China’s first lunar probe Chang’e-1 blasts off
By Xinhua
Xichang (China) : China Wednesday launched a lunar probe, the first of its three-stage moon mission, from a launch centre in southwestern Sichuan province.
The circumlunar satellite Chang'e-1 blasted off on a Long March 3A carrier rocket at 6:05 p.m. from the No. 3 launching tower in the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre.
Chinese space experts, technicians and other work staff, joined by experts from Japan, Germany and other countries as well as millions others from across the country, watched the launch.
Indian IT exports to touch $80 billion by 2011
By IANS
New Delhi : Exports from the IT and ITeS sector is expected to reach $80 billion by 2011, Information Technology and Communications Minister A. Raja said here Wednesday.
"Our IT exports were a few million dollars in the early 90s and now it is around $37 billion. We are confident that our exports will boom despite the perceived odds against outsourcing and increasing competition," Raja said at an award function organised by the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC).
Russian cockroach conceives, delivers babies in space
By RIA Novosti
Voronezh (Russia) : A cockroach called Nadezhda (Hope) has given birth to the first creatures ever conceived in space, Russian scientists said.
Nadezhda conceived during the Foton-M bio-satellite Sep 14-26 flight. "We recently received the first batch of 33 cockroaches conceived in micro-gravity," Dmitry Atyakshin said in Voronezh Tuesday.
Though the newborn creatures already eat and drink, micro-gravity conditions may have had an impact on the natural darkening of their chitinous carapace, a part of a cockroach's exoskeleton.
Weblin users peer over their shoulders at internet
By DPA
Hamburg : A page at eBay looks like a shop window on a high street with some pretty strange people outside when web users have a free program called Weblin installed.
There's an astronaut bobbing in apparent zero gravity and an alien with four arms scratching his head. A polar bear can say, in a speech bubble, "Where are you from?"
These tiny screen figures represent flesh-and-blood human beings.
Weblin is intended for web surfers who want to make themselves perceptible through an avatar, a kind of visual alter ego, during their internet explorations.
Molnia-M carrier rocket to orbit Russian military satellite
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : A Molnia-M booster rocket was launched from the Plesetsk space centre in north Russia Tuesday to orbit a Cosmos military satellite, a Russian Space Forces spokesman said.
The carrier rocket was launched at 8.39 a.m. Moscow time (4.39 a.m. GMT), and was scheduled to put the military satellite into orbit at 9:35 a.m. Moscow time (5:35 a.m. GMT).
The four-stage medium-range Molnia-M, which has a lift-off weight of 305 metric tonnes, is used for launching spacecraft of up to two metric tonnes into high-elliptical orbits.
Big and thin: PC monitors better than ever
By DPA
Berlin : Chunky, heavy tube monitors appear to have reached the end of their long run as the king of the computer workspace. A hefty competition is under way among flat monitors. The goal: bigger, broader and more handsome.
"Seventeen-inch monitors are already becoming extinct, and 19 inch has become the standard," says Dirk Lorenz from the German consumer-testing organisation Stiftung Warentest in Berlin.
As monitors get bigger, more of them come in wide screen format. That means a 16:10 size ratio instead of the old fashioned 4:3 ratio.
No sex for 100 million years – micro organisms baffle scientists
By DPA
Hamburg : Asexual micro organisms continue to display an amazingly diverse ability to adapt to their ever-changing environment as they have over the past 100 million years, according to scientists who are baffled by these creatures' non-sexual evolutionary change.
New research by scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Botanical Physiology in Potsdam, Germany, say they have discovered startling new evidence of adaptation to external environmental stimuli by asexual micro organisms.
China likely to launch its first moon orbiter Wednesday
By Xinhua
Beijing : China is likely to launch its first moon orbiter Wednesday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province.
"The satellite will be launched between Oct 24 and 26," China National Space Administration (CNSA) said, adding that the launch time has been tentatively scheduled at 6 p.m. local time.
The circumlunar satellite, named Chang'e I after the Chinese goddess who flew to the moon, and the carrier Long March 3A have passed all pre-launch tests and have been transported to the launch site, CNSA said.
Despite risks, Discovery to launch Tuesday
By DPA
Washington : Experts know that there's no space travel without risk, but in the days leading up to Tuesday's launch of the shuttle Discovery on its next construction mission, the discussion has been unusually overt.
Wayne Hale, the manager of the shuttle programme, conceded last week that the shuttle "is not a safe vehicle by any normal standard", but defended the decision that launching the Discovery involved "acceptable risk".
Space industry part of efforts to achieve vision 2020 – Malaysian PM
By NNN-Bernama
Ipoh (Malaysia) : The country's involvement in space industry is part of broader efforts to attain the Vision 2020 objective of turning Malaysia into a developed country, said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
He said to bring about progress, the government had to implement various initiatives, one of which was Malaysia's foray into space science.
Desktop search tools make computer use easier
By DPA
Washington : With computers these days, it's all about search and there's a good reason. With mounds upon mounds of data on our hard drives, the primary obstacle we face is finding what we need when we need it.
The irony is that it's almost easier to find information online than it is to find it on our own PCs. Thankfully, that's changing. New tools are going some way toward making our own hard drives as accessible as what we see online.
Exhibition on train to inspire science among youth
By IANS
Chennai : A unique exhibition on board a train will travel to 57 destinations across India to encourage youths into the world of science.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will officially flag off the Science Express here Oct 30.
The journey covering 57 destinations in 200 days, "will enthral everyone into the world of science," said T. Ramasai, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST).
The exhibition is a joint initiative of DST and a chemical firm BASF.
Soyuz rocket with crew aboard undocks from ISS
By RIA Novosti
Mission Control (Moscow Region) : A Soyuz spacecraft with two Russian cosmonauts and Malaysia's first space traveller aboard undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) Sunday.
The spacecraft is to bring back to Earth the Russian cosmonauts, Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov, after six months of their stay at the world's sole orbiter as members of the ISS 15th expedition, along with Malaysian Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor who arrived at the station on Oct 12.
Teleperformance mulling expansion in India
By IANS
New Delhi : Teleperformance India, a wholly owned subsidiary of US-based Teleperformance Group Inc., a leading global contact centre, said it is planning major expansion in India.
"The increased penetration of telecom, financial services and consumer products as also growing competition have resulted in the need for stronger customer services to retain customers," Sanjay Mehta, managing director, Teleperformance, said in a statement Saturday.
Virtual orchestra software coming soon
By DPA
Munich : Coming soon to a computer near you is a software that allows you to conduct a virtual orchestra by waving a stick, just like a professional conductor.
The gestures can be correctly interpreted as telling the playback device to go faster or slower, forte or piano. A team of developers in Munich, Germany devised the system, which has yet to be commercialised.
The software detects the gestures in three dimensions and transmits them from the sensor, using Bluetooth, to the computer that is 'playing' the virtual orchestral instruments.
NASA begins launch countdown for Discovery
By Xinhua
Washington : The launch countdown for US space shuttle Discovery has begun, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said.
The countdown began officially at 2 p.m. local time (18.00 GMT) Saturday for a scheduled lift off on Oct 23.
NASA managers overseeing the launch preparations for the STS-120 mission said Saturday that space shuttle Discovery is ready for two weeks in space. "All of our systems are in good shape," NASA test director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said.
Carbon dioxide being soaked up by oceans reduced
By Xinhua
London : The amount of carbon dioxide being absorbed by the world's oceans has reduced, British scientists who carried out a decade-long study said.
Researchers from University of East Anglia gauged carbon dioxide absorption through more than 90,000 measurements from merchant ships equipped with automatic instruments and the results of their 10-year study in the North Atlantic show carbon dioxide uptake halved between the mid-90s and 2000 to 2005, the BBC reported Saturday.
Ensuring everyday privacy while using the computer
By DPA
Washington : Most of the privacy threats we hear about are from anonymous "hackers" or unnamed forces waiting to swoop via an Internet connection and steal our data or personal information. But many people have privacy concerns that are closer to home.
While the outside threats do exist, it's probably far more likely that a friend, guest, colleague, or family member will see information on your computer that you had not intended to share.
How can you tighten security at home or the office? Read on for some answers.
Unwrapping ideas at Mumbai’s latest ‘unconference’
By Ridhi D Cruz, IANS
Mumbai : They call it an "unconference", and it's a small but growing rage among techies wanting to share ideas in town. BarCamps are an international network of "user generated conferences" that involve open, participatory workshop events.
Some 200 people from diverse spheres took part in Mumbai's latest BarCamp, where content is provided by participants - often focusing on early-stage web applications, and related free software or open source technologies, social protocols, and open data formats.
Argentine scientists discover ‘master gene’ linked to cancer
By IANS
Buenos Aires : A group of Argentine scientists has discovered a "master gene" that determines why carcinogenic tumours survive.
Scientists of the Exact and Natural Sciences Faculty at the University of Buenos Aires and the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research of Argentina carried out the research, reported Spanish news agency EFE.
For four years, the team studied tumours of the pituitary gland located at the base of the skull.
UN says ozone hole shrinking due to weather, not recovery
By NNN-SPA
United Nations, New York : Although the ozone layer over the Antarctic this year is relatively small, it is due to mild temperatures experienced in the region’s stratosphere this winter and is not a sign of global recovery, the U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Thursday.
Since 1998, only the ozone holes of 2002 and 2004 have been smaller than this year’s-both in area and amount of destroyed ozone-and this is not indicative of ozone recuperation, WMO said in a statement.
Wipro projects $905 million from IT services in Q3
By IANS
Bangalore : Wipro Ltd has projected $905 million (Rs.39.97 billion) from its global IT services and products business for the third quarter (Oct-Dec) of this fiscal (FY 2008).
In a notification to the stock exchanges here Friday, the IT bellwether said the robust guidance was based on the flagship IT division's performance in the second quarter (July-Sept) of this fiscal, which at $797 million was $20 million more than the projected $777 million.
Biocon gets regulatory nod to market cancer drug
By IANS
Bangalore : Biocon Ltd, the country's leading biotechnology firm, has received approval from Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to market Abraxane, a new drug to treat breast cancer.
The drug, manufactured by US-based Abraxis BioScience Inc, will be sold under licence, according to a company statement released here Thursday.
"Abraxane eliminates the need for pre-medication with steroids or antihistamines. It will also facilitate affordable access to supportive care therapy to cancer patients in India," the statement pointed out.
Soya shake may help reduce fat in postmenopausal women
By IANS
New York : A study by US scientists suggests that a soya based drink a day may help postmenopausal women to reduce fat, particularly the fat that accumulates on the stomach.
Abdominal fat is particularly bad for health. It raises the risk of heart attacks and diabetes. Soya may also help women cut risk of cardiovascular disease or diabetes, the study suggests.
Apple to allow outside programmes on iPhone
By DPA
San Francisco : Bending to the will of its legendary enthusiasts, Apple has announced that it will allow outside programmers to write applications for the company's iPhone.
Apple chief executive Steve Jobs Wednesday said in a posting on the company's website that a kit for developers will not be available until February, as the company works out how to open up the phone without exposing it to malicious programmes.
Sify is now Sify Technologies Ltd
By IANS
Chennai : Sify Ltd, Chennai-based leader in consumer Internet and enterprise services, Wednesday changed its name from Sify Ltd to Sify Technologies Ltd, after approval from the ministry of corporate affairs.
"Sify is rapidly growing. In our remote infrastructure management services overseas, we are recognised as a specialist based on our expertise and experience," Raju Vegesna, CEO of Sify Ltd, said here.
CA develops enterprise smartphone management
By IANS
Hyderabad : The India Technology Centre (ITC) of Computer Associates (CA), one of the largest IT management software companies in the world, has developed a mobile device management (MDM) product, which can manage an entire corporate mobile infrastructure from a single consol.
MDM will provide large organisations with enterprise-level device management tools for the most popular smartphone platforms from companies such as Microsoft, RIM and Symbian.
Designed and developed entirely at ITC here, the product is scheduled for release next month.
Russia to develop new rocket for manned space flight
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Russia's space agency will soon invite a tender to develop a new carrier rocket for its manned flight programme, a top space official said Wednesday.
"A special commission will determine the design criteria (for the new space vehicle) and the domestic companies eligible for participation in the tender," said Anatoly Perminov, the head of the Federal Space Agency.
Four South Asian countries agree to improve information communication
By TwoCircles.net news desk
New Delhi: Senior officials from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal have agreed to collaborate on a subregional information communication technology (ICT) project to improve connectivity among the four countries.
The agreement by the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) countries was reached at the fourth ICT working group meeting to discuss the proposed SASEC Information Highway Project in New Delhi, India on 8-9 October 2007.
Space, atomic energy department chiefs to retire at 66
By IANS
New Delhi : The union cabinet Thursday gave the go-ahead for a four-year extension in service to the chairman of the Space Commission, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the secretary, Department of Space and Atomic Energy, from the present age of 62 to 66.
The cabinet would make the necessary amendment soon, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi told reporters.
India’s first high-security lab on infectious organisms coming up
By K.S. Jayaraman, IANS
Bangalore : After debating for over two years, the Indian government has approved construction of the country's first high-security facility for handling and doing research with highly infectious organisms causing diseases in humans.
"The government has sanctioned Rs.1 billion ($25.4 million) for establishing the Biosafety Level-4 (BSL-4) facility," Lalji Singh, director of Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), told IANS. Singh had mooted the proposal in 2005.
India to launch a Third World satellite
By IANS
Hyderabad : India's space agency will in January launch a 'Third World' remote sensing satellite, images from which can be received free by universities and research organisations of developing countries.
"All they would need to spend is on a 3.7-metre dish antenna that will not cost much," D.V.A. Raghavamurthy, Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO's) director of small satellite projects, said here recently. The imageries can be used for research, mapping, and disaster management, he said.
Pluto-bound New Horizons sees changes in Jupiter system
Washington, Oct 10 (Xinhua) The voyage of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft through the Jupiter system earlier this year provided a bird's-eye view of a dynamic planet that has changed since the last close-up observations by NASA spacecraft, the federal space agency reported.
New Horizons passed Jupiter Feb 28, riding the planet's gravity to boost its speed and shave three years off its trip to Pluto.
Spacecraft Dawn completes first test on Ion engine
Washington, Oct 10 (Xinhua) The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Dawn spacecraft successfully completed the first test of its ion propulsion system over the weekend, according to mission status updates.
The system is vital to the success of Dawn's eight-year, 1.6-billion-km journey to asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres.
Is it time to upgrade your wireless network?
Washington, Oct 10 (DPA) If you go shopping today for any type of wireless computing device, ask yourself these questions:
Q: Do I have to purchase draft 802.11n products from the same company?
A: You probably know that to get faster wireless Internet and network access, all of the devices within your wireless network should be capable of operating at the same speed. That means that your router, notebook cards, and any PCI desktop wireless cards should be draft 802.11n.
Google India launches text messaging service
By IANS
Bangalore : Google India, the Indian subsidiary of the world's largest search engine, Tuesday launched the beta version of its short messaging service (SMS) for mobile users in India for accessing information on the move without an Internet-enabled phone or a computer.
The company said in a statement that through the service (GoogleT search), users could get business listings, movie show timings and more by sending a text message to 54664 from their mobile phones.
Google, IBM team up on cloud computing
By DPA
San Francisco : Google and IBM have announced that they are teaming up to promote research into cloud computing - a technology in which programmes and services are run on remote servers rather than on users' PCs.
The two technology giants said they will contribute $20 million to $25 million each to build data centres that can be used by university researchers in the US.
Making IT play knight in shining armour
By IANS
New Delhi : Can the computer enter the home and the street in a way that helps minimise violence against women? An initiative from Sri Lanka believes that information and communication technology (ICT) can do just that.
The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) has awarded a grant to the Centre for Women and Development for a project to use technology to document violence against women in the north of the country via a database.
Germans test device that ‘sees’ inside bottles
By DPA
Juelich (Germany) : German police are testing a new machine that can distinguish explosives from shampoo, offering hope to millions of travellers frustrated by EU airliner security rules.
The microwave device takes only about a second to assess what liquid or gel is contained in glass and plastic bottles and tubes. It mainly works by analysing how much water is in the mixture.
Safe fluids are generally 60 to 70 percent water.
Greener computing – tips to save electricity costs
By DPA
Washington : These days, with energy costs skyrocketing, it pays to practise green computing. A typical computer uses anywhere from 65 to 400 watts of energy. While that may not put the computer in the same energy-sucking league as an air conditioner, the energy draw is not insignificant, especially when you consider that many computers are left on for a long time - if not all day and night - and that some households have multiple computers.
US, British scientists win 2007 medicine Nobel
By Xinhua
Stockholm : Two US scientists, Mario R. Capecchi and Oliver Smithies, and Britain's Martin J. Evans won the 2007 Nobel Prize for Medicine Monday.
The trio were awarded for a series of "ground breaking discoveries concerning embryonic stem cells and DNA recombination in mammals", according to the Nobel jury.
Both Capecchi and Smithies are US citizens but were not born in America. Capecchi was born in Italy and Smithies, in Britain.
Revamp ‘white elephant’ CSIR, universities: Kasturirangan
By Prashant K. Nanda, IANS
New Delhi : The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Indian universities have become "white elephants" and need to be revamped to achieve successes in science, says eminent space scientist K. Kasturirangan.
Many of the laboratories in CSIR, the country's biggest scientific body, need a complete overhaul and their mission, organisational set-up and infrastructure need to change for the better, Kasturirangan said in an interview.
System to detect terrorists before strike
By IANS
New York : Scientists in US are developing an automated system that will help to detect terrorists before they strike.
When a person is interrogated, the system will start tracking his or her behaviours and create a baseline data of the individual.
The system tracks individual characteristics of a person like face, voice, and physiology among other things, to help confirm personal identity of a person against scientifically tested behavioural indicators, scientists at the University of Buffalo said in a press release.
India develops indigenous tsunami warning system
By NNN-KUNA
New Delhi : India has developed its own tsunami warning system, nearly three years after a tsunami caused havoc along its southern coastline claiming hundreds of lives.
The National Early Warning System for Tsunami and Storm Surges in the Indian Ocean, a project of the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences, has been placed at the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) at Southern Indian city of Hyderabad, Press Trust of India reported Saturday.
Antony inaugurates high-end molecular imaging research centre
By IANS
New Delhi : Defence Minister A.K. Antony Saturday inaugurated a Molecular Imaging Research Centre here to undertake high-end research in the development of advanced life support technology.
The state-of-the-art centre was inaugurated at the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (Inmas) in the capital.
Russian scientists offer hope for HIV vaccine
By RIA Novosti
Novosibirsk (Russia) : Russian scientists have developed a potential HIV vaccine.
"As we know there is no HIV vaccine. The Americans had high hopes of developing one, but the three vaccines developed most recently all failed trials. The specialists from Vector said there is a hope for an effective vaccine," said a leading geneticist, Vladimir Shumny.
Vector stands for the Russian Virology and Biotechnology Research Centre. It is located at Novosibirsk in West Siberia.
US Malayalees launch alliance to make Kerala an IT hub
By IANS
New York : The Kerala Information Technology Alliance (KITA) has been launched here to make Kerala a premier global technology hub.
Ommen Chandy, a former chief minister of Kerala, inaugurated KITA at the Kerala Centre in the presence of over 150 IT professionals and community leaders.
Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said in a message: "I hope KITA will provide a platform for IT professionals of Kerala origin to share best practices, ideas and thereby influence and accelerate the growth of Kerala in key industries."
Robot making competition for schoolchildren
By IANS
New Delhi : School kids can use all their imagination to create robots that obey their command at a competition here on Oct 15. The winners will go on to represent India at the World Robot Olympiad in Taipei in November.
Updated Google Earth exposes Israeli military sites
By DPA
Jerusalem : Google Earth's upgraded archive of satellite pictures exposes key Israeli military and security sites, the Israeli Yediot Ahronot daily reported Friday, warning it made them easy potential targets for terrorists.
Google upgraded its satellite images of Israel, almost doubling their resolution, in the past days, Yediot said, adding the new images consist of one pixel per two square metres, compared to previous ones which consisted of one pixel representing only 10-20 square metres on earth.
Mixing plant extracts for treatments could be harmful
By IANS
London : Scientists in Britain have warned that treatment of individual health problems by mixing different combination of plant extracts could cause more harm then good to the patient.
Herb practitioners in different parts of the world, including India, mix different combinations of plant extracts to treat ailments, including asthma and arthritis.
The researchers looked at 1,300 published articles on the subject and analysed the only three found to be randomised clinical trials.
Cockroaches which conceived in space under observation
By RIA Novosti
Voronezh (Russia) : Russian scientists are expecting two cockroaches, who returned from space onboard the Foton-M bio satellite, to give birth to the first creatures ever conceived in space, the research supervisor has said.
"In the next few days we are expecting two female 'cosmonauts' to give birth to the world's first offspring conceived in microgravity," Dmitry Atyakshin said.
Scientists observe major climate changes in Arctic
By RIA Novosti
St. Petersburg : Scientists have reported substantial changes in the climate of the Arctic Region, a senior official at the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) said Thursday.
"We have observed global climate changes in the Polar Ocean," said Igor Ashik, acting head of the AARI ocean science department.
He said the ocean was clearing itself of drifting ice "for the first time in decades of Polar research".
India-US pact for low-cost medical technologies
By IANS
New Delhi : India and the US Thursday signed an agreement to develop low-cost medical technologies and share expertise on biomedical research.
The agreement was signed here between the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, a body of the National Institute of Health (NIH), the US, and the Department of Biotechnology under India's ministry of science and technology.
According to the ministry, the objective of the collaboration is "development of low-cost diagnostics and therapeutic medical technologies".
Symantec awards firms for digital safekeeping
By IANS
Mumbai : Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Reliance Communications, HDFC Bank and NCDEX (National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Ltd) won the Symantec Asia South visionary awards for protecting their IT infrastructure and information with the company's anti-virus solutions and firewalls against hacking.
Kerala firm launches window solar water heater
By IANS
Kochi (Kerala) : Power electronics company Hykon India has introduced a window collector solar water heater, claimed to be the first in the country.
Hykon Window Solar Collectors can be installed on balconies and windows of flats, apartments and individual villas where conventional rooftop water heaters do not fit in.
Symantec unfolds vision to safeguard digital world
By Fakir Balaji, IANS
Mumbai : Symantec Corp, the $5.2-billion leading security and information management solutions provider, Thursday unveiled its vision for securing the digital world and ensuring stakeholders stay connected anywhere, anytime.
Outlining the vision, Symantec India managing director Vishal Dhupar told about 1,000 delegates that securing IT infrastructure from end-to-end had become critical in the digital world, as pervasive technology was not only converging but also connecting everyone through multiple devices and applications.
Scientists advocate new method for better rice yields
By IANS
Agartala : India could meets its food grain demand of 220 million tonnes in the next five years if farmers adopt the Madagascar model of cultivation instead of the conventional method, scientists Thursday said.
Russia celebrates Sputnik’s 50th anniversary
BY RIA Novosti
Moscow : Russia Thursday marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of the world's first-ever satellite, Sputnik 1, an event which changed the world forever.
The world entered the space age on Oct 4, 1957, when the USSR won the race to put the first satellite into orbit. Sputnik 1 was launched aboard a Soviet R-7 rocket from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan.
Symantec to unveil new security solutions
By IANS
Bangalore : Symantec Corp, the $5.2-billion leading security and information management solutions provider, will showcase its latest Norton anti-virus software products to technology stakeholders at a vision summit in Mumbai Thursday.
The US-based firm's experts will demonstrate benefits of security infrastructure in enterprises and organisations using IT tools in their operations on local, national and global scales.
Yahoo unveils new search engine, but can anyone catch Google?
By DPA
San Francisco : Yahoo Inc. has unveiled a new internet search technology in a bid to close the gap on search leader Google, but executives at Yahoo admitted that the best they could hope for was to "chip away" at their rival's lead.
The new Yahoo Search, previously codenamed Panama, was launched Tuesday and introduces features like 'universal search', which automatically includes different content types in search results.
Customising Windows Vista: Have it your way
By DPA
Washington : Let's face it - If you're a PC user, sooner or later you'll have to switch to Windows Vista. Microsoft routinely drops support for older operating systems and Windows XP's days are numbered.
Vista will ultimately be the only option for many. But that doesn't mean you have to go to Vista cold turkey. You can install the operating system and set it up to work the way you want it to - even making it look like the operating system you're used to. All it takes is a little time and a bit of know-how.
Microsoft delays Windows Vista switch to June 2008
By Xinhua
Beijing : Computer manufacturer feedback saying customers still want to purchase Windows XP has prompted Microsoft Corp. to delay a scheduled transition to its newer Windows Vista software to the end of June 2008.
The world's largest software maker introduced Windows Vista in January with the plan to phase out sales of its predecessor, Windows XP, by Jan. 30, 2008.
Asteroid could hit Earth in 2029: Russian astronomer
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : An asteroid, discovered in 2004, could pose a threat to Earth in 2029, the director of the Russian Institute of Astronomy said.
Boris Shustov said at an international space forum in Moscow Monday that the Apophis asteroid, which is due to cross earth's orbit in 2029 at a height of 27,000 km, could under certain conditions hit earth in 2029.
The explosion could surpass the famous Tunguska explosion of June 30, 1908, which affected a 2,150 square km area of Russia felling over 80 million trees in the Krasnoyarsk Territory in Siberia.
Navy gets lab-on-wheels to test radioactivity
By IANS
New Delhi : An environmental survey vehicle (ESV) - a radiological laboratory on wheels - developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was formally handed over to the Indian Navy here Monday.
DRDO chief M. Natarajan handed over the ESV to the Indian Navy vice-chief, Vice Admiral Nirmal Verma.
Designed and developed by the Defence Laboratory at Jodhpur, the ESV is equipped with state-of-art instruments to measure radioactivity levels in solids, liquids and in the air.
Sunita is like Shah Rukh in Swades, says US official
By IANS
New Delhi : One could not help comparing American-Indian astronaut Sunita Williams with Shah Rukh Khan, who played the role of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) engineer who came back to India to ignite the minds of people in the Hindi movie "Swades".
The metaphor may sound somewhat remote, but a senior US embassy official Monday drew a comparison between the two stars in a programme where Williams interacted with around 150 school students.
Sunita Williams wants to see Indians smiling from the moon
By IANS
New Delhi : Indian students have enough capability and they should concentrate on exploring the universe more, American-Indian astronaut Sunita Williams said Monday. She expressed her desire to see Indian students smiling from the moon.
"There is a lot to know and explore about the universe. Now you should dream of going to the moon, Mars and space. I want to see your smiling faces from the moon," Williams said while interacting with school students in the capital.
Police in Delhi to use GPS to track criminals
By Sahil Makkar, IANS
New Delhi : Police in Delhi will use GPS (Global Positioning System) technology to crack down on criminals in a bid to modernise crime detection ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games here.
"We are installing satellite-linked GPS in PCR vans, which will not only provide an option to keep track of our officials but will largely help us in combating crime in the capital," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (PCR) Ajay Kumar.
World’s first pre-quake alert system set up in Japan
By DPA
Tokyo : The Japan Meteorological Agency Monday began operating the world's first system to give pre-earthquake warnings to the public.
The system is designed to detect earthquakes by sensing small seismic waves that precede big quakes and give warnings a few seconds before a major quake hits to regions expected to suffer damage.
Warnings would be aired through a public television station, NHK, and private stations as well as radio stations, the agency said.
The service is only available in Japan.
India and Russia step up space cooperation
By Neelam Mathews, IANS
Hyderabad : With joint plans for new satellites, manned space flights and missions to the moon, India and Russia are entering a new phase of bilateral cooperation in space.
The chiefs of the space agencies in the two countries met during a global conference here last week to decide on a road map for future missions.
"We discussed programmes with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)," Anatoly Perminov, Head of Russian space agency, Roscosmos, told IANS on the margins of the International Astronautical Congress here.
Space shuttle Discovery moved to launch pad
By Xinhua
Washington : US space shuttle Discovery has been rolled out to its seaside launch pad in Florida in preparation for the Oct 23 launch to the International Space Station (ISS), according to NASA website updates.
The shuttle began its slow 5.5 km journey Sunday in the early morning darkness at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The crawler-transporter carrying the massive shuttle assembly arrived at the launch pad after about six hours.
Scientists intensify anti-Sethu project stir
By IANS
Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu): The protests against the Sethusamudram Canal Project (SSCP) intensified with a forum of technical experts, non-government organisations and fishermen's federation undertaking a day long relay fast here last weekend.
The Movement Against Sethusamudram Canal Project said it would begin another relay fast in Nagapattinam from next week that would culminate in a massive protest rally in Rameshwaram.
Nuclear art sleuths analyse cultural heritage
By DPA
Vienna : Fake or real? This is one of the questions that has been bugging art experts all over the globe for centuries. Help for art detectives comes from an unexpected quarter: the UN nuclear watchdog, usually better known for investigating a country's nuclear programme or weapons aspirations.
India to launch maiden mission to moon on April 9 next year
By NNN-APP
New Delhi : India has planned to launch its maiden mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-I on April nine next year.
Media reports said the mission planned by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Hyderabad.
Quoting Mylswamy Annadurai, Project Director of Chandrayaan-I, the reports said “a launch windows are available for the next two days in case the launch does not happen on that day.”
India to launch maiden mission to moon on April 9 next year
By NNN-APP
New Delhi : India has planned to launch its maiden mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-I on April nine next year.
Media reports said the mission planned by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Hyderabad.
Quoting Mylswamy Annadurai, Project Director of Chandrayaan-I, the reports said “a launch windows are available for the next two days in case the launch does not happen on that day.”
Houses with green roofs and walls cool cities
By IANS
London : Scientists in Britain say roofs and walls green with vegetation can reduce the temperature of cities as they reduce the need for air-conditioning on hot days.
Green surfaces absorb less heat from the sun. Green roofs and walls can lower temperatures by 3.6 to 11.3 degrees Celsius depending on the city, a new study has found.
Scientists compared the effects of green surfaces in nine cities around the world, including sub-arctic Montreal in Canada, temperate London in Britain, humid Mumbai in India, and tropical Brasília in Brazil.
Zip into space from 2012 for just Rs.11 million
By Fakir Balaji
Hyderabad, Sep 28 (IANS) Rich and spirited Indians can look forward to fly into space and orbit the earth from 2012 for about Rs.11 million onboard a Euro shuttle.
The European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) Astrium will launch space tourism packages for global customers with a fleet of space shuttle in the next five years.
Rousing reception for Sunita Williams at space congress
Hyderabad, Sep 28 (IANS) American astronaut of Indian origin Sunita Willams drove into Cyberabad Friday on the outskirts of this city to a rousing reception by hundreds of delegates participating in the 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC).
India moots international mechanism for space assets protection
By NNN-Bernama/PTI
Hyderabad : Warning that outer space may become the "battlefield of the future," India proposed a "robust" international mechanism for protection of space assets since they were "vulnerable to attacks."
New Delhi also told global space scientists to join forces in space exploration, asserting the world can "ill-afford the duplication of efforts and resources" in the face of many pressing priorities, according to a PTI report.
Russian academy honours Indian scientist
Moscow, Sep 28 (RIA Novosti) The Russian Academy of Sciences has given the title of honorary academician to Goverdhan Mehta, director of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He received the title, which is rarely awarded to non-Russians, for "his outstanding achievements in applied chemistry".
The presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences gave Mehta a special diploma and a commemorative sign. The ceremony took place at the 18th Mendeleev Congress currently underway in Moscow. After the ceremony, the scientist gave a lecture on molecular synthesis.
Eleven plant, animal species discovered in Vietnam
By DPA
Hanoi : Scientists have discovered 11 plant and animal species in tropical forests in central Vietnam and believe that more species remain unknown here, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said.
The new species were a snake, five orchids, two butterflies and three other plants new to science and exclusive to the Annamites Mountain Range, the conservation group said.
Will Indian students’ solar car make it to contest?
By Azera Rahman, IANS
New Delhi : A bright young student team is all set to take its creation, a solar car, to the World Solar Challenge in Australia Oct 18 - if lack of funds doesn't cut its journey short.
Standing next to the three-wheeled car, roughly the size of a Honda City, 10 students of the Delhi College of Engineering (DCE) couldn't help beaming with pride.
"It took us a year to complete this car. We started working on the car in November last year. Driven on three wheels, as solar cars generally are, the car has six panels on its body.
Kalam favours generating nuclear energy from thorium
By Fakir Balaji, IANS
Hyderabad : Former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Thursday advocated the use of thorium deposits apart from uranium to generate nuclear energy for meeting India's burgeoning needs.
Interacting with about 1,000 students at the 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2007) here, Kalam said if India had to generate about 400,000 MW of power by 2020, it was essential to utilise thorium deposits, which were abundantly available in the country, especially in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
US Dawn probe sets off on asteroid mission
By Xinhua
Washington : The US Dawn probe was launched into space by a Delta2 rocket Thursday from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, according to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
From launch pad 17B, Dawn soared into the cloudy sky after being launched at 7.34 a.m. (1134 GMT), a little after dawn, beginning its long-waited asteroid belt trip.
Several minutes after the lift-off, NASA mission control centre reported that six of the solid-fuelled boosters have burned out and fallen away from the Delta2 rocket.
Indian space programmes on demand worldwide: ISRO
By Fakir Balaji, IANS
Hyderabad : Indian space programmes for education, healthcare, management of natural resources and weather forecast and disaster management are in great demand the world over due to their domino effect on living standards, a top Indian space agency official said here Thursday.
"Nations across Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific are making a beeline to seek our expertise and resources for replicating the success of our space programmes and applications.
US regulations restrict space industry growth
Hyderabad, Sep 28 (IANS) International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) of the US are a major hurdle in the growth of new space industry actors in the global market, said speakers from emerging space nations at the 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2007) here.
They also made a strong case for change in the rules to facilitate cooperation and healthy competition in the global space industry.
The speakers were unanimous that both cooperation and competition were necessary to ensure growth of the space industry, especially among emerging nations and new players.
European space agencies keen on outsourcing work to India
By Mohammed Shafeeq
Hyderabad, Sep 27 (IANS) Top space organisations of Europe are keen to outsource sub-systems and components for their space missions to India but are unable to do so due to political hurdles.
Under the European Space Agency (ESA) rules, the 17 member organisations cannot outsource the work but some of them wished they were allowed to do this to leverage on the cost benefit and reliable Indian research and development.
Germany hopes to benefit from India’s moon mission
By Mohammed Shafeeq
Hyderabad, Sep 27 (IANS) German Aerospace Centre DLR is hoping that the data generated from India's lunar mission 'Chandrayaan-1', to be launched next year, will help in its own proposed moon mission slated for launch in 2012.
"Chandrayaan-1 has good science and high resolution instruments and we expect that the data on different aspects of lunar exploration will benefit us. No agreement has been signed but we hope the scientific findings will help widen lunar exploration," a DLR official told IANS.
CSIR turns 65, Sibal asks it to be competitive
By IANS
New Delhi : Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal Wednesday praised the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for building scientific capabilities in the country and asked it to be competitive and alert to contemporary requirements.
Speaking at the 65th foundation day function of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Sibal said the organisation had done well to "build up the scientific and technological capability in the country and support industry in the past when the endeavour was for technological self-reliance".
Seven nations planning missions to the moon
By IANS
Hyderabad : Seven nations, including India, the US and China, are planning to launch lunar missions in the near future, even as experts have sounded a word of caution about the impact these missions would have on moon's environment.
Japan, Germany, Britain and Italy are the other countries whose delegates made their countries' plans clear at the ongoing 58th Astronautical Congress Wednesday.
Russian bio-satellite makes safe landing
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : The re-entry module of the Foton-M bio-satellite successfully landed at 11.58 a.m. Moscow time (7.58 a.m. GMT) Wednesday in northern Kazakhstan, RIA Novosti reported.
The satellite was launched Sep 14 on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan carrying gerbils, snails, cockroaches and many other creatures sealed in special containers and filmed by a video camera during the flight, as part of experiments carried out by the Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP).
CSIR need to work for science-society synergy: Swaminathan
By IANS
New Delhi : The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) must help bring about synergy between science and society so as to bridge the urban-rural divide, eminent scientist M.S. Swaminathan said here Wednesday.
Speaking at the 65th Foundation Day of CSIR, the greatest and largest science set-up in India, Swaminathan said: "It would be useful for CSIR to set up a joint scientific panel with the Indian Council of Social Sciences Research in order to bring about the desired synergy between science and society."
ISRO seeks to be party in land scam case
Kochi, Sep 25 (IANS) Indian space agency ISRO Tuesday sought to be impleaded in a public interest litigation (PIL) - relating to its alleged purchase of forestland - that is to be taken up by the high court here Wednesday.
The PIL has been filed by D.B. Binu requesting the court to intervene and initiate a full-fledged inquiry into purchase of land by ISRO for a space education institute in Ponmudi near Thiruvananthapuram from high profile businessman Savy Mano Mathew.
Two NASA rovers weathered Martian dust storm
By Fakir Balaji
Hyderabad, Sep 25 (IANS) Two Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, launched in 2003 by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), weathered a massive dust storm on that planet this July, a senior NASA scientist told the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) here Tuesday.
Using laptops on lap could cause injuries
London/New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANS) A survey in Britain has shown that people who use their laptops on the floor, in bed or on their laps are likely to develop injuries in their neck, shoulders and wrists. The survey says regular breaks are necessary to prevent damage.
The survey by University College London found 57 percent of those surveyed had experienced aches and pains due to laptop use.
One in five had neck and shoulder pains, while 16 percent said they suffered wrist ache and 15 percent said their back hurt, reported the online edition of Daily Mail.
Cultural feast, not speeches, excite space meet delegates
Hyderabad, Sep 25 (IANS) A glimpse into the rich cultural heritage of India, complete with dance and music, evoked more excitement among foreign delegates at the ongoing 58th International Astronautical Congress than the speeches on space.
The delegates were treated to a cultural feast at the inaugural ceremony of the five-day Congress at the majestic Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) near Hitec City here.
NASA postpones launch of Dawn space probe
By DPA
Washington : The Dawn space probe's five billion km journey to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter will begin a day later than planned, the US space agency NASA announced.
The spacecraft's launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket has been postponed from Wednesday until Thursday morning. The blastoff is now scheduled for a launch window of 7.20 a.m. to 7.49 a.m. Thursday.
NASA plans to put man on Mars b 2037
By Fakir Balaji, IANS
Hyderabad : The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to put man on Mars by 2037, a top official of the US space agency said here Monday.
"We are planning many missions. Our long-term game-plan is to put man on Mars by 2037, so that by 2057, when the International Aeronautical Congress (IAC) holds its centenary, we should be celebrating the 20th year of putting man on the red planet," NASA administrator Michael Griffin told the delegates at the first plenary of the 58th IAC on the inaugural day.
ISRO developing cheaper satellite phone link
By Fakir Balaji, IANS
Hyderabad : The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working on a new device to drastically reduce the cost of satellite phone usage and enable access to remote areas of the country, a top space agency official said here Monday.
India seeks inclusion in Russian space station project
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : India has expressed its intention to participate in the Russian International Space Station construction project, according to Russian space agency head Anatoly Perminov.
"As regards the list of nations wishing to join in the construction and operation of the International Space Station, India has recently applied," Roskosmos chief said last week.
He added that India was a major space power with a series of achievements in non-manned aerospace projects, and would like to make a contribution to the space station project.
International space meet begins amid tight security
By IANS
Hyderabad : The 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) began Monday amid tight security at the international convention centre in Hitec City. About 2,000 delegates, including heads of global space agencies, are attending the five-day event.
India planning 60 space missions in five years: Chavan
By IANS
Hyderabad : India is planning to conduct 60 space missions over the next five years to achieve multiple objectives in navigation, positioning, advanced communications, space transportation, earth observation and space science, Minister of State in the prime minister's office (PMO) Prithviraj Chavan said here Monday.
Inaugurating the 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Chavan said the ambitious Indian space programme would unfold huge opportunities for commercial and scientific cooperation among the space-faring nations the world over.
Malaysian astronaut to space to be decided at last minute
By NNN-Bernama
Putrajaya : The Malaysian astronaut to blast off to the International Space Station on Oct 10 will be decided at the last minute after both the country's candidates are recognised as astronauts.
Prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Monday that Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor would be placed with the first crew for the Soyuz 15-S mission while Captain Dr Faiz Khaleed would join the second crew.
ISRO entering next phase of space vision: Madhavan Nair
By IANS
Hyderabad : The chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) G. Madhavan Nair believes that the organisation is entering the second phase of space vision with components of advanced technologies for low cost access to space planetary exploration and manned mission initiatives in the next few decades.
Addressing the inaugural session of the 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2007 here Monday, Nair said the proposed launch of the mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-I, is part of this second vision.
Global space congress begins amid tight security
By IANS
Hyderabad : The 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) began Monday amid tight security at the international convention centre in this hi-tech city, with about 2,000 delegates, including heads of global space agencies.
The five-day event, being held for the first time here, was inaugurated by Prithviraj Chavan, minister of state in the prime minister's office (PMO), in the presence of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G. Madhavan Nair and a host of dignitaries from 45 countries.
World of Warcraft has roots in Everquest
By Heiko Haupt, DPA
San Diego : Start up the computer, go online and explore a strange fantasy world using a gaming character you've created on your own: the idea has become a familiar one thanks to the mass phenomenon known as World of Warcraft.
It may surprise some gamers to learn that the principle is hardly new. The first online role playing games started appearing as far back as the 1990s. Success would have to wait for the developers, however. It wasn't until 1999 that the title Ultima Online and the near-legendary Everquest helped the genre break through.
Laptop fashion: Mobile computer makers discover colour
By DPA
Frankfurt : Black, grey or silver: laptop buyers have generally had to accept one of those three options. But colourful times lie ahead. The latest models from laptop makers now feature casings in blue, green, pink and yellow. After all, having increasingly impinged on the domain of the desktop PC, the laptop has now become a lifestyle accessory.
Former ISRO chief Kasturirangan chosen for space academy award
By IANS
Hyderabad : The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) has selected Rajya Sabha member and former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K. Kasturirangan for the prestigious Theodore Von Karman award for this year.
The award will be presented to Kasturirangan, one of the country's top scientists, here Monday on the first-day of the 58th International Astronautical Congress.
The Theodore Von Karman award is the highest distinction of the IAA given annually to recognise outstanding lifetime achievements in any branch of science.
‘India can become World No. 1 in science’
By Prashant K. Nanda, IANS
New Delhi : India may never become the number one military power in the world but eminent scientist C.N.R. Rao believes that it has the potential to become number one in science and technology.
"We will never become number one in economy or in military power but we can definitely become a superpower and world number one in science and, over all, in knowledge," Rao, chairman of the Science Advisory Council to the prime minister, told IANS in an interview.
Study space science, break my records, Sunita tells students
By IANS
Ahmedabad : Indian American astronaut Sunita Williams, on a week-long visit to Gujarat, Saturday advised students to study space science for the exciting opportunities it offers and also to "break my records".
Speaking at a felicitation programme in her honour by Gujarat University, Sunita said space science was increasingly concerned with making the earth safe from the "effects of vacuum, a darkness that is beyond black and the massive temperature deviations in space".
Russia opens polar research station to secure Arctic claim
By DPA
Moscow : Russia has opened a new Arctic polar research station in a bid to reinforce its claims to Arctic gas and oil deposits, Interfax news agency reported Friday.
The drifting station research unit, North Pole-35, was set up in the Arctic Friday, the agency reported, citing a spokesman for the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute.
The report said the Russian flag would also be hoisted at the research unit, where 22 researchers and scientists would work, most of them Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) staff.
Sunita Williams, galaxy of scientists to attend space meet
By IANS
Hyderabad : Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams will be the star speaker at an international astronautical congress that begins here Monday to focus on the growing use of space technology to improve the quality of life.
Over 2,000 space scientists, heads of leading space agencies and astronauts will attend the five-day 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2007) which has as it theme 'Touching humanity: Space for improving quality of life'. It will be held at Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) near Hitec City.
British experts use Gurmukhi to aid forensic research
By Prasun Sonwalkar, IANS
London : In a unique scientific study, British researchers have used the Punjabi script Gurmukhi to help narrow down the identity of writers and develop a technique that could profile criminal authors of documents.
Forensic experts at the University of Derby believe that a Punjabi equivalent of the English pangram 'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog' could help profile the criminal authors of documents.
New infotainment features to ease traffic jam frustrations
By DPA
Frankfurt : Manufacturers are looking at new ways of combining infotainment features in cars so that drivers can use time spent in a traffic jam more effectively.
Car parts supplier Siemens VDO is presenting systems linking the mobile phone, MP3 Player or mobile internet with vehicles' onboard computers at the Frankfurt Motor Show from Sep 13 to 23.
The features enable drivers to call up and answer emails or simply choose entertainment.
Data to go: Options for hauling lots of files
By DPA
Washington : These days, almost everything's digital - our photos, music collections, videos, documents, financial records, and more.
Most of us can get all of this data on a few hard drives. And so long as we're using the computer that houses those drives, everything's fine.
But what happens when we need or want to take large amounts of data with us? That's when portable storage becomes critical.
Russia claims 1.2 million km of Arctic
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Russian scientists have claimed 1.2 million km of potentially energy-rich Arctic territory following preliminary research results released here Thursday.
"Preliminary results of an analysis of the Earth's crust show that the structure of the underwater Lomonosov mountain chain is similar to the world's other continental shelves, and the ridge is, therefore, part of Russia's landmass," the Russian Natural Resources Ministry said.
Haryana launches e-tendering for its projects
By IANS
Chandigarh : The Haryana government Thursday launched an e-tendering facility for its projects.
The process has initially been launched in the public works department (PWD) as a pilot project.
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda launched the facility for the prime minister's rural roads project involving 15 tenders worth Rs.2.66 billion.
Hooda announced that e-tendering will be started in other government departments shortly.
Paralysed people can now operate computers with chin
By Prashant K. Nanda, IANS
New Delhi : People paralysed below the neck now can work on computers with their chin, thanks to a special 'chin stick' the Indian Spinal Injury Centre (ISIC) here has developed. And it hardly costs Rs.100 ($2.5).
"Besides treatment, ISIC believes in vocational rehabilitation of our patients. The chin stick is just a step in that direction," said Divya Parashar, head of the department of rehabilitation psychology.
Monitoring your child’s PC use
By DPA
Washington : For kids these days, schools mean computer use. Increasingly, schools expect - and in some cases require - projects and homework to be completed using a computer, and most kids are only too happy to comply, since computers are also an endless source of entertainment.
For parents, though, the challenge becomes determining how much computer time is appropriate for kids - and then figuring out how to administer the rules effectively. Read on for some ideas.
Wipro-NewLogic tops in Bluetooth, wireless IP market
By IANS
Bangalore : Wipro-NewLogic, the semiconductor business unit of the IT bellwether, has been ranked as the number one supplier of wireless LAN (local area network) and Bluetooth IP (Intellectual Property) by Gartner in a recent survey.
The Austria-based NewLogic became a wholly owned subsidiary of Wipro Ltd. after the latter's flagship IT division (Wipro Technologies) acquired it in Dec 2005 for $56 million.
Tamil Nadu villages get Internet, telemedicine facilities
By IANS
Mahabalipuram : A community project to provide high speed Internet, telemedicine, e-education and e-governance services to the rural areas of Tamil Nadu was made operational Wednesday in Vadugambadi, about 60 km south of state capital Chennai.
The facilities will be provided for the first time in India with the High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) systems under the Gramjyoti programme of the central government.
China launches third resource satellite with Brazil
By Xinhua
Taiyuan (China) : China launched the third earth resources satellite jointly developed with Brazil Wednesday with the two nations pledging to develop two more satellites in future.
The satellite, named 02B, was launched on a Chinese Long March-4B carrier rocket, which blasted off at 11.26 a.m. from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in north China's Shanxi province.
The satellite separated from the rocket 12 minutes after lift-off, entering its preset sun-synchronous orbit, at a perigee of 738 km and an apogee of 750 km.
Bio-nanotechnology will help India’s food security: Pawar
By IANS
New Delhi : Advances in the area of bio-nanotechnology would go a long way in helping India's food security, Minister for Food and Agriculture Sharad Pawar said here Wednesday.
"Bio-nanotechnology takes agriculture from the era of genetically modified (GM) crops to the brave new world of atomically modified organisms," Pawar said, speaking at the inaugural session of the three-day Fifth Knowledge Millennium Summit on "B2B Bio and Nanotechnology" organised by industry body Assocham.
The computer helper: Gearing up for Skype
By DPA
Washington : You've probably heard of Skype - the Internet telephony application that enables you to make free phone calls with your PC - but you may not know whether it's right for you.
Telephoning through the Internet, after all, has been available for years, but most applications that purported to make the process painless were actually difficult to use, unreliable, and impractical.
CAS gets thumbs down from south Delhi consumers
By IANS
New Delhi : Of the people using the Conditional Access System (CAS) for viewing satellite television at least 70 percent are not satisfied with it and want to return to the previous system, reveals a study conducted by the Voluntary Organisation In Interest of Consumers Education (VOICE).
Repair to Discovery may delay scheduled flight
Washington, Sep 18 (Xinhua) Shuttle managers of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have decided to repair a leaking hydraulic seal of the space shuttle Discovery, which may delay its scheduled October flight.
Technicians will begin repair work Wednesday on the leaking hydraulic seal in Discovery's right main-gear strut, NASA officials said at a meeting Monday.
NASA shuttle managers will assess the ongoing repair work to decide how it might affect Discovery's Oct 23 target launch date.
Biometrics is no guarantee for secure data
By DPA
Darmstadt (Germany) : Police are not the only ones taking fingerprints these days. Starting on Nov 1, fingerprint data will even be stored in the passports issued by many countries.
As fingerprints are unique, they have also drawn attention from manufacturers of equipment designed to limit access to computers.
After all, pressing your fingertip against a reading device is simpler than learning and inputting a password. But are fingerprint sensors really more secure? The answer is both yes and no.
EU Court slaps hefty fines on Microsoft
Luxembourg, Sep 17 (DPA) In a landmark ruling with key implications for European Union (EU) competition policy, a court in Luxembourg Monday backed the bloc's decision to inflict a multi-million-euro fine on Microsoft for abusing its dominant position in the software market.
With a sentence read out in a packed court by presiding judge Bo Vesterdorf, the EU's Court of First Instance overturned almost the entire content of Microsoft's appeal against a 2004 ruling by the European Commission (EC).
Now search for Internet images in 300 languages
New York, Sep 17 (IANS) Researchers in the US claim to have developed a search engine that enables people to search for images on the Internet in at least 300 languages.
The new service called 'PanImages' has been created by researchers at the Turing Institute at Washington University and details were presented at the recently held Machine Translation Summit held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Avnet Electronics eyes acquisitions in India to spur growth
By Fakir Balaji
Bangalore, Sep 17 (IANS) Avnet Inc., the $16 billion global electronics marketing and technology major, is scouting for design and product firms in India for strategic acquisitions and expanding its presence in the subcontinent.
"With India emerging as the fastest growing market in Asia for us, we are on the lookout for small and medium design and product firms that would complement our components and add value to our customers' requirements," Avent's electronics marketing president Harley Feldberg told IANS in an interview here.
Use memory tricks to manage your computer passwords
Bonn, Sep 17 (DPA) A password-secured computer probably should not be covered with post-its which reveal passwords, but many of today's computers look exactly like that.
A flood of passwords for everything from e-mail accounts to PIN numbers to customer IDs for online purchases has most computer users engaged in a never-ending memory game. But now software is available that can help some people control the tide.
US firm offers India thorium reactors
By K.S. Jayaraman, IANS
Bangalore : While India is still debating how to make the Indo-US nuclear deal work, an American company, anxious to enter the Indian market, has offered to build commercial nuclear power reactors in the country.
These reactors will rely entirely on India's thorium resources -- except at the start - and thereby remove the objections of critics.
Indian research body ties up with Thomson Scientific
By IANS
Chennai : Thomson Scientific, a provider of information solutions to research and business communities, has announced that about 10,000 scientists of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) across 45 labs in India, will now have access to its ISI Web of Knowledge.
Thomson's ISI Web of Knowledge is an integrated, versatile research platform that delivers easy access to high quality, diversified scholarly information in sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities.
Tamil Nadu community centres to promote industry
By IANS
Chennai : The Tamil Nadu government is starting 10,000 community service centres to provide access to Internet, besides giving information about the official schemes to promote industrialisation.
Besides, finishing schools will be started for the less privileged people in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to impart training in industry specific skills.
In 2007, CSIR has a vision for 2001!
By Prashant K. Nanda, IANS
New Delhi : The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India's oldest and largest scientific institution, has not just been headless for nine long months, but in 2007, to go by its website, it has a vision for 2001!
The vision document flashing on its website, the institute's global interface, says: "CSIR in 2001 would be a model organisation for scientific industrial research and path setter in the shifting paradigms of self financing research and development (R&D).
In 2007, CSIR has a vision for 2001!
By Prashant K. Nanda, IANS
New Delhi : The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India's oldest and largest scientific institution, has not just been headless for nine long months, but in 2007, to go by its website, it has a vision for 2001!
The vision document flashing on its website, the institute's global interface, says: "CSIR in 2001 would be a model organisation for scientific industrial research and path setter in the shifting paradigms of self financing research and development (R&D).
Find new mineral deposits with a glass of wine
By IANS
Melbourne : Now mineral deposits of silver, zinc, copper and nickel can be detected through a glass of wine or soft drink, a research conducted by scientists in Australia suggests.
An acid present in the drinks dissolves some of the metals to form a solution, and then the metals can be easily detected in routine laboratory tests, the scientists said.
"In many cases, the comparison of metals extracted using wine and soft drink were superior than those extracted using conventional, and much more expensive, commercial solvents," scientists led by Ryan Noble found.
Five space walks, mock repairs planned for Discovery
By DPA
Washington : US space shuttle Discovery plans a full schedule of five space walks on its next mission to the International Space Station (ISS), set to begin Oct 23, NASA officials said.
Discovery's crew is to bring up and install the Harmony module to serve as a port for additional international laboratories constructed in Japan, Germany and elsewhere.
But NASA officials said Friday they expect to add a fifth space walk to test some new repair equipment that could be used to fix heat-shield damage that can happen to shuttles during launch, according to spaceflightnow.com.
German scientist calls for solar energy as fuel
By Prensa Latina
Madrid : Bio-fuel, far from being a clean choice to fight global warming, emits more carbon dioxide and denudes vast forestlands, a German scientist has said, suggesting solar energy as a credible option.
Chemistry Nobel laureate of 1988 Hertmut Michel told Spanish daily El Pais that large tracts of forests in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil and in Africa were being burnt down, releasing a huge amount of carbon dioxide into the environment.
Besides, large areas of forestlands were being diverted into soybeans cultivation for biomass for fuels.
India’s Y chromosome man finds nature’s failsafe
By Papri Sri Raman, IANS
Chennai : Sher Ali hopes that there will never be a nuclear holocaust. But even if there were one, humankind would still survive on earth, says India's Y chromosome man.
One of the fallouts of a nuclear holocaust, Ali said, is that the reproductive cells in men are destroyed or genetically so modified that either there are no offspring or they are malformed.
CBI to get Rs.35 mn to combat cyber crimes
By IANS
New Delhi : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is going to get Rs.35 million to fight cyber-related crimes, Minister of Communications and Information Technology A. Raja said here Friday.
"We will provide Rs.3.5 crore (Rs.35 million) to the CBI for developing advanced software and procuring latest software and tools to fight cyber crimes more efficiently," Raja said at the closing ceremony of the seventh Interpol cyber crime conference here.
Chuck a ball to put out fire
By IANS
Kolkata : Now to douse a fire, you can do better than using a fire extinguisher or splashing buckets of water. Just free your arms and throw a ball into the leaping flames. And voila! The blaze would be gone.
Siam Safety Premier Co Ltd, a Thailand-based company, has come out with an innovative and environment-friendly technology to douse fire. The fire extinguisher is marketed in India by Shree Shyam Bearings Pvt Ltd (SSBPL).
Phase-out of ozone-busting chemicals on Montreal agenda
By DPA
New York : Stepping up measures to save the atmosphere's ozone layer that shields the earth from deadly ultra-violet radiation, governments are considering a total freeze or accelerated phase-out of hydro-chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), the ozone-busting chemicals, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said Friday.
Like other international treaties that are lagging behind in implementation, the 20-year-old Montreal Protocol needs another push when 191 governments meet in Montreal starting Monday to review progress in one specific area - the ozone layer.
Japan successfully launches its first lunar explorer
By Xinhua
Tokyo : Japan Friday launched an H-2A rocket carrying the Selenological and Engineering Explorer, the country's first lunar probe satellite, from the Tanegashima Space Centre in southern Kagoshima prefecture.
The rocket, which is named Kaguya after an ancient Japanese fable, lifted off as scheduled at 10.31 a.m. from the centre on the Pacific off Japan's southern Kyushu island. The satellite and the launch vehicle successfully separated at 11.16 a.m.
Space photos no proof of Ram Setu: NASA
By Arun Kumar, IANS
Washington : US space agency NASA says pictures taken by its astronauts do not prove the existence or otherwise of a manmade Ram Setu bridge as mentioned in the Hindu epic Ramayana.
"I am not aware of any carbon dating either," said NASA spokesman Michael Braukus, refuting claims by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that the agency had the Adam's bridge in Palk Strait - known as Ram Setu in India - carbon dated as being 1.7 million years old.
Hyderabad IT Summit to replace GITEX India
Hyderabad, Sep 13 (IANS) The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to hold a Hyderabad IT Summit in March 2008. This event will replace the Global Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX India), held annually in the city since 2002.
The state government is scouting for a partner for the event, where many global and national IT companies are expected to participate. A key feature of the three-day event will be an India-US software conference, which is likely to be attended by software giants from both countries.
Human brain learns best at night
Sydney, Sep 13 (IANS) The human brain learns more effectively at night than in the morning, a young scientist in Australia has found out.
Martin Sale, an Adelaide University Ph.D student, used magnetic brain stimulation to investigate how the brain learns.
He found that the cerebral cortex, the area of the brain that controls movement, learns best at night.
The findings could have implications for people who are recovering from brain injuries.
Don’t panic when fuel warning lights up
Berlin, Sep 13 (DPA) Motorists should not immediately panic when the warning lamp lights up indicating that the fuel tank is empty because most cars have an adequate reserve to last for a stretch of 50 km, according to a test by the German magazine AUTO/Strassenverkehr.
The magazine tested 10 different car models with some vehicles even managing to drive a distance of 150 km before coming to a standstill after the warning lamp lit up.
British scientists unfold new frontiers of biotechnology
By IANS
Chennai : Will duckweed and algae be floating down Indian rivers soon, cleaning up waste and generating bio-fuel?
That is what researchers in Britain are doing, and some of Britain's top cell scientists are on a weeklong tour of India to talk about frontiers biotechnology.
Their effort is being matched by some of India's own scientists explaining the country's attempts in the field, in a joint initiative of the British Council and the Centre for Biotechnology (CBT) at the Anna University here.
TERI to set up 15 biotech labs in northeast India
By IANS
New Delhi : Environmental watchdog and research organisation The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) will set up 15 laboratories in northeastern India to help students with environmental and biotechnological experiments.
The 15 laboratories would be set up in the states of Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura with facilities to provide computer education, taxonomic studies, microbiological and biotechnological experiments among schoolchildren.
Mars rover Opportunity takes dip into giant crater
By Xinhua
Washington : NASA's Mars rover Opportunity entered Victoria Crater for the first time to explore the richest science trove of its long mission.
On the rover's 1,291st Martian day, Opportunity radioed home information via a relay by NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter, reporting its activities for the day, according to NASA mission updates Tuesday.