Amiable

HDTV 2.0 - Europe Gets Glimpse of HD Future

2006-09-16T01:04:00.000+05:30

Japanese scientists have shown Ultra High Definition TV for the first time in Europe. The system has 16 times the resolution of current HDTV. However, it is unlikely to be available to the public for at least 25 years. The demonstration comes less than six months after cable firm Telewest launched Britain's first high-definition TV service. Consumers are still getting to grips with the technology needed to watch its super-sharp pictures but researchers from Japanese state broadcaster NHK have already developed its successor. Ultra High Definition TV was on display for the first time in Europe at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam.

U-HDTV has a screen resolution of 7680 x 4320 pixels - approximately sixteen times that of normal HDTV.

Source :: BBC

Linux in Space - Used in Lunar Rovers

2006-09-16T00:56:00.000+05:30

Two Linux-based lunar rovers are on maneuvers and Internet webcams -- this week in the Arizona desert near Meteor Crater. The maneuvers are related to a NASA project tasked with developing extra-vehicular activity (EVA) hardware and procedures for planetary surface exploration.

The K-10 was created by the Intelligent Robotics Group (IRG) at NASA's Ames Research Center, as part of a project to build exploration rovers for future robotic missions to the moon and to Mars. The K-10 is a lunar test-bed "used primarily for human robot interaction research," according to NASA. It has four steerable wheels, and can travel at human walking speeds.

The K-10 uses commercial off-the-shelf parts where possible, in order to save cost and promote maintainability. The robot rover's control and communications system is based on an IBM Thinkpad X31 with Intel Pentium M processor clocked at 1.4GHz.

The K-10's control laptop attaches to various robotic subsystems via standard PC interfaces. NASA says that a fundamental architectural goal was to use only "highly scalable, expandable, and hot-pluggable" interfaces, such as USB, Ethernet, and Firewire, in order to reduce cables to the laptop and promote scalability, among other benefits.

The K-10 runs Red Hat Linux, which NASA says was chosen for its large user base and application compatibility. Additionally, NASA notes that, "Linux's flexibility and scalability enable us to easily add, remove, and extend devices with minimal difficulty."

Source - NASA D-RATS Team WebPage && DRAT testing in Arizona

5GB of free space - who doesnt need it ?

2006-09-16T00:37:00.000+05:30

With your 5GB of secure online storage there's plenty of room to keep backup copies of digital photos, all your important documents, e-mail attachments, and other files — and still have space leftover for your music collection. It's the best way to keep computer crashes from becoming disasters. Think of it as hard drive insurance.

So check out Xdrive - Free Secure Online Storage

Crazy Girlfriend Tried to Hire Hitman on Myspace to kill ex-boyfriend

2006-09-15T22:17:00.000+05:30

Yahoo is reporting a story where girlfriend tried to hire a hit man to kill her boyfriend's new love in Arizona after spotting her rival's picture on his MySpace social networking Web page.

This is super crazy , but brings us to the whole concept of how much anonymity we need on the internet.

Heather Kane, 22, was arrested after giving a 400-dollar down payment and pages downloaded from MySpace to an undercover officer posing as a contract killer, according to Detective Jerry Gissel of the Mesa Police Department.

"Basically, we got a murder for hire," said police Detective Jerry Gissel. "A young lady was jealous that her boyfriend moved in with another girl."

"She did her own investigative work and found out the girl was one of the people on her boyfriend's MySpace.com friends list."

As far as myspace is concerned , i think any publicity is good publicity for them.

News Source was :: Yahoo News

Small Step From Toyota, Giant 'Leap' for Robotics

2006-09-15T22:07:00.000+05:30

Yahoo! is reporting that Toyota has developed a robot leg that can jump like a human's, an evolution from today's stiff-jointed machines. The leg is a strange-looking standalone device and Toyota claims it will enable robots to jump about, run faster and handle unpaved roads more smoothly. "This is a basic technology that can be applied to a two-legged robot in future," said a Toyota Motor Corp. spokeswoman. "It was a difficult step for robots," she said. "But it was made possible after making a number of prototypes."

Source :: Yahoo News

Billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles - Curses From TinTin

2006-09-15T21:40:00.000+05:30

From the simple ("dogs!", "rats!") to the scientific ("pithecanthropuses!") to the sublime ("vegetarian!"), you've just gotta love Captain Haddock of TinTin Fame for his unique turn of phrase.

Here is a list of his idiocyncratic curses.

Some good ones :

* Filibusters!
* Vampires!
* Sycophant!
* Kleptomaniacs!
* Egoists!
* Tramps!
* Crooks!
* Miserable earthworms!
* Coconuts!
* Parasites!
* Toads!

and so on ... ( you got the idea )

How NASA teaches to Fly ( Amazing Photos )

2006-09-15T21:24:00.000+05:30

Looking at the pics , first thing that came to my mind was ... WOW ... wish i had screen like that for playing video games. These pictures are from NASA Ames Research Center, which recently showed off its FutureFlight Central, a virtual airport designed to help planners, pilots and controllers.

Source :: Cnet News.Com

Pilot View

Tower view

Cockpit Simulator

Future Flight Model

Airport Security - Total Recall Style

2006-09-15T21:10:00.000+05:30

Remember Total Recall , the scifi movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger ( i wont be suprised if you forgot about that movie ). Well, in that movie Arnold passed the spaceship security in minutes without taking off his belt, shoes, wallet, laptop in seperate tray ( ugghh dont get emotional ) ... In movie he gets scanned by a full-body X-ray, which may soon become reality.

Now if i remember correctly , XRAY is something which is not very good for your body ( health wise ). God Bless frequent travellers.

Source :: CNET News.com

Area 51 - Producing AirCrafts of Next Generation

2006-09-15T20:55:00.000+05:30

Recently on Popular Science, veteran aviation journo Bill Sweetman writes about secret airplanes he believes might be under development at the Air Force's remote Groom Lake test facility in Nevada, a.k.a. Area 51.

Five SEO Tips for Indianpad

2006-09-15T00:20:00.000+05:30

Here are some SEO tips for a popular desi site "indianpad" to improvise their ratings on Search Engines.

1. Change Urls to include title - If you think about it , Blogger is own3d by google so they would use the best seo techniques on it. Thats why they use titles in their urls because story-url or hyper link match get more points and brings your story to the front page of google. So instead of http://www.indianpad.com/story/11111 it should be , http://www.indianpad.com/story/munna-bhai-is-a-hit

2. Indianpad could also try to automatically add titles in their META Tags. Eg.. they can add another line to their page with meta keywords and titles and category seperated by commas.
META NAME="Keywords" CONTENT="Indianpad, munna, bhai, mbbs, is, a , hit, movies"

3. Why the ads of first page of indianpad will suck ? - All the meaty news descriptions are ajax based, so they dont show up till the time someone clicks on it and google spider ignores things in javascript. This does not affect users as their ad show in their story page and not in the frontpage. Its just that indianpad team will have to think of something to get better ads on their frontpage or the index page. Maybe for the first page they should use `per impression` mechanism rather than `per click` model. Just remember google doesnt like things hidden by javascript and do not follow javascript links ( which means ajax stuff )

4. Increase Page Ranks on VIEW page - By using nofollow on the view php page of indianpad , the page rank can be significantly improved. Right now the frame opens as :

frame frameborder="no" noresize="noresize" name="bottom" src="http://apun-ka.blogspot.com/2006/09/new-tivo-to-have-hd-capabilities.html"

Google generally marks site with enormous number of outside links as link whoring and thats why many blogs talk of NOFOLLOW as condom ;). If neccessary indianpad can put nofollow on the link to view.php page all together , so that google doesnt goes there and think of indianpad as a link whoring site. This should have BIG CHANGE. Or indianpad can easily block crawler from going to view/* pages via robots.txt. Remember that Google suggests to keep links on a page less than 100.

5. Change meta name="ROBOTS" content="ALL" to META NAME="Robots" CONTENT="All,Index,Follow"

For More Ideas Go to : Webmaster Guidelines For Google SEO

Ads Ads Everywhere ..

2006-09-14T20:38:00.000+05:30

The new beta version of Google Earth has an interesting ( ~~or interestingly bugging~~ ) new feature. The option to disable ads is in the PLUS (aka paid) version but not in the free version.

I feel that google is now pushing its Adsense way to far, I just hope smart guys ( ~~hackers~~ ) find a way to block adsense traffic to google earth. For that i think you will need something like privoxy which would simply crunch the adsense traffic.

I think most of us, avid users of Google Earth would upset that Google would allow such advertising and ruin the immaculate Earth experience.

Do no Evil

Next Generation of Cool Web2.0 Sites

2006-09-14T19:48:00.000+05:30

Here is a list of some new web2.0 sites that are coming up rapidly...

30 Boxes - Calender Site :: 30 Boxes is a cool ( ~~ofcourse ajax and 2.0 based~~ ) calendar application. Major attaction is its clean and easy to use design. It also allows tons of customizations and most importantly RSS feed of your upcoming events.

DevJavu - Hosted Trac and Source Control - This is my favourite one , this one hosts Trac and Subversion for your projects. For a software developer, this mean easy web repository of his work. Maybe, from now onwards i should store all my timepass programs over here.

Zaptix - Organize Events and Sell Tickets Online - ZapTix is a cool service which any small event organizer can use to sell tickets. ( ~~imagine buying your next dandia or bhangra fest tickets over here~~ ). This site supposedly runs an online counter for you and transfers funds after the event.

NetViBe - make your own customizable page, add tab , your favourite sites. This site has the capability of becoming your homepage very easily. This is way better than MyYahoo or MyGoogle personlized page as it gives you a lot of flexibility.

BlogCamp ka Daddy

2006-09-14T03:05:00.000+05:30

A The Future of Web Apps , two-day conference focusing on the development technologies in the domain of web applications is happening in CA ( ~~where else~~ ).

The list of people who are coming to this conference sounds like who's who of web 2.0 arena. The main focus seems to be discovering how the web's most successful sites and applications were built, plus get expert practical advice from the best in the business on creating your own web app.

I hope they release the stuff later on Podcast or Video-Cast ... :)

New Tivo to have HD capabilities

2006-09-14T02:14:00.000+05:30

New Tivo Series 3 ( Click here for Details ) is going to be HD capable.

The THX-certified DVR will record up to 32 hours of HD programming or 300 hours in standard def. Dual tuners allow you to record two HD programs simultaneously while watching a third prerecorded show.

Of course, all of Tivo's much-loved features are here, including online scheduling, wishlist searches and season pass recordings. But the price is too high $800 bucks , however this is better than any home-made-media-center you would build.

Promotional Video

More OverWeight people than undernourished

2006-09-13T22:29:00.000+05:30

There are more FAT people than malnourished, and still American Companies are promoting Biological Altered Seeds saying that we want to feed the growing population.

Souce : New Scientist

"This insidious, creeping pandemic of obesity is now engulfing the entire world. It's as big a threat as global warming and bird flu." This warning came from Paul Zimmet during his opening address at the 10th International Congress on Obesity in Sydney on Sunday, according to a report by the Associated Press.

Zimmet, an expert on diabetes at Monash University in Australia, said that overweight people now outnumber the undernourished. The World Health Organization's estimates agree: globally, there are one billion overweight adults, and 300 million of them are obese; in contrast, about 800 million do not have enough to eat. Today obesity is a problem mainly in rich countries, but the WHO estimates that by 2010 the developing world will have more than caught up.

Dont Beat the Dead Donkey

2006-09-13T20:33:00.000+05:30

I thought Bittorrent crushed Edonkey, until i read this news eDonkey Firm to Pay RIAA $30 Million on Beta-News.

MetaMachine, the company behind the popular file sharing software eDonkey, has agreed to pay the Recording Industry Association of America $30 million to settle claims it facilitated mass copyright infringement.

"With this new settlement, another domino falls, and we have further strengthened the footing of the legal marketplace," said RIAA chairman and CEO Mitch Bainwol. The RIAA previously settled with the operators of BearShare, i2Hub, WinMX, and Grokster.

This Developer is Writing an Application a Day

2006-09-13T20:20:00.000+05:30

Well , I listened to "an apple a day" ... but application ? I take more than one day to just think about an application that i will build. ( day dreaming kinda ) .. I dont even have so many ideas that i could create an application a day. I hope these dont turn out to be perl one liners a day ;-)

Source : An App A day - Blogspot Page

I plan on writing 30 applications in 30 days. That's one per day... I haven't started yet, but keep watching here for more info.

The whole idea started as a dicussion on a plane ride. I was flying back from Houston with a fellow developer talking about web ideas... This idea hit me. I started jotting down application ideas on a paper napkin (which is now sitting next to my desk). I'll divulge some of those ideas in the future.

Is the War Worth it and When Will it End ?

2006-09-13T20:00:00.000+05:30

More Americans Have Now Died In Iraq Than Died On 9/11. Moreover, it wasnt Saddam who attacked Twin Towers but Bin Laden who is still not captured.

Source : Yahoo News

"Here are the numbers: 3,015 Americans have died in Iraq as of September 9. 2,666 of these were military deaths and 349 were civilians.

A total of 2,973 people died on 9/11. Most, although not all, were Americans."

How to name your company

2006-09-13T19:37:00.000+05:30

If you are a start-up exec, here's a handy guideline for how not to name your company.

Source : CNET.NEWS

"What's truly remarkable is the collection of god-awful names on display. That's one craze the Internet era could not kill. A bad name just puts the wrong foot forward. Conversely, a good name can help launch a company. Gary Culliss, former CEO of DirectHit, a former growing search company, almost fell off his chair when he first heard about Google. And YouTube certainly benefited from a catchy name."

This is How I Feel after Chinese Buffet

2006-09-13T02:07:00.000+05:30

Source : Can a python bite off more than it can chew? Ewe bet

This is the only reason I hate Chinese Buffet , I always Overeat :p

A LITTLE bloating after a big meal is an occupational hazard for pythons. But this unfortunate creature found itself unable to slink away and sleep it off.
In fact, after swallowing a pregnant sheep, it couldn't move at all.

Firemen in the Malaysian village of Kampung Jabor, about 190km east of Kuala Lumpur, easily caught it after it was spotted on a road.

Conservationists were yesterday still deciding whether to keep the 90kg snake in a zoo or release it back into the wild.

Pythons eat no more than once a week but when they open their incredible hinged jaws, anything is fair game.

Snake .. no .. Sex on the Plane

2006-09-13T01:32:00.000+05:30

Flight to india from usa is 16 hours , this could be a lot relaxing ;-) if Air India also comes up with such a scheme.

From Mile High Atlanta Airline

Make your fantasy a reality with Mile High Atlanta. We are located at West Georgia Regional Airport near Carrollton, GA. just a short drive from the Metro Atlanta area in rural Georgia. We will take you up to over 5,280 feet above the earth's surface so you have the opportunity to join the exclusive "Mile High Club." For only $299.00 you will have an hour flight in a Piper Cherokee Six designed exclusively for this purpose. Also included is a bottle of champagne and you get to keep your sheets as a souvenir of this special event.

Lol, we know why they are giving away the sheet ...

Beyond Ration Cards

2006-09-13T01:18:00.000+05:30

People use several proxies as a proof of identity today—these range from the permanent account number (40 million cards), the passport, an electricity bill or telephone bill, a driver’s license or even mail received at an address. There is, therefore, an unambiguous need for a single identifier—the equivalent of the US social security number—in India.

Source : Beyond the ration card as identity proof

Afghanistan Cricket Team Qualifies for 2011 World Cup

2006-09-13T01:00:00.000+05:30

After taking third position in the cricket championship in Malaysia, Afghanistan’s team qualified to take part in the 2011 Qualifying Round of the Cricket World Cup, officials said. Taj Malik Alam, Afghan Cricket Federation secretary and trainer, told Pajhwok Afghan News its team took third position in between 17 countries.

"I am confident on my players to perform well in coming matches and get the Afghanistan flag high in the world cup," he hoped. Happy about his players performance, he said, his team had 90% success this year.

The team had played 20 international matches and won 18 and lost two more, he said, adding the cricket team played against defeated Britain and Indian cricket clubs in three competitions in India. They won six matches in Britain and lost one and similarly one three competitions in Pakistan, he added.

Source : Afghan cricket team qualifies for Int’l Cup

Manmohan will talk to Musharraf on Terrorism Soon

2006-09-13T00:27:00.000+05:30

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said he will convey to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in clear terms India´s concerns about ‘Islamabad´s continuing support to cross-border terrorism’ when they meet on the sidelines of the 14th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Havana later this week.

‘‘I will share with Gen Musharraf our perceptions of what’s the role of external elements in promoting terrorism in our country,’’ he told journalists accompanying him on his nine-day visit to Brazil and Cuba.

Source : Great Kashmir Newspaper

Who come up with such Names "Razor Man" ?

2006-09-12T23:07:00.000+05:30

A mentally-challenged person who injured two people with a razor in Srinagar was arrested by the police here Tuesday. The attacker who had been nicknamed ‘razor man’ has been identified as 22-year-old Javed Ahmed Kumar ( ~~I thought kumar is hindu surname~~ ).

Kumar had attacked two victims in the face and neck with a razor. The two attacks in quick succession Monday had set off a wave of panic with rumour-mongers having a field day.

After his arrest, Kumar was handed over by the police to the authorities of the psychiatric hospital here.

Source : India E-News