Sabeer Bhatia Profile

Sabeer Bhatia

Born: 1969

Achievements: One of the co-founders of Hotmail; Named by TIME as one of the "People to Watch" in International Business (2002) Sabeer Bhatia is one of the poster boys of Indian success story at Silicon Valley. He is better known as the man who co-founded Hotmail. He later sold it to Microsoft for $400 million and today Hotmail is the world's largest e-mail provider, with over 50 million registered users. Sabeer Bhatia was born in 1969 at Chandigarh. He comes from a humble background. His father was an army officer and his mother worked with the Central Bank of India. Sabeer Bhatia had his earlier schooling at Bishop Cotton's School in Pune and later on at St Joseph's College in Bangalore. After passing out from school he joined the Birla Institute of Technology (BITS) at Pilani. At Pilani, he qualified to try for a transfer scholarship at Cal Tech, considered to be the world's most competitive scholarship. Sabeer Bhatia was the only applicant in the entire world in 1988 to get a passing score of 62. In 1988 Sabeer Bhatia came to America and completed his B.Sc. with honours and earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University. In 1992, while working on his Ph.D., Sabeer dropped out and joined Apple Computers as a systems integrator. He worked for Apple Computer for a year. Then he worked for another startup, Firepower Systems Inc. In 1995, Sabir Bhatia co-founded Hotmail Corporation along with Jack Smith, a colleague at Apple Computers. They launched pioneering web-based e-mail service Hotmail. At the end of 1997, he sold Hotmail to Microsoft for $400 million. Sabeer Bhatia t worked for Microsoft for a year until March of 1999, and then in the middle of 1999 he founded Arzoo.comArzoo.com was supposed to be a real-time marketplace for technology related solutions and support. It was envisaged as a platform that would enable engineers, developers and scientists from around the world to monetise their expertise on the one hand, and enable corporations to improve the productivity of their employees on the other. Sabeer Bhatia's vision was to make Arzoo.com, the world's largest human network of intellectual capital. But Arzoo.com failed with the burst of dot-com bubble. In 2006 Sabeer Bhatia relaunched Arzoo as a travel portal. Sabeer Bhatia has also started a new venture called BlogEverywhere with co-founders Shiraz Kanga and Viraf Zack. Sabeer Bhatia has won several honors and awards. These include: "Entrepreneur of the Year," award by the venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson (1997); and "TR100" award, presented by MIT to 100 young innovators who are expected to have the greatest impact on technology in the next few years. He was named by TIME as one of the "People to Watch" in International Business (2002)

The Good and Bad of Social Networking

A piece highlighting the good and bad things about using social networking websites. Includes helpful tips on how to stay safe when online.
Social networking is taking over the world. In the UK alone over 10 million people are users of MySpace and over 3 million people are users of facebook. My question is this: are social networking sites good for our society?


The good
Social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook have made communication much easier. Friends’ and family now have a quicker, cheaper way of keeping in touch, making important relationships easier to maintain.
Not only does a social networking site help you keep in touch with friends you already have, but they also help you form new relationships. People can find others who share the same interests or hobbies and form friendships with them. These sites help bring together people from all different cultures and races: breaking down boundaries that may otherwise exist in everyday life. People are able to make friends with people they would never have even met without using a networking site.

Social networking sites, especially MySpace gives bands that would otherwise be unheard of a chance to build up a fan base and show off their talent. It also gives bands a chance to interact and connect directly with fans.
Bands aren’t the only people who drum up business through these sites. Facebook is used to give businesses more exposure.



The bad
Even those who see life from the rosiest of spectacles have to admit there are drawbacks to using social networking websites. People can use these sites to prey on the naive and vunerable. This can be done in a number of ways including grooming and identity fraud.


Just think about all of the sensitive information that people post on these websites. Details commonly found include: dates of birth, addressees, marital statuses, and jobs. All of this can be used against you by a fraudster.
It is also easier for people to harass, stalk and bully you through these sites.
Not only this but people aren’t always who they say they are. This could mean someone befriending you only to gain as much personal and sensitive information as they can. This too can be used against you.
Although it is true that legitimate businesses uses sites such as MySpace and facebook, it is also true that people could invent fake businesses or products and advertise them on social networking sites, in a bid to take your money.

Keeping safe

There are very real dangers surrounding social networking and so when using these sites people should take precautions. Below are some of the things people are advised to do when using social networking :

· Restrict access to your profile or page to people that you know face to face, such as family and friends.
· Don’t use a username that reveals anything about you. Stay clear from using your real name or age.
· Keep personal information to yourself. Don’t post things such as: addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, credit and debit card numbers or the name of your school or work.
· Remember that not everyone is trustworthy. Keep in mind that people lie.
· Avoid meeting people you have only met online.
· Trust your own instincts if you are suspicious or feel uncomfortable when talking to someone.

Final judgment

Although the dangers with using social networking sites are very serious , in my opinion they are good for our society as long as the correct precautions are taken. However, when it comes down to whether social networking is right for you that is something only you can decide, using your own judgment and past experiences. Before becoming a member of a social networking website do your homework on what they have to offer but also find out about the risks involved.

Few reasons why Linux is better than Windows

Many a times Windows users talk about what Windows can do but Linux can’t. To be fair, they also need to know what Linux can do but Windows can’t.

Core OS Features:

It works its available today. Its not a vaporware and is available today.See some of the reasons below.

Linux doesn’t have the virus problems: Even Microsoft’s CEO Steve Balmer couldn’t clean Windows Viruses. Still not convinced? Read more on Why Linux isn’t affected by Viruses. Its not that there aren’t any viruses for Linux but Linux is more secure and less virus prone.

No Spyware: Not just spyware but none of those funny applications that keep doing things in the background.

Linux Doesn’t need defragging: The Linux file systems work very efficiently such that it arranges data in a way that it doesn’t require defragging. to know more, read earlier post.

Linux doesn’t crash without any apparent reasons.In Linux the core operating system (kernel) is separate from the GUl (X-Window) from the applications (OpenOffice.org, etc). So even if the application crashes, the core operating system is not affected.

In Windows (Microsoft prefers to call this tight integration) if the Browser crashes, it can take down the entire operating system.

Linux doesn’t crash if you accidently pulled out your USB key/pen drive. Try this a 100 times if you don’t believe me but don’t blame me if your pen drive data gets corrupt.

Linux doesn’t require frequent re-installation: In Windows if the OS crashes, there is no easy way to recover this. Many IT support staff don’t know what to do and all they can do is re-install Windows. Which means that users applications and preferences are lost, and again needs to be installed. I haven’t seen anyone using Linux, requiring to re-install unless there is a hard drive failure. Most things in Linux can be fixed without requiring re-installation. The benefit of this is all the users preferences can be preserved even if the OS needs to be re-installed. This can be handled by creating a separate partition for the home directory.

Linux also doesn’t require rebooting when a new hardware device is added configured.

Most importantly Linux doesn’t reboot on its own! I have had a situation where Windows updated the system and then rebooted on its own, without my knowledge.

Linux doesn’t require frequent rebooting. Linux runs extremely stable, even if an application crashes, there is no need to reboot the whole system, just restart that application or service.

No licensing headaches: Yes Linux is free and you don’t know need to bother about the complexing licensing of per user/per PC/per server/etc.

Linux can read over a 100 different types of file systems. Windows is limited to its own two file systems. Well most general users may not care about this but its extremely useful is you are working in a mixed environment or you need to extract some data from a hard drive formatted on another computer.

You have the source code and the right to modify or fix things if you are a programmer. Many end users think this is not necessary but they will realize how important this is when their application vendor decides to discontinue support on a older version to promote a newer one.

Linux can install in logical partition or a second (slave hard drive as well)Windows can only be installed in a primary partition. Read this on some suggestions for partitioning.

Linux is scalable right from the PDA/Cellphones to super computers.

Linux is running mission critical applications including powering an Aircraft.

Linux has less bugs than commercial software, this is one of the main reasons for its stability. Read more.

You can also share the software with your friends and its completely legal to do so. Didn’t your teacher tell you in kindergarten that you should share things with your friends? Linux and Open Source actually encourage that while if you do that

in Windows its not only considered illegal but they will call you a pirate!
Linux costs less, cause not only the OS is free but the applications are also free. Plus since Linux doesn’t have a virus problem, you also save on the recurring cost of Anti-Virus software. Note: You may still have to pay for support/training but the over all running cost is low.

Both Linux and Windows has shell environment Windows (know as command prompt). The shell environments in Linux (such as bash) are more powerful and you can write entire programs using the scripting language. This is extremely useful to automate repetitive tasks such as backup.

Linux can run from a CD or can be installed on the hard drive. Windows by default doesn’t have any such option. Using live CDs such as Ubuntu/Knoppix, users can try out Linux by booting from the CD, without the need to install the operating system.

Linux is also extremely portable, it can also run off usb pen drives/portable hardrives/thumb drives and more.
Did you know that in Windows, there is built in back-door entry so US government can see you data as and when they like? Yes the US NSA has the key build into every copy of Windows. In Linux there is no such thing possible as the operating system is open source and can easily be detected and disabled. Read how this was done.

Linux has built in virtualization(XEN/KVM/VirtualBox/etc.) so you can run multiple copies of Linux or other operating systems simultaneously.

The Linux kernel comes shipped with large number of hardware drivers. 3000 Printers, 1000 Digital Cameras and 200 webcams were supported by Ubuntu. On Windows, a lot of hardware doesn’t work until you install the driver, this problem is worse with Vista as Microsoft doesn’t allow drivers to be drivers to be installed which are not supported by Microsoft. On Linux, a huge percentage of today’s common hardware works perfectly out-of-the-box.

Vendor independence: With proprietary operating system, you are dependent on the vendor who developed the operating system. With Linux you have a choice of vendors, so even if the vendor fails to give you support, you can always move to another vendor. Choice of vendors also means more competition, which means better value for money for the customer.

It won’t die or get killed like what happened with other fantastic but proprietary operating system such as OS/2, BeOS. Reason being, its open source and someone will maintain in and today there are many big companies behind and have bet huge money on Linux.

Unlike Windows, Linux doesn’t use registry. Most of the configuration is stored in plain text files, which are easy to manage/backup and transfer between systems. Registry is a pain to manage, very complex and your system configuration is stored in a proprietary format which needs special tools to open. The biggest pain with registry is when it gets corrupted, this problem is eliminated in Linux because it doesn’t use registry.

Linux is the most documented operating systems and most of these documentations are available for free. These documents are well written and explain computing concepts too.

Linux has more wider support from online forums, articles and most importantly the community. There are Linux Users groups is almost every country, city and small towns as well.

Linux community is cool they provide unconditional support and help you get started. Once you get involved into it, its like one huge family.

Linux runs on older hardware too, you don’t need to the latest and the greatest hardware. Even if you can’t run all the latest applications on your old hardware, using Linux, you can always put it to some good use.

No more hardware upgrades: Linux runs happily on older hardware and the hardware requirements don’t increase with every new version. If you have really old computers like Pentium I/III, you can still convert them to thin clients using LTSP and still use them.

Completely localized: As there is a strong community and the source code is available, Linux is localized into almost every language in the world. You can further customize it for your needs, you can easily do that.

Excellent package management: Linux has excellent package management tools which makes it easy to install and upgrade applications.

Easy upgrade: Most Linux distributions makes it very easy to upgrade from one version to another.

Excellent Development platform: If you are a developer, you will like Linux. Linux has all the development tools, libraries and compilers built in. If you are Java developer or a Web developer using PHP/Perl/Rub or doing C,C++ development, you will feel at home.

Linux gives you the Freedom: Linux follows the Free Software philosophy and hence gives its users the Freedom to modify, copy and share Linux. 

Easy to upgrade: Most distributions can easily be upgraded from one version to another in just a few clicks. And most importantly you don’t need to spend a fortune to buy the upgrade.

No Hidden APIs. Windows many hidden or undocumented APIs which is used for unfair advantage to Microsoft. In Linux all APIs are completely open and documented. For example Microsoft specifies that everyone writing Internet application should use the Winsock API while Microsoft Internet Explorer doesn’t use the Winsock API, it uses an undocumented API allowing Internet Explorer to run faster than other browsers.

Faster patches: Linux is more secure because its patches in hours not days. Microsoft took 200 days to provide a critical patch.

Desktop Features:

You are in total control. You don’t have applications that suddenly and start updating without your permission!

While both Linux and Windows have a GUI, Windows has only one default GUI.

Linux is all about choice and has a option to use different type of GUIs or Window Managers as they are know as in Linux. Users can choose from something that looks like their favorite Operating System or they can choose something that’s simple and fast. Popular ones are Gnome and KDE.

Most Linux distributions come bundled with whole lot of applications such as Office Suite, Photo Editing, etc. You not only get the OS for free but you also don’t have to pay for the applications. Yes many of these open source applications such as OpenOffice.org also run on Windows but you need to find, download and install them where as there are available in most Linux distros by default.

Expanding on the previous point, many Linux distributions bundle thousands of applications (Upto 22,000 depending on which one you choose) where as

Windows doesn’t bundle basic applications such a decent text editor, oh yeah there is Notepad if you consider that decent . Point is spend the time in finding them, downloading them, installing them and then trying them out on Windows or just get them along with your Linux CD/DVD.

Linux bundles OpenOffice.org as the office suite which has built in capabilities to write documents/presentations as PDFs and Flash. Windows requires purchasing/downloading additional software.

Mozilla Firefox browser bundled with Linux has excellent features such as blocking of unwanted ads/pop up and supports tab browsing which makes it easy to open another browser windows. Read the 101 things that the Mozilla browser can do that IE cannot. 

Faster Browsing: Browsing is not only better but faster too! The networking on Linux is faster and the browser has an option to block all the unwanted ads/pop up, there by saving on bandwidth considerably. Read this to block all the ads.

Linux saves bandwidth cost. The volume of Updates that Windows, Antivirus and similar applications do, is much more as compared the updated in Linux. So if you are paying for every MB that you download, its a big consideration.

No automatic updates: Windows Vista it setup to automatically update your system by default. In Linux by default it will alert you for an update but you have to choice to click and apply the update. You can setup to automatic update if you like.

Multiple cut and pastes: Klipper application (default under KDE) maintains a history of your clipboard and you can use it to paste text/etc which you had cut/copied earlier.

Graphic view of how much space your data is using. In Konqueror File Manager tool bar, there is an o

ption to get file size view which gives you a graphical view of how much space your directories and the files within are consuming. This is an excellent way to know where all your disk space has disappeared and makes cleanup easy.

No annoying messages like Vista keeps telling you that xyz application is trying to access your system. Either the user will always click allow or will confused.

Easy to dual boot: Linux makes it easy for it to exist with any other operating system. If you install Linux on a system which already has Windows, Linux will not mess your Windows. Windows on the other hand messes up your Linux partition, if it finds one.

:::::Nokia History:::::

Nokia History

In 1865, an engineer named Fredrik Idestam established a wood-pulp mill and started manufacturing paper in southern Finland near the banks of a river. Those were the days when there was a strong demand for paper in the industry, the company's sales acheived its high-stakes and Nokia grew faster and faster. The Nokia exported paper to Russia first and then to the United Kingdom and France. The Nokia factory employed a fairly large workforce and a small community grew around it. In southern Finland a community called Nokia still exists on the riverbank of Emäkoski.

Finnish Rubber Works, a manufacturer a Rubber goods, impressed with the hydro-electrcity produced by the Nokia wood-pulp (from river Emäkoski), merged up and started selling goods under the brand name on Nokia. After World War II, it acquired a major part of the Finnish Cable Works shares. The Finnish Cable Works had grown quickly due to the increasing need for power transmission and telegraph and telephone networks in the World War II. Gradually the ownership of the Rubber Works and the Cable Works companies consolidated. In 1967, all the 3 companies merged-up to form the Nokia Group. The Electronics Department generated 3 % of the Group's net sales and provided work for 460 people in 1967, when the Nokia Group was formed.

In the beginning of 1970, the telephone exchanges consisted of electro-mechanical analog switches. Soon Nokia successfully developed the digital switch (Nokia DX 200) thereby replacing the prior electro mechanical analog switch. The Nokia DX 200 was embedded with high-level computer language as well as Intel microprocessors which in turn allowed computer-controlled telephone exchanges to be on the top and which is till date the basis for Nokia's network infrastructure.

Introduction of mobile network began enabling the Nokia production to invent the Nordic Mobile Telephony(NMT), the world's very first multinational cellular network in 1981. The NMT was later on introduced in other countries. Very soon Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), a digital mobile telephony, was launched and Nokia started the development of GSM phones. Beginning of the 1990 brought about an economic recession in Finland. (Rumour has it that Nokia was offered to the Swedish telecom company Ericsson during this time which was refused) Due to this Nokia increased its sale of GSM phones that was enormous. This was the main reason for Nokia to not only be one of the largest but also the most important companies in Finland. As per the sources, in August 1997, Nokia supplied GSM systems to 59 operators in 31 countries.

Slowly and steadily, Nokia became a large television manufacturer and also the largest information technology company in the Nordic countries. During the economic recession the Nokia was committed to telecommunications. The 2100 series of the production was so successful that inspite of its goal to sell 500,000 units, it marvellously sold 20 million. Presently, Nokia is the number 1 production in digital technologies, it invests 8.5% of net sales in research and development. Also has its annual Nokia Game

Manufacturing in India

Nokia has set up its mobile device manufacturing facility in Chennai, India to meet the burgeoning demand for mobile devices in the country. The manufacturing facility is operational with an investment of USD 210 million and currently employs 8000 people. Nokia has recently announced fresh investments to the tune of US $ 75 million towards its manufacturing plant in Sriperumbudur, Chennai for the year 2008.
Read More


Some firsts for Nokia in India





1995 – First mobile phone call made in India on a Nokia phone on a Nokia network

1998 - Saare Jahaan Se Acchha, first Indian ringtone in a Nokia 5110

2000 - First phone with Hindi menu (Nokia 3210)

2002 - First Camera phone (Nokia 7650)

2003 - First Made for India phone, Nokia 1100

2004 - Saral Mobile Sandesh, Hindi SMS on a wide range of Nokia phones

2004 - First Wi-fi Phone- Nokia Communicator (N9500)

2005 – Local UI in additional local language

2006 – Nokia manufacturing plant in Chennai

2007 – First vernacular news portal

Some Achievements for Nokia
Ranked No 1 Most Trusted Brand Survey by Brand Equity, 2008
Ranked the No 1. MNC in India by Businessworld, India’s leading business weekly, 2006
Ranked as the No. 1 telecommunications equipment vendor in the country by Voice & Data for five consecutive years –2008, 2007, 2006,2005 and 2004
Ranked as the 9th most powerful brand by Millward Brown’s BrandZ 2008
Ranked world’s 4th most valuable brand by Interbrand, 2007
Ranked Asia’s most trusted brand by the Media-Synovate, 2006

Making of IPL

 

Hello there!

Let us explore some interesting things about IPL

Where is it rooted
» IPL made its debut in April 2008, and is the brainchild of Lalit Modi – Chairman and Commissioner of IPL cricket association and the Vice President of BCCI.
» Although it is debated that the idea of IPL came after Subhash Chandra, owner of Zee Television, shared the concept of Indian Cricket League (ICL) in April 2007.
» IPL is a form of club cricket, which started out along the lines of English Premier League (club Football in Europe) and National Basketball League (in U.S.)

Main attraction
» Interestingly, cricket started out as a game played by children, but gradually transformed to a bit of a betting game (no offences please!). But with IPL, this process of staking and bookmaking has come to be a legal, official, ethical, networked and an organized business venture. Of course, IPL is way different, and has a business model of its kind.
» No role of nationality, only sheer business! Doesn’t it sound like a multi-national corporation operating from India?
» A huge plus of IPL is that it is an officially sanctioned tournament wholly owned and controlled by the BCCI, and is also affiliated to ICC, which has accepted the format of IPL and given it a go-ahead. Although, it is to be noted that all the matches are to be played under ICC rules and regulations, but ICC has not recognized IPL as an international tournament.
» Another attraction of IPL is that it is based on Twenty20 cricket. For those of you, who are not aware of Twenty20, it is a form of cricket in which each team has a single inning and batting for a maximum of 20 overs, hence it is popularly known as Twenty20.

How it works
» The best of the cricketers from across the world are grouped and classified as various teams irrespective of their nationality. These teams eventually happen to play against each other.
» BCCI organizes an open auction of these cricket players where the various franchises submit bids to buy these players. The highest bidder, in turn, wins the rights and owns the player/team.
» Who are these franchises? These are the entities which represent various Indian cities and are owned by aristocrats, businessmen and celebrities.

Team Composition
» Each franchise squad (or team) must have a minimum of 16 players per squad
» All teams must have atleast 4 players from the respective cities that are represented by the team
» All teams must have atleast 4 Under-22 players i.e. players under the age of 22
» Each team can have a maximum of 10 overseas players

Auction format
» Each player has an annual base player fee, the price for which the bidding for that player starts
» Players are arranged in the sets of approximately 12 based on their annual base fee, cricket specialism and expected availability
» If more than 1 franchise is keen to buy a particular player, then IPL may hold further auction to determine which franchise shall finally sign the player.

Profit Sharing and Money Making

Here comes the most interesting and a little controversial aspect of IPL

IPL has the following sources of revenue-
» Sale of media/broadcast rights
» Title sponsorship
» Selling licensed merchandise
» Amount bid by the franchises
» Some percentage of the revenue generated by the franchises

From this money, a major chunk is evenly disbursed/distributed among all the franchises, a minor percentage goes out as prize money and a fixed percentage is retained by IPL as its earning.

If you are wondering what else is earned by the franchises apart from a percentage of IPL revenues, check out their source of income:
» Selling advertising space in the stadia for home matches
» Licensing products for their teams like T-shirts
» Getting sponsorship for the team uniforms
» Advertising on tickets
» Gate Money- the ticket price is also decided by the franchises
» Prize Money

Now last but not the least, the money made by the players goes like this:
» Annual fee contracted with the franchise
» A daily allowance through the whole IPL season
» Bonus and/or prize money based on where the team finished in the tournament. It is optional and variable, and depends on the whims and fancies of the franchise owners.

IPL- Looks like a money making machine! Isn’t it?

Let’s enjoy all moments of IPL 2010  together  …  . . 

What is open Source?

For software under a license that meets the Open Source Definition, see Open source software.
Not to be confused with Free Software.


Open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials—typically, their source code. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology. Before the term open source became widely adopted, developers and producers used a variety of phrases to describe the concept; open source gained hold with the rise of the Internet, and the attendant need for massive retooling of the computing source code. Opening the source code enabled a self-enhancing diversity of production models, communication paths, and interactive communities.  Subsequently, a new, three-word phrase "open source software" was born to describe the environment that the new copyright, licensing, domain, and consumer issues created.

The open source model includes the concept of concurrent yet different agendas and differing approaches in production, in contrast with more centralized models of development such as those typically used in commercial software companies

Open source is a philosophy which suggests that the source code behind something should be freely available to the public. The principle originated in the software industry in the late 1990s, with several releases of open source software and operating systems, and it has since diffused into other communities as well. There are a number of strong arguments for releasing something in open source format, whether it be a recording, a software tool, or an entire operating system.Ads by Google

The main advantage to open source is that it allows end users to directly interact with the source, potentially modifying it to suit their wishes. This encourages constant development and innovation, while also creating a community of shared information. Many companies which produce open source products rely on the innovations of users to expand features and to identify and fix potential weak points, and these companies actively encourage modification of their products.

There are varying levels of open source. In some cases, for example, an open source release may have certain restrictions, in which case some people prefer the term “shared source,” or “shared commons.” For example, someone may release a recording in open source format, but ask people not to profit from their retooling of the album. Many advocates of the open source philosophy prefer truly open source, allowing people to do whatever they want with the source code and the end product.

 

The history of Orkut - The best social networking site so far!!

If you ever interested in in social networking sites then it is sure you must have an orkut account as today almost every citizens has an account in orkut. But ever you think when and why this Orkut come in the foundation. Who is the father of the Orkut? What are the benefits he is getting from this sites meant for social friend findings. So let you find the history…

Once what happened a teenager guy lost his girlfriend in a train accident but the girl’s name is not were in the dead list so he has hope to find in her later any time. This guy grew up in an IT technical architects in his late 20’s and then he decided to look after his lost girlfriend….

Fro this purpose he hired the most sophisticated developers from all over the Globe to plan an application where he could be able to search for her. Fortunately, things were happened as he has planned to do and at last he find her after losing millions of dollars and with 3 years of hard work… Now he achieved his goal… Then… he decided to shut down the application he and his staff developed.
This is the time when the CEO of Google has approached him and had a word to took over the application, that application we now have as an Orkut, named after its inventor Orkut Buyukkokten.

But this was not the end here, today he was a paid a hefty sum from Google and it was expected that he may become the richest person of the world very soon, you shouldn’t be amazed when you will found how much he getting from the statics below when anyone joins orkut or becomes any friend. Even your scrapping also marking him more richer than before…

Consider the following figures…
He gets $12 from Google when every person registers to this website.
He also gets $10 when you add somebody as a friend.
He gets $8 when your friend’s friend adds you as a friend & gets $6 if anybody adds you as friend in the resulting chain.
He gets $5 when you scrap somebody & $4 when somebody scraps you.
He also gets $200 for each photograph you upload on Orkut.
He gets $2.5 when you add your friend in the crush-list or in the hot-list.
He gets $2 when you become somebody’s fan.
He gets $1.5 when somebody else becomes your fan.
He even gets $1 every time you logout of Orkut.
He gets $0.5 every time you just change your profile-photograph.
He also gets $0.5 every time you read your friend’s scrap-book & $0.5 every time you view your friends friend-list.

Now what do you think :::
Today he has 13 assistants to monitor his scrap book & employed some 8 tp tackle his friend-list and he gets around 20,000 friend request per day..

Now if you haven't yet joined orkut then consider it once again if you are also lookin gfor someone then sure you will find him/her there.

What Is WiFi?

If you've been in an airport, coffee shop, library or hotel recently, chances are you've been right in the middle of a wireless network. Many people also use wireless networking, also called WiFi or 802.11 networking, to connect their computers at home, and some cities are trying to use the technology to provide free or low-cost Internet access to residents. In the near future, wireless networking may become so widespread that you can access the Internet just about anywhere at any time, without using wires.Get Connected

WiFi has a lot of advantages. Wireless networks are easy to set up and inexpensive. They're also unobtrusive -- unless you're on the lookout for a place to use your laptop, you may not even notice when you're in a hotspot. In this article, we'll look at the technology that allows information to travel over the air. We'll also review what it takes to create a wireless network in your home.

First, let's go over a few WiFi basics.

What Is WiFi?

A wireless network uses radio waves, just like cell phones, televisions and radios do. In fact, communication across a wireless network is a lot like two-way radio communication. Here's what happens: 

A computer's wireless adapter translates data into a radio signal and transmits it using an antenna. 

A wireless router receives the signal and decodes it. The router sends the information to the Internet using a physical, wired Ethernet connection. 
The process also works in reverse, with the router receiving information from the Internet, translating it into a radio signal and sending it to the computer's wireless adapter.

The radios used for WiFi communication are very similar to the radios used for walkie-talkies, cell phones and other devices. They can transmit and receive radio waves, and they can convert 1s and 0s into radio waves and convert the radio waves back into 1s and 0s. But WiFi radios have a few notable differences from other radios:

They transmit at frequencies of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. This frequency is considerably higher than the frequencies used for cell phones, walkie-talkies and televisions. The higher frequency allows the signal to carry more data. 

They use 802.11 networking standards, which come in several flavors: 
802.11a transmits at 5 GHz and can move up to 54 megabits of data per second. It also uses orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), a more efficient coding technique that splits that radio signal into several sub-signals before they reach a receiver. This greatly reduces interference.

802.11b is the slowest and least expensive standard. For a while, its cost made it popular, but now it's becoming less common as faster standards become less expensive. 802.11b transmits in the 2.4 GHz frequency band of the radio spectrum. It can handle up to 11 megabits of data per second, and it uses complementary code keying (CCK) modulation to improve speeds.

802.11g transmits at 2.4 GHz like 802.11b, but it's a lot faster -- it can handle up to 54 megabits of data per second. 802.11g is faster because it uses the same OFDM coding as 802.11a. 

802.11n is the newest standard that is widely available. This standard significantly improves speed and range. For instance, although 802.11g theoretically moves 54 megabits of data per second, it only achieves real-world speeds of about 24 megabits of data per second because of network congestion. 802.11n, however, reportedly can achieve speeds as high as 140 megabits per second. The standard is currently in draft form -- the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) plans to formally ratify 802.11n by the end of 2009. 

Other 802.11 standards focus on specific applications of wireless networks, like wide area networks (WANs) inside vehicles or technology that lets you move from one wireless network to another seamlessly.

WiFi radios can transmit on any of three frequency bands. Or, they can "frequency hop" rapidly between the different bands. Frequency hopping helps reduce interference and lets multiple devices use the same wireless connection simultaneously. 

As long as they all have wireless adapters, several devices can use one router to connect to the Internet. This connection is convenient, virtually invisible and fairly reliable; however, if the router fails or if too many people try to use high-bandwidth applications at the same time, users can experience interference or lose their connections.

Next, we'll look at how to connect to the Internet from a WiFi hotspot.

WiFi Hotspots

If you want to take advantage of public WiFi hotspots or start a wireless network in your home, the first thing you'll need to do is make sure your computer has the right gear. Most new laptops and many new desktop computers come with built-in wireless transmitters. If your laptop doesn't, you can buy a wireless adapter that plugs into the PC card slot or USB port. Desktop computers can use USB adapters, or you can buy an adapter that plugs into the PCI slot inside the computer's case. Many of these adapters can use more than one 802.11 standard. 

Once you've installed your wireless adapter and the drivers that allow it to operate, your computer should be able to automatically discover existing networks. This means that when you turn your computer on in a WiFi hotspot, the computer will inform you that the network exists and ask whether you want to connect to it. If you have an older computer, you may need to use a software program to detect and connect to a wireless network.

Being able to connect to the Internet in public hotspots is extremely convenient. Wireless home networks are convenient as well. They allow you to easily connect multiple computers and to move them from place to place without disconnecting and reconnecting wires. In the next section,  we'll look at how to create a wireless network in your home.

Building a Wireless Network

A wireless router uses an antenna to send signals to wireless devices and a wire to send signals to the Internet.

If you already have several computers networked in your home, you can create a wireless network with a wireless access point. If you have several computers that are not networked, or if you want to replace your Ethernet network, you'll need a wireless router. This is a single unit that contains:
A port to connect to your cable or DSL modem
A router
An Ethernet hub
A firewall
A wireless access point

A wireless router allows you to use wireless signals or Ethernet cables to connect your computers to one another, to a printer and to the Internet. Most routers provide coverage for about 100 feet (30.5 meters) in all directions, although walls and doors can block the signal. If your home is very large, you can buy inexpensive range extenders or repeaters to increase your router's range.

As with wireless adapters, many routers can use more than one 802.11 standard. 802.11b routers are slightly less expensive, but because the standard is older, they're slower than 802.11a, 802.11g and 802.11n routers. Most people select the 802.11g option for its speed and reliability.

Once you plug in your router, it should start working at its default settings. Most routers let you use a Web interface to change your settings. You can select:
The name of the network, known as its service set identifier (SSID) -- The default setting is usually the manufacturer's name.
The channel that the router uses -- Most routers use channel 6 by default. If you live in an apartment and your neighbors are also using channel 6, you may experience interference. Switching to a different channel should eliminate the problem.
Your router's security options -- Many routers use a standard, publicly available sign-on, so it's a good idea to set your own username and password.

Security is an important part of a home wireless network, as well as public WiFi hotspots. If you set your router to create an open hotspot, anyone who has a wireless card will be able to use your signal. Most people would rather keep strangers out of their network, though. Doing so requires you to take a few security precautions.

It's also important to make sure your security precautions are current. The Wired Equivalency Privacy (WEP) security measure was once the standard for WAN security. The idea behind WEP was to create a wireless security platform that would make any wireless network as secure as a traditional wired network. But hackers discovered vulnerabilities in the WEP approach, and today it's easy to find applications and programs that can compromise a WAN running WEP security.

To keep your network private, you can use one of the following methods:
WiFi Protected Access (WPA) is a step up from WEP and is now part of the 802.11i wireless network security protocol. It uses temporal key integrity protocol (TKIP) encryption. As with WEP, WPA security involves signing on with a password. Most public hotspots are either open or use WPA or 128-bit WEP technology, though some still use the vulnerable WEP approach.

Media Access Control (MAC) address filtering is a little different from WEP or WPA. It doesn't use a password to authenticate users -- it uses a computer's physical hardware. Each computer has its own unique MAC address. MAC address filtering allows only machines with specific MAC addresses to access the network. You must specify which addresses are allowed when you set up your router. This method is very secure, but if you buy a new computer or if visitors to your home want to use your network, you'll need to add the new machines' MAC addresses to the list of approved addresses. The system isn't foolproof. A clever hacker can spoof a MAC address -- that is, copy a known MAC address to fool the network that the computer he or she is using belongs on the network.

Wireless networks are easy and inexpensive to set up, and most routers' Web interfaces are virtually self-explanatory. For more information on setting up and using a wireless network, check out the links on the next page.

Full Name: Sachin Ramesh TendulkarBorn: April 24, 1973, Mumbai, MaharashtraMajor teams: India, Mumbai, YorkshireBatting style: Right-hand batBowling style: Slow medium pace and spinAchievements:
Most runs and most centuries in ODIs
Highest number of Test centuries
First cricketer to make 10,000 runs in ODIs
Most runs in World Cup history
Highest individual score by an Indian (186 not out)
Most Man of the Man awards in ODIs
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1997
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for 1997-98
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, generally known as Sachin Tendulkar is an Indian Cricket player who is considered to be one of the all time greatest batsmen to have ever played the game of Cricket. The renowned Cricket magazine Wisden ranked Sachin Tendulkar the 2nd all time greatest Test Cricket batsman, only after Sir Donald Bradman at the 1st place in the year 2002. Also, the magazine ranked him the 2nd all time greatest ODI batsman after Viv Richards at the first spot. Accolades Shane Warne, the leg spinner from Australia had once remarked Sachin Tendulkar as the greatest player he has played with, and Tendulkar, also known as the Little Master has also to his credit the honor of being the only player of the current generation who was included by Sir Donald Bradman in his dream team named Bradman’s Eleven. Sachin Tendulkar is the batsman to have scored the biggest number of runs both in Test Cricket and ODI Cricket the world over, and has also to his credit the biggest number of centuries in both the forms of the game. He has scored over 80 centuries in the game of Cricket till now, and is the first batsman ever to score more than 50 centuries. He is the first Cricket player who has scored over 10,000 runs in the One Day International (ODI) Cricket. Sachin has been conferred upon the Padma Vibhushan award and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for his services to the nation as a sportsperson. Early Life Sachin Tendulkar was born on 24th of April, 1973 in Mumbai to a Marathi Novelist, Ramesh Tendulkar. Sachin got inspired to play cricket from his elder brother Ajit, and started playing the game at an early age in his school, Sharadashram Vidya Mandir. Under the guidance of his coach, Ramakant Achrekar, he learnt the basics of the game and showed his prowess along with his school mate and another future batsman of the Indian team, Vinod Kambli. Test and ODI Debut Sachin Tendulkar made his Test Cricket debut with a Test match played against Pakistan in Karachi in the year 1989, in which he scored 15 runs before being bowled out by Waqar Younis, a yet another Cricketer who debuted with this match. He began his ODI Cricket career in a match against Pakistan played on 18th of December 1989 at Gujranwala, Pakistan. He could, though, not make a single run in this match and just after facing 2 balls was caught by Wasim Akram on a Waqar Younis ball. Remarkable Achievements Tendulkar has shown some of his best batting performances against the Cricket team of Australia, one of the strongest teams during his period. As a matter of fact, the legendry Sir Donald Bradman had at one time reportedly told her wife that the playing style of Sachin reminded him of his own game in his youth. Sachin has always created new records and destroyed innumerable of them that had been already established. At the age of 17 years he scored his first Test century, and by the age of 25 he had scored 16 of them. At the moment he is the Cricketer with largest number of Test and ODI centuries to his credit, and outclassed Brian Lara as the biggest Test scorer in the year 2008. Captaincy Twice in his Cricket career, Sachin had been nominated the Captain of the Indian Cricket team, but none of them proved to be much successful. Also, the pressure of Captaincy took a toll upon his performance as a batsman. Overall Performance In his overall Test Career till April 2009, Sachin Tendulkar has played 159 Test matches and has scored 12773 runs in them, including 42 centuries and 53 half-centuries, with an average of 54.58 runs and a highest score of 248 Not Out. In these matches, he also grabbed 44 wickets giving away 2272 runs at an average of 51.63 runs. In his One Day International (ODI) Cricket career, however, Sachin has played 425 matches till April 2009, and scored 16684 runs including 43 centuries and 91 half-centuries, with an average of 44.37 runs and a highest score of 186 Not Out. Awards and Recognitions For his great capabilities as a Cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar has been bestowed upon the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India. The Cricket magazine Wisden named him the Cricketer of the year in 1997, and according to Wisden 100, he is the 2nd Best Test Batsman and the Best ODI Bestman of all times.

Narayana Murthy'S Profile

Born: August 20, 1946Achievement: One of the founders of Infosys Technologies Limited; Chosen as the World Entrepreneur of the Year - 2003 by Ernst and Young Narayana Murthy is the Non-Executive Chairman and Chief Mentor of Infosys Technologies Limited. He is a living legend and an epitome of the fact that honesty, transparency, and moral integrity are not at variance with business acumen. He set new standards in corporate governance and morality when he stepped down as the Executive Chairman of Infosys at the age of 60. Born on August 20, 1946, N.R. Narayana Murthy is a B.E. Electrical from University of Mysore (1967) and M.Tech from IIT Kanpur (1969). Narayan Murthy began his career with Patni Computer Systems in Pune. In 1981, Narayana Murthy founded Infosys with six other software professionals. In 1987, Infosys opened its first international office in U.S.A.With the liberalization of Indian economy in 1990s, Infosys grew rapidly. In 1993, the company came up with its IPO. In 1995, Infosys set up development centers across cities in India and in 1996, it set up its first office in Europe in Milton Keynes, UK. In 1999, Infosys became the first Indian company to be listed on NASDAQ. Today (in 2006), Infosys has a turnover of more than $ 2billion and has employee strength of over 50,000. In 2002, Infosys was ranked No. 1 in the "Best Employers in India 2002" survey conducted by Hewitt and in the Business World's survey of "India's Most Respected Company." Conducted in the same year.Along with the growth of Infosys, Narayana Moorthy too has grown in stature. He has received many honors and awards. In June 2000, Asiaweek magazine featured him in a list of Asia's 50 Most Powerful People. In 2001, Narayana Murthy was named by TIME/CNN as one of the 25 most influential global executives. He was the first recipient of the Indo-French Forum Medal (2003) and was voted the World Entrepreneur of the Year - 2003 by Ernst and Young. The Economist ranked Narayana Murthy eighth on the list of the 15 most admired global leaders (2005) and Narayan Murthy also topped the Economic Times Corporate Dossier list of India's most powerful CEOs for two consecutive years - 2004 and 2005.

Degree Is Not EveryThing, , , ,

The intention of vocational schools is to equip students with all the pertinent practical knowledge and social skills necessary for them to take on a productive role in the economy, by training for a specific career or trade. This kind of training provides an instrument for the promotion of worker employability through the enhancement of human capital and for productivity improvement and competitiveness at the level of the firm or nation.

Vocational training should include a wide range of activities, including types of training which would help fit a person for employment, including practical work experience, and vocational guidance. Vocational training can open up new prospects and provide the opportunity to escape unemployment, by offering a secure income and opportunities for advancement.

An advantage of graduates of vocational schools has over informally trained job seekers is that an independent organization certifies that vocational graduates have the skills needed to successfully perform a specific skilled occupation. Many large communities often have separate public schools that students attend full time that provide academic instruction and vocational training to their high school students. These schools commonly use the co-op training program, in which students work part time in the job for which they are preparing.

Traditionally, junior high schools and high schools have offered vocational courses such as home economics, wood and metal shop, and auto repair though schools have recently put more emphasis on academics for all students because of new standards based on education reform. Many schools have shifted the emphasis of their programs from the traditional trades to computers and related technologies, while other schools have moved away from vocational training entirely.

Technical and vocational institutions need to have competency to provide qualified training that satisfies both trainees and employers to contribute in developing the economy. Technical schools offer technology-oriented degree programs in a variety of fields including information technology, computer programming, networking, and much more. Technical institutes offer intensive technical training but teach less theory and general education than junior and community colleges.

Vocational schools imparts specialized skills and knowledge while instilling social and political attitudes and behavior patterns essential for successful economic activities. Vocational training is can be a launch pad for a career that can lead to participants becoming masters in their field. Vocational training is a must and should be compulsory as it provides the learner with practical knowledge of the theoretical concepts learned in school and should be considered as your stepping stone to success.

education in indian education system

We need lot of improvement. Education system in India is run by government. 
India has a great elementary education system established during British rule - which miss out Local Touch and again unfortunately the emphasis has always been on Math and Science. 
Unlike the west where students are encouraged to participate, most Indian schools just shove the course work in a rather subjective manner. 
Similarly for Higher education (Professional courses) education quality is not good due to lack of competent faculty and research.
Indians are no less smart than any other group. Indians are poor because they lack freedom to act, to perform to the best of their abilities. Bureaucracy rules in the Indian school system. Who is allowed to run a school, what is to be taught, who is allowed to teach, how much a teacher is to be paid, who is allowed to attend and for how long, who must be allowed to attend, how much can be chargedall these things are bureaucratically determined and no freedom of choice is permitted. The system lacks freedom and the not so surprising effect is the system is dead.
So we need to liberate and free the Education system from clutches of government and reverse the 'Brain drain -one-way migration of those who form the cornerstone of a modern economy, namely, top-class highly educated researchers and teachers, and who not just make the university but are the university. Ultimately they are the ones who train the thousands of bright young men and women who go on to build society in all its aspectssocial, commercial, political, and educational. It is time for Indians to build world-class schools and universities.
I would like to see more emphasis on critical thinking as a part of social science. Unless students are taught to question and debate they will remain slaves to the system when they grow up. And thats been the irony of our system.
It is proved that by liberating Industry from clutches of government - out Businesses are now competing with world same way when Education system is freed. Government need to support -poor students either giving them subsidy or Loan but not run the system.