Sensation smartphone in India

Sensation smartphone in: HTC


Mobile handsets manufacturer HTC Corp Thursday launched its smartphone HTC Sensation in the Indian market and said it will launch its HTC Flyer tablets in a couple of weeks.

"HTC Sensation is an exceptional smartphone that will win customers with its unique blend of functionality, usability and style. It will create a paradigm shift in the overall smartphone category with a brilliant experience," said Lennard Hoornik, president for south Asia, HTC. 

The smartphone is priced Rs.32,700.

"HTC Flyer will be launched shortly, in the next couple of weeks," he added. 

The company emphasised that India was a big market for HTC but denied to divulge its sales target here. 

"India is a huge market. We want to be a leading player here and we have high sales target here," added Hoornik. 

Based on Android 2.3 platform, Sensation is HTC's first phone to feature a 1.2 GHz processor supplied by Qualcomm and HTC Sense 3.0 user interface.

The phone is also equipped with an eight megapixel camera with auto-focus and a 4.3 inch touchscreen.

Cloud computing powered by Intel chips

Cloud computing powered by Intel chips

World's largest chip maker Intel Corporation has developed microprocessors to power modular and scalable servers for cloud computing - that enables use of multiple servers as a single platform - by data centres and infrastructure management service providers, a senior official said Friday.

"As part of our second generation multi-core Xeon processors, we have designed and developed chips that can be used for servers by cloud computing providers and builders to offer high performance and energy efficient solutions to end-customers with security, scalable storage capacity," Intel marketing programme manager Nick Knupffer told reporters here.
As the next wave of technology revolution, cloud computing enables use of multiple servers as a single platform through a digital network (website) under secured environment with access to a range of applications and tools for reducing the cost of IT operations.

"Our Xeon processor-based servers can be deployed by data centres and enterprises offering infrastructure management services to end-customers across verticals, especially small and medium businesses (SMBs) which cannot afford to invest in capital intensive IT infrastructure and hire personnel to run it," Intel South Asia director R. Ravichandran said.
According to global market research and analysis firm IDC (International Data Corporation), an estimated 2.5 billion people with over 15 billion devices will access the internet by 2015. The same year, the internet traffic is expected to reach a zettabyte or one million, million billion bytes.

"Under our multi-year vision for cloud computing (Cloud 2015), cloud data centres will be seamlessly and securely connected and fully automated. The centres will also provide secure access and optimal experience across a range of devices from smartphones to powerful notebooks," Knupffer pointed out.

With about 70 per cent of chief information officers (CIOs) concerned about cloud security, Intel is working on providing trusted execution technology (TXT) to enhance security at the processor level by ensuring a server is not tampered with at the hypervisor level.

The $44-billion Intel acquired global security solutions provider McAfee in August 2010 for $7.7 billion to enhance security of its processors by embedding the features in the chips.

44 trillion watts of Earth’s heat

  

Some 44 trillion watts of heat continually flow from Earth's interior into space. Where does this come from?

One trillion is 1,000 billion. So 44 terawatts works out to 44,000 billion watts. And how did geologists come by the staggering figure? They relied on temperature measurements from more than 20,000 boreholes around the world.

Radioactive decay of uranium, thorium, and potassium in earth's crust and mantle is a principal source of this heat, reports the journal Nature Geoscience.

In 2005, scientists in the Japan-based KamLAND (Kamioka Liquid-scintillator Antineutrino Detector) collaboration first showed that there was a way to measure the contribution directly. 

A neutrino, more similar to an electron, is an elementary particle that travels close to the speed of light, but unlike electrons, doesn't carry an electric charge, according to a statement by Berkeley Lab, which is a major contributor to KamLAND. 

The trick was to catch what KamLAND dubbed geoneutrinos -- more precisely, geo-antineutrinos -- emitted when radioactive isotopes (same chemical element with different masses) decay.

"As a detector of geoneutrinos, KamLAND has distinct advantages," says Stuart Freedman, member of US Department of Energy's Berkeley Lab. 

Freedman, also professor in physics at the University of California, Berkeley, said: "KamLAND was specifically designed to study antineutrinos. We are able to discriminate them from background noise and detect them with very high sensitivity." 

One thing that's at least 97 per cent certain is that radioactive decay supplies only about half the earth's heat. Other sources - primordial heat left over from the planet's formation, and possibly others as well - must account for the rest. 

Antineutrinos are produced not only in the decay of uranium, thorium, and potassium isotopes but in a variety of others, including fission products in nuclear power reactors.

Padmanabhaswamy Temple : Richest Temple in world

Padmanabhaswamy TempleSree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is one of the most famous Lord Vishnu Temples in Kerala, South India. Also Padmanabhaswamy Temple is the Richest Temple in world, known as Sree Ananda Padmanabhaswamy Temple, this Mahavishnu Temple is located inside East Fort, in Thiruvananthapuram - the capital city of Kerala, India. Lord Vishnu is enshrined here in the Anananthasayanam posture (in eternal sleep of yognidra), lying on Sri Anantha, the hooded snake. According to traditions, Sree Padmanabhaswamy Kshetram is believed to have been worshipped by Chandra (Moon God) and Lord Indra (the head of the Devas).Significance of Sree Padmanabhaswamy TempleSree Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams of Lord Vishnu. Divya Desams are the holiest abodes of the Lord Mahavishnu that are mentioned in the works of the Tamil Azhvars (saints).

Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple (Malayalam: ശ്രീ പദ്മനാഭസ്വാമി ക്ഷേത്രം, śṟī padmaṉābhasvāmi kṣētṟaṁ ?) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu located in Thiruvananthapuram, India. The shrine is currently run by a trust headed by the royal family of Travancore. The temple is one of 108 Divya Desams (Holy Abodes of Vishnu) – principal centres of worship of the deity in Vaishnavism. The temple, constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil literature canon of the Tamil Alvar saints (6th-9th centuries CE), with structural additions to it made throughout the 16th century CE, when its ornate Gopuram was constructed.The most recent renovations to the temple occurred in the 18th century CE. The temple features heavily in Akilam five series of the Akilathirattu Ammanai corpus, the holy text of the Ayyavazhi belief system. Services were provided to the local community with the temple's revenue. The temple gave its name to Kerala’s state capital Thiruvananthapuram. ‘Thiru’ ‘Anantha’ ‘Puram’ means Sacred Abode of Lord Anantha Padmanabha The principal deity, Padmanabhaswamy, is enshrined in the "Anantha-sayanam" posture (in the eternal sleep of Yoga-nidra on the serpent Ananta). The Travancore Kings regarded themselves as ‘Padmanabha-dasa’ (Servant of Lord Padmanabha).

Temple assets

Padmanabhaswamy Temple is the Richest Temple in world.

The temple and its assets belong to Lord Padmanabhaswamy, and are controlled by a trust run by the Royal family.The royals consider themselves Padmanabhadasas i.e. servants of Padmanabhaswamy.

There had been an earlier inventory of at least one vault on Sunday, December 6, 1931. A vault was opened in the presence of Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, then the Maharaja of the state of Travancore. Among the contents found were gold and silver coins stored in a "granary like thing," four brass chests of coins, over 300 gold pots, and a six-chambered wooden chest containing jewels decorated with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious stones. Four coffers were removed and taken to the palace treasury for counting and valuation.

The Kerala High Court ordered the temple and its assets be managed by the State on January 31, 2011. As trustees of the temple, the royals have challenged the Kerala Govt.'s decision. The lower court's ruling was set aside by the Supreme Court of India. The Supreme Court directed utmost security in and around the temple and asked the Central Valuation Institute of Lucknow for an inventory valuation.

currently Padmanabhaswamy Temple : Richest Temple in world.

In June 2011, the Supreme Court directed the authorities from the fire services and archeology department to open the secret (sanctum sanctorum) chambers of the temple for inspection of the items kept inside. A detailed inventory of the temple assets, consisting of gold, jewels, and other valuables was made. Several 18th century Napoleonic era coins were found,as well as a three-and-a-half feet tall gold idol of Mahavishnu studded with rubies and emeralds, and ceremonial attire for adorning the deity in the form of 16-part gold anki weighing almost 30 kilograms (66 lb) together with gold coconut shells, one studded with rubies and emeralds.

This revelation has solidified the status of the Padmanabhaswamy temple as one of the wealthiest temples in India and with the final estimate of the wealth, it might overtake the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple—hitherto thought to be the wealthiest temple—having some 320 billion (US$7.14 billion) in gold, coins and other assets.It is estimated that the value of the monumental items is close to 1.2 trillion (US$26.76 billion), making it the richest temple in the world.If the antique value is taken into account, these assets could be worth ten times the current market price.

Currently Padmanabhaswamy Temple is richest shrine in world.

The valuables are thought to have been in the temple for hundreds of years, having been put there by traders, pilgrims and royals such as the maharajahs of Travancore, and by offerings of Travancore kings, other royals and ordinary devotees to the deity.While some Historians have suggested that a major chunk of the stored riches reached the kings in the form of tax, gifts, as well as conquered wealth of states and offerings stocked in the temple for safekeeping. A ferry transported traders, pilgrims and chroniclers across the Gulf of Mannar from the Tenavaram temple, the famously wealthy Vishnu-Shiva temple town emporium to the Chera kingdom via Puttalam of the Jaffna kingdom during the medieval period.This temple was destroyed in 1587 CE, a few years after the Thiruvananthapuram Padmanabhaswamy temple gopuram was constructed. Morrocan traveller Ibn Batuta visited Tenavaram in the 14th century and described the Vishnu idol here as being made of gold and the size of a man with two large rubies as eyes "that lit up like lanterns during the night."All people living within the vicinity of the temple and who visited it were fed with monetary endowments that were made to the idol.

The temple has 6 vaults (Kallaras), labeled as A to F for book keeping purpose by the Court. While vaults A and B have been unopened over the past 130 years, vaults C to F have been opened from time to time. The two priests of the temple, the 'Periya Nambi' and the 'Thekkedom Nambi', are the custodians of the four vaults, C to F, which are opened periodically. The Supreme Court had directed that "the existing practices, procedures and rituals" of the temple be followed while opening vaults C to F and using the articles inside. Vaults A and B shall be opened only for the purpose of making an inventory of the articles and then closed.

On July 4, 2011 the seven-member expert team which is taking stock of the assets at temple decided to postpone opening of the secret chamber marked 'B' till they obtained more expert opinion as preliminary examination of its gates had found the vault to be secured with iron shutters making experts wonder what lay inside. The royal family said that many legends were attached to the temple and that chamber B has a model of a snake on the main door and opening it could be a bad omen.Seven-member team will consult with some more experts on July 8, 2011 and a then they may take the final decision on opening of chamber ‘B’.

In late June 2011, a review of the temple's underground vaults was undertaken by a seven-member panel appointed by the Supreme Court of India to generate an inventory, leading to the enumeration of a vast collection of articles that are traditionally kept under lock and key. Unofficial estimates on the sixth day of the inventory placed the value of contents at close to 100,000 crore (US$22.3 billion), making it one of the wealthiest in the world,richer than the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh – by official records considered to be the richest shrine in India.The precious articles come from the donations that were made by the Royal family and traders, who used to come from other parts of the country and abroad, as offerings to the deity, and were sealed within the thick stone walls and vaults of the temple for over a millennium.

The final vault of the temple has not been opened, due to the belief that a curse befalls those who attempt to open it. Less than a month after the first of the secret vaults was opened, the chief petitioner for opening the vaults, T.P. Sundarrajan died after suffering from a sudden unexplained illness.This has been dubbed as "The Curse of the Cobra" by the media.

Salt 'N' Pepper Review : Must Taste This..!!!

Attention please : keep this in mind while going for director Aashiq Abu’s Salt n’ Pepper. .. ‘Don’t watch this film with an empty stomach’.There is every chance that you will feel hungry even as you are inside the theatre, as this story is being narrated with food as the backdrop.

Kalidasan (Lal) is an archaeologist who is equally obsessed with food, and the smell and feel of the past. Maya (Swetha Menon) lives in another corner of the town, and has to put up with a job as a dubbing artiste that she enjoys, but which is often contrary to her beliefs. The two strike up a conversation that doesn't go too well, after one of Maya's calls to the local Dosa guy ends up on Kalidasan's mobile. Hate slowly gives way to affection, but when they decide to finally meet however, Kalidasan on the spur of the moment sends over his nephew Manu (Asif Ali) instead. And, Meenakshi (Mythili), Maya's roommate, volunteers to make an appearance on her behalf.

With brilliant visuals by Shyju Khaled and fantastic music by Biji Bal, Salt n’ Pepper is a brave experiment made stylishly and with lots of honesty.

Watch out for the superb scene where Kalidasan meets Babu, which is amazingly hilarious. The film has its moments, but certain scenes are far from convincing. Like the mooppan who is there in the story without much of relevance.

This is perhaps the first film that I have seen, where an entire audience smacks their lips in anticipation, barely two minutes into it. This is a dream-come-true film for any foodie out there, but even for the others there is no escape from the drool and dribble. Get ready for some real flooding in your mouths, as almost everyone in the film digs into food, and more food.

Salt n’ Pepper may have its own share of shortcomings, but the sincerity with which it has been made is there to be seen in the film.

It’s a young film which oozes lots of freshness and it is enjoyable for people of all ages, especially if you love your food.

Aashiq Abu and his team (that includes the fantastic writers Syam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair) adhere to the golden rules of good cooking, and see to it that the griddle is all hot, before they gently spread out a light hearted Dosa story on it. The batter is rich and consistently textured with much mirth and laughter and it settles down on the tava, with a sizzling hum. They grease it a bit further with a dollop of emotional butter that melts all over it in no time. Just as the crust turns firm, they flip it over, and let it turn a golden brown on both sides. And once done, roll it over to a swank platter, and serve it piping hot.