Tv journo Barkha Dutt caught in alleged phone conversation with Niira Radia involving cabinet portfolio allotment to possible DMK candidates.!!
Will NDTV telecast this now? Does the Buck stop here?
#audio tapes
Courtesy: Samadrita and Anil Sawan on Twitter!
 Synopsis: Engineers of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology Media
Interaction group have developed a Fembot, a female robot,HRP-4 which can sing,dance,breathe,tilt its head,blinks,opens her mouth and show facial expressions mimicking a singer. This was done using breathe analysis software
and mouth movement observations. This robot danced with a bunch of other
human performers on stage and it was difficult to identify the robot in the group.
This team has also developed this robot to breathe realistically by modelling the
breathe of real people. The robot tilts its head,feels the beat, rhythm and shows
human emotions as the real singers do.
Opinion: I feel this is a break through in robotics to develop such a robot which
can ape human emotions,movements and also can breathe realistically. This
robot is surely gonna give the pop stars and divas a run for their money!!
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Video:
Information Courtesy:
http://www.fastcompany.com/1695928/hrp4c-robot-aist-dancing-android
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-10/video-realistic-japanese-fembot-sings-creepy-tune
Do you possess an ipod touch? Wish it had calling option too?? Not interested in investing in iphone? Well, presenting… “Apple Peel”
What is an “Apple Peel”?
It is a device invented by a Chinese firm,Yosion Technology to turn Ipod Touch into an Iphone and facilitates calling from your ipod touch. Interesting? Read on..
How does it work?
The accessory fixes onto the iPod Touch and comes with a dock connector; built-in 800mAh battery (rated for 4.5 hours of talk time and five days on standby); and SIM card slot. It will only work with a jailbroken ipod touch as the Yosion and YsSMS apps have to be installed for calling and messaging, and these will be able to run in the background.
The Peel 520 will initially launch with a silicone rubber case, but a plastic version can be expected in the future.
It will be available online for about $57 with a one-year warranty.
Note: Peel 520 doesn’t turn the iPod Touch into a full-fledged phone.
Demerits:
1>No auto screen lock when the handset is next to the ear
2>No caller name/number display.
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20013347-1.html#ixzz12SRdi9n5
I was surfing the web to find a topic for my technology presentation, and I suddenly bumped upon “Augmented Reality”. I was fascinated by this technology and decided to delve deeper on it to present it to my class.
This is what I presented to my class:
Augmented Reality: After seeing the movie Terminator, many of us would have imagined,how nice it would be to visually scan objects in real world and obtain information about the same. But,Today,we have that technology in place which helps us to do so. This is called Augmented Reality.
What is “Augmented Reality?”
It is the technology that superimposes digital information, graphics, audio,pictures and videos onto real world environment.
Basically,we have used camera in our phones to capture images and videos. Now,we can even use the camera for retrieving and displaying digital information of real world environment.
Technologies mostly used in A.R:
A camera to view the real world.
A GPS system if it’s a location based AR
An image processing program
An internet connection to send and receive information
A display to view the augmented information.
How does it work?
The camera captures the world as seen through its lens and shows it on the screen. The GPS and the compass determines the exact location. Image Processing takes place and digital information is retrieved over a mobile Internet connection and augmented on the mobile screen.
4>Education:Augmented reality systems in combination with other technologies such as WiFi could also be used to provide instant information to its users. like deeper knowledge to students when they look at things.. eg:formation of clouds,structure of buildings etc.
5>Gaming and entertainment: To give the users, real environments as backdrops for his game and to make the user’s senses perceive that he truly is one of the characters in the game.
6> Military: providing field soldiers crucial information about their surroundings as well as friendly troops and enemy movements in their particular area.
Sources: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/augmented_reality_the_web_present_and_future_scena.php
Internet giant,Google takes a plunge from search engines into Robotics! Google recently released “Robotic Cars” which drove successfully through Lambard Street,California all along Golden Gate bridge.
Glimpse of Lambard Street:
Technology used in Robotic or Self driving Cars:
Automated cars use video cameras, radar sensors and a laser range finder to “see” other traffic, as well as detailed maps (which we collect using manually driven vehicles) to navigate the road ahead. This is all made possible by Google’s data centers, which can process the enormous amounts of information gathered by robotic cars when mapping their terrain.
Test Drive :
Google Instant: Google, the Internet’s most widely used search engine, announced an update last week called Google Instant that automatically refreshes the page with results as a search query is typed, forgoing the need to press the enter button.
Previously,Google search engine used to predict keywords and display results after hitting the “Enter” key. But now,Google Instant predicts and displays results as you start typing in the search box!
Video explaining “Google Instant”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0eMHRxlJ2c
You Tube Instant: Hours after the launch of “Google Instant”,Stanford University student Feross Aboukhadijeh was inspired by it and he had a bet with his room mate that he could create “YouTube Instant” within an hour. But it took nearly 3 hours for him to create you tube instant. He later posted the website url on his facebook and twitter pages asking his friends to check out his new invention,YouTube Instant. Within hours,he received countless e-mails congratulating him, a bevy of interview requests, a server flooded with Web traffic, the creation of a Wikipedia entry in his name, and — perhaps most notably — a job offer from YouTube CEO Chad Hurley via Twitter!!
Is this what we call Instant Fame??!!
Cambridge, UK, firm Input Dynamics is lauches a new software fix that turns any “dumbphone” into a touchscreen device. Requiring no additional hardware, the system uses acoustic technology to turn every inch of a phone’s casing into touch-sensitive real estate.
TouchDevice, as it’s called, relies on the phone’s microphone rather than expensive touchscreen surfaces to figure out the location of a tap, scratch, scroll, or swipe on the phone’s body. That means you can tap icons on the screen as on a conventional touchscreen phone, but also scroll through screens by swiping a finger along the side of the body, or call up hot-key commands using a special tap sequence on the phone’s backside.
The software uses the phone’s built-in microphone to pick up the unique acoustic signature produced by certain finger gestures – tapping, swiping, etc. – on the phone’s casing. It instantly converts those gestures into software commands that correspond with the phone’s own OS. Right now the software works with single crisp taps from a finger or stylus, but Input Dynamics is refining its algorithms to detect and respond to several more distinct signatures, and will at some point be able to process multiple signatures at once, converting old cell phones into multi-touch devices.
The software is still in concept, but Input Dynamics says they are talking to several big-name phone manufacturers about adopting the software for future phones. In the meantime, it can be uploaded to existing models to turn current inventories into touchscreen devices. Which means you may soon see smart touchscreen tech coming to a dumbphone near you.
Information Courtesy:Popsi.com
AIBCA- All India Bullock Cart Association has decided to demonstrate a “Peace Rally” urging their demands to be met over their proposal to “increase bullock cart fares”,following the footsteps of Auto Association. Now, Bullock Cart owners demand justice and are seeking “fare hikes” for their bullock cart transportation. The bullock carts have gone off farms,roads & highways and are adamant in protesting until their demands are met.
I caught up with Ram,a member of AIBCA. This is what Ram had to say, “Our bullocks toil day in and day out in the farms,villages,bull fights,roads etc. Its unfair to treat them with such low dignity. “Gai hamara Maata hai,aur Bull hamara pita” [Cow is our Mother and Bull being her husband is our father],So,we should give Bulls the same respect we give to our Mother Cow”. On asked what AIBCA’s demands are,this is what Ram had to tell us:
1>New Fare: “We have now planning to increase the starting meter fare to Rs 100/-”
2>Fare Per Km: Rs 30/ – Bullocks travel on foot,while autos travel on wheels. Hence bullocks spend more energy and stamina to pull our carts along with passengers and their luggages. Hence our price should be 21/- more than auto fare
3>Waiting Charge: Whenever our passenger gets out of the cart to attend nature calls,sight seeing,capturing photos or gazing at our village belles, we charge them Rs 35/-
Gazing at Village belles- Rs 40/-
Talking or capturing pictures with them will attract a fee of Rs 100/-
Teasing them: Rs 500/- as we don’t tolerate eve teasing.
No no,we are not using village belles to make fast bucks..but instead we are safeguarding the interests of our village belles.
4>Intervals and Time Restrictions: Our bullock carts will be off roads due to lunch break from Noon 1pm to 2 pm. Its time for our bullocks to hog on grass and fodder after their tiresome work schedule since morning.Also our carts will be off roads from 10pm to 5am. We need to return to our carts to “Bullock Cart Depot” after 10 PM. Our bullocks need rest after a tiresome day.
5>Night Rates:The night rates after 8pm is 1 and 1/2 times the normal fare. We do not wish to get into argument with our customers and we believe that our customers are aware of our new rates. “Price charts” will be produced to our customers on demand!
6>Luggage charge: Upto 10 Kgs free
For every 10 kg,its Rs 500/-. If luggages are placed on both the sides of bulls,then its Rs 500/- each.
Maximum luggage allowed is 50 kgs. Any luggage exceeding 50 kgs will not be borne by our bullocks and the commuter needs to discard the luggage no matter,how important it is.
7>Miscellaneous Expenses: The commuter also needs to pay for food,water and fodder for our bulls.
On enquiring,how they are going to charge the fares per km on account of absence of “meters” in bullock carts, Mr Ram smiled and said,”We are intelligent too!! It has been taken care of!” We are planning to install meters on the horns of bulls”.
On asked whether,the commuter will agree over baggage restrictions,Mr Ram angrily said,” When people can carry 23kgs correctly while flying in Lufthansa airlines and when they are ready to pay $100[which is about Rs 5000/-] extra for every extra bag, can’t they pay just Rs 500/- for extra baggage here?”
It seems that the bulls have disappeared off the farms leaving the farmers worried.The farms look barren,crops have withered and the lands are un-plowed. The matadors are also worried as bulls are now not participating in “bull fights”. The bulls have become adamant and have promised themselves not to compromise until their demands are met.
Well, wishing AIBCA,All the Best!!! 🙂
Following the footsteps of Congress Govt, now Kasab is all set to go on Paadayatra to prove his innocence and guilelessness. Kasab’s spokesperson said, “Kasab is a great fan of Mahatma Gandhi. He just like Gandhi,who has neither harmed anyone nor committed any crime since childhood. He is as innocent as a child. He is impressed by Gandhiji’s silent protests like “salt satyagraha”, “padayatras” etc and wish to follow suit. His Paadayatra route has been decided. He will be going on a Paadayatra from Mumbai->Delhi->Kashmir. His final destination is Kashmir.He plans to meet his fellow brothers in Kashmir.He will discuss some plans with them over his one month stay. He will return by the same route. His former lawyers viz “Ms Anjali Waghmare, Mr Abbas Kazmi will also be accompanying him”.
Kasab poured out his tale of woe: “Actually, on Nov 26th 2008, few friends of mine and me were playing the game “Counter Strike” LIVE at CST,Nariman House and Taj. Two days before,we had purchased toy guns from Leo Toys for the same. We were possessing our toy guns,aiming and shooting at people surrounding us, playing “Counter Strike”. They too were complimenting our game by acting like “falling dead”. Then suddenly,sounds of alarms and sirens echoed in our ears. We were baffled and confused when ATS and police surrounded and arrested us. All these things happened within a bat of my eyelid and I m still introspecting what is wrong”.
Kasab continued, “I was also ill-treated by the Indian Government”.They tossed me English chargesheet after convicting me. I had to spend hours together in front of the internet which was provided to me in Arthur jail to learn English.It was a herculean task,but I finally learnt English and spoke few words during my trials”. Indian Govt also fed me Chicken Biryani from some random hotel despite my repeated pleas to order it from KFC! I m deeply hurt”.
“My farms in Pakistan are now barren,crops have withered and died due to the time delay of this case proceedings.Its been almost 2 years now since my arrest. My tear glands are now empty after having shed tears continuously for my mummy.I have cried “Mummy Mummy” like a kid in front of the officials,but they turned deaf ears. They too have Mummys .. Can’t they understand my pain? I wish to return to my family and also look after my farms. After all,I am a farmer in Pakistan”. I humbly request the Indian Govt to conclude this case ASAP so that I can reunite with my family”
Well,wishing Kasab,All the Best for his Paadayatra,this is Swathi Pradeep signing off!! 🙂 😉
Live from “Shiv Sena Lab”: Renowned Researchers Mr Bal Thackery and Mr Raj Thackery have now discovered a new cause for “Malaria” and “Dengue” Fever! Mr Raj Thackery was seen in a white overcoat,donning microscopic spectacles and holding a test tube in his hands at the press conference. “We are now pleased over our new discovery”! “We now know the exact reason for Malaria and Dengue rise statistics in Mumbai. We caught hold of some “outsiders” in Mumbai,suck their blood and have now researched that “outsiders” in Mumbai are responsible for spreading Malaria and Dengue. So,now we pronounce that, Malaria is now caused by “outsiders” residing in Mumbai, and not by Plasmodium falciparum as stated in Biology Books” Mr Raj Thackery said.
On enquiring,how he procured samples of “outsiders” blood, he smirked and quipped,”Acquiring Blood samples is not a herculean task for “Blood Suckers” like us”!!. Previous day,Mr Bal Thackery was seen running naked on the streets of Mumbai shouting “Eureka Eureka”!! On being stopped by a Mumbaikar and enquired about his state, Mr Bal Thackery said,”I was bathing in my bath tub pondering over the rise in Malaria and Dengue Fever statistics in Mumbai.Then suddenly my mind analysed that the culprits are “Outsiders”. I was elated over my discovery and did not mind my nakedness. I triumphantly ran naked on the streets of Mumbai just like Archemedis did”.
Mr Raj Thackery also said,” We have now sent a letter to Maharasthra’s Education Ministry appealing in “vinambrata” to edit Biology syllabus. We have asked them in “vinambrata” to edit the cause for Malaria as “outsiders in Mumbai” instead of “Plasmodium falciparum“ . We have also written to “All Out” and “Odomos” manufacturing companies to now invent and manufacture sprays,gels and ointments which are “Anti- Outsiders”.
“Our Saamna will publish the details of our discoveries,research,analysis and aftermath”, Mr Bal Thackery said.
My comic on the same issue:
Sparkling Ripples 
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