Bloggers Junction

Flooding in Desert... UAE rains...

2010-03-03T04:48:00.001-06:00

Watch Live TV9 Streaming..

2010-03-02T22:28:00.003-06:00

Local news channel to watch....

I have updated a link to the tv channel for those who want to see news online... go to the bottom of this page and you shall have the local telugu News Channel.

M back now...

2010-03-02T13:36:00.002-06:00

It has been long time now that i haven't been updating my blogs..but today i've decided i have to get back to my writings regularly.

have a lot to say..

lot to discuss... life gives me every moment an opportunity to speak on it...

today with this energy which pumps me to get that drive....

hope i do better this time.

Its about...

2010-01-30T09:23:00.002-06:00

Today I happen to go on a bus to meet a someone with regards to my non-profit project and on the way, i met to fours budding engineers who were returning from their college.
they were happy and enjoying the music being played on their phones and chatting with each other.
I interrupted them and asked them to tell me what the technology is being used in the mobile phone which they are using and enjoying the music.. they were speechless, they did not have any answer, so i told him to to do study appliances around which they use and gather information and knowledge about it on the web. explained them how to use the world wide web to their benefit and development. one of them told me that its not easy in the current days to be on par with others in this tight competition.He said, they need to get % inorder to be ontop.
Luckily, i knew what to say at that time and convinced them to balance out both knowledge and measurement system. I ve told them that without any measurement, there is no value of the effort which we put in unless we can and are measuring the same.So to balance out, knowledge should be attained at the highest level of understanding and expression of the same with regards to examination will help in getting evaluated and measured.

How many of us dont agree for this? we all agree but as i say, its easy to say than to do... As a kid, i remember i was also like those kids whom i met today, just worried about my marksheet and percentage.. but why do we have this as a universal issue at that age.. is this the right approach or is there something wrong in the system which we work in?

Food for thought...

There are always 2 ways in life.. take the one which suits you the best. Still I suggest, take the route which gives you long-term benefit rather than a quick short term...

2010-01-04T05:24:00.001-06:00

Banking Ombudsmen

2009-07-23T09:40:00.002-05:00

When you have issues with regards to the Credit Card, Loans, Bank Accounts - Where should we approach for resolution?
First Contact the Bank Manager/Head Officer to get this solved, if still nothing happens in from the banking institution, then the best thing to do is to contact the Banking Ombudsman for your region.
you can get information on this from RBI website at www.rbi.org

Do not let these credit card issues create tensions and frustrations, contact these banking ombudsmen who will help you and get your issue resolved.

Softball - A Game

2009-07-14T00:17:00.002-05:00

Softball is a team sport popular especially in the United States. It is a direct descendant of baseball. Some key differences between softball and baseball are that softballs are larger than baseballs, and pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand. Softball was invented by George Hancock in Chicago, Illinois. The first softball game was played using a rolled up boxing glove as a ball and a broomstick as a bat. It was intended to be a way for baseball players to keep in practice during the winter.
Softball is played between 2 teams on a large field, which usually is composed of a dirt and grass infield which contains the diamond and running areas, and a grass outfield. However, the field also can consist of all dirt, grass, artificial turf, or, in areas such as New York City, asphalt. There are 4 bases on the infield (first base, second base, third base,and home plate); the bases are arranged in a square and are typically 45 to 65 feet apart. Near the center of this square is the pitcher's circle, and within the circle is the "rubber", a small flat rectangular area also known as the "pitcher's plate". The object of the game is to score more runs (points) than the other team by batting (hitting) a ball into play and running around the bases, touching each one in succession. The ball is a sphere of light material, covered with leather or synthetic material. It is 10 to 12 inches (or rarely, 16 inches) (28 to 30.5 centimeters) in circumference. The game is officiated by one or more neutral umpires.
The playing field is divided into fair territory and foul territory. Fair territory is further divided into the infield, and the outfield, and the territory beyond the outfield fence.
The field is defined by foul lines that meet at a right angle at home plate.Home Plate is one corner of a diamond with bases at each corner.

Did Sania Mirza hire a new man to carry her luggage?

2009-07-13T10:03:00.005-05:00

Hey guys, Check this Sania at the best for the optimum usage of resources...

What you folks say?

Video Game Industry - A Giant in Making

2009-07-10T05:32:00.001-05:00

The video game industry (formally referred to as interactive entertainment) is the economic sector involved with the development, marketing and sale of video games. It encompasses dozens of job disciplines and employs thousands of people worldwide.
Modern personal computers owe many advancements and innovations to the gaming industry: sound cards, graphics cards and 3D graphic accelerators, CD ROM and DVD-ROM drives, Unix and CPUs are a few of the more notable improvements. Unix in particular was developed in part so that the programmers could play a space traveling game.
Modern games are among the most demanding of applications on PC resources. Many of the high powered personal computers are purchased by gamers who want the fastest equipment to power the latest cutting-edge games.

Early on, development costs were minimal, and video games could be quite profitable. Games developed by a single programmer, or by a small team of programmers and artists, could sell hundreds of thousands of copies each. Many of these games only took a few months to create, so developers could release several titles each year. Thus, publishers could often be generous with benefits, such as royalties on the games sold. Many early game publishers started from this economic climate, such as Origin Systems, Sierra Entertainment, Capcom, Activision and Electronic Arts.

As computing and graphics power increased, so too did the size of development teams, as larger staffs were needed to address the ever increasing graphical and programming complexities. Now budgets can easily reach millions of dollars, even if middleware and pre-built game engines are used. Most professional games require one to three years to develop, further increasing the strain on budgets.

Some developers are turning to alternative production and distribution methods, such as online distribution, to reduce costs
Video game arcades are still relatively popular in Japan; for every arcade game released in the US, nine are released in Japan. The history of the Japanese arcade is very significant in the story of the decline of the American arcade, and in the shape of game design in general.
Today, the video game industry has a major impact on the economy through the sales of major systems and games such as, Grand Theft Auto IV, which took in over USD$500 million in sales during its opening week.The game's income was more than the opening weekend of Spider-Man 3 and the original title holder for a video game Halo 3.Many individuals have also benefited from the economic success of video games including the former chairman of Nintendo and Japan's richest man: Hiroshi Yamauchi.

Was he a Kind PoliceMan or an Incompetent one?

2009-07-08T03:46:00.003-05:00

Today during lunch time, when i was traveling on friend's bike as my car was broken, i was stopped by a cop near Cyberabad commisioner office. I showed him all the documents he asked for and then finally, he said he will fine me for not wearing helmet and i was taken to the senior cop for getting the challan.
I requested the senior cop to forgive me this time as i had to take this vehicle of my friend and the helmet is in the bike but its smaller in size compared to my head.but the officer did not agree but came out with a solution saying, that i share the offence fine with another bike rider who also did not wear the helmet and said he will give challan of only 1 instead of 2 challans and we both share the price of it.

What do you think? Was this cop a kind cop or an incompetent policeman?

Is Virtualization the next generation technology?

2009-07-06T14:25:00.001-05:00

Virtualization is a proven software technology that is rapidly transforming the IT landscape and fundamentally changing the way that people compute. Today’s powerful x86 computer hardware was designed to run a single operating system and a single application. This leaves most machines vastly underutilized. Virtualization lets you run multiple virtual machines on a single physical machine, sharing the resources of that single computer across multiple environments. Different virtual machines can run different operating systems and multiple applications on the same physical computer. While others are leaping aboard the virtualization bandwagon now, VMware is the market leader in virtualization. Our technology is production-proven, used by more than 130,000 customers, including 100% of the Fortune 100.

The VMware virtualization platform is built on a business-ready architecture. Use software such as VMware vSphere and VMware ESXi (a free download) to transform or “virtualize” the hardware resources of an x86-based computer—including the CPU, RAM, hard disk and network controller—to create a fully functional virtual machine that can run its own operating system and applications just like a “real” computer. Each virtual machine contains a complete system, eliminating potential conflicts. VMware virtualization works by inserting a thin layer of software directly on the computer hardware or on a host operating system. This contains a virtual machine monitor or “hypervisor” that allocates hardware resources dynamically and transparently. Multiple operating systems run concurrently on a single physical computer and share hardware resources with each other. By encapsulating an entire machine, including CPU, memory, operating system, and network devices, a virtual machine is completely compatible with all standard x86 operating systems, applications, and device drivers. You can safely run several operating systems and applications at the same time on a single computer, with each having access to the resources it needs when it needs them.

Top 5 Reasons to Adopt Virtualization Software
1.Get more out of your existing resources: Pool common infrastructure resources and break the legacy “one application to one server” model with server consolidation.
2.Reduce datacenter costs by reducing your physical infrastructure and improving your server to admin ratio: Fewer servers and related IT hardware means reduced real estate and reduced power and cooling requirements. Better management tools let you improve your server to admin ratio so personnel requirements are reduced as well.
3.Increase availability of hardware and applications for improved business continuity: Securely backup and migrate entire virtual environments with no interruption in service. Eliminate planned downtime and recover immediately from unplanned issues.
4.Gain operational flexibility: Respond to market changes with dynamic resource management, faster server provisioning and improved desktop and application deployment.
5.Improve desktop manageability and security: Deploy, manage and monitor secure desktop environments that users can access locally or remotely, with or without a network connection, on almost any standard desktop, laptop or tablet PC.

Roger Federer

2009-07-05T10:01:00.002-05:00

Roger Federer (born on August 8, 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player. He is currently ranked World No. 2 having held the World No. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks.Most sports analysts, tennis critics, and former players consider Federer to be the greatest tennis player of all time.

Federer holds numerous singles records, the most notable of which are 14 Grand Slam titles (equalling the all-time record of Pete Sampras), and including a career Grand Slam. Federer has played an unprecedented 20 career Grand Slam finals, and as of July 2009 Federer has reached the semi-finals (or better) of the last 21 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, a record streak spanning over five years. The second player in the list has only 10.As a result of Federer's successes in tennis, he was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for four consecutive years (2005–2008).

List of UK Universites

2009-07-05T09:46:00.002-05:00

Find Some information on UK Universities

List of US Schools, Colleges and Universities

2009-07-05T09:07:00.002-05:00

Here is a list of few known universities and institutions in United States of America for higher studies.

The Indian Space Research Organisation

2009-07-05T05:27:00.002-05:00

The Indian Space Research Organisation is the primary body for space research under the control of the government of India. It was established in its modern form in 1969 as a result of coordinated efforts initiated earlier. Under the guidance of a number of scientists, ISRO has conducted a variety of operations—supported by its launch vehicle fleet—for both Indian and foreign clients. ISRO has several field installations at its disposal and cooperates with the international community as a part of several bilateral and multilateral agreements.
The Indian Space Research Organization has been sanctioned the required budget of Rs. 12,400 crore for its human spaceflight program. According to the Space Commission which has passed the budget, an unmanned flight will be launched in 2013-2014 and manned mission likely to launch by 2014-2015. If realized in the stated time-frame, India will become only the fourth nation, after the USSR, USA and China, to successfully carry out manned missions indigenously.
ISRO's headquarters is located at Antariksh Bhavan in Bangalore.
ISRO is equipped with one of the best infrastructure and research oriented.

Top Five Wealthiest Historical Figures

2009-06-30T14:11:00.003-05:00

Top Five Wealthiest Historical Figures

Name: John D. Rockefeller
Age at highest earnings: 74
Age at death: 97 (died May 23, 1937)
Net worth: US$329.9 billion
Original net worth: US$1 billion (September 29 1916) US$900.0 Million (1913–eve of WWI])Origin: United States Main source of wealth: Oil

Name: Andrew Carnegie
Age at highest earnings: 68
Age at death: 83 (died August 11, 1919)
Net worth: US$309.2 billion
Original net worth: US$479.9 Million (1901)
Origin: Scotland
Main source of wealth: U.S. Steel

Name: Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov)
Age at highest earnings: 50 Age at death: 50 (died July 17, 1918)
Net worth: US$290.7 billion
Original net worth: >US$1.3 billion (1916)
Origin: Russian Empire
Company: Monarchy—the Emperor and Autocrat of the Russian Empire (from the House of Romanov)

Name: William Henry Vanderbilt
Age at highest earnings: 64
Age at death: 64 (died December 8, 1885)
Net worth: US$240.0 billion
Original net worth: US$194 Million (1885)
Origin: United States

Name: Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII
Age at highest earnings: 50 Age at death: 80 (died February 24, 1967)
Net worth: US$225.1 billion
Original net worth: US$1.4 billion (1937)
Origin: Hyderabad, India Company: Monarchy—Nizam of Hyderabad

Genetically Modified Foods

2009-06-22T23:18:00.000-05:00

Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from genetically modified organisms. The DNA of genetically modified organisms has been modified through genetic engineering, unlike similar food organisms developed through the conventional genetic modification of selective breeding (plant breeding and animal breeding) or mutation breeding. GM foods were first put on the market in the early 1990s. Typically, genetically modified foods are transgenic plant products: soybean, corn, canola, and cotton seed oil, but animal products have been developed. For example, in 2006 a pig engineered to produce omega-3 fatty acids through the expression of a roundworm gene was controversially produced. Researchers have also developed a genetically-modified breed of pigs that are able to absorb plant phosphorus more efficiently, and as a consequence the phosphorus content of their manure is reduced by as much as 60%.

Critics have objected to GM foods on several grounds, including perceived safety issues,ecological concerns, and economic concerns raised by the fact that these organisms are subject to intellectual property law.

Some scientists argue that there is more than enough food in the world and that the hunger crisis is caused by problems in food distribution and politics, not production, so people should not be offered food that may carry any degree of risk. This argument assumes that genetically modified foods present risks not present in traditional foodstuffs, which are demonstrably not free of risk. Recently some critics have changed their minds on the issue with respect to the need for additional food supplies.

In 1998 Rowett Research Institute scientist Árpád Pusztai reported that consumption of potatoes genetically modified to contain lectin had adverse intestinal effects on rats. Pusztai eventually published a paper, co-authored by Stanley Ewen, in the journal, The Lancet. The paper claimed to show that rats fed on potatoes genetically modified with the snowdrop lectin had unusual changes to their gut tissue when compared with rats fed on non modified potatoes. However, the experiment has been criticised on the grounds that the unmodified potatoes were not a fair control diet.

If India were to dedicate 20 million hectares of land to this system, WWF says, "The country could meet its food grain objectives of 220 million tons of grain by 2012 instead of 2050."

DUTY FREE ALLOWANCES AND ENTITLEMENTS FOR INDIAN RESIDENTS RETURNING FROM ABROAD

2009-06-10T07:30:00.005-05:00

Most of us travel international for various reasons, like business, official, personal etc. But might be that we may not be aware of what items and how much of those can we import/get it along with us when we return. Here is a small summary of the same.

I. For passengers coming from countries other than (a) Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Hongkong or China.(b) Pakistan by Land Route

Duty Free allowance for bonafide baggage consisting of (for above 10 years age passengers)

1.Used personal effects (excluding jewellery) required for satisfying daily necessities of life - FREE

2.Other articles carried in person or in accompanied baggage

(a) if Stay abroad for more than three days - Valued upto 25000/-

(b) if Stay abroad upto three days - Valued upto 12000/-

Note:
1. The free allowance shall not be pooled with the free allowance of any other passenger.
2. The free allowance is not applicable to the following goods
1.Fire arms.2.Cartridges of fire arms exceeding 50.3.Cigarettes exceeding 200 or cigars exceeding 50 or tobacco exceeding 250 gms.4.Alcoholic liquor or wines in excess of 2 litres.5.Gold or silver, in any form, other than ornaments.
3. One laptop computer (notebook computer) over and above the said free allowances mentioned above is also allowed duty free if imported by any passenger of the age of 18 years and above
4. The goods over and above the free allowances shall be chargeable to customs duty @ 35% + an education cess of 2% i.e. to say the effective rate is 35.7%.
5. Alcoholic drinks and tobacco products imported in excess of free allowance are chargeable to custom duty at the rates applicable to their commercial imports as per the Customs tariff Act.
6. Import of Indian currency is prohibited. However, in the case of passengers normally resident of India who are returning from a visit abroad Indian currency upto Rs. 5000 is allowed.
7. Incase the value of one item exceeds the duty free allowance, the duty shall be calculated only on the excess of such amount.

Hope this helps.

Find more information on the following website:
http://www.cbec.gov.in/travellers.htm

Does our society need Young Journalists?

2009-06-08T16:45:00.003-05:00

Journalism - get the facts and truth out of the hidden caves for the open public for review and knowledge. By definition, Journalism is the production of news reports through media such as newspaper,radio, television, internet. Journalists are those who are a part of this production, such as reporters,photographers,broadcast presenters, writers,producers etc.

what do you think, the journalists should do. Dont you think they should be getting the facts and truth out to the people? If so Why Can't an individual be a journalist itself. Its time that when every person in the world holds the responsibility of sharing knowledge and making our society an ideal place to live. unlike past, today's world has something to say openly if its not right through the medium of internet without fearing about anything.

I wish, I was in college now, I could have started my small internet press with blogs collecting and posting the information from my surroundings, of good, bad, inspiring, discouraging etc events around me, everything which can make sense to ensure we have an ideal society to live. I wish someone reading this article atleast makes/attempts such a move. Its all about "will" and "willingness".

Journalism need to be always writing about problems and grievances. It can be supporting,encouraging, appreciative and filled with solutions. We do not need problems - We have enough of it; we need Solutions. we need experiences. History plays a vital role in the development of mankind. Today is a day in History for tomorrow. Get that history to surface for the betterment of the human society through recording it. Show the path of light in the woods of darkness. Hold the hands of those who need, with your knowledge and skills.

Remember - Knowledge is power.

Time Zones and Standard Time - why do we have that?

2009-06-05T07:39:00.002-05:00

Standard time the time of a town, region or country that is established by law or general usage as civil time. It is determined locally. The whole of China, one of the largest countries in the world, has decided to adopt a single time zone
The concept of standard time was adopted in the late 19th century in an attempt to end the confusion that was caused by each community's use of its own solar time. Some such standard became increasingly necessary with the development of rapid railway systems and the consequent confusion of schedules that used scores of different local times kept in separate communities. (Local time varies continuously with change in longitude.)
The need for a standard time was felt most particularly in the United States and Canada, where several extensive railway routes passed through places that differed by several hours in local time.
Sir Sandford Fleming, a Canadian railway planner and engineer, outlined a plan for worldwide standard time in the late 1870s. Following this initiative, in 1884 delegates from 27 nations met in Washington, D.C., for the Meridian Conference and agreed on a system basically the same as that now in use.
The present system employs 24 standard meridians of longitude (lines running from the North Pole to the South, at right angles to the Equator) 15º apart, starting with the prime meridian through Greenwich,England. These meridians are theoretically the centres of 24 standard time zones; in practice, the zones have in many cases been subdivided or altered in shape for the convenience of inhabitants.
Time is the same throughout each zone and differs from the international basis of legal and scientific time, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), by an integral number of hours; minutes and seconds are the same.
In a few regions, however, the legal time kept is not that of one of the 24 standard time zones because half-hour or quarter-hour differences are in effect there.

Find the Wiki information at the following link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_zone

GPS/Navigation System

2009-06-04T07:32:00.006-05:00

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense. GPS was originally intended for military applications, but in the 1980s, the government made the system available for civilian use. GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. There are no subscription fees or setup charges to use GPS.

How it works
GPS satellites circle the earth twice a day in a very precise orbit and transmit signal information to earth. GPS receivers take this information and use triangulation to calculate the user's exact location. A GPS receiver must be locked on to the signal of at least three satellites to calculate a 2D position (latitude and longitude) and track movement. With four or more satellites in view, the receiver can determine the user's 3D position (latitude, longitude and altitude). Once the user's position has been determined, the GPS unit can calculate other information, such as speed, bearing, track, trip distance, distance to destination, sunrise and sunset time and more.

The GPS satellite system
The 24 satellites that make up the GPS space segment are orbiting the earth about 12,000 miles above us. They are constantly moving, making two complete orbits in less than 24 hours. These satellites are travelling at speeds of roughly 7,000 miles an hour.
GPS satellites are powered by solar energy. They have backup batteries onboard to keep them running in the event of a solar eclipse, when there's no solar power. Small rocket boosters on each satellite keep them flying in the correct path.
Here are some other interesting facts about the GPS satellites (also called NAVSTAR, the official U.S. Department of Defense name for GPS):

The first GPS satellite was launched in 1978.
A full constellation of 24 satellites was achieved in 1994.
Each satellite is built to last about 10 years. Replacements are constantly being built and launched into orbit.
A GPS satellite weighs approximately 2,000 pounds and is about 17 feet across with the solar panels extended.
Transmitter power is only 50 watts or less.

GPS satellites transmit two low power radio signals, designated L1 and L2. Civilian GPS uses the L1 frequency of 1575.42 MHz in the UHF band. The signals travel by line of sight, meaning they will pass through clouds, glass and plastic but will not go through most solid objects such as buildings and mountains.

India's Ace Tennis Player gets Engaged

2009-05-29T17:41:00.006-05:00

Hey Folks,

Have you heard of this recent news? Sania Mirza, India's top tennis player got engaged to a Hyderabad based businessman Muhammed Sohrab Mirza. Well I was also surprised to hear this first , but got the confirmation from one of the news media from hyderabad.

Well does this mean an end to the career or the ace tennis player of India who won many laurels for the country? Ofcourse of late, her game has been effected by injuries. But the question is will she continue to play for the country after her marriage?

Lets wait and watch

Hi-tech Ex-CM recommends/prefers against technology

2009-05-29T08:26:00.002-05:00

With the post elections time, there are many funny incidents happening around in India. Some political leaders who could not be successful have been trying to play the blame game and i would like to name one such. - Mr. Chandra Babu Naidu, Ex-CM of AP known for the IT growth in City of Nizams.

I read an article in the newspaper which said that mr.babu suspects that there is some defect with the EVMs used in the 2009 elections and that is the reason for the loss of his party this elections.Agreed till here what he said may be one of the analysis, but the shocker is to come yet.He recommends saying, he prefers the tradition paper based ballot system, rather than saying to Election commission should look for more advanced and user friendly EVMs. How come the point of view and interests change with mr.babu not being in power. and why only his party will loose, other parties can also claim saying, some of their votes might have been put to TDP due to EVMs technological defects. our ex-cm is citing such reasons for his failure which will rather make him look silly.

When he was in power, he was the role model for many states for getting hyderabad onto the world map because of the Information Technology and now he is asking the to go away from the same. how sad.

How to Remember Web Adresses?

2009-05-28T13:08:00.005-05:00

I use this website for storing all the important website links and addresses at one place. Its very handy. its like favourites in the computer browser, however a portable one which can be used from around the world and any computer.

http://www.whitelinks.com/

you can also categories your links into different folders and organize it accordingly.

I like this a lot as its simple and handy for me when i come across any good article or website i save the link in this site and use it for future references.

Tech Tip: System Restore in Windows...

2009-05-28T10:17:00.004-05:00

It some times happens that we install a new hardware and/or software and then our system starts giving weird error messages or becomes sluggish etc.. well the best thing to try at that time is to undo the changes...
One good step is to do System Restore

System Restore takes a "snapshot" of the some system files and the Windows registry and saves them as Restore Points. When an install failure or data corruption occurs, System Restore can return a system to working condition without you having to reinstall the operating system. It repairs the Windows environment by reverting back to the files and settings that were saved in the restore point

System Restore to restore Windows XP to a previous state

To use System Restore to restore Windows XP to a previous state, follow these steps:

Log on to Windows as Administrator.
Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore. System Restore starts.
On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Restore my computer to an earlier time (if it is not already selected), and then click Next.
On the Select a Restore Point page, click the most recent system restore point in the On this list, click a restore point list, and then click Next.Note: A System Restore message may appear that lists configuration changes that System Restore will make. Click OK.
On the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, click Next. System Restore restores the previous Windows XP configuration, and then restarts the computer.
Log on to the computer as Administrator. The System Restore Restoration Complete page is displayed.
Click OK.

If you successfully restored your computer to a previous state, and the computer is performing as it should be, you are finished.

How to start System Restore in Windows Vista

Open System Restore by clicking the Start button , clicking All Programs, clicking Accessories, clicking System Tools, and then clicking System Restore.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Note: System Restore does not affect personal files, such as e-mail, documents, or photos.

Is North Korea's Nuclear Program a bigger threat?

2009-05-28T08:55:00.003-05:00

There has been a lot of news around the latest underground-nuclear-weapon testing done on last monday. This testing has created fresh concerns about the proliferation of nuclear weapons technology.

It is learnt that North Korea has been working on producing the weapons-grade level of plutonium since almost last 3 decades now. The testing is expected to be measured somewhere around 1.5 to 4 tons which is almost 10% strength of the bombs which were dropped on hiroshima and nagasaki during the second world war in 1945.

North Korea is believed to be working to develop a warhead small enough to fit on the tip of a long-range missile. Some experts say that North Korea has already created nuclear warheads for medium-range Nodong missiles that could strike South Korea and Japan.

Apart from this, what is the worst thing is that , if such advanced and catastrophic technology falls into the hands of some wrong people, it can cause a big disaster to the world and world peace. Now that most of the countries have been trying to develop their nuclear stock piles to scare the neighbouring countries, the race for this technology is growing.

But, the point here is to look at the RCA(Root Cause Analysis) as to why we such countries are going to upgrade themselves to nuclear warheads? Is it because of the sanctions on them or that they are fools and scared people? I dont think they are fools and scared, if they were, they would have not dared to challenge the world and do what they want. there cannot be a smoke without a little fire and similarly, its not just that all of sudden these countries want to develop their millitary. its a lot to do in the past and current oppressions as laid by some of the super-powers of the world. i can understand if the countries were involved in developing such technologies for solving the energy problems of their countries, but trying to develop just to power the millitary means that they do not trust their neighbours and their allies.

Why and what made them do to go against other major countries? this is something to be thought. but whats the use? almost every body knows what major reasons could be pertaining to those countries and neighbouring conflicts but yet cant do anything.
CATALYST countries who fuel such situations should be identified and kept away from the local conflicts. its good to be an arbitrator but not to side one country and neglect other.

Now the current worry is, if a small country like North Korea, opens up the nuclear war, then the impact would be a World War III and i dont think , we will ever have the World War IV in future as there would not be any world left out after such an advancement of the technology.

Some Funny Pics...

2009-05-27T11:55:00.002-05:00

Recession Proof Jobs...

2009-05-26T20:22:00.004-05:00

Folks,

Have you ever heard Recession proof jobs, like bullet-proof-jackets?
Well some analysts belive that there are few domains and industries which can be categorized as recession-proof. Let see what those are ..

Security: No Matter what the economy is, there would hardly be any cut in the security personnel like, police, law enforcement officers, customs, fire department, Shops/mall security etc. Rather there will be more security concerns during the peak of recession as the concern would be for increase in the crime rate.
Personal Care: Jobs like, hair-dresser, beauticians etc might not have to feel that crunch as people still tend to go them irrespective of the recession.
HealthCare: No matter what the market dictates, still people tend to take extra precautions and insurance to ensure that they dont fall sick and get hospitalized and run into major bills during this time of recession. and there would definetly be increase in the type of pressure borne patients.
Education: being a student would be the best thing in life and no need to worry for next semester or academic year as hardly drop-outs happen during the recession period. However, i have seen an increase in the number of students going to colleges and taking admission in various new course which would help them to secure a new career.s
Food-Industry: My Father used to say, this is the industry which will never fade away. We have to eat inorder to survive and we look for lesser expensive, yet better quality food even during the recession and this will ensure that the demand to be met and competition to increase , enables the jobs ofcourse at lower pays.
Sales & Marketing: Anything to be sold has to be marketed and revenue can be generated only by sales and thus, in an economy like now, we will have more pressure on sales and ofcourse maintaining the low salaries.
Accounting Services: For every expense made, there has to be accountability and accounts have to be maintained for everything. Like food industry, accounting is another never dying industry.

Every thing is common though, reduced pay is the most common...

My Radio - Melody Music

2009-05-26T14:27:00.002-05:00

Hey Folks,

Now there is a reason for the music lovers, for not leaving my site...lol

My blog site is now equipped with 24x7 Music from all major bollywood hits. Switch on my site and enjoy the music... No Need to download, store or worry about spywares and popup which come up...

PS: If you are not able to play the music by any chance, kindly check your browser as this is tested successfully for Internet Explorer.

DECCAN CHARGERS - IPL 2009 CHAMPIONS

2009-05-24T13:10:00.002-05:00

It was an exciting and thrilling low scoring match. Very difficult to predict who could have won this even till the penultimate over of the match. But it was the day for the Deccans, the team which were the last in the last IPL Season, have become the Champions this Season.

Kudos to Gilly and his team, who kept the cool to win this Season Championship.

Once Again, IPL Proves, T20 is unpredictable.

Congratulations Deccan Chargers...

Pehla Nasha.. Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikander...too cool.

2009-05-22T19:01:00.002-05:00

Nice one...

Kabobs - The Taste of Hyderabad

2009-05-22T08:46:00.004-05:00

Hey Folks,

Other day, i went to Kabobs restaurant in Maple Grove to pick up some delicious Hyderabadi Biryani. I called them up spoke to the chef and told him what i need in biryani and got that customized as per my choice for spicy one...

When I reached the restaurant to pick my parcel which i ordered, i was greeted by the staff in a nice polite and humble way with a comforting attitude. The Order was ready, it was just 5 mins back onway, i had ordered. I thought in the begining, may be so quick, so i might not get the taste i was looking for. But, I repeat, But - When I reached home and opened my parcel - the immediate look reminded me the look of spicy real hyderabadi biryani.

Now, it was difficult for me to even wait a min to start, Jumped on it along with my friend ravi and then i said it aloud - Kabob Rocks today...

It was the same authentic taste of biryani which i can find in the hearts of hyderabadi restaurants. This American Restaurant, being managed and owned by hyderabadi couple is delivering the same taste today. Kudos guys... keep the same taste and make us feel home while eating...

NB: Kabobs, i am referring to is in the Maple Grove, Minnesota. check their website link http://www.thekabobs.com/Default.aspx

How to change the Home Page in Internet Explorer 7 & 8

2009-05-21T22:11:00.004-05:00

Hi Folks,

Ever wondered how easy is it to change the default home page to your preferred one? Well its a simple and easily do-able task. just follow the instructions as discussed below.

Set the Current Web page as home page (in Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8)

1. Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Internet Explorer.
2. Navigate to the webpage you would like to set as the home page. Example: http://www.ashfaqblogs.blogspot.com/

3. Click the arrow to the right of the Home button , and then click Add or Change Home Page.
4. In the Add or Change Home Page dialog box, do one of the following:
To make the current webpage your only home page, click Use this webpage as your only home page.
•To start a home page tab set or to add the current webpage to your set of home page tabs, click Add this webpage to your home page tabs.
•To replace your existing home page or home page tab set with the webpages you currently have open, click Use the current tab set as your home page. This option will only be available if you have more than one tab open in Internet Explorer.
5.Click Yes to save your changes.

Thats it.. quite simple.. Not much technical stuff involved.

Eco Tourism - Best thing to do in a competitive world

2009-05-20T21:32:00.000-05:00

Have you folks been on any eco tours in india? I did once .. I was on this river godavari for the whole day experiencing the woods around near Rajamundry.

It was an awesome experience, though short, but was worth for a person like me who is busy in the city life amidst of sky scrapers. Best part was , No Phone Signals around. So nobody between me and mother nature.

I am not sure how many of us know that there are many such wonderful eco tours around the country and those happen to be the best ones and mind blowing. every lil care is taken is what is said by these folks who arrange such tours.

Before i take you around in some details about this tours, let me give you a brief about what is this "Eco Tourism"?

Ecotourism is entirely a new approach in tourism. Ecotourism is a preserving travel to natural areas to appreciate the cultural and natural history of the environment, taking care not to disturb the integrity of the ecosystem, while creating economic opportunities that make conservation and protection of natural resources advantageous to the local people. In short, ecotourism can be categorised as a tourism programme that is - "Nature based, Ecologically sustainable, Where education and interpretation is a major constituent and Where local people are benefited."

The declaration of several wildlife areas and national parks has encouraged the growth of the wildlife resource, which reduced due to the wildlife hunt by several kings in the past. Today, India has many wildlife sanctuaries and protection laws. Currently, there are about 80 national parks and 441 sanctuaries in India, which works for the protection and conservation of wildlife resource in India.

I would say, get onto plan your vacation to one such kind of toursim and enjoy midst the mother nature. enjoy those woods, that flowing crystal clear water, enjoy the culture of tribes around and many many others things.

I am really thrilled while writing this, i feel like going for one during this weekend, but i might not want to do so. Well I want my eco tour to be a successful one, so i would rather plan it properly and ensure i find a proper trip planner and service provider and gather all the information i need for my travel to be successful and then head for it. ofcours would promote my trip plan to my friends around as it would add to the trip to have some friends around while enjoying the beauty of nature.

My Favorite Song...

2009-05-19T12:21:00.000-05:00

Hey time for some music. I love this song a lot and hope many of you too...

There are ofcourse many others which are the better ones, but i liked this one today..

have a nice time...

Swine Menace!!!! Be-Ware....

2009-05-18T18:19:00.000-05:00

Hey Almighty.... whats this deadly pandaemic - Swine Flu.

It all started from Mexico and now the whole world is showing its signs. WHO is planning to raise the alert level to 6 from 5. This shall be the worrying fact as yet, we do not have any success in creating the vaccine. People are working hard to get this sorted.

I have been keeping a track of this in the United States, A country where the technology is highly advanced than anywhere around. But sorry to hear that we are still fighting to get a vaccine to stop this spread.

Its after all a Flu, however, a deadly one which can spread very fast and difficult to be contained as of now. As of today, the stats on the US CDC website shows - 5123 cases with 5 deaths.

Recent news reported that in the far east , in Japan, Swine flu is confirmed. So this shows how deadly this is spreading. I am more worried for the third world countries as the reporting system and containment for such kind of diseases is very low there.

For India - I heard the government had piled up the stocks for the medicine for this flu for about 2 million doses(not sure if i remember it correctly). but do you think is this enough for the world's second most populous country?

I m clueless what i want to spread the message to my readers. Should I scare them with this flu? or should i make them aware to take precautions and maintain good hygiene?

Remember folks, Health is wealth - so please take care of it and follow the precautionary measures seriously. avoid any kind of contact with the people who are sick and if you fall sick, just dont neglect and visit the doctor.

Hope we get away with this serious issue of the world.

Medical Negligence Continues in Govt Hospitals

2009-05-15T07:49:00.000-05:00

Health is Wealth. But oflate, the governtments are forgetting this fact.

Recently there has been a case where in a Software Engineer suffered permanent disability due to the medical negligence at the government owned hospital - NIMS, in Hyderabad,AP.
The victim suffered permanent disability in the form of paralysis and other complications, rendering him incapable of all normal chores after undergoing a surgery in Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences.

This is one of the case where it has been taken to the court till supreme court and the victim was granted the compensation of rupees 1 crore for this negligence. But how many of such cases do go to courts? and in the first place why does this happen? dont the doctors at public health institutions tend to forget the oath which they take before assuming the practice? or have they thought the citizen of india doesnt deserve to get the better health care?

Government has been spending huge amounts on health infrastructure and supplies. however, i feel the check and balance of the final result of this spending is not being considered seriously. This is one of the cases which is making the people of this country to look for the private corporate hospitals, which take away your fortune but still take care of your health.

A tax payer like me gets frustrated when i hear such kind of news. Health is the basic necessity which is to be provided by these government agencies and if they lack this basic duty then whats the use of having such a system in place?

Atleast this software engineer was strong enough to take the hospital to the courts but what about the people who are suffering daily in villages, small towns who are not educated and who do not know where to approach with their grievances? Does government has a grievance cell or body in each town for such medical negligence? I am not aware about such things if any and i dont many of us know? and if it doesnt have any, dont you think we should have such ?

Its high time that the concerns of health are taken care seriously. Life is very precious, whether its about a common man or a rich man. Life is life. and these elected representitives and the public service officers have the responsibilities to ensure that the basic amenities as mentioned in the constitution has to be provided to each and every citizen of the country, irrespective of caste, religion, status etc.

Why dont our course curriculum in schools and colleges teach us how to fight back for our rights? Why do we fear of taking our grievances to next level and get them sorted out? are we aliens in this country? Is this country not our home? if it is, then why do we fear in our home? We all know the answers. we tend to live in our own comfort zone. we believe, to just take care of the problem when it comes directly to us. we do not tend to forsee the problems ahead and dump that saying, its not my job. If Gandhi would have also thought so while fighting for independence, we would have not enjoyed the liberty and freedom which we enjoy today.

Every book should have the basic rights and responsibilities mentioned in the first page, so that our students do not forget that. Government should take initiatives like RTI to promote the knowledge about the grievance cells, governing bodies, consumer forums. Having said this, it doesnt mean that a circular is posted at the Secretariat gate. Like how it is said, Success doesnt come to you, you have to go for it, similarly, information has to flow throw a major channels. Media should play a vital role in getting these things done.

I can write hundreds of pages on this, but its useless, until we like-minded people take some care to spread the awareness about the rights and responsibilities of every citizen of India.

Hyderabad Secretariat buys purified H2O

2009-05-14T08:16:00.000-05:00

Look at the fate of the city of nizam; Adminstration of Supplying purified water for drinking purposes to the people of city do not trust their supplies and rather buy the purified drinking water. I read this today in the local newspaper that the CM and their babus are spending about 20 lakhs every month to drink the purified water. so pity!!

So what does this means - It means they dont care for the human life - errrr.. they dont care for common man's life .

An ideal situation would have been the one, where in the politicians and all the officers drank the tap water to ensure that the water purification was being taken in seriously. but these guys rather stay away from that and treat themselves as the most important people for the mankind.

Basic truth is that, why should these politicians be blamed.. its the common man who has to be blamed; if he cannot stand for himself then nobody will stand for him. Wish our people know what their rights are and how to go for it.

Intel gets fined - Customer Still the King...

2009-05-13T08:45:00.000-05:00

European regulators slapped Intel Corp. (INTC, Fortune 500, the world's largest chipmaker) with a record fine of $1.45 billion after a nearly eight-year long antitrust case.As per European Commission, Intel violated the European anti-trust laws by following the unethical business practices to keep the competitor AMD out of business.

I would welcome such a judgement which ensures a check on the business giants not to run monopolies and at the same time not to play unethical tactics with the competitors. This would impact the end customer in a big way. Not just IT industry but rather we should have a good and powerful governing body which should act on such cases where in the customer is made to suffer because of the foul plays. Not just fine, we should also impose the ban of the business in that region for some time so that next time no other business house will even think of getting that way.

I m happy with EC on their judgement and at the same time sad that it took almost 8 years for the comission to give the ruling. We should expedite all such cases and show the business world that unfair means to achieve business will land them in trouble.

Having said this, ruling or fines will not just stop these actions, there have to be a proper and stringent Audits and compliance checks.

However, this ruling comes as boon for all the business houses who want to ensure a fair play in the market.

EC proves - Irrespective of competiton, Customer is the King.