My Notes

‎::: 8 things you can do to counter act the effects of stress :::

2011-09-09T06:58:00.000-07:00

1. Increase dhikr (remembrance of Allah):
“Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction (Qur’an, 13:28).”

2. Increase prayers:
“O you who believe! Seek assistance through patience and prayer; surely, Allah is with the patient (Qur’an, 2:153).”
Regardless of the type of meditation, recent studies have verified the physiological effects of meditation. Most of those mediations consist in focusing on something, repeating some words and breathing (Greenberg, p.142, 143).

3. Perform ablutions: The most important component of relaxation is what Hans Loehr calls “the rituals of success.” These rituals may be as simple as making ablution; yet, they must be performed properly for it is not enough to pass water on the body parts – those parts must be massed.

4. Ask for forgiveness :
Even if a person has not done anything wrong, he must insure the forgiveness of Allah. “Then I said, ‘Ask forgiveness of your Lord; surely, He is the most Forgiving’” (Qur’an, 71:10).

5. Recite the Qur’an: The Prophet (SAW) said,
“… Qur’an is a remedy for illnesses of the mind” (Bukhari).
“The echo of sound has a medical effect and is now widely utilized,” says Dr. Greenberg. “The recitation of or listening to the Qur’an has an effect on the body, the heart and the mind! It is said that the letter Alif echoes to the heart and the letter Ya’ to the pineal gland in the brain.
Dr Ahmed El Kadi of Akber Clinic (Panama City, FL) conducted and published the effects of listening to Qur’anic recitation on physiological parameters ( i.e., the heart, blood pressure, and muscle tension), and reported improvement in all factors, irrespective of whether the listener was a Muslim or a non-Muslim, Arab or non-Arab. Obviously, it can be postulated that those who understand and enjoy the recitation with a belief in it will get maximum benefits,” writes Dr Athar.

6. Make the hereafter one’s main concern: “Whoever has the hereafter as his main concern, Allah will fill his heart with a feeling of richness and independence; he will be focused and feel content, and this world will come to him in spite of it. Whoever has this world as his main concern, Allah will cause him to feel constant fear of poverty; he will be distracted and unfocused, and he will have nothing of this world except what was already predestined for him,” said the Prophet (SAW). One of the greatest causes of stress is money – how to pay the loans, whether one’s job will be lost, what will happen to the family if the father dies, etc.

7. Think positively: Muslims should forget about the bad things of the past and think of good things, always having hope that he can be better. Trying to change the past is a foolish and crazy waste of time, “for saying ‘if only…’opens the way to Shaytan” said the Prophet (SAW). The Prophet (SAW) also said, ” Know that victory (achievement) comes through patience, and that ease comes through hardship.” Muslims understand that there’s no reason for panic in the case of crisis – no reason to be distressed or worried for we know that after hardship come ease!

8. Do not waste time on thoughts of fear or stress: “The search of time is one of the most frequent causes of stress” (Seyle, p.102). Laziness is the mother of all evils, and the Prophet (SAW) used to seek refuge in Allah from it. Understanding that this life is short and time precious, Muslims should try to work hard and pursue worthy knowledge.

Collaboration tools gaining wide acceptance

2011-07-31T13:53:00.000-07:00

Among different editing applications, Google Docs continues to be popular

This edition of NetSpeak revisits a few tools/services that facilitate online collaboration. As discussed in this column earlier, one of the attractions of the Net is the availability of umpteen tools for undertaking collaborative tasks with ease. Tools meant for diverse collaborative tasks such as document co-editing, collaborative brainstorming, conducting audio/video conferencing and so on are in place. Aside the existing ones, many new tools/services continue to emerge.

Due to these collaboration tools, teammates from varied geographical locations can now work together in real-time with ease. Unlike in the past when this kind of collaboration was viewed with a little suspicion, now such applications are embraced without much resistance.

Mind maps

A collaboration technology that is gaining wide acceptance among professionals, academicians and the like is ‘Mind maps'. A mind map is a graphical representation of various tasks/themes centred on a topic. For instance, if one is planning to run a short training programme on a specific subject/theme, he can organise the various training module ideas graphically through a mind map. A mind map starts with a central topic (here the theme of your training programme) and one can insert several topics branching out from the main topic. Each of these topics can be further divided into several sub-topics. With each topic nodes one can attach notes, multimedia content and URLs. A mind map can be considered as a graphical representation of our thought process and it visually depicts the relationships between different concepts/themes. Besides helping individuals organise their thoughts and enhancing memory power, mind maps can accommodate collaborative tasks as well. It could facilitate collaborative ventures such as brainstorming, project planning, planning academic programmes and so on. For creating mind maps, several product alternatives exist. Mindomo (http://www.mindomo.com/ is a good instance of such a product. The service offers tools that help generate maps with a few commands and keep it on-line (example of a simple mind-map created by this author: http://goo.gl/8R0jl). Besides providing the free facility to create mind maps on-line, the service lets one invite his collaborators to enrich the map further. In addition, to help create mind maps off-line, Mindomo offers desktop software too. Another feature-packed mind-map service worth a mention is the free product Mind Meister (http://www.mindmeister.com/). If one is interested in a full-fledged desktop-based MindMap software, he can take a look at the free mind map tool Freeplane, available at: http://freeplane.sourceforge.net/ wiki/ index.php/ Main_Page.

Popular collaboration tools such as Google Docs, Dropbox and the like continue to enthral their users by regularly dishing out new features.

Among the different collaborative editing applications, Google Docs continues to be popular. Of course, this popularity does not make it complacent; rather, to live up to netizens high expectations, the service frequently introduces new features for furthering its collaborative potential. The recently introduced feature ‘Web clipboard‘ is another instance of this trend. This facility allows to store items copied from a ‘Google Docs' document into Google server (http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2010/02/web-clipboard-for-google-docs.html). The entries thus stored get attached to Google account and remain on the server for 30 days. One obvious advantage is that it helps easily transfer content from one Google Docs application to another (for instance from a Spreadsheet to a Document). Also, the content transferred to the web clipboard from one machine can be accessed from other computers too.

Though Web clipboard is useful in copying content across Google Docs applications, it cannot be used to transfer content from applications other than Google Docs. But Google Chrome users can easily circumvent this shortcoming by installing the ‘Web Clipboard' extension (https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/idonmcopbgceobhkdbikbdellmdogkih). Once installed, this extension keeps a web clipboard icon on Chrome's toolbar and it can be used for transferring content across different applications — not just from Google Docs.

Dropbox

Yet another popular service in the collaborative realm is Dropbox, the service that lets user share files/folders with the teammates. But one limitation of Dropbox is that the user can share files/folders only with other Dropbox members. If a Dropbox user wishes to enable some of his collaborators to upload documents to a specific folder in his Dropbox account, the service Dropittome (http://www.dropitto.me/) could come in handy. This Dropbox based service enables a Dropbox user to receive files to his Dropbox account from anyone. Once logged-in with his Dropbox account and connect Dropittome to his Dropbox, the service (Dropittome) provides a password-protected file upload address.

To receive the files from a collaborator, just share this URL and password with the collaborator. The collaborator, on his part, has to simply access this link, enter the password and upload the file. Once the upload process is over, in a few seconds the user will get an email alert with file upload details and find this file in his Dropbox account under the folder ‘Dropittome'. If one is learning how to use a service or tool or a programming language or something similar, it is always helpful to keep a brief note that describes the different commands, syntax and other relevant details of the service/language concerned. Even experienced users/professionals might find such brief notes useful. In the technical parlance such quick reference guides are known as cheat-sheets (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheat_sheet). The Google cheat-sheet, available at: http://www.google.com/help/cheatsheet.html, is an example. If one is looking for cheat sheets for the various Google products, he can take a look at this blog post: http://webdesignledger.com/freebies/11-helpful-cheat-sheets-for-popular-google-products. Services that aggregate cheat sheets of various products and services also exist. ‘Cheat Sheet' (http://www.cheat-sheets.org/), the service that hosts cheat sheets on a variety of topics that include ‘C', C++, Javascript, algebra, math and statistics is worth a try. DevCheatsheet (http://devcheatsheet.com/ ), the site that hosts thousands of cheat sheets — mainly on IT related subjects/services — is yet another worth a visit.

Though the service is being projected as the one meant for developers, it hosts several quick guides — like the Twitter cheat sheet collection (http://devcheatsheet.com/tag/twitter/) — that might be useful for non-programmers as well.

Mind-mapping: expanding boundaries

2011-07-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

This edition of NetSpeak revisits the good old mind map technology and profiles a select set of on-line tools that help us adopt this technology in fresh grounds.

As you are well aware, the process of representing various facets of an idea or topic in a pictorial form is called mind mapping.

A mind map is a graphical representation of several concepts/tasks centred on a main theme or task.

A mind map helps us visualise different components of a project or a theme from a single easily comprehensible diagram — you get a bird's eye view of the project in one shot.

In addition, it lets you view multiple dimensions of your project/task in a non-linear fashion. The mind-map technology is used in diverse fronts such as project planning, exposition of ideas, developing business plan and so on.

The mind map technology is emerging to be yet another means to deliver/share information. In fact, a quick search on the Net will fetch numerous useful mind maps pertaining to the subject of your choice. The mind map, ‘Using the Internet to spice-up your math class' (http://goo.gl/54OY5), is a good example.

This resource-packed mind map features a huge collection of links pertaining to mathematics that include open-courseware, videos, on-line calculators and so on. The mind map ‘population and planet' (http://goo.gl/x9smU) that depicts the chain effects of population growth is yet another instance of a valuable mind map.

The availability of several free mind-mapping tools (http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/j_murali/article963720.ece) has induced the popularity of this concept.

Apart from the tools discussed in the past, several new mind-applications continue to emerge. Mind42 (http://mind42.com/), an easy-to-use, collaborative mind-mapping application is one of such products encountered by NetSpeak in the recent past. The advantage of this application is that you can invite your collaborators and create mind maps with their active help.

Chrome users may find the extension Mind42 (http://goo.gl/xzGcQ) useful, as it helps them access the application directly from the browser.

The free on-line mind-map creation tool Spider Scribe (http://www.spiderscribe.net/) is yet another one of this kind tested by this author. Besides text content, Scribe maps can accommodate a variety of content items that include word documents, images and Google maps. This service also enables collaborative production of mind maps.

Literature on tool

An offshoot of this tilt towards the mind map technology is the development of new tools that incorporate mind-mapping features. The free software SciPlore MindMapping is an apt instance of this trend.

This product, which focuses on the academia, combines mind mapping with reference to management. The advantage of SciPlore lies in its ability to help a researcher manage literature and organise ideas with the help of mind map technology.

If the literature collection is stored in PDF documents the process becomes quite easy and the resulting mind map becomes rather enriched. The SciPlore MindMapping package enables one to create a mind map organising PDF documents quite meticulously. An advantage of this software is that when you link a PDF document to a node of the mind map, it automatically extracts bookmarks contained in the document and displays them as branches emanating from the node.

Another priced feature of this mind-mapping tool is that you can make it monitor a specific folder for files. This means, if you place a file in this folder, the software automatically detects it and displays it in the mind map. Besides PDF documents, the software detects files in formats such as DOC and RTF. And, in the case of PDF files, it automatically imports the bookmarks and make them part of the mind map tree. For details: http://sciplore.org/software /sciplore_ mindmapping/.

Google skills

As mentioned several times in this column, your ability to find information on-line quickly depends (to a large extent) on your skills to use Google. To help a user improve her Google skills, Google offers a slew of resources and applications (like the search puzzle service ‘Google a day', discussed in the past). To help you further sharpen your Google skills and keep up with the latest developments in the Web search realm, Google has started a blog called ‘Inside search' (http://insidesearch.blogspot.com/). It is likely that a regular ride on this blog could make you a better Web searcher.

SlideFinder

To help us find materials in a specific format (say PDF documents), popular search engines offer certain search commands. For instance, if your (Google) search intention is to obtain only PDF documents related to a keyword, you should use the command modifier ‘filetype:' (example: filetype:your-keyword). Yet another way to obtain documents of a certain genre is to enlist the service of a special search service that indexes only such documents. So if you need only PDF documents, look for a PDF search engine such as the PDF database (http://pdfdatabase.com/) mentioned in an earlier column. Now, if you are looking for PowerPoint presentations, a visit to the special service ‘Slide finder' (http://www.slidefinder.net/) might help.

Linux

There are umpteen ways to try Linux, the popular free, open-source operating system (like installing it on a virtual machine software like VirtualBox, discussed in the past — (http://www.hindu.com/biz/2009/09/21/stories/2009092150011300.htm). Now, if you wish to take a shot at Linux without having to install anything, then the on-line application ‘A PC Emulator in Javascript” (http://bellard.org/jslinux/) that runs a version of Linux inside your browser could come in handy. The application offers a clipboard facility that lets you transfer data to/from your machine to the Linux system running inside the browser too.

Should NRIs file income tax returns in India?

2011-07-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

July 31st is the last date for filing your Indian incometax returns for the financial year 2010-2011. If you are a Non Resident Indian (NRI) and are looking at the best way to file your tax returns, here is a quick guide on various options, including e-filing. This guide will also help you understand if you need to file a return in the first place.

( For Full coverage on what's buzzing in the NRI community click on our special coverage on NRIs )

Who should file returns?

If you are an NRI, you would have to file yourincome tax returns for 2010-2011 if you fulfill either of these conditions:

> Your taxable income in India during the year 2010-2011 was above the basic exemption limit of Rs 1.6 lakh OR

> You have earned short-term or long-term capital gains from sale of any investments or assets, even if the gains are less than the basic exemption limit.

Note: The enhanced exemption limit for senior citizens and women is applicable only to residents and not to non-residents.

Are there any exceptions?

Yes, there are two exceptions:

> If your taxable income consisted only of investment income (interest) and/or capital gains income and if tax has been deducted at source from such income, you do not have to file your tax returns.

> If you earned long term capital gains from the sale of equity shares or equity mutual funds, you do not have to pay any tax and therefore you do not have to include that in your tax return

Tip: You may also file a tax return if you have to claim a refund. This may happen where the tax deducted at source is more than the actual tax liability. Suppose your taxable income for the year was below Rs 1.6 lakh but the bank deducted tax at source on your interest amount, you can claim a refund by filing your tax return.

Another instance is when you have a capital loss that can be set-off against capital gains. Tax may have been deducted at source on the capital gains, but you can set-off (or carry forward) capital loss against the gain and lower your actual tax liability. In such cases, you would need to file a tax return.

By when to file returns?

The last date to file returns for the financial year 2010-2011 is July 31st 2011. However, remember the following:

> If you do not have any tax payable (that is all your tax has been deducted at source), you can still file your tax return by 31st March 2012 without any penalties

> If you do have tax payable, you can still file your returns by 31st March 2012 but you will be charged an interest of 1% per month for every month of delay starting from 31st July 2011 till the time you file your tax returns

> If you do not file your tax returns even by the 31st of March 2010, you may be charged a penalty of Rs 5,000 for every year of delay.

What's the best way to file returns?

Traditionally, you could file your return either by giving a power of attorney to someone in India or by sending your form and documents to a tax expert in India who would then file returns on your behalf.

But nowadays, the easiest option for NRIs to file their Indian tax returns is by using the online platform. There are several options to file online.

Option 1: Income tax website

The income tax website allows you to efile your return. But the process maybe a bit cumbersome. You would need to download a software, fill in your details and upload an XML file. You would then need to print and send a copy of the acknowledgement (known as ITR-V) to the tax office in Bangalore within 30 days. You can do this for free.
Option 2: End-to-end online

Some online service providers offer a more user friendly experience, for a fee of course.

Taxsmile.com for instance has preferred partners in various countries including US, UK and Australia. Explains Bala Balaguru, President of Athreya Inc, taxsmile.com's preferred partner for North America, "For a fee of USD 69, an individual tax payer will be able to file his tax return completely online. This fee includes a digital signature of 1 year validity. You would need to send a notarized copy of your address proof and photo ID to Athreya's office and we will create your account within 3 days. "

( For Full coverage on what's buzzing in the NRI community click on our special coverage on NRIs )

In addition to Income tax return preparation, the package also allows you to resolve up to 10 tax related queries as well as get the prepared return reviewed by taxsmile's tax professionals. Athreya also offers a package without the digital signature in which case you would need to sign the ITR-V and courier it to the income tax office in Bangalore. This package however does not come with any support from tax professionals.

Another website elagaan.com also offers a similar service for NRIs. Says Naveen Kumar, Co-founder of elagaan.com, "Elagaan.com offers an end to end solution with digital signature being optional. If you choose not to take the digital signature, you would need to send a signed copy of the ITR-V to our office and elagaan would send it to the income tax office in Bangalore. Here we suggest our users to send 3-4 copies of their signed ITR-V, so that if a copy gets missed/ lost in the process, elagaan sends another copy without any additional charges."

Elagaan.com offers services across 38 countries but has physical offices in the US and India only. It charges Rs 749 for filing your returns without a digital signature. If you want to opt for the digital signature, it comes with a price tag of Rs 899 for a year's validity.

Option 3: Combination of online and offline

Several websites offer a mix of online and offline service and each works differently. Taxyogi.com has such an offering that NRIs could use. After entering your income details, the website generates an XML format of your return. You would then have to upload the XML form into the Income Tax website and complete the process there. You would need to print the ITR-V, sign it and send it to the Income Tax Department in Bangalore. This is a free version.

Taxspanner.com also offers a 'Foreign Income solution' package. Priced at Rs 1999, the return is prepared on the basis of information and documents provided by the user. This package includes consultation to a limited extent. In case of websites like taxmunshi.com, you would have to scan and email your documents to them.

They would file the return on your behalf. Once the return is filed, the ITR-V will be emailed to you. You would need to print a copy, sign it and send it to the office of taxmunshi.com and they would send it to the income tax office in Bangalore. The website charges US based NRIs around Rs 799 for a simple income tax return.

In all these cases, the user is required to specify the preferred mode of Refund ie ECS or cheque. In case of ECS, the user needs to provide the MICR code of Bank Branch where the account is held.

Remember that whatever option you choose, you must have a Permanent Account Number (PAN) in order to file your returns. Once you have it, pick from the above options the one most suitable to your needs, but do it fast. It's only a few days to the 31st July deadline.

(The author is a chartered accountant and a finance writer. She also blogs at http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/moneyhappyreturns/ .)

Important websites

2011-05-01T20:20:00.001-07:00

http://download.openoffice.org

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

To download Thousands of FREE E-books
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/scores/

The Best FREE Dictionary of the World.
http://wordweb.info/free/

Guinness World Records :
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/

World's largest Internet Movie Database :
http://www.imdb.com/

http://www.slate.com/ - good news, interesting points of view and lively discussion boards with the readers

http://iht.com/ - the international herald tribune gives a nice world perspective on the news and often has information that's hard to get in the united states.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/ - this website offers access to three radio stations in one - news, classical music, and indie/college style radio.

http://www.newsoftheweird.com/ - the news of the weird gives you the bizarre and odd happenings around the world. plus it makes me feel like my life isn't that chaotic compared to what it could be.

http://www.kidsjellybean.com

wikipedia
answers.com
oldversion.com
java.sun.com
oracle.com
support.microsoft.com
computerhope.com
felgall.com
indiadefence.com
authoryellowpages.com
http:\\history-world.org\mainmenu.htm
howstuffworks
codeproject
sourceforge.net
earlychristianwritings.com
netdoctor.co.uk
xfacts.com
cooks.com
encarta.msn.com
askoxford.com
Bigdaddysteens.com
bnbabes.com
literotica.com
exhibitionistpost.com
starcelebs.com
brainbashers.com
IMDB.com
dosgames.com
download3000.com
mohankumars.com
yahoo music
lyricsondemand.com
worldatlas.com

http://www.instantfundas.com

http://www.grouphug.us
A site where anonymous confessions are posted.

http://www.overheardinnewyork.com
Users submit amusing tidbits of what they've overheard in NYC.

http://www.postsecret.blogspot.com
Kind of similar to grouphug, real people submit postcards with a secret on it. Updated every Sunday.

http://www.theonion.com
Satirical newspaper.

Trading with Fibonacci

2011-04-24T01:16:00.001-07:00

 Lokeshwarri S.K.

We had skimmed through fractals in stock market in the last trader's corner. The logical extension of this discussion is to look at the recurrence of Fibonacci numbers and ratios in nature and in stock markets and how traders can utilise these numbers in their day to day trading. Leonardo Fibonacci, the Italian mathematician popularised the number sequence called the Fibonacci series through his book Liber Abaci published in the 13{+t}{+h} century. In this book he used the example of sequence in which rabbits multiply to arrive at the series: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144…… Each successive number in this series is the sum of two preceding numbers. If we divide one number in the series by the number to the right of it, we get the ratio 0.618. If a number is divided by the number to its left, we get 1.618. A lot has been written about the significance of the golden ratio (1.618) and its recurrence in nature; in the spiral of galaxies, sea shells, sub-divisions of the human body and so on. Nature seems to have a preference for the numbers in the Fibonacci series and they are seen in patterns in sunflower seeds, pine cones, petals in flowers, branches in a tree and so on. It should therefore not surprise a market observer that these numbers are useful in forecasting turning points in stock market as well. Why is that so? As explained before, human emotions are what drive stock markets. Since humans are part of nature, it follows that stock price movements too follow laws of nature. The most common method in which the Fibonacci numbers are used in trading stocks is through Fibonacci retracement. In the Fibonacci number series, if we divide a number by another number, two places away, we get the ratio 0.382 and by dividing by the number that is three places away, we derive the ratio 0.236. The farther we move up the series, the closer the relationship gets to these ratios. The Fibonacci retracement levels are based on these ratios, 0.236, 0.382, 0.618. ?0.55 is added in between, perhaps because 55 is a Fibonacci number and the half-way mark is always a significant support or resistance. Once a security completes one leg of a move upward, the retracement supports for the correction that follows is calculated by deducting the product of the magnitude of the up-move and the various Fibonacci ratios and deducting these numbers from the most recent peak. In a down-move the product of the ratios and the distance travelled is added to the most recent trough to arrive at the levels where the security is likely to face resistance. These retracement levels are equally effective along all time-frames: intra-day, daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly. The frequency with which stocks take support or reverse lower from the Fibonacci retracement levels is truly awe-inspiring and can convert most traders to ardent followers of these levels.

പ്രഥമ ദര്‍ശനം ...മലയാളം കവിത..

2011-04-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnOsfQB5NPg&feature=feedwll

കാലത്തിനൊത്ത് കോലം മാറണം.. കൊലതിനോത്ത് ജീവിക്കണം ... ജീവിക്കാന്‍ ഇത്തിരി ബുദ്ധി വേണം ...

പ്രഥമ ദര്‍ശനം ...

നിന്‍റെ തുളുമ്പുന്ന യവ്വനം കണ്ടു ഞാന്‍ ഇന്നലെ ഉറങ്ങിയില്ല എന്നോമലേ.. (2)

ആദ്യത്തെ വര്‍ഷം ആണല്ലേ...(2)

ഈ college ല്‍ ആദ്യമാണ് അല്ലേ...

പോകുന്ന വഴികളില്‍ പരിമളം വീശുന്ന foreign ന്‍റെ മന്നമോന്നു വേറെ തന്നെ..

അച്ഛന്‍ gulf ലാനല്ലേ..(2)

നിന്‍റെ ലക്ഷണം കണ്ടു ഞാന്‍ ഊഹിച്ചതാ...

മിന്നുന്ന velvet നുള്ളിലെ കരളൊന്നു കാണുവാന്‍ ആശയുണ്ട് ഏറെ മോളെ..

ഇരു ചക്ര ശകടമുണ്ട് അല്ലേ..നിന്‍റെ അന്ത നട കണ്ടു ഞാന്‍ ഊഹിച്ചതാ...

സുന്ദരി ..നിന്‍റെയി പാതുകത്തിന്‍ പുറം പോത്തിന്‍ കുളമ്പ് പോലെ എന്തിങ്ങനെ..

തെന്നി വീഴുമ്പോള്‍ പിടിക്കുവാന്‍ ഞാനൊരു തെന്നലായ് നിന്‍ കൂടെ വന്നിടട്ടെ....

സിനിമ പരസ്യം ഒട്ടിക്കുവനോ പുറം വലുതായി തുറന്നിട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു നീ...

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22 Secrets HR Won’t Tell You About Getting a Job

2011-03-22T08:20:00.001-07:00

What You Should Know About Résumés

1. “Once you’re unemployed more than six months, you’re considered pretty much unemployable. We assume that other people have already passed you over, so we don’t want anything to do with you.” –Cynthia Shapiro, former human resources executive and author of Corporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn’t Want You to Know

2. “When it comes to getting a job, who you know really does matter. No matter how nice your résumé is or how great your experience may be, it’s all about connections.” –HR director at a health-care facility

3. “If you’re trying to get a job at a specific company, often the best thing to do is to avoid HR entirely. Find someone at the company you know, or go straight to the hiring manager.” –Shauna Moerke, an HR administrator in Alabama who blogs at hrminion.com

4. “People assume someone’s reading their cover letter. I haven’t read one in 11 years.” –HR director at a financial services firm

5. “We will judge you based on your e-mail address. Especially if it’s something inappropriate like kinkyboots101@hotmail.com or johnnylikestodrink@gmail.com.” –Rich DeMatteo, a recruiting consultant in Philadelphia

6. “If you’re in your 50s or 60s, don’t put the year you graduated on your résumé.” –HR professional at a midsize firm in North Carolina

PLUS: 13 Things Your Car Mechanic Won't Tell You

7. “There’s a myth out there that a résumé has to be one page. So people send their résumé in a two-point font. Nobody is going to read that.” –HR director at a financial services firm

8. “I always read résumés from the bottom up. And I have no problem with a two-page résumé, but three pages is pushing it.” –Sharlyn Lauby, HR consultant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

9. “Most of us use applicant-tracking systems that scan résumés for key words. The secret to getting your résumé through the system is to pull key words directly from the job description and put them on. The more matches you have, the more likely your résumé will get picked and actually seen by a real person.” –Chris Ferdinandi, HR professional in the Boston area

10. “Résumés don’t need color to stand out. When I see a little color, I smirk. And when I see a ton of color, I cringe. And walking in and dropping off your resume is no longer seen as a good thing. It’s actually a little creepy.” –Rich DeMatteo

PLUS: 13 Things Your Financial Adviser Won't Tell You

Secrets About the Interview

11. “It’s amazing when people come in for an interview and say, ‘Can you tell me about your business?’ Seriously, people. There’s an Internet. Look it up.” –HR professional in New York City

12. “A lot of managers don’t want to hire people with young kids, and they use all sorts of tricks to find that out, illegally. One woman kept a picture of two really cute children on her desk even though she didn’t have children [hoping job candidates would ask about them]. Another guy used to walk people out to their car to see whether they had car seats.” –Cynthia Shapiro, former human resources executive and author ofCorporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn’t Want You to Know

13. “Is it harder to get the job if you’re fat? Absolutely. Like George Clooney’s character said in Up in the Air, ‘I stereotype. It’s faster.’” –Suzanne Lucas, a former HR executive and the Evil HR Lady on bnet.com

14. “I once had a hiring manager who refused to hire someone because the job required her to be on call one weekend a month and she had talked in the interview about how much she goes to church. Another candidate didn’t get hired because the manager was worried that the car he drove wasn’t nice enough.” –HR professionalat a midsize firm in North Carolina

PLUS: 13 Things Your Tax Accountant Won't Tell You

15. “Don’t just silence your phone for the interview. Turn it all the way off.” –Sharlyn Lauby, HR consultant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

16. “If you’ve got a weak handshake, I make a note of it.” –HR manager at a medical-equipment sales firm

17. “If you’re a candidate and the hiring manager spends 45 minutes talking about himself, the company or his Harley, let him. He’s going to come out of the interview saying you’re a great candidate.” –Kris Dunn, chief human resources officer at Atlanta-based Kinetix, who blogs at hrcapitalist.com

Plus: 10 More Secrets About the Interview

Things to Know About Salary Negotiation

18. “There’s one website that drives all HR people crazy: salary.com. It supposedly lists average salaries for different industries, but if you look up any job, the salary it gives you always seems to be $10,000 to $20,000 higher than it actually is. That just makes people mad.” –HR director at a public relations agency

19. “On salary, some companies try to lock you in early. At the first interview, they’ll tell me to say, ‘The budget for this position is 40K to 45K. Is that acceptable to you?’ If the candidate accepts, they’ll know they’ve got him or her stuck in that little area.” –Ben Eubanks, HR professional in Alabama

20. “You think you’re all wonderful and deserve a higher salary, but here in HR, we know the truth. And the truth is, a lot of you aren’t very good at your jobs, and you’re definitely not as good as you think you are.” –HR professional at a midsize firm in North Carolina

21. “Be careful if a headhunter is negotiating for you. You may want extra time off and be willing to sacrifice salary, but he is negotiating hardest for what hits his commission.” –HR professional in New York City

22. “I once hired someone, and her mother didn’t think the salary we were offering was high enough, so she called me to negotiate. There are two problems with that: 1) I can’t negotiate with someone who’s not you. 2) It’s your mother. Seriously, I was like, ‘Did that woman’s mother just call me, or was that my imagination?’ I immediately withdrew the offer.” –HR professional in New York City

Do I need to pay tax in India again on the salary received by me in the US? Will I get any credit for the taxes deducted in the US on my salary?

2011-01-01T21:22:00.000-08:00

was deputed to the US by my employer in June 2010. From June I got two components in my salary — one being my Indian salary and the other being an allowance in the US. My Indian salary was converted into dollars and was credited to my account in the US. No tax was deducted at source on my Indian salary from June. However tax was deducted on the Indian salary in the US. I have come back to India in December 2010 after seven months. What would be my tax implications? Do I need to pay tax in India again on the salary received by me in the US? Will I get any credit for the taxes deducted in the US on my salary? — Ramesh

Section 6 of the Income-Tax Act provides for determining the residential status in the following manner: An individual is resident in India if he satisfies any one of the following conditions: He is in India for 182 days or more in the previous year; He is in India for 60 days (182 days if he leaves India to take up employment outside India if he is a citizen of India or being outside India comes to India on visit if he is a citizen of India or a person of Indian origin) or more in the previous year and for 365 days or more in the four years preceding the previous year. He is resident but not ordinarily resident if he satisfies any of the following conditions: He is non resident in 9 out of the 10 years preceding the previous year; or he is in India for 729 days or less in the 7 years preceding the previous year If an individual is resident but is not resident but not ordinarily resident, then he would be resident and ordinarily resident. An individual who is not a resident would be a non-resident. You will, therefore, have to first examine your residential status on this basis. In your case it appears that you have not gone out of India for the purpose of employment but only in connection with your employment — on a tour. This being so, as you have been in India for a period exceeding 60 days in the previous year and going on the premise that you have been in India for a period exceeding 365 days in the four years preceding the previous year, your income earned in US will also be taxable in India. You may, however, claim credit in India for the tax paid in the US in accordance with Article 25 of the double taxation avoidance agreement between India and the US.

Wealthiest Persons in Los Angeles County, 2006

2010-11-13T10:35:00.001-08:00

Name	Net Worth	Age	Residence	Source of Wealth
Kerkorian, Kirk	$9.0 billion	89	Los Angeles	Investments/Casinos
Redstone, Sumner M	$7.5 billion	83	Beverly Hills	Viacom
Broad, Eli	$5.8 billion	73	Los Angeles	Investments
Geffen, David	$4.6 billion	63	Malibu	Movies/Music
Murdock, David Howard	$4.2 billion	83	Los Angeles	Investments
Hughes, Bradley Wayne	$4.1 billion	73	Malibu	Public Storage
Soon-Shiong, Patrick	$3.4 billion	54	Los Angeles	Generic Drugs
Udvar-Hazy, Steven	$3.1 billion	60	Beverly Hills	International Lease/Finance
Perenchio, A Jerrold	$3.0 billion	75	Bel Air	Univision
Spielberg, Steven Allen	$2.9 billion	59	Pacific Palisades	Movies
Saban, Haim	$2.8 billion	61	Beverly Hills	Television
Burkle, Ronald	$2.5 billion	53	Los Angeles	Supermarkets/Investments
Mann, Alfred	$2.2 billion	80	Los Angeles	Inventor/Entrepreneur
Milken, Michael Robert	$2.1 billion	60	Los Angeles	Investments
Gores, Tom T	$2.0 billion	42	Beverly Hills	Leveraged Buyouts
Hearst Jr, David Whitmire	$2.0 billion	61	Los Angeles	Hearst Corp
Hearst Jr, George Randolph	$2.0 billion	79	Los Angeles	Hearst Corp
Pritzker, Anthony	$2.0 billion	45	Los Angeles	Hotels/Investments
Anderson, John Edward	$1.9 billion	89	Bel Air	Investments
Booth Jr, Franklin Otis	$1.9 billion	83	Los Angeles	Berkshire Hathaway
Roski Jr, Edward P	$1.8 billion	67	Los Angeles	Real Estate
Gonda, Louis L	$1.6 billion	58	Beverly Hills	International Lease/Finance
Munger, Charles T	$1.6 billion	82	Los Angeles	Berkshire Hathaway
Casden, Alan I	$1.5 billion	60	Beverly Hills	Real Estate
Michelson, Gary Karlin	$1.4 billion	57	Los Angeles	Medical Patents
Gonda, Leslie L	$1.3 billion	86	Beverly Hills	International Lease/Finance
Day, Robert Addison	$1.3 billion	62	Los Angeles	Money Management
Gores, Alec	$1.2 billion	53	Beverly Hills	Leveraged Buyouts
Disney, Roy Edward	$1.2 billion	76	Los Angeles	Walt Disney
Lovelace Jr, Jonathan & Family	$1.1 billion	79	Los Angeles	Mutual Funds
Hilton, William Barron	$1.0 billion	78	Los Angeles	Hotels/Casinos
Joseph, George	$1.0 billion	85	Los Angeles	Insurance

Risk Analyser

2010-11-05T23:48:00.000-07:00

On the basis of the answers to the Risk questionnaire, the Risk Analyzer has determined Mohasin Ibrahim's risk profile as under:

Risk Capacity

Your risk taking capacity is high. It means that since you are young and/or have a high level of earnings and wealth, you can withstand losses on risky investments with negligible effect on your current status. Therefore you have the capacity to take high risks on your investments for equally high returns or losses.

Risk Behaviour

Your risk behaviour is Aggressive. It shows that by nature you are a risk taker. You want to assume high risks in anticipation of equally high returns and at the same time you are not too bothered about the downside of high risk investments.

Your Overall Risk Profile

On the basis of your Risk Capacity and Risk Behaviour, the Analyzer has determined your overall risk profile as Aggressive (High Risk)

Aggressive overall rating indicates that you have the appetite for high risk investments. Therefore, your portfolio should be skewed towards high risk investments with a possibility to generate returns that are proportionate to the risk assumed. Our planner has suggested a portfolio that should match your profile.

2010-10-20T19:43:00.001-07:00

The three legs of balancing Life and Work

first leg is dedicated to work and learning, another to health and hobbies, and the last to family and community.

2010-03-15T07:57:00.001-07:00

"The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are."

-John Burroughs

NEED IS TO CREATE A MARKET, NOT ADDRESS ONE: SOM MITTAL

2010-01-24T18:39:00.001-08:00

With the economic downturn having "kind of ebbed" new opportunities are making it necessary for companies to create a market need and not address it, NASSCOM President Som Mittal said here today.

"New dynamics are driving us. The dialogue now is about transformation and creating new business models. The companies are not going to be led by recovery but what will make recovery happen", he said in his opening note at the two-day NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies) Product Conclave and Expo 2009 here today.

Bullish about opportunities in India, Mittal, who is the President and CEO of Digital Globalsoft Ltd, said the meltdown is seeing demographic shifts taking place.

"People would come to India because they need to leverage talent wherever it is available. By 2025, the Asia Pacific economies will cross that of Europe," he said.

Mittal also envisaged unchartered growth in "virgin areas" like climate change and health care.

Exhorting software firms to "do something revolutionary and start selling it", Garage Technology Ventures MD Guy Kawasaki said it was now time to be innovative when one did not have to pay for one's tools, marketing or even infrastructure.

He also asked software firms to embrace Twitter as a marketing plan, describing it as "not just a social networking mechanism but a great tool to push out important information"

IT INDUSTRY HAS OPPORTUNITIES BEYOND US AND DOLLARS

2010-01-24T18:32:00.000-08:00

After the Indian IT sector was chastised by the blows of recession after experiencing a dream growth run for over seven years, the time has come for it to identify new geographies and new processes, and develop new capabilities to deliver solutions.

Ganesh Natarajan, managing director of Zensar Technologies and former chairman of software sector mouthpiece Nasscom said that the industry, in its first avatar, was helped by fortuitous events like Y2K and the dotcom boom. But after 2001 the industry has reached an inflection point where it requires deliberate strategy towards market services and geographies to meet the goal of reaching the $200-billion size by 2020.

In the post-recession year, Natarajan said, major changes in the approach of players in the Indian IT sector as well as those who support this sector — like the venture capital providers or private equity investors — will be necessary to take India to the next level.

Natarajan added that software product development, however crucial, has not caught pace in India because of a variety of reasons, including the temptation to make quick money by jumping onto the services bandwagon. “Also required will be venture capitalists who will support not just product development, but also pump the amount of money that it takes to market the product,” he said.

While the United States will take a little longer to come back on track, there are great opportunities in markets such as East Asia and the African continent, Natarajan said. “Opportunities can come from completely new user segments such as senior citizens,” he said, elaborating that solutions in the micro-finance area or specifically crafted financial services for the elderly population can be major drivers.

2010-01-24T18:24:00.000-08:00

"One step - choosing a goal and sticking to it - changes everything."

by Scott Reedlure

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." by Colin Powell

" They are never alone that are accompanied with noble thoughts " by Sir Philip Sidney

" If you think you can win, you can win. Faith is necessary to victory " by William Hazlitt

" The most powerful factors in the world are clear ideas in the minds of energetic men of good will "
by J. Arthur Thomson

""Success is the problem, but failure is the formula. We cant solve the problem without knowing the formula" by Swami Vivekanand

"Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out."
by Stephen Covey

COBOL- 'GOING STRONG'

2010-01-24T18:22:00.001-08:00

Travelling backwards more than fifty years in computing is perhaps as stretched as rewinding by as many centuries in travel or commerce, politics or cuisine; but that's what happened when I met Ashish Masand a few weeks ago. For, we were discussing COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language), one of the oldest programming languages.

A specification of COBOL was initially created during the second half of 1959 by Grace Hopper. The scene was set on April 8 at a meeting of computer manufacturers, users, and university people at the University of Pennsylvania Computing Center, informs a Wikipedia page.

Is COBOL still alive and around? I ask Masand, Country General Manager of Micro Focus India (www.microfocus.com), a company that offers COBOL compiler technology combined with a choice of development environments to provide the best fit for mainframe, Windows, .NET and UNIX/ Linux applications.'

COBOL came into being 50 years ago, on May 28, 1959, at a meeting of the Short Range Committee at the Pentagon, he narrates, over a lunch-hour interaction. Since then, the language has passed the tests of time and emerged victorious, supporting over 30 million transactions per day. It has evolved from being just a mainframe language to being the core of every business.

At the time of writing this, I check Google News for 'COBOL' and what appears first among 99 results is a Computerworld story about the Smithsonian Museum's plan to launch, next summer, a new exhibit that focuses on the ancient' language. And GCN.com has a post about the Social Security agency upgrading its systems environment, which contains aging software that includes 36 million lines of COBOL code.

You may nearly fall off your chair hearing some of the numbers that Masand mentions, such as that an estimated 75 percent of the world's business data is still processed in COBOL and that about 90 percent of all financial transactions are in COBOL. Our conversation continues over e-mail.

Excerpts from the interview.

What have been the factors behind the endurance of COBOL, over the last several decades?

There are several characteristics that have contributed to COBOL's success for the past several decades. COBOL applications have a long life as they simply cannot be discarded when some new programming language or technology appears. They are used globally in military and government agencies.

One of the design goals for COBOL was to make it possible for non-programmers, such as supervisors and managers, to read and understand the COBOL code. COBOL is a very simple language with no pointers and no user-defined functions. It is well suited to its targeted problem domain of business computing and contains English-like structural elements such as verbs, clauses, sentences, etc, and it is self-documenting.

Can you talk about the capabilities that have been infused into COBOL in recent times?

COBOL has presence in a variety of segments to address diverse users, OO (object-oriented) COBOL being the preferred option amongst the new generation of developers. COBOL is fully integrated into the .NET framework in the same manner as C#.

For Windows developers, a full development and test environment is available within Visual Studio 2008 and for Linux developers ,a fully integrated Eclipse Cobol development IDE is available.

The ability to extend and modernise COBOL applications into SOA and Web-enabled frameworks and portals whilst using the COBOL language for the extensions brings some interesting opportunities.

In today's environment, COBOL has a greater heterogeneous ability than any other single programming language; so, in short, COBOL is a better fit for most domains, platforms, applications than the flavour of the month' IT (information technology) paradigms.

2010-01-24T11:46:00.002-08:00

" Three sentences for getting success: Know more than other, Work more than other, Expect less than other " by Willaim Shakespeare

" Never break four things in our life- Trust, Relation, Promise & Heart because when they break, they don't make noise but pains a lot ? " by Charles Dickens

" In a day, when you don't come across any problems, you can be sure that you are travelling in a wrong path " by Swamy Vivekananda

" If you judge people, you have no time to love them " by Mother Teresa

CATAMARAN WILL HAVE VARIED PORTFOLIO

2010-01-24T11:46:00.001-08:00

Chief mentor of Infosys Technologies Ltd, N.R. Narayana Murthy, said on Monday that his venture capital fund would have a wide portfolio and not focus on any particular sector.

Murthy has formed a Rs 600 crore venture capital fund called Catamaran Investment Pvt. Ltd to help incubate start-ups in the country.

“We will have a wide portfolio for both horizontal and vertical opportunities. By vertical, I mean we will be doing angel investing, early-stage investment, mezzanine-stage, late-stage investment. By horizontal, I mean any sector of economy,” Murthy said.

He has put in Rs174.30 crore in the venture capital fund by offloading a 0.13% stake in Infosys while his wife Sudha Murty had sold two million shares of her Infosys holding to raise around Rs430 crore.

Murthy said that he was in touch with a lot of entrepreneurs and many of them have sent their proposals. “We are waiting for our office and by 15 March we will be more active,” he said.

“We will be evaluating ideas, viability of business plan, scalability of business, leadership capability of entrepreneurs and market readiness and then will encourage the companies,” he said.

The Infosys co-founder said that investments in start-ups would depend on various factors. “There is no specific sum we will be putting in... It depends on idea, their funding requirement, at what stage a start-up company is coming, valuation, our need for balancing portfolio and need for mitigating risk,” Murthy said. He said that start-ups in the information technology (IT) sector should focus on niche segments and come out with unusual ideas.

“The way any new start-up in the IT sector can succeed is by focusing on niche areas, small verticals and doing certain unusual things that big companies are not doing,” Murthy said.

“Today, there are many companies in vanilla IT services area that have huge cash and built big brands, and it is not easy for small companies to become another vanilla IT services company,” he said.

Niche sectors could be specializing in retail, pharma, small and medium enterprises and providing mobile solutions, among others, he said. The idea of the start-ups has to be much more specialized than the bigger companies, he said

2010-01-24T11:37:00.002-08:00

"He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger." --Confucius

"Good things happen when you get your priorities straight." -- Scott Caan

" The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions "
by Alfred Lord Tennyson

" Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again " by
Franklin P. Jones

IT COMPANIES VIE FOR $7 BILLION NUKE POWER DEALS

2010-01-24T11:37:00.001-08:00

With India planning to raise its share of nuclear power generation from the current level of 4% of its total power generation to 9% in the next 25 years, technology companies have started the rat race to grab key engineering contracts. Contracts worth about $3-$7 billion are expected to open up in the next two decades. Tech companies, such as TCS, Satyam, QuEST Global and Cranes Software, have evinced interest in bidding for these contracts.

India is emerging as a major player in the global race to build nuclear power plants and there are plans to create an additional 15-17 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear power. Experts said that it could cost anywhere between $2 billion and $4 billion to design and build a nuclear power station, which can generate 1 GW of power.

However, the cost will vary based on the technology of the nuclear plant, the power of the reactor and the location of the plant. According to industry experts, at an average rate of $30 per hour, this translates into a requirement of 90 million to 226 million engineering hours in India. There are already a few requests for proposal and information (RFPs/RFIs) contracts that have been floated in India by some nuclear research organisations and by US and European companies which are looking for engineering partners in India.

“The engineering content would constitute about 9-10% of the total cost of designing and building a nuclear power plant,” said Bejoy George, chief marketing officer at engineering outsourcing firm QuEST Global. The engineering work involved includes making turbine generators, mechanical, civil structures, instrumentation, laying pipes and cables and will be mainly in the design of the nuclear power plant, according to BVR Mohan Reddy, chairman of Infotech Enterprises. “By 2020, 44% of India’s energy needs will be met by nuclear plants,” he said.

“About 75% of the work is in the non-nuclear engineering segment, where Indian companies can play a role, while 25% is the core nuclear engineering area, where there is a less role to play,” said Reddy.

There will not be much engineering work relating to the nuclear reactor itself, as this technology is owned and closely guarded by the nuclear technology owning companies in the US, France, Japan and Russia that will bring their technology to India.

Indian tech companies have had sufficient exposure to the nuclear power generation segment. Many Indian companies were shortlisted for a contract worth a few crores floated by the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) to build a small nuclear reactor for scientific research, according to people familiar with the situation. “Cranes Software had reached the final stages of discussion and may have bagged the contract,” said a person familiar with the development.

QuEST Global is already in talks with players in the US, Europe and Japan in the nuclear industry to offer engineering services. It foresees that its Indian engineers will work mainly for Indian nuclear projects, while engineers, who are based in other countries, can work for nuclear projects of that particular country. “We have submitted a few proposals, and are awaiting the final decision,” George of QuEST said, but denied to reveal any names citing confidentiality agreements

FREE VIDEO-EDITING SOFTWARE

2010-01-24T10:08:00.001-08:00

It comes pre-installed on PCs running with Windows XP and Vista. Movie Maker offers many video filters, special effects and titles, and allows you to edit videos, photos and audio. Perfect for beginners.

It’s the Mac equivalent of Windows Movie Maker. Its latest version, iMovie 09, has drag-and-drop editing, a precision editing feature (which makes it easier than ever to get exact frame edits) and extras such as image stabilization, dynamic themes, transitions and effects.

Openmovieeditor.org emphasizes ease of use. Comparable with both Movie Maker and iMovie, it includes features such as audio annotations, which let you make some parts of the audio quieter than others, and the ability to mute the original track at a click.

If you’re shooting video primarily to share with friends online and have a speedy broadband connection, this online video editing suite (www.jaycut.com) may be just the thing for you.

NRI / PIO Law on Property in India

2010-01-12T16:35:00.001-08:00

Q) Do non-resident Indian citizens require permission of Reserve to acquire residential/commercial properly in India?

A) No.

Q) Do foreign citizens of Indian origin require permission of Reserve Bank to purchase immovable property in India for their residential use?

A) Yes. However, Reserve Bank has granted general permission to foreign citizens of Indian origin, whether resident in India or abroad, to purchase immovable property in India for their bona fide residential purpose. They are, therefore, not required to obtain separate permission of Reserve Bank.

Q) In what manner the purchase consideration for the residential immovable property should be paid by foreign citizens of Indian origin under the general permission?

A) The purchase consideration should be met either out of inward remittances in foreign exchange through normal banking channels or out of funds from NTE/FCNR accounts maintained with banks in India.

Q) What are the formalities required to be completed by foreign citizens of Indian origin for purchasing residential immovable property in India under the general permission.?

A) They are required to file a declaration in form IPI 7 with the Central Office of Reserve Bank at Mumbai within a period of 90 days from the date of purchase of immovable property or final payment of purchase consideration along with a certified copy of the document evidencing the transaction and bank certificate regarding the consideration paid.

Q) Can such property be sold without the permission of Reserve Bank?

A) Yes. Reserve Bank has granted general permission for sale of such property. However, where the property is purchased by another foreign citizen of Indian origin, funds towards the purchase consideration should either be remitted to India or paid out of balances in NRE/FCNR accounts.

Q) Can sale proceeds of such property if and when sold be remitted out of India?

A) In respect of residential properties purchased on or after 26th May,1993, Reserve Bank considers applications for repatriation of sale proceeds up to the consideration amount remitted in foreign exchange for the acquisition of the property for two such properties. The balance amount of sale proceeds if any or sale proceeds in respect of properties purchased prior to 26th May, 1993, will have to be credited to the ordinary non-resident rupee account of the owner of the property.

Q) Are any conditions required to be fulfilled if repatriation of sale proceeds is desired?

A) Applications for repatriation of sale proceeds are considered provided the sale takes place after three years from the date of final purchase deed or from the date of payment of final installment of consideration amount, whichever is later.

Q) What is the procedure for seeking such repatriation?

A) Applications for necessary permission for remittance of sale proceeds should be made in form IPI 8 to the Central Office of Reserve Bank at Mumbai within 90 days of the sale of the property.

Q) Can foreign citizens of Indian origin acquire or dispose of residential property by way of gift?

A) Yes. Reserve Bank has granted general permission to foreign citizens of Indian origin to acquire or dispose of properties up to two houses by way of gift from or to a relative who may be an Indian citizen or a person of Indian origin whether resident in India or not,provided gift tax has been paid.

Q) Can foreign citizens of Indian origin acquire commercial properties in India?

A) Yes. Under the general permission granted by Reserve Bank properties other than agricultural land/farm house/plantation property can be acquired by foreign citizens of Indian origin provided the purchase consideration is met either out of inward remittances in foreign exchange through normal banking channels or out of funds from the purchasers' NRE/FCNR accounts maintained with banks in India and a declaration is submitted to the Central Office of Reserve Bank in form IPI 7 within a period of 90 days from the date of purchase of the property/final payment of purchase consideration.

Q) Can they dispose of such properties?
A) Yes.

Q) Can sale proceeds of such property be remitted out of India?

A) Yes. Repatriation of original investment in respect of properties purchased by foreign citizens of Indian origin on or after 26th May 1993 will be allowed to be remitted up to the consideration amount originally remitted from abroad provided the property is sold after a period of three years from the date of the final purchase deed or from the date of payment of final installment of consideration amount, whichever is later. Applications for the purpose are required to be made to the Central Office of Reserve Bank within 90 days of the sale of property in form IPI 8.

Q) Can the properties (residential/commercial) be given on rent if not required for immediate use?

A) Yes. Reserve Bank has granted general permission for letting out of any immovable property in India. The rental income or proceeds of any investment of such income has to be credited to NRO account.

Q) Can NRIs obtain loans for acquisition of a house/flat for residential purpose from financial institutions providing housing finance?

A) Reserve Bank has granted general permission to certain financial institutions providing housing finance e.g. HDFC,LIC Housing Finance Ltd.,etc. to grant housing loans to non-resident Indian nationals for acquisition of houses/flats for self-occupation subject to certain conditions.

Q) Can authorized dealer grant loans to NRIs for acquisition of a flat/house for residential purposes?

A) Authorized dealers have been granted permission to grant loans up to non-resident Indian nationals for acquisition of house/flat for self-occupation on their return to India subject to certain conditions. Repayment of the loan should be made within a period not exceeding 15 years out of inward remittance through banking channels or out of funds held in the investments' NRE/FCNR accounts.

Q) Can Indian companies grant loans to their NRI staff?

A) Reserve Bank permits Indian firms/companies to grant housing loans to their employees deputed abroad and holding Indian passport subject to certain conditions.

Source: Reserve Bank of India

Q) What are the options available for obtaining guarantors while applying for a HDFC/LIC loan?

A) One will need a guarantor for a loan mainly for collateral security. The guarantor will have to demonstrate appropriate net worth to cover for the loan. Usually one can have a guarantor in any city where the loan issuer has a branch. Talk to loan issuers they will work something out for NRIs and foreign banks.

Q) While purchasing real estate most developers demand a Power of Attorney in their favor, is there a way to avoid it?

A) One can choose not to grant the Power of Attorney (POA) to the developers. However this will mandate the mailing of all documents to your foreign residence and associated time delays. A good compromise is to grant the POA to the builder only for specific necessary items.

100 most useful websites!!

2009-12-20T17:15:00.000-08:00

The best sites for saving money
Bargaineering
Consumerism Commentary
The Dollar Stretcher
Financial Integrity
Get Rich Slowly
The Simple Dollar
The Simple Living Network
Smart Spending
Wise Bread

The best sites for savvier spending
Angie's List
BillShrink
The Budget Fashionista
Consumer Reports
The Consumerist
Edmunds.com
ePinions
FreeShipping.org
Red Tape Chronicles
Shop It To Me
ShopLocal.com

Best sites for bargain hunting
Ben's Bargains
DealNews
Ebates
FatWallet
MyBargainBuddy.com
Slickdeals

Best sites for grocery savings
CouponMom.com
The Grocery Game
Hot Coupon World
Penny Pincher Gazette

Best sites for coupons
Alex's Coupons
CouponCabin
CouponCode.com
Coupon Mountain
RetailMeNot.com

Best sites for comparison shopping
BeatMyPrice.com
BeatThat!
DiscountMore.com

Best sites for saving and investing
Bankrate.com
Findacreditunion.com
Morningstar
Financial Engines

Best sites for paying for college
FinAid
Savingforcollege.com

Best sites for managing your credit
AnnualCreditReport.com
CardRatings.com
Credit.com
CreditCards.com
CreditMattersBlog.com
myFICO

Best sites for real estate and mortgages
ThinkGlink.com
Mortgage Professor's Web Site
HUD.gov
Making Home Affordable

Best sites for free government help
Federal Citizen Information Center
The Federal Reserve
Govbenefits.gov
Home Energy Saver
Mymoney.gov

Best sites for insurance
Insure.com
United Policyholders

Best sites for doing it yourself
Fix-It Club
Instructables
Nolo

Best sites for travel
Farecast
Kayak
MouseSavers.com
OneBag
SeatGuru
Theme Park Insider
TripAdvisor
The Universal Packing List
WebFlyer

Best sites for really cheap travel
CouchSurfing
HomeExchange.com
Less than a Shoestring

Best sites for charitable giving
Charity Navigator
DonorsChoose.org
GuideStar

Best sites for productivity and careers
The Blog of Tim Ferriss
The Brazen Careerist
Lifehacker
The Thin Pink Line
WebWorkerDaily
Zen Habits

Best sites for free entertainment
Fancast
Hulu
Pandora

Best sites for freebies
Freebiewatch
Free Stuff Times
Hey, It's Free!

Best sites for swapping stuff
Freecycle
PaperBack Swap
TitleTrader

Best sites for free tech stuff
5 Star Support
OnlyFreewares.com
Mozy
Tech-Recipes
Wi-Fi Free Spot
Zoho

'A' Class and 'B' Class Shares - BSE

2009-12-20T06:07:00.001-08:00

FUNCTIONING OF STOCK EXCHANGE

LISTING

Listing of shares, on a stock exchange, means, such shares can be bought and sold, in stock exchange.

A Company, which intends to issue shares, through prospectus, shall have to apply to one or more stock exchanges, for getting its shares listed.

The detailed and elaborate procedure of getting the shares listed on a stock exchange is monitored by SEBI. The SEBI, issues guidelines and notifications, from time to time, with regard to listing of securities.

Once the shares are listed, the are divided into two categories:

1. GROUP "A" SHARES
2. GROUP "B" SHARES

GROUP "A" SHARES: are referred to as " Cleaned Securities " or " specified shares". The facility for carrying forward a transaction from one account period to another is available for these shares. Group "A" shares represent companies, with huge amount of capital, and equally a large scope for investment. These shares are frequently traded and command higher price earning multiples.

GROUP "B" SHARES: are referred to as, Non cleaned securities or non-specified shares. For these groups facility of carrying forward is not available.

Whenever a share is moved from Group "B" to Group "A" its market price rises; likewise, when a share is shifted from Group "A" to Group "B", its market price declines. There are some criteria and guide lines, laid down by stock exchange, for shifting stocks from the non-specified list to the specified list.

VARIOUS ORDERS AND TRANSACTIONS:
SETTLEMENT CYCLES

There are various types of orders, which can be placed by the buyer or seller. They are:

Market Order
A market order is to be executed as soon as possible at the best prevailing price in the market.

Limit order
A limit order is constrained by the price limits specified by the investor. The seller specifies the minimum price that the security must fetch, and the buyer specifies the maximum price that he is willing to pay.

A Day order
A day order remains valid only for the day when it is placed. If the order is not executed on that day, it automatically lapses.

A Week order
A week order is one, which is active for a week

A Month order
A month order is an order, which is valid for one month.

An open order
An open order is an order, which is valid for one month. An open order remains in effect until it is executed or cancelled.

Similarly there are certain types of transactions, which are allowed on the stock exchanges. They are:

Transactions for Spot delivery
The delivery and payment is effected within the time or on the date stipulated when entering into the transaction or within fourteen days, whichever is shorter.

Transaction for Hand delivery
These transactions also referred to as the transaction for "the account", are cleared and settled through the clearing house.

Transactions for special delivery
The delivery and payment is effected within any time exceeding fourteen days following the date of the contact as may be stipulated when entering into the transaction, provided the same is permitted by the governing board or the president of the exchange.

Leadership Qualities

2009-12-14T20:06:00.001-08:00

1) Strategic Thinking

2) Achievement Orientation

3) Commitment to Excellence

4) Self Confidence

5) Driving Change

6) Customer Orientation

7) Working in Teams

8) Developing People

9) Intercultural Sensitivity

2009-10-28T18:07:00.001-07:00

THE MOST TERRIBBLE POVERTY IS LONELINESS AND THE FEELING OF BEING UNLOVED."

Seven Social Sins - Mahatma Gandhi

2009-10-15T05:22:00.000-07:00

Politics without Principle
Wealth without Work
Pleasure without Conscience
Knowledge without Character
Commerce without Morality
Science without Humanity
Worship without Sacrifice"

Mahatma Gandhi - in "Young India"

2009-09-28T04:39:00.001-07:00

മനസിന്‍റെ മണിയറയില്‍ സുന്ദരനായ മോനുണ്ട്‌.. കഥ പറയാന്‍ കൂട്ടിനായി കാത്തു വെച്ചൊരു പൊന്നാണ്.. നാണത്താല്‍ ചിരി തൂകും സുന്ദരനായ മോനാണ്.... ഉപ്പാടെ കരളാണ്...ഖല്‍ബിന്റെ നിധിയാണ്‌...

2009-08-17T04:50:00.000-07:00

2009-08-16T19:01:00.002-07:00

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas A. Edison

KNOW ALL ABOUT ABOUT.COM

2009-08-16T19:01:00.001-07:00

A pioneering website that was a bit like Yahoo with expert human guides, writes Jack Schofield

In 1996, when the web was young, someone emailed me with a brilliant idea. Scott Kurnit from The Mining Company was starting an information site that would bring together thousands of people who were experts in their particular field – computing, cooking, cartooning or whatever – and host them under one giant umbrella. It would be called About.com.

At the time, thousands of amateurs were setting up small websites, but most of them didn't really know what they were doing. Even if they did, there would be thousands of small sites that all looked different, and had different editorial standards. By joining About.com, these would-be webmasters could band together, share site designs, and get basic training and support.

They would get more visitors, because most people who went to About.com would generally visit two or three different topics. They would even make a little money – $250 a month, to start – because About.com would be big enough to sell advertising to companies that would never deal with lots of small amateur websites.

About.com was duly launched on 21 April 1997, and it was a success, though it was nothing like as successful as I'd expected. The quality was patchy, the site wasn't easy to navigate, the page design was flat and dull, and About.com had an annoying habit of "framing" other sites. (If you click a link to go to a different site, its content is shown under a big About.com header.)

2009-08-16T18:52:00.001-07:00

One friend in a lifetime is much; two are many; three are hardly possible. Friendship needs a certain parallelism of life, a community of thought, a rivalry of aim " by Henry Brooks Adams

8 NEW FEATURES IN GMAIL

2009-08-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

Google may have disappointed some of its users lately with frequent outages, however, the company is all set to please them with a slew of new features. The company recently added eight new features in Gmail.

Presently, a third in global email marketshare, Gmail is striving hard to increase its turf. So here's looking into all the new features that Gmail has added in the recent past in its endeavour to climb up the ranking ladder.

Import mails and contacts from other accounts

Find the process of importing your emails and contacts from other accounts to Gmail troublesome? Gmail's just added a new feature that promises to simplify the process for you.

Google has added a new feature which will let Gmail users easily import all their emails and contacts from Hotmail, Yahoo, or AOL accounts. All a user needs to do is enter his Webmail account details (username and password) into Google's service and over the next 24 to 48 hours, all his emails and contacts will be automatically imported to his Gmail account.

Google Search comes to Gmail

Search engine giant Google has added a search widget in Gmail, which enables users to search the web without opening a new browser.

The new feature shows a search box onto the left side of Gmail inbox. When a user types in a search, a window (like a chat window) appears at the bottom of the screen with search results.

The feature can be activated by clicking settings tab, followed by selecting the Labs feature, and enabling the Google Search feature option. Google says that new feature aims to help users to copy and insert any required URL and send it to others using email or Gmail chat.

PowerPoint and TIFF file viewing

After adding online viewing option for PDFs, Google has extended its support to TIFF and Microsoft PowerPoint document formats too.

With this functionality, users can now view TIFF and PPT files online, directly in the browser, without having to save the files to the computer. There is also no need to buy, install, or wait for any software to start up.

This means users can view all PDFs, PowerPoint (PPT) presentations as well as .TIFF-formatted images that have been received as attachments in Gmail's HTML, multi-page document viewer.

Suggest more recipients

You may have many a times mistakenly left someone important out of an email? Or you keep on thinking who all from your long list of contacts need to be sent this mail? Gmail aims to solve this problem for you. Gmail Labs new feature called "Suggest more recipients" is intended to do just that.

On enabling the feature from the Labs tab under Settings, a user can see a suggested recipients list while composing a message. Gmail will suggest contacts that a user might want to include based on the group of people they email often.

Inserting images

Here's a feature to help users get users rid of attaching images in email. All that a user needs to do is just turn on "Inserting images" from the Labs tab under Settings, and users will see a new toolbar icon. On clicking the image icon, users can insert images in two ways: by uploading image files from computer or giving image URLs.

Gmail doesn't show URL-based images in messages by default to protect users from spammers. So if a user is sending mail to other Gmail users, they will have to click "Display images below" or "Always display images from ..." to see the embedded images

STOCK TRADERS CRACKING FAST AGAINST PRE-WRITTEN SOFTWARE CODES

2009-08-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

Santosh Nair & Shailesh Menon, Mumbai

A decade ago, the demise of the open outcry system shifted action from noisy trading floors of stock exchanges to air-conditioned dealing rooms of brokerages. Today stock trading is in the throes of the next big change.

Professional day traders, hired by brokerage houses on a profit sharing basis, are slowly losing out to pre-written software codes, which does the same functions at a speed that is humanly impossible. Instead of providing office infrastructure to a dozen ‘jobbers’ (as day traders are known in market parlance), a brokerage can now do with two CDs containing pre-written trading strategies, and two people to oversee the execution.

Not only does it save costs for the brokerage firm, but also improves the chances of making profits, as software codes are faster and efficient than the most skilled of traders. In short, software codes will battle each other for a share of rapidly thinning intra-day trading profits.

This spells serious consequences for the 20-25,000 strong force of professional day traders who speculate in equities. Even veteran traders are dismayed at this emerging trend, as it robs them the fun of matching their wits against those of rival market participants.

Instead, they are now locked in a unequal battle with software programmes, that can spot an arbitrage opportunity and cash in on it even before the traders can press the keys on their trading terminals.

“There has been an increased acceptance of trading software over the last year, as traders are struggling to generate decent returns in the face of volatile market conditions,” says Shubham Pradhan, marketing head at Essex India, a firm that offers trading software.

Indeed, algorithm trading, which involves pre-written software codes identifying and executing arbitrage opportunities at lightning speeds has been at the centre of controversy in a few developed markets, as regulators and a section of investors have raised ethical questions.

But in India, they are fast catching on, as many brokers are gradually reconciling to the fact that even the most skilled of their traders will never be able to match the speed of execution of a software program.

One of the common arbitrage strategies is to sell stock futures quoting at a premium to spot, and buy the shares, thus locking in the difference. Another common strategy is to sell shares on the exchange where the prices are higher, and simultaneously buy them back on the exchange where the prices are lower, or the other way round. But the spread has to be such so as to be able to make a meaningful profit, and a trader should be able to seize on the opportunity as soon as it shows up, because they barely last for a second for a second or two.

Here is where a program can execute the trade faster than a human being. “But you also need sophisticated hardware and a good network to get the maximum benefit out of these software programmes,” said Pradhan who thinks brokerages will cut back on the number of in-house jobbers as well as those hired on a profit sharing basis.

Market watchers say many of the high-end trading software are not yet on offer for two reasons. One, the stock exchanges trading systems have to be more efficient to for these programmes to deliver optimum results. Two, the software vendors have to run their codes through the stock exchanges for approval, and some fear that proprietary trading strategies could be leaked.

2009-06-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

" A successful individual typically sets his next goal somewhat but not too much above his last achievement. In this way he steadily raises his level of aspiration" by Kurt Lewin

" There is only one admirable form of the imagination: the imagination that is so intense that it creates a new reality, that it makes things happen " by Sean O'Faolain

" Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will " by George Bernard Shaw

2009-06-03T18:09:00.002-07:00

"Imagination is more important than knowledge... ." - Albert Einstein

Fools and fanatics are always certain of themselves, but wiser people are full of doubts

"It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped." - Anthony Robbins

APPLE TO UNVEIL NEXT-GENERATION IPHONE SOFTWARE

2009-06-03T18:09:00.001-07:00

Apple plans to give the world a peek next week at its next-generation operating system for iPhones.

Apple on Thursday invited news reporters to a "town hall" event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, and promised a "sneak peek" at the upcoming iPhone 3.0 operating system.

The maker of iPhones, iPods, and Macintosh computers said the event will center on a new software developers kit for its popular multi-purpose mobile devices.

More than 500 million applications for the Apple iPhone have been downloaded from the company's online App Store since it opened in July of last year.

A study released in February, however, indicates that users quickly lose interest in those applications.

The study by Pinch Media found that fewer than five percent of iPhone users are still actively using an application a month after downloading it.

Apple iPhone users lose interest in free programs slightly faster than in paid ones, said Pinch Media, a company which offers advice to developers of applications for the hot-selling smartphone.

2009-06-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

" Four things come not back: the spoken word, the spent arrow, the past, and the neglected opportunity " by Omar Idn Al-Halif

"Optimists enrich the present, enhance the future, challenge the improbable and attain the impossible”. - William Arthur Ward

"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will." - George Bernard Shaw

Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings." - Samuel Johnson

MORE ON OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE

2009-05-04T17:58:00.001-07:00

Paromita Pain, May 04, 2009

The open source software movement has a rich history.

The UNESCO Free and Open Source Software Portal at http://www.unesco-ci.org/cgi-bin/portals/foss/page.cgi?d=1explains how we can make better use of its resources.

Intended to “provide a single interactive access point to pertinent information for users who wish to acquire an understanding of the Free Software movement, to learn why it is important and to apply the concept...”, the portal is easy to navigate and has important ideas outlined simply for even lay readers to get familiar with.

Each category is clearly defined. For example: under the header of Health is grouped all the software that is medical related or that can help medical professionals. Of special interest for individuals here is the KPumpe (http://kpumpe.sourceforge.net).

This is designed to be a diabetes diary application with support for reading records from one’s glucometer. It supports the Onetouch Ultra and other glucometers where glucomodule plug-ins are available.

The section titled “Productivity Tools” has interesting products that can be used for small businesses.

For example, the Accountancy software has payroll, accounting, inventories, and receiving features, besides storing birthdays for employees. GnuCash is software that allows you to track bank accounts, stocks, income and expenses.

Children and young people too have something they can use. Under the “Education” category are Maths Tutors and Painting Software. GCompris is an integrated education application that introduces different activities to children aged three to eight.Tux of Math Command is a good way to introduce young people to Tux, the Linux Penguin.

There are detailed reports of the various projects that are being run around the world. Check out the SchoolTool Project that works to develop a common global school administration infrastructure, freely available under an Open Source licence. A Web-based student information and calendaring system is being worked on as well.

Guru Speak : Prince Al-Waleed

2009-04-26T12:24:00.001-07:00

Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, popularly known as Prince Al-Waleed was born on March 7, 1955 as a member of the Saudi Royal Family. He is an entrepreneur and an international investor who is well connected in politics and power houses in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. He has amassed his wealth through his numerous investments and via selling medium term notes, bank guarantees, and standby letters of credit, through his law firm/broker Rockwick Capital. As on March 11, 2009 his net worth is estimated at $13.3 billion, down from $21 billion, according to the Arabian Business rich list published December 2, 2008. He is ranked by Forbes as the 22nd richest person in the world and has also been nicknamed by Times magazine as the Arabian "Warren Buffett".

Al-Waleed began his business career in 1979 but as an international investor he came to the forefront when he bought a huge portion of Citibank shares in 1990 when the bank was in trouble. With an initial investment of $550 million, at $2.98 a share to bail out the bank from its underperforming American real estate loans and Latin American businesses, his holdings now comprise about $1 billion. His stake in Citi, while once accounted for approximately half of his wealth, by January 2009, this holding had lost nearly all of its value. He also made large investments in AOL, Apple Inc, Worldcom, Motorola, News Corporation Ltd and other technology and media companies. He has made investments in London's Savoy Hotel and Monaco's Monte Carlo Grand Hotel. He currently holds a 10% stake in Euro Disney SCA.

and#149; If I'm going to do something, I do it spectacularly or I don't do it at all.

and#149; Nowadays, anyone who cannot speak English and is incapable of using the Internet is regarded as backward.

and#149; My wheels are running. My investments are local, regional and international.

and#149; I'm not panicking, and I'm not scared, I've been through the Gulf War, the Asia crisis, and the Russian crisis.

and#149; We're getting hurt, but I'm a long-term investor.

and#149; You should never commit to something that you can't deliver

and#149; The lesson is that, No 1, this management has to be at the highest class possible. No 2, they have to have a succession plan. You can't have a company that size without a successor ready. And No 3, you need a professional who has run a bank.

and#149; Through my holdings in the US, Canada and Europe, I invest indirectly in more than 120 countries. Because of this global presence, my company operates on a dollar basis. I am not interested in currency speculation.

and#149; America's problem is not just its budget deficit, but also its enormous trade deficit. No country on earth can afford such an imbalance forever, not even the US, with its strong economy. Of course, as a major investor I am interested in a stable US economy and a budget deficit that remains within reason.

and#149; I see myself as a philanthropist, as a politician and as a member of the Saudi royal family. God has blessed me with great wealth, but this comes with obligations. Those who build bridges must be capable of seeing the big picture, and if I am needed as a businessman, I can also help out financially.

POWER OF IDEAS: DISCUSSING IDEAS TO STAY AHEAD IN TIMES OF SLUMP

2009-04-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

Bangalore, April 20, 2009

The Economic Times Power of Ideas mentoring session held in Bangalore last week in alliance with the Indian Angel Network (IAN) set the tone for the final shortlisting of ideas, which will happen in May. The mentoring session of The Power of Ideas discussed the solutions and issues that start-up companies and entrepreneurs have to face in the economic downturn.

Of around 12,000 Power of Ideas entries received, 42 percent have come from south zone entrepreneurs. “The first step when an individual decides to be an entrepreneur to me is the most powerful idea. That risk taking animal, who is ready to face the uncertainty of the future is an entrepreneur. It is a very tough life, very painful but at the same time after having been an entrepreneur after 17 years, it is the most exhilarating experience,” Subhash Menon, founder and chairman of Subex said in his keynote address to around 500 budding entrepreneurs attending the mentoring session.

Giving his own company’s example, Menon said that eight to nine years ago Subex decided to become a software product company and venture capitalist and private equity investors did not fund them, as they couldn’t believe in their idea of developing telecom fraud management software product for the world.

Janesh Janardhan, CEO of Robhatah Robotic Solutions company, which started in Singapore in 2004 focusing on electronics, education, entertainment and defence thought it would be easy to be an entrepreneur and ride the wave of success that was coming in his way. “One fine day we got an order for humanoid robots that could walk, dance and play soccer. Our robots were even winning matches organised by Federation of International Robot-soccer Association. There were happy times initially but then we went down as we could not sell humanoids all the years,” says Janardhan. An entrepreneur should look whether customers will fall in love with his product.

Sharad Sharma, former CEO of Yahoo India R&D, said that start-ups have to solve problems and hard times make problems more visible. “My first start up was in the wireless infrastructure space in February 2001. There was blood on the floor and that time our competitors became our partners. That would not have happened otherwise,” he said. If you are a genuine entrepreneur, any time is a good time argues entrepreneur-turned-investor Sanjay Anandram, managing director, JumpStartUp Fund Advisors.

2009-04-03T18:46:00.001-07:00

Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing " by Theodore Roosevelt

2009-03-02T21:40:00.000-08:00

All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire." - Aristotle

MENTOR SERVICE FOR THE STARTUP COMPANIES IN SOFTWARE

2009-02-27T00:55:00.001-08:00

Call them 'virtual' angels if you will. Shirish Deodhar, Hemant Joshi and Madhukar Bhatia are almost like your regular angel investors, minus the money. So what do they do? The three co-founders of Pune-based nFactorial Software provide mentoring services to software product companies that have just started out or those with some revenues and in need of scaling up to the next level.
"Software product companies need mentoring and there is a near absence of that in India," says Deodhar. "In the Bay area (US), people usually work in a company and then set out on their own so they can tap into a mentor or client. In India, there is no such role model for product development companies and hence no support system for them.
We come in by lending our experience to these entrepreneurs." The three co-founders of this mentoring, advisory and `virtual' angel funding company are all serial entrepreneurs themselves--Deodhar founded Frontier Software, which was later acquired by Veritas, which in turn was acquired by Symantec. Later, along with Hemant Joshi and Madhukar Bhatia, he launched In-Reality Software, which was acquired by Symphony Services.
The firm helps the startups identify investors who usually invest in their personal capacities. The method followed is that three-four investors make a small investment in the company, which has the benefit of reducing risk for the investors and gets the recipient company 3-4 investor-advisers. "We are operating on a venture capitalist's model--we sort out ideas, decide the best companies and the best fit for them," says Bhatia.
Factorial mentors 8-9 companies at a time, and its founders say they've deliberately limited themselves to companies that are either in "the white space" that is, brand new start ups which are pre-revenue, or early stage, that is, with annual revenues of Rs 2-4 crore but want to grow 10x. "We identify and mentor startups that aspire to become Rs 20 crore companies. We then ask for an equity stake in the pre-revenue firms.
In the early stage ones we take a small stake in the form of sweat equity and, if they can afford it, a retainer," says Deodhar. Mentoring, for the three industry-veterans, involves sorting out issues for the new entrepreneur. Since technology startups are usually launched by first-generation entrepreneurs, they don't come with much baggage. The downside is that they also do not have access to the inner workings of a business. This is often the area where they need help, or mentoring.
Deodhar explains that they chose the software products space as it's poised to grow at a fast clip, particularly considering the potential demand in the domestic market. "Building products specifically for the India market is an opportunity and there are some sectors that are by nature, Indian. For instance, text messaging is rampant here.
Even on managing your taxes and related issues our regulations are very different, so there's scope for products, which cater to Indian users," he adds. The realisation came early to the trio that there are advantages in creating a cluster (of software product firms) since they can sell to each other, cross-sell to customers or build a reseller network and grow faster.
Some of the companies nFactorial has mentored are Career Vidya Labs (a career management company), Product Dossier, a P3LM (Project, Process and Product Lifecycle Management) company, and Clarice Technologies, a usability and UI solutions venture. While the investment arm used earlier was the IIT-Bombay alumni association funded Pi2 (PiSquare), it's now tapping into the India Innovation Investors (I3), an investor group of successful IT professionals in India and the US.

Richest technology companies

2009-02-23T04:29:00.000-08:00

Even as many US companies struggle to stay solvent in one of the worst financial crises in decades, some technology companies are bursting with cash, with the only question being how they plan to use it. Fitch estimates that the US tech industry is carrying a cash balance of around $260 billion, one of the largest among all sectors.
"There's a strong emphasis on the preservation of liquidity, but we think the larger players will use their balance sheets and use their cash balances to ignite mergers and acquisition activity," said Fitch Ratings analyst Nick Nilarp.
The old cliché that cash is king is never truer than in bad times. So as investors navigate tough financial markets, the cash hoards held by tech companies could make their shares more attractive and bolster the argument made by some analysts that the sector will lead the way out of the downturn.
Here are some of the technology companies with huge cash piles.
Cisco
Cisco Systems Inc is the most cash-rich tech company with $29.5 billion in hand, putting it just behind Exxon Mobil Corp's $31.4 billion, despite having a market value less than one-quarter of the oil giant's.
The company has been rather upfront about its plans to use some of this cash to make acquisitions. Cisco has said it plans to be acquisitive during the economic downturn, and bankers and analysts think it may make a move on virtualisation software maker VMware Inc or its parent EMC Corp.
Taking advantage of loosening credit markets, Cisco recently made a surprisingly large $4 billion debt sale. The company stated that it intends to use the recent debt sale "for general corporate purposes" and to repay $500 million in notes due in 2009.
Apple
Another tech company with some of the largest cash piles includes Apple Inc with $25.6 billion. In spite of spending about $2bn a year on R&D and capital investment, Apple's $26bn in cash has left it with the biggest cash pile in the technology world -- a big contrast to the last downturn, which it started with less than $4bn. The cash now accounts for about a third of its market value.
The company's stock price too has rebounded from its low of $78.20 in the week when Steve Jobs announced his leave. The realisation that Apple's cash can be a big strength during recession has quieted critics, who in the past have called on the company to buy back shares or offer a dividend.
Microsoft
Microsoft Corp too sits on a huge cash pile of $20.7 billion. The rich software giant, however, announced rather disappointing quarterly results recently, unlike IBM. Microsoft recently announced that its Q2 2009 profit sank from $4.71bn a year ago to $4.17bn, a loss of 12 percent. Total revenue was $16.63bn, a 2 percent rise from year before. This was only possible thanks to higher server, tools and entertainment sales. Client sales revenue, which includes Windows products, fell 8 percent.
The company may have missed the analysts’ target, however, the fact is it is still posting big profits -- $4.17B in profit is enough to make even some of the biggest companies drool.
Google
The search giant Google Inc too sits pretty with a cash reserve of $15.9 billion. The Mountain View, California-based company had almost $16 billion in cash at the end of the recent-announced fourth quarter.
According to Google CFO, Patrick Pichette, the cash reserves provided Google with sufficient flexibility "for the right deal at the right price."
Google said its Q4 earnings declined to $382 million, far below the $1.2 billion it earned in the prior-year's fourth quarter. The fall was attributed to losses from Google's investments in AOL and Clearwire Corp.
Oracle Corp
The enterprise software giant Oracle too sits on a $7.4 billion pile of cash. Little doubt that the Redwood Shores-based company is quietly going on a shopping spree.
The software giant completed as many as 10 acquisitions in 2008, ranging from a maker of insurance policy-writing tools, to a designer of `plan-o-gram' software (the software used by stores to optimise shelf space usage). Recently, the company bought mValent Inc, a small software company that helps configure other software. The deals put Oracle in the club of cash-rich companies bargain hunting amid the present economic turmoil.
Oracle made sales of $22.4 billion in fiscal 2008. However, the company hasn't been unscathed from the slump, it recently reported a 1 percent drop in net income, the first decline in three years.
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems might be facing hard times. The company’s stock has been faced considerable hammering in the past few months further accentuated by fears of weakening global tech spending. However, Sun Microsystems too is among the companies with a relatively large amount of cash. The company carries a cash balance of $2.6 billion and a market cap of $3.8 billion.
The high-end computer and software maker posted better-than-expected results as a strong software and open storage business cushioned declining overall sales.
Like much of the industry, the company is now struggling to slash costs as tech spending dissipates globally. It said in November it would cut 5,000 to 6,000 jobs, or 15 to 18 percent of its workforce, as part of a plan to save $700 million to $800 million a year.
EMC
Hopkinton-based EMC Corp's fourth quarter profit though fell 45 percent, the company said that it increased its cash reserves by 9 percent.
In Q4, EMC's profits fell from $526 million to $288 million, on restructuring charges. For the full year, the company reported revenue of $14.9 billion, a 12 percent increase over the prior year, and a profit of $1.4 billion, a 14 percent increase over 2007.
The data storage giant's fourth quarter revenue hit $4 billion, an increase of 8 percent over the third quarter and 5 percent over the fourth quarter of 2007. EMC announced recently that it would lay off about 2,400 employees, 600 of them in Massachusetts.
While these tech companies are guarding their money and investing in only the safest of instruments, such as US Treasury debt, analysts expect the bigger players to put their cash to work later in the year in the form of acquisitions or share buybacks.
Past learning
Seems the experience of previous downturns and fear that they could need deep reserves to draw on has made technology companies cautious on spending.
Some Silicon Valley veterans point to earlier near-failures, with Intel forced to take an investment from IBM in the 1980s, and Steve Jobs famously accepting a $150m cash infusion from Microsoft after returning to head Apple in 1997.

INDIAN GEEK INVENTS ‘SIXTH SENSE’ GIZMO

2009-02-23T04:25:00.000-08:00

Pranav Mistry is no ordinary geek. He can just wave his fingers in air to draw a figure on any surface just as you use a computer mouse and a screen to do so. He can simply frame a scene with his hands, snap its picture and project it anywhere he likes.
Not only that, he can also check his email on his palm, draw a watch on his wrist to check the time and use his palm as keypad of his mobile phone.
This is no science fiction or virtual reality. You may call it ‘ mad science’ but Pranav calls it the ‘ Sixth Sense’, a sensational invention that is creating waves in the world of high technology in North America these days.
Pranav, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, is currently pursuing a doctorate in fluid interfaces at the famed Media Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology here.
He has created a gadget using available hardware — a webcam, a small projector and a laptop — and highly complex software, which allows you to do away with keyboard and mouse, and a screen to connect and communicate with the digital world.
The real power of the device comes from the machine vision and the complex algorithms that Pranav has written.
The combination is a wearable machine that can empower you to use your fingers to access data and use any surface to project it.
“ I got this idea while I was visiting my parents in India last summer. So far, virtual reality and augmented reality has happened only in laboratories. I wanted to make a real consumer product which people can use,” Pranav said. “ So, I thought of this crazy idea of putting a projector on my head and using a webcam as a digital eye to capture information.
The digital eye understands what my hand is doing, whether I am gesturing or holding a product or a piece of paper. Once it understands what I am doing, it can send the information to my laptop or any computing device in my backpack and the information can then be projected on any surface through a projector,” he added.

THE BILLION DOLLAR IDEA- STORY OF YAHOO - David Filo

2009-02-19T22:05:00.000-08:00

Back in 1993 when Jerry (Yang) and I were at Stanford, the web was non-commercial and was mainly used by universities and research labs. It was a totally different world all together. That is until we experienced the web using Mosaic, which had the capability to render rich graphics and support data and forms. This inspired me and Jerry to think, “Wow! there are a lot of possibilities here!”.
As we started to use the web more and more, we realised how difficult it was to find the stuff we were looking for. There were no directories or search services. This led us to start organising the web for ourselves. Eventually, we went on to catalogue the stuff that we were interested in. We categorised the links into a directory structure and loaded it on to a webpage. An unintended outcome of this effort was that other people could come and visit the webpage and find stuff they were looking for quite easily. Our friends started using it and slowly the word spread —here was a tool that you could use to find things that you need on the web.
Within a month people from around 30 countries started visiting our directory page. We started receiving submissions for useful things around the web and building on our list. And that was how we began to build a property as we know it today — looking at w e b - sites, cataloguing them and categorising them based on where they fit in the hierarchy.
We were quite passionate about our work to make the web more practical and usable. Eventually in 1994, what began as a tool that was meant to be used by me and Jerry became Yahoo! — a customised web database that thousands of people from across the world began to use regularly.
In the early days, none of us realised where things at Yahoo! were headed and how quickly we could unleash the potential of the web. We saw it as a once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in the revolution the web was creating, though we did not yet know how to make it a viable business. While there were a lot of people who were looking at web ventures with business models in mind, we were really focused on the consumer experience — how can we create the highest value for the consumers who visited our site, how do we listen to what they want and deliver it to them.
Soon, we saw a rapid increase in the users visiting our site. We had managed to secure one million dollars in funding. While this was a big feat, we quickly realised that we would need more to keep pace with the highly dynamic and fast growing environment of the web. We needed more people to maintain the momentum. This motivated us to pause and think how we could generate revenues. So eventually, it was sometime in late 1995 that we signed up our first five advertisers and since then there was no looking back. Today, Yahoo! is one of the leading internet brands in the world and one of the most visited site on the web.
The author is the co-founder and Chief Yahoo, Yahoo!

Tracking the $700 Billion Bailout

2009-02-06T10:08:00.000-08:00

Hundreds of banks and a handful of insurers and automakers have applied for funds from the Treasury Department as part of the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. The Treasury Department has transferred capital to the majority of these companies.

http://projects.nytimes.com/creditcrisis/recipients/table

Senators seek H-1B hiring ban for cos receiving govt money

2009-02-06T09:58:00.000-08:00

Lalit K Jha Washington, Feb 6 (PTI) In what could be a cause of worry for Indian IT professionals, two US Senators have introduced amendments to the economic stimulus bill, which if passed would prevent US companies receiving the federal bailout money, from hiring H-1B visa holders. The amendment if approved by the Senate would have an immediate impact on Indian IT professionals, as it is they who are the major beneficiaries of the H-1B visa programme.

An amendment in this regard has been co-sponsored by the Republican Senator from Iowa, Chuck Grassley and the Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont. Introducing the amendment on the floor of the Senate, Senator Sanders said: "It is essentially saying that there would be a suspension of H-1B programme of any institution, which would be receiving TARP (Troubled Assets Relief Programme) funds for just one year.

" Seeking bi-partisan support to his amendment, Sanders said: "I firmly believe that companies going through layoffs that employ H-1B visas (holding workers) have a moral obligation to protect American workers by putting them first during these difficult times." Sanders also quoted a recent media report that said that the American banking industry had requested for more than 21,000 visas for foreign guest workers over the last six years

INFOPARK KOCHI TO BE DEVELOPED AT AN INVESTMENT OF RS 750 CRORE

2009-02-02T22:28:00.000-08:00

The Infopark in Kochi, a prominent IT park in the state, is embarking on second phase of expansion, which will see the organization adding another 350 acres spread over Kochi, Alappuzha and Thrissur districts in a timeframe of 2 to 3 years.

An investment ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 750 crore is expected in developing the infrastructure during this expansion phase. As part of this expansion, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan on Monday laid the foundation stone for 5.5 lakh sq ft new IT building called Athulya at Infopark. The building is expected to be completed by 2010.

Achuthanandan said the software exports from Infopark have risen to Rs 400 crore in 2009 from Rs 76 crore three years ago. Apart from the existing 20 lakh sq ft. built-up area, another 22 lakh sq ft. is under construction, he said. The government is planning to acquire another 150 acres near the Infopark to accelerate the development in the next three years.

According to IT secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, the Infopark in Kochi will act as hub for three IT parks to be developed in the neighbouring districts of Thrissur and Alappuzha.. The IT park developed at over 30 acres in Koratty in Thrissur district will be ready for final launch by March this year.

The two IT parks that are coming in Alappuzha will be at Cherthala and Ambalapuzha. The government has already got the SEZ status for these two parks to be developed in 68 acres and 100 acres respectively. In the case of Ambalapuzha, the government is preparing the master plan for the project.

In all, with the completion of the expansion phase of Infopark, the total direct employment in Infopark Kochi would touch 1 lakh.

Similar expansion programmes are on in Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram. A Cyber Park is planned as a hub in Kozhikode, which will have, spokes in Kannur and Kasargod

AFTER GOOGLE EARTH COMES GOOGLE OCEAN

2009-02-02T22:26:00.000-08:00

The search engine Google launched a new service on Monday to allow Internet users to explore the depths of the world's oceans from the comfort of their homes on dry land.

The "Ocean in Google Earth" feature will allow users to "dive beneath the water surface, explore 3D underwater terrain and browse ocean-related content contributed by marine scientists," a Google statement said.

"Google Earth is equipping itself with a new dimension: depth," Jean-Francois Wassong, an engineer at Google France, told a news conference.

Nearly four years after Google Earth enabled users to zoom in to view streets, and later explore galaxies in the sky, the latest version of the software allows virtual travellers to dart across miles of unchartered territory underwater.

"Oceans cover more than 70 percent of the planet's surface but only a little bit has been explored," said Florence Diss, head of Google's geographical partnerships, referring to findings that humans have examined just five percent of world's seas.

By allowing users to explore underwater volcanoes, hunt for whales and learn more about shipwrecks, Google says "Ocean in Google Earth" offers a platform for everyday Internet browsers to link up with the scientific community.

The feature includes 20 different layers of content contributed by leading ocean explorers, scientists and researchers, such as photos and videos of "hot spots" around the world and information on marine protected areas.

It also has an animal tracking device in which users can follow animals that have been tagged by satellite.

Diss said the decision to expand Google Earth to cover the world's oceans "is not about making money". But she would not reveal the project's cost.

Since its launch in June 2005, Google Earth has been downloaded more than 400 million times. The free software gives Internet users access to satellite images and maps around the world

ENTREPRENEURS REGRET FOCUS ON TECH AT START-UP SHOWCASE EVENT

2009-01-26T20:57:00.000-08:00

Rajesh Nair, a young entrepreneur, is all ready to take his alternative fuel systems for two-wheelers firm to the world. Armed with a compelling presentation on how his fuel kit—both green and economical—will help in reducing petrol bills for scooters by as much as half, he comes across as a ready candidate to receive venture funding.

But the energetic Nair, managing director of Lords Automotives, feels a bit left out at Proto.in, billed as India’s largest start-up showcase event. The focus at such events, he says, still remains on information technology (IT) or software firms that funders are comfortable dealing with, given India’s success in that business.

“I slightly regret the emphasis given to IT sector firms. It is not that venture capital investors do not appreciate my idea. The interest is, nevertheless, more on IT,” says the Ahmedabad resident, adding that angel funding is just not happening for non-IT firms.

Nair was one of a dozen entrepreneurs who showcased their firms and business ideas at the fifth edition of Proto.in, a two-day event for start-ups that concluded in Bangalore on Saturday. Nair is not alone in feeling a sense of competition from fellow IT start-ups. There exists a general feeling that as new ventures in non-IT segments are fewer, such firms are being outnumbered, be it at start-up events or on must-talk-to list of investors.

Of the 12 start-ups showcased this year, just two—Lords Automotives and Kadambari Consultants Pvt. Ltd—had nothing to do with IT and mobile phone services. There were the likes of LifeMojo, Khelo Communication Pvt. Ltd, Fingerprints Fashions Pvt. Ltd, and Uniphore Software Systems Pvt. Ltd, but they are completely dependent on IT-enabled services or infrastructure to leverage business.

“IT companies create a lot of buzz. We (non-IT firms) have to project ourselves a lot more aggressively to show our presence,” says Umesh Sachdev, co-founder and chief executive, Uniphore Software Systems, which has a product called Noddler. Noddler is designed to provide access to information and services from the Web through a multilingual voice interface over the phone.

Investors agree that currently, IT firms are hogging the limelight in the country. One of the reasons they cite is the larger number of innovations in the sector. Layoffs and a slowdown in the tech sector is, in turn, seeing several managers launching their own firms. Also, a substantial number of those returning to India from the US are keen on starting their own ventures.

Still, “there is a clear need to see beyond IT,” says Sandeep Singhal, director, Nexus India Capital, clarifying that technology is not just confined to IT but also encompasses biotechnology, chemicals, oil and gas and so-called clean technology solutions.

For investors who look at having returns several times their investment, IT companies, by the nature of their ability to scale up, especially when they are product-oriented, generate more interest. “We are also under constraint to look at companies which can give five times or eight times of returns. IT firms give that. Our investors do not want returns of 15% a year,” says Rajesh Srivathsa, managing partners, Ojas Venture Partners.

Besides returns, Srivastha says, capital expenses, demand for IT products and services, even returns are much easier to gauge than that in non-IT businesses, making for a natural bias towards such investments.

Entrepreneurs at Proto.in last week said one of the ways to encourage more innovations and to provide more exposure to the non-IT sector would be to have equal number of such firms and tech outfits participate at events specially organized for start-ups. New innovations are too few and far in between in non-IT sectors, says T. Sampath Kumar, chief executive, Kadambari Consultants, which has a product called Nualgi, which purifies water. “It takes a lot of time for innovations like ours before they come into the market and it needs to be encouraged by giving equal opportunities,” he says.

Process of formation of a Private Limited Company

2009-01-23T18:40:00.000-08:00

Ministry of Company affairs have completely revolutionized the process of formation of company by making it mandatory to file virtually all forms/documents online through its website www.mca.gov.in .There is no time limit to file a form up to a certain time of the day. It can be filed even in the midnight. Further, the forms can be filed on Sundays or Holidays. It has reduced the hassles to a greater extent and fastened the process of formation of a company.

Minimum capital requirement for formation of a private limited Company is Rs. 1 lac and there should be minimum two directors and two shareholders.

Here is a step by step guide to form a Private Limited Company in an ascending order:

Form 1A
This form is filed for name approval. Generally six names are asked in the order of preference and the names are advised to be indicative to the main objects of the company which are also to given in this form.

Ensure that the name does not resemble the name of any other company already registered. Name of existing company may be checked through MCA website by selecting ‘Check Company Name’ option in the ‘ Other Services’ menu on Home Page (on the right hand side).

Form filing fee: Rs. 500/-

Form 1
This form is for application and declaration for incorporation of a company. Documents to be attached with this form are:

1. Memorandum of Association (MoA)
2. Article of Association (AoA)
3. Reference of Form 1A
4. Annexure containing detail of subscriber of the share capital (generally the Promoters)

Form filing fee: Rs. 4,400 (considering authorized capital is Rs. 1 lac). Form filing fee depends on the authorized capital and there is a slab prescribed. The form filing fee can be calculated through MCA website by selecting ‘Fee Calculator’ option in the ‘ Other Services’ menu on Home Page (on the right hand side).

Form 18
This form is filled for notice of situation of registered office of the company

Form filing fee: Rs.200 to 500 (depending upon the authorized capital of the Company)

Form 32
This form contains the Particulars of Managing Director, Directors and Company Secretary, if any.

Documents to be attached with this form:
1. Consent letter of the person to act as a Managing Director, Director or Company Secretary as the case be.
2. Latest photograph of the person

Form filing fee: Rs.200 to 500 (depending upon the authorized capital of the Company)

Other activities
If the registered office of Company is in Delhi then MOA and AOA needs be stamped from the Tis Hazari court. Presently the stamp fee is 0.15% of the Authorized Capital. If registered office is in Gurgaon then there is no stamp fee in Haryana.

After stamping the original MOA & AOA are sent to the office of concerned Registrar of Companies (ROC).

Further Original duly filled in and signed e-Form 1 on stamp paper is also required to be sent to the concerned ROC

Incorporation certificate
After submission of above forms, if all information given are in order, it takes approx 7 days to get the Incorporation Certificate from ROC. It is sent to the registered office mentioned in Form 18 and a scanned is also sent by ROC to the e-mail id mentioned in forms.

Important Notes:
1. All the above forms are available on the MCA’s website and come with an instruction kit which is really helpful to fill the detail in form.

2. The promoters are required to have DIN (Directors Identification Number) which needs to be mentioned in each of the above forms. DIN mandatory. It can be easily applied through MCA’s website

3. The promoters should also have the digital signature because all the above forms are digitally signed and it’s mandatory.

4. Please note that any attachment to the above mentioned forms needs necessarily be in the PDF format, else form will not be uploaded.

5. Form 18 & 32 are to be filed simultaneously along with Form1.

6. Form 18 & 32 are to be certified by either a Chartered Accountant or a Company Secretary who are in whole time practice.

7. It takes approximately 15-20 days to incorporate a new private limited company.

8. Please check the filing fees at the time of filing of forms because it might have changed by then.

2009-01-13T03:52:00.001-08:00

" Be willing to make decisions. That's the most important quality in a good leader." - General George S. Patton Jr.

KEY DATES IN THE HISTORY OF THE PERSONAL COMPUTER

2009-01-13T03:47:00.001-08:00

This year will likely be the first year that laptop PC sales will outstrip those of desktop PCs.

Here are some landmark dates in the history of personal computers, which evolved from heavy desktop computers in the 1970s to the lightweight laptops introduced over the past few years:

1975: IBM launches the IBM 5100, the first computer to look like the modern desktop model complete with a QWERTY keyboard, display and mass storage on tape all found within a single case.

1975: Microsoft is founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen.

1976: Apple Computer, founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, launches the Apple I computer, selling about 200 units.

1981: IBM launches its IBM Personal Computer, running on Microsoft’s DOS operating system.

1981: The Osborne 1, the first commercially available portable personal computer, is launched with a 5" monitor. The computer weighed 23.5 pounds and cost $1,800.

1983: Apple launches the Lisa operating system, one of the first operating systems to use a graphical user interface.

1983: Compaq launches the Compaq Portable, the first IBM-PC compatible portable computer that sold for more than $3,500 and weighed 12.5kg.

1985: Microsoft introduces its Windows operating system.

1988: Compaq launches the SLT/286, retailing for $5,399, the first foldable laptop.

1989: The Sound Blaster card, released by Creative Technology, brings sound into the personal computer.

1991: Apple launches its PowerBook series, the first portable personal computer to have room for a palm rest and a trackball that most closely resembles those found in today’s laptops.

2002: The one-billionth computer is sold, data research firm Gartner says.

2007: Asustek launches a lightweight low-cost notebook, known as netbooks.

2008: Laptop shipments overtake those of desktops for the first time on a quarterly basis in the third quarter of 2008.

SCIENTISTS ASK: IS TECHNOLOGY REWIRING OUR BRAINS?

2008-12-12T03:51:00.000-08:00

What does a teenage brain on Google look like? Do all those hours spent online rewire the circuitry? Could these kids even relate better to emoticons than to real people? These sound like concerns from worried parents. But they're coming from brain scientists.

While violent video games have gotten a lot of public attention, some current concerns go well beyond that. Some scientists think the wired world may be changing the way we read, learn and interact with each other.

There are no firm answers yet. But Dr. Gary Small, a psychiatrist at UCLA, argues that daily exposure to digital technologies such as the Internet and smart phones can alter how the brain works.

When the brain spends more time on technology-related tasks and less time exposed to other people, it drifts away from fundamental social skills like reading facial expressions during conversation, Small asserts.

So brain circuits involved in face-to-face contact can become weaker, he suggests. That may lead to social awkwardness, an inability to interpret nonverbal messages, isolation and less interest in traditional classroom learning.

Small says the effect is strongest in so-called digital natives — people in their teens and 20s who have been "digitally hard-wired since toddlerhood." He thinks it's important to help the digital natives improve their social skills and older people — digital immigrants — improve their technology skills.

At least one 19-year-old Internet enthusiast gives Small's idea a mixed review. John Rowe, who lives near Pasadena, Calif., spends six to 12 hours online a day. He flits from instant messaging his friends to games like Cyber Nations and Galaxies Ablaze to online forums for game players and disc jockeys.

Social skills? Rowe figures he and his buddies are doing just fine in that department, thank you. But he thinks Small may have a point about some other people he knows.

"If I didn't actively go out and try to spend time with friends, I wouldn't have the social skills that I do," said Rowe, who reckons he spends three or four nights a week out with his pals. "You can't just give up on having normal friends that you see on a day-to-day basis."

More than 2,000 years ago, Socrates warned about a different information revolution — the rise of the written word, which he considered a more superficial way of learning than the oral tradition. More recently, the arrival of television sparked concerns that it would make children more violent or passive and interfere with their education.

Small, who describes his modern-day concerns in a new book called "iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind," acknowledges he doesn't have an open-and-shut case that digital technology is changing brain circuitry.

Still, his argument is "pretty interesting and certainly provocative," although difficult to prove, says brain scientist Tracey Shors of Rutgers University.

Others are skeptical. Robert Kurzban, a University of Pennsylvania psychologist, said scientists still have a lot to learn about how a person's experiences affect the way the brain is wired to deal with social interaction.

Bush: A disgraceful legacy

2008-11-25T09:18:00.000-08:00

Linda Heard I sierra12th@yahoo.co.uk

YOU have to admire President George W. Bush, who on Jan. 20 will leave behind him what is arguably the worst US presidential legacy ever. No sleepless nights over a global economy in freefall for him. No conscience haunted by the millions of souls, whose lives have been ruined for ever due to his misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan. Seemingly no concerns about his 24 percent approval rating, meaning he is more unpopular than even President Richard Nixon prior to his leaving office. Watergate was an almost inconsequential misdemeanor when viewed through the prism of Bush’s secret executive orders, attack on civil liberties and wiretapping. And neither does he appear bothered that the media portray him as a buffoon, as anyone who tunes into Jon Stewart’s Daily Show or Letterman can attest.

Superficially, at least, he displays no regrets, no contrition. This is a man in a million as few human beings elevated to his lofty pinnacle could remain so proud of their destructive handiwork. On Sunday, he boasted of his success in Iraq on a Japanese private network, adding, “Saddam was an enemy of the United States and a lot of people thought he had weapons of mass destruction”.

The fact is he did not possess WMD and since Bush came to office, the US has more enemies than ever. Bush says he’s “very pleased” at the Iraq war’s outcome, willfully myopic to the regional influence he’s gifted to Iran and naïve to the rancor against Washington that Iraqis will likely display once the American military presence is over.

AND despite the fact his administration has been heaping pressure on the Iraqi government for months to sign up a so-called security pact, including threatening to withhold billions or Iraq’s cash, Bush insists the Iraqis have invited American troops to stay. It must be true what they say about Bush rarely reading newspapers or turning on the television unless there’s a game. Poll after poll evidences that 80 percent of Iraqis want a pullout now. In truth, it’s pretty amazing that one in four Americans still think he’s done a good job. We used to call Britain’s Tony Blair “Teflon Man” but no one deserves that tag more than Bush. Just cast your mind back to 2000 for a moment.

Then, America was wallowing in a fiscal budget surplus of $230 billion. Today, the country is drowning in a deficit of $455 billion and growing. Then unemployment stood at 3.9 percent. Now, it’s hovering around 6.5 percent.

In 2001, 32.9 million people were living below the poverty line. By 2007, that statistic had risen to 37 million. In 2000, it was estimated that there were two million homeless Americans. There are no figures for 2008 but amid mounting foreclosures there are growing reports of tent cities springing up and families resorting to sleeping in cars.

Moreover, 28 million people are now reliant on government food stamps to purchase essentials, said to be the highest number since the 1960s when the program was first introduced. With a credit crunch still biting, banks and financial institutions failing and stock markets headed south, Americans — or at least a quarter of them — must be the most forgiving people ever.

The rest of us aren’t likely to be as charitable. Those of us who value human dignity will not forgive the indignities suffered by people deprived of habeas corpus and tortured in Guantanamo, Bagram, Abu Ghraib and an untold number of other US-run or -backed gulags around the world. Furthermore, we cannot forget Bush’s hollow promises to bring a Palestinian state into fruition by the end of this year when his lack of effort makes clear he had no such intention in the first place.

It’s hard to believe now but in January, 2001 real progress was being made at the Taba Summit but instead of capitalizing on the work done by his predecessor, Bush washed his hands of the whole affair and relegated the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to the status of persona non grata.

To add insult to injury, he embraced the new Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon a war criminal responsible for the Sabra and Shatilla massacres. It was Sharon who sparked the intifada and together with Bush killed the peace process.

Internationally, George Bush hasn’t put a foot right. He’s managed to alienate a resurgent Russia, which believes it’s in danger due to a US missile shield to be erected in Poland and the Czech Republic. And he has succeeded in pushing chunks of Latin America into the arms of Iran. His policies have also fueled a highly unstable Pakistan.

Perhaps the ultimate indictment of Bush’s legacy is encapsulated in the National Intelligence Council’s “Global Trends 2025” Report published last week. It predicts a world just 17 years from now where the US will no longer be an economic and political superpower, rather a mere “first among equals”. This will be a world beset by conflict over resources, rogue states and terrorist groups with access to nuclear weapons.

If it’s correct, then Bush’s ‘war on terror” and his neoconservative-inspired plan to ensure America’s global domination of the 21st century have not only failed dismally, they have backfired to hit Washington in the face. If Bush was a man on a mission to create a new world order wherein US hegemony would remain unassailable for all time, as many once believed, he’s not only fallen short of the task, he has actually brought about the reverse. Letterman and Stewart may have a point. Bush couldn’t have done any worse if he tried.

2008-11-19T23:35:00.001-08:00

2008-11-19T23:29:00.000-08:00

The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error. -John Stuart Mill, philosopher and economist (1806-1873)

Remarks of President-Elect Barack Obama : Election Night

2008-11-14T05:48:00.001-08:00

Chicago, IL | November 04, 2008
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends... though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

WEALTH CREATION DOMINATES IIM-A CONFLUENCE AGENDA

2008-11-11T22:08:00.000-08:00

Kumar Anand, Ahmedabad
The Economic Times (Mumbai edition)

The global financial turmoil is making B-school graduates introspect. So, Asia’s largest B-School event — the IIM-A Confluence — has ‘wealth creation’ as its dominant theme that looks beyond the pure economic lingua of generating wealth.

The IIM-A graduates will talk about wealth on a much higher plane when the event kicks off on November 20. The 4-day discussion includes talks on intellectual, cultural, natural and social wealth The students believe that these have been sidelined in the mad rush for creating wealth, the fallout of which has been seen in the ongoing global financial crisis.

“By wealth creation, the first thing that comes to one’s mind is economic wealth creation, which is natural for B-School graduates. But the three-day speakers’ session takes the definition of wealth much beyond. Some top speakers invited from the academics and industry will try to make sense of the theme that encompasses different dimensions of wealth creation including intellectual, cultural and natural wealth,” said Atanu Ghosh, faculty advisor for the event.

Ghosh said the theme has three different components that will be discussed over three days. ICICI Prudential Life Insurance CEO Shikha Sharma, Glenmark Pharmaceutical CEO Glenn Saldanha, Kellogs B-School dean Dipak Jain, former NASSCOM president Kiran Karnik, former professor of London School of Economics Meghnad Desai, former general secretary of SEWA Elaben Bhatt will be present for the programme. “The first-day session ‘Wheel of Fortune’ will discuss the different dimensions of wealth, the second-day session ‘Crisis to Control’ will focus on the current economic scenario — the system, control and prudence to minimise the impact. Elaben Bhatt and Dipak Jain will interact with students on the third day’s theme — Beyond the Frontier,” Ghosh said

TEN STRATEGIC TECHNOLOGIES FOR 2009

2008-11-11T22:05:00.000-08:00

TEN STRATEGIC TECHNOLOGIES FOR 2009 - I
The Economic Times
Gartner Inc analysts have highlighted the top 10 technologies and trends that will be strategic for most organisations. The analysts presented their findings during Gartner Symposium/ITxpo held recently.

Gartner defines a strategic technology as one with the potential for significant impact on the enterprise in the next three years. Factors that denote significant impact include a high potential for disruption to IT or the business, the need for a major dollar investment, or the risk of being late to adopt.

“Strategic technologies affect, run, grow and transform the business initiatives of an organisation,” said David Cearley, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. “Companies should look at these 10 opportunities and evaluate where these technologies can add value to their business services and solutions, as well as develop a process for detecting and evaluating the business value of new technologies as they enter the market.” The top 10 strategic technologies for 2009 include:

Virtualisation

Much of the current buzz is focused on server virtualization, but virtualisation in storage and client devices is also moving rapidly. Virtualisation to eliminate duplicate copies of data on the real storage devices while maintaining the illusion to the accessing systems that the files are as originally stored (data duplication) can significantly decrease the cost of storage devices and media to hold information.

Hosted virtual images deliver a near-identical result to blade-based PCs. But, instead of the motherboard function being located in the data center as hardware, it is located there as a virtual machine bubble.

However, despite ambitious deployment plans from many organisations, deployments of hosted virtual desktop capabilities will be adopted by fewer than 40 percent of target users by 2010.

Cloud computing

Cloud computing is a style of computing that characterizes a model in which providers deliver a variety of IT-enabled capabilities to consumers. They key characteristics of cloud computing are delivery of capabilities “as a service,” delivery of services in a highly scalable and elastic fashion, using Internet technologies and techniques to develop and deliver the services, and designing for delivery to external customers.

Although cost is a potential benefit for small companies, the biggest benefits are the built-in elasticity and scalability, which not only reduce barriers to entry, but also enable these companies to grow quickly.

As certain IT functions are industrialising and becoming less customised, there are more possibilities for larger organisations to benefit from cloud computing.

Servers -- beyond blades

Servers are evolving beyond the blade server stage that exists today. This evolution will simplify the provisioning of capacity to meet growing needs. The organisation tracks the various resource types, for example, memory, separately and replenishes only the type that is in short supply.

This eliminates the need to pay for all three resource types to upgrade capacity.

It also simplifies the inventory of systems, eliminating the need to track and purchase various sizes and configurations. The result will be higher utilisation because of lessened “waste” of resources that are in the wrong configuration or that come along with the needed processors and memory in a fixed bundle.

TEN STRATEGIC TECHNOLOGIES FOR 2009 - II
The Economic Times
Web-oriented architectures

The Internet is arguably the best example of an agile, interoperable and scalable service-oriented environment in existence. This level of flexibility is achieved because of key design principles inherent in the Internet/Web approach, as well as the emergence of Web-centric technologies and standards that promote these principles.

The use of Web-centric models to build global-class solutions cannot address the full breadth of enterprise computing needs.

However, Gartner expects that continued evolution of the Web-centric approach will enable its use in an ever-broadening set of enterprise solutions during the next five years.

Enterprise mashups

Enterprises are now investigating taking mashups from cool Web hobby to enterprise-class systems to augment their models for delivering and managing applications.

Through 2010, the enterprise mashup product environment will experience significant flux and consolidation, and application architects and IT leaders should investigate this growing space for the significant and transformational potential it may offer their enterprises.

Specialised systems

Appliances have been used to accomplish IT purposes, but only with a few classes of function have appliances prevailed. Heterogeneous systems are an emerging trend in high-performance computing to address the requirements of the most demanding workloads, and this approach will eventually reach the general-purpose computing market.

Heterogeneous systems are also specialised systems with the same single-purpose imitations of appliances, but the heterogeneous system is a server system into which the owner installs software to accomplish its function.

Social software and social networking

Social software includes a broad range of technologies, such as social networking, social collaboration, social media and social validation.

Organisations should consider adding a social dimension to a conventional website or application and should adopt a social platform sooner, rather than later, because the greatest risk lies in failure to engage and thereby, being left mute in a dialogue where your voice must be heard.

Unified communications

During the next five years, the number of different communications vendors with which a typical organisation works with will be reduced by at least 50 percent. This change is driven by increases in the capability of application servers and the general shift of communications applications to common off-the-shelf server and operating systems.

As this occurs, formerly distinct markets, each with distinct vendors, converge, resulting in massive consolidation in the communications industry. Organisations must build careful, detailed plans for when each category of communications function is replaced or converged, coupling this step with the prior completion of appropriate administrative team convergence.

Business Intelligence

Business Intelligence (BI), the top technology priority in Gartner’s 2008 CIO survey, can have a direct positive impact on a company’s business performance, dramatically improving its ability to accomplish its mission by making smarter decisions at every level of the business from corporate strategy to operational processes.

BI is particularly strategic because it is directed toward business managers and knowledge workers who make up the pool of thinkers and decision makers that are tasked with running, growing and transforming the business. Tools that let these users make faster, better and more-informed decisions are particularly valuable in a difficult business environment.

Green IT

Shifting to more efficient products and approaches can allow for more equipment to fit within an energy footprint, or to fit into a previously filled center. Regulations are multiplying and have the potential to seriously constrain companies in building data centers, as the effect of power grids, carbon emissions from increased use and other environmental impacts are under scrutiny. Organisations should consider regulations and have alternative plans for data center and capacity growth.

“A strategic technology may be an existing technology that has matured and/or become suitable for a wider range of uses,” said Carl Claunch, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. “It may also be an emerging technology that offers an opportunity for strategic business advantage for early adopters or with potential for significant market disruption in the next five years. Companies should evaluate these technologies and adjust based on their industry need, unique business needs, technology adoption model and other factors.”

VC SUMMIT FOR KERALA IT INDUSTRY

2008-11-04T01:15:00.001-08:00

The Group of Technopark Companies (GTECH), a strategic grouping of IT companies at Technopark, is organising a venture capital summit here on November 10-11.

The objective of the two-day summit would be to bring together the leading venture capitalists on a common platform, Binu Sankar, CEO, GTECH, said.

“The event is expected to help the IT industry in Kerala establish national and international networks with the leading venture capital firms,” he added

The theme of the summit, titled Kerala Venture Capital Summit 2008, would dwell upon ‘Financing the Knowledge Economy in Kerala’.

Companies including NEA Indo-US Ventures, Erasmic Ventures, ILabs Capital, Helion Venture Partners, Ernst & Young would participate.

The summit is being organised in partnership with the state IT department, Technopark and the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC).

Apart from Technopark officials, the event will be attended by the technology companies at Technopark, Kochi Infopark, companies from the IT SEZ in Kochi and senior officials of the state government

Qur'an translation in Many languages

2008-07-31T03:58:00.001-07:00

http://www.alketab.com/

2008-06-19T22:05:00.000-07:00

Our brother, Syed Yasin is in the news again. His innovative mind came into limelight when he first invented the currency counting machine ten years back when he was still in college. This time, he is news for inventing a very complex search algorithm that is poised to take the mammoth google head-on-head. Br.Yasin was in our office couple of weeks back explaining the algorithm with a live demo and we were simply amazed.

The alpha release of his search engine is already out at http://www.icognue.com/

Bengaluru, June 8: In Bengaluru’s Frazer Town, a man obsessed with artificial intelligence had been inventing and tweaking algorithms to judge if a machine can learn from itself. Thirty three-year old Mr Syed Yasin’s part time efforts took a spanking turn after Sobha Renaissance, an IT services firm he works in, wanted the home lab shifted to office for "full-time" research. Now, the company is readying a mini-Google.

At another end of the town, Mr Anurag Dod and Mr Gaurav Mishra have been plotting the Baidu of India. The young duo gave up lucrative jobs in eBay and Nokia to start up Guruji.com, a search engine specialising in local language, music, and film timings.

Both the firms, the literal Davids, will lock horns with Goliath Google in a short while, invade a space where both Yahoo and Microsoft have largely struggled.

Comparisons look inane at the moment: while Sobha’s search engine iCognue is in the alpha stage, Guruji is just a year and a half old with 45 employees and an Indian market share in low single digits. Google, in comparison, has 17,000 people globally, revenues of $16 billion, and a market share of around 65 per cent in the country. It has indexed billions of web pages - Sobha has indexed just 2 million and Guruji about 200 million.

It’s not just the spirit of innovation in India’s silicon valley that is making the small take on Google’s might. There is a strong business case. Consumption of Internet content is low in India with less than 50 million Web users in a country of a billion people. Google’s mindshare, then, is on a very small base. "In the next four years another 100 million Indians will use the Internet for the first time. Given that these users will have no affinity towards the established brands, the opportunity for Guruji is huge," Mr Mishra, COO of the firm, says. The prospect is bright but will still need a mammoth exercise to be converted into success. Niche and relevant context appears to be the cornerstone around which the Indian search brigade plans its march.

Mr Yasin has invented a self-learning mathematical algorithm that betters the search giant in certain ways: while Google is a great key-word search and scores high on relevancy, Sobha’s new search engine delivers meaningful context. One word may have multiple meanings - Java, for instance is a coffee, a technology, and an island in Indonesia. Users of iCognue get options to select the appropriate information.

"Our algorithm understands the relationships between words," says Mr Yasin.

While nobody has perhaps invented a machine that understands a document to the level of human intelligence, he claims the algorithm can definitely understand a document to know the important words by itself, develop an automated summary, besides mapping related words.

So when users know what they want but are unable to provide the exact search query, the search engine attempts to help. Names of diseases or drugs, for instance, can be hard to remember or even spell correctly. If one looking for ‘obsessive compulsive disorder’ simply keys in mental health, the algorithm identifies topics contextually related to mental health.

"Google lacks search refinements, the sense of which words are related to what. A search for mental health in Google throws up far less contextual topics than we do - this when our index size is less than one per cent of Google’s size," the inventor tells. Google does provide some context but it comes from user traffic and not the data the algorithm learns, he adds.

Better context is also Guruji’s target. It is a key word search engine but the firm is building an Indian context. "There is a limited way in which you can express intent with just key words. So we need context to match a search to the fact that the user is Indian," states Mr Dod, CEO of the company. For instance, people in different geographies can search for camera stores.

Guruji is likely to list Indian websites to buy from rather than foreign e-commerce shops.

Both Sobha and Guruji have taken baby steps in monetisation. While the latter has an advertising model similar to Google’s Adwords programme, Sobha is debating multiple possibilities — Adwords, Adsense, even licensing the algorithm.

The firm’s CEO Dr. Madhu Nambiar knows if enough resources are pumped in, search could be a much larger treasure than IT services. By end-2009, the company may be eyeing $200 million in search revenues.

Thanks and regards,

Syed Yasin| Inventor – LMai, Principal Architect Search Algorithms & Technology
E-mail:syed@renaissance-it.com | Extn: 1944
Sobha Renaissance Information Technology (P) Ltd.
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Beauty of Mathematics !!!!!!!

2008-06-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it?

And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Now, take a look at this...

101%

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%?
What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to
GIVE OVER 100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%?

What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help
answer these questions:

If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

If:

H-A-R-D-W-O- R- K

8+1+18+4+23+ 15+18+11 = 98%

And:

K-N-O-W-L-E- D-G-E

11+14+15+23+ 12+5+4+7+ 5 = 96%

But:

A-T-T-I-T-U- D-E

1+20+20+9+20+ 21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F- G-O-D

12+15+22+5+15+ 6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will
get you there, It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

It's up to you if you share this with your friends & loved ones just
the way I did..

Have a nice day & God bless!!

Definition of Prosperity - A Qur'an Commentary by A. Yusuf ali

2008-05-20T02:50:00.000-07:00

Prosperity is a sandwich that has Integrity on one side, Love and affection on other side with many other ingredients in between.

Top 10 Myths About Networking

2008-04-06T18:09:00.001-07:00

1. Networking means meeting as many people as you can.
If possessing a huge stack of business cards or having met every business person in your city was a ticket to riches, this might be true. But it's not. Networking gives you a chance to meet new people, but quality trumps quantity in human relationships, every time.

2. Networking means telling people about your business whenever you get a chance.
There's nothing wrong with letting the folks at your gym, at your place of worship, and at your book club know what you do for a living. But people will quickly forget the details of your professional life. What they'll remember is you -- if you approach them with a desire to learn about them, as well.

3. Networking is hard work.
It may be that you're working too hard. Networking happens naturally if you introduce yourself to people, stay in touch with people you've met, and think, in every interaction, "How could I help this person?"

4. Networking should start when you're job-hunting.
If you get the call that you've been selected to compete on "American Idol," it's too late to start an exercise program or go on a diet. When you're out of work, it's a bit late in the game to start networking toward your next job. If you have to start then, do it; but it's far better to start networking now, and build contacts for the job search that will inevitably come your way if you're a working person who isn't close to retirement.

5. Networking is for schmoozers.
Schmoozing is by far the least important networking skill. Good listening is far more useful to a relationship-builder than the ability to spit a thirty-second elevator pitch into someone's face.

6. Networking is only for entrepreneurs.
If you don't believe that having business contacts and experts at your disposal would be useful for you as a corporate person, talk to any top business leader and ask his or her opinion. It's essential to be connected to other professionals, not just for "it's-who-you-know" reasons but in order to get perspectives on your business and career issues that are different from?your own.

7. Networking is a waste of time.
Your networking time will surely be wasted if you approach each interaction as an opportunity hawk your wares. Ditto if you believe that your job as a networker is to tell every person you meet all about your job search and express no interest in him or her. If you can get past these bad networking ideas and cultivate some relationships, your time will be well spent.

8. Networking is expensive.
Joining a Yahoo! group is free. The popular networking site LinkedIn has a free membership level and 15 million users. Plenty of face-to-face networking events in your town will cost you nothing more than parking or bus fare.

9. Networking is phony.
If you go to a party at your sister's house and meet her boyfriend's dad, is your conversation phony? Networking conversations need not be any different than any other interactions between new acquaintances. It's up to you.

10. Networking is a thing of the past.
Person-to-person relationships are more important in business than ever. If anything, networking is a thing of the future.

Liz Ryan is a 25-year HR veteran, former Fortune 500 VP and an internationally recognized expert on careers and the new millennium workplace. She is the author of "Happy About Online Networking," a popular speaker on workplace and work/life topics, and the leader of the global Ask Liz Ryan online community. Contact Liz at liz@asklizryan.com.

KERALA GETS SET TO BE POWERED BY IT

2008-03-23T18:14:00.000-07:00

Business StandardKeralas transition form Gods own countrys to Gods own e-state has come about pretty steady. A late start not withstanding, certain inherent strengths provided the state with the capability to log on to the IT revolution and Kerala made itself ready to be networked. Though not in the scale of the other southern IT regions, Kerala too has it share of unique tech boosters that continue to attract global players to its soil.

The governments role has helped much. As pointed out in the states latest economic survey document, "the government is keen to play a catalytic role for the development of IT and ITeS industry within the state, as it is ideally suited for such a densely populated state, having a multitude of highly qualified and experienced human resources uniformly spread across the state".

The government has in fact identified its role and the part it needs to play. Plans to develop Thiruvananthap-uram and Kochi as the foremost IT locations in the region come first on the agenda.

According to Chief Minister VS Achuthanan-dan, who also is the Minister for IT, the state government has commenced work on integrated townships, specifically for IT and ITeS industry. It has been pointed out that the Technocity project planned in Thiruvananthapuram and the Smart City project coming up in Kochi will boast of global standards, complete with the most modern stateof-the-art infrastructure.

The Thiruvananthapuram Technopark is already home to nationally and internationally reputed IT and ITeS companies. As the Chief Minister pointed out recently, "Kerala is in the threshold of many new initiatives in this sector. Within the next few years the state will be one of the leading states in India in the IT and ITeS sectors".

The Kerala State IT Policy 2007 had clearly spelt out a frame work in evolving the state into a knowledge society with sustainable economic growth with equity, social harmony, and high quality of life. It out lines an attractive incentive package for IT industry, enhances infrastructure capacities at our IT parks, sets up statewide e-governance network and offers single window clearance among others. The government, in the meantime, has prioritized yet another dream. It is developing parks in all districts of Kerala in a hub-andspoke model with the hubs in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode, and spokes in all the remaining districts.

VFPCK, KERALA IT MISSION PLAN E-KRISHI PROJECT

2008-03-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

It does not matter how slowly you go up, so long as you don't stop." - Confucius, Philosopher

The Hindu Business LineThe Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Kerala (VFPCK) is joining hands with the Kerala IT Mission to start a new project called e-krishi.

VFPCK, which provides everything from seeds to marketing assistance for its member farmers and participants, has been collecting market information like price changes, stocks and availability, as well as arrivals at 17 major markets in Kerala and four major markets outside the State through its marketing division.

Now, the company would be extending this daily market information to the farmers by opening the e-portal in association with Kerala IT mission.

The primary objective of the new venture is to create greater transparency for the farmers and the public, between the producers and the consumers, on the price trends and availability of fruits and vegetable in the markets, Dr T.R. Gopalakrishnan, Chief Executive Officer of VFPCK said.

It would also help in disseminating information on marketing, agriculture infrastructure and information on the weather conditions to the farmers and the public.

Dr C.K. Peethambaran, Consultant to the IT Mission, explained how the e-portal works to the gathering of farmers and the public after the inauguration of the e-portal in Kochi.

I ADMIRE

2008-03-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

"I believe through learning and application of what you learn, you can solve any problem, overcome any obstacle and achieve any goal that you can set for yourself." - Brian Tracy, Author

Sanjeev Aggarwal,
The Financial ExpressWith so many benchmark companies to choose from, one is spoilt for choice. It is hard to choose a favourite but if choose I must, then GE it is. This is despite the fact that I have neither worked at GE nor transacted business with them. I have been influenced by the way they have built their globally integrated Indian operations, the leaders they groom and by the writings of Jack Welch. I have taken a number of personal leadership cues from Jack.

If I have to pick one word that I associate GE with, it would be “Execution”. That they have done this effortlessly across diverse businesses, from aircraft engines to financial services, and have done it on a global scale over several decades, is quite a feat.

GE’s people practices… logical, portable and scaleable have greatly influenced me. The culture of candour helps conserve energy and gets issues quickly to the fore. GE’s people engagement platform that includes skip level meetings, a 360-degree feedback, and town halls ensures that each employee relates with the organisational objectives. I am very impressed with the way GE managers go deep into the organisation in a very disciplined way by conducting skip level meetings as a well-oiled process. It reduces the number of surprises that hit you. Deep dives and work outs are some practices that I have used personally while building Daksh and I find that they are very effective in getting to the heart of the problem very quickly and building consensus for resolution.

Differentiating between people is a GE practice, which to my mind is very relevant to the human capital issue that confronts the Indian Economy. Sorting out “A” players and giving them disproportionate responsibilities and rewards ensures that top talent wants to come and work for the organisation. Jack’s quote — “We build great people, who then build great products and services” is one of my favourite business thoughts.

When I think of GE, I think of process excellence built around a culture of six-sigma. Six-sigma was not invented at GE, but has been fiercely implemented there. Six-sigma was used as a universal tool for improving quality, improving processes and eliminating inefficiencies. In my mind one of the best ways to drive initiatives is to wrap them around a six-sigma methodology. As an entrepreneur who comes from the BPO industry, I know that the BPO industry has benefited immensely from the six-sigma practices brought by the professionals hired from GE. The process orientation and analytical skills that a GE trained executive demonstrates clearly stands out.

The author is MD, Helion Ventures

$5-B WORTH KPO BIZ BY 2010

2008-03-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships." - Michael Jordan

The Hindu Business Line Mint Business Standard The Financial Express DNA The Times of India The Economic Times The Indian Express Deccan HeraldGlobal consultancy services provider KPMG and Nasscom today indicated that the Financial Services industry KPO (knowledge process outsourcing) is poised to be worth $5 billion in India by 2010.

In a report brought out jointly and released by the Union IT&C Minister, A. Raja, KPMG researchers indicated that while there are various projections of KPO industry that range between $10 billion and $17 billion by 2010, India is well poised to garner about $5 billion worth of financial services business.

Addressing a press conference, Edge Zarella, Global Partner-in-charge, IT Advisory, KPMG, said that India is at an extremely advantageous position to garner this business, which is often misunderstood. It is not a numbers game but a mindgame, where consultants would play a very strategic role. A couple of years ago, talk of KPO seemed far-fetched, especially as businesses were still struggling to come to terms with what the earlier forms of outsourcing could do for them.

This study focuses on financial services and how KPO could play a strategic role. The Indian capabilities are tried and tested and consultants with cross functional experience would provide strategic inputs for business. These could be in the areas of investment research, IP launching, data analysis, business research among others.

Edge Zarella cited that about 5,000 companies have their regional headquarters in Singapore only because of the talent pool available there. “Likewise, you will see many companies harnessing the potential of senior executives and consultants in India”, he said.

The Global Partner-in-charge, Sourcing Advisory,. Pradeep Udhas, said that a number of factors would play a role in attracting this business. These include the existing capability of IT services and BPO companies, the comfort zone these companies have built, push towards global sourcing and improved remote project management capabilities.

Interestingly, the report predicts that there is likely to be a significant shift in the boundaries between outsourceable and non outsourceable activities and offshoring activities to embrace new locations and most global banks and insurers are expected to adopt KPO strategies.

EFFORTS TO PROMOTE OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE GATHER MOMENTUM

2008-03-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

The Economic TimesEfforts to promote Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) have gathered momentum in the country, mainly due to emergence of "Linux User Groups" (LUGs) and recognition by academics and government.

India's computing space is witnessing a shift towards free software as more and more people are drifting away from proprietary products due to their exorbitant prices, security issues and restrictions on usage, according to experts.

"Independent efforts to promote open source software technology, which ensures users' rights to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute modified computer programs, started as early 2001 in India and picked up momentum in the last couple of years," said Free Software Foundation of India secretary M Arun.

During the past few years, over 70-80 active LUGs have come up in the country, which exhort computer users to forfeit products of proprietary companies, he said.

"These companies want to reap profits and protect their investments. So they restrict the study and modification of their software by withholding the 'source code'," Arun said.

"This (restriction) actually hinders the development of the industry. By building upon the freely available software, one would be able to save time, money and effort," he said.

The National Resource Centre for Free/Open Source Software (NRC-FOSS) set up by Union Information Technology ministry, is working on introducing FOSS in the curricula of Engineering colleges in states including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat and Rajasthan.

INDIA WILL EMERGE AS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY: STEVE JURVETSON

2008-03-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

MintSteve Jurvetson earned his wings as a top-notch venture capitalist (VC) in the US Silicon Valley when free Internet-based email service Hotmail was acquired by Microsoft Corp. for $400 million.

Jurvetson was a founder investor in Hotmail on behalf of Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), the now legendary Menlo Park, California-based venture capital firm he co-founded with Timothy Draper and John Fisher in the early 1990s.

Since Hotmail and other Internet investments, Jurvetson’s consuming passion has been nanotechnology—a science that deals with matter at an extremely small scale—and at the turn of the century, he convinced his partners that nanotech was a space worth looking into seriously. That has translated into 15-20% of DFJ’s global investments being in the nanotech area.

For DFJ, being an early champion of nanotech as an emerging opportunity falls in line with the firm’s track record for spotting disruptive technologies early on. Its earlier successful bets, apart from Hotmail, include Baidu.com Inc. and Skype Inc., later acquired by eBay Inc.

Overall, it has backed some 300 companies, has over $5.5 billion (Rs 21,670 crore) in capital commitments and is the most globally diversified Silicon Valley venture capital fund—it has offices in 33 cities across the world.

The firm set up an office in Bangalore this year and has allocated $75 million out of its $600 million global DFJ IX fund to kick-start investments here. The local team is led by Mohanjit Jolly and Sateesh Andra.

TECH WILL SHAPE BUSINESSES

2008-03-23T17:49:00.000-07:00

Kris Gopalakrishnan
The Financial ExpressIn a survey of 200 global CXOs, over 70% of the executives highlighted technology as the top change driver shaping the global business environment. It forms the backbone of every successful business. The key trends, I see, as driving technology innovation in 2008 are:

- Customer-centric era
- Emergence of attention Economy
- Rise of personal tech
- Alternate delivery models
- Continued focus on security
- Environment becoming mainstream

The writer is CEO and MD, Infosys Technologies

NO ONE CAN STOP AN IDEA

2008-03-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

"Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture." - Norman Vincent Peale, Author

"Faith is putting all eggs in God's basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch." - Ramona C Carroll

The Economic Times (Delhi edition)During the early Nineties, the then Calcutta Municipal Corporation was plagued by rampant employee strikes. The striking employees weren’t demanding pay hikes or lesser work. They were against a government initiative that they felt would result in major job losses. Strange as it may sound today, the initiative involved introduction of computers in the century-old organisation. Computers were just making inroads into offices and workplaces in India and these striking workers were not alone in fearing that these machines would take away the livelihood of human beings. Across the country, so called ‘experts’ prophesised that computers will take away the jobs of every clerk, secretary, typist, peon and in effect make human workers redundant. Many suggested that the impending revolution in IT wasn’t meant for a populous country like India.

Few years back, while presenting his first budget, Dr Manmohan Singh had quoted Victor Hugo and said, “No one can stop an idea whose time has come.” So it was with computers. IT soon became the buzzword and no one could stop computers from entering workplaces, government offices and homes. The IT sector witnessed unprecedented growth and exuberance, followed soon by a few tumultuous years and a reality check. Today, it is among the fastest growing sectors, the pride of the nation and most importantly, among the largest employers.

Every major change is by nature, disruptive. It brings about social unrest, scepticism and at the same time, optimism and often an irrational exuberance. So it is with modern retailing in India at this stage. The change it can effect is unparalleled. It affects the livelihood of thousands and the lifestyle and social behaviour of a billion Indians. Not surprisingly, 2007 was witness to widespread protests against new retailers and a passionate debate on the impact of modern retail on livelihoods. At the same time there was almost an irrational exuberance around this sector. Almost every month, large domestic and multinational business houses announced their foray into the retailing sector in India. It seemed as if the consumption and retailing potential in India had suddenly dawned on the wise pundits in corporate boardrooms.

Kishore Biyani, Group CEO, Future Group

BIG BIZ KNOCKING, KERALA IT COUNTS ON RS 1000 CRORE INVESTMENT

2008-03-23T17:43:00.000-07:00

"Flexibility in a time of great change is a vital quality of leadership." - Brian Tracy

The Financial ExpressIt's the day of demand-pushed expansion for Kerala's IT parks at Technopark, upcoming Technocity and Kochi-based Infopark. With big-billed firms in the league of Oracle, Intel, Satyam and Ford Business Solutions knocking doors for IT space, in the space-starved Technopark, Kerala has placed its bets on logging at least Rs 1000 crore investment in three years.

Work on Rs 1000-crore Technocity will also start this year, Dr Ajay Kumar, Principal Secretary (IT), Kerala government said. In expansion of Technopark (now 3.2 million sq ft) alone, Rs 100 crore is pegged to be the current year's investment for adding five lakh sq ft. In Technopark alone, Rs 75 crore investment is envisaged very soon.

The proposed slew of investments are likely to take the number of employees in Technopark to 25,000 this year, says Radhakrisha Pillai, CEO, Technopark. At present, the country's first IT park houses 17,000-odd employees through 140 companies.

In Infopark, 150 acres of land has been added this year. This will translate to 5 lakh sq f in IT space.

Simultaneously, both in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, private initiatives in IT infrastructure building are taking off this year. The $400-million Smartcity has started civil work early enough to make it functional in the current fiscal. L&T has made progress with its 4 lakh sq ft park in Kochi.

In Thiruvananthapuram Infosys unit in Technopark has been setting up its independent campus. Infosys is nearly ready to move to the new campus this year. IBS, TCS, NeST and Caseconsult have made some progress with their projects for independent facility, Technopark officials said.

Topping the charts as a hot favourite among tier-2 cities helped, according to Dr Ajay Kumar, Principal Secretary (IT), Kerala. But the shortage of prime land didnot, he added.

State IT policy has been favouring a hub-and-spoke model of growth, to push an evenly spread development. district level parks are in pipeline. The first of these will be in Kozhikode and Kannur as access to airport was a priority-score for investors, Ajaykumar said.

THE NEW WORLD ORDER IN SERVICES

2008-03-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

There is at least one point in the history of any company when you have to change dramatically to rise to the next level of performance. Miss that moment, and you start to decline." - Andy Grove, Intel CEO

Shailesh F. Shah
The Hindu Business LineSome of the best minds in managing pensions can be found in Chile. The best accountants in the world are considered to be in India. Counsellors in Israel and India can help solve legal issues in Kentucky and Arkansas. The Philippines has among the best animators on the planet. Amazing behavioural patterns in China and India are teaching the world how to improve the persistency of insurance policy holders.

The consistent process-oriented behaviour of the people of South-East Asia can spawn several services companies. Pushed a little, institutes of technology, design, sciences and mathematics in India can become research talent sources, particularly in designing engineering solutions. There have been hundreds of instances, in the past couple of years, where patients have flown in from developed economies for surgery in India.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the services sector is going to be the most critical economic driver in the foreseeable future. More than 65 per cent of the $43 trillion the world created in value last year came from services — that is almost $28 trillion. That some of the best minds in large volumes are available elsewhere in the world other than where a service is being consumed is becoming increasingly apparent.

That technology and communications make virtual delivery of services a reality is also known. What is not being fathomed is that over 25 per cent of these $28 trillion can be consumed anywhere and delivered from anywhere. That is a tidy little $7 trillion in 2006 value.

Manufacturing moved from the State of New York to Oklahoma when it became cheaper. It subsequently moved to Brazil and Mexico and has been moving for years. The world is today in awe of the volume and quality game China can play.

Similarly, back in the 1950s, the telephone operators that patched calls in New York moved up the State before moving to Nebraska and today to the Philippines and India. From voice assistance to managing plant floors across the world, services is naturally much more mobile than manufacturing will ever be. As developing countries start to participate in the global trade of services, they begin by leveraging their base – cost arbitrage. From the examples above, it is clear that it is time to recognise where the best talent pools lie, where the opportunity for value creation is significantly higher and where the quality, responsiveness and productivity of the service provided will create new standards.

Most important, innovation from these quarters will change the way services get provided. Several countries in Africa, Asia, the West Asia and Latin America are landlocked and have limited opportunity for industrial growth related diversification. The services sector represents a viable alternative if invested in correctly.

Expansion in the services sector has improved job opportunities in India and China. It has helped to roll back poverty. Recent studies have consistently shown that the age, talent and attitude to serve and succeed in several developing countries surpass those in developed economies by orders of magnitude, primarily because the need to succeed is that much higher.

Infosys and Satyam have achieved top ten-value status among their peers in IT and BPO services. As they get to serve the largest and best on the planet, the level of services globalisation increasingly becomes a reality. The economic divide between the haves and the have-nots will narrow considerably in our lifetime.

(The author is Chief Strategy Officer, Satyam Computer Services.)

WE ENCOURAGE INNOVATIVE THINKING - VFS Global

2008-03-23T17:28:00.000-07:00

"Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life. " - Wayne Dyer, Self-help Author

WE ENCOURAGE INNOVATIVE THINKING
Ishani Duttagupta, February 3, 2008
The Economic TimesVFS Global Services is not just the fastest growing division within the Kuoni Travel Group in India — it has also become synonymous with visa outsourcing services globally. It serves 19 diplomatic missions in 39 countries and processes over six million visa applications annually. Last year, the company won a £195 million contract with UK visas to provide outsourcing services.

It also became the first Indian company to be awarded the contract for outsourced services by the Indian Mission. Sanjay Bhaduri, chief operations officer, spoke about what it takes to maintain high service standards and at the same time ensure high safety and security requirements.

VFS Global has a very innovative business model. In terms of performance, how are you ranked within the Kuoni group?

Ours is the fastest growing division within Kuoni India. We are also recognised by Kuoni Worldwide as an innovation centre with major contributions to both the topline and bottom line. We have been posting a revenue growth of over 100% annually and will have expanded into over 42 countries by the end of this year. We have large operations in China, the Schengen countries and the CIS bloc.

What will the next big thing be in the visa outsourcing space?

That would undoubtedly be the biometric procedure, which has already been implemented by a lot of countries. Recently, UKvisas rolled out their biometric visa procedure across 39 countries at a cost of £2 million. While India was the last region where the biometric visas were rolled out, we have worked with UKvisas in 10 regions including South Asia, Americas, South-East Asia, West Asia, 70% of North Africa, West Africa, South and East Africa, CIS and Europe. We are now working with various other EU countries in their biometric visa plans. These include France, Germany and Italy.

Considering that visa operations have become a very sensitive operation globally, what kind of inputs does VFS Global have in the area of security?

IT security is a top priority for us and we will spend $2 million over the next year to enhance our security systems. The overall investment on IT across the enterprise will go up to $3 million in the same period. We are working on a distributed server model for disaster recovery and business continuity. And even as we have become the face of customer service for various missions across the world, we have to also pay attention to the physical security issue at all our offices. Rs 14 crore has been spent to link up all offices around the world realtime.

You have expanded fast globally within a short period of time. Have you evolved any group strategy on HR?

We are an young company and as a policy we encourage young talent within the organisation. Across all global teams — everyone is encouraged to give feedback so that we can improve our HR processes. Innovative thinking is encouraged across the organisation at all levels. From a small, little known organisation, we have grown to a global company that employs over 18,000 people, within just a few years.

While on the one hand we try to tap into local talent at the various geographies that we operate in, we also move our Indian managers to global positions. We have a strong lateral recruitment programme and have also started recruiting aggressively from the top business schools in India. We are creating a global human resources pool and have also developed a induction programme for young middle-level managers. This programme is between 12 and 18 months long. Besides, we have various programmes to recognise and reward innovation within VFS Global.

Considering that yours is a new business model, what are some of the innovations within the organisation?

We are a consumer-focused organisation and continuously upgrading our services. Some of the innovative offerings include online tracking of passports after they have been submitted at our offices as well as an SMS tracking system. Our call centres offer customised services in various languages around the world. For the diplomatic missions, we often serve as their face for all customer interaction. That makes it very important for us to keep on upgrading our services.

OUTSOURCING HAPPENING IN NETWORKING SITES

2008-03-22T19:38:00.001-07:00

Unlike popular social networking sites where people meet to foster new friendships or search for old ones, these are sites where businesses meet in search of work.

Customers log in to outsource jobs, while individuals and businesses (read providers) bid for the work. Outsourcing 2.0 as it’s popularly called, is being touted as the new wave of outsourcing.

It’s different from traditional outsourcing where big MNCs outsource some of their processes to well known companies in India or other parts of the world to save costs.

Outsourcing 2.0 has small and medium businesses (SMBs) offshoring their work to SMBs or individuals in India, Indonesia or other low cost destinations.

As Arun Jethmalani, CEO, ValueNotes explains, "The term ‘Outsourcing 2.0’ was coined to reflect changes in the evolution of outsourcing over the last few years. From a sub-contracting activity, outsourcing has now come to occupy an important place in the supply chain. This implies that buyers have factored in the cost and efficiency benefits and are now looking beyond all that to see how outsourced operations can grow business."

Traditionally, only large firms could think of outsourcing. now buyers are becoming smaller — as mid-market companies, individual businesses and professionals are taking to outsourcing.

It’s almost like a cottage industry. Firms like RentACoder.com, Elance, and Guru.com, are being used as platforms by customers and businesses to link up on Net. The jobs being outsourced too are basic, non-core tasks like website designing, software programming, payroll, HR, copy writing, PR material, marketing et al.

Elance has a list of certified IT providers (primarily SMBs) who provide a host of services. "We have 988,000 registered users, 34,000 active buyers and 40,000 active providers," says Fabio Rosati, CEO, Elance.

The next breed of entrepreneurs in India, US and Europe are using such sites to grow business.

NEW APPLICATION TO TRACK BROWSING HISTORY

2008-03-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

Quote for the day:"A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind. "- Albert Szent-Gyorgyi.

NEW APPLICATION TO TRACK BROWSING HISTORY
Bangalore, February 24, 2008
Business Standard
How many times you have forgotten a web page that you visited earlier to get some important information? Well, now there is a web application — Hooeey, which is claimed to be an efficient tool to access browsing history.

“Hooeey enables internet users to re-use their browsing history in a productive manner to reduce time spent in searching for previously visited web pages, to easily share interesting web pages with others and use the provided dashboard to manage their browsing time more efficiently,” said Hooeey’s managing director Rajiv Purnaiya

While providing a safe and universal platform for the entire browsing experience, Hooeey delinks the browser history from the browser.

Additionally, it adds a social networking layer, allowing one to share specific sites with others, both on Hooeey network and other social book marking services. Hooeey services can be accessed for free at www.hooeey.com.

“Our main focus is to save time and effort of the users by leveraging IT tools and adopting a different approach that combines seamless web hop recording with complete transparency and user control,” said Rajiv.

Hooeey allows users to track their browsing history from any search engine and “also has the advantage on browser’s history files as it works on both the platforms such as Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Hooeey provides facilities such as automatically recording web hops, tagging of interesting sites, while being online or offline, creating contact list and sending links to friends, besides having self-determinable folders to structure links.

NEW BUSINESS MODELS FOR IT

2008-03-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

Quote for the day: "Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well. " - Mahatma Gandhi

NEW BUSINESS MODELS FOR IT
Arvind Thakur
MintThe Indian IT industry has witnessed an exceptional growth over the last two decades, led by the 1990s, when companies were notching up 50-100 percent growth rates. Such was the momentum that even the dot-com bust of the early 2000 and the global economic slowdown only marginally impacted growth, keeping it above the 30 percent mark. The excellent performance was in large part due to the vast talent pool harnessed by industry leaders and their investments in process capability.

The global delivery model, created as a result, was a disruptive innovation enabling the industry to comfortably ride the economic downturn of the early 2000. The model is now being universally adopted, leading to commoditization of traditional IT services around vanilla technologies. Companies are differentiating their services by moving up the value chain and acquiring domain capabilities.

Seeing the rapid acceptance of the lower-cost offshoring model, global multinational consulting firms have dramatically scaled up their presence in India. From less than 10,000 people in 2002, the top six global consulting firms now account for a headcount of more than 150,000. This rapid growth and our own success in scaling business have put huge pressure on sourcing and retaining quality talent. As a result, wages are increasing, adding to the overall cost of doing business.

The twin challenges of the appreciating rupee and rising cost structures are accelerating the search for non-linear business models, where revenue expansion does not imply a proportionate headcount increase. The industry is exploring new services for exploiting the offshore potential, building Internet Protocol (IP)-based software assets that can be customized to rapidly deliver solutions, or simply creating innovative commercial models that shift the terms of engagement away from headcount. As I had mentioned at a recent Nasscom meet, three non-linear business options are promising.

Managed services: Services around applications, development and maintenance (ADM) were the first to be offshored. According to a 2006 Nasscom-McKinsey study, this is a $35 billion opportunity. It indicates that offshore services around IT operations represent a $75-$80 billion market. While more than 30 percent of the ADM offshoring opportunity has been penetrated, the field of IT operations is wide open for Indian IT services players.

IT infrastructure has traditionally not been offshored largely because of inadequate communications infrastructure, high perceived risks and limited automation tools. These notions are beginning to disappear.

The remote infrastructure management services segment is growing rapidly, with large organizations providing a complete end-to-end solutions portfolio. This market, incidentally, is not just for big players. Mid-sized organizations, too, have established their presence in it. Global research body Forrester in its report, Smaller India-Based Infrastructure Providers Can Be The Right Size For The Right Clients, has showcased a clutch of smaller organizations building successful models in this space.

IP asset-based services: Delivering solutions around IP assets (frameworks, reusable components, and productized services) is a powerful service differentiator and a significant margin lever. Implementing such solutions requires significant customization—a strength of Indian services providers. Contracts can include both licensing and services components, with support revenue streams, making it another good non-linear option.

Compared with the pure-play products business, IP asset-based solutions will be easier for the industry to adopt. Large players are investing in this capability although revenue streams currently are a small part of their business. Smaller players are taking the inorganic route to acquire such IP assets.

Software as a service (Saas): The philosophy behind Saas rests on the concept of positioning an application as a set of services as opposed to a licence. The customer is charged for usage rather than outright ownership. Recently, enterprise solutions?giant SAP?announced its “Business by Design”?programme in the US, where it will offer its applications at a charge per user per month, which is a path-breaking development in the packaged software world. Saas by its very definition is non-linear, since revenues are linked to usage and the transactions performed. Being a relatively new concept, it’s too early for market sizing but it remains one of the most promising disruptive approaches to delivering IT solutions.

The global delivery model that emerged from India has changed the way IT services are delivered. The industry, in essence, redefined software development by converting the art form of programming into an engineering discipline. The industry has benefited from the early-mover advantage of adopting this innovative process. However, with increased global presence offshore and a challenging environment, Indian IT services providers will need to transform with newer services.

Arvind Thakur is CEO, NIIT Technologies Ltd.

2008-01-06T05:53:00.001-08:00

For money you can have everything it is said. No that is not true. You can buy food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; soft beds, but not sleep; knowledge but not intelligence; glitter, but not comfort; fun, but not pleasure; acquaintances, but not friendship; servants, but not faithfulness; grey hair, but not honor; quiet days, but not peace. The shell of all things you can get for money. But not the kernel. That cannot be had for money. -Arne Garborg, writer (1851-1924)

Quote of the Day - Consolidated

2007-12-25T11:13:00.000-08:00

Quote for the day: "Understand that you need to sell you and your ideas in order to advance your career, gain more respect, and increase your success,

influence and income." - Jay Abraham, Marketing Expert
Quote for the day: "The real contest is always between what you've done and what you're capable of doing. You measure yourself against yourself and nobody

else." - Geoffrey Gaberino
Quote for the day: "Opportunity rarely knocks on your door. Knock rather on opportunity's door if you ardently wish to enter." - B. C. Forbes, 1880-1954,

Scottish-born Financial Journalist and Author
Quote for the day: "Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy." - Brian Tracy, Author
Quote for the day: "Energy and persistence conquer all things." - Benjamin Franklin, Inventor
Quote for the day: " Whatever you believe with feeling becomes your reality." - Brian Tracy, Author
Quote for the day:" Man is a goal-seeking animal.His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for his goals"- Aristotle.

3:16 PM 12/16/2007
Quote for the day: "It doesn't matter where you are coming from. All that matters is where you are going."- Brian Tracy, Author
Quote for the day: "Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve." - Leonardo da Vinci, Artist
Quote for the day: "Anything is possible. You can be told that you have a 90-percent chance or a 50-percent chance or a 1-percent chance, but you have to

believe, and you have to fight."- Lance Armstrong
Quote for the day: "You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering

change rather than allowing it to master you." - Brian Tracy, Author
Quote for the day: "The point to remember about selling things is that, as well as creating atmosphere and excitement around your products, you've got to

know what you're selling." - Stuart Wilde, Self Help Author and Lecturer
Quote for the day: "Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort."- Franklin D. Roosevelt, Former U.S. President
Quote for the day: "Anything is possible. You can be told that you have a 90-percent chance or a 50-percent chance or a 1-percent chance, but you have to

believe, and you have to fight."- Lance Armstrong
Quote for the day: "Ingenuity - plus courage, plus work - equals miracles."- Bob Richards, Olympic Gold Medalist
Quote for the day: "Decisiveness is a characteristic of high-performing men and women. Almost any decision is better than no decision at all."- Brian Tracy,

Author
Quote for the day: " A man is the sum of his actions, of what he has done, of what he can do, Nothing else."- Mahatma Gandhi
Quote for the day: "Whatever you dwell on in the conscious grows in your experience."- Brian Tracy, Author
Quote for the day: "The greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance." - Brian Tracy, Author
Quote for the day: "A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug." - Patricia Neal
Quote for the day: "Your decision to behave and do something out of ordinary entails facing difficulties that are out of the ordinary as well. Sometimes your

greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it longer than anyone else."- Brian Tracy, Author
Quote for the day: "A successful life is one that is lived through understanding and pursuing one's own path, not chasing after the dreams of others."- Chin

-Ning Chu, Strategist
Quote for the day: "The more credit you give away, the more will come back to you. The more you help others, the more they will want to help you."- Brian

Tracy, Author
Quote for the day: "Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward

achieving something bigger and better than your current situation."- Brian Tracy, Author
Quote for the day: "Yesterday is a cancelled cheque; Tomorrow is a promissory note; Today is the only cash you have, so spend it wisely."- Kim Lyons
Quote for the day: "Each success only buys an admission ticket to a more difficult problem. " - Henry Kissinger (1923 - ), Wilson Library Bulletin, March

1979
Quote for the day: "People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily." - Zig Ziglar, Author
Quote for the day: "You must master your time rather than becoming a slave to the constant flow of events and demands on your time. And you must organize

your life to achieve balance, harmony, and inner peace."- Brian Tracy
Quote for the day: "Your needs will be met once you can find a way of projecting energy and fulfilling someone else's need." - Stuart Wilde Biography, Self

Help Author and Lecturer
Quote for the day: "If you wish to achieve worthwhile things in your personal and career life, you must become a worthwhile person in your own self-

development." - Brian Tracy, Author
for the day: "The happiest people in the world are those who feel absolutely terrific about themselves, and this is the natural outgrowth of accepting total

responsibility for every part of their life." - Brian Tracy, Author
Quote for the day: "Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting." - Bernard Meltzer
Quote for the day: "Your chances of success are directly proportional to the degree of pleasure you derive from what you do." - Michael Korda
Quote for the day: "Faith is the voice in the back of your head that tells you to listen to the voice in the back of your head." - Dennis Miller
Quote for the day: "Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, "What's in it for me?" -

Brian Tracy, Author
Quote for the day: "People who ask confidently get more than those who are hesitant and uncertain. When you've figured out what you want to ask for, do it

with certainty, boldness and confidence." - Jack Canfield, Success Coach
Quote for the day: "Communication is a skill that you can learn. It's like riding a bicycle or typing. If you're willing to work at it, you can rapidly

improve the quality of every part of your life." - Brian Tracy, Author
Quote for the day: "The First Step towards success in any occupation is to become interested in it"- Sir William Osler

WOMEN’S NETWORK MEET AT UST GLOBAL

2007-12-25T10:43:00.000-08:00

Thiruvananthapuram
The Hindu Business LineNowU (Network for women USsociates), the outfit for women employees in UST Global (formerly US Technology), a US-based IT services company, having centres in India and the Asia-Pacific, is holding its first summit here on Thursday and Friday.

UST Global has assembled leaders from professional organisations with the aim of developing strategies for effective, collaborative programmes to promote the cause of women within the company.

The summit will showcase content related to women and business/community leadership. It will create a platform for UST Global women associates.

INFRA OUTSOURCING BIZ TO HIT $8.8 BILLION BY 2010: EVEREST

2007-12-25T10:42:00.000-08:00

Gaurie Mishra & Deepshikha Monga, New Delhi
The Economic TimesInfrastructure outsourcing is going to be the next big wave in outsourcing. While Indian IT companies at present are handling infrastructure outsourcing work worth $1.2 billion, this figure is expected to touch $8.8 billion by 2010. According to a research by global offshoring advisory firm Everest, most of this work will come to the IT majors Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HCL Technologies, Wipro and Satyam.

"The potential of this segment is huge and Indian companies should be able to get outsourcing contracts worth $8.8 billion by 2010, which is a conservative estimate. The market’s expected to go up to $30 billion by 2015-2020. This segment has the potential to create employment for millions of graduates in India," said Everest Group founder and CEO Peter Bendor-Samuel.

The other companies, which are expected to get a significant chunk of the infrastructure outsourcing pie, include Cognizant and Infosys Technologies. While Wipro has entered into a strategic alliance with networking major Cisco to build IT infrastructure service solutions, combining the latter’s networking solutions with its own infrastructure and managed services portfolio, HCL Technologies is following a different model, called co-sourcing.

Under the co-sourcing model, the client retains strategic portion of operations like technology refresh, policy definition and architecture issues while HCL, which operates in the remote infrastructure management space through its Infrastructure Services Division (ISD), takes over day-to-day running of operations and other areas as defined by its client. The company counts infrastructure services among its fastest growing service lines.

According to an Everest whitepaper, service providers should focus more on governance tools that include applications governing the IT operations with service-level guidelines and providing business transparency of the IT effort.

Infrastructure management (IM) tools, which are a set of applications helping manage the functioning of IT infrastructure including storage devices and networks, provide significant operational benefits but are unlikely to provide competitive advantages, Everest has said.

EBAY MOTORS BANKS ON SALES SURGE

2007-12-25T10:36:00.000-08:00

Kolkata
Business StandardeBay India Motors (EIM), a subsidiary of eBay Inc, is expecting eastern India sales to contribute 25 percent to its overall business in the next 3 years. At present east contributes close to 20 percent.

EIM, that sells to intermediaries who in turn sell to end-customers, is also in talks with financial institutions like ICICI Bank, HDFILC Bank and Tata Motor Finance, to organise financing to these intermediaries the way they fund SMEs.

Said Amit Bhartiya, director of eBay Motors India, “We are also planning to tap the business to consumer section.”

The company in October launched a classifieds section on its website where buyers can directly contact sellers by email or phone and complete the transaction offline.

I ADMIRE

2007-12-25T09:17:00.000-08:00

Venugopal N Dhoot, November 18, 2007
The Financial ExpressRatan Tata of Tata Group, Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries and chief mentor of Infosys, Narayana Murthy are some of the corporate leaders that have created history with their patience, perseverance, hard work and great statesman- like qualities. They have inspired me a great deal and have helped me set targets for my corporate growth. Not just me, they are leaders who have motivated thousands of others with their discipline, greatly regulated eating habits and vision. Even those who interact with them at regular intervals are motivated to follow their career plans. I am deeply influenced by their work and their personalities, and in my own humble way, try to learn something or other in each interaction of mine with them. I find their company stimulating and look out for opportunities to meet them. Take for example Ratan Tata — his humility, maturity and overall demeanour are so appealing that it perhaps because of these traits of his that a turnaround was possible in the Tata Group. After liberalisation set in, Rata Tata has braved difficult situations with equanimity and has came out of them with astounding success, without bothering whether he might fail.

In Narayana Murthy’s case it was sheer hard work and honesty that brought him success. He comes from a humble background, but because of his commitment to excellence, he is where he is today. One does not notice any difference between Murthy’s public and private conduct as he maintains an extremely high level of equilibrium between the two. That is why he rose and created an empire for the knowledge Economy. His contribution towards information technology is so substantial that he is one among very few who would be remembered for centuries for keeping India’s flag flying high at various overseas locations.

Now let me say something about Mukesh Ambani. He is one leader who inherited a huge empire but maintaining it and retaining its shine has been a challenge for him. He has positioned himself suitably and has been able to withstand the pressures of being at the helm of affairs very well. As a result, the faith of shareholders in the Ambani group is getting firmed up and this should be deemed as a great achievement for him.

The author is CEO, Videocon Industries

INDIA IS OUR FOURTH LARGEST TRADING PARTNER

2007-12-25T09:16:00.001-08:00

November 18, 2007
The Financial ExpressThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Republic of India share a heritage that dates back several millennia. For centuries traders from the Arab Peninsula crossed the Hindukush and the Arabian Sea to exchange commodities and ideas. They also served as the major link between West Asia and the Mediterranean on one hand and the Indian Coast on the other.

Both countries have always been each other’s main trading partners, with India being the fourth largest trading partner for Saudi Arabia. The value of the two-way trade between the two countries has been on an upswing since Ambassador Saleh Mohd. Al-Ghamdi came to India in 2003. It has gone up from about $500 on both sides to the present level of $2 billion. The figures speak for themselves, as there has been unprecedented growth in all sectors: health, education, labour and IT. In fact all the four major IT Companies, including Wipro, Tata, Infosys and Satyam have their projects in the Kingdom. And Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to visit the Kingdom soon says the ambassador in a conversation with Huma Siddiqui. Some excerpts follow:

Economy and trade

Since 2006, with the visit of King Abdullah, the dynamics of bilateral ties have changed — from mainly commercial and economic, to scientific and technical cooperation, further strengthening the economic part of it. The visit triggered a lot of activities on both sides leading to greater cooperation in various fields of mutual interest, including trade and investments, higher education, information and communication technology, health etc. Several high-profile visits have taken place since then between the two sides, both at governmental and non-governmental levels and the business communities of the two sides have further strengthened their contacts and concluded several tie-ups and joint ventures. Bilateral relations between the two countries are poised to reach new heights in view of record-breaking high-level political and commercial exchanges during the last few years. We are looking forward to further strengthening our relations in all fields, especially in the IT sector.

E&Y NAMES SATYAM’S RAJU ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

2007-12-25T09:12:00.000-08:00

New Delhi
Mint The Financial Express The Hindu Business Line DNA Deccan Herald Business StandardAudit and consultancy firm Ernst & Young has named B. Ramalinga Raju, chairman and founder of Satyam Computer Services Ltd, as the “Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2007”. Nine other entrepreneurs have been chosen for awards across various categories.

“The winners are outstanding individuals who have not only built best-in-class businesses, which are making their mark on the global platform, but have also taken innovative steps to positively impact the society and wider community,” Rajiv Memani, country managing partner of Ernst & Young, said in a statement.

Mahindra Group’s Keshub Mahindra was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award by the jury, chaired by ICICI Bank chief K.V. Kamath.

The jury also decided to consider two new categories—social entrepreneurship and infrastructure and construction—to recognize contributions to the vital sectors of the economy.

Ela Ramesh Bhatt, founder and general secretary of Self-Employed Women’s Association, was selected for the Social Entrepreneurship Award, while Atul Punj, chairman and managing director (CMD) of Punj Lloyd Ltd, was chosen for the Infrastructure & Construction Award.

Also, JSW Steel Ltd CMD Sajjan Jindal was chosen for his role in the manufacturing industry; HCL Enterprises Ltd’s Shiv Nadar in the services category; and Cyrus Poonawalla of Serum Institute of India Ltd for health care and life sciences. Network18’s Raghav Bahl was named business transformation entrepreneur, Shikha Sharma of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance the manager entrepreneur; and Manoj Kumar Upadhyay of Acme Tele Power as the start-up entrepreneur of the year

MOBME UNVEILS BLUEZONE KIOSK AT KOCHI

2007-12-25T09:07:00.000-08:00

Kochi
The Economic Times (Mumbai edition)The largest bluetooth network in the world, proposed to be launched by a local company, has got off to modest start with the opening of the first such centre here. Mobile and Media Entertainment (MobME), a company set up by the engineering college students in the state, has rolled out the first BlueZone Kiosk in the country at Barista in Kochi.

The company is planning a nationwide roll out of BlueZones at 2000 centres and will set up offices in Dubai and New Delhi. BlueZones are interconnected bluetooth zones where mobile users can switch on Bluetooth to send at receive mobile content such as photos, wall papers, ring tones, etc. After connecting to a BlueZone a user can send or receive mobile content in a fast and secure manner

FIREFOX 3 TO RUN APPLICATIONS OFFLINE

2007-12-25T09:05:00.000-08:00

New York
The Times of IndiaA new version of the Firefox browser, now available for testing mainly by developers, offers improvements on finding frequently visited websites and tools for running Web applications without a live Internet connection.

The Beta 1 version of Firefox 3 released this week still has problems, including the inability to run newer Web-mail programmes from Yahoo Inc and Microsoft Corp, and a final version for consumers isn't expected for several months.

But it offers a window on what's to come. Many of its new features concern bookmarks, an area typically slow to change in the browsing world. One can now add keywords, or tags, to sort bookmarks by topic.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN INDIA IS MIND-BLOWING

2007-12-25T09:04:00.000-08:00

Washington
The Economic TimesDespite a weak education system and big problems with infrastructure, India is racing ahead to become a major hub for research, design, and innovation, says Vivek Wadhwa, an Indian American entrepreneur-turned-academic.

With outsourcing going far beyond low level IT, innovation is increasingly happening offshore, said Delhi-born Wadhwa, a Wertheim Fellow at Harvard Law School's Labour and Worklife Programme.

But "what's happening in India is particularly mind-blowing," he said.

"You wouldn't expect a country with few washing machines and dryers to be designing the next generations of these for American consumers...or to be designing key components of automobiles and jetliners...or next generation retail systems...or chipsets for high definition TVs." Wadhwa said describing this as "just the tip of the iceberg".

It may not be clear whether this is good or bad for the US, but what is clear is that globalisation is unstoppable, he said, asking the US, which has so far gained from globalisation, to "be smart enough to adjust its policies to benefit and stay ahead".

SHASHI THAROOR’S COMPANY TO SET UP IT FINISHING SCHOOL

2007-12-24T09:22:00.000-08:00

Thiruvananthapuram
The Hindu Business LineFormer United Nations Under Secretary General, Shashi Tharoor, is setting up a finishing school at the Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram.

Tharoor, currently Chairman of the Dubai-based Afras Projects (India) Pvt Ltd, and N. Radhakrishnan Nair, CEO, Technopark, have signed an agreement to establish this venture.

The finishing school, called Academy for Personality Development and Communication, will be headed by US-based speech pathologist Tina Parsons, a statement said.

The academy, which is expected to start operations by March 2008, will have a panel of international trainers and focus on building the skills of young IT/ITeS professionals.

Self Confidence

2007-10-20T15:58:00.000-07:00

A business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out.Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment.He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything couldsave his company from bankruptcy.Suddenly an old man appeared before him."I can see that something is troubling you," he said. After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said, "I believe I can help you."He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying, "Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time."

Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D.
Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world! "I can erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his Safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought. With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again. Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.
"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been bothering you. He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's John D. Rockefeller. "

And she led the old man away by the arm.

The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he'd been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him. Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence
that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

Vakyathil Prayoogikkuka

2007-10-16T05:21:00.000-07:00

Online Qur'an

2007-10-13T03:59:00.002-07:00

http://www.quranflash.com/#

TEN STRATEGIC TECHNOLOGIES FOR 2008

2007-10-13T03:59:00.001-07:00

The Times of IndiaThe research agency Gartner Inc has highlighted the top 10 technologies and trends that will be strategic for most organisations in 2008. The analysts presented their findings during the ongoing Gartner Symposium/ITxpo being held at Stamford, US.

Gartner defines a strategic technology as one with the potential for significant impact on the enterprise in the next three years. Factors that denote significant impact include a high potential for disruption to IT or the business, the need for a major dollar investment, or the risk of being late to adopt.

Green IT

The focus of Green IT that came to the forefront in 2007 will accelerate and expand in 2008. Consider potential regulations and have alternative plans for data center and capacity growth.

Regulations are multiplying and have the potential to seriously constrain companies in building data centers, as the impact on power grids, carbon emissions from increased use and other environmental impacts are under scrutiny.

Some companies are emphasizing their social responsibility behavior, which might result in vendor preferences and policies that affect IT decisions. Scheduling decisions for workloads on servers will begin to consider power efficiency as a key placement attribute.

Virtualisation 2.0

Virtualisation technologies can improve IT resource utilisation and increase the flexibility needed to adapt to changing requirements and workloads. However, by themselves, virtualisation technologies are simply enablers that help broader improvements in infrastructure cost reduction, flexibility and resiliency.

With the addition of automation technologies - with service-level, policy-based active management - resource efficiency can improve dramatically, flexibility can become automatic based on requirements, and services can be managed holistically, ensuring high levels of resiliency. Virtualization plus service-level, policy-based automation constitutes an RTI.

Good one!!

2007-10-12T17:58:00.003-07:00

1. Coca-Cola was originally green.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. The most common name in the world is Mohammed.
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3. The name of all the continents ends with the same
letter that they start with.
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4. The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
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5. There are two credit cards for every person ! in
the
United States.
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6. TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made
using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.
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7. Women blink nearly twice as much as men!
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8. You can't kill yourself by holding your breath.
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9. It is impossible to lick your elbow.
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10. People say "Bless you" when you sneeze because
when you sneeze, your heart stops for a millisecond.
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11. It is physically impossible for pigs to look up
into the sky.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

12. The "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is
said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English
language.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

13. If you sneeze too hard, you can fractu! re a rib.
If
you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood
vessel in your head or neck and die.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

14. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents
great king from history.
Spades - King David
Clubs - Alexander the Great
Hearts - Charlemagne
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
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15. 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
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16. If a statue of a person in the park on a horse has
both front legs in the air, the person died in battle.
If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person
died as a result of woun! ds received in battle. If
the
horse has an all four legs on the ground, the person
died of natural causes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

17 What do bullet proof vests, fire escapes,
windshield wipers and laser printers all have in
common?
Ans. - All invented by women.
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18. Question - This is the only food that doesn't
spoil. What is this?
Ans. - Honey
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19. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.
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20. A snail can sleep for three years.
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21. All polar bears are left handed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

22. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by
eliminating one olive from each salad served in
first-class.
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23. Butterflies taste with their feet.
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24. Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.
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25. In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been
domesticated.
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26. On average, people fear spiders more than they do
death.
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27. Shakespeare invented the word 'assassination' and
'bump'.
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28. Stewardesses is the longest word typed with only
the left hand.
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! 29. The ant always falls over on its right side when
intoxicated.
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30. The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
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31. The human heart creates enough pressure when it
pumps out to >the body to squirt blood 30 feet.
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32. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two
rats could have >over million descendants.
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33. Wear! ing headphones for just an hour will
increase
the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.
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34. The cigarette lighter was invented before the
match.
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35. Most lipstick contains fish scales.
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36. Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is
different
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37. And finally 99% of people who read this may
perhaps try to lick their elbow!!!