weak health systems in poor countries tackle deadly diseases.

Want to try Health 2.0? There are a horde of Health 2.0 Websites available for use but some of them – the ones related to personal health records and financial services for healthcare – are restricted to use within the US and other countries. However, the following well-known health portals and communities are well worth a visit if you would like to experience Health 2.0 for yourself.

Patients are going online to get more information on their illness and to see what other consumers think of new medications.

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Health portals

www.lifemojo.com: Helps you achieve your health and fitness goals, by making you eat right, stay fit, track your progress and stay motivated. www.myfamilyhealth.com: Connect with your relatives to record and track an accurate and up-to-date family health history. Find out which health conditions run in your family. www.healthcaremagic.com: Connect with doctors online, join a live chat session with doctors if you have any health/medical/fitness problem or query.

”

Healthcare communities www.myhealthexperience.com: Network of patient communities, offering help and emotional support. www.dailystrength.com: Provides online support groups for various illnesses. www.psychcentral.com: The oldest and largest mental health social network. www.inspire.com: Find health-related information and discussion in 733,263 member posts.

Health advisory services www.healthdialog.com www.health2.info Remember, though, that these Websites are in no way an alternative to consulting a medical professional. I

Inbox

Letters to the Editor SEPTEMBER 2009

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RS. 50

IT magazine for the contemporary woman

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN GAMES JAVA-BASED MOBILE GAMES ‘PAN’ IN GAME CONSOLES MEDICAL SIMULATION GAMES THRILL & EXCITEMENT IN ACTION GAMES

ENTERTAINING GAMING TECHNOLOGY

When I saw your September 2009 cover, I was sure that the issue was loaded with gaming technologies and the articles did not fail to excite. I experienced a complete gaming session with the stories along with their pictorial presentations. Kudos to Live IT!

I enjoyed this month’s edition on Games. All the articles were really good and helpful. I would also like to congratulate the makers of Live IT who had conceptualised the whole thing. I think this magazine is spectacular and very helpful to anyone who is tech-savvy.

Sankar S Chennai

Sushruthi Delhi

Vedagiri Bangalore I liked the article ‘Artificial Intelligence in Games’ by David Welch very much. Thank you very much for this kind of informative article. Keep going...

Please mail your comments/opinion to us at [email protected] or write to us at: E-3, Jhandewalan Estate, Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi - 110055

Live IT or Leave IT

USB Heating Shoes Pink or blue, just defrost it – it is what the USB Heating Shoes tell you. Just plug the pair into your PC via the USB or use a handy set of batteries. They will keep your feet as cozy as can be, even in the winter. And yes, you can be just warm or hotter, as you prefer. It comes in an affordable range as well. Anyone game?

USB Mouse with Infrared Heater Get the hottest mouse in town and forget about the blues of a cold room or a tired day. Once you plug it in to the USB, the infrared generator inside the mouse will heat it up to the comfortable warmth of 40°-45°C. Once you are warm enough, you can regulate the temperature and bring it to the required level.

USB Monkey Slipper Getting cold feet? Or worried that your best pal or a dear one is suffering from the same syndrome? Here is a pair of lightweight slippers that will keep your feet warm. You just need to plug it in to the USB port of your computer and here is your ready-made hearth. Add them to your Christmas list! It comes in the right sizes.

Nap Shell Take a break, get a power nap and take your Bugs Bunny with you in this relaxation capsule. There is room for two; there is air conditioning, an ergonomic mattress and Dolby Surround. The bed is just right, whatever be your height or body type. The Nap Shell is the result of extensive research which guarantees a relaxing sleeping position for both spine and back. Now you know how to spend it when you have the next windfall.

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USB Mouse Pad Warmer It’s so chilly – you can feel it in your bones – because the mercury has fallen to sub-zero outside or because your cubicle-mate is a polar bear. Get this mouse pad warmer and chase the winter blues away. It’s compact, light and USBpowered, and comes in two colours.

USB Hand Massager Getting lethargic, tired or cold, and need a rub to feel better? There is no need to make an appointment with your masseuse. Plugged in to your computer’s USB, this hand massager can give you immediate relief. Lightweight and compact, it comes with an on/off button and helps you unwind as never before.

Magnetic Floating Bed This is so cool and a great challenge to gravity! Dreaming while you really float in the air and not giving a hoot even if you weigh a hefty 400 pounds must be a tech wonder to experience. It’s because the bed has enough magnets to hold upto 900 kg in the air. Dubbed as one of the best inventions of 2006 by ‘Time’, this bed can be used indoors or outdoors. The hitch? You won’t find it locally plus you need to shell out at least €1,200,000 even for the basic model. But what the heck! You are going to own the world’s “first non-gravity-based object” – a unique possession that’s worth the price. October ‘09

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Live IT or Leave IT

Broadcaster Chopping Board It’s solid and made from beech wood. It sets you singing the minute you set your eyes on it. And, of course, you use it for a bit of chopping. Wondering what is it? A guitar-shaped chopping board made from an original Fender Telecaster/Broadcaster guitar head. You don’t even need to put it into the dishwasher; just wipe it clean with some soapy water and it’s done. An ideal gift for a man-about-the-kitchen.

Cash Stash Key Chain Forgot your wallet, your credit card is not working or you just got hit by a pick-pocket? Looking for a portable piggy bank for emergency cash? Shhhhhhhhhh! This is your very own running-out-of-money-proof key chain. You can store an emergency fund in the capsule and no one will even suspect it. And hey, don’t lose your keys!

Twilight Umbrellas Plastic, polyester and aluminum – the lightest of materials go into the making of these twilight umbrellas. There is an automatic open button and the handle has to be switched on to control the coloured lights. It’s conveniently sized and requires three AAA batteries.

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Sound Bomb Speaker It’s portable and you can just plug it into the USB port of your system. But don’t ever bring it on board a flight or you might just be asked to stay back and explain why you have a bomb on you. Shaped like a bomb, this gadget works on a quartet of batteries as well, and doesn’t bomb your ears; it’s just the shape that is unusual.

Garlic Zoom Tired of the garlic smell on your fingers? This little gadget is just what you need, if you are long on patience and short of knife skills. Just push peeled garlic, one pod at a time, and hey presto, here is what the chef ordered. It’s cute, easy to clean and gets your food prep done without a crib.

USB Handbag Flash Drives Bored to death because of the same old shape that flash drives come in? Here is some variety to cheer you up. This handbagshaped USB Flash drive is made of silica gel and barely weighs 15 grams. You just need to plug in and play; it’s compatible to your regular Windows, Linux, Mac or any other new-generation operating system. October ‘09

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Chatroom

m o o r t a h c

ing links. rough interest th er th o an e page to e led from on ar u e links?” yo g, in rf member all th re “When su u yo o d l ar Biswal el How w Santosh Kum

Amisha Shah Computer graphics professional As most of my work is related to computer graphics, I visit a lot of related Websites. And while browsing or downloading data, I do find some useful links as well. Since I come across too many Websites every day, I tend to forget the page links. But if I really like the pages and want to visit them again, I simply bookmark them. That’s easier than remembering a long list.

If I am searching through Websites and come across something interesting, I usually remember the links. For example, if I come across tarot or astrologyrelated links, I will definitely check them out. Otherwise, I click on the links that are eye-catching and if the landing Websites are useful, I remember them.

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While browsing the Internet, I don’t pay much attention to other links except for the ones I am looking for. In case something is striking, I may check it out. But most of the times, I don’t remember those links later.

“

Once, clicking on a link led to the installation of some unwanted software in my PC

“

Aarti Shah Tarot reader

Amrita Lalwani Information analyst

“

es If I really like the pag m again, and want to visit the em I simply bookmark th

“

Ansy Austin Student People browse the Net much too frequently and there is too much content which one can hardly remember. So I just read the content and move on to other sites. I may remember the page or bookmark it if I need it for future reference.

Priya Panwekar MBA student If I am browsing the Internet during my free time, I also click on other links that I come across. But once I had a bad experience. When I clicked a link, it led to the installation of some unwanted software in my PC. After that, I have been very careful. As I surf the Web a lot, I remember the regulars like the shaadi.com ad, monster.com ad, MTV Roadies etc. I often check these links as they help me understand branding which is a part of my studies.

Sujata Garud Management student I had some bad experience, thanks to some of those interesting links. At times, when I am waiting for the next page to load, I get messages like “You have won” or “You have a good home-based work opportunity.” Initially, when I was an amateur Internet user, I fell for some of these links and even ended up infecting my PC with some unknown virus. Now, I just take note of the links that are reliable and useful – like banking sites, movie reviews, games, contests etc.

Do you use any video editing software to put together your audio & video files? Share your experience with us. Send us your entries, with your photograph, to [email protected] October ‘09

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Feature

Different Sites to

Suit Different Moods

Look at the right place to match your mood

W

hen we define the Internet as a veritable treasure trove of information, it is a simple statement with a world of meaning within. The World Wide Web may be just a network of computers and servers connected to each other. But today, it caters to the myriad needs of people from all walks of life. Let’s say, websites. Now there are websites to provide all the information that one can possibly imagine. In fact, saying that there is a website available to satisfy every possible human mood is not an exaggeration. More and more people quite literally live online. Of course, the sheer size of the Internet is daunting and using the power of the Web to the maximum advantage appears difficult, to say the least. But help, as usual, is at hand – because this is where we take you through a few websites to satisfy each of your moods. A disclaimer is in order here. Although the list is as comprehensive as possible, some websites and moods may have been missed out simply owing to space constraint. So, let’s begin a journey through our various moods and websites that would suit them … so, what’s your mood today?

Try some of these for a gourmet experience You want to rustle up something great tasting for the family? We all love food, don’t we? It is a fact quite easily proved by the plethora of cookery websites present on the Web. Search for a specific recipe and not only will you get a list of websites giving you the exact tried and tested versions complete with cooking times, calorie counts et al., but you will also see several results with videos and the history of the recipe. Also, there are websites that give you a list of ingredients and terms used in cooking, along with images, meanings and translations in different languages. http://www.bettycrocker.com/ http://www.top-indian-recipes.com/ http://allrecipes.com/Default.aspx http://www.recipe4all.com/ http://www.epicurious.com/

Travelling to that dream destination of yours? Even as the world turns into a global village, travelling, too, is getting easier and comfortable. Several websites together allow you to plan your complete travel online – from liveit.in

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airline or train reservations to hotel bookings, from hiring cabs to finalising sightseeing itineraries. Even if armchair travelling is more your style, these websites have descriptions and videos to satisfy your travel cravings without moving a muscle. Besides, you can locate a large number of booking agents and travel companies too. Bon voyage! http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ http://www.makemytrip.com/ http://www.cleartrip.com/ http://www.yatra.com/ http://www.tripadvisor.com/

Looking forward to organising a party? Always envied that friend who is the perfect hostess at perfectly planned and executed parties? Well, the good ol’ Web is here to help. Take your pick from any of the several websites that allow you to plan the best parties ever. From venues to menus and recipes to catering services, from setting a table and stocking the bar to renting crockery and cutlery and arranging games for all ages – the complete whys and wherefores of parties are here to make you the best host ever! http://www.mypartyplanner.com/ http://www.evite.com/ http://www.passion-for-parties.com/index.html http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/ http://www.allpartyideas.com/

Get fit and healthy Do you have a medical problem and want to know more about it? Or have you recently vowed to cut out the fattening fried food you’ve forever indulged in and want to know how many calories that goody chocolate cake has? Or what the Atkins diet actually is? Maybe you want to know about aerobics and Tai Chi. How about pictorials and videos of some yoga exercises for that backache? Or a comprehensive list of home remedies for the common cold? Or some advice on dealing with morning sickness during pregnancy?

Maybe some basic advice on skin and hair care? All this and much more about health and fitness can be found on the Internet. Of course, with medical websites, we need to be really careful. Never follow the advice blindly and always check with your doctor before starting any fitness regime.

Fitness-related websites http://www.fitwise.com/ http://www.fitday.com/ http://www.sparkpeople.com/ http://www.makeoverfitness.com/ http://www.fitnessexplosion.com/

Pregnancy and child care related websites http://www.babycenter.com/ http://www.parenthood.com/index.php http://www.mypregnancyguide.com/ http://www.thebabywebsite.com/ http://www.childbirthconnection.org/

Websites for home remedies http://www.greathomeremedies.com/ http://www.grannymed.com/ http://www.home-remedies-guide.com/ http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/ http://www.best-home-remedies.com/

Websites for the spiritually inclined http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/ http://www.bestspirituality.com/ http://spirituality.indiatimes.com/ http://www.enlightened-spirituality.org/ http://www.selfgrowth.com/spirituality.html

Websites for medical terms http://www.medterms.com/ http://www.medilexicon.com/ http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/ http://www.medicinenet.com/ http://www.medic8.com/MedicalDictionary.htm

Enhance your skills So your formal education is complete and it is time to enhance your professional skills. After all, a bit of upgrading is always required to stay on track in your career. Maybe your new project requires you to pick up some new technology. A shortterm online course or even a tutorial is just what you need. The Internet provides a vast variety of online courses, tutorials, e-books and newsletters to take your knowledge up a couple of notches. http://www.homeandlearn.co.uk/ http://www.techtutorials.info/ http://www.docnmail.com/ http://www.openlearningworld.com/ http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm

Develop your social/professional network Your daily routine involves going to office, coming back, spending time with family, going to sleep – it goes on the same way, over and over again. But, at the end of it all, you crave to go back to your school or college buddies. There’s absolutely no time to socialise and, of course, your friends are scattered all over the world. Maybe you want to know more people in your professional sphere. Here’s where social networking sites come to your help. Several popular social and professional networking sites allow you to connect with people across the globe and effectively expand your social and professional networks. http://www.orkut.com/ http://www.twitter.com/ http://www.linkedin.com/ http://www.facebook.com/ http://www.classmates.com/

Looking for some entertainment? With work happening all the time and family commitments draining your energy, you need to take a break once in a while. So what is it that refreshes you? The Web provides an array of options for relaxation. There are sites for gaming, music, renting movies, e-books – practically anything that you can think of is all there on the Net.

Get the best of jokes here http://www.the-jokes.com/ http://www.jokes-best.com/ http://www.best-oneliners.com/ http://www.jokes.com/ http://www.funniestjokes.net/

For bookworms http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page http://www.bibliomania.com/ http://www.bookyards.com/ http://www.onlinefreeebooks.net/ http://www.freebookspot.in/

Movie buffs can visit these http://www.imdb.com/ http://www.bookmyshow.com/ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ http://www.famecinemas.com/ http://www.pvrcinemas.com/

For the music fanatic http://www.musicworldindia.com/ http://www.in.com/music/ http://coolmusiczone.com/ http://free.napster.com/ http://www.rhapsody.com/home.html October ‘09

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Feature Tying the knot?

Entertain and teach your child

Marriage is a big step that one takes in life and in the Indian context, arranged marriages are still the norm. So once you do decide to get married, searching for a partner who is perfect for you and acceptable to all in the family can be a daunting task! In the age of the Internet, the first step is to register on one of the online marriage bureaus, which have thousands of profiles – one of those is sure to be the right one! Happy hunting! http://www.shaadi.com/ http://www.jeevansathi.com/ http://www.bharatmatrimony.com/ http://www.secondshaadi.com/ http://www.simplymarry.com/

Websites for kids are among the most popular ones on the Net. From online activities, games, colouring pages to stories, poems, songs and even help with assignments and projects – the list is almost endless. From toddlers to teenagers, there is a website for everyone. Some of the popular ones are: http://www.boowakwala.com/ http://www.cool-kids-craft-ideas.com/ http://www.schooltimegames.com/ http://www.goodnightstories.com/ http://www.paulysplayhouse.com/

Looking for a job? So you have finally decided to let go of the low-paying, stressful job that you had been holding on for so long. Of course, getting a new one is not easy but job portals on the Web are very useful. Besides job listings categorised by designation, location, industry and so on, these also offer services like resume preparation, newsletters and job offers via e-mail. http://www.naukri.com/ http://www.monsterindia.com/ http://www.timesjobs.com/ http://www.naukrihub.com/ http://www.bixee.com/

Planning your finances? Money, they say, makes the world go round. But managing money is a big cause of stress for most people. Planning your money, investments, taxes – these are enough to make your head spin. Several websites are very helpful though, with basics about money, finance, investments and taxation; even a novice can easily understand the intricacies of financial planning and investment. http://www.indiainfoline.com/ http://www.tips4me.com/ http://www.moneycontrol.com/ http://www.investopedia.com/ http://finance.indiamart.com/

Get the latest news and views Online news portals provide news that updates faster than you can say ‘news’. From around the world, news on all topics is available 24x7. And that includes videos and images too. News channels regularly provide news updates on their websites. Several popular portals are also quick with publishing the news as it happens. http://www.ndtv.com/news/index.php http://www.cnn.com/ http://news.google.com/ http://www.reuters.com/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/ liveit.in

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On a shopping spree/looking for stores or services? A yellow pages or classifieds website is the answer. These websites usually provide a comprehensive search facility by city and area, industry and price range. Customer ratings and reviews are also provided. Many of these also link to the stores’ websites and provide the best deals available. The kind of reach they have must be seen to be believed. http://justdial.com/ http://www.yellowpages.co.in/ http://www.whereincity.com/ http://www.asklaila.com/ http://www.mapsofworld.com/

Searching for information? An upcoming project or presentation requires you to look up some information. Or maybe you are a trivia aficionado. Print encyclopaedias are available online – allowing you to save time, space and, of course, money. With search options and articles categorised by keywords and alphabet, searching for information which is correct and up-to-date is very easy. http://www.britannica.com/ http://www.encyclopedia.com/ http://encarta.msn.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page As mentioned before, there are websites to suit nearly every mood and requirement – it is all a question of looking at the right place. The Internet is a powerful tool. If used correctly, it allows for a remarkable enhancement and improvement in the quality of life and saves time, money and energy. So what are you waiting for? Go on, use the Net to match your mood, view and need! I

Ideas for Modern Home Décor A

n Englishman’s home is his castle, a private house is the emblem of the American dream and home means much more than a mere abode in India – it is a part of one’s lifestyle and cultural heritage. As the market is flooded with latest technologies and high-end gadgets, it is only natural for the upwardly mobile to look for housing options where the latest in technology use is, by far, the USP. Whether you are building or buying new-age homes or simply upgrading the one you live in, integrating tech with home décor will definitely cost you more than the traditional fittingfurniture-furnishing. But the blueprints of future homes redefine our previous experiences and open up new horizons, never imagined before. Thanks to the technological evolution, there has been a holistic change in the construction and the home décor segments during the recent years. Now you can plan a luxury escape to a rooftop swimming pool or squash court; install a mini amphitheatre; opt for motion sensor-based lighting; build rooms without columns & beams and introduce modular fixtures for design innovations. Most of your home gadgets can be operated via your mobile while audio-visual and biometric systems keep a wary watch on your security. Owning a hi-tech, future-perfect home might have been on your wish-list for some time. It can be similar to the one owned by the IBM head of invention Andy Stanford-Clark who has installed hundreds of sensors that inform him when the food is ready, a visitor is at the door or a mouse trap is triggered. His

Puja Goyal

Tudor cottage on the Isle of Wight sends a Tweet or alert message if the energy or water usage goes up suddenly – indicating that he may have left a light on or a tap running. But putting together a smart home also requires smart thinking and the necessary installations and upgradations must be done with diligence. Splurging on trendy ideas – just because your friends or neighbours have opted for the same – may not serve your purpose in the long run. Because new trends go out of style quickly and products need frequent upgrades, you have to learn the difference between what you like and what actually works for you. Start small and cheap; test the gadget’s usability and gauge your own requirements. Buying the basic (and, therefore, less expensive) version can be a smart idea, if you do not need all the add-on features right now. Most importantly, these technologies/gadgets should be user-friendly and must fit into the scheme of the house. Purchasing new gadgets and technologies for the house should be considered with great sagacity and integrated holistically. This not only enhances your lifestyle, but also brings down unnecessary expenditure. Only integrate ideas and concepts which are essential for a good life and meet your goals. Buying a coffeemaker does not make much sense if you are not an avid coffee drinker. On the other hand, if the concept suits your life and style, get it, by all means, and explore its untapped potentials. It will be most exciting and also give you a rare sense of self-fulfilment. Don’t hesitate to live Hi-Tech. Just tweak the technology and make it your own! October ‘09

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Feature

Future of Hi-tech Homes ack to the Future was a cult movie series of the 1980s. The movie exhibited ideas in hi-tech lifestyle and living which were beyond our imagination. The movie was utterly fascinating which illustrated possibilities of a flying car, hi-tech security system in houses and television screens which allowed you to interact with individuals from the future. Today, this remote possibility is likely to come true and it won’t be long before we find these facilities in our homes. Some day, our mirrors could be giving us fashion advice when we have to go all dressed up for a party, by scanning our wardrobes and accessories and creating make-over images before we get dressed up. We might hold our clothes up to our bedroom mirror for a computer to scan instead of digging into our closets. Using radio-frequency identification technology, our electronic fashion stylist would then offer suggestions based on what's in our closet or pair up and create designs which will be up to the latest fashion tastes. Jonathan Cluts, director of strategic prototyping at Microsoft, said in an interview, “The technology required to do it is pretty much available today.” The feature can be seen in action at a Microsoft concept home in Redmond, Wash, and a variation is in a new prototype home in Disneyland. As time passes, we will see more innovations and upgradations in technology which will be included in our homes, experts say. These upgradations in our homes will be dictated by our personal preferences and needs. The most important factor to initiate technological developments in creating a hi-tech home is networking. This will allow all electronic items like computers and phones to be connected, enabling them to communicate with each other. Networking will allow people to manage their technological equipment together from one master unit. All music and movie files could be fed onto one media server so they can be heard or watched in any connected room. Networking will allow an individual to control the security, lighting, thermostat and windows, ovens, kitchen, etc. by touching a button. Ten years ago, this was the domain of the rich. Wired and wireless technologies are now being considered by the average home owner, as they become cheaper. Even then, because the price of home automation is slowly declining, it doesn’t mean people are

B

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immediately taking to it. For home technologies to become popular, consumers will need to see some practicality in the applications. In other words, consumers probably don't want to sit in front of the computer to turn the lights on. That said, there are opportunities using the same technology to do useful things, like saving energy or keeping people healthy for long.

Applications which make sense Energy Saving Devices: Tech-Savvy devices which allow the user to adjust heating and cooling settings using a computer or a cell phone are already available in the market. Leonardelli explains, “Homes also can be programmed so that if the security system is disarmed, the system will turn on the lights.” GPSenabled cell phones may some day signal when we're getting close to home, and allow the home owner to signal the network to adjust heating, turn on lights and unlock a door. Soon, home energy consumption could be monitored just as we would in a hybrid car. Companies are already experimenting and working on creating zero-energy homes or, even better, homes that actually make more energy than they consume. Networking Designs: While saving energy is a priority, in the near future we will have a large retired population which would require technological support. “New technologies will help people delay institutionalisation and allow them to live independently for a longer time,” said Majd Alwan, director of the Washington-based Center for Aging Services Technologies (agingtech.org).

The need for care-giving will rise as the cost of care goes up for the retired population. Wearable fall-detectors are already on the market, and researchers are working on floor sensors that can tell if a person has fallen. These sensors can distinguish when a person, rather than some other object, hits the floor. “In the future, motion sensors may look for patterns of normal activity and report when movement isn't sensed for a certain period of time,” Alwan added.

The extras In the kitchen of the future, appliances could end up talking to each other and prepare meals for the family according to schedules fed into the computer; just like in the movie Edward Scissorhands. The living room could be decorated and designed with coffee tables having touch screen facility and displaying family photo albums, and digital photo frames could be hung on walls with security cameras. Basic hi-tech home décor will become a necessity to home owners who won’t be able to imagine their lives without it, as they become more affordable and dependable in the near future. But even then some basic points would have to be taken into consideration as home-owners gear up for hi-tech homes. Here are the points to ponder.

Smart design. That means a home built with industrial finish, and includes abundant natural light and air circulation, plus the technological advances which allow tracking electricity and controlling heat and cooling, among other features, effortless. Efficiency of Materials. The use of renewable and recycled materials will be prominent and it would include off-site prefabricated construction, which shortens building time. Energy efficiency. Use of solar-powered equipment and other items which will help generate energy will be experimented and innovated with. Water efficiency. Features will include low-flow showerheads and dual-flush toilets that vary the amount of water used and that rely on collected and reused "grey water" from the sink. This will also allow recycling of water where homes will be equipped with facilities which will recycle homeowners waste. Healthy environment. The use of nontoxic materials will also be considered. The main thought behind hi-tech home décor in the near future will be designing big rather than building big. Designs will be built to minimise space use and will focus on utility for the home owner while imbibing technological advancements within them. This is something home owners can be excited about in the near future, as dreams of living in a hi-tech home straight from the movie Back to the Future comes true.

Convertibles: Fun meet functionality

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onvertibles were once considered a favourite of those unwilling to spend a fortune on furniture or home décor. But as human habitats get denser, real estate prices skyrocket and barring a privileged few, none can actually afford sprawling villas or big town houses fitted with colossal period pieces. ‘Beautility’ (beauty plus utility) is, therefore, the present-day mantra at modern homes and opting for convertible furniture is the key to better space utilisation. As the term suggests, convertibles are unique multifunctional furniture pieces whose shapes and size can be changed instantly for various uses and efficient space management. It is, undoubtedly, the latest trend in furniture fashion and catching up fast due to severe space constraints in urban areas. The chic and experimental designs are aesthetically stunning and impressively practical as the furniture must be suitable for multitasking and must fit even in a pint-sized flat. Most common examples of this genre are the expanding tables or the chunky sofa-cum-beds, most popular for their dual use as a couch and a bed. Made of minimal and sustainable materials, convertibles today are sleek, portable and converts with amazing ease –

forms

thanks to the rapid progress in interior designing and relevant technologies. It is amazing how innovative convertibles can now fit inside a standard luggage box, and can be arranged and rearranged as per requirements and convenience.

Useful but not mundane Gone are the days when box-shaped wooden furniture crowded our homes and anything on the ornamental side was considered an extravaganza. As modern urban living is all about beauty and functionality, designers have become more innovative and started thinking out of the box. Simple, minimal designs and alluring shapes created in a wide array of colours ranging from vibrant tints to neutral shades and stark white bestow an aura of distinction to every piece of furniture that can easily convert from one use to another and make better use of the space we have. Simply put, funky forms meet functionality in these elegant, well-engineered furniture items that can be easily changed to fit the size of your work without sacrificing the style. In case you are longing to buy a convertible just now, please hold your patience. There are more to it than you can ever imagine. October ‘09

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Feature It’s green Eco-conscious consumers are keen to opt for green designs where natural colours and plants are integrated into the furniture piece itself. This adds a twist to the otherwise normal designs and leaves your guests amazed and wondering. Designing it ‘green’ does not mean keeping a plant or a rock garden in a corner or displaying exquisite flowers in a vase. Instead, creepers or such other plants can be grown inside transparent pieces of furniture which will look just great. Similarly, coffee tables, kitchen furniture, or even washroom appliances can be enmeshed or treated, thus adding green dimensions to your immediate surroundings. Do you have enough time and patience when it comes to furniture shopping? If the answer is yes, ask your designer to shape living trees into exquisite furniture pieces like chairs, tables or even mirror frames. If you are one of those who love to relax in the garden – leaning against a tree and quietly reading a book – this grow-it-yourself, natural wood furniture concept

actually integrate standard or ‘mood lighting’ with the furniture pieces in use – a never-before experience for most of us. Try the ‘luminotherapy’ bed or chair that constantly changes colours or you can just stick to the one of your choice. The unique piece comes with a remote so that you can control the colour and change the home ambience at the touch of a button. The furniture item, most commonly used for experimentation, is the bed – the snooze island where you can relax, curl up and fall asleep without a care. And the varieties on offer are simply mind-boggling. From the more conventional foldable beds to well-hidden, fold-out wall beds and the futuristic floaters – each concept has evolved from out-of-box thinking and stands in sharp contrast to your current boxy bedroom. Although hide-a-beds were not immediately popular, clever designing and great space-saving made them quite trendy. Home-owners today also opt for floating beds which are folded into ceiling space and rolled down for use. Instead of folding it out from the wall, the bed is pulled down from the ceiling but

might readily take root in your imagination. Best of all, you can watch your favourite new seat grow right up from the ground in your backyard or on the patio/porch.

still leaves enough room for the objects underneath – a rare feat that most of the convertible couch-beds or similar bed designs cannot manage.

It’s innovative

It’s hi-tech

Recycling is also in vogue and used items like crushed coke cans or battered cricket/baseball bats are used innovatively to create exotic pieces of furniture that would surely wow your guests. Or if you are a gizmo-lover and want to deck up the home with boys’ toys, go for bike/car-parts furniture – sink-in seats, stunning coffee tables and much more. For example, get hold of the front headlights & grill of a car no longer in use and carefully fix a sturdy glass shelf on it. You can now proudly display the signature piece (it will feature the manufacturer’s crest in the front) at home and the off-beat creation will breathe oodles of style. Even a used musical instrument can become a solid decoration item. Designers are now trying to push psychedelic concepts – a perfect combination of innovation and creativity. One can

In case you are looking for a ‘bedroom experience’ with a difference, there are provisions to bring all your favourite gadgets right into the bed with you – thus ensuring effective space-saving and amazing multi-functionality. These hi-tech beds are the latest buzz in the market as they integrate high-end technologies with comfort and aesthetics. The beds are like secret rooms that perfectly blend into an interior design scheme and cut out on the gadget space, so that your favourite gizmos do not crowd your bedroom any more. Be ready to shell out good money and you can buy a hi-tech bed with built-in reading lights, television (some times with a surround-sound speaker system to give you that home theatre kind of feeling), computer with wireless Internet, iPod dock and gaming console. Quite

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simply, the gadget-loaded bed is virtually an all-in-one, standalone room that caters to all your needs. While a theatre screen can be pulled down for watching television or movies, an integrated personal computer ensures that you can work or surf from the comfort of your bed. Then there is the gaming console for the so-called addicts who love to get lost in the virtual world of ‘Xtreme Ntertainment.’ Or you may simply relax with your favourite book and read yourself to sleep. Reading lights and shades are carefully integrated to protect your eyes whenever you are awake or asleep. Hi-tech beds are perfect furniture pieces for a cramped urban condo or a compact studio apartment. And these are evolving fast too, as companies across the globe are adding up more sophisticated

features like temperature controls and anti-snoring devices. Curious? Impressed? Eager to try out the new-age convertibles? Think out of the box and get going today. Practical, eco-friendly and elegant, they will transform your traditional home décor and help create incredible interiors!

Deck it up, the sci-fi way

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heme-based décor, stunning layout, futuristic floors, living walls – you name it and the ultra modern homes of the new millennium have it. Instead of creating bland building blocks, innovations in the digital era has brought to life many of our childhood fantasies – right from that awesome ‘Star Trek’ consol (now you can find a similar control panel at a wired home) to the sliding wall that reveals amazing treasure troves (it is easy to get one done to step into another part of your house). Simply put, fantasy meets reality in today’s designer homes and the better imagination you have, the funkier it will get. Here are a few out-of-the-box concepts for your outof-the-world dream home.

Moving floors and walls If you have watched Jamiroquai’s ‘Virtual Insanity,’ the special effects might have left you quite stunned at times. In this widely popular music video, the floor appears to move while the rest of the room stays still and the interior changes even when the ceiling and floor are static. Did you ever wonder how it happened and fervently wished to own a home straight out that fantasy world? Well, some home owners have already decided to go jazzy and opted for the designer touch. Exquisite murals and bold colours make the once-drab flooring look like a piece of art. Best of all, one can also integrate lights, music and other appliances to make the surface glow in the dark, create great sound effects and change images. Although it sounds too futuristic and may cost quite a fortune, connoisseurs of designer homes are not complaining.

Changing images Have you noticed the billboards on city roads, with glittering and changing images? How would you feel if you can actually bring the billboards home? Instead of displaying just a few paintings or photographs which seem to stay there forever, the latest trend is to showcase photo frames with changing images.

Who needs a computer when you can load hundreds of pictures on to a photo frame and the images change periodically on their own? Just insert a compatible memory card in your digital photo frame and you can get started without a hitch. The bigger the memory card, the more number of pictures will be on display. You can also choose the display mode (single photo or slide show) and bring to life the cherished memories of another day.

Flexi fridge The refrigerator is one of the biggest and heaviest appliances at home that stand tall and immobile. But thanks to design innovations, portable versions are now readily available in the market. The easy-to-move flexi fridge is an offshoot of the cooling appliances available in coffee shops where shop owners keep their wares. While a central pillar supports each level, cold air – generated at the base – is circulated upwards through permeable structural layers. Stylish to the core, these newgenre machines weigh much less than the traditional big-box fridges and also offer great flexibility in terms of storage space. So collapse or expand them at your will to accommodate your everyday requirements. It will also save space for studio apartment dwellers. October ‘09

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Feature Designed by Austrian student Stefan Buchberger, Flatshare is another terrific idea to keep food fresh and handy the way you want it. It features interlocking refrigerator sections, scalable up to a full-size fridge and contains four stackable modules on the top of a base. Customisation is easy as you can choose your colours, patterns etc. and also include add-ons like bottle openers or a whiteboard. The refrigerator can be dragged anywhere and its size can be manipulated according to your convenience. The Flatshare fridge was one of the nine finalists in the Electrolux Design Lab contest.

The ratchet furniture designed by Harry Hasson is the best example in this category. The pressure from the ratchet straps wrapped around the units is enough to keep them from falling apart, thus eliminating the need for other permanent fasteners, small accessory pieces or complex metal hardware like nails, screws or glue. So get creative and redesign your storage devices the way you want it to give your dream home a new look and feel. Your family and friends cannot but appreciate all the efforts you have taken.

Collapsible storage space Modular furniture happened to be the next best idea after modular kitchens. Now we can take it one step further and think of modular storage space. It is the latest rage among people who suffer from cramped space and require more storage area in near future. If you have no space for heavy closets, wardrobes or chest of drawers, try the collapsible or knock-down furniture which can be designed and redesigned to suit your requirements. Cheap yet robust and elegant, the units of modular furniture are easy to assemble and disassemble. What’s more, some of these can be collapsed and folded away, when not in use.

Living safe – The tech way

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hat does it take to turn your home into a safe haven and a personal sanctuary? Check out these ‘intelligent’ gadgets which not only take care of the security issues at home but also ensure your personal well-being. Are you ready to go with the global flow and embrace the quirky ideas?

Security camera There are many options available in the market if you want to incorporate a good security system and keep your home as safe as possible. In India, the trend was not too popular though, even a few years ago. But with crime rates on the rise across the globe,

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security remains the key concern of people – especially where both spouses work and stay away from home for a considerable period. Families now do all they can to ensure household safety and next-generation technologies further pave the way to take advantage of robust security measures. Security systems vary in cost but these are no longer exorbitant. Companies today instantly respond to popular demands and often knock down prices to boost sales. Custom packages are also on offer to meet individual requirements. As new innovations flood the market, consumers are spoilt for choice and take their pick from a wide range of security products. There are wireless technologies, televisions monitoring, alarms and quick call-in to the police in case of a break-in – all dedicated to ensure your personal safety and security. A wireless security camera can scan your home and hearth meticulously all day and all night. The wireless technology allows these gadgets to be placed ‘discreetly’ where wired cameras cannot reach out. Each system has a camera and a DVR inside, and images are recorded on an SD card for easy playback. Others systems can record videos and transmit it directly to your computer. Some of the body-worn applications have microphones too, for audio recording. Packed with features, wireless colour cameras are sophisticated equipment that can be used indoors or outdoors for maximum flexibility. These are easy to set up, weatherproof and some of the versions provide night vision.

What you get is a USB DVR wireless system that has four cameras. The hardware turns your computer into a global surveillance tool, allowing you to see what is going on from anywhere in the world. This means that you can be holidaying in Spain and monitoring your home in India. Installing a basic security system is easy and you can try the latest IP/Network cameras which are sophisticated surveillance equipment. The hi-tech device uses an IP address to transmit the video recording through a network using Ethernet/CAT5 cable. Just log in using any Internet connection available through a computer or a 3G phone and view or playback the video from anywhere in the world. Although baby monitors are routinely used in many homes, some wireless and security cameras can also carry out the same task. With the right setup, you can even hook up a wireless camera to your iPhone to watch your baby sleeping.

Automatic door These are electrically automated doors opened and closed by power, spring or both. Automated doors are activated by various mechanisms and you can choose any one of these as per your convenience. Sensor-automated doors are activated by detecting traffic. Sensors are triggered when there is a change in light or pressure on certain switches that keep the door closed. A pressure sensor works when it senses the pressure; for example, a floor mat reacts to the pressure when someone steps on it. Some automated doors have an infrared curtain or beam which keeps the invisible light focused on the sensors. If something or someone blocks the beam, the door opens. A remote sensor

(based on infrared or radio waves) can be triggered by a portable remote control and it can be installed inside a vehicle as well. These devices are very popular for car/garage doors. Swipe cards, too, are used to open and close automated doors and these can also turn on and turn off lights. Then there are the motion sensors that use low-power microwave radars and powerassisted doors for the act of pushing or pulling, thus triggering the open-and-close cycle. In addition to activation sensors, automatic doors are generally fitted with safety sensors. These are usually an infrared curtain or beam, but can be a pressure mat fitted on the swing side of the door. Safety sensors prevent the door from colliding with an object in its path by stopping the door or slowing its motion.

Hi-tech lights Night lights: Night lights or power-failure lights are in vogue in European houses because they can be helpful for kids who are afraid of the dark and also provide essential back-up in case of power failure. New-generation night lights for parents who like high-tech gadgets include:  Automatic night lights that go on at dusk and off at dawn.  Motion-activated night lights, which are especially helpful when you have to get up and check on the kids in the middle of the night.  Power-failure night lights, which will only turn on when the power goes out. Solar LED lights: Known to be most environment-friendly, these hi-tech power tools featuring light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have become immensely popular. Also, because these are solar,

Feature

there is simply nothing to plug in. Just expose the gadgets to the sun as long as possible and the solar energy will be stored in the solar batteries. Fully charged solar lights can power up lighting for a maximum of 10 hours. These are increasingly used to light up the exteriors, especially the big yards or garden space, as a good number of lights are necessary to brighten up these areas. So tap the free & clean energy from the sun to light up your home and go green in the process. Wall sconces: They are coming back in vogue as individuals want to marry technology with traditional look and feel. If you are renovating the house, it is the best time to install electric wall sconces. But sconces can be solar-powered too, if they are used for outdoor lighting. Wall sconces are available in a wide choice of styles, colours, shapes and designs. There are three basic points to consider here: lighting type, placement and style. The sconce can be a standalone unit used to light up dimly lit areas like hallways. And how you place them can actually determine how well they can light up a room. For general lighting, sconces should not be placed lower than 5.5 ft from the ground. The actual height will depend on the overall room height and the height of the users, of course. For higher ceilings, move the sconces up to get reflection from the ceiling, but not so high that the down light is lost. Another position can be along the wall where sconces are placed in pairs or more.

Sensor pillow Sensor pillows happen to be the ultimate in luxury and utility in a gadget-rich bedroom. They not only provide great comfort, but also act as doctors, play music and help minimise snoring. As scientists and manufacturers try to incorporate innovative technologies and ensure better relaxation for the human body, new gadgets with better offerings come up every day. Pillows to measure sleep quality have been manufactured in Japan (Loft) and are quite a rage. They record the depth and quality of your sleep by measuring the movements of your head. It stands on the theory that the less you fidget, the better you sleep. The latest version in this range is i-sleep, a soft and comfortable pillow attached to your laptop. Currently designed by Ivonne Dippmann, this i-pillow aims to improve the sleep quality of liveit.in

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people glued to their laptops and working long hours. If you are burning the midnight oil for that all-important project but want to snatch a few minutes of sleep, here is the perfect solution. Just close your laptop and the pillow on the top of your laptop will be filled with warm air. The iSleep is attached to the laptop’s exhaust vent and the warm air inflates it to provide some nice padding for your weary head. Not only is the pillow warm, but it has an integrated speaker that will play music and lull you to sleep. And there is an alarm clock as well, to wake you up when needed. This can be an integral part of the iSleep or you may have to programme your laptop for the wake-up call. The product will hit the market soon and provide a much-needed rest zone for sleep-starved executives, married to their laptops.

Sensor garbage bin Sensor garbage bins are 100% hands-free, wireless and lidded waste disposal systems. There is a built-in artificial intelligent (AI) smart chip which knows when you need to open the trash can, and will do all the openings and closings for you. Invisible infrared technology (harmless, of course) is used to make these motion sensor trash cans. When anything comes within six inches of the infrared sensor placed near the lid, the lid opens up instantly. Dispose of the garbage fast as the lid closes automatically after three seconds. There are two front buttons to open and close the lid manually and an on/off switch at the back of the trash can. The automated garbage bin is a welcome relief as it helps maintain a germfree, odour-free environment. It is hygienic too, as you need not touch any part of the trash can. I

Snapshots

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1 It’s time to look East and rejoice! Now West Bengal is coming up with technology ‘firsts’ and ‘Durga Puja’ celebrations are turning ‘green.’ Come with us on a journey of discovery this festive season…

Viny Velayudhan

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Airport city in West Bengal

Durgapur, the industrial region of West Bengal, is all set to get India’s first privately owned airport. Known as the West Bengal Greenfield Project, it is managed by the Bengal Aerotropolis Project Ltd. (BAPL). Changi Airport International, a partner of BAPL, will take care of overall planning, construction and training of the airport staff. The airport will be located at Andal, 190 km from Burdwan district, and it will be India’s first airport city or aerotropolis. Besides other facilities, the aerotropolis will feature an IT park, an industrial zone and a well-developed township.

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First ever exclusive ship design base

West Bengal will soon have a unique design centre set up by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE), a PSU under the Defence Ministry. GRSE, along with a private French firm and a domestic IT firm, will give shape to a first-of-its-kind design centre in India that will provide detailed ship-design solutions. This public-private joint venture will leverage the expertise of each partner to ensure the very best in terms of service. The ship designing and engineering services will be handled by the centre while the French company will contribute its designing expertise. Hardware, manpower and other solutions will be taken care of by the domestic IT firm. liveit.in

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Puja celebrations go green

Bengalis are famous for their pompous celebration of the Durga Puja festival. But this time, it is also proved that they care for the environment. In fact, the ‘purohits’ (priests) have strongly insisted upon eco-friendly measures during the celebrations and many of the organisers have toed the line. Thanks to their eco-friendly gesture, the focus is now on using bio-degradable products for decorations and plastic in any form or shape is given a wide berth. For years, the priests’ body have been pleading not to use plastic as it leads to unbridled pollution and may cause major fire incidents. A ban has been slapped on the use of candles and wax as well, since these contain paraffin – another harmful ingredient. Thanks to the increasing awareness among the masses, it seems we are set for ‘green Pujas’ in the years to come.

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India's first green-lighted factory

West Bengal’s G.P. Tronics, an industrial unit based in Salt Lake, has become India's first green-lighted factory. The entire 5500 sq. ft. factory area is now lit up with LEDs. Binay Opto Electronics, in charge of this unique and landmark project, has turned the factory 100 per cent green-lighted using only solar energy with zero carbon emission. As a matter of fact, the entire lighting system of G.P. Tronics consumes only 1200 Watts as compared to the originally envisaged 4200 Watts consumed by traditional CFLs. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) considers a lighting load limit of maximum 11.5 Watts/sq. ft. as energy efficient and the LED Lighting Project has proved its energy efficiency by achieving a fabulous 3 Watts/sq. ft.

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India to set up certification facility

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Monorail project gets German expertise

In a bid to counter growing cyber crimes in the country, the Union Ministry of Communications and IT has decided to set up India’s first certification facility for software security products. The project will be located in Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal. A government testing centre is already there in the city but this facility will help create security zones for a variety of e-governance applications and help enhance cyber safety. Indian firms developing security products will also benefit from this initiative as they need not spend time and money to get their software programmes validated by overseas organisations. Now their products will be tested and accredited in India – thus reducing costs and time to market.

The Rs. 1200 crore light monorail project on the Budge Budge-Taratala stretch in West Bengal has been bagged by Kolkata firm Andromeda Technologies. And now the company will have experienced German partners who will provide international expertise. German firms Fernmeldewerk Munchen Aubing and Derap AG & Helbling Technik will provide support for the signalling system and contribute to the technologies involved. The project will also introduce LPG-based feeder buses along with the monorail construction. It is a part of the Rs. 6000 crore, first-of-its-kind light rail transit system in West Bengal. The company plans to use LPG for running monorail in the future and the system will be built accordingly. I October ‘09

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Geeky

gadgets for

health & beauty Suneetha B.

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n old days, our ancestors feasted on food rich in fat and carbs, and then went out to hunt wild game or work on the farmland all day long. A nice cycle of calorie-burning, a win-win situation – you have to agree. But it is not possible any more to retain that strategy. Thanks to our sedentary, timestrapped lifestyle, it is actually becoming tougher to follow a regular fitness regime. Either you are too tired to go to gym everyday or you hate to go jogging because of crowd and pollution. The only other option left can only be enjoyed by a privileged few. Because it is expensive and time-consuming to visit a spa or a salon on a regular basis. This is exactly where fitness gadgets come in – keeping you healthy and beautiful without costing a fortune. Here is a list of products and reviews that will have you rushing to work out and thus pamper your body! liveit.in

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For that radiant look…

Crowning glory and more…

If the face is the mirror of the soul, most of us are really rotten inside. Or, we have really bad facial skin, thanks to unhealthy eating habits, pollution and UV rays (let’s not forget stress and hereditary factors). Thankfully, there are some sophisticated gadgets out there that can offer remedy to age-old woes like stubborn blackheads or sagging skin.

Mankind’s crowning beauty is no longer low-maintenance. With a billion-dollar industry backing it up, every day, hair trends change and new looks emerge, calling for digital gadgets to meet the demand.

Acne cure Acne is a much serious condition that occurs when impurities clog the pores too long. ThermaClear is an acne treatment device that applies thermal pulse technology to clear pimples fast. It is an easy-to-use and FDA-cleared handheld medical device for the treatment of mild-to-moderate inflammatory acne. The device uses a very short, controlled burst of heat to treat individual acne lesions, neutralising the underlying bacteria that cause acne and zits. The healing thermal energy helps accelerate acne cure, reduces inflammation and clears pimples faster. ThermaClear is most effective at the earliest sign of a pimple.

Skin elasticity Light therapy is a recent technology which is used to cure blemished skin. LightStim is a patentpending LED photo-rejuvenation light therapy device that decreases fine lines and improves skin elasticity. The basic concept is that it provides LED light to the epidermis (the skin layer below the sweat glands) in order to stimulate cell activity, which may promote the production of collagen and elastin. LightStim™ is a device that features 72 LED lights per unit and delivers certain wavelengths of light to the skin surface, based on the idea that this will promote healthier skin.

Wrinkle eraser So who is the fairest of them all, with no wrinkles at all? Safetox® Beauty is an electronic device that acts on the root causes of wrinkles at a muscular level. The skin is merely the superficial covering of the real mechanisms that lie further down, in the muscular tissues. Certain muscles close up the face and cause wrinkles. Safetox Beauty relaxes these muscles, thereby altering the muscular balance in favour of the muscles at the rear of the head which open up the face and lift the skin. A fiveminute session each day for a few weeks should be enough to restore the muscular dynamics of a youthful face.

Chic locks It’s official. The sleek, straight hair is here to stay and a boon to those with kinky and unruly hair. The hair straightener or, as it is commonly called, a flat iron, is almost a must-have for every woman’s beauty closet. Go for ionic irons which also have infra-red technology to seal the hair moisture. The latest entry, Nano Hair Straightener, helps sterilize the plates and eliminate bacteria from appliances to promote a germ-free zone for the health and safety of stylists and clients. Phillips, Sedu and Solia are excellent brands, which have variable temperature controls and come with several years’ guarantee.

Unwanted fuzzy Removing unwanted hair has now gone techno. An epilator removes them by grasping multiple hairs simultaneously and pulling them out. The way the epilators do it is similar to waxing, although unlike waxing, they do not remove the cells of the epidermis. Epilation can be painful at times as it involves pulling the hair out of its root. Because of this, some people prefer to have the area professionally waxed first and then use the epilator to remove regrowth. Give the BRUAN silk-epil a go – it is gentle and easy to use with three heads, two speed settings, ice pack (that you probably won’t ever use) and a smart light to spot every single hair.

A head full of hair From unwanted hair to much-wanted hair, laser combs promise tantalising results to millions of people who suffer from hair loss. If price is not an issue, check out HairMax LaserCombs, made in USA. They work on the principle that living cells thrive in light and the human hair is no different. The laser comb utilises the scientific principle of light therapy and photo-bio stimulation that progressively improve the appearance of your hair. Lauded as the “Inventions of the Year” by the ‘Time’ magazine, LaserComb claims to be the only medical device clinically proven to promote hair growth. For best results, use the LaserComb three times a week for 10-15 minutes. Positive results are supposed to be noticeable in approximately 8-16 weeks. October ‘09

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Feature

Ahhhh! The divine pressure How many of us have sore feet or back ache at the end of the day? Nothing can be better than an old-fashioned rub by your favourite masseuse or your significant other, of course. But there is some stuff that comes mighty close. With the following gadgets, you can say good bye to pain and welcome bliss.

Foot help Foot massagers these days offer heated, vibrating, water and rolling massages. Some foot massagers focus on your feet alone while others do the calves and lower leg muscles as well, giving you a complete and thorough massage. The whole idea is to take all the weight off your feet and relax the muscles and bones that support your body all day. The HoMedics FM-CR Foot Pleaser Foot Massager ranks as the most popular, with features like counter-rotational massage heads and soothing infrared heat. The product looks like a 14 inch plastic brick with two red circles on top. You sit in a chair with your feet on top of the massager and the rotating balls massage as the circles spin.

Face massagers Face massagers offer relaxation, reduce facial cellulite (double chin, any one?) and cleanse the skin too. The Ultrasonic Face and Body Massager is portable, more effective and affordable – handling aging skin with the latest ultrasonic technology. Sending cyclic sound waves of 1 MHz/second and emitting frictional heat, the massager penetrates deep into your skin to smooth out wrinkles and dissolve fat deposits. The ultrasonic heat stimulates skin tissue, revive cell tissue, excrete skin wastes and facilitate skin metabolism. It can be applied to most parts of the body including your face, neck, arms, breasts, belly, waist, hips, buttocks and legs.

Full body massage If you want to go the whole way, get a massage chair to make your whole body relax. A 15-minute session before bed, with kneading, rolling, vibrating and heated tapping, is enough to make you look forward to a deep sleep. However, massage chairs are not the one-size-fits-all type of gadget. Every person is unique with different health concerns. It is, therefore, important to research and find the right chair for your specific needs. A Shiatsu massage chair is most sought after, as it applies acupressure. HoMedics is well known for its affordable massage products like massage chairs, back massagers, handheld massagers and foot & calf massagers. Elite and Panasonic are other great options for your body. liveit.in

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Workng out Count your feet For healthy limbs and body, 10,000 steps a day is recommended. If that figure makes your jaw drop, fear not – the pedometer will help you achieve your goal. Inexpensive and unobtrusive enough to be tucked into your wallet, this little device will tell you how many steps you take each day. The best pedometers can calculate and display other interesting statistics such as distance, calories burned, speed, elapsed time and steps per minute. They also act like a stopwatch and alarm. Some pedometers have fancy features such as talking, playing music or reading your heart rate. Check out Omron and Sportline brands, available online and at leading stores.

Step up a notch If you do not want to run up and down the communal staircase, an electronic stepper is the solution. Choose a stepper that is affordable, light-weight and compact enough to store at home or at work. Stamina’s InStride Plus Electronic Mini-Stepper is a good bet. Featuring a battery-operated monitor displaying steps-per-minute, total steps, workout time and calories burned, this portable stepping machine provides a complete cardiovascular workout while also offering elastic bands for toning back, arms, shoulders and torso during a workout. Made of steel, the frame carries a five-year warranty against defects, with parts warranted against defects for 90 days.

Fitness console Wii Sports brought home snow-bowling and tennis. Now Nintendo turns the living room into a fitness centre with Wii Fit. Lean to block soccer balls, swivel hips to power hoop twirls or balance to hold the perfect yoga pose. Family members get a “core” workout, compare their results and monitor progress on a new channel on the Wii Menu. Because keeping fit is an ongoing process, Wii Fit also tracks the activities you do the most and puts them into your Favourites category. Players can also note down exercises and activities in which they excel, as well as areas that need to be improve. Wii Fit comes with the Wii Balance Board and requires a Wii console to play. Wii console is sold separately.I

style it

Best of Glam Gadgets

We live in an age of convergence – convergence of devices and technologies. Technologies that connect our myriad devices with each other and to the Internet, and help reduce costs and power consumption with more integrated features on smaller chips. We all love gadgets. Whenever we want to buy a gift for our loved ones, a list of latest electronic gadgets usually comes to our mind. It is because we believe that these gadgets and technologies would surely enhance our lifestyle. Don’t you agree that electronics play a significant role in changing the way we live? Gadgets and gizmos are ever evolving at a rapid pace and innovations today are churning out newer models and versions that totally change our lifestyle. Advances in technology have already changed the way we communicate, think and see the world as a global village. Cool devices are literally flooding the markets faster than we can keep up. Even during a short trip, we carry an iPod for music, a Blackberry or a smart phone for talking and e-mailing, a laptop for work, a digicam/camcorder for an exclusive shoot and portable gaming/multimedia gadgets for fun and excitement on the go. Live IT presents here cool techno indispensables – a range of gadgets that are already wedded to fashion and showcase the powerful fusion of style and technology. Take a look at what some giants have to offer and you are sure to be floored by the chic and dazzle of their products. October ‘09

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Style IT

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Take home this music and entertainment device complemented by a touch interface. The phone features a ‘Media Bar’, a handy dropdown menu that provides direct access to music, entertainment, the Web and online sharing. Besides, you get all the music essentials, including a graphic equalizer, 8 GB memory, built-in surround sound and a 3.5 mm jack.

Bluetooth Stereo & Hands-free This is a completely wireless Bluetooth-enabled, hands-free headphone. Take calls and also listen to music in just one go. It can be easily connected to any Bluetooth-enabled device including mobile phone, PC, MP3 player, and many more. Combines great look with reallly cool sound quality.

Style IT

Sony DCR-DVD 710 E Handycam Get a powerful zoom lens and an extraordinary surround sound recording with DCR-DVD 710E. This one’s something really special!

Airport Express A simplified and compact device, which allows up to ten network users and includes a new feature called AirTunes. With the blazing 802.11n, the affordable AirPort Express is powerful enough to run a home Wi-Fi network. It is compatible with both Mac and PC. Its small design and light weight makes it extremely portable and stylish.

Style IT

VAIO-P (Pocket Style PC) Surf the web or play songs quickly in ‘instant mode’, video chat and blog on the go. Once you are done, just shut it off and keep it in your back pocket. As they say, it’s truly a small wonder.

S3-MP3 Player Carry music, videos, text, and games in this portable MP3 player from Samsung. This is simply stylish and comes with amazing features like three screen savers, five flashy colours, and five inbuilt games that will keep you engaged always.

Style IT

Optical Mouse SSD-OM-320 This is a three-button optical mouse with transparent body and retractable cable, 800 dpi , best suited for laptops. What’s more, it sports a stylish USB as well. It requires no cleaning or a mouse pad and its magic roller button lets you assign various features like easy jump, auto planning and zoom in & out functions.

Scarlet Enjoy beautiful picture quality and unparalled sound with the sedating new Scarlet – one of the thinnest LCD TVs in the world. It is an appeal to viewers who want a TV that is attractive to look at as well as to watch. Available in four different sizes, Scarlet includes intelligent sensor technology which detects the surrounding light level and provides just the perfect picture.

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orldwide recession might have hit swanky shopping malls across the globe. But shopaholics are still on a buying spree, although on a different platform, and online shopping sites are making fast bucks as never before. According to a MasterCard Worldwide survey, shoppers shopped more frequently through online portals in the last quarter of 2008 than in 2007. And the average frequency of online purchases in India increased to 2.9 per cent in Q4, as against 2.6 per cent in 2007. Shopping online offers several pluses like variety, convenience, speed and, best of all, the advantage of price comparison. Just a few clicks of your mouse and the shopping cart are loaded with your choice products, all set for the final way out – the payment process. In a few days, the goods are delivered at your doorstep (you can track their movement throughout) and the shipping costs

24x7 facility: The changing lifestyle and immense work pressure often leave us little time for family and friends. Eshopping is open 24x7 which means you are not time-bound to carry out this chore. Shop at your leisure and free up quality time – so that you can spend time with your family, visit people, pursue a hobby or simply relax after a hard day’s work. G One-stop shopping: Several e-commerce sites offer multiple products such as clothes, jewellery, accessories, gadgets, home appliances books, CD’s and much more. Then there are the virtual malls (some even boast 3D effects) where you can buy what you want, choose from multiple brands, compare the pricing and read reviews to ensure best value for money. For those looking for more resources or a shopping 2.0 experience, there are the social shopping Websites like G

24x7 Shopp Advantages of e-shopping in a nutshell are minimal, too. Simply put, Internet shopping is easy and fun, especially if you want to break free from the traditional shopping done at brick-and-mortar stores. So let us take a close look at eshopping advantages before you embark on festival shopping. G It’s convenient: The very idea grabs your attention and gets you going! When you shop online, you can avoid chaotic traffic and long queues at the supermarket counters or shopping malls – thus saving on time and travelling expenses. Online shops are particularly a boon for those not residing in the metros as people from tier II cities, small towns or rural areas seldom have access to vast varieties of products. E-shopping is also time-saving because you don’t have to roam from shop to shop till you find your choice product. Shopping at your convenience and from the safety & comfort of your home exactly fit the bill if you are hardpressed for time and want to avoid the bustling crowd. Dorai Thodla, CTO at iMorph Inc., says, “Some times it is easier to shop on the Internet. Here, you can easily search for a wide selection of merchandise such as books and music. Real shops, on the other hand, tend to be a bit disorganised. If you know what you want and can wait for a couple of days, e-shopping always beats real shopping. But for certain items, like clothes, e-shopping is obviously not that great.” liveit.in

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ProductWiki, Kaboodle, MyItThings, Zebo or Iliketotallyloveit. These dynamic sites not only highlight the latest and the most popular products but also feature tips, reviews, polls, ratings, purchase displays and product discussions with other social shoppers. In short, it is a virtual world where you can hang out with friends in real time, hunt for best deals, interact with other shoppers and catch up on the latest gossip. G Money-saver: Shopping online is also about saving money in this period of economic slowdown. As everything else takes a backseat to price, retailers now come up with steep discounts, special promotional offers and free gifts – those which are generally not available in regular shops. Joby John, a busy professional who often shops online, says, “I shop online because it offers the best deals. Instead of going to a shop and

buying it from there, you get to compare with multiple stores and get the best offer instantly. My sister and I must have spent more than $7000 till now through the American online stores.”

Be alert, shop safe Online shopping is the ‘in’ thing to do and most of us are on cloud nine when we manage to find the perfect item at the perfect price from the comfort of our living rooms. However, there are quite a few fellow-shoppers who have overlooked the pitfalls and fallen prey to unscrupulous practices. Safety is of key importance when you shop online. If you are not careful, you may lose money, get a wrong product (or a product of inferior quality) and, in extreme cases, may fall a victim of identity theft. If your debit

ing! Resmi Jaimon

card/credit card data or any other personal information fall into the wrong hands, it may take a long time to recover from the financial/legal mess. Anuradha, a regular e-shopper visiting both Indian and foreign sites, prefer the latter as they have better policies and readily admit their mistakes, in case of a mix-up. Those sites are also willing to offer discounts or compensate the customer in one way or the other, in case there is a genuine mistake on their part. October ‘09

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Feature “I have made my purchases from quite a few “secure shopping sites” in India and ended up losing my money,” she complains bitterly. “Most of the times, we don’t get the product we have ordered. And when asked to clarify, the person at the other end says that it is out of stock and an alternative has been sent. Another time, I was trying to send a birthday gift to a friend and a day after the scheduled delivery, I found out that the order had not been confirmed. When questioned, the e-shop team said that the gift had not been delivered but they would send it the next day. What’s the point in sending a gift two days after the D-day?” she asks. Although e-shopping glitches exist and may affect Net shoppers, a simple checklist containing a few safety rules can actually shield you against any online fraud. So here are 15 ‘dos and don’ts’ before you start online shopping. G Secure your PC with a firewall, anti-virus protection and spam protection. Make sure that these are on and up to date. G Choose your shopping site wisely and look for trust marks such as VeriSign or Secured Seal. Colour-coded address bars are a part of the EV SSL certificates, which ensure site authenticity. G Beware if you are asked too many questions. You only need to give your name, shipping address, billing address, credit card type, credit card number, PIN, CVV number and expiration date. Do not provide any information about your PAN card, bank account numbers, driving license numbers or your mother’s maiden name. G Shop only from known and reputable vendors. Check the seller’s rating, if possible, as well as customer’s feedback (many of the sites carry this information). G Be extra careful when you buy expensive items such as high-end gadgets, jewellery, designer brands etc. G Read the terms & conditions, privacy policy, warranties, return policy and other related information before you start shopping. If you don’t feel comfortable, opt for another site. G Read carefully the shipping methods, rates, carrier details, tracking procedure and insurance policy. Also try to find out whether goods are sent from outside the country as this will incur custom duty and may result into delayed delivery. G Choose a secure method of payment. Opt for COD (cash on delivery) if possible. G Type the URL of the payment service manually in the address bar. G The shopping site should use secure technology. When you enter crucial information (credit card details or other personal information), make sure that the Web address of the page begins with https and not http. G Check for the locked padlock icon in the browser window frame. liveit.in

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G G

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Try to maintain a separate credit card for online shopping. Do not respond to any e-mail message asking you to confirm account details, personal information etc. It can be a ploy for identity theft. Keep separate passwords for logging on to your Internet/network, shopping, banking etc. Never share passwords with anyone and change them at regular intervals. Last but not the least, trust your gut feeling. If something somewhere seems wrong, try and check with your family, friends and colleagues who may help you out. Now enjoy your online shopping (with caution)! I

Geek Goes Glam Giselle Jhunjhnuwala Lead Designer, USB Jewel USB Jewel introduces its new line of flash drive necklaces and key chains. Making it possible to be both tech-savvy and fashionconscious, these USB drives feature built-in storage with a stylish, unassuming package. Available online at www.usbjewel.com, the USB jewellery can be purchased in a variety of models. The most popular shells include the locket-inspired Wood Heart Pendant ($65.00), the ultra sleek Abalone Rectangular Pendant ($59.99) and the sophisticated, diamond-shaped Crackled Shell Key Chain ($59.99). USB Jewel is a division of Everon Time Company which features these functional yet fashionable pendant necklaces and key chains. Products are available online at www.usbjewel.com or can be ordered at [email protected].

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here is a fickle, teasing Goddess – fantastic in her tastes, playful in adornment, who at every season seems to flee, return and rise again. Proteus was her father, her name is Fashion.” Since fashion mantra is bound to change every season as the famous Voltaire quotation so rightly indicates, fashionistas across the globe passionately hunt for all that is new and trendy. The dictates of the vibrant fashion market are much too demanding than meet the eye. And even star designers spend sleepless nights to come up with new creations that will wow all. India’s burgeoning fashion industry is already creating waves in the international market while top designers like Ritu Kumar, Rina Dhaka, Rohit Bal, Manish Arora, and Ritu Beri are in great demand all over the world. Most importantly, our textile varieties, ethnic styling, exotic patterns, vibrant dyes and age-old craft & cultural heritage play a key role in making India a fashion powerhouse. But Designers are like any other field, haute couture has gone hi-tech and the latest fusion of information getting tech-savvy technology (IT) and fashion gets you better to ensure better results at the click of a mouse. Fashion designers today make optimum output and greater use of IT in various aspects of garment efficiency and apparel designing. Thanks to latest technologies and software programmes, they can visualise designs and surface treatments; choose cuts and patterns; select colours and fabrics; and quickly come up with a virtual edition of the final output. Then, there are other areas of the fashion industry, like e-sourcing, mass customisation and e-retailing, which require a robust IT

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Tech lends wings to couture culture Ranjana Pandiar

backbone. Almost all IT CAD/CAM companies offer Web-based product data management (PDM) systems for efficient product management and effective B2B communication. Online retail has flourished too, as cutting-edge software like E3 actually provides a virtual try-on to enhance the shopping experience. The outfit in question can be viewed from different angles to judge the look, colour combination and the fit before it is purchased. Hairstyles, hair colours and skin tones of the model can be adjusted as well, to give the customer a fair idea about the overall impact. Many such innovations are coming up every day but simply put, IT has made liveit.in

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firm inroads into this highly creative profession and designers are getting tech-savvy to ensure better output and greater efficiency.

A bouquet of creative tools Designing is the backbone of the fashion industry – a crucial task that entails visualising the outfit in totality. There is the proverbial CAD (Computer Aided Designing), of course, the perfect tool for capturing ideas and quickly turning them into precise, finished designs. With CAD in action, professionals can easily create 3D

Here we will list a few more for the enthusiastic and the initiated. CorelDraw 13 X3, Photoshop CS 2 and CS 3, Illustrator 9.0 and Indesign are there in the market but only Indesign is widely used nowadays.  For pattern designing and textiles selection, TukaTech is commonly used.  Lactra and Gerber Garment Technology (GGT) are used for pattern and layout making. The tool helps in custom-made fabric cutting and designing according to pre-fed data. However, Delhi-based designer Neeta Bhargava feels that Lactra and GGT are more useful for those into mass production and export business.  The Animator PRO can be effectively used to create product slideshows. It is an excellent drawing programme for creating and editing image type graphics. The colour palette in Animator also offers a wide range.  C-Design Fashion® can be used to create garments and accessories quickly by adding colour, fabric, print and special effects. Developed by a Paris-based firm, the one-stop software package also helps with size specification, measurement, labelling and sewing commands. Built on CorelDraw, C-Design is available in multiple languages including English, French and Spanish. It supports bitmaps and vector graphic formats, and offers a database of more than 18,000 existing garments, shapes and detailing.



samples and forget about preparing sheets and sheets of drafts till the final design is approved. The software maintains the geometric relationship among design elements so that one can modify a design without redrawing it and also test the suitability of various fabrics on a specific design. CAD includes a bunch of applications that cater to every aspect of designing, fabric simulation, catalogue creation and merchandising. It also empowers a designer to sell his/her ideas to clients through sophisticated mapping and drawing functions, photo libraries, quick cataloguing and presentation software. Its unique ‘show and sell’ programme enables professionals to showcase their designs worldwide and reach out to interested buyers. With multimedia fashion shows, video collections and virtual catwalks crowding the Internet almost every day, such a tool certainly ensures great marketing opportunities as designers can feature their products with style and élan. Besides CAD, there are other interesting and popular software applications used for fashion designing. For example, there is EG Vision which is both quick and inexpensive. It is a desktop scanner that helps import motifs and ideas straight from the desktop while Vision Design is expressly created for textile and surface designing.





E-cataloguing is used to create online catalogues containing vast libraries of colours, fabrics and styles – mixed and matched to feature all possible combinations. UK-based design and development company Cre8tiv has come up with a free software development kit (SDK) for their interactive, Web-based 3Di software. As 3Di can manipulate the original digital image by adding images/textures, it is often used to view different fabrics, patterns or colours which are not part of the original image.

Tech props up mass customisation In today’s ready-to-wear fashion market, mass customisation is a boon to those seeking a competitive edge. It is a totally new business paradigm that uses information technology to produce customised goods at minimal cost. The concept is all the more appealing in the fashion industry since only a privileged few can afford to go for high-end designer brands. With mass customisation emerging as an established business practice, people can still opt for ‘exclusive’ October ‘09

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Feature outfits and accessories without paying an astronomical sum. In this new business model, manufacturers link the individual customer with the production line and employ an extensive range of IT tools to produce ‘bespoke’ suits. With the help of computercontrolled manufacturing, companies can easily change the size, design, colour and fabric of any ‘standard’ outfit as per the consumer’s choice and requirements. The best thing about the ITpowered production system is that you can be based anywhere across the globe and still get the same kind of personal attention from your ‘virtual’ designer that you used to get from your tailor. If we consider the entire process from pre-production through to cutting, the ‘made-to-measure’ stage most certainly demands highend technologies for the success of the concept. Non-contact, three-dimensional body scanners such as Cyberware or Hammatin, Wicks and Wilson or Telmath are used to measure customers and the body measurements are recorded in seconds. The software then converts the data into readable format and transmits the same to the factory. Markers can be produced automatically on these measurements and the fabric is cut, using a single ply cutter. Once the measurement is taken, the computer can choose the design and the style from the menu. Here the customer gets an option to change the fabric and colour as per his/her choice. The manufacturer then checks the fabric availability (online or offline) and the status is instantly conveyed to the customer. In case the material is not available, the customer can choose another alternative. Fabric cutting can also be automated, carried out by a computer-controlled machine. For instance, the Macpi Group company, Ima, has created a quick-change cradle feed system for cloth roll management and coupled it to a computer-controlled static spreading machine, which is integrated on to a conveyorised table that feeds any automatic single ply cutter. However, information control lies at the core of this system as it is required to interface with Mainframe, CAD, cloth ware and other subsystems. The Mainframe receives work orders, CAD does prior checking of marker availability and relative length, cloth ware is for fabric availability and roll selection. The data are then fed and coordinated together to make it a well-integrated production process. Since computer-controlled designing and cutting have been introduced in the fashion world, digital fabric printing is touted to be the most revolutionary technology of the day. In this method, no screens, plates or films are used. Instead, designs are directly printed on to the cloth by inkjet or other printer by using the digital method. This system of fabric printing was first used in 1995 by Stork Textiles Printing Group of Holland. The new technology has gained in popularity as it is more flexible, cheaper and faster than the traditional printing methods. The method is simple, though. Any design, photograph or picture can be scanned into a computer and the colour, design, etc. can be changed, if required, before printing it on the desired fabric.

IT enhances fashion … or does it? Judging by the current trends, it seems that we will soon require a chain of application stores brimming with cutting-edge tools at par with the global studios. Also, young Indian designers are getting an liveit.in

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opportunity to work with popular international brands – an advantage that gives them enough exposure. So how do our designers react to the hi-tech environment that may soon dominate our couture culture? “Indian designers are slowly moving towards the hi-tech culture but we still have to go a long way,” says Neeta Bhargava, a Delhi-based professional. “We only have five or six fashion weeks a year. So there’s not much scope to think of innovations.” According to Bhargava, the designer fraternity gets tremendous support from the government in countries like Japan, England and France. “The Indian government has now come forward to support the fashion industry in every respect but designers are still waiting for their big lot. However, our brands can easily compete with the international counterparts.” Neeta Malhotra, a professor at NIFD, feels that Indian professionals catering to the domestic market rely less on technology as on-the-spot design changes have to be made sometimes. “High-end technology are more suited for export orders as these are sold in bulk, are standardised and require little alteration,” she says.

Designer Payal Jain seconds Malhotra. “Although we use tech tools for some of our work, we prefer to do the sketching and designing manually. Switching from hand sketching to CAD is definitely a big leap for the entire fashion industry. But the new software programmes are expensive and not all of us can use them.” Designer Kavita Bhartia sounds a bit sceptical, though. “We are certainly using applications like Photoshop, CorelDraw and Illustrator for the designing part and Flash for the final presentation. But when it comes to dyeing or embroidery, it must be handmade. That is why Indian products are so valued here and abroad. Plus, there is a catch when it comes to using hi-tech tools. Most of the advanced software used by international fashion fraternity are yet to reach India.” Leading designer Ritu Kumar is, however, happy with the growth of the Indian fashion industry. “Bridging the gap between Europe and India would take some time since our industry is quite young. But India is catching up well in every respect and it will only get better,” she concludes. I

Feature

Technology in

Communication Sai Narasimhan

The newest ways of communication to stay in touch

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echnology is the practical application of scientific advancement in an effort to 'improve' our lives. We use technology all the time and don't even realise it. When you turn a tap and get running water, you are using technology. When your alarm wakes you up, you are using technology. And when you cannot fall asleep and pop a pill, you are using technology. In fact, every time you simply turn on the light, you are using technology. But here we are talking about all technologies together. It would take a few books and thousands of trees to get something like that printed. This is about technology as we see it around us and how it affects our daily life. There are cell phones, televisions and interactive booths – high-end technology applications that attempt to simplify our life. To digress a little, I remember when George H.W. Bush went to a grocery store and was wonderstruck at the technology being used while checking out his purchases. The news media laughed,

evening television news anchors giggled nervously and he was the butt end of many a late-night comedian's jokes. What no one seemed to realise was that he was right (and I am no apologist for the former President of the USA, even less so for his Vice-President, Dan Quayle). Just the act of swiping a bar code using lasers (two volumes on Optics, one volume on Mechanics), translating the bar code into numbers (IC chip at the check-out counter doing real-time translation of the bar code into binary transistors – one volume), integrated circuitry and chip making (a few bookshelves), transmitting the bar code to a central system (data transmission TCP/IP – two books), electricity (one volume), having the price of the item retrieved from the system (databases – two volumes) and sending it back to the scanning device to be displayed on the screen (LED or LCD technology – a few volumes) – we have already filled quite a few shelves with just the science of how this works. The technology part is not even scratched. October ‘09

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Feature Let’s take PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). This was a term invented by John Sculley in the 1980s (Yeah, I know. But it’s been a long time for most of today's readers). He was then the CEO of Apple, having ousted Steve Jobs and taken over his post. He believed that he had found the next idea that would light a fire under Apple's stock – and the invention was called the Newton. These days, no one even remembers it. But that Newton was the genesis of today's iPhone and BlackBerry. The Newton PDA was revolutionary for its time. You may also say that it was ahead of its time in many ways. The key things that a PDA was supposed to do were to a) store (and retrieve) information for a person about other people; b) store information about places; c) provide a calendar that could be used to associate people and/or places with times; d) provide small utilities like a calculator, scratch pad, drawing utilities and sync itself up with a desktop computer. The Newton PDA did this admirably – but the cost was battery life and the weight. It was simply too much, too soon. It was followed by the Palm Pilot, the Sharp Zaurus and numerous other variants. All of them provided the user with similar applications and touted various incremental changes in technology – sharper screens, better resolution, better contrast, better battery life, more memory and better applications. But these changes did little to redeem the geeky image of a PDA. The variants of the PDA were in two broad categories. You had the touchscreen interface of the Palm Pilot and Windows CE based PDA (Sony's Clie is a great example of such a device). The other was one with a keyboard attached – and here is where the BlackBerry shines. But the category killer came in the form of a mind-blowing piece of innovation from Apple – the iPod. The iPod has come to epitomise everything – from the touch and feel (smooth and cold all over) to headphone colour and the interface. It started off as a music device and it still serves as the workhorse that has moved us away from the Sony Walkman to the next mobile entertainment device. The iPod has become the electronic item that can also make a fashion statement. Although launched nearly eight years ago, it still looks cool. How many accessories can say that even six months post-launch? The iPod has a few things going for it. It has the charisma of being an Apple product. It has the simplicity that makes everyone feel like a genius. And it has looks to die for. The next best example is a bunch of also-rans including Microsoft's Zune and the Sansa. The clunkiness of the competition makes the iPod look like pure perfection. The iPod has evolved into a sub-industry of its own and has spawned a mini-ecosystem around itself (the New York Times categorised it that way). As of 2006, for every $3 spent on an iPod, $1 was being spent on an accessory. Whether it is the iDock or additional mini speakers for the iPod, the industry around it proves the market dominance of the product. Even the Sony Walkman, the next comparable product, didn't have such a fan following. The ultimate statement came in the form liveit.in

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of luxury car manufacturers offering iDocks as options available in their cars. So is it all accolades all the way? Not really. The iPod ties you down in more ways that most fans would like to admit. The prime example is the way you are 'forced' to use iTunes to do anything meaningful with your music collection. Don't get me wrong – iTunes is a great application. But to be tied down to it really irritates me. It may be good enough for the end-user. But the DRM (Digital Rights Management) that is implicitly added to your collection is unsettling. I prefer to have no one poking their noses on my PC. And, God forbid that you have an OS other than Windows or the Mac's! You have no help! You cannot purchase anything from the iTunes store. And your iTunes collection cannot be synced with a Linux PC. This is sad. Okay, now let us move on to the iPhone – the NEXT big thing from Apple. The iPhone in its latest avatar – the iPhone 3GS – is set to blow your socks off. What? You don't think there is any difference compared to the older iPhone 3G? Well, how about the added memory? 32 GB is plenty and enough to keep you going for some time. The performance is noticeably faster compared to the older model. Consequently, the gaming experience is peppy. Simple things like map redrawing proceeds at a much faster pace, making the browsing experience more realistic. The higher pixelled camera also makes the pictures better (three megapixels). As always, the iPhone's photo editing makes it such a pleasure to use that you hardly realise you are using some software – it just seems too natural! And yes – you can now shoot videos (VGA – 640x480) with your iPhone and also edit the videos right on the iPhone itself. But beware of making the edits! It is a one-way street, with no 'undo' and no way to save a copy of the original. There are applications galore and this article would replicate a book if you see a list of them here along with their features. The iPhone is the logical extension of the iPod. This is true even though the iTouch has been touted by Apple as the extension of the iPod! From a practical point of view, the iTouch is similar to the iPod in that its primary purpose is to let you listen to music. But once you see that the OS is the same as that of the iPhone and so is the look and feel, and the applications carry over, it becomes obvious that the iTouch is only a crippled iPhone. With the iPhone, the user continues to make a fashion statement. Once again, the touch is smooth. The interface is so intuitive that anyone can pick one up and begin to use it right away. When you see where Steve Jobs is coming from, the Macintosh, the NeXT computer and the iPod, it becomes obvious that usability is the primary and most critical element in the design of any new Apple product. It will probably remain the same in the not-too-distant future as well, when the next widget comes from Apple – whether it is a book reader or a net book or a tablet or even the next 'newspaper' using epaper – it will be the most usable kind of technical gadget that you can ever imagine.

The iPhone 3GS comes with many applications. These include the ever-popular e-mail, browser to surf the Net from wherever you are and a map application that pinpoints your location. An intriguing application is the ability to use another computer to locate your iPhone. And it can even beep to let you know where it is (as long as it has sufficient battery power). It also has over 50,000 applications available for purchase from the Apple iPhone store. And then there are non-approved applications available. Caution: These may invalidate any warranty that the iPhone comes with. So be very careful before loading non-Apple-approved applications on your precious iPhone. Much like the iPod, it has also spawned a mini-industry around itself that is almost self-sustaining, as long as Apple doesn't change the design too much. This synergy between the third-party providers will last only as long as Apple keeps them in the loop for any changes that are forthcoming. But Apple is known to play its cards close to its chest. Hence, many of the accessories usable with one version of the iPhone may not be usable with the next one. Also, sometimes Apple may incorporate a new feature that renders the accessory obsolete. But those are the realities of life. Personally, I like to live with the native applications and not hack any of my machines. But if you look at my basement, it is quite another story – with PCs lying around with no boxes (easy access to the innards) and old PDAs, etc. I do build my own PCs. So let me rephrase that. I only get

into hacking my 'widgets' if I am comfortable enough with them and the warranty can be covered by me. The Nokia N97 was talked of as the closest thing that can challenge the status of the iPhone as a ‘must-have’ device. There is one great feature that has me rooting for it. This is the disappearing keyboard. And I am talking about a full Qwerty keyboard – like the BlackBerry or the Palm Pre. The keyboard slides out and the screen is tilted just right to help you tap out email and messages while the screen does not reflect the ambient light – a nice feature. Then there is the WiFi and BlueTooth standard plus 32 GB memory (expandable by 16 GB). The N97 boasts that its built-in GPS will ensure that the user's current location can be shared via social networks like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. You have heard about them, haven't you? You can also use Nokia's Ovi service to stream music, video etc. to your device. Don't like the headphones with wires? No problem. Use a Bluetooth-enabled stereo headset and enjoy the freedom! Add to this the multitasking offered by the Symbian operating system, a feature that is sorely lacking on the iPhone, and you are almost carrying a laptop in your pocket. Not to mention that it costs as much as a laptop too! The camera is five megapixel – sufficiently high in resolution to use all the onboard memory as well as the expansion! And for those craving names, the optics is by Carl Zeiss. You also have the N97 mini, the latest entrant from Nokia, set to be released by the end of 2009, which is a tad smaller in all dimensions, has ‘only’ 8 GB memory and still gives you most of the features that the regular one carries. So which one should you choose? For me, the iPhone wins hands down. It has all the features I would ever dream of wanting in a PDA, the applications that keep on growing (MIT media labs has just released an application

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/090209-iphoneapp-tracks-swine-flu.html?source=NWWNLE_nlt_daily_am_20 09-09-03 that can show you where the latest outbreaks of H1N1 and any other more 'popular' diseases are breaking out). And when Apple leads, can MS be far behind? Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 was released late last year and X2 will be out soon. Last year, the X1 did everything that iPhone 3GS is doing this year. But it loses out on the oomph and the Brand Apple factor. Note: I still do not own an iPod. I am not an Apple fan and believe in keeping my desktop and accessories as free of DRM as possible. But the iPod phenomenon is something that has me fascinated. So many otherwise rational people are simply hooked on to the Apple bandwagon. There must be something to it. Maybe I should buy an iPhone3Gs. Or will it be the N97? Well. Let's see who gives me the best breaks. I October ‘09

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KidZui4

Tech Tips by Anoop Verma or those who have a young kid growing up in their family, the KidZui browser must come as a dream come true. This browser, designed specifically with kids in mind, uses a ‘Zooming User Interface’ paradigm to make browsing easier. Search results appear as scaled down images of websites, videos, and pictures that children click on to zoom in and see content. It is also possible for children to browse by category without typing search terms. But the best thing about the KidZui browser is that it does not allow open access to the big bad world of Internet. That should come as a relief to many parents whose primary concern revolve around their child being exposed to adult material readily available on the web. The KidZui browser works by maintaining a database of URLs that have been approved by teachers and parents. As of now, this browser is geared to provide access to over 2 million child-friendly games, websites, pictures, and YouTube videos that have been reviewed by parents. That is enough material to turn your computer into a veritable playground for your kid. Kids can make searches for

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material that they need to help with schoolwork, by themselves. This browser is also capable of tracking the Internet usage of the children and sending a weekly report to their parents on what their kids looked for online. If anything, this kind of procedure eliminates the need of parents to constantly breathe over their kids’ shoulder when they are online. The product can be downloaded for free by pointing your browser to http://www.kidzui.com/download/windows. If you are using Firefox browser then you can download from this link: http://www.kidzui.com/down load/firefox. Once this browser is safely installed in your computer, your child will have a safe, easy and entertaining access to the world of Internet. The company behind KidZui is relatively young. KidZui came into being in 2006 when Vidar Vignisson was trying to figure out a safe and easy way for his own children to use the Internet. He decided to come up with a product himself and teamed up with Cliff Boro and Thomas Broadhead. The beta testing for the product with kids began in 2006 itself. Finally, it was released to public in 2008. Since then, there have been many reviews from parents and kids alike in favour of the KidZui browser. I

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Make Free International Calls with PokeTALK Connect to any part of the world with ease!

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or those who just can’t do without their share of talking on the phone, a free calling facility to any part of the world must seem like a nirvana of some kind. Too bad, such facility is still far from becoming a reality. But PokeTALK, with its absurdly low rates, does come very close to being almost free. To indulge in PokeTALK, you have to begin by opening an account at www.poketalk.com. By the way, this website offers the facility of calling over 70 per cent of the world for free. But the problem is that India does not figure in the list; we belong to the other 30 per cent who have to pay a small amount of fee. To make a call using PokeTALK, you have to enter your number and the number you want to call, and then wait for few moments for the website to connect you. But before that, you have to sign up. The process is simple. All you need to do is to enter your email, your full name and from a drop-down list, you have to select the name of your nation; another drop-down list lets you enter your time zone. You also have to enter your occupation, date of birth and other minor details. After that, you can click on the sign up button to be awarded a lifetime license to talk for free or at very low prices. As of now, calls originating from 15 countries in North America and Western Europe and going to a list of another 55 countries are free. India is not there in

the list, so the desi users have no other option but to take recourse to the PokeTALK Pro version. When you click on the PokeTALK Pro button, you are immediately transferred to a page that has a rate calculator. Let’s say, you want to make a call from India to the UK. The rate calculator answers within moments that you have got to pay $0.0402 per minute for making this type of call. Similarly, you can find out the rates for making calls to the USA, to Sweden or any other country. The rates are not very high, but as the payment has to be made in dollars, you will have to pay by your international credit card and that will entail some kind of currency conversion charges. So you might end up paying more than the rate that PokeTALK is advertising. Despite these small glitches, this is a really interesting website and one can only hope that sooner or later, India will start featuring in the list of countries that can make and receive free PokeTALK calls. I October ‘09

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Tech Tip

Use Clerkdogs to get personal movie recommendations Get info on the movies of your choice ithout any exaggeration it can be said that movie buffs can’t do without Clerkdogs. This is a website that dishes out to its users recommendations from actual video store clerks. Now you must have guessed how the name Clerkdogs comes into being. Well, the thing is that a video store clerk does have the ability to make good recommendations as he/she is more exposed to the world of newly released and old movies. By using

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this system, there is very little chance of your ending up with an incorrect movie recommendation. In order to start using Clerkdogs, the first thing you need to do is point your browser at http://www.clerkdogs.com. Here you can open your account for free and then you can be on your way to get introduced with movies of your choice. In the centre of the screen there is a box that says ‘Get Recommendations’. Fill the name of your favourite movie and click on the button that says, ‘Match’. A list of matching movies will appear at the bottom of the screen; pick up the one that you like. For example, when I entered the name of the movie ‘Desperado’ in the box and tried to match it, I got movies like ‘Hang em’ High,’ ‘Kill Bill,’ ‘No Country for Old Men,’ ‘Once Upon a Time in Mexico’ and a few others in the result. That is pretty close, closer than what you would get if you requested any acquaintance to come up with recommendations. This website also gives you info on the movies of your choice. You can check out their IMBD credentials and the DVD price on Amazon.I

Net PC from

Airtel A user-friendly OS to connect to the Net

ow about a PC that costs just Rs. 7999! You can have such a PC installed at home by making one phone call to Airtel. So why does this Net PC cost so less? The truth is that this is not a full-fledged PC, simply because it does not have a CPU. No CPU, no CD drive, no Hard Drive. But who needs such paraphernalia when it is possible for you to take care of all your computing needs in the ‘cloud’. The Net PC is based on a plug-and-play technology and is powered by Nivio Companion, which enables it to get connected to a backend Linux-run server for storage and applications. There is also a user-friendly OS with Windows-based online desktop. Software upgrades are not required, since the globally distributed NivioGrid provides the computing power. The hardware in an Airtel Net PC consists of an LCD monitor, a keyboard, a mouse and a modem by which the system can be connected to the Internet. Once the power is switched on, the system boots instantly, as a CPU with a plethora of software doesn’t plague it. But there is one small drawback – the computer can’t be used unless you are connected to the Internet. Also, you can’t use it for downloading software or playing graphic-rich

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video games. But on the positive side, a Net PC consumes only 510 watts of energy. Currently, Airtel is providing 10 GB of space at its central server where users can store documents, photos and presentations. You can put all worries regarding data loss to rest, since all the data are 100% guaranteed by Airtel and has a back up in NivioGrid in real time. You can sign up for the Net PC under three different schemes. There is the Home Pack, under which you pay Rs. 699 per month and have an Airtel broadband connection at 256 Kbps speed with 3 GB data transfer plus an online desktop service with 10 GB storage and MS Office standard. But if you opt for the Profession Pack, which comes at Rs. 899 per month, you can avail of MS Office standard with Admin rights. Those who go in for the Business Pack, at Rs. 1199 per month, will have online access to MS Office Premium with Admin rights. So the only difference between the three packs being offered lies in the type of Microsoft Office that you get access to. The Net PC comes equipped with few extra USB ports that can be used to connect the system to a printer or to download files to a flash drive or a portable HardDrive. I October ‘09

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Software for doing makeup directly on your photos

Input by Priyanka Dey

Enhance your pictures at the click of a mouse

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ow about touching up those digital photos a bit? And how? Enter MakeUpPilot from the ensemble of Two Pilots. It is basically an image editing software, which can be used to touch up your photos. So, you can happily bid adieu to the small defects on your cherished pictures. Sounds good? Here’s more. MakeUpPilot can be used as an image correction tool to get rid of minor skin blemishes and other defects from digital photographs. The programme is extremely simple to use, mostly due to the fact that it lacks any options or configurations – just point the cursor at the blemishes and click to remove them, one by one. There are options that enable you to touch up skin imperfection, whiten teeth, apply make-up and rouge and also enhance or change eye colour. What’s more, you can even try your hand at image resising, cropping and brightness/contrast adjustments. You ‘play’ with a palette of tools to get the desired result, anything from a light smoothing out to complete coverage. Even ‘applying’ makeup is a breeze. And, whenever you have the slightest difficulty, demonstration examples are there to walk you through. If you need to, nothing is easier than returning to a previous stage and redoing your corrections; you can even revise your corrections in a small part of the picture only using your ‘undo brush.’ The programme works on Windows 98/ME/2000/XP platforms and it can be installed as standalone and a plug-in as well. MakeUpPilot costs $29.95 for a single-user license. But there’s a trial version too, which you can always use before you shell out the money for the real stuff. More information about MakeUpPilot can be obtained from http://www.colorpilot.com. So, don’t be too upset next time your skin doesn’t look perfect on a photo. If you have the MakeUpPilot programme, you can be sure your pictures will eventually look better. I liveit.in

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Generate a

Virtual Credit Card Fix your credit limit for every purchase

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f you are really paranoid about your credit card details getting stolen while you are indulging in online shopping, you can decide to opt for a virtual credit card with flexi-limit. Currently, ICICI Bank, India’s biggest issuer of credit cards, is offering a virtual credit card to its customers. If you have a physical credit card from ICICI Bank, you are already eligible for a virtual one. The main advantage of this kind of virtual credit card is that it allows you to do online shopping without having to divulge the details of your original credit card, whose credit limit must be much higher. Let’s say, you wish to make an online purchase of around Rs. 4000. You can set the limit of your virtual credit card for Rs. 5000 only and do your shopping. Even if your credit card details get stolen, which is extremely unlikely unless you have been very careless, you will lose a very small amount of money as compared to what you will lose if your primary card details get compromised. You don’t have to fill up a new form, or call customer care in order to get hold of a new virtual credit card. All you need is to log in to your credit card account. Here you will find a link that says, “Click here to apply for Virtual Credit Card.” On clicking this link, you will be taken to a page that has an online application form. Out here, you have to enter your existing credit card number, your e-mail ID, your mobile number and, finally, your Internet banking transaction password. Click Submit. Your online card will get generated within two working days and it will exist only in the cyberspace. You will have its number, its CVV number and its expiry date. You can then log in to your ICICI bank account to set the credit limit of this new credit card according to your need. The credit limit, as set by you, will be restored during every billing cycle irrespective of the payment made, subject to the overall limit on your primary card. As of now, ICICI bank is only

offering Visa cards in virtual format, but Master and Amex virtual cards are also in the pipeline. Another private sector credit card issuer, HDFC bank, is also offering virtual cards. The HDFC virtual card is called NetSafe. It enables you to generate a unique virtual card number by using your physical Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card. Unlike the ICICI bank virtual card, the NetSafe cards from HDFC are temporary. This means that for each new transaction that you wish to make online, you have to generate a new virtual card. For example, if you wish to make a purchase of Rs. 2000, you will have to log in to the HDFC bank website and generate a virtual card of Rs. 2000 only. And if you fail to use your newly generated NetSafe card for some reason, the card will fade away automatically in 24 hours and the money will return to your primary credit card. On a single day, you can generate up to five NetSafe cards at HDFC bank website. And the best part? These cards are free of cost. I

RBI Norms for

Safe Shopping Security tips for online shopping

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f you prefer to shop online, you have a reason to cheer. RBI has now come up with a new set of guidelines that have made online shopping with your credit or debit card much safer than it ever was. Now users have to input some additional information that is not mentioned on their credit card to have their transactions cleared. The additional information could be in the form of a password, your home address, or a PAM (Personal Assurance Message). With such a foolproof system in place, it is definitely time for you to start splurging online. Here are some tips that will make your online shopping experience really safe and fruitful: Make sure that the browser you are using is the latest 1 version. If you are using Firefox, you have to update it to the latest version. In case of Internet Explorer, it is the IE8 that happens to be the latest version. The address of the website where you intend to do your 2 shopping should begin with an ‘https’. There is an extra ‘s’ out here that indicates that there is an encrypted connection between your browser and the website. If the website’s URL does not have an “https”, you should not enter your credit card details in it. You should also look out for the ‘padlock sign’ in the status 3 bar. The ‘padlock sign’ indicates that the site is secure. Preferably you should do your shopping with a credit 4 card. Because a debit card does not have the kind of liveit.in

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fraud protection policies that a credit card usually has. While placing your order, you should not divulge more 5 information than is absolutely necessary. Visit only reputed sites that are being run by authentic 6 companies which enjoy impeccable reputation. You should check online ratings and reviews from other customers and take red flags seriously. Never select the ‘remember my password’ option and 7 avoid saving your password on your PC; it is the first thing a hacker will target. Malware can be used to search your PC for stored passwords. Avoid using the same password on multiple sites or writing it down on a post-it note or scrap of paper that can be easily intercepted. Finally, change all your passwords every two to three months. Clean your computer of all kind of spyware and 8 malware that you might have accumulated during the course of browsing. Do not open e-mail attachments or download links unless 9 you are absolutely sure about the sender’s credentials. Never pay bills, bank, shop or conduct financial transactions 10 on a public or shared computer or over a public wireless network. If you do log on to public computers, look for computers on networks that require a password, which increases security. Review your credit card and bank account details every 11 month. If you notice any discrepancy, inform the customer care immediately. I

Embellish your digital photos with

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re you still wondering how to embellish your digital photographs with some kind of special effects? It is time you made a voyage of discovery at paint.net. This 1.3 MB feature-rich image editing software doesn’t cost a single rupee and it can be downloaded from http://www.paint. net. If you are conversant with Photoshop, you can start using the software directly. But if that is not the case, then you may have to spend a few hours going through the detailed help document that comes with the software. In any case, the interface is extremely intuitive and it is easy for anyone to master. All the basic things that most amateur photographers need to correct in their photos can be done very easily by using this software. For instance, Red-Eye removal is a breeze. You can adjust the depth of every shade; you can also modify the colour range of an image. The brightness and contrast can be tampered with. The hue and saturation can be modified. The software has an efficient cloning tool with which you can remove slight imperfections in any photo. Then there are the wonderful colour editing tools that are easy to use and are completely geared to improve the visual quality of any picture. You can turn your picture into a black & white image at the click of a mouse. You can give it a sepia rendering or you can posterise it by decreasing the number of colours

each pixel is allowed to have. Inverting colours can lead to very interesting results. But the greatest fun is to use the ‘Artistic’ options where you can change your photo to look like an ink drawing, a pencil drawing or an oil pastel. You can rotate and resize your images. The entire interface is embellished with clear, well-sized buttons that provide access to a wide range of options without looking cluttered or messy. But the best thing about paint.net is the open source community that supports it. They are really passionate about developing new add-ons and improvements. One thing is for sure – Paint.net is far more advanced than Microsoft Paint, which most of us have been using till now. It is definitely a must have for anyone who needs to improve the quality of his images. I

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finerday

the senior citizens in any family. In order to register for the service, you just need to fill in some basic details, which include your first name, your last name, the name of your country, your birthday and your e-mail ID. You also have to create a user ID of your choice and a password. Once the registration process is complete, you can start inviting other members of your family. There is no limit to the number of persons you can invite. Once the family is united on the Finerday interface, the website’s systems can be used to send e-mail, text messages or even to make a video call to anyone. If anything, the system is replete with options that make it quite convenient for people to keep in touch with each other. Now it is time to pop up the important question – who are the founders of this innovative service? Two people, Lilla Harris, a qualified nurse, and Howard Bashford, an executive with a technology company, are the main force behind Finerday. Both of them say that while starting Finerday, they have been motivated by the desire to make a difference in the lives of numerous older people. So, if you want to make a real difference to the life of your grandpa and grandma, who might not be that Internet savvy, you can take a leaf out of the ideas promoted by these two entrepreneurs. Just introduce them to the online world of Finerday and make it a step easier for them to be in touch with you. I

A social utility for your entire family

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ocial networking is clearly the big thing on the Internet these days. Entities like MySpace and Facebook have already made a huge mark on the networking scene and they boast of millions of users from all over the world. So, where was the need for another networking site? But the truth is that Finerday is a networking site with a difference. Rather than targeting at individuals, something what Facebook and MySpace are doing, Finerday targets families. You can check out this networking site by pointing your browser at www.finerday.com. This service was launched on 4th July 2008 and it already has a substantial number of members to its credit. The purported aim of Finerday is to link all of your family, whatever be their age. The interface of the website is neatly designed, with several enlarged icons to help less frequent users of keyboards and mouse keep up with their more computer-savvy younger family members. Basically, this is something that can prove more beneficial to

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Soundsnap

An online sound library

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ouTube videos are clearly in vogue; everyone who is well versed with doing things the digital way is out there creating them. But one problem often encountered is the lack of right kind of sound effects. Let’s say, you are creating a video on ghosts and you need really eerie kind of sounds to run in the background. One way out is that you and your friends can caterwaul and scream, but that might not lend a realistic touch to it, something that will impress the global audience. Enter SoundSnap – a repository of sound effects from all over the world. This community-driven online sound library boasts of more than 100,000 high quality sound effects and music loops from Hollywood sound designers and cutting-edge music producers. Alas, the website is not totally free. What should warm the cockles of your heart is the fact that you are allowed to download five free sounds every month, but thereafter you have to pay by signing up for the Soundsnap Pro membership. The sounds that are available on the website are royalty free, which means that you can use them in commercial or non-commercial applications without any problem. In order to download the sounds, you have to be a registered user. The signup is free. All you need to create an account is come up with a suitable user name and password. Once this is done, you can be on your way to download the five free sounds that you are entitled to. In order to search for sounds, you can go

to the search bar that is placed at the top of the website’s homepage and choose between MP3, WAV or AIF. To listen to a sound before downloading it, just click on the orange/grey player on the left. The good thing is that merely listening to the sounds is not going to affect your download counter. And if you want to go in for a Soundsnap Pro membership, you can use your credit card or PayPal account for the signup process. The price for the membership usually starts from around $29 per month. However, after getting the sound from Soundsnap, you are not allowed to copy them on a CD and resell them. That would constitute a gross violation of the terms of the contract. So, now you have learned about a good way of spicing up your videos, games, applications or just making the system alerts a little more hilarious by downloading sound effects from this fabulous website. By the way, this website also offers an incredible way of making some extra money on the side. If you own some sounds, you can try to upload them to this website and every time your sounds get downloaded by other users, Soundsnap is going to pay you a commission. But Soundsnap is only interested in the best sounds, music loops and sound art out there, and so the screening process is quite tough. You should not try to upload sounds that are not recorded with pro equipment and that are not mastered or edited properly, because this website believes in taking only the best. I October ‘09

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Bom mo Bring out your imagination on the digital canvas

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o you think that modern art with its vast array of flamboyant lines and shapes is incomprehensible? You will be bound to change your opinion if you can churn out your own modern art. The good thing about the digital age is that you don’t need paint, brush or canvas in order to churn out modern art. All you need is a PC connected to the Internet. Point your browser to http://bomomo.com and you will find yourself looking at a starkly bare screen, which looks suspiciously like an artist’s empty canvas. In the middle of this empty digital canvas, there are few round circles floating. At the bottom of it, there are 20 buttons. Each one of these buttons is geared to inspire the

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floating circles into conjuring a different kind of design. Press any button and then place your cursor on the area of the screen where the floating circles are located. Press the shift key and start moving the cursor in the manner of creating a design. The circles will start moving on the screen and in their wake, they will leave delightful designs. The designs that pop up on the screen first look exceedingly intriguing but with some practice, you may even be able to make sense out of it. Few artists around the world are using Bomomo to come up with designs for modernistic wallpapers, wrapping papers and many other objects. So, if you are planning to change the wallpaper in your house, then you can turn to Bomomo for inspiration. Good luck! I

Feature

Entertainment – When you want it Priyanka Dey

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e often don’t have ‘time’ even for the simple pleasures in life. With so much happening to keep us occupied, there’s hardly any space left for leisure. From taking the children to the school, preparing drafts for the office presentation noon to making arrangements for your parents’ wedding anniversary celebrations – we have to do it all. We live and work in a fastpaced world carrying the new age mantra up our sleeves where ‘time is money and money is time’. Talking about leisure and the simple joys of life, as much as we would love to deny it, most of us dig our television sets in our leisure time. Call it the idiot box or the information source for the knowledge hungry, watching television is still regarded as one of the favourite past times for many. Whether it’s watching that romantic comedy on a lazy Sunday afternoon or screaming with joy at India winning that crucial cricket match, television is certainly an integral part of our lives! But, as they say, everything has a catch to it and television viewing is no exception. For a long time now, women are known to spend more time glued to the idiot box and are more likely to fight over the remote control with their significant others. So much so that women at times get into short-term depression if any of their saas-bhau episode is missed out. As most houses have ‘one

television in the living room’ kind of a system, there are often brawls and tensions among the family members as to who gets to control the television. Many of us have also been stuck in situations where you can only view the last few minutes of your favourite soap opera, considering the erratic schedules in which most of us function. This hoopla definitely raises a cause for concern and given a chance, we will do anything for our right on the television. Fortunately, in this digital era, science and technology play a decisive role in solving most of our woes. One such provision in the market is the DTH industry that has made quite an impact on television viewing. It is not just the homemaker who has reason to rejoice but also the working woman. With Tata Sky, there is a discernible shift in Indian television viewing. Quips Tara Sehgal, 27, Client Servicing with an advertising agency, “I generally come home very late and end up missing most of my favourite shows. With Tata Sky+ installed, I can now record my favourite soaps and movie flicks. No matter how late I come back, I know I can catch up on my favourite shows and unwind myself completely. I can watch it all at my own time and convenience. It’s a great stress buster for me.” One more on the list is Namrata Sharma who works for an FMCG company. “My husband and I both are working professionals who come home late. As a result, we end up missing out on most of our shows. Not just that, there are times when we have third world wars on who will take charge of the remote. But from the time we have started using the Tata Sky+, things have definitely taken a positive turn. Now there are no meaningless fights between me and my hubby as the innovative product helps me record my shows while I am still away at work. This way, I can watch my favourite shows at my leisure. With all this transition, one can only claim without any doubt that television viewing in India has recorded a sea change. With Direct-to-Home services like Tata Sky+, entertainment is roundthe-clock, at your service. So get ready to experience the world of entertainment like never before. I October ‘09

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Feature have long been fascinated at the rate at which computer chips, memory, storage and all things electronic have been shrinking. Moore's law, as it is popularly known, says that computing power roughly doubles every 24 months or so for a given physical size. Gordon Moore, founder of Intel, had made that prediction in the 1965 issue of ‘Electronics Magazine,’ a British industry rag. This prediction has lived on and is expected to continue for the next couple of years. ‘Whatever does that mumbo-jumbo mean?’ I can hear some grumbling in the background. Let me try to explain with a few examples. As common people, we have seen the advent of the PDA as a brick, then shimmying down in size to something that can sit in a shirt pocket while increasing its functionality. We have seen luggable computers with monitors that were a mere 4 inches diagonally, and processors so large that they weighed a neat 20 kg. And now we have netbooks that have more computing power than most early computers – put together. I don’t even want to mention earlier computers that occupied entire floors. I should know. I have worked with mainframes that had less computing power than today’s wrist watch and were used to process inventory, payroll and other such documents. Then we saw the compaction of the spool tapes, to LP records, to audio cassettes, to CDs to DVDs and then to MP4 players. Never mind the loss in fidelity – people seem to like portability more than anything else. I will try to dwell on this particular trend in a future column. Televisions have increased in resolution, Computing moved from analogue power roughly to digital and doubles every increased in size as well. They have also 24 months or so become WiFi aware, for a given providing us with a physical size variety of input and turning us into addicts. Moreover, we have moved from broadcast channels, to cable channels, to a veritable infinitude of channels beamed to us directly from space. And, finally, we are able to record television programmes and view them at our convenience. We can now pause ‘live’ TV, rewind it, watch multiple channels on a single screen at one time, remotely set up devices to record live programmes and then view them from either home or from an entirely different location.

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Futuristic Wearable Technology Sai Narasimhan

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Telephones have moved from land lines (which took decades to get installed) to brick-sized cellular phones to pocket-sized cell phones that can be bought and activated within minutes. Streaming video onto cell phones appears to be the present and the future – nearly guaranteeing more accidents while people watch and drive. We are communicating in unprecedented ways. It is the norm, these days, to communicate what is going on from moment to

moment. Twitter is the name of this game, publishing cell phone text messages (SMS) the Web and allowing people to follow your thoughts. It is certainly tantalising and simply whets our appetite for excitement. From a medical perspective, it has been long known that having a pacemaker is good for the wearer’s weak heart – it ensures that any arrhythmia is quickly diagnosed and the heart is shocked back into a healthy rhythm. It is taken so much for granted that we recently saw a Vice-President in the USA with a pacemaker in his body that governed for all eight years! And this is the next frontier of computing. Wearable computers. What do we mean by that? How about seeing the iPod Nano? That is a wearable MP3 player. You can see people wearing it while working out, going to work or even while relaxing. Researchers at the boundaries of technology tell us of the possibilities – and many of the technologies look like sheer magic. We will go through some of the revolutions that are happening as this article is being written. Be aware though, that many of these changes are fleeting and may die an ignominious death, while others live on in modified form, never to be recognised as a standalone achievement. The iPod and iPhone have spun off innumerable accessories that can fall into this category. But the best example is the collaboration between Nike and Apple that allows the specialised Nike shoes to ‘talk’ to the iPod, based on the workout being done. This has been around since 2006. The basic idea is to put something inside one of the shoes and a receiver on your iPod Nano. Every second of your workout is sent to the Nano and you can see details of your workout on your Nano screen. You can have playlists and also have a ‘Power Song’ that kicks in when you need the ‘kick’ to push you. Although this is a fun way of doing things, it is not particularly different from the sensors you strap onto your chest while your ‘smart’ wrist watch keeps track of your health and workout. But it is definitely more fun … and more profitable for the companies concerned. But the real frontiers of wearable computing lie in the future. The bare beginning has been revealed – by Levis. They produced the RedWire™ DLX Jeans that have been available for the past couple of years. There is an iPod docking cradle built into the jeans. Special joystick remote control is available in the pocket that can be used to control the iPod. And the headphone unit is retractable – tangle free! Is this all we can do? Is this what wearable technology is all about? Not really. Take a look at http://www.scottevest.com/ index.shtml. They have a whole range of clothing that helps create a PAN – a Personal Area Network – which can be used to help personal devices talk to each other. Thus, you can connect your PDA to your phone or your MP3 player and have headphones wired to just one place and be able to use it with any device. The wiring is discreetly built into the clothing. You can also connect your digital camera, portable keyboard – only your imagination is the limit. And they work with today's

technology. Do the devices speak TCP/IP? Hmmm. That has not been solved yet! We also have something called Vital Jacket® (and yes, that is trademarked). This is something that you wear next to your skin and it monitors your vital signs. What signs you ask? Your heart rate, for one. The jacket can transmit the data and store it on a data card in your pocket or even send it to other devices – let’s say, your iPhone. Hospitals and doctors can be clamouring for this device, making patients wear them so that they can see the pattern of heart beats and the ranges. It can also warn if the rate goes below or above the thresholds. From a simple fashion statement point of view, the ideal technology will be one that blends directly into one’s clothing. And that is certainly something that is being worked on. Researchers at Virginia Polytechnic have started thinking about electronic textiles. They call these, naturally, e-textiles. That is until Apple produces a line, and then it will be called iTextiles (you heard it here first). These e-textiles will provide a more fashionable way to do things that Vital Jackets do. However, these are extensible because the wiring has already been incorporated into the fabric. All that is needed are the sensors. Need to do more? Add more processors and sensors. It is as if you are wearing a computer that can be upgraded as needed.

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Feature Head-mounted displays are eye-opening – or should I say head opening? And I am not talking about the stuff that gamers go ga-ga over. Although you could say that it had its origins

there. The concept is as follows: projecting maps in front of you so that you are ‘immersed’ into the environment being projected. When you start interacting with it, you are, effectively, on a Star Trek holodeck! Such experiences can be delivered today. With such displays, where pictures are projected in front of you (virtually), you can have a ‘mashup’ of the real world with data which have been gathered by (say) intelligence and known data of friendly forces to see. Streets will suddenly have names on them. This is where such technologies will be first put to use. But soon after, we can imagine the same technology being used in cars to project directions in front of you – the heads-up display mode – so that you know where to go without ever having to let your eyes stray from the road ahead. I am sure you must have at least heard of the ‘sixth sense’ demonstration at this year’s TED conference. If not, that is one presentation that is a must-see. Here is the link www.ted.com/talks/ pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html. If it doesn’t blow your mind, I am sure you already have a workable sixth sense. To those who haven’t seen the demo, allow me to plug away. The wearer has a camera on his tie, a small projector and a small cell phone (probably an iPhone). At this time the wearer also has to wear different coloured stickers on the finger-tips so that the computer can recognise those. When the wearer is in front of a product (for example, tissue paper box), the camera scans the bar code, goes online using the cell phone’s Web connection, gets the best prices and lets you know what will be a good price. This information is projected on any surface in front of the wearer. Voila! The same thing is done with a book. It can also bring up reviews, ratings and a host of additional information that you might be looking for. liveit.in

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Again, when the wearer meets someone, the camera uses its face recognition software to identify the person and projects the information. Suddenly you have someone whispering who the person is in front of you! For the absent-minded lot, this will be a gift from heaven. And what if you wanted to ‘touch’ something that was projected in front of you? Simple! Use your fingers – and the touch is conveyed to the software. Want to know the time? Simply draw a circle on the wrist and you see an image of a clock with the current time. As you may imagine, the possibilities are endless. And the cost of all this magic? Pranav Mistry revealed that this is doable today and all the pieces cost about $350. How about that for a technology that is alive, here and now? Let us look at the way things have progressed. We used to need keyboards to control computers. These soon gave way to mouse. Close on its heels followed the touch pad, the touch screen, voice commands and now, gestures in mid air. But these require muscles to move them! With some enhancements, eye gestures can be used to control computers. But the next frontier is direct brain manipulation of computers. Well, so far this has been impeded by the requirement that electrodes be placed on the skull. This requires shaving the head – at least in parts. You can use a gel to directly connect the head, without requiring shaving – but try telling that to the hairstyle crazy youth of today! A company called Emotiv claims that its headset can detect the brain waves of smiles,

Pranav Mistry

winks and other expressions. These can help gamers’ avatars interact perfectly with their counterparts in their games. There has also been the case of a researcher ‘tweeting’ his thoughts using, well, just his thoughts. You can read further at http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/04/21/rese archer-updates-his-twitter-feed-using-only-brainwaves/ On the whole, we are living in exciting times, where technology is changing quicker than people can keep up with. Live it up and enjoy it. Because a lot of it may be extinct before your children grow up. I wonder how we will be able to keep this knowledge for posterity? Maybe that is fodder for another column. Until next time, this is Sai! I

What’s Cooking – Redefining the Kitchen Experience Chandana Banerjee

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or ages, the kitchen has been the very heart of one’s home; but nowadays you can easily say that it is the jewel in the crown. A new-age kitchen with modular fittings, hi-tech gadgets, chic cookware and beautiful tableware is the pride of the owner and a work of art. “I have a modular kitchen with all the high-end gadgets and cookware to make the process of cooking more enjoyable and,

of course, quick,” quips Meera Arvind, a busy interior designer and a gadget gal, who loves to rustle up healthy meals for her family. She spent a fortune getting a high-end modular kitchen and all the accessories and kitchen appliances that money could buy. Meera is not the only one who believes in redefining the kitchen experience; a lot of men and women are busting up big bucks to keep their kitchen up-to-date on the technology front.

Feature Cookware: Gone are the days when women toiled for long hours, cooking every meal from scratch in black-bottomed woks. The ancient brass, copper and aluminium pots and pans have been stowed away and in their place, titanium pots, non-stick pans and stainless steel tableware gleam from the kitchen shelves. There are plenty of good companies that manufacture an array of non-stick cookware. From big woks for cooking a feast to small pans for rustling up an omelette, cook-and-serve pots to slotted spoons and spatulas – the non-stick range has a lot to offer if you are cooking at home. The best part about non-stick cookware is that you can cook with minimum oil and do not have to worry about scraping the food off the base while you are preparing a dish. Give your cookware a little TLC and you can happily use it for quite some time. Apart from the Teflon-coated version, there’s the titanium range with glittering accolades to its credit. “It is tougher, rustproof, and does not form toxic salts by reacting with food,” says Kaveri Mahajan, a homemaker, who swears by her titanium cookand-serve utensils. Titanium cookware has a plethora of other advantages – it is strong yet lightweight; it is healthy and safe since it is non-porous; it has non-stick properties; and, you need less water to cook your food as the vegetables will cook in their own juices. Your food will taste more delicious, and the utensils will be more durable. Titanium cookware is available in a large variety. From sauté pans to grill pans, stockpots to saucepans, skillet pans to frying pans, there is a whole range of cookware to choose from. There are also other enamel-coated cook-and-serve dishes, Pyrex baking bowls and an assortment of microwave-proof cookware that can make cooking fast, fun and aesthetically appealing. Kitchen appliances: Once you’ve got your cookware in place, it’s time to take a look at all those amazing kitchen gadgets and home appliances that can turn that chore called cooking into a fun activity. “I can’t function in

the kitchen without my food processor, microwave and thermo pot,” gushes Maya Nair, an HR Executive, who likes to cook for her family, but on budget time. Quick, simple-to-use and reliable, these appliances are the best kitchen mates that a cooking enthusiast can ask for. You don’t have to depend on your domestic help to turn up on time to help you chop the vegetables or grind the spices. Just turn on your food processor and get together all the raw materials you need for your meal. With the microwave in your kitchen, you don’t have to spend hours near to the stove – heating or cooking a meal. Just pop a dish into the microwave, press the right buttons and dig into the meal within a few minutes. You can even make optimum use of other features and cook an entire meal from scratch in a microwave. And, of course, the next time you want to eat homemade cookies, cakes, buns or biscuits, use the convection mode to make some in your own kitchen. There are other kitchen appliances that you can drool over. The cooking range with gas and electric options is ideal for the prolific cook. You can cook, grill or bake with one of these high-tech appliances. Some of the other appliances that are popular with high-tech home cooks are blenders, warming drawers, sophisticated

cook tops, speed cooking ovens and chimneys and venting systems. Instant cookers, mixer and grinders, as well as thermo pots (to heat water for soups, hot beverages and cooking needs), are some of the key appliances that find a place in modern kitchens. And, of course, how can we ever forget the refrigerator? It doesn’t cook for us but then, it is just as important. With improved technology, food (raw or cooked) remains fresh for a longer time. We don’t have to worry about defrosting it every now and then, or about food odours and mould-covered foods. The new age refrigerator is built for the modern woman (and man). You can store food for a week or more and even cook for the week ahead. Store it in neat containers to save time. Well, that was about cooking and storing. What about washing up? In this age, you don’t really have to hire the truant neighbourhood ‘bai’ to cook and even clean. Stack up those dirty dishes into a dish washer and see them coming out squeaky clean. Cooking and cleaning have never been so easy! Even for those who are total amateurs in the field, household chores can be a breeze with all the appliances available. “I’ve seen my mother toiling in the kitchen and spending hours to prepare a single meal. That had put me off cooking for a while. But with all these appliances and gadgets, I can cook in a jiffy and now quite enjoy the experience,” pipes in Nandini Kumar, who spends less than an hour in the kitchen and manages to juggle her freelance writing career with the kitchen chores. For every type of kitchen appliance, there is a whole range of options regarding style, facilities and energy usage. Once you know what you want to buy and which company you want to go to, you can look at the options and zero down on one that suits your kitchen, requirements and budget. Gadgets: We can’t do without kitchen gadgets, can we? With today’s advanced technology, a plethora of kitchen gadgets are being introduced into the market. There are tonnes of darlings to die for. But some of the kitchen gadgets that are all-time favourites with cooking aficionados include the garlic press machine that can help you peel, crush and slice without your hands getting messy and smelly; food thermometers that can check if a dish needs more cooking, if the food has gone bad or if the dish is ready to be served; and finally, there is the Mandoline, which can cut and slice vegetables for you. Alligator choppers, knife sharpeners, slotted spoons and salad spinners are some of the other gadgets that win hands down. Ah! And how can we forget the cool new kitchen-safe digital recipe reader? This gadget is for the amateur cook or for anyone who likes to try out new recipes. The SmartShopper will take down your grocery notes as you dictate; the TMIO Intelligent Oven can be controlled via cell phone or Internet when you’re not around; the Nutritional Scale can track the nutritional value of your food, from calories and sugar level to protein and carbohydrates. And if that’s not enough, the Electrolux Inspiro is an intelligent oven that will calculate the amount of heat you need to cook and prevent your food from getting singed. The Thermospot non-stick cookware is another interesting piece of kitchen ‘gadget’ that has a visual heat

indicator on the surface to let you know when the pan is hot enough for browning or searing. Then there’s Cybernox from Sitram, a line of skillets with an interior cooking surface made of unique stainless steel that makes it stick-resistant. Still not satiated? Then try the digital kitchen scale, dripless basting brush, Chop Wizard, Rotato Express and the range of slow cookers to turn into a kitchen magician. Scour the websites of gadget manufacturers in India and abroad, and you’ll find an entire treasure trove of hi-tech kitchen trinkets that can absolutely change your cooking and kitchen experience. The gadgets are up there, available at a mouse click! Log on to the Internet and just find what you want and fancy. Tableware: Speaking about an enhanced kitchen experience, how about adding tableware to the list? Research & development, improved technology and great design bring us the kind of tableware that we would love to flaunt. The Art d’Inox range of stainless steel tableware can surely add chutzpah to a hi-tech dining experience. Sleek, and with a subtle, silvery sheen, and clear designs, the tableware just makes everything look so modern and new age. Modular and luxury kitchens: While we’re on the topic of enhanced kitchen experience, we can’t help but mention the fabulous modular as well as the high-end luxury kitchens that woo people with excellent space management and style quotient. In a modular kitchen, the modules are put together as per the space available and your requirements. So even if you have a matchbox of a kitchen at home, you can cook, clean, manage and maintain everything easily and efficiently. It looks good and the heart of your home is actually a masterpiece that you can flaunt. And if you have the moolah, you just might like to go in for a luxury kitchen. “I have a Veneta Cucine luxury kitchen and even though I spend minimum time there, I just wanted something sleek and state-of-the-art,” says Kavita Krishnan, a successful businesswoman. For Romilla M., a luxury kitchen is a way to make her favourite space look savvy, chic and beautiful. “I love to cook and as I’m a cooking teacher and writer, this is something that makes me happy – personally and professionally.” A great kitchen studded with hi-tech gadgets, kitchen appliances and cookware can change the way you feel about cooking, and even the way you eat. Here’s to the new-age kitchen experience! I October ‘09

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Fiction he car flew through the cloud-laden sky. Manjula Sharma, perched on the front seat, was returning home after picking up her four-year-old girl, Sita, from her school. An LCD screen fixed to the dashboard was showing a new Disney movie that had been just released. The car was fully automatic, as all flying cars in the year AD 2050 were, and Manjula was free to watch the movie with her daughter. Sita laughed incessantly at the antics of the cartoon characters on the screen. Her mother laughed with her. They were still in air when the movie got over. It was raining outside. “It has been raining since we took off from the ground,” mused Manjula. “Mom, can we open the car’s window. I want to feel the rain.” “You know the rules. The windows can’t be opened during the period that the car is in air. This is in interest of safety of the passengers, replied Manjula sternly.”

T

“We are going to be home in a couple of minutes,” Manjula said. “Cool!” ejaculated Sita. “I plan to get wet in the rain once we are out of the car.” The car had now started descending and slowly it came to a halt in the designated landing area in front of a colorful house that seemed to be a new construction. A look of complete surprise dawned on Manjula’s face. She checked the guidance system on the flying car. Everything seemed to be working properly. But this was not her house. Even four-year-old Sita could notice that. “This isn’t our house,” she said sharply. “I think our car has made a mistake in bringing us to a wrong house,” said Manjula. She pressed her finger on the LCD screen, which was touch-sensitive, and picked up the option of “Voice Communication.” Now she could verbally communicate with her car. “speed champ, where have you brought us? This is not our home,” she said. speed champ was nickname that she had given to her car.

De-print and print

“Alright,” sighed Sita. Alongside their car, there were many other cars of all shapes and sizes that were flying. Soon they reached a large roundabout that was stationary in the air and on top of it a police control tower for flying vehicles was built. Robotic cops could be seen standing around the roundabout; it was their job to ensure a smooth flow of traffic through the air. Just because the cars had taken to the air, it didn’t mean that they could fly erratically. They were expected to fly within the stipulated speed limit, and maintain a strict lane discipline. After navigating the roundabout, the car carrying Manjula and Sita took the lane that led to the locality where they lived. liveit.in

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“Yes it is. The coordinates of this place exactly match the coordinates of your house,” said the metallic feminine voice emanating from a speaker installed in the car’s control panel. “I have brought you to the right place.” “But this is not our home,” cried Sita. Manjula, however, was confused. Every other thing on the street looked familiar. The only thing that had changed was her house. But she had left her house only four hours ago. How could they change an entire house in just four hours? Who could have done it? “Mom, look,” Sita, who had followed her mother out of the car, said excitedly pointing in one direction. “Bunty and Monica are skating on the sidewalk.”

Manjula looked at the two kids of her neighbours, but she was too shocked to say anything. Sita could easily read the tension in her mother’s mind. “Should I ask them where our house has gone?” she said. Monica nodded quietly. But Bunty and Monica had already started skating towards them. “Your new house looks cool,” announced Bunty, when he was close enough. “Yes,” repeated Monika enthusiastically. Hearing the words of praise for the new house from her friends, Sita was suddenly enthused. “Mom, I think this new house looks good,” she said taking her mother’s hand. “Let’s go and check how it looks from the inside.” But Manjula had other things in her mind. “Did any one of you see who built this house in place of our old house?” “Of course, we did,” said Monica eagerly. “They bought a number of house printing machines and made a new house for you.”

feel much comfortable in the new house that we have created for you.” The note had been signed by an executive from Hi-Tech Builders, named Ruby Bhatia. “This is ridiculous,” Manjula murmured by herself. “They have no right to de-print my old house and create a new one in its place without my permission.” She pushed at the door, which opened directly to reveal a starkly bare hall. Now Manjula could sense her worse fears coming true. While de-printing, the employees of Hi-Tech Builders had de-printed everything that was inside her old house. All her furniture, curtains, cutlery, the artefacts that she had collected during her various tours, her collection of books, everything that they had in their house was now gone. It was almost as if they had de-printed her entire past life. Tears welled up in her eyes. But Sita had not noticed the grief that her mother was reeling under. She ran inside the house followed by her two friends, Bunty and Monica. “This is our new house,” she announced proudly.

your house

“First, they de-printed the old house and then printed a new house in its place,” Bunty added. “And may I ask who were they?” Manjula snapped. “I have no idea,” said Monica. “But my mom would know. Should I call her?” But Manjula would not wait. With hurried steps she started marching towards the entrance of the new house. On the door there lay a large bouquet of flowers to which a gaily printed note was attached. Hurriedly Manjula opened the note. It said, “Congratulations for your new home. For Hi-Tech Builders it has been a great pleasure to de-print your old house and print a new version in its place. We hope that you and your family will

Anoop Verma

The hammering, sawing, drilling and bricklaying that once upon a time had been entailed in the process of building a house, had in the year 2050 been replaced by giant room sized printers that used rapid prototyping techniques to print walls, complete with brick, plaster, windows, insulation and conduits for wires and pipes. The technique was used to make the walls stronger and functional. It also vastly speeded up the process of construction. These days it was quite normal for state-of-the-art printers to create a new two- or three-storey house with many rooms within a couple of hours. In cases where an old house had to be pulled down and a new one built in its place, the de-printers entered the scene first. October ‘09

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Fiction These de-printers worked by breaking the house into small nano-particles that would be sucked inside their storage chamber by means of sophisticated vacuum pumps. Four or five de-printers could clear a three-storey house in less than 30 minutes without causing even a speck of the debris to fall in the surrounding area. Once the area was cleared of the old house, few printers would move in and they operated by squeezing out drops of moist toothpaste-like building material in a manner similar to that of a large ink-jet printer. The toothpaste-like material would be designed to harden within moments in the air and turn into strong walls, floor and roof of a house where people could live safely and securely. This system had become very popular, because it was much cheaper, it saved time, and it had very little environmental impact. After her first peek inside the starkly empty indoors of the house, Manjula stepped out into the small garden. She could hear the sound of the three kids cheering as they scampered

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about the large hall. It was not as if the house was poorly constructed; the exterior design was good and the interiors, too, seemed to be tastefully done. The floor was made out of white marble, the walls had pleasant wallpaper on them, and the roof had a bewitching chandelier dropping from it. But in order to build this new fashionable house, they had obliterated everything that was stored in her old house. Who gave them the right to destroy every bit of clothing that her family possessed? Her daughter’s toys were gone. Her husband’s collection of old stamps, his books, everything that he had kept in this house was gone. Everything de-printed! Now she needed to inform her husband about what had happened. She quickly pulled out her mobile phone from her pocket and dialed her husband’s number. He picked up instantly. “Hey, are you back? Have you picked up Sita?” Aditya checked with his wife. “Yeah, I came back a few minutes ago. Listen, I wanted to tell you something important.” “Is something wrong?” “It is. Our house is gone.” “What do you mean by our house is gone?” “When I left about four hours ago, to do some shopping and pick up Sita from her school, our old house was still standing there. But when I returned, I found a new, much bigger house, standing in its place. It seems a crew from Hi-Tech Builders was here; they de-printed our old house and printed a new one in its place.” “But how is that possible,” Aditya sounded absolutely shocked. “What about the things that we had inside our house? I hope they had the sense to remove our things.” “Everything has been deprinted,” Manjula replied tersely. “And where is Sita?” “She is playing inside the house with her friends. She is too young to understand the terrible wrong that has been done to us.” “Ok, I will be there in a few minutes. We have to get to the bottom of this. Whoever has deprinted our old house, is going to pay a heavy price. I will see to it.” With these words, Aditya disconnected the line. Manjula could not bring herself to even enter the house; she simply did not empathize with this new

building. Her eyes regarded it furiously and blamed it for standing in the place where her own house stood until a few hours ago. Sita emerged from the house. “Mom, where are my toys?” she asked. “All the rooms are empty. I can’t find any of them.” Manjula knew her daughter would be heart-broken if she told her that all her toys and clothes had been de-printed. “Don’t worry, honey,” she said consolingly, “we will buy new toys for you.” “But I want to play with my teddy bear,” Sita almost cried. Just then, a flying car arrived out of nowhere and circled briefly at the top of the house before settling down in the lawn next to Manjula’s flying car. “Papa is back; now we can go shopping for toys,” said Sita and she rushed towards the car. The car’s door opened, and Aditya Sharma stepped out. He glared at the new house that had been created by de-printing his old house, and hissed, “This is unbelievable. They don’t have the right to do this without our permission. In any case, who is going to pay for this new house that they have printed?” Meanwhile, Sita had wrapped herself to her dad’s legs and was clamouring for new toys to be bought. Manjula huriedly walked up to her husband. “I was shocked too when I saw this new house,” she said out of frustration. “There is no way we are going to pay for this.” “Have they really de-printed everything that was inside our old house?” asked Aditya. “Everything! They have left nothing at all.” “Even my toys are gone,” Sita injected with anticipation. “Can we buy some new toys now?” “Not now,” said Aditya looking down at his daughter, “your mother and I have an important business to attend to. Why don’t you play with your friends for a while?” “Listen to your dad, Sita. Go and play with Monica and Bunty,” Manjula added. This time Sita got the message; in any case, playing with her friends in a starkly empty house was an enticing prospect – one that she would not want to miss. She ran off to join Bunty and Monica who were waiting for her in the verandah and together they disappeared inside the house. “I think we should consult a lawyer,” said Aditya. “A police report will also have to be filed,” said Manjula. “I will sue them. I will drive them into bankruptcy.” “Even the new food printer that we had purchased has been de-printed,” Manjula announced angrily. “How are we going to manage without it?” Aditya snapped. A food printer was a device that could print all kinds of cooked or uncooked food. It could be used to print ripe bananas, apples, mangoes, salad of any kind, leafy vegetables, etc. It could also be used to print cooked dishes based on many kinds of recipes. A food printer worked in a same way that a house printer did, in the sense that it used rapid prototyping techniques to create different kinds of food. The food printer that Manjula and Aditya used to have in their old home was capable of creating 50,000 kinds of dishes. It could also create 1000 types of fruits and vegetables.

In the year 2050, a food printer had become a necessity for most households. No one ever cooked their food these days, and eating fruits and vegetables that were grown naturally on trees and plants was completely out of fashion. People preferred the food printer to take care of all their dietary needs. Food from such gizmos was completely free of germs; it was also incorporated with all kinds of proteins, vitamins and useful drugs that were necessary to keep a human being healthy – all this retaining the perfect taste. But the best thing about this type of food was that it was absurdly easy to create. The latest model of food printer, the type that Aditya and Manjula used to have in their old house, could print any fruit in just 7 seconds. It could print a loaf of bread in 5 seconds. The creation of a pot full of vegetables took mere 9 seconds. Moving beyond the normal food items, the food printer could also be used to print chocolates, cold drinks, and ice creams. Meanwhile, Manjula had told Aditya about the note that she had found attached to the welcoming bouquet, which the staff from Hi-Tech Builders had left for them outside the door of the new house. They decided to call Hi-Tech Builders and tell them about the terrible mistake that they had made by de-printing their old house with all their things inside it. Aditya dialed the number from his mobile. From the other end of the airwave there came a well-modulated female voice, “Welcome to Hi-Tech Builders. For English press one, Hindi ke liya do dabaiyen.” The phone had its speaker on, so Manjula could also listen to the response from the other side. As Aditya preferred to speak in English, he pressed one. Promptly the modulated female voice said, “If you’re an existing Hi-Tech Builders customer, press one. If you want to have a new house printed, press two; if you want to de-print an old house, press three; to go back to the previous menu, press four.” “We are going to waste too much time stuck on their menu system,” Manjula murmured with anger. “I think we will have to press one,” said Aditya. “Why?” Manjula asked. “They have already created a new house for us, so even if we don’t want it to be so, we are their existing customers,” Aditya pressed one. Once again they were directed back to the menu system. “For any construction-related fault in your house, press one; if you want to de-print your house and create a new house, press two; if you want to have renovations printed to your house, press three. For any complaints and suggestions, press four.” Hissing with frustration at the long wait, Aditya pressed four. “Please hold the line while we transfer your call to our customer service representative.” “At last, we can talk to a human being,” sighed Aditya. “I would really like to give this person a piece of my mind.” “Don’t be too sure about a human being picking up the phone,” rejoined Manjula. “It is more likely that the reception desk at Hi-Tech Builders will be manned by a cyborg or even a hundred per cent robot.” October ‘09

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Fiction And she was right. It was indeed a cyborg who picked up the phone. To be more precise, it was female cyborg. “Good afternoon, thank you for calling Hi-Tech Builders,” came a female voice from other end of the line. “My name is Richa, I am a 50% robot and 50% human, and that makes me a cyborg. How can I be of help to you?” By now Aditya’s mind was in the grip of immense frustration; he was certainly not in mood for practicing verbal niceties with this cyborg receptionist. Without any preliminaries, he shouted, “You deprinted my house without my permission. You destroyed everything that was stored in my house. I am going to sue you. Where is the owner of Hi-Tech builders? Connect me to him, I wish to talk to him directly.” “Please calm down sir. I am here to help you. Please tell me what the problem is.” “You already heard what I said. I, my wife and our four-year-old daughter were out of the house when your men arrived with their machines. They de-printed our old house with everything inside it and printed a new house in its place. You had no right to tear our old house apart. We never gave you the permission to print a new house for us. Now you have to compensate us for the financial loss and the mental trauma that we have suffered because of you,” Aditya reeled off with anger. “Please hold on sir while I check your details.” “You better get back to me, because I am not going to hold on forever.” “I will be back quickly sir, please hold on,” said the cyborg receptionist in an even tone. In less than two minutes, the cyborg receptionist was back. “It seems that there has been a computer error on our end, because of which a wrong house got de-printed and a new one printed in its place,” she said sheepishly. “Our crew was supposed to deprint and print a house at some other plot, but due to computer error they landed up at your house. We really apologize for the inconvenience that has been caused to you.” That is all Aditya needed to hear for flaring up with anger. “I am surprised to hear that a computer error can cause your crew to come and de-print an entire house with which so many of our memories were associated. People who are managing your organization should be arrested and send to jail.” liveit.in

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“Sir, I have just been authorized by the company management to tell you that as your old house has been de-printed by mistake, you can keep the new house that has been printed for free. This should really be a great news for you, as you can now start living in a much bigger and modern house without having to pay a single penny for it.” “Who the hell wants to live in a bigger and more modern house!” now it was Manjula who snarled into the phone. “We want our old house back. We had so many personal things in it. Everything inside our old house has been de-printed. How can you take this so casually? Because of your mistake we have lost everything that we owned.” Before the cyborg receptionist could say anything further, Aditya disconnected the phone. “There is no point in wasting time talking to her. We have to file a lawsuit against them to make them pay for their mistake.” Sita and the two neighbourhood kids were playing contentedly inside the house. The empty hall was proving to be a good playground for them. Aditya and Manjula left the kids to their games and rushed to the lawn where their cars were parked. Physical courts had ceased to exist in the year 2050. The system of getting justice had gone completely online. There

were digital courts that existed solely in the cyberspace. These courts were manned by digital judges who had all the nitty-gritties of the law coded into their systems. There were digital lawyers to debate all angles of any issue or crime, and help the digital judges arrive at the right decision. Nano-cops, who worked at molecular level and were capable of conducting forensic examination at the speed light, were usually relied upon to collect the evidence. If there were any testimonies from human beings or cyborgs who might have been witness to any crime, these got recorded online through a system of video conferencing. This system of online digital courts proved to be quite efficient, and in most cases a judgement got delivered in a matter of hours. But a secure video conferencing system was a must for accessing the digital courts. Manjula and Aditya did possess a state-of-the-art video conferencing system, but that had got de-printed with their old house. So now they were forced to use one that was installed in Manjula’s car. They quickly got in the car and switched on the video conferencing system; through it, they got connected to the digital court that handled disputes and crimes in their area. A digital attorney got hired at the click of a button and soon they were recording their grievance to him by speaking into the microphone. It took them about an hour or so to get their complaint fully registered and a moment later their attorney, working at the speed of light, placed their case before a digital judge. An online summons was sent to the Hi-Tech Builders and in a matter of moments their attorney appeared before the digital court and confessed that the company did not have a mandate from the owners to de-print their house and print a new one at its place. It was a computer error that was to be blamed for what had happened. The attorney hired by Manjula and Aditya demanded a large financial compensation from Hi-Tech Builders for the mistake that they had made. He talked passionately about the emotional trauma that his clients had suffered. After hearing the arguments of both the digital attorneys, the digital judge was ready to deliver his judgement. He declared that since the Hi-Tech builders carried out the deprinting and printing work at the house without a legally binding authorization from the owners, they had clearly made a mistake. So they would not be paid for the new house that they had printed. And they would also pay Manjula and Aditya a sum of one million dollars to compensate for the loss of their personal things. But he refused to send any of the Hi-Tech Builders executives to jail, as there was no evidence that they had worked with any criminal intention. What happened was the result of a rather unfortunate computer error. The judge advised Hi-Tech Builders to improve the efficiency of their computer systems so that such mistakes could be avoided in future. Within few minutes of the judgment being delivered, a sum of one million dollars got deposited in the joint account that Manjula and Aditya were operating. What they really wanted

was to have their old house, with all their things back, but that was simply not possible and so they had to contend themselves with the million dollars and the new house that they had got. The truth was that even in year 2050, a million dollars was a lot of money and they would face no financial issues in getting their brand new house equipped with everything that they and their daughter might need to feel comfortable and happy. They were already engaged in placing orders for many brand new things. They ordered a food printer, which was much larger and advanced than their old food printer. It was capable of printing 10,000 types of natural fruits and vegetables and more than one million kinds of dishes. They ordered a furniture printer to create different types of furniture that they needed in their house. They also ordered an appliance printer to print out the myriad appliances like refrigerator, microwave, TV, computers, video games, air conditioning systems and much else that they needed. A Utensil Printer was ordered to create the pots, pans, plates, glasses, forks, knives, spoons that the family needed for their day-to-day use. A latest wardrobe printer, which was updated with latest fashion trends for men, women and children, was ordered to print out clothes that the family would wear at different times of the day. In less than an hour the different printers that had been ordered arrived loaded on different flying vehicles. The furniture printer and the appliance printer were really large and so they arrived on a flying vehicle that was as large as a truck. The other printers were of manageable size, meant to be installed inside the house, so they arrived on smaller vehicles. An army of robots arrived with each printer to install it inside the house or to operate it to create new things. The robots that had arrived with the furniture printer and the appliance printer got busy churning out goods according to the specifications given by Manjula and Aditya. The separate pieces of a stylish sofa-set that was covered with blue velvet took about 2 minutes to print. A large bed took 3 minutes to print. A four-door refrigerator could be printed in 2 minutes and 30 seconds. A microwave in just 30 seconds. Chandeliers took 50 seconds. As these items came out of the printers, the army of robots carried them inside the house and installed them in places indicated by Manjula and Aditya. Sita started clamoring for her toys, so her parents decided to order a small toy printer for her that she could keep in her room and use to create toys of her choice. This printer too arrived shortly to Sita’s immense delight. By the time the sun started settling in the horizon indicating that the day was over, the new house was fully furnished with everything that the this family of three could ever need. There was now no trace of tension and frustration on the faces of Manjula and Aditya, as had been the case earlier in the day, now they were enjoying themselves in their new home. Sita was feeling happy too and for a good reason - now she had a new toy printer for herself that she could use to print all the toys that she could ever think of. I October ‘09

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Feature Imagine life without the Internet. It may well be an isolated existence without the instant connectivity that keeps you linked to the rest of the world. Considering the role(s) Internet plays to make life simpler, easier and a little more than comfortable, it will be a tad difficult to think of living without it. From bill payment to banking and shopping, and from data hunting and e-communication to virtual officing and online dating, there’s no area of our life that remains untouched by the Internet. In brief, just like the Industrial Revolution 200 years ago, the Digital Revolution called the Internet and its all-embracing reach-out have changed our life beyond recognition.

Internet @

Fascinating past, amazing future Sanghamitra Mandal

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ore than a billion users worldwide are connected today – but just 40 years ago, global network connections were simply non-existent. Efforts were on to create an open network for exchanging information. The US government was all too enthusiastic about the potential outcome and Leonard Kleinrock, along with his colleagues, was asked to develop the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (Arpanet), an experimental military network. On September 2, 1969, two computers at the University of California, Los Angeles, exchanged data in the first test of Arpanet. But real success was met with on October 29 when Kleinrock managed to send a message from UCLA to the second node at Stanford Research Institute Menlo Park, California. It was an extremely brief communication, though, as Kleinrock tried to type ‘logon’ and the network crashed after the first two letters were written. But it “was the first breath of life the Internet ever took,” according to Kleinroc.

Global flourish In 1970, the Arpanet expanded further and got the East Coast node at Bolt, Beranek and Newman in Cambridge. However, only universities with connections to the US Department of Defense had access to it. As the cutting-edge advantages of computer networking became apparent, other universities began developing their own networks. The exclusive US phenomenon ultimately took the shape of an international network in July 1973, when the University College London (UCL) and Norway’s National Defence Research Establishment joined via dedicated phone lines, running at a mighty 9.6 kilobits per second. The transatlantic link happened as a result of discussions between Larry Roberts, the driving force behind the Arpanet, and British scientist Donald Davies. The latter had already done pioneering liveit.in

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research on packet switching – the network communication method of transferring data by splitting it up into small chunks. As the USA had no packet switching network working at that time, Arpa agreed to provide the basic Arpanet hardware and fund a transatlantic link to Norway if the UK could pay for a line. On their part, although the British research funding council refused to fund the project and the Department of Trade and Industry demanded business involvement, UCL computer scientist Peter Kirstein decided to go ahead and the link went live, via Norway, in July 1973. So far, the history of the Internet remains an unbelievable feat of physics and industry that has been holding true for the last 40 years. In 1971, Ray Tomlinson, an engineer with BBN Technologies, sent the first network e-mail, choosing the @ symbol to separate the user’s name from the host computer. But why so? “Mostly because it seemed like a neat idea,” he later commented. But with the computer networking evolving on a global scale, more innovations were required to draw up even the basic specifications to swap data across different types of networks. So in 1973-74, Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf at Arpanet came up with the Transmission Control Protocol and the Internet Protocol (TCPIP) that would allow seamless integration of multiple networks, thus creating a true Internet. After years of intense testing and some tough competition from rival network languages, the concept has split into the TCP/IP that powers the Net to this day. In 1983, another important feature, namely, the domain name system, was also proposed. Creation of suffixes such as .com, .gov and .edu came a year later.

Internet comes live, first worm crawls The online experience became more intriguing when CompuServe and The Source offered Internet services for the

first time in 1979. Users paid an initial fee and then hourly charges to browse through news and data. CB Simulator, the first online chat, was introduced a year later – bringing about a never-before digital revolution and bridging all physical divides. As the advantages of networking became clear, the demand for a truly global network, instant connectivity and free access to

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information became a reality that sounded too good to be true. Consequently, the pioneering Arpanet slowly gave way to broader and more efficient networks like CSNET and NSFNET. Regional networks like MIDnet, SURAnet and NYSERnet followed soon. By the end of 1988, NFSnet had gone global and worked across major countries like Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, Norway and Sweden. The year 1988 also witnessed the earliest form of cyber threat when Robert T. Morris, a graduate student at Cornell, unleashed the first widely known computer ‘worm’ or virus that crippled thousands of computers. According to Morris, it was a benign experiment gone awry but prosecutors claimed it to have caused massive financial losses due to lost productivity. Morris was sentenced to three years’ probation, community service and a fine of $10,000 plus legal costs.

On the wings of the World Wide Web Although used interchangeably, the Internet and the WWW are actually not synonymous. The term was coined by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist, who had devised the application as a way to organise, address and link information on the Internet. In August 1991, Berners-Lee developed a system where hypertext was gelled with the Internet. The documents were formatted in a markup language called HTML (HyperText Markup Language) that supported links to other documents, as well as graphics, audio and video files. This meant surfers could jump from one document to another simply by clicking on the hot spots. Not all Internet servers are part of the World Wide Web, though. Several applications called web browsers make it easy to access the World Wide Web – two of the most popular being the Netscape Navigator and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. In spite of its mass appeal, W3 had quite a few competitors as many other technologies did a similar job. In fact, many people

accessed documents using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and opted for the Usenet as a means to express themselves. One such popular technology was known as gopher, which was also released in 1991. The initial few years recorded a significant high in gopher traffic. But things changed dramatically when Marc Andreessen and his colleagues at University of Illinois created Mosaic in 1993 – the first web browser to combine text and graphics on a single page. The user-friendly interface certainly made the W3 more acceptable to the world.

Now ... Web 3.0 and beyond? The Web has undergone sea change but what does the future hold? According to technology expert and entrepreneur Nova Spivack, the development of the Web moves in 10-year cycles. Experts in the field now talk about a semantic Web, quite different from the earlier versions. Although it is difficult to define Web 1.0, most users feel that the earliest version happens to be a huge data bank containing information about almost everything under the sun. However, the websites falling under this category were static and non-interactive, which led to the much-needed upgrade – popularly known as Web 2.0. Simply put, the Web is now a platform used to design rich user experience. But keeping in mind the average visitor, the interface is kept very simple and the services offered are uncomplicated and well streamlined. The most important aspect is, of course, Web democratisation – so that people can share information and contribute as well. Wikis and blogging are great examples in this respect while smart tools like tagging and search engines are used to harness, classify and find collective intelligence in a hassle-free manner. So when it comes to Web 3.0, people may actually wonder what additional benefits are there in store? According to Net luminaries, Web 3.0 is a concept that focuses on an intelligent aggregation of data, completely customised for your requirements. With Web 3.0 at your fingertips, you need not spend so much time querying the search engines or manually integrate data from a huge pile of documents. The thirdgeneration intelligent Web will do that for you. But how will Web 3.0 do this? One way is to turn the Web into one huge database, make content accessible by non-browser applications and leverage the best of artificial intelligence technologies, the Semantic Web or the Geospatial Web. There are further talks of a Web 4.0 era, which will be a threedimensional environment to which users will remain connected 24x7 via multiple applications (not just your notebook or cell, they sound so dated). As of now, it is too early to say whether all these future versions of the Web will take place or not. At present they may sound like weird sci-fi. But, according to Tim O’Reilly, founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media, the Internet and the Web happen to be the “most profound change since the advent of literacy. And it’s bigger than the industrial revolution. We are on the front of a new renaissance.” And in such a case, netizens across the globe will surely have amazing innovations coming up their way. Internet is just the beginning of the journey. I October ‘09

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Feature

5 innovations that changed our life Preeth

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f you have ever flown on Emirates, you would know that the company is a class apart when it comes to offering a great travel experience. But apart from being a fantastic air carrier, it is also known for some brilliant advertising campaigns. The firm’s most catchy commercial says: When was the last time you did something for the first time? The message is simple, effective and thoughtprovoking. So when I ponder over the Internet spin-offs that have changed our life, I cannot help remembering that tagline. I still remember the day when the first television came home. It was a momentous incident. Soon after, our lives started revolving around the television. Then again, consider the excitement that the first telephone evoked. The very ringing of the phone sent our pulse racing to such an extent that it did not matter who was at the other end. Today, amazing innovations are churned out almost every day and the technology frontier is being constantly pushed as zealous entrepreneurs at the coalface wait for the next big thing. So it is now really difficult to come up with a laundry list of five things which have changed the way we work, socialise and live. But I will try, nevertheless, and here we go.

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Connectivity – unlimited It is an age and time when insignificance is the new significance. So letting the world know what you have for breakfast is as important as proclaiming your political leaning. Welcome to the world of social networking. And, well, if your life is a reality show, it is because you want it to be. The genesis of the social networking phenomenon dates back to the mid-1990s. The idea was simple enough – bringing like-minded people on to a common platform. But the foresight and novelty of the concept notwithstanding, early ventures like Sixdegrees.com failed miserably. It was not until 2002 when bootstrapping on the increasing number of Internet users, sites like Facebook, Myspace, Orkut, Tagged and Twitter became an integral part of our daily life. Today, if you don’t scrap a friend in some obscure land, check your neighbours’ photo albums or play a round of Farmville before hitting the sack, the day is very much incomplete.

Internet on the go Imagine the twist in Daniel Defoe’s ‘Robinson Crusoe’ if the hero were marooned on the island with a mobile phone. Crusoe could have used GPRS on his handset to figure out his co-ordinates and made a call to someone on the mainland about his whereabouts. A steamer would find him a day later, waving his white shirt and the credits would roll as he made his way back to civilisation. One thing is for sure, we would never have had an interesting piece of literature if Crusoe had a cell phone.

When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, communication was made possible. The invention of radio by Nikolai Tesla (and presented later by Marconi in 1894) set the foundation for wireless technology. It was only a matter of time before these two technologies would converge to present a path-breaking offering. It did and the mobile phone was born. However, your smart phone now does much more than just making calls. Technical wonders like the iPhone 3GS is a GSM cell phone that is also an iPod, a video camera and a mobile Internet device with e-mail and GPS maps. It is a veritable pocket computer as you can surf the Internet from practically anywhere and also share the 3G connection on your iPhone with your Mac notebook or PC laptop. But, most importantly, the rapidly developing wireless technology has helped create a new Internet communication infrastructure minus the ‘hassles’ of owning a regular computer. In brief, your cell phone has actually become a world-leading personal Internet device (PID) – opening up new horizons for futuristic innovations.

Search and thou shalt find If you were to teach someone a language, you would start with the alphabets. In a similar vein, if you were to introduce someone to the Internet, you would probably start with Google. It is the Holy Grail of information search and one which we cannot do without at work or at home. An Internet search market share of nearly 80%, an official English language word status in 2006 – all these sound impressive enough. Yet, it was nothing more than a research project of two Stanford blokes, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. With a PageRank algorithm that the two developed, the philosophy behind the concept was fairly simple. Nicknamed Backrub and written in Java and Python, the project developed a ranking scheme for all web pages. The higher the page rank, the more sought after the information – the creators believed. And out of that belief, came Google in 1998. History is testimony that it has changed their lives. And ours, too. Other search engines and search directories are up there on the Internet. But even brands like Yahoo! and Bing appear pale before Google’s awesome success.

For your ears only! Whether you are in a tube in Central London or taking the office shuttle somewhere in Bangalore, there is one thing that you probably have not noticed; or may have noticed but have not spare it a thought. Just look around and you will realise that most of the people have their earphones on and are listening intently to personalised music. The truth is – the era of digitised music is here to stay. The advent of MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 technology (popularly known as MP3 technology) makes it possible to store 1000 or more songs on your chic and sleek cell phone. The idea developed by a team of engineers at Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) makes use of the fact that certain sound parts are beyond the

auditory resolution ability of human beings. So they simply dropped these data points and still achieved a faithful reproduction of the original sound. And lo and behold, music is now compressed. So, you must have realised how it has changed the way you live. That is precisely why digitised music has made it to our list.

Checked your mail today? E-mails are the last, but perhaps the most important, tech innovation that has changed the way we communicate in this digital era. Let us do a small thought experiment to prove the point. How many of you have felt the compulsive need to check your mail while on a vacation? If you are mumbling a ‘yes’, well, we are afraid, you are probably a ‘tech’ addict. But then again, if it is any solace, most of us are. E-mail, as we popularly call it, dates back to the Apranet days. In fact, an e-mail message sent in the early 1970s pretty much looked like the ones we send today. While the Arpanet used the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to accomplish mail transfer, today the same is achieved by a much more robust Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). While the benefits of electronic mail are beyond debate, many have questioned the information overload paradigm. The sheer volume and usefulness of mail that we receive today is, at times, questionable; so much so that a ‘New York Times’ blog post cited e-mail as the bane of an individual’s professional life and went on to call it a ‘$650 billion drag on the economy.’ But bane or boon, e-mail has certainly changed the way we communicate and, hence, rightfully makes its way to this list.

Epilogue Think of the last time you attended a meeting of the philately club; think of the day when you went to office leaving your mobile phone back at home; think of the last time you wanted information and headed to the nearest public library; think of the last time you travelled with only a book for company and not music; think of the last time when you waited for the postman. If the answer is a faded memory, just blame it on new-age technology. I October ‘09

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Access Total Accounts to control the cash box

Control entry and exit of products

ith Access Total, it is possible to create a database in an easy manner so that one has complete control over his/her accounts. In this manner, companies or businesses can have an estimate of how much to invest or can make a detailed assessment of their expenses. A rigid control over expenditure gives businesses the opportunity to become more competitive in the market. While starting the account, it is important that the database has a starting balance or an existing balance in the account before the current day begins. At the end of the day, one has to enter the value of incoming and outgoing figures for the calculation of the final balance to be done automatically by the programme. In order to prevent intruders from accessing this document, the software allows you to save it with a password. To password

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protect your account document, go to the Tools menu, select Security and define password for the database. In the security tab, the user can also choose to opt between user’s account or group and cryptographer. The calculations effected in the consultation are not stored in the base table. To control accounts in any field, Access uses a formula which uses updated values. The formulas used to create an automatic function are similar to those used in Microsoft Excel. However, if VBA is used as the function constructor, they may be a little different. It is possible to create boxes of errors or a function that does not allow database continuity, if the inserted value is not formatted correctly. Personalised calculations allow accounts to acquire all the figures involved, dates and texts, taking as base one or more fields.

1 - Open the software. In case it is the first time you are using

2 - Following this, a window called New Database File will

it, click on the option Create a new file. A window will appear similar to the image above, in which you will select the option Blank Access database.

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appear which will give you the option to save the data. Insert a name for the file (in this case Control of accounts) and click on Create.

3 - In the Database box, choose the object Tables. The next step will be to select the option Create table in the structure mode.

4 - Write the name of the field in the first column. In the second, select the type of data and, in the third, write the function of field so that data are not lost when entered.

5 - Save the table by clicking on the X symbol to the right

6 - Double-click on the file created that should be listed in the

of the screen (option that is also used to close) or select File menu, Save. Now choose a name for the file and click on OK.

Tables field. The table with fields that you have created will be opened. Enter the day, opening balance, receipts and outgoings. Save it and close the file.

7 - Go to the initial database screen, click on the Worksheet.

8 - In the window Assistant of simple data, select

The next step is to click on the option Create datasheet using the assistant.

available fields and move them to Selected Fields, with the help of the arrow. Click on Continue. October ‘09

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9 - In this window, you can opt to have entries with details

10 - Name your entry and make sure that the option Open the entry to view information is selected. Now click on Finish.

11 - Double-click on the entry file that has been created. Maximise it for better visualisation.

12 - Select the button with the icon pencil and setsquare

13 - In the field on the expenditure side, write the

14 - It is now time to create the formula. For this, select

or summary. Select the option Detail so that each field of the register is shown. Click on Continue.

formula: Final Balance: [Starting Balance] + [Receipts] - [Expenditure] and select the checkbox (square located in the line View). Save it and close the file.

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named View and click on the Structure Mode option.

the object formula and click on Create formula using the assistant.

Access Total

15 - In the Tables/Entries option, select the created entry that has the formula of Final Balance.

16 - Insert new fields available in the square for Selected fields. Click on the Continue button.

17 - In this new window, it is possible to select the type of layout that you prefer. For this type of database, it is recommended that you choose the tab Column and click on Continue.

18 - Now, you will have the option to choose the style that you

19 - Name the formula and verify if the option Open

20 - Double-click on the formula created and verify that

the formula to view or to insert information is selected. Click on Finish.

prefer: there are 10 alternative styles for the database background. Choose one and click on Continue.

the formula is functioning. Create a formula for each month to have total control over your accounts.

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Creating labels Access allows the use of databases for creating customised labels

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eed to send e-mail messages to all your clients but not sure how to create labels? Access, just like Word, allows you to create them with ease, using the wizard that helps both in level creation and formatting. Gone are the days when you had to write out clients’ addresses, one by one, or type them out on an old typewriter. now you can create a species of special report, in the form of a label, used for identifying envelopes, product packages, etc. On creating labels from a table or a query, one can easily obtain a series of labels, each with a part or all the

Other ways of creating labels in Access 1 - On opening the programme, click on the option Create Table by inserting specifications.

2 - Now just insert the data directly into the table.

3 - You can also use the option Create Table in Design view.

4 - Choose the best way to insert the data and continue this step-by-step tutorial.

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fields of a record (for example, the main data of each business client). To create labels, read the next few pages and follow the step-by-step guide. Remember that in this tutorial, we have taken into consideration that you do not possess a database with all your client information. Nevertheless, it is possible to use a database with your client data. To do this, just start the tutorial from Step 6. We also assume that you have the basic ability and minimum knowledge of Microsoft Word in order to edit the labels.

Access Total Creating Labels 1st Step Open the programme, accessing the Start menu, Programs, Microsoft Access. In the window that appears, select the option Blank Access Database and click OK.

3rd Step Now the database which will contain the information for label creation will be created. In the screen that appears, click the option Create Table by using wizard.

5th Step Now you must fill in the table with client data. Remember that it is possible to use a previously created table containing client information.

2nd Step Now you must attribute a name to the file and then click Create. In our example, we shall use the name ‘Label.’

4th Step In Business, select the option Clients. In the table opposite, select the options: Name of contact, Billing Address and Postcode (Zip) and click Finish.

6th Step Once the table has been filled with client data, close it. In the window that appears, click the option Reports and then click the button New. Select Label wizard.

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7th Step

8th Step

Indicate the table or query from which the labels must be created. Here, choose the table Clients. In the screen that pops up, choose the type of labels. Click Next.

In this next stage, you will be able to choose the label configurations such as the font to be used. Click Next. In the next window, you can indicate the fields to be included in the label.

9th Step

10th Step

To insert text in the labels, just type it and then use the arrow to indicate the field. In the following screen, choose the order of data classification which will comprise the label.

To finalise the use of label creation wizard, name the report and click Finish. You can print them by clicking the button Print, or even edit them, should you not be happy with the result.

11th Step

12th Step

To edit the labels, click the button Office Link, located in the toolbar. Your labels are ready. You can print them by clicking the button Print, or even edit them, should you not be happy with the result.

Note that the client data are all on one line. Organise individual clients so that they appear one after another. On finishing the formatting, click on Print and save the document.

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Feedback

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Feature

Tech in vogue for lifestyle buffs Partha Mukherjee

f you are born in India and hail from a traditional family, you must have seen your mom, grand moms and aunts working their heart out at home and much too overburdened with domestic drudgery. Those gruelling hours spent on cooking, washing, scrubbing and dusting left them literally exhausted with no time to focus on their life or career. Times have changed since then and so has our socio-economic structure. As women enter the professional world in droves and prove that they are as competent, creative and productive as men, a new work-life balance becomes absolutely essential. But in spite of numerous achievements in myriad fields, they still spend double the time on household chores than their male partners do. The fair sex has learnt to work smart though, and invents many a way to convert those ‘gruelling’ household hours into blissful moments.

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Household chores made easy … Women today no longer believe in waging the battle against domestic odds. Thanks to a wide range of kitchen and home appliances from global brands like Phillips, LG, Samsung, Videocon and October ‘09

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Feature many more, domestic duties consume less time now and one can actually opt for some effective multitasking. Think about fitting up a workstation next to the kitchen space and preparing that all-important presentation while the mutton is in the microwave. Or you can simply relax and listen to your favourite music while the laundry is being taken care of (by your fully automated washing machine). Kitchen gadgets today are quick, energy-saving and easy to use – designed and developed to give you maximum satisfaction. Combination steam ovens, integrated microwaves, ceramic and induction hobs, deep fryers and griddles, refrigerators and freezers, hot & cold drinks processors, built-in laundry equipment and labour-saving dishwashers are often found in the modern kitchens nowadays. So let us have a look at these fantastic items that will help you out at home.

Refrigerator Imagine a fridge, a freezer and everything else in between.

Cooking range Complete your kitchen with a range that delivers three-fan true convection cooking, SteamQuick™ technology for speedy cleaning, 5.9 cubic feet of space and even a warmer drawer to keep food at just the right temperature.

competition – to prove her worth. But once there, she realises the need for self-grooming – to make her presence felt. She must have a glowing appearance; her pearly smile should exude confidence and her silky tresses should be as shining and smooth as Rapunzel’s. Woman today needs the physique of a warrior, as many a battle awaits her in the professional field, and she must shed that roundness to gain the agility of a tigress. Yet, her warm nature and graceful behaviour should please all. If you find that a tall order, help is at hand. There is a plethora of beauty gizmos which will add that ‘extra’ shine to your life. All you need to do is to get into the right frame of mind and pick up the right gadget that meets your requirements.

Her skin should shine ... A face can launch a thousand ships and a little care goes a long way to keep you looking forever young. If you are too busy to maintain an elaborate beauty regime, it is time to opt for Baby Quasar, a smallsized gadget that rejuvenates the skin without any hassle. Baby Quasar was originally introduced to overcome such skin problems as acne and aging. It is the first light-therapy device, designed to provide flawless beauty to home-based users. Recommended by renowned dermatologists, Baby Quasar uses four wavelengths of natural light to treat aging, acne, skin shrink and enlarged pores. Use it and feel the difference it makes in terms of glowing, healthy skin. Pic and information courtesy: www.BabyQuasar.co.uk

Washer & dryer Silvercare technology can keep your laundry clean and germ free.

Microwave Over-the-range microwaves make food preparation quick and easy.

Dishwasher Do your dishes in peace and quiet with our advanced insulation system. Information courtesy: http:/www.samsung.com

‘Wow’ beauty gizmos Now that she has managed her home and family quite efficiently, the woman steps into the new world – the cauldron of liveit.in

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Her limbs should glow … Ice, ice, baby: The Philips Ice Epilator makes painful plucking outdated. All women love to show off satinsmooth skin but you need not pay the price in pain. Forget the outdated shaving or waxing (ouch!), thanks to the ultra fast, clean and perfect epilation available nowadays. But if you think that it is a modern-day beauty treatment, here is a piece of news for you. Did you know that tweezers and razors were unearthed from ancient graves and Queen Cleopatra bared it all in a book she wrote on the best-kept beauty secrets of the era? The legendary queen of Egypt bathed in milk and honey to keep her skin glowing. Ancient Egyptians also used fresh incenses and perfumes as cure for body odour which was a sign of impurity. Pic and information courtesy: philster.com

She has to shed the fat … It is not the glamour alone that matters in real life. Women must rediscover their core strength – health, fitness and focus. It does not call for a regular visit to gym, spa or health salon. Regular workout at home for just a few minutes should do wonders. Tone-at-home fitness equipment can power women through different exercises and cater to their specific needs. Any salon quality home exercise system can help you with the right kind of workout according to your weight – thus strengthening your muscles and enhancing your flexibility & endurance. Information courtesy: http://www.toningathome.com/toneAtHome.asp

Her crowning glory should be shining Gone are those days when women spent leisurely afternoons sitting in the sun and drying their luxuriant locks. But if you are bored with your old-fashioned hairdryer, here is something sizzling to hot things up. Nodaya, a Japanese company, has come up with a gun-shaped hairdryer, so different from others. All you have to do is to put the gun to your head (Hubbies! Don’t panic!) and pull the trigger mildly. Lo and behold! A stream of balmy air will caress your curly tresses. And soon, you (or your hairstyle) will be the talk of the town. Information courtesy: http://rosedesrochers.todays-woman.net/2007/12/11/gun-hairdryerbizarre-gadgets-for-women/

If the ‘gun’ taints the image of your otherwise affable dressing table, there are the mild-mannered hair dryers within your reach (nor would your husband shriek at their sight). The model displayed below is sure to work wonders on your frizzy and tangled mane. Phillips India is ready with their vast range of dryers to take care of your hairdo. Information courtesy: http://www.bechna.com

Her smile should ooze confidence with grace ... New model sonic toothbrush with integrated UV toothbrush sanitiser, three brushing modes and auto timer. Specially designed for people with sensitive teeth and gums, it ensures maximum cleaning and massages the gums to stimulate them.

Enjoy music while you brush your teeth! This is the only toothbrush that plays tunes in your mouth. The new ‘Tooth Tunes’ brush from Hasbro is designed to entice oralhygiene-shy kiddies (and grown-ups too) to brush their ivories with some music bribery.

Lifestyle gizmos

The Times They Are a-Changin… And there is more to life now besides sound health or stunning looks. Today’s women are on par with their male counterparts and their requirements for high-end gadgets and innovative technologies are just as crucial. To empower the fair sex with proper accoutrement, renowned companies have come up with a large bouquet of brand new lifestyle gizmos which are simply breath-taking. Hit hard by the tech fever, women now

swoon over fancy thingamajigs and stylish accessories. So if you are a female between eight and 80, keen to build a ‘haute couture’ gadget wardrobe, just keep on reading! And here is a small piece of advice for men. If you really want to win her heart, buy her the most exquisite gizmo this festive season instead of some expensive piece of jewellery. Geek is now cool and she will surely appreciate it.

Time to own a digital clutch Laptops are a great invention – to be carried and used almost anywhere, be it a small café, a speeding car or even on board an aircraft. But limited by routine shapes and monochrome casing, they often lack that charming personal touch that most women love to flaunt. In tune with the trendy women on the go, market leaders have come up with new look digital clutches that are sleek, colourful and virtually weightless. Laptops for women fuse high fashion, small form factor and innovative functions – transforming the personal computer from a necessity to a sophisticated lifestyle product. What’s more, these are easy to carry and mostly fit inside a handbag-sized case. X2 StyleBook and Tulip E-Go happen to be the best laptop models for women in terms of style, beauty and technology. Another great choice is the Sony Vaio VGN-T350. This little beauty is slim, chic and as light as can be (only 3.1 pounds) – so that one can carry it simply anywhere. Colourful and stunning, women’s laptops come with magnificent, matching bags and fabulous accessories. Here are a selected few which are bound to wow every woman, thanks to their glam looks, futuristic functions and feathery weight. Information courtesy: http://laptopadvisor.blogspot.com/2007/12/ laptops-for-women.html

Intel and HP have presented seven unique laptop models specifically designed for women. While developing these notebooks, designers were hell-bent on finding an answer to the million-dollar question: What’s the perfect laptop for the fair sex? And judging by the market response, they seemed to have hit the right direction!

HP Perfume HP Perfume is an ode to a woman’s love for fine fragrances. The laptop features a built-in reservoir filled with concentrates of basic fragrances. Users can download a fragrance from the Web and the laptop generates the smell in the fraction of a second.

HP Fitness As the name suggests, the multifunctional HP Fitness has been designed for the health-conscious and the fitness freak women of the digital era. Enclosed in a hard casing, it features a scale at October ‘09

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Feature the back. The gadget can weigh the user and analyse the data to make a nutrition schedule and choose on a diet.

HP Chameleon It’s an amazing model that can change its colour to match the hue of the user’s dress. Two built-in cameras scan the colour of the user’s clothes and the laptop colour automatically changes to flaunt the same tint. To live up to its name, the gadget is scaled like the chameleon’s skin. The surface feels like velveteen – soft and plush to the touch. Before coming up with this lifestyle gadget, the designers of HP Chameleon had actually interacted and worked with women – common users whose unique creativity and great sense of humour went a long way to make this a fabulous product.

Try out trendy watches With fashion getting so glitzy, simple timepieces have given way to personal style statements. Current trends indicate a perfect combo of innovation, beauty and functionality – so that there is a wrist watch out there for every personality, mood or occasion. A stylish bracelet watch strikes the right balance between everyday utility wear and exquisite evening showpiece. Fitted in a matching bracelet instead of sporting the traditional leather or metal strap, these attractive watches are an ideal choice for the fashionconscious lady. Get, set and go with these ravishing bracelet watches (there are bejewelled ones and designer brands as well, which none can resist). Modern-day women can no longer afford to sit idle or while away the time. So one can easily tune in to these luxurious time trackers and never go off-target again. Also, what’s more precious than spending some quality time with the special people in your life? The new line of lifestyle watches will gently guide you towards a heady work-life concoction so that you can make the most of today and live your dreams.

It’s talk time, baby!

Motorola H500 Bluetooth headset in pink To complement the Motorola SLVR L7 Pink Phone in colour and functionality, the company has designed the H500 Pink Bluetooth Headset. When paired with a Bluetooth-enabled mobile like the Motorola SLVR, the Motorola H500 Pink helps ensure hassle-proof, hands-free communication. Weighing less than 17 grams, the H500 Pink Bluetooth Headset is one of the lightest in the industry. It features up to eight hours of talk time or 200 hours of standby time, allowing users to connect even when they are 30 ft away from their mobiles. liveit.in

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Motorola Red SLVR cell phone for women The slender, lightweight SLVR set in trendy ‘loud’ colours is the prefect pick for the woman sporting a distinct fashion statement. The Motorola Red SLVR cell phone for women is designed to enhance entertainment and make the most of cutting-edge customisation options. Motorola Red SLVR offers iTunes functionality – the ability to carry up to seven hours of music or 100 songs. Like its predecessor, the SLVR Black, the Red SLVR is less than half-aninch thick and weighs only 3.5 ounces.

Siemens CL75 for women The Siemens CL75 is one of the few cell phones that combine elegance and technology. One version of the Siemens clamshell mobile sports a colourful floral motif on the case. On the inside, a large color display doubles as a pocket mirror (makeup not included).

The camera connection Weighing in at 90 grams, this chic Siemens phone comes with a built-in digital camera for clicking snaps or video recording. The mobile camera has been a great hit among women but there is reason enough. According to M:Metrics, 25 per cent women own camera phones in the USA as compared to 21 per cent men. And 60 per cent women use their camera feature occasionally or frequently while only 40 per cent men use it that often.

Nokia fashion collections: ‘Distinctly bold’ The Distinctly Bold Collection features a set of high-fashion Nokia cell phones for women. The ensemble includes four currently available handsets – Nokia 7610, Nokia 7280, Nokia 7270 and Nokia 6170, all with cameras, stylish straps and carrying pouches.

The L’Amour collection It is another unique bouquet of fashion phones for women – from the House of Nokia. The collection features Nokia 7370 and Nokia 7380 cell phones, plus three new fashion phones.

Samsung SGH-E530 for women Perhaps the most feature-rich cell phone for women, Samsung’s SGH-E530 combines image, style and functionality in a fashionable handset which is launched in the Middle East. The E530 is a digital-zoom camera phone in a sleek clamshell body loaded with some of the latest features – MP3 player, MPEG4 video recorder, multimedia messaging, 64 polyphonic ring tones and Bluetooth. I

How To

Watch Multiple Computers N

etflix is the ‘real’ thing for movie buffs. Those who use it will swear by the quickness and quality of entertainment it offers. But for those who have just heard of Netflix and want to know more, here is more to chew. Netflix is one of the world’s largest online movie rental services that satiates the entertainment thirst of more than 10 million members. According to Netflix, it “ships an average of 2.2 million DVDs to their members” across the USA. Netflix was first established in 1997 and since then, the collection has gone up to 100,000 titles. The company has about 100 shipping points in the country and several members receive their videos within one business day. The ‘Watch Now’ feature Members can just point and click to add TV episodes and movies to their list. They can also get DVDs by mail or avail the Watch Now option to enjoy TV episodes and movies on their PC or Mac. Movies can be streamed instantly from Netflix to your television through a Netflix ready device. To avail the ‘Watch Now’ or Watch Instantly feature, you need to be a member of Netflix. Subscribers can use this feature to stream proprietary Microsoft liveit.in

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through Netflix VC-1 videos. There are more than 12,000 titles available through this service. System requirements: To watch movies instantly on your PC or Mac, your computer must have Windows XP or Mac OS X as well as an active broadband connection. How to enable ‘Watch Now’ on more than three computers: You can take a backup of your Netflix Watch Now key and enable Watch Now features on more than three computers. However, remember that you will not be able to use all three computers at once, but any one of the three. We will give you a step-by-step guide of how to do so in Vista and XP’s Internet Explorer. There are a few things that you need to know before we get on with the process. The Watch Now streaming service uses a code that gets assigned to the first three computers in which you install the Watch Now plugin. But if you install and use this feature on a fourth computer, you will, in most probability, get an error saying that you must call the customer service to get a new key. Let us explain how you can export the Netflix registry key and then import it into your registry on more than four computers after installing the Watch Now viewer. Install the Netflix Watch Now plugin in a computer. Gotto the Start Menu > Run (alternatively hold WIN+R). After that type in regedit. Then browse to this location: HKEY_CURRENT_ USER\Software\Netflix\Movie Viewer\ On the right-hand side, you can see the Key, ID. This is the code used by Netflix to identify that you are watching a movie on the first of the three computers’ where you have installed the Watch Now viewer. Then click on the Moview Viewer folder and go to File > Export. You can now export the entry to a file and then save it. This will be the backup of your Netflix Watch Now code. Tip: Remember that the code is specific to your OS. If your code is from an XP machine, it will not work on a computer with Vista and vice-versa. I October ‘09

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How To

How to HIDE or SHOW

GENIUS BAR in iTunes8

Chandana Banerjee

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ho doesn’t love listening to music? Let’s face it; music is the essence of life. There are soft numbers we like to play at work; jazz or rock when we want to let our hair down and enjoy; instrumental for a candle light dinner or meditation; and peppy numbers for partying. Some of us play music while on the go, or when exercising, working, studying and partying. For such music aficionados, iTunes will be manna from heaven!

What’s iTunes, for heaven’s sake? For those who are still not familiar with iTunes, here’s information to dig. This is a free application from Apple for PC and MAC users, for playing digital music and video. It syncs content to your iPod, iPhone and Apple TV. So, in a nutshell, you can turn to iTunes for all your entertainment needs, at any time and from anywhere. With iTunes, you don’t have to rifle through the piles of CDs or surf channels as you get your entire video and music collection at the click of a button. You can spend the rest of your time playing, browsing and organising songs from your MAC or PC. Find out what you can do with iTunes: G You can browse through your library by rating, year, episode, album or artist. Save on precious hours by searching quickly through your collection. G Turn your favourite CD collection into digital music and import them to iTunes. You can then organise your collection with custom playlists. G Shuffle songs from other computers on your network or play videos using onscreen controls. G Sync videos, music, contacts and calendars on your iPhone or iPod. And guess what? Wireless syncing to Apple TV puts music and video from your iTunes library on the big screen. So with iTunes, you’ve got all the entertainment you want, right at your fingertips.

Genius Playlists As if this isn’t enough, the ‘Genius’ feature lets you create that perfect playlist. Just select a song and click the Genius button. iTunes will generate a playlist from your library that goes great with the song. Choose the number of songs you want on this playlist, and voila! You have the results.

Genius Sidebar iTunes8 has something called a ‘genius sidebar’ that will show you the music in the iTunes store – the songs will be similar to the tunes or songs you have selected. You may want to hide or show the bar. In such a case, don’t fret the small stuff because it just requires a small step and half a second to do so. Here is how it works.

How to hide/show the genius bar in iTunes8 There’s a button with an arrow icon on the right-hand side of the bar. Just press the icon to contract or expand the genius sidebar. Now, that looks simple, doesn’t it? I

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How To

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his is for all you voracious readers, who like to cart around a stack of books, wherever you go. You have to have a towering pile of novels on your bedside table, half-a-dozen more books and periodicals in the

bathroom, a few crammed inside your leather tote and a few latest titles in your drawer at your workstation. You just have to pick up the latest titles from the corner bookshop, and for you, an ideal weekend is one where you get to spend endless hours

Keyboard shortcuts for punctuation marks in Kindle 2 Chandana Banerjee

browsing in your favourite bookstore. Books mean the world to you, and you love to read in every spare moment that you have. Amazon.com’s Kindle 2 is just for such readers, who need to have books every moment that they breathe.

What is Kindle 2? It is a software and hardware platform developed by Amazon, Kindle 2 can be used to read e-books and other digital media. It’s absolutely portable at 8” x 5.3” x 0.36” and weighs just 10.2 ounces. You don’t need a computer to use this, and can store about 2GB of content. Once charged, you can read for almost four days with the wireless on. And sans the wireless? Read on for two weeks. Another striking feature about Kindle 2 is that it is lighter than a paperback, and as slim as a magazine. You can carry it around wherever you go and read your books on the move. Ah! You don’t have to worry about eye strain or anything that you associate with reading e-books on the computer. Kindle 2 has been designed with long-form reading in mind. The page-

turning buttons are on both sides, letting you to read and turn pages comfortably with one hand from any position. Also, these buttons flex inward to prevent any accidental page turns that can happen while picking up or handling Kindle. It also has a new easy-to-use 5-way controller, enabling precise onscreen navigation for selecting text to highlight or looking up words. And now we come to the meaty part – the part about the books that you can carry around with you in this 10.2 ounce ‘book holder.’ Well, just carry along your entire collection or even your library if you desire. You can not only cart around more than 1,500 books, but can also download more anytime. A copy of every book you have bought from the Kindle Store has an online backup at Amazon.com - just in case you ever need to download it again. You can wirelessly re-download books for free any time. Another feature that makes Kindle 2 so popular with avid readers is the paper-like quality of the screen. The 6” screen is crisp black and white, and looks as well as reads like printed paper. You don’t have worry about backlight or glare, and can read just as naturally as you do when you pick up hard copies of books. The images are sharper, with 16 shades of gray. You can even read your books in the sun, without worrying about glare or other readability issues. With just a push of a button you can adjust the font size, and if you wish, you can use the new text-to-speech feature to let Kindle read books, blogs, magazines and newspapers for you. And when you use the QWERTY keyboard, you can add annotations to the text (‘write in the margins’ sort of thing). The 5-way controller lets you highlight and clip passages and bookmark pages for future use. The built-in dictionary, wireless access to Wikipedia, and search features, make reading through Kindle an overall enriching experience.

How to use symbol shortcuts for punctuation marks in Kindle 2: Well, if you wish to jot down your notes, you can use the SYM button to insert punctuation marks and special symbols. But this can make for slow typing when you are using normal punctuation. So if you are looking for a quicker way to type out the common punctuation marks like question marks, double quotes, colons, apostrophes, and commas, use simple keyboard shortcuts. Here are keyboard shortcuts for the following punctuation marks: G

? (question mark): ALT+6

G

, (comma): ALT+7

G

: (colon): ALT+8

G

” (double quotes): ALT+9

G

‘ (apostrophe): ALT+0

Armed with these tips, you can jot down your notes in a jiffy and get back to your reading quickly. I October ‘09

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How To

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one are the days when children would skip out to play hide-and-seek and hopscotch. Today, they prefer to get hold of their gaming consoles and play technologically designed games to their hearts’ content. But why kids, even grown-ups like us enjoy Wii games more than a game of lawn tennis or croquet. It is because we don’t need to step out of the house or drive to the club for our gaming experience. Just a gaming console and a stack of interesting games

is all that is required to spend a whole weekend glued to one’s seat. Wii has revolutionised the gaming experience, and most game buffs will ask you to try it yourself to understand the magic of it all. And these games are not just for children or moody teenagers; these can be relished by the whole family – from busy moms and dads to feisty grandmas. All you need is a Wii Remote and Nunchuk (which are quite simple to use) to enjoy this social gaming experience with your friends and loved ones.

How to disable the Rumble Effect on

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Wii Remote

October ‘09

Chandana Banerjee

Once you get a hang of it, you can choose from an array of games that Wii offers. The choices range from Nintendo franchises like Mario, Zelda and Metroid, to the all-new classics like Wii Sports and Wii Play. You can also create your own Mii character to star in Wii games. You can play games with your friends online over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or use the Internet Channel to surf the Net from your couch. If you wish, you can also download classic Nintendo games through the Wii Shop Channel. Now we come to the Wii Remote, nicknamed ‘Wiimote’. This remote is the main controller for Nintendo’s Wii console. The Wii Remote is so popular with users because of its motion sensing capability – you can manipulate items on the screen or interact via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and optical sensor technology. The Nunchuk, which is an attachment bundled with the Wii console, also complements the Wii Remote by making functions similar to those in gamepad controllers, accessible to users. How to disable the rumble effect on Wii Remote? When using the Wii Remote to play games, it allows you to feel rumbles or vibrations on certain titles. This adds a sense of realism to the game and enhances the game playing experience.

However, some users may find this rumble effect distracting and may want to disable the function, which will require the following few steps: G When you are on the Wii Menu screen, click on the Home button on the Wii Remote. G

When the Home Menu appears, move your cursor to the bottom of the screen and then choose the Wii Remote Settings.

G

Go to rumble and select the ‘off ’ button.

G

Move your cursor to the bottom of the screen and choose Close Wii Remote Settings.

Now click on the Wii Menu button in the centre of the screen. You will be asked if you want to return to the Wii Menu. Click Yes. This will turn off the rumble effect and you can continue to play your games without getting distracted. I

G

Capturing newborns with your lens Zahid H. Javali

A few easy steps can go a long way … Many of us might not have too many pictures of our just-born days. But today technology allows you to record every physical move of the baby not only on your digital camera but also on your camera phone. But whether you have a digicam or a camera phone, there are ways to capture the age of innocence for posterity. Since newborns do not move much in their first few months, here are three great tips that should get you going. Best of luck!

Turn them into models If truth be told, newborns can’t even move to save their lives. So how can they model? Well, the beauty is in their daily regimen. Remember, they sleep most of the time. So you need to do most of the posing for them. And how? Simple. It all depends on where you place the sleeping baby. It can be a basket, a giant cushioned hat or anything else you fancy. The pose does make a difference if you want an exclusive snapshot.

Have patience This works best if time is not an issue and if the parents do not mind the brandishing camera. Newborns tend to have their own timetables and needs. So when the shoot gets interrupted because the baby’s diaper needs to be changed or it needs to be fed, you can continue to shoot if the parents have no objections. Wrap the mom and the baby with a soft blanket and prop them up with a pillow. Now you can snap a few pictures of the mother and the baby peeping out of the blanket. However, if the parents and the baby need their time, it’s best to refrain from shooting rather than compel them to have their private lives documented.

Be creative Baby shops are filled with stuff that you can use as great props for your photography – from those fancy-looking danglers on trolleys to divert the baby’s attention, to fancy clothes, caps, wigs, sunglasses and even bedsheets and shawls. Also, find fun props that you can use to hide diapers. Try and get disposable changing pads ready for the newborn in case certain fluids come out while props are being changed.

Plan ahead Sometimes, it’s best to plan ahead. This can be done by meeting the parents first and understanding the baby’s eating, sleeping and maybe crying and laughing habits. Once you have a fair idea of what to expect, you can plan your shoot accordingly. It’s important to have the mother around during all your shoots, since the baby needs to be taken care of and there should be a familiar face around to whom it can relate. I

Tech Career

I

magine a day without your laptop. Think of a day when the World Wide Web stops working. How about sending your boss those vital files via post, which might take a week’s time? What if there is nothing called cellular connectivity? If you call this nightmarish gibberish, let me tell you my friend that such was our world only a few decades back. Technology has become such an indispensable part of modern existence that it might seem quite hard to believe that we could ever manage a fair living without it. Whether machine has made man mechanical or whether it is man who has succeeded in making machine humane is a rather contentious issue, but be it sending an important document across borders within a few seconds or a refreshing chitchat over the cell phone at the end of a day’s work; a life away from technology seems as bizarre as living in a cave for today’s folks. The change has been rather drastic in India. The last two decades witnessed a radical makeover of the entire scenario. The nineties ushered in computers. By 1995 BSNL brought in Internet to the country. Typewriters and fax machines were now obsolete. Fast communication was a prerequisite for the global village to run smooth. Kentucky and Calcutta were just minutes away. With informations from around the globe now being readily accessible life would never be the same again. The easy going Indians took to a jet set lifestyle and what was a country known for its blasé and blissful nonchalance became a smart IT hub with professionals on their toes only over a few years’ time. Technology brought along with it job prospects in a rich galore. While some found both lucre and joy in further technical advancement, others were happy applying technology to their own work field. The tech boom created work opportunities primarily in three forms: While some work towards further technical development, some others found their jobs in the maintenance of the systems, and last but not the least is the huge pool of professionals applying technology to their specific fields of work. The need for a steady technological improvement made a vast array of jobs available before the skilled techies, who with their knack for innovation and brains for scientific precision could come up with ideas for further improvisations in using technology. The technical requirements across different disciplines had to be looked after and thus came in the need for software developers who would take care to prepare software suited for professionals from different arenas of work. Nasscom or National Association of Software and Service companies reports that it was by the fiscal year of 2004-05 that the indigenous IT industry crossed the benchmark of employing one million software experts,

the cumulative annual growth rate in the number of professionals joining the field being 23.6%. With employers like Wipro and Infosys on the list, the figures are sure to go higher up. The nitty-gritties of the highly complicated systems are often befuddling enough for their users. Their proper maintenance necessitates specialized attention and hence a group of hardware specialists and mechanics came into being. The 2008 Nasscom reports suggest an immediate requirement of more than four lakh professionals to join this field. As V. Rishi Kumar, CEO and Managing director, Aptech Limited suggested in one of his interviews that the country’s hardware industry has the potentials to reach a whooping $62 million mark by the next year. That this growing industry needs human resource is perhaps needless to say. The extensive use of technology has also made fields like BPO, networking and animations also feasible. Geographical realities have been severely challenged. Working for an organisation with its headquarters at New York City while staying in Bangalore is not far-fetched to believe anymore, courtesy, outsourcing. Prince Monteiro, a 21-year-old commerce graduate from Kolkata is presently one amongst the BPO workforce from the country. Prince points out while it could have been difficult for a man to earn well only with a graduate degree a few years back, outsourcing has made it possible for him to take home an impressive salary at the end of the month. A consistent growth of the Indian IT industry is now a matter of getting the right people to join the workforce; the more the number of specially qualified experts stepping into the arena, the higher the prospects of the industry to reach further expansion. Proper training to groom the upcoming joiners of the field is a pressing need of the time. While many complain that IT education in India is yet to come out of its infancy, initiatives have been taken by both the public and the private sector in the recent past to compensate for the lack. The Department of Youth Affairs, Government of India has come up with various plans to extend computer education amongst the youth across different social strata. Private institutes like Aptech, NIIT, Arena and various others also introduced various courses to suit different requirements and budgets. These courses are tailormade to meet the demands of the students who wish to specialize in a specific area. With companies such as IBM, Tata Consultancy Services or TCS, Cognizant and Polaris, the IT industry of India carries the potential of creating ample recruitment opportunities for thousands in a year. The BPOs and the KPOs received a blow as

Tech to the

T e Priyanka Mukherjee

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the worldwide recession struck but with time the industry has come in terms with the initial shocks. Moreover, as this technology finds application across a varied range of fields, no jolt can be hard enough to shake its base. The most sought-after techies in India at this moment are the software analysts, domain specialists, information security experts, integration specialists, database administrators, network specialists and communication engineers, software programmers, designing and architecture experts, and data warehousing and semi-conductor design specialists. Some of the areas where manpower is rather scanty are e-supply chain management or eSCM, data warehousing, bioinformatics, epharma and nanotechnology. These are highly specialized areas and are ready to offer jobs to people with the required expertise. Most of the new entrants to these sectors are strained through campus selection and then further tutored to suit the specific requirements. While those who wish to join a specialized arena must be accordingly qualified with either a MCA or an M.Tech degree, there are others who, geared with their basic technical know-how, can get an edge over their peers be it whichever field. Be it the entertainment industry or media or even health care for that matter, IT has become a crucial requisite to almost all the arenas of work. While the use of software in making animations and creating special effects for movies is almost known to all, information technology has also found use in the music industry, where jobs such as sound mixing and recording are now done with much élan and the processes have become both time saving and cost effective. Knowledge of software such as Adobe Flash, Anim8or or Reallusion can make a great animator out of a person with the heart of an artist and the brains of a techy. Those who remember Harry Porter flying on his broomstick or Spiderman swinging from one skyscraper to another in a jiffy with utter bewilderment must also be aware of software such as Impactplus5 and Wondertouch that were used to create the effects. For those of you who are still looking for answers how that scene in ‘Matrix,’ where Keanu Reeves is shown rotating in the air, was made possible, here is the trick: It was with the use of some morphing software that the slow motion effect was created as these software enable the directors to keep the speed of an action under their control. The sequence was shot with multiple cameras against a green-screen background. It was only later that the computergenerated background was superimposed. A 3D computer model of the scene was specially prepared for the purpose. If computers have found use in creating visuals so have they in creating audio tracks. Software like MixPad Audio Mixer allow the present breed of music professionals to create remixes, which are extensively popular. Names to reckon with in the Indian music industry such as A.R. Rahman and Kavita Krishnamurthy highly favour tools such as Logic Pro9 and Logic Pro8 for creating power-packed tunes. Professionals with the necessary knowledge of these technical tools and a musical acumen are bound to make it big in the present entertainment scenario. Technical knowledge has also become a ‘must have’ for those aspiring to join media. Designing the newspaper with the news stories properly arranged would earlier take up hours, but now the

technically-equipped sub-editors can do it quite easily with the use of page layout software. Almost all leading dailies run a Web version and demand for newsmen with an edge over technology, especially with the use of Internet. Quick communication made possible via e-mails has made it convenient for freelancers to work for publications from abroad. Subhajoy Roy, a Kolkata-based freelancer, tells us, “I’ve been contributing for news magazines from around the globe for the past two years. With the Internet at your service, this is as easy as writing for a local daily. My editors are just clicks away from me.” With growing numbers of Internet surfers in the country, working for the different news portals on the Web is also a career option for many. Information technology has found specialized application in the field of health care as well. Knowledge Process Outsourcing has made it feasible for many Indian medicos to work for overseas organisations and, thereby, earn a few extra bucks while staying within the country. Use of computers in the advancement of health care has been effectual in cutting down the costs remarkably; errors in treatment have been reduced, leading to qualitative improvement and has also made it accessible to a wider mass. The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, a US based organization has been in the forefront in taking initiatives in this regard. Automated hospital information systems often help in providing better services to the patients. CAS or Computer Assisted Surgery is often the way out in case of patients with multiple complications. Here, 3D animation has found use in creating a virtual image of the patient, which is then subjected to detailed analysis to reach a conclusive diagnosis of the problems, which need immediate medical attention. The eighties saw the use of ‘Telemanipulators’ in neurosurgery and ever since then various CAS systems have been developed. The first surgical robot named Aesop received the required approvals in 1993. APACHE or Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation has made a proper assessment of the Intensive Care Units of a health centre doable. These highly complex technical equipment require skilled handling and, hence, job opportunities have opened for those with knowledge in both anatomy and technology. Fields as rigid as the education industry have also experienced the advent of technology. PowerPoint presentations often make lessons taught at schools and colleges more interesting and thus the bleak days of blackboards and chalks have been bade a happy adieu. Online tutorials and e-books have made education available to a larger section of the society. The Uganda Connectivity Project initiated by Daniel and Lisa Stern is one such program, which intends to extend primary education via the Internet to the children in Uganda, where schools are scanty and often too expensive. The educationists at home can also take up such projects to encourage an interest in learning. While such ventures shall prove to be beneficial for those who shall get to learn, teachers with knowledge of the Internet can hope to earn well also. With more and more takers of the Internet in a fast growing nation like ours, technology is sure to spread more. The right attitude towards work and expertise in the use of tech tools relevant to one’s field of work is surely the key to a prosperous future ahead. I October ‘09

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Star Diary

Amrita Rao The cute Bollywood actress who first came to notice in ‘Ishq Vishq’ and later tasted big commercial success with ‘Vivah’, requested an e-mail interview on her love for tech rather than chatting with ‘Live IT’ on the phone. And she started her mail with the following message: Technicism will ultimately allow humanity to control the entirety of existence using technology. Some day, human beings will be able to master all problems and may even control the future with the help of technology. In many societies, technology has helped develop today’s global economy and has allowed the rise of a leisure class.” And now, we come to our Q&A session that reveals her love for tech, along with a balanced approach. Are you a tech junkie or a novice? Neither. I have a balanced approach. While I appreciate and understand tech, I am not addicted to it. Is technology a man’s thing? Technology is definitely unisex. With the economy getting a boost once again, women are now open to experimenting with hi-tech gadgets. Moreover, technology is topical and directly related to one’s personal choice. What’s the most expensive tech toy that you have purchased till date? It is the Osim Uspace with seven in-built massage routines for the body and heated seats with sensors that automatically detect the acupressure points of the body. It’s an imported system and an industry friend gave it to me to celebrate the success of ‘Perfect Bride’, a reality show on ‘Star Plus’ (she currently judges the show). It has been gifted to me so that I can unwind at home after my hectic day trips to Karjat where the shooting takes place. It is easier this way instead of paying a visit to the beauty spa. The whole thing costs around Rs. 4 lakh.

Phones and computers crash often. How would you deal with a catastrophe like data loss? I generally keep a backup on pen drives and DVD’s. So a catastrophe like that wouldn’t mean much. Moreover, a maintenance executive comes regularly to keep them shipshape. Which sites do you frequently visit on the World Wide Web? I and my sister Preeta research a lot on Google during our spare time. Otherwise, there are Style Kandy, Rediff, e-Bay, MSN, Yahoo and FTV for my daily updates. Your take on Facebook and the social networking phenomena – is it a boon or a bane? Well, I must admit that I have joined Facebook and Twitter quite recently so that my friends and fans can keep track of my day-today activities instead of getting it all wrong from source-generated stories. I think such social networking sites are a fantastic way of keeping in touch with folks around the globe in real time. They have great privacy features, too, and you can block users who seem to be fraudulent. Also, fans can connect with their favourite stars via the blogs. It’s basically an electronic version of fan mail. How has technology helped you in your professional work? My BlackBerry keeps me connected 24x7 with my business manager, publicist, media and other industry friends. I distinctly remember the time when I had no Internet connection for almost a week. Luckily, I had the smartphone with me and managed to contact my costume designer for a special appearance in a film sequence. Else, I would have lost that work. I

Service with a touch HTC India chief Ajay Sharma opens up to ZAHID H. JAVALI on PDAs and smartphones geared at making life more comfortable.

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ruth matters, but the best way to get at truth is to allow an open contest of ideas. That’s why we need freedom of speech. And that’s precisely how Ajay Sharma has managed his sales teams over the years. “I believe in freestyle execution and don’t force my sales team to do something if they are happy doing something else if the deliveries are in place.” says the 51-year-old. Today, Sharma has crossed many sales channels and only emerged stronger every time. As the country head of HTC India that manufactures and markets its own brand of PDAs, smartphones and touchscreen devices, he has, indeed, come a long way. From pump sets to fuel injection equipment, pistons and rings, electric fans, mixer grinders, electric irons, detergent powders, shaving creams and leather products – Sharma can sell just about anything with his kind of selling expertise. However, corporate honchos are often pushed to a corner where they are left with only two options: hit back or let the pressure go. “I just lie down and close my eyes,” he says with great candour. “It doesn’t matter if the TV is at full volume. I am able to separate myself and take it to another level of consciousness.” What’s the mark of a good salesman? A person who can sell umbrellas to Eskimos? With Sharma, it goes beyond that. Armed with an MBA with specialisation in marketing, Sharma joined the Shriram Group as a trainee sales officer in 1980. His job was to sell Usha pump sets in Rajasthan. “It was straining, both physically and mentally,” he recalls. “Right from lead generation and tracking potential customer to file processing, meeting the banker, getting the files approved, getting the diesel engine ready and closing the deal – it was a long and tedious process. There was no ready-made customer hawking. You had to find your customer every day, which meant travelling to remote areas and meeting people in their farms.” After various stints in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, Sharma was absorbed by General Sales (Usha Intercontinental) as senior export manager. Says he: “From domestic, I had moved to exports where my job was to execute orders for detergent powders, shaving creams, dyes and dye intermediates. My responsibilities included handling order executions, price negotiations, ensuring quality standards and timely product delivery.” That’s when the USSR broke up and the CIS came into existence. The political upheaval also changed the business focus of the company where Sharma worked. “We ventured out to general currency markets. I was assigned to find new markets for dyes and dye-intermediates (required for making dyes) used in the textile, leather and paper industries.” In his new avatar, Sharma had liveit.in

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developed new markets in Turkey, Spain, Poland and Greece within a span of four years. The next engagement was also one of his longest – from 1994 to 2003. And he had worked for the leather export division – procuring and exporting garments, bags and accessories. Just when the telecom industry was booming in India, Sharma’s company decided to launch its own brand of mobile phones. So, as the senior general manager of Usha Lexus Electronics, he entered a completely new domain for three years. In the middle of 2006, Sharma decided to move to a new company – Dopod International Corp. – a brand selling high-end PDAs and smartphones. But in May, 2007, the company was acquired by Taiwan’s High Tech Computer Corp. Since then, Sharma has been a part of HTC. His job involves setting up India operations including sales team hiring, service operations implementation, distribution and other related functions. Today, he has more than 29 years of experience in sales and marketing. His valuable exposure at home and abroad has helped him evolve as a great visionary and motivator. At least that is what his colleagues at HTC think. “People value innovation, so our business is all about innovation,” he says, sitting at his wood-and-glass-panelled Delhi office that overlooks one of the five star hotels in Saket – The Sheraton. On Sharma’s work desk lie his three-year-old Toshiba laptop and magazines on the mobile phone industry while his drawers are filled with key samples of HTC devices. On the white board, there are action items to be done in the next couple of days. However, work at HTC is more than just a 9–5 routine for Sharma. It’s about building relationships and retaining those. The reason HTC is able to offer more and more innovative offerings to customers is due to its co-partners. “We value partners – distributors, mobile operators, software vendors … the list is pretty extensive,” says Sharma. “We tend to carry our relationship one step ahead. We keep our customers and partners with us as much as possible.” True, indeed. Since its inception, HTC Taiwan has led the smartphone market through partnerships with Microsoft, Intel, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, Orange, 02, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Cingular, Verizon, Sprint, NTT DoCoMo, Palm and HP. The company has a rich heritage of device ‘firsts’. They developed the first colour palm-size PC way back in 1999 and the

tremendous when it comes to developing your overall personality,” first Microsoft Pocket PC a year later. These are followed by the first he says. “I always believe if your foundation is strong, you can run Microsoft Wireless Pocket PC (2002), Microsoft-powered Smartphone (2002), Microsoft Smart Music Phone (2004), Microsoft 100 metres and still not burn out. You need not always be a sprinter because they don’t have a long life.” 3G Phone (2005), Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Platform Phone What makes him tick is his never-say-die enthusiasm. “It’s all (2005), Microsoft Tri-band UMTS 3G Device (2006), Microsoft about the excitement you bring to your work. I am still thinking that Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone (2006) and Windows Mobile 6 Smartphone (2007). Not to mention, the first intuitive touchscreen to I am in my learning phase,” he admits. “When you look at a allow fingertip navigation in June 2007 and the first mobile to run on customer, you should be able to understand what he wants; you the Android platform in September 2008. “We try to take the lead in should come down to his level. Their requirements are many and everything,” says Sharma. “Unless you try to be the first and take the they look at things from different perspectives. But you should be lead in offering the newest and the best, you would never get noticed. able to equate with them. “A customer’s position and expectations are different from yours. That is the key differentiator for HTC and that is why it is doing so But he should be able to see you as a real person who understands well in India.” his needs. You should not be a mere company representative when The innovation and the ‘be there first’ strategy seem to have you meet your client. The underlying idea should be that you know worked like a charm. HTC is one of the fastest growing companies what your customer wants and you are able to support him.” in the mobile sector and is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Managing a sales team is much more difficult but experience has ‘Business Week’ ranked HTC as the second best-performing taught Sharma to deal with it. “I lead by example,” he says. technology company in Asia in 2007. The year 2008 had been a landmark year for HTC – it registered a growth of over 300 per cent “Human beings are different; so each should be approached in a different manner. Their market analysis may be right but their on a year-on-year basis and managed to carve a niche in the experience is limited. Here is where I use my expertise to challenge smartphone segment by garnering 20 per cent market share in the that situation and look beyond. I take a long-term view of things category of devices above the Rs. 10,000 price point. whereas the youngsters go for a more tactical approach. This clearly “It was largely due to the path-breaking changes and value adds that we have been introducing since HTC’s inception. India is a very differentiates me from them.” So what has experience taught him? “Learn the art of saying advanced country; Indians are totally aware of what’s happening in ‘no’,” he begins. “A good salesman should be honest with himself the world, especially the young customers. Normally, companies and to the customer because you can’t take a treat India as a second-rung market, but we short-term strategy and tell untruths, treat it as a first-rung market and the result is Unless you try to be especially when companies today are there for you to see.” the first and take the lead holding on to their customers. Secondly, you So what’s so path-breaking about HTC? “Everything. HTC has always been a in offering the newest and need to be optimistic. You will have good and bad times. In the end, what counts is trendsetter,” affirms Sharma. “We are the best, you would never how you steel your nerve. You need to be 10,000-strong and one-fourth of the staff is get noticed true to yourself. If you tried your best, that engaged in research and development. Our should be consolation enough. Third, hold people are learning about what people on on to your customer and your sales team. When it gets difficult, lead the other side want. Our R&D team translates that into devices from the front. If pressures are too high and you feel your team which are user-friendly and interesting.” cannot do it, take it upon yourself. Otherwise, the team will break.” Agreed. Sample the HTC Touch Diamond 2. You will find that His way of de-stressing is simple – spending time with wife & kids e-mail messages and sms-es from one person will be in one place, and reading fictions & management books. “I read books like ‘Men like a threaded conversation. So how does this help a go-getting of Steel’ to try and see what has been the differentiator for others CEO of a multinational? He only has to ask the person on the and how they achieved so much success so quickly,” says Sharma. smartphone to hang on, press the e-mail icon on the phone’s He vacations also, twice a year. And his favourite haunts are the hills keypad, access all his e-mail and give him an answer right away. of North India and the East countries like Malaysia, Thailand, The feedback time has reduced compared to those days when he Singapore and Taiwan. But while at home, he is much too happy had to disconnect the phone, search his inbox for the specific mail, watching Discovery, Animal Planet and slapstick TV programmes. read it and then call back. That’s not all. “I play some funny board games with kids including With so much available right now, what’s going to be the future snakes & ladders and ludo. I just go back to the basics and it helps,” like? “Once the 3G technology sweeps India in a big way, it will says Sharma. “I run through old pictures of mine. It de-stresses me a make your life even simpler,” says Sharma. “For example, if you lot. I also call up old friends to check what they are up to. It gives you turn the phone upside down, the phone will stop ringing. It will be a good feeling. You start feeling younger after that phone call.” little things like these that will make the consumer experience more So what tops his phone wish list? “I wish I could control my home simple, easy, interesting and enjoyable at the same time.” with the help of my cell phone. Or access my CCTV camera via cell Do great cooks memorise countless recipes? No. They have a to find out if the door lock is in place.” grasp of basic ingredients and the ratios of ingredients that make Who knows, HTC might achieve this feat soon. After all, HTC is great food. A similar principle works with Sharma. He owes much a master of tech innovations. And Sharma is its India captain. I of this acumen, thanks to his early days at Usha. “The company is

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Profile

The Young

Web Designer Resmi Jaimon

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ozens of accredits at a very young age can sound like a distant dream for a young child but Sreelakshmi Suresh has proved that through hard work, one can achieve success early. At the tender age of eight, she held record for being the youngest Web designer in the world. liveit.in

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Now, the eleven-year-old Aquarian is eagerly persuing her passion for designing websites like a true professional. Sreelakshmi’s stint with the computer started when she was just two or three year old. Her father would let her sit on his lap and work on Microsoft Paint. To start with Suresh,

optimistic about its success. Many companies have already Sreelakshmi’s father taught her to draw circles, rectangles added their logos to the website,” adds Sreelakshmi. and fill colour in objects. Next, she learnt to draw ‘Smilies.’ Tinylogo.com runs in partnership with Sainul Abideen’s Her English alphabet learning started later as she typed Cybrosys Techno Solutions, a company known worldwide for ‘ABCD’ in Microsoft Word. “I continued to practice on the his rainbow technology in digital data storage. computer at fixed schedules and there was no break inbetween,” says Sreelakshmi. Today, many kids browse the Net and are familiar with the Recognition World Wide Web. However, passion for creating websites comes The youngest ever member of the Association of American from within, in addition to motivation and support from family. Webmasters, Sreelakshmi has over 26 national and Sreelakshmi was in the third standard when her father international honours to her credit, including the introduced her to a website designed by Ajay Puri. He wanted prestigious Global Internet Directories Gold Award and Sreelakshmi to create something similar all by herself. So he Golden Web Award. Ask her how recognition has made a began to give her lessons on the basics of web designing, first in difference and she is quick to say, “Recognition has made Microsoft Word and later in FrontPage. me conscious about the quality of my work. Today I know “My father encouraged me to design a website for my several Web experts and they keep sending tips on school. Initially, I lacked the courage and confidence so I maintaining the quality in my work. They made me realise asked him to take the permission of the headmistress. The that my sites may look good and work fine, but there are very next morning she asked me to for the details of the many technical errors. I hope to do away with all defects project,” reminisces Sreelakshmi. Convinced with the little one by one,” says Sreelakshmi. girl’s capabilities, the headmistress and Sr. Justina prepared the content for the website and handed it to Sreelakshmi. “I Studies, work and leisure took six months to complete the work. Once I was done, I At an age when students complain of lack of time to study, play was asked to do it again before a panel of experts appointed or even for extra-curricular activities, how does Sreelakshmi by the school authorities. Upon their report, the school manage? “I am very particular (may be due to the strict decided to launch the website. My instruction from my father) that I parents, teachers as well as my complete all my school work before friends motivated me enough to starting with designing work. Once I Recognition complete the project succesfully,” finish my homework, I spend time doing has made me says Sreelakshmi. The website was other things comfortably. Usually I spent formally launched on January 15, around two hours a day for work, but on conscious about the 2007. She describes the day as “the holidays I get more time to work on my quality of my work proudest day” of her life. websites.” Sreelakshmi is the only child of In the last one-and-a-half years, she Suresh Menon, an advocate by profession, has designed ten websites and is currently working on three. and Viju Suresh, a mathematics teacher in a local government However, Sreelakshmi’s prime focus remains her studies. school. Sreelakshmi is passionate about travelling but with Which is perhaps why she is not taking extra effort to market Suresh’s rigorous schedule, her holidays have usually been her services. restricted to two- to three-days’ break. Like other girls of her age, she digs on cartoons and loves to play with her friends. Growing up, she hopes to become a Latest projects software engineer. She is also studying animation and hopes Sreelakashmi recently launched her project to create her personalized animated character some day. One www.stateofkerala.in. The website gives important of her poem, “Rain,” was published in the school magazine. information about the state of Kerala. There is a “World Malayali Directory” where Keralites can add their name and She is currently attempting her hand at glass painting too. details free of cost. For content, she depends on periodicals and other websites. Prominent figures like Kiran Ravindran Challenges (film director) and Srinath Girish are some of her esteemed Sounds easy though but it isn’t easy for her to make difference contributors. Famous cartoonist, Sadanandan (of ‘Balarama’ between the real and fake mails, related to enquiries about web and ‘Manorama’ fame) has agreed to do ‘cartoon of the designing charges. “I am too young to differentiate between week’ strip. what is real and what is fake. Sometimes, I do lose out on serious She is also working on her next venture – enquiries,” she says candidly. Another problem she faces is in www.tinylogo.com – is a logo-based search engine where all preparation of content and she depends on her clients to companies or firms are permitted to upload their logo with a provide content for the site. profile page. The website provides searching for brands Overcoming the odds, the young Sreelakshmi sails on with her according to category. “It is an experiment but I am web design projects and is enjoting every bit of her journey. 

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Peek & Pick

Product Reviews: Anoop Verma

Magic Keyboard Want to carry your favourite keyboard wherever you go? You can do that with a little bit of magic. That’s the Magic Keyboard. It is foldable, washable, cleanable and dust-resistant. So, the next time you depart on a vacation or on an office tour, don’t forget to take your folding keyboard along. Working on it feels much better than tapping on those clunky laptop keys. Available at: www.indiaplaza.in Price: Rs. 875

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Amkette Robusto 8 GB USB Flash Drive If you like to tug lots of files around whenever you are on the go, it would be perhaps a good idea to go in for Amkette Robusto 8 GB USB Flash Drive. Its driverless design provides maximum convenience and enjoyment in mobile data exchange. The device is compatible with XP, Vista and the soonto-be-launched Windows 7. Available at: http://www.homeshop18.com Price: Rs. 1099

Personal Safety System for Women In this big bad world, where purse-snatchers are lurking at every corner, safety of one’s belongings is always a key issue. Your attention wavers for a moment and a hoodlum gets a chance to run away with your purse. Such a scenario is too common everywhere. But there is one nifty way to protect your belongings. It comes in the form of a ‘Personal Safety System’ that can be worn around your neck for easy access when you are shopping, jogging or travelling all alone. In a theft attempt, the activated alarm stays attached to the stolen item and calls attention to the thief. Available at: http://shopping.indiatimes.com Price: Rs. 436

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Peek & Pick

Radio Control Helicopter & Car For families who have young kids growing up, toys like the radio-controlled helicopter and car can be good entertainment option. The infrared-controlled helicopter is embellished with a unique rotor-blade mechanism that provides strong and steady lifting power for flying. Its sophisticated design on rudder mechanism enables it to hover steadily in the air. The remote control car is naturally the dream of every young child. Available at: http://shopping.expressindia.com Price: Rs. 1099

If you are looking for a cheap and featurerich printer, then here is a host of incredible options from HP. There is HP F2235 MFP Inkjet Printer, for instance, that is capable of taking care of all your printing, scanning and copying needs. The input tray can take up to 100 sheets, up to 10 envelopes and the output tray stores up to 50 sheets. The printing speed ranges from 14 PPM for black and white prints, and for colour printing, it is around 10 PPM. When it comes to scanning and copying, this gizmo proves to be just as versatile. Available at: http://ebay.in Price: Rs. 3899

HP F2235 MFP Inkjet Printer-Scanner-Copier liveit.in

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Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Netbook

The truth is that these days everyone is addicted to the Internet. We need to keep connected anytime, everywhere and that is precisely the reason behind the rising popularity of netbooks. The new Inspiron Mini 10 Netbook from the ensemble of Dell has just about everything that you may want from your mobile companion. In its petite body, it packs a surprising amount of fun. The bright 10.1 inch screen of this gizmo is designed to present websites without too much of left-right scrolling, as well as with a smoother line of sight. It is powered by Intel Atom Z530 (1.60GHz), has a RAM of 1 GB and a hard disk of 160 GB. Available at: www.futurebazaar.com Price: Rs. 22,500 October ‘09

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Peek & Pick

Logitech 4 Port USB Hub These days, the USB port has transmogrified into a panacea for every type of connection that a notebook or PC may require. Most of the gizmos and accessories can be connected to your system by using the USB port. And, if there aren’t enough of those ports in your PC, you can face some amount of inconvenience. This is where Logitech 4 Port USB Hub comes into action. With this gizmo, you can subdivide a single USB port in your PC into four different hubs; each one of which is capable of delivering reliable, high-speed connectivity. Available at: www.indiaplaza.in Price: Rs. 945

Mobile Express Card Reader Everyday we meet a number of people. With some we exchange business cards and over a period of time, we manage to gather a plethora of cards. Now, keeping them all together is the first concern. Enter the Mobile Express Card Reader. This device is uniquely capable of taking down all the data from any business card and storing it for your further reference. So, there’s absolutely no need to gather cards; you can now let your reader do the job for you. Available at: www.futurebazaar.com Price: Rs. 179

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Citizen Body Fat Analyzer If you happen to be a health-conscious individual, you need to keep a tab on the fat your body has accumulated. The Body Fat Analyzer from the ensemble of Citizen is an excellent option for this. It allows you to easily measure your body fat percentage without undergoing any costly test. All you need to do is to input the settings, keep your hands on the machine and press the measure button. Up to 15 people can be registered on each machine. Available at: www.indiaplaza.in Price: Rs. 1650

Dell XPS One If you are of the opinion that too many devices are cluttering your home, bring in a change by going in for an all-in-one workhorse like the Dell XPS One. Powered by lightening fast Intel® CoreTM i7 processors, the XPS One can serve the purpose of a PC, a HDTV and a DVD player. Watching movies or playing high-definition video games on this computer’s 20 inch and 24 inch HD screens can be an experience by itself. Now, here is a good way to use the same station to work to the limit and to get entertained as well. Available at: www.dell.co.in Price: Rs. 71,900

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Shopper’s Guide

The surf shop Live IT or Leave IT (pages 18-21) USB Heating Shoes Buy online: http://usb.brando.com/usbheating-shoes_p00731c050d015.html Price: USD 29.00 Magnetic Floating Bed Buy online: http://www.luxuryinsider.com/Regulars/Current_Affairs/ Magnetic_Floating_Bed/ Price: USD 1.53 million (available only through subscription at Universe Architecture) Nap Shell Buy online: http://www.stylehive.com/bookmark/nap shellcom-aktuell-278993

Price: On request USB Mouse Pad Warmer Buy online: http://www.alibaba.com/productgs/246783079/USB_warmer_USB_ mouse_pad_warmer.html Price: USD 14.50 USB Mouse with Infrared Heater Buy online: http://www.usbfever.com/ index_eproduct_view.php? products_id=633 Price: USD 16.99 USB Hand Massager Buy online: http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/CuteHello-Kitty-USB-Portable-Hand-HeldMassager_W0QQitemZ300339791103Q QcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDom ain_216?hash=item45eda584ff&_trksid= p3286.c0.m14 Price: USD 12.00 USB Monkey Slipper Buy online: http://www.gadget4all.com/ prod_detail.php?prod_id=00564 Price: USD 25.00 liveit.in

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Live IT provides you the following shopping guide which should help to get you started on a fabulous online shopping spree. Call it an easy finder or a quick search, the list compiles all the gadgets and gizmos featured in this issue with appropriate links of the best possible places for you to shop wisely and browse coolly!

USB Handbag Flash Drives Buy online: http://usb.brando.com/ prod_detail.php?prod_id=00675% 253Cbr%2520/%2520target Price: USD 36.00 Cash Stash Keychain Buy online: http://www.firebox.com/product/2393/ Cash-Stash-Keychain?aff=512&awc= 550_1248108836_a2b29a79df22f7ad0bc0 1c88a16c63b1 Price: £4.99 Ice Orb Buy online: http://www.amazon.com/ Fusionbrands-Silicone-Vertical-CubeTray/dp/B001DI3C5S Price: USD 15.95 Garlic Zoom Buy online: http://www.amazon.com/ Chefn-GZM-CDU12-GarlicZoom/dp/B000ZM7CV8 Price: USD 9.95 Broadcaster Chopping Board Buy online: http://www.firebox.com/product/ 2459/The-Broadcaster?itc= 181&src_t= nwt&src_id=262 Price: £29.99 Twilight Umbrellas Buy online: http://www.alibaba.com/productgs/228101629/Twilight_Umbrellas_GF_ TWU_001_.html Price: USD 31 to 43 Sound Bomb Speaker Buy online: http://www.coolestgadgets.com/20090829/ sound-bomb-speaker/ Price: £24.95

Style IT (pages 41-49) Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Buy online: http://www.nokia.co.in/ find-a-store/retail-store-locator Price: Rs. 21,839.00 Philips Bluetooth Stereo & Hands-free Buy: Philips Electronics India Ltd DLF Cyber City, DLF Phase 3, Gurgaon Price: Euros 83.60 Sony DCR – DVD 710E Handycam Buy online: http://www.sony.co.in Price: Rs. 14,750.00 Scarlet 47” LH70 Buy online: http://www.in.lge.com/ dios/form.html Price: 47” Rs. 99,990.00; 42” Rs. 79,990.00; 32” Rs. 49,990.00 Sony Viao Pocket Style PC Buy online: http://www.sony.co.in Price: Rs. 64,990.00 Samsung S3 MP3 Player Buy online: http://www.samsung.com/in/ Price: Rs. 6400.00 Optical Mouse SSD OM 320 Buy: Shree Sagarmatha Distributors Pvt Ltd 202, Mansarovar Building, 90, Nehru Place New Delhi 110 019 Price: Rs. 249.00 Airport Express Buy online: http://www.apple.com Price: USD 99.00 (Note: Prices may vary or discounts may be available on some products.) I

Q&A Q. How to get rid of temporary Internet files? Every browser that stores temporary Internet files or cache has options to delete the same. For Internet Explorer 7.0, go to Tools> Internet Options>General>Browsing History >Settings. Here you can modify the temp file settings. In order to delete temp files, just click ‘delete’ under the ‘browsing history’ tab. For Firefox, go to Tools>Options>Privacy >Private Data>Settings. Again, here you can modify the settings as per your needs. Click ‘clear now’ under the ‘private data tab’ to delete temp files.

Q. Are deleted files erased completely? Any data in the recycle bin can be restored. Any data that you delete even from the recycle bin can be traced easily with the right software. The data that get deleted remain hidden in the hard drive in such a way that the PC cannot search for it. Basically, the computer loses the file hierarchy to find such a file in the system. But in order to erase data completely without leaving a trace, it has to be overwritten. The computer eventually overwrites these files completely when it fails to find the hierarchy for a long time and space is needed to write new data. File-erasing software applications are also available that overwrite the deleted data.

Q. I am getting this error message every time I start my Windows XP: You may be victim of software counterfeiting. My task manager is disabled as well. I have administrator rights but the system still asks for the administrator when I press Alt+Ctrl+Del. What should I do? This may be happening because you are using an illegal copy of the software or you may not have activated the software. On it might have been caused by a virus or spyware. You can run a full system scan or an anti-spyware scan. Also, run the Windows genuine copy validation tool (available at: http://www.microsoft.com/ genuine/) to check your Windows authenticity. If the validation fails, you may have to purchase a legal copy of the Windows XP. If you have the Windows serial key, you can change the

product key with the tool available at this link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/328874. The last option is to format your PC. You can consult your computer dealer if your PC is still under warranty.

Q. I have downloaded some YouTube videos but when I try to play them, they don’t work. What should I do? Most of the YouTube videos that are downloaded are in FLV format. So you can only play these videos using an FLV player. VLC, GOM or Moyea are some of the media players that let you play all kinds of videos. Klite Codec Pack is also a good package to install and play flv, as well as other video types. Otherwise you need to convert them into .avi or .mpg to play those on your media player. Some Websites or Firefox plug-ins let you to download the converted videos directly but they are very heavy files and take a lot of time to download.

Q. When I try to login to a Website, I get the following error message: Login failed: Could not connect to server. How can I connect? Try logging in again after some time and see if you can connect. In case you cannot, try out the following: Check your Internet connection and find out if it is working or not. If you have recently installed an anti-virus programme or a firewall, it might be blocking the access. Change the settings of your security software if access to the Website is blocked. If P2P software is open, it can also create sudden disconnections. If you are connected through a proxy server which only allows HTTP data, it can be the root cause. In such a case, you need to configure the proxy server. If you are unable to make changes, contact your ISP for help. I

 

 

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Glossar y THE Geekspeak

Raster Graphic

API (Application Program Interface) Refers to a set of commands, protocols and functions used by programmers to build software for specific operating systems. The end user is also benefited as programmes using the same API will have a similar user interface.

Blended Threat It is a huge attack caused by a combination of Trojan horses, viruses, worms and malicious codes that can severely damage a computer.

All digital images made up of pixels are raster images. And most of the pictures on your computer screen are raster graphics. More number of pixels will ensure better image quality. But larger images definitely consume more disk space. The image gets distorted when it is scaled to a bigger size and to avoid such situations, vector graphics are used.

Captcha Short for ‘Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart.’ It is a programme used to verify whether a computer or a human is entering the data in order to avoid automated programmes that fill online forms.

Bandwidth The amount of data that can be sent through a network or modem connection. The bigger the bandwidth is, the greater the amount of data will be that can be transferred within a stipulated time.

Blu-Ray

Similar to a CD or DVD, these are discs used to record or playback high definition (HD) video and a huge chunk of data. A single blu-ray disc can store 25GB of data while a dual-layered blu-ray disc can store a whopping 50 GB.

Web Hosting Open Source

Open Media

It is a service that provides server space and Web services to people or companies who wish to lease Web presence without maintaining their own servers. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) usually provide Web hosting services.

Refers to software tools Any audio, video or text that allow the end user to content that can be modify them as per their shared on the Internet requirements. Many of these comes under open media. applications come for free. Also, The software applications higher versions or patches are are usually distributed usually created by end users who under GPL or Creative work on open source Commons licenses applications and upgrade Authenticity the same for better Describes authentic Laptop Skin efficiency.

Trojan Horse These are viruses posing as utility applications. But when installed or run on a computer, the Trojan Horse can definitely damage your system.

Stickers used to customise your laptop body. The adhesive layer ensures that the laptop skin stays fastened onto the laptop cover. Usually, a good adhesive layer will allow for easy and clean removal of the skin from the surface.

certifications or in social media, real people showing online presence via blogs or social networking profiles.

FoiP Short for Fax over Internet Protocol. You can transmit fax messages over a VoIP line with this technology.