Oculus Rift

Virtual Reality gaming is here in the form of Oculus Rift. This history-defining 3D headset lets you mentally feel that you are actually inside a video game. In the Rift’s virtual world, you could turn your head around with ultra-low latency to view the world in high resolution display.

There are premium products in the market that can do the same, but Rift wants you to enjoy the experience at only $300, and the package even comes as a development kit. This is the beginning of the revolution for next-generation gaming.

The timing is perfect as the world is currently bombarded with the virtual reality topic that could also be attributed to Sword Art Online, the anime series featuring the characters playing games in an entirely virtual world. While we’re getting there, it could take a few more years to reach that level of realism. Oculus Rift is our first step.

THE 10 BEST PC GAMES OF 2015

Sure, there’s been some portentous gaming hardware releases in 2015, from the launch of the first graphics cards capable of 4K gaming to the long-awaited introduction of Valve’s Steam Machines. But that’s not what I’m talking about. When it comes down to brass tacks, gaming is all about the games—and 2015’s blitz of new top-tier games was so outstanding that it gives the legendary 2004 lineup a run for its money.
Narrowing down to just 10 favorite PC games was a struggle, but these are the ones that gave PCWorld’s gaming team—reporter Hayden Dingman and editor Brad Chacos—the biggest smiles in 2015. Note that our focus is limited to the PC as a platform, so you won’t find console exclusives like Bloodborne or Rise of the Tomb Raider here, no matter how delicious they are. And aside from our overall game of the year, these aren’t ranked in any way—they’re all just plain great games.

Harvard Health Study Reveals Disturbing News About E-Cigarettes

When e-cigarettes first made their appearance on the market, they were greeted with enthusiasm and relief by smokers and non-smokers alike. Anyone who expressed skepticism or a desire to learn more about the potential health hazards of this miracle product was met with harsh resistance. New information out of Harvard University has emerged, however, which incontrovertibly links e-cigarettes to lung disease. Apparently, the heavy focus on removing the combustion element of smoking overshadowed the other health hazards posed by the use of this device. (source)

The discovered danger lies in the chemical flavourings used in e-cigarettes – more specifically, Diacetyl, a flavorings chemical that, according to Harvard, can lead to severe respiratory disease. The chemical is found in more than 75 percent of flavoured electronic cigarettes, alongside two other related and potentially harmful compounds used to produce flavours that appeal to a variety of young people, like cotton candy.

This is quite disturbing, particularly given the fact that there are currently more than 7,000 varieties of flavoured e-cigarettes and e-juices (the nicotine containing liquid used for refillable devices) available on the market.

The Harvard press release emphasized that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not tested e-cigarettes for safety and their potential health effects, and, what’s worse, they are not currently regulated.

We are dealing with chemicals that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the flavouring industry itself have warned workers about because of their association with the respiratory disease bronchiolitis obliterans, also known as “popcorn lung.”

“Recognition of the hazards associated with inhaling flavoring chemicals started with ‘popcorn lung’ over a decade ago. However, diacetyl and other related flavoring chemicals are used in many other flavors beyond butter-flavored popcorn, including fruit flavors, alcohol flavors, and, we learned in our study, candy-flavored e-cigarettes.” – Lead author Jospeh Allen, assistant professor of exposure assessment sciences (source)

The study tested more than 50 types of flavoured e-cigarettes. Each e-cigarette was then placed into a closed off chamber attached to a lab-built device which drew air through the e-cigarette for eight seconds at a time. The air stream was then analyzed by researchers and they found at least one of three harmful chemicals detected in 47 of the 51 flavours tested.

“Since most of the health concerns about e-cigarettes have focused on nicotine, there is still much we do not know about e-cigarettes. In addition to containing varying levels of the addictive substance nicotine, they also contain other cancer-causing chemicals, such as formaldehyde, and as our study shows, flavoring chemicals that can cause lung damage,” said study co-author David Christiani, Elkan Blout Professor of Environmental Genetics.” (source)

As more research on e-cigarettes becomes available, it becomes increasingly clear that there are associated dangers which must be acknowledged. At this point, I think we can safely describe them as an uncontrolled experiment on consumers. And the Harvard study above isn’t the only one making noise; a study done by The German Cancer Research Center found that e-cigarettes and their emissions are not safe and that they contain cancer causing substances like volatile organic compounds, acetone, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, benzopyrene, and silicate, along with various other metal particles. (source)

What Else Can You Do To Quit Smoking?
Aside from developing a true desire to quit smoking, which is the necessary and usually most difficult first step in making any significant lifestyle change, there are a number of steps one can take to quit. GreenMedInfo has put together a great list of options, including the research and evidence that goes with their efficacy. You can check out their list on how to quit smoking naturally here.

Hi-tech, intelligent buildings are revolutionising the urban landscape

In the first half of the 21st century, a soaring urban population posed serious problems for the environment, health and infrastructure of many cities. In newly industrialised nations especially, urban centres became polluted, overcrowded and chronically inefficient. Throughout the world, metropolitan areas grew to unprecedented sizes – putting huge and increasing pressure on city planners to adapt.*




Amid worsening climate change and resource depletion, urban regions were forced to either evolve, or die off. Countless cities failed to make this transition in time, and went the way of Detroit, many being abandoned and left to decay, or subject to intense military control and martial law. In those that survived, a new generation of buildings and infrastructure emerged based on these rapidly changing social and environmental needs.*

Among the most important trends in modern architecture has been self-sufficiency. By 2050, environmental and resource degradation have become so obvious and huge, it has triggered a radical rethink of production and consumption by citizens. As such, many modern skyscrapers now come complete with the internalised creation of food, water and other resources. Farms often comprise multiple floors of a tower – regardless of its purpose – while rain, mist and condensation are constantly trapped and stored. Advanced 3D printers are available locally on site to manufacture everything from household furniture, to personal transportation, to replacement parts for the building itself. Energy is typically provided by photovoltaics and wind turbines. These are often integrated seamlessly into the building design, so as not to harm the aesthetic appeal. Solar power, for instance, can be collected by window panes or special photovoltaic paints applied to outside surfaces.* The efficiencies for solar have been improving steadily for decades.*

Nature features heavily in these structures. Many towers incorporate parks and sky gardens, helping to increase the overall biodiversity of a city, with numerous bird and small animal species finding homes and nesting places. Careful environmental controls ensure that these creatures are protected while not becoming a nuisance for human residents. The outside of buildings are often covered with vegetation, or special membranes, designed to filter pollutants and capture CO2.* Government regulations now require a large percentage of buildings to be fitted in this way, making it a dominant style of architecture today. The artificial parts of this outer layer can also adjust to wind conditions, temperatures, moisture levels and sunlight in order to produce optimal thermal comfort for the human and animal occupants. Algae bio-fuel cells adorning the facade can also absorb CO2 while acting as an additional source of electricity.*







Buildings are integrated into the city around them in a number of ways. Fuel restrictions and other factors have led to increasingly socialised transportation. The bottom floors of most towers have dedicated public car share (AI controlled) and bike share facilities, while bus and other mass transit stations are often built into the structures themselves. Pedestrian sky-walkways feature heavily in most modern cities, improving access and permeability of the urban realm, while shielding walkers from the elements. If ornamented with foliage, they can also function as elevated parks and gardens.

Buildings are making cities more comfortable and inviting in various other ways. By tightly controlling a tower's reflectivity, heat absorption and heat balance, for example, planners can significantly reduce the temperatures associated with urban heat island effects. This comes at a time when temperatures in less developed cities are soaring from the combined effects of climate change and urbanisation.*

The average modern building in 2050 is seamlessly integrated into a city's power supply, acting as another node in a city-wide smart grid. Nearly all buildings are able to transmit locally produced energy back into the system. Wireless electricity transfer is also common, with energy beamed invisibly between buildings, which eliminates the need for unsightly poles and cables. AI systems within each building direct its total power consumption, adjusting according to the varying needs of occupants and taking into account even the most minor of details.

Overall, this new smart infrastructure is helping to drastically improve the nature of urban living. Cities following this model are becoming far more liveable, clean, efficient and modernised. Though many regions have collapsed into chaos, others are now leading the way in providing a more sustainable path for humanity.

Ford Motor in talks with Google to build self-driving cars

Google is said to be in talks with automaker Ford Motor Co to help build the Internet search company’s autonomous cars, Automotive News reported, citing a person with knowledge of the project.
The contract manufacturing deal, if finalised, is expected to come during the annual International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas during the first week of January, Automotive News said.

A Google spokesman told Automotive News that the company would not comment on speculation, although Google officials confirmed that the company is talking to automakers.
Earlier this year, Google began discussions with most of the world’s top automakers and assembled a team of traditional and nontraditional suppliers to speed efforts to bring self-driving cars to the market by 2020.
In June, Google began testing tiny, bubble-shaped self-driving prototype vehicles of its own design on public roads around Mountain View. The company has also started testing self-driving prototypes in Austin.
Google is expected to make its self-driving cars unit, which will offer rides for hire, a stand-alone business under its parent company, Alphabet Inc, next year, Bloomberg reported earlier.
Ford, although lagging behind most competitors, ramped up its pace to develop self-driving cars earlier this year and said it would expand advanced safety technology, including automatic braking, enabling hands-free operation of cars under certain conditions by automating such basic functions as steering, braking and throttle.

Govt may host more Internet servers in India

A Parliamentary panel yesterday asked the government to take measures, as far as possible, to locate Internet servers for critical sectors within the country.

Noting that hosting of websites/servers outside India is largely on account of cost advantage, counter action and legal concerns, the committee recommended the Department of Communications and IT to host more and more servers in India.

"The committee are, however, unhappy to note that the country depends largely on imported electronics and majority of the websites are still being hosted outside India," the Standing Committee on Information Technology said in a report. It added the government has adopted strategies to deal with the hassles and drafted an 'e-mail policy' and 'data storage policy' for the Central government and the state governments.

"While all these initiatives have been taken note of, keeping in view the security aspects the committee emphasize the government should take measures, as far as possible, to locate Internet servers for critical sectors within the country," it said.

The committee added the department should also have stringent measures to safeguard the indigenous servers as most of the cyber attacks are in '.in' domain.

"In addition, the department should lay down provisions for mandatory certification for all imported electronics/IT/ telecom products and have certification centers in each State/Union Territory specifically at all the airports/naval docks/ international borders," it added.

The committee also expressed concern on only one Cyber Appellate Tribunal (CAT) being set up in the country till date though the Act provides for setting up Benches in other parts of the country.

"The Committee are surprised to learn that since inception of CAT, only 17 appeals have been disposed off by the former Chairperson and 21 appeals are still pending for hearing in the Tribunal which are scheduled for disposal on appointment of the new Chairperson," it said.

While expressing their displeasure over the undue delay taking place in disposal of appeal by the CAT, the committee strongly recommended the department to deploy adequate manpower at the earliest.

"Efforts may also be made to set up CAT branches in other parts of the country, if need arises," it said.

The committee has also recommended making concerted efforts to increase the number of cyber security experts/ auditors/IT skill in the country on top priority basis to ensure that shortage of manpower does not come in the way of securing Indian cyber space.

China's Internet Forum May Provide A Peek At Its Cyber-Ambitions

Heads of state, including the prime ministers of Pakistan and Russia, and major technology firms will gather Wednesday in Wuzhen, a picturesque little town of canals and boats in eastern China, to talk about the Internet.

One important theme, even if it's not stated explicitly, is how governments can keep some level of control over the Internet.

President Xi Jinping will address the Second World Internet Conference — and may shed light on China's ambition to become a great power in cyberspace.

Hosting the meeting is the head of China's Cyberspace Administration, a former journalist named Lu Wei. He accompanied President Xi to the U.S. this fall, when Xi met with tech CEOs including Apple's Tim Cook and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.

At a recent news conference, Lu denied that China censors the Internet — even though it's a widely known fact. He said that China manages the Internet, as does every country's government.

"We learned our management of the Internet from Western, developed nations," he said, "and I can tell you that we still have not learned enough."

He admitted that China does block some foreign websites, but he unapologetically asserted China's right to pick its friends and its business partners.

"We do not welcome those who make money from China and occupy our market while vilifying us," he said — a pointed reference to online criticism of China. "No family likes to invite unfriendly people to be their guests."

China blocks many websites without which the Internet would be unimaginable in the West — including Twitter, Facebook, The New York Times and YouTube — because the government cannot control their content. Chinese Internet users tend to rely instead on Chinese social media, including the microblog Sina Weibo and the messaging app WeChat.

Cyber czar Lu said, though, that controlling the Internet is about as easy as "nailing Jell-O to the wall."

Indeed, despite heavy censorship, political commentary about the trial of a prominent Chinese human rights lawyer, Pu Zhiqiang, and other news still made it onto Chinese social media this week.

Beijing-based media scholar Zhan Jiang, a professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University, says a lot of the struggle for control of online political speech is actually going on inside the Communist Party itself. Xi has admitted that he's been stalemated in his struggle against corrupt officials.

"This shows that Xi's opponents are strong," Zhan says. "They may try to smear him, and he may need to release information about them. So the matter of who controls the discourse is very important."

Zhan says that in Xi's vision of the Internet, security outweighs individual expression.

"In today's world, the development of the Internet poses challenges for countries' sovereignty, security and development," Xi said in a speech to the National Congress of Brazil last year. "Although the Internet has the characteristic of being highly globalized, no country's sovereignty or rights in the realm of information should be infringed upon."

Zhan adds that Xi is focused far more on the Internet and less on traditional media than any of his predecessors. And he argues that China's Cyberspace Administration is more open-minded than the country's traditional propaganda apparatus.

China's vision of an Internet divided into separate national networks — a "splinternet," as some call it — is not what the Internet is really about, Zhan concedes. But China has no plans to push its model of Internet management on other countries.

"If it exists, it's not their main idea," Zhan says. "They're facing an increasingly complex domestic environment, and they've got their hands full managing that."

At last year's conference, also in Wuzhen, the hosts circulated a draft declaration that called for each nation's "Internet sovereignty" to be respected. The draft reportedly failed to garner much support. Internet czar Lu Wei said at his press briefing that they won't bother with such declarations this year.

Indian Programmers vs. American Programmers: Whose Code Is Best?

Online career development community Gild recently compared Indian programmers' math, logic, software development and communication skills with those of American programmers


If there were ever an IT Olympics, in which software developers could compete to solve programming problems, the event would likely take place on Gild, an online career development community where IT professionals from around the world do just that.

On Gild, which launched September 2010, software developers participate in programming competitions, earn certifications and look for jobs. Through the competitions and certification exams, programmers can assess their math, logic, communication and software development skills, and compare their capabilities to other programmers across the globe. Nearly 500,000 developers have taken more than 1 million assessments, according to Gild.

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CEO Sheeroy Desai says Gild's coding competitions and assessments take the form of a problem statement, followed by a snippet of code. Gild members then have to state whether there's a problem with the code (and what it is), if there's a better solution to the problem (and what it is), or the outcome of the code.

Based on the results of Gild's various assessments, the site recently compared Indian programmers' math, logic, software development and communication skills with those of American programmers. (Gild defines Indian programmers as those living in India and American programmers as those residing in the United States. The career development site asks users to identify where they're from when they register.)

According to Gild's data, Indian programmers appear to be better at math and logic than American programmers. The Indian developers who participated in math and logic assessments outscored their American counterparts by 11 percent.

But Americans lead at software development. They slightly outperformed Indian developers on mainstream programming languages, such as C, Java and SQL, where they scored eight percent higher on C and nine percent higher on Java and SQL.

Gild's data shows that American software developers are particularly good at Web programming. When tested on PHP and HTML, American programmers' scores were respectively 53 and 27 percent higher than their Indian counterparts.

Not surprisingly, American developers also have a better grasp of the English language, as noted in their scores on tests of their English communication skills, which were 33 percent higher than Indian developers.

Desai, who was born in Pakistan, says Gild undertook the comparison of Indian and American programmers for two reasons: One, because the company had enough statistically valid data to compare the two groups, and two, because Gild wanted to see how Indians' and American's technical skills matched up.

"There are lots of perceptions about how good different programmers in different parts of the world are, but there is no hard data," says Desai.

The CEO believes Gild's findings corroborate conventional wisdom regarding the strengths of Indian programmers and American programmers.

When asked if he was concerned about the way the study pits American software developers against Indian software developers, Desai says fanning the flames of competition and animosity was never Gild's intention.

"This is not a way to justify or not justify offshoring," he says. "Our motivation was to collect a remarkable amount of data that we don't think anyone else has and see what we find. This [data] by no means says that any individual programmer in the U.S. is better than any individual programmer in India, and vice versa. These are trends. If I'm a CIO looking to hire programmers in India who are going to be working on mainstream programming languages, I'll find good people there. If I'm looking for Web programmers, I'm better off looking for those people in the U.S."

INDIAN ARMY

Messerschmitt ME 323

The Messerscmitt ME 323 is actually a smaller version of another Messerschmitt. The original model that was created ended up being too heavy for any real practical combat use, so a smaller version was created. Even with the size being turned down, this plane still weighs in at over 220 tons and was used to transport military equipment. The service it saw was limited, since the size and speed made it an easy target to take down.

Does Playing Games Make You a 'Gamer'?

Does Playing Games Make You a 'Gamer'? Hayley Tsukayama, The Washington Post , 16 December 2015
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Does simply playing video games make you a "gamer"? According to a new study from the Pew Research Center, the answer appears to be no: While 49 percent of American adults play video games, only 10 percent consider themselves "gamers."

Gaming is in the midst of a shift, as mobile and social games put the opportunity for play in everyone's pocket. And the question of who fits into the gamer identity has bubbled up several times over the past few years, as more people play video games and blockbuster titles gain more prominence in mainstream pop culture. Yet from the conversations Gamergate sparked about who's welcome in the gaming community to continued discussion about games in the wake of mass shootings, it's clear that video games still carry a certain stigma - despite the fact that nearly half of the population plays games.

Things get even more intriguing when you drill down into the data. Even though men and women play games in nearly equal numbers, the Pew study found that men are twice as likely to call themselves gamers, with 15 percent of men versus 6 percent of women identifying with the term. Among those ages 18 to 29, 33 percent of men say that the term gamer describes them well, as opposed to 9 percent of women.


Pew didn't ask its respondents why they don't identify as gamers even though they play games. But some of the explanation may come from how gamers are perceived more generally.

For example, the study found that most women, even those who play games, believe that most of the people who play games are men. That belief, perhaps surprisingly, is substantially higher among the youngest age group of respondents: 71 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds think that's how demographics break down, though men and women of this age are equally likely to play games.

Women in general are also more likely to believe that people who play video games are more likely to be violent themselves - 47 percent versus 31 percent of men. Even among those who play games, far fewer women disagree with that statement than men.

To date, researchers have found no evidence that violent video games cause a tendency toward violent behavior. The American Psychological Association has drawn a connection between games and higher levels of aggression, but not that playing violent games causes violent acts. Overall, a slight majority of 53 percent of those surveyed said that they don't believe there's any link between those who play violent video games and a tendency toward violent behavior.

Google vs FB: What FreeBasics fervour and Pichai’s India visit means

Two seemingly unrelated events were significant last week. One was a visit to India by search giant Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai, and the other, a fervent appeal by Facebook to support its FreeBasics initiative to provide Internet access to the digitally poor, which provoked controversy as it threatens Net Neutrality advocated by activists.
But the two events are related, and here’s how.
First, some visual imagery. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed students at IIT, Delhi in a town hall meeting in October, explaining Facebook’s vision to digitally transform the world. He then jogged in front of the India Gate for a photo opportunity. Pichai last week addressed students at Shri Ram College of Commerce, my alma mater, speaking of similar goals. He also posed with a cricket bat for photographers.
Read more : SRCC gets a download of candid Pichai -- a Valley success story
Fact is, these two gentlemen want to capture India’s imagination through talk and imagery. Their publicity machines are working in carefully matched moves on a chessboard called India, where the number of mobile Internet users is expected to roughly double to 300 million levels by 2017 compared with 2014.


Facebook, as I said once, is trying to be the “social OS” by using its monopolistic network of users linked by friendships. Google is building on its Android platform (which Pichai championed) that is now the global standard for mobile penetration. It’s Google, not Twitter, which is Facebook’s business rival.
FreeBasics is to Facebook what Android is to Google. Both of them want advertising dollars buzzing in from smartphones. Google is betting on search. Facebook is betting on data analytics linked to user information.
Now, FreeBasics opens up possibilities for Facebook -- and this is fine in principle. But what it did last week was to ask its users to support FreeBasics in a campaign. But there was no alternative option or vote. This is precisely what activists are worried about. In one simple move, Facebook used its awesome reach to push its own case. Net Neutrality is all about equal, unfettered access.
Read more: Pichai reveals how Google stays on top
Google got into trouble with European regulators when its search algorithms weeded out some sites ostensibly because it was fighting spam through filters. Facebook’s campaign does through selective reach what Google tried through selective search.
In effect, both are cases for regulators to study using principles of competition, fairplay and equality. The world is bigger than geeks with ambitious business plans.

Bitcoin: What's in Store for 2016

• Bitcoin: What's in Store for 2016

While the hype may have faded a bit, 2015 was still a busy year for Bitcoin. Venture capital investments topped $1 billion (roughly Rs. 6,700 crores) for the first time. People are finding it easier to invest in the digital currency, thanks to the debut of firms such as Bitcoin Investment Trust. Big financial companies-Nasdaq, American Express and Visa- invested in Bitcoin startups, "a game changer in terms of attitude towards the technology," said Gil Luria, an analyst at Wedbush Securities.

So what's in store for 2016? We'll probably see the first Bitcoin company valued at more than $1 billion, a self-imposed slowdown in new Bitcoin production (which will put some miners out of business) and more financial institutions embracing the currency and its technology. The main unknowns are the price, consumer adoption and-as always-the real identity of Bitcoin's creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.

"Should be a revealing year for Bitcoin," Tim Draper, a venture capitalist who's bought Bitcoins and invested in related startups, wrote in an email. "I expect some of the consumer applications to come to light. I expect the U.S. government to finally recognize Bitcoin as a currency. I expect to hear of the first Bitcoin unicorn (Coinbase maybe)."

Here are some of the developments seen for Bitcoin in 2016:

Bitcoin halving

New Bitcoins are generated all the time, when operators of number-crunching computers called miners solve complex equations and record every transaction. The number of Bitcoins that can be generated, however, is limited by design in the digital currency's underlying software.

Once every four years, the number of Bitcoins that miners can harvest every 10 minutes is cut in half. Summer 2016 marks four years since the last halving, with the cap set to drop to 12.5 Bitcoins every 10 minutes. That's bad news for some miners, especially those with older machines. "They are just going gangbusters and trying to mine as much as possible," said Bobby Lee, CEO of Chinese Bitcoin exchange and mining pool BTCC. With fewer new Bitcoins floating around, the price of the virtual currency could climb in value, he said.

Block size

Data in the Bitcoin network is stored in chunks called blocks. The problem is, some worry that as more people use and buy Bitcoin, the network will run into bottlenecks and dramatically slow down. Some propose changing the block size to solve the problem.

"One of the most important things I'd like to see happen is consensus from all the parties involved in Bitcoin on how we should move forward," said Charlie Lee, Bobby's brother as well as director of engineering at Coinbase and creator of Bitcoin rival Litecoin.

Financial industry

Barry Silbert, whose company runs Bitcoin Investment Trust, recently predicted that Wall Street will begin to trade Bitcoin, according to a participant at a private investor event. Traditional banks, which have long stayed away from Bitcoin startups, will begin to work with these companies, he said.

Financial firms will also continue to look at the blockchain, Bitcoin's underlying technology, to use in secure transactions. While they may not directly use Bitcoin, a blockchain could help verify any financial transaction, from a share trade to a bond coupon payment. R3, a startup, has gathered 30 banks including Citigroup and Bank of America to develop standards and a technology the financial institutions could use. It hopes to unveil initial results next year, said R3 spokesman Charley Cooper.

At the same time, more institutional investors may start trading Bitcoin. "As an ecosystem, we've only just begun to scratch the surface of institutional involvement," said Tyler Winklevoss, an investor in Bitcoin exchange Gemini.

Startup busts

With hundreds of Bitcoin companies vying for business, there won't be enough money to go around. More Bitcoin startups could merge or go out of business, Silbert predicted.

One cause for that will probably be the lower-than- anticipated pace of consumer Bitcoin adoption. Sharp swings in the digital money's value against the dollar and other currencies will continue to turn off users and make Bitcoin impractical for everyday purchases.

There have been recent reports, again, that the creator of Bitcoin has been unmasked, but there's no consensus yet that they're true. One of Draper's funds and his son are investors in Coinbase.

San Bernardino attacks: Killer's social media 'not checked'

• San Bernardino attacks: Killer's social media 'not checked'

US security officials failed to detect social media posts sympathetic to violent jihad on one of the San Bernardino killer's accounts, during immigration screening processes.
Tashfeen Malik passed three background checks when she moved from Pakistan but none looked at her social media.
New York Senator Chuck Schumer said: "Had they checked out Tashfeen Malik, maybe those people in San Bernardino would be alive".
The attacks left 14 people dead.
Malik underwent three background checks as part of the process to obtain a K-1 (commonly known as a "fiancee visa") to enter the United States and marry fellow attacker Syed Farook, the New York Times reported.

None of those screenings would have likely checked Malik's social media activity due to a secret US policy prohibiting security officials from reviewing social media activity of would-be immigrants, according to ABC News.
The report says, in the wake of disclosures from Edward Snowden, officials were afraid of a backlash from civil liberties activists if agents were reviewing social media postings and knowledge of the reviews were made public.
There are programmes being tested that would allow officials to screen social media, however they are not widely employed.
Among the activity that was missed were inflammatory comments next to a photo of a plane crashing into the World Trade Center that were posted on the 10th anniversary of those attacks, the newspaper said.
Last week it was revealed that the couple were radicalised before they started dating, and had discussed jihad and martyrdom in conversations on an online dating service in late 2013.
Facebook logos on a screen and phoneImage copyrightAFP
Image caption
The inflammatory comments were reportedly made on Facebook
The revelations that the attacker's social media was not reviewed have been met with incredulity and anger.
On Sunday, Mr Schumer demanded that immigration officials immediately began reviewing online activity.
His views were shared by Secretary of State John Kerry.
In an interview with NBC on Sunday, Mr Kerry suggested that while "social media has placed a whole new burden" on the visa security process, it should be possible to review the activity going forward.
Mr Obama has ordered a review of the K-1 visa programme in wake of the attacks.
Malik received a visa to enter the US in May 2014 after completing the application process, which reportedly included three security and criminal screenings, as well as in-person interview.
Another round of checks was conducted when she applied for permanent residency, after she moved to the US and married Farook.

Brave Dr. Ruveda Salam Is Kashmir Valley’s First Woman IPS Officer. This Is Her Incredible Story

• Brave Dr. Ruveda Salam Is Kashmir Valley’s First Woman IPS Officer. This Is Her Incredible Story

Formidable Dr. Ruveda Salam wrote history when she became the first Muslim woman from the remote Farkin village in the border district of Kupwara to have cracked the prestigious IAS examination back in 2013. What started out as a dream that her father and she collectively shared from her growing up years soon became reality through Ruveda’s dedication, hard work and steely perseverance.

Dr. Ruveda Salam Is Kashmir Valley’s First Woman IPS Officer

In her recent interview to Rediff, Dr. Ruveda shares her story of how dreams become a reality when your heart and mind is in the right place. “When I was growing up in Kashmir, my father often used to say that I should become an IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer. That's when I first thought of becoming one. It inspired me and I decided to go ahead and aim for it.”

Before becoming the first woman to have qualified for the Union Public Service Commission examination in 2013, Ruveda got her MBBS degree from the Government Medical College in Srinagar.

After qualifying for the UPSC, she was then allotted the police services, and joined the police academy in Hyderabad for training. However, after the completion of her training, the lone Muslim woman police officer was put in the Tamil Nadu cadre.

“Last year, I was selected to the Indian Police Service cadre. I went for training to Hyderabad. The training was very strenuous. Physically it was very hard. I joined the IPS cadre in Tamil Nadu and was posted as an Assistant Commissioner of Police in Chennai.

Yahoo keeps Alibaba, spins off core business

SAN FRANCISCO: Yahoo Inc shelved plans to spin off its stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd on Wednesday, under pressure from activist investors worried about billions of dollars in taxes, and said instead it is looking at creating a separate company to hold the rest of its assets.

   The decision, following three days of board deliberations last week, is an explicit rejection of chief executive Marissa Mayer's plan to spin off the Alibaba stake and may cloud her focus on reviving Yahoo's core business of selling ads on its popular news and sports websites.
Investors were unenthusiastic as they digested the complexity of the "reverse spin-off." Shares of Yahoo the were lower for most of the trading session, finishing own 1.3% at $34.40.
"You've got a sinking ship right now," said Jeffrey Carbone, senior partner with Cornerstone Financial Partners in Cornelius, North Carolina, a former Yahoo shareholder. "Yahoo is just a company in trouble."
The company, overtaken by Google, Facebook and others since pioneering the commercial web in the 1990s, said it had no plans to sell its core business, as some investors had hoped, but the move effectively invites offers for the new entity.
"There is no determination by the board to sell the company or any part of it," Yahoo chairman Maynard Webb said on a call with investors. "We believe that the business remains very undervalued, and we are focused on realizing and unlocking that value."
The new publicly traded company will house Yahoo's internet business and its 35% stake in Yahoo Japan, worth about $8.5 billion at current exchange rates.
Its Alibaba stake, worth more than $30 billion, accounts for the bulk of Yahoo's current market value of $32 billion.
But the creation of a new entity -- which Yahoo said would take a year or more to conclude -- will likely take Mayer's focus away from turning around the internet business.
Mayer's efforts have so far had little tangible effect. Revenue has fallen slightly since she took the helm in mid-2012, and Yahoo's share of U.S. web searches is essentially flat with three years ago, gaining no ground on market leader Google.
"The challenges the internet businesses face will not change because of a sale," said Murali Sankar, an analyst at Boenning & Scattergood. "Given the size and assets I think a sale is less likely, but could create tax efficiencies for the buyer if they wanted to divest certain assets."
Yahoo had intended to spin off its Alibaba stake by January, but the plan hit a hurdle in September when the Internal Revenue Service denied the company's request for a ruling on whether the transaction would be tax free, potentially costing shareholders billions in taxes.
Activist investor Starboard Value LP asked Yahoo in November to drop its Alibaba plans and sell its core search and display ad businesses instead. Starboard had previously supported the spinoff.
Given that the new entity would be of a lower value than the Alibaba stake, that would limit the tax liability if the transaction was not tax-free, analysts said.
In a worst-case scenario, the tax bill would be $5.3 billion, compared with the potential for a $13.3 billion hit from the Alibaba spinoff, Sterne Agee CRT analysts wrote in a note.
Yahoo executives said on a conference call they still believed the original spinoff would have been tax-free but the spectre of a big tax bill had unnerved investors.
The new plan will require Yahoo to win the consent of a large cast of players including regulators, shareholders, bondholders, business partners and others "too many to name," chief financial officer Ken Goldman said on the call.
The plan to spin off the Alibaba stake would have been far simpler, he added.
Still an attractive target
Yahoo has struggled to grow its internet business, which includes selling search and display ads on its news and sports sites and email service, in the face of competition from Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook Inc.
But Yahoo.com still ranks fifth in terms of daily visits, according to monitoring firm Alexa, and this could make it an attractive target for a telecom carrier or private equity

India No. 1 choice for global tech R&D

BENGALURU: India remains the No. 1 location for MNCs to establish product engineering and R&D centres outside their home countries, and the growth of these centres in India is outpacing the average global growth.

India accounted for $12.3 billion, or 40%, of the total of $31 billion of globalized engineering and R&D in 2015, according to a study by consulting firm Zinnov. Compared to 2014, the revenues of the captives in India grew by 8.3%, as against the growth of 7.6% for all captives. China follows India with revenues of $9.7 billion.
Zinnov, which has been focused on this space since it was founded over a decade ago, finds that 69% of all new offshore technology centres this year were set up in India. The past two years have seen a spate of new centres being set up and the older ones expanding, including those of Exxon Mobil, Lowe's, Visa, Victoria's Secret, JC Penny, CME Group, Wells Fargo, and British Telecom.
Software & internet accounts for 35% of the work being done in the captives, telecom & networking follows with 14% and semiconductors 12%. Consumer electronics, automotive, computer peripherals, medical devices, industrial, and aerospace & defence are other areas of work.

Zinnov finds another interesting trend: Engineering and R&D outsourcing to third parties is beginning to outpace growth of captives in India. India is the second biggest outsourcing destination, after Western Europe, where companies like Altran, Alten, Akka Technologies, Assystem and Harman Connected Services are strong.

Twitter Reactions To Delhi Government’s ‘Odd Even Car’ Rule Are Hilarious

Twitter Reactions To Delhi Government’s ‘Odd Even Car’ Rule Are Hilarious

NOW CHANGE DELHI  ?       

Planta solar con forma de África en Ruanda, abastece energía a 150.000 hogares.
Tiene la forma del África, cuenta con 28.360 paneles fotovoltaicos y puede producir 8,5 megavatios de electricidad, suficiente para iluminar 15.000 hogares. Estas son algunas de las características del primer parque de producción de energía solar de Ruanda, que fue inaugurado en Febrero del presente año, con un costo de 23.700.000 dólares.

Flipkart CEO Sachin Bansal Is Delivering Packages Himself Today

 Sachin Bansal, the CEO of Flipkart, is doing package deliveries in Bangalore himself today.  The Fipkart CEO tweeted this today morning:

Doing deliveries today in Bangalore. Feeling excited. pic.twitter.com/bnZY7iadQJ
— Sachin Bansal (@_sachinbansal) October 16, 2015
He even posted a picture of a happy customer right after delivering his packet of shoes!

Delivered shoes and shirt and chatted for quite a while ... pic.twitter.com/cw9c8W3kcg
— Sachin Bansal (@_sachinbansal) October 16, 2015
No work is small. And when it’s your own company, you are definitely not gonna get squeamish about work.  Who explains this better than the co-founder of one of India’s biggest e-commerce companies?

Apart from Bansal, Flipkart’s co-founder Mukesh Bansal will also go on home visits. Apparently, this is part of Flipkart’s initiative to delve deeper into the mind of the online buyer

5 Action Points to Live Your Dreams

As the act came to an end and the curtains fell on stage, I managed to catch one glance at the performer – my friend who is now a world-class comedian, travelling the world and doing what he loves doing. Before his success and fame, he was one of the many dissatisfied corporate stooges. One day, he found himself staring listlessly at his computer screen, and before the voice of question could take over, he typed out his resignation and hit send. Just like that.

Today, he is one of those people that can safely tell you they’re following their dreams. The rest is history.

Knowing that you have to quit your job is the easy part, taking the first step towards your dreams, now that’s where most stumble. MensXP gives you a Five point guide that’ll help you action your dreams.

1. The Safety Net is Pure Fallacy

Whether you choose to turn entrepreneur, join showbiz, or do something else, there’ll be countless people telling you what you shouldn’t do. After all, a job is safe; you’re ensured of a monthly salary. But, it’s safe only if you have no dreams; if you have dreams to achieve, then the safety net is really a trap. As long as you hang on to that net, effort towards achieving your own dreams will be limited. There will always be another day to go and make it happen. Without the safety net, the time is now.

2. Quit Then Action




There’s only so much a job will give you; there’s only so much appreciation your higher-ups will express; there’s only so much name you will garner – all this without any kind of legacy you can truly call your own. As mentioned above, the only way you will focus and action your dream is if there’s no net that allows you to think you have another day. Every time you tell yourself you have another day, you delay your own dream. Quit and then action your own plan.


3. Rejection Means Opportunity



Okay, now that you’ve taken action, you approach the people you need and maybe they don’t see your plan the way you do. If you can’t come to a consensus, then approach more institutions and people. Rejection translates into opportunity. Additionally, the conversation and feedback you receive from the party you approach will only help in polishing your own idea. The key here is to focus on what you have to do as opposed to what didn’t happen.


4. Find One Leg In



No matter what type of business you’re looking to establish (IT, services, retail, finance, etc.), you have to get one foot in your specialised field. Network with people who will be able to help and who will be able to connect you with even more contacts in the same field. Discuss what you can do together, how you can do it differently, and why it will be beneficial for you two to connect. Setting up your business requires you to get your leg in and networking takes care of that.



5. Lights, Action



Now that you’ve presented your plan, met and connected with the right people, it’s time to action. Take that blueprint and live it. If one way fails, find another and another and another. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but the first brick was laid down in one second. All it takes is laying that first brick. 

Design A Pragmatic Strategy For Your Business

The word strategy comes from Greek, στρατηγός" (strategos), meaning "leader or commander of an army, general"; in turn a compound of "στρατός" (stratos), "army, host" + "ἀγός" (agos), "leader, chief", all indirect relatives of the word "ἄγω" (ago), "to lead".

The seemingly contemporary word has been recorded to be used in Byzantine documents from the 6th century onwards, notably in the work attributed to Emperor Leo VI the Wise of Byzantium.

Thus, it is clear that strategy has been used by successful empires, nations and armies since thousands of years.

Today, it has moved on to board rooms, where its accurate insight and implementation (or lack of it) can unfailingly determine the success or failure of a business. So, what exactly is it?

Strategy is what determines your future. Strategy has also been defined as a ‘stream of decisions’ by various academias. In other words, it is the art of marshalling resources to gain an edge over today, and tomorrow.

1. Look for a Framework in the Start

2. Rely on Empirical Studies/ Statistics.


3. Killer Kernels

4. Beg, Borrow, Steal from The Arts


5. Remember: It Is The Only Way to Escape the Middle Class

The World Mathematics Topper Is From Bangalore & Here's She Wants All Math Haters To Know

Balancing hobbies and studies has been this girl's success mantra. That Umaika didn't go for any extra coaching makes her achievement all the more commendable."All I did was religiously practise Mathematics an hour every day . I also took piano and dance classes to balance my mind. As of now, I wish to pursue Science," said an overwhelmed Umaika. Speaking of success: Practice makes perfect is what drives Guru Sarjith Senthil, the Computer Science topper from Greenwood High. "This year, we had a new syllabus which was a challenge. But I'm keen on pursuing a career in Computer Science. The best part of the international curriculum is you don't need to go for tuitions because the syllabus is explanatory. Personally, I think tuitions are a big waste of time and money," he said. 
Said Ashish Pabba, the allIndia topper in German and a student of TISB: "I paid the same attention to all subjects. I didn't expect to be a country topper though. But I'm not sure how I'll pursue German as my favourite subject is Physics and my dream destination is Massachussets Institute of Technology. I joined the TISB from grade 9 and decided to take German as I found the language interesting." Pavan Kumar Chitta who bagged the first place for any student with eight IGCSE subjects was elated. "I never quite expected this. I was not keeping well today and didn't go to school but was overwhelmed to get a call from my principal who announced the good news," he said.

Engineers India: A rising star

ENGINEERS INDIA :

Here are answers to readers’ queries on the performance of their stock holdings.

I am a long-term investor in Engineers India and Bank of India. I want to add more shares at these levels. Please discuss medium to long-term technicals.

Raajesh Reddy

Engineers India (₹214.1): Following a sharp plunge from the key resistance level of ₹245, the stock recorded a 52-week low at ₹157 in late August and found support. Subsequently, the stock changed direction and has been in a medium-term uptrend. Last week, the stock zoomed more than 11 per cent with good volume.

The short-term trend is also up now. Moreover, the stock has breached its 50 and 200-day moving averages in this rally.

Investors with a long-term perspective can buy the stock on declines while maintaining a stop-loss at ₹170.

Strong rally above ₹225 can encounter resistance at ₹245. The stock needs to conclusively breach the long-term resistance in the band between ₹245 and ₹250 to alter the intermediate-term downtrend and take it northwards to ₹280 levels. Significant supports are placed at ₹200 and ₹180.

Bank of India (₹129.6): The stock of Bank of India has been on a long-term downtrend from its all-time high of ₹588 recorded in late 2010. Medium as well as short-term trends are also down.

However, the stock currently tests its long-term key support band between ₹125 and ₹130 from which it had reversed higher in August 2013.

An upward reversal from this support band can take the stock higher to ₹150 and then to ₹170 levels in the medium term.

A strong rally above ₹170 will encounter resistance in the band between ₹200 and ₹210. To alter the long-term downtrend, the stock needs to decisively move above ₹350 levels, for an up move to ₹400 or ₹450 levels.

An emphatic fall below the current support band between ₹125 and ₹130 will pave the way for a decline to ₹100 and then to ₹90 in the long run.

Investors with a long-term perspective can accumulate the stock on declines with a stop-loss at ₹120.


I would like to buy D-Link India stock from short to medium-term perspective. Is the current level a good entry point?

Sabera Begum

D-Link India (₹156.5): After an intermediate-term downtrend from the July peak of ₹251, the stock currently tests a key support at around ₹150. Indicators in the daily chart suggest that an upward reversal is on the cards. But a clear rally above the immediate resistance level of ₹170 is needed for confirmation.

A strong fall below the current support can pull the stock down to ₹120 which is the next key base level.

You can wait for some time and buy at lower levels with a stop-loss at ₹110 .

On the upside, a strong rally above ₹170 will take the stock northwards to ₹190 and then to ₹210 levels. Subsequent resistances are at ₹230 and ₹250.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi & Mr. Bill Gates

 MICROSOFT & DIGITAL INDIA:-



Co-chair and Trustee of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates, called on the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today. The discussion centered around clean energy initiatives, financial inclusion, sanitation, health and nutrition. Mr. Bill Gates was appreciative of the work done in India in the field of renewable energy and emphasized to the need to lower the cost of clean energy to the level of hydrocarbons.

 

Mr. Gates said that there has been enormous progress on financial inclusion and offered support to strengthen the efforts in this direction. The issue of leveraging existing postal infrastructure to create Hybrid Payment Banks across the country was also discussed.

Chennai’s Spirit Trumps The Weather Gods As People Come Forward To Help Neighbours And Strangers Alike

Chennai is currently reeling from one of the worst floods in over a century and if weather predictions are anything to go by, then it’s only going to get worse for the nextFrom streets to major crossings and highways the landscape of Chennai currently resembles that of a post-apocalyptic setting from a Hollywood end-of-the-world movie.
All this, however, hasn’t stopped the people of Chennai from coming forward to help those in need and to see this enthusiasm amongst its residents to push-on with their daily lives is simply awe-inspiring. three days

In one of the most positive stories to come out of all the gloom surrounding Chennai is that of ‘The Super Milk Woman’ Radha. She has been delivering milk for the past 25 years in Ramanathan’s society and the rains didn’t deter her from her daily routine as she put on a raincoat much like a Superhero’s cape and delivered milk to the residents stuck in their apartments.

How to use two WhatsApp accounts in a dual SIM mobile

• WHATS APP ACCOUNTS :-

  
You have just bought a dual SIM Android phone to save yourself the hassle of carrying two phones around.

You put both the SIM cards in your new phone and power it on. Now, you decide to provide it with your lifeline - the WhatsApp messenger. You activate it with one of your numbers. You realise you can’t have WhatsApp with the other number as Android phones support only one instance of an app.

There are many like you who have resigned to having only one WhatsApp active on their dual SIM phone. There are also many who have gone back to having two separate mobiles -- just to ensure they have WhatsApp access in both.

Is there any way of having WhatsApp in a dual SIM mobile - for both the numbers? Yes.


Download Disa from here https://goo.gl/bW2ELo . Click on the ‘+’ to add a new service. Here give the other phone number (for which you don’t have the WhatsApp). Go through the usual verification process. Once it is done, you will have two WhatsApps - the original one as an app and the one inside the Disa app. The downside is that the one in the Disa app is not a full-fledged WhatsApp and cannot be used to make calls.

How Khan Academy Uses A/B Testing to Improve Student Learning

Khan Academy’s   User A/B Testing:-

Today’s blog post is an interview with Alan Pierce, a software engineer at Khan Academy on the infrastructure team. Alan, a software and data expert, spent the last 6 months completely re-thinking and re-writing Khan Academy’s internal A/B testing tool to increase speed and functionality so that the rest of the team can easily create A/B tests to optimize student learning. In this post, Alan and I talk about what he learned about A/B testing and A/B testing infrastructure. His words sounded all too familiar to our engineers’ ears.


https://www.khanacademy.org/

Apptimize: What are some common A/B testing mistakes you’ve seen?

Attorney General Says Feds Are Investigating Arrest of Ahmed the Clockmaker

• AHMED THE CLOCK-MAKER  :-

The investigation concerns "harassment and the discipline of students on the basis of race, religion and national origin"

                                                 

The Department of Justice is investigating the arrest of Ahmed Mohamed, the 14-year-old Muslim boy whom police took into custody when he brought a homemade clock to his school in Texas, the U.S. Attorney General said Thursday.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch confirmed the investigation at the annual Muslim Advocates dinner in Arlington, Va., the Dallas Morning News reports. “We have, as you may know, opened an investigation into the case of the young man in Irving, Texas,” Lynch told Farhana Kher, Muslim Advocates President and Executive Director, during an interview. “So we will see where that investigation goes.”



After the mayor of Irving denied that the city was being investigated, the Department of Justice clarified to the Morning News Friday afternoon that the investigation investigation involves the Irving Independent School District and not the city of Irving and is “regarding both harassment and the discipline of students on the basis of race, religion and national origin.”

The Department of Justice did not respond to TIME’s requests for comment.

Mohamed, who was President Obama’s guest at the White House, and his family announced in October that they were moving to Qatar.

This is the official statement that was released by Facebook:

 Facebook & India  :-

"There is absolutely no connection between updating your profile picture for digital India and Internet.org. An engineer mistakenly used the words "Internet.org profile picture" as a shorthand name he chose for part of the code. But this product in no way connects to or registers support for Internet.org. We are changing the code today to eliminate any confusion." - Facebook Spokesperson

Ever since Mark Zuckerberg changed his Facebook profile picture to a tricolor shade to show support to the Digital India campaign by the Modi government, we Indians have been following suit. Our timelines are flooded with tricolor profile pictures created from fb.com/supportdigitalindia. 

Narendra Modi or Break Obama’s

• Narendra Modi Could Make or Break Obama’s Climate Legacy

LE BOURGET, France — Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, President Obama has not missed many opportunities to convey what a warm rapport he has forged with the Indian leader.

There was the admiring essay about Mr. Modi that Mr. Obama wrote in Time magazine, and the image of them tête-à-tête at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, their entourages left behind. Mr. Obama’s national security adviser said the two men had “chemistry” and expressed confidence that American interests made it “worth the investment in the relationship.”

What ? How ? Why ?