Wednesday, July 6, 2011

39 Things to know about Google+

facebook-vs-google-circlesThis isn't every single thing there is to know about Google+. That could probably be a book rather than an article, and the Google+ Project has only just begun. If Google has its way, it will live on for years. Or it could go the Google Wave route. It's just too early to tell.
While we'll no doubt learn plenty more about Google+ as time goes on, here are some quick nuggets to get you a little more acquainted with it.
1. Google+ is currently available on an invitation-only basis.
2. Google does not consider it a Facebook competitor (at least publicly).
3. Google+ is currently available for download as an app in the Android Market.
4. When you download that app, it splits off the "Huddle" feature as a separate app.

5. Users can post status updates, and these appear on the Google Profile under a tab called "Posts". The +1's and Buzz tabs remain separate. I have to wonder if we'll see Buzz and Posts merge eventually.
6. What is available now is "just the beginning" according to Google. These are just the first features or presumably many more to come.
7. Circles is one current feature. It lets you share things with different people (kind of like Facebook Groups) but with a very different user interface. Watch this video.
8. Another feature is Sparks. This looks for videos and articles it thinks you'll like, so "when you're free, there's always something to watch, read, and share." Filter Bubble anyone?
9. Hangouts is another feature. It's basically group video chat. Google describes it as "the unplanned meet-up."
10. Instant uploads is a mobile-specific feature. Photos upload themselves as you take them, and are stored in a private area on the cloud.
11. Huddle is another group-conversation feature for mobile. Essentially, it's group chat.
The Stream

12. The stream is basically the equivalent of the Facebook news feed.
13. When you share something with Google+ it's added to your stream and the stream of everyone you shared with.
14. The stream shows you what all of your Circles have shared with you.
15. If you mention a user, using the "+" or "@" symbols, the person may receive a notification that you mentioned them.

16. You can see who specific posts were shared with in the stream -- whether they were shared publicly, to extended circles, or a limited group.
17. You can filter the stream by specific Circles.
18. You can chat directly in the stream
19. You can report inappropriate content.
20. You can search for people from the search box at the top of the stream.
21. Soon, Google says you'll be able to search the stream itself from the search box.
22. If you leave comments on a post, you can edit or delete them.
23. The same goes for posts, but you can't edit a post's sharing settings after the post has been shared. However, you can delete the post and share again to different circles.
24. You can "reshare" posts made by others (like retweeting).
25. You can "mute" a post. This will let you stop receiving updates from a post, like if the comments get out of control for example.
The Google Social Network
26. You can use the "Google+ Bar" that appears at the top of various Google products as your connection to the social network.
27. When you're signed in you'll see your full name or email address displayed with a photo or avatar next to it, to help you identify which account you're currently signed in to.

28. If you've enabled multi sign-in you can sign in to two different Google accounts and switch between them using the Google+ bar.
29. When you sign up for Google+, you're also signing up for Picasa Web Albums, so all photos and videos uploaded to Google+ (including from your phone via Instant Upload) will also be available in Picasa Web Albums.
30. You can use the Google +1 button from the stream.
31. You can have a ton of friends on Google+. Robert Scoble quickly added over 1,000.
32. The central user interface is very Facebook-esque.
33. Google+ quickly became the butt of a lot of jokes (and even cartoons), but has also received a great deal of praise thus far.
34. With Google+ Google adds a "You" link to the recently redesigned (painted black) navigation bar across Google properties
35. You can view public Google+ content without actually being invited (Danny Sullivan has a guide on how to view it.

36. China is already blocking Google+. That didn't take long.
37. Invitations have been listed on eBay.
38. There are already privacy concerns about Google+ but the Privacy Guide can be found here.
39. According to the Financial Times article, you can share something within a closed "Circle," but somone from that circle can then reshare it with anyone, and even make it public.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Android to capture 49 pc of market by 2012

androGoogle's Android will become the most popular smartphone operating system and will account for 49 per cent of the market by 2012, a research firm has said.

According to projections by information-technology firm Gartner, worldwide smartphone sales will reach 468 million units in 2011, a 57.7 per cent increase from 2010, Xinhua reported.

The company predicts that Apple's iOS will remain the second biggest platform worldwide through 2014 although its share will decrease slightly after 2011.

Microsoft's Windows, driven by its partnership with Nokia, is expected to become the third largest in the worldwide ranking by 2013.

Courtesy : Manorama Online

Friday, April 8, 2011

Do not broadcast your travel plans

internet thieves-saidaonline

Booked that dream holiday? It might be wise to keep boasting to a minimum; the monitoring of social media sites is becoming a standard practice for burglars. AA Home Insurance has revealed that 10% of respondents in its latest poll admitted to sharing their travel plans via a social media site. A further 8% of those surveyed by AA Home Insurance said someone else within their household had naively told the world via social media that the family home was about to be unoccupied for a spell.

The findings of the AA Home Insurance poll also suggest that women are more likely to share their whereabouts on social network sites than men. (No offence to women, just presenting facts). 13.9% women compared with 7.1% of men surveyed confessed to publishing such information.

Couple of things you could do :

  • Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know.
  • Review your security setting, to restrict access to your personal profile information.
  • Use private DM or inbox facilities to communicate private or potentially sensitive messages.
  • Never post your mobile number or home address on social media sites.
  • Remove wall postings from friends that may allude to your travel plans.
  • Remember that when you join a social media group, thousands of people could potentially have access to your profile unless you adjust your security settings.
  • Don’t boast about the expensive new flat screen TV you’ve just bought online

Courtesy : The AA Blog

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Maine pyar Kyun Kiya

I have written once before that pictures are some times more powerful than words. The following pictures would tell you what I mean.

Cactus Flower         maine-pyar-kyun-kiya-wallpaper         Just_Go_With_It_3

The makers of ‘Just go With It’ give credit to Cactus Flower – the Original 1969 movie for the story line. As for the Indian version, it’s the usual story.

Monday, January 31, 2011

History of the World’s Largest Software Company–In a picture

Some times a picture could say it all :

microsoft

I have been thinking about making a post on Microsoft for a while now. This one is a start. I will be posting more on MS Soon. Some refer to Microsoft as the Evil Giant. I wouldn’t agree to it. They have been perhaps a bit aggressive in their business strategies. Wasn’t Reliance in India, the same? I would leave that decision to my readers. Make your own decision Winking smile

Sunday, January 30, 2011

British Engineer Designs Own Heart Valve Implant, Saves Own Life

Self-Designed Heart Implant The Engineer

In 2000, Tal Golesworthy, a British engineer, was told that he suffers from Marfan syndrome, a disorder of the connective tissue that often causes rupturing of the aorta. The only solution then available was the pairing of a mechanical valve and a highly risky blood thinner. To an engineer like Golesworthy, that just wasn't good enough. So he constructed his own implant that does the job better than the existing solution--and became the first patient to try it.

The existing fix, called the Bentall surgery, requires a five-hour invasive slice-and-dice and a heart-lung bypass, after which the damaged part of the aorta is cut out and replaced with a graft and mechanical valve. But Golesworthy saw an opportunity instead of despair: Nobody had thought to use more modern technologies, namely combining MRI tests with computer-aided design tools and new rapid prototyping techniques. Golesworthy saw a chance to create an implant that would support itself and reduce the chance of blood clots, thus eliminating the need to take that dangerous blood thinner.

In two years of work, Golesworthy discovered that the hardest part of creating this new implant wasn't the actual design or construction--it was securing reliable measurements. The movement of the heart and other organs made it so different perspectives yielded totally different measurements. Luckily, the team figured out that a scan at one specific point in the cardiac cycle gave them the dimensions they needed.

The final product is constructed of polyethylene terephthalate, a standard medical plastic, and weighs less than 5g. It can be sutured directly into place by a surgeon at relatively low cost. The results speak for themselves: Golesworthy was the first recipient of his own creation, and since then, 23 others have taken the plunge, with more on the waiting list. Golesworthy sees this as not just a victory for Marfan sufferers, but a message to the medical community: "They are all biologists and medics, and they need process engineers," he said. Golesworthy wants a greater collaboration amongst the medical community and engineers, who could see solutions the doctors and biologists can't. Hopefully the medical community is listening--he's his own proof, after all.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Now you would see Holograms instead of real people.

British airport uses hologram staff

hologramA British airport has introduced holograms of real-life customer service staff to help speed up security queues.

The images of Manchester airport employees John Walsh and Julie Capper were created using the same technology that brings animated pop group Gorillaz to life.

The holograms will greet passengers at the entrance to the security search area and explain the restrictions on carrying liquids onto aircraft.

Although information boards already set out the security restrictions, passengers still regularly forget to remove liquids from their bags, the airport said.

"We don't want anyone to have to throw their drink or make-up away so we've tried lots of different ways to reinforce the liquid rules, from posters to people dressed up as giant deodorant cans," the real Julie Capper said on the airport's web site.

"Maybe holograms are the answer?" she added. "If our holograms help our passengers through the security process even quicker, then it will be a good thing."

The virtual assistants will be on duty from Monday.

The cutting-edge technology developed with hi-tech firm Musion also provides the option of recording other scripts to use at the airport. Musion founder James Rock also used the technology with the Black Eyed Peas on their latest single The Time (Dirty Bit).

“We’ve developed this technology for many uses but it’s perfectly suited for an airport environment where the support of recorded messages can help with passenger information," he said. “It’s something we’ve worked on for a number of years at Musion and we’d like to see its widespread use for practical purposes like the virtual assistants.

“We can reproduce musical performances and, as an example, Simon Cowell had a hologram of Frank Sinatra perform at his 50th birthday so you can see where we can take this technology.”

Courtesy : Irish Times

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Keep the Spark–An inspirational speech

Inaugural Speech for the new batch at the Symbiosis BBA program 2008 – Chethan Bhagat

Chetan-Bhagat

Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated.  The first day in college is one of them.  When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates - there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys  have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party – several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.

I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when  I see older people,  the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs. the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost.   So how to save the spark?

Imagine the spark to be a lamp’s flame. The first aspect is nurturing - to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.

To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn’t any external measure - a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement.

But it isn’t the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won’t be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday?

They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to  interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.

Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature’s design. Are you? Goals will help you do that.

I must add, don’t just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.

There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions. 

You must have read some quotes -  Life is a  tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school. Where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One last thing about nurturing the spark - don’t take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said  - don’t be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It’s ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.

I’ve told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.

Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don’t go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you.

But it’s life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at something, that means you are at

Disappointment’s cousin is  frustration, the second storm.  Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don’t know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to  a release.

Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write scripts  , having a side plan – I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life  - friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.

Your limit or potential. And that’s where you want to be.

Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you.

In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty darn lucky by Indian standards. Let’s be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don’t. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don’t get literary praise. It’s ok. I don’t look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It’s ok. Don’t let unfairness kill your spark.

Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.

There you go. I’ve told you the four thunderstorms - disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.

I welcome you again to the most wonderful  years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, you eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying - I come from the land of a billion sparks.

Cheers :)))

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Back from Hiatus

Glad to be back

Just to say I am now back, and was glad for the time off,
but equally glad to be back.

As you are all aware, I haven't blogged for quite a long time. The interval between this post and my last entry would be considered way too long by any blogger. It's not that I choose NOT to blog, but more like, I did have a few posts which for one reason or another just started off and never reached completion due to every excuse you can think of. No excuses this time. I mean to be back.

Will have food for thoughts ……………….