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Stories and comments across the archive that link to indiatimes.com.

Comments · 462

  1. Times of India article by jdunlevy · · Score: 3, Interesting · on India Blocks Yahoo Groups Over Political Content

    The Times of India has an article, "Big Brother turns gaze on debates," about this (dated Saturday). From the article:

    "The government has given itself sweeping powers to police Internet content and demonstrated it is willing to use them," said Somasekhar Sundaresan, a lawyer specialising in technology issues. "What makes it worse is that rather than acting with transparency and explaining why it was necessary, ISPs were ordered to block 'Kynhun' without being given facts or reasons. All of which creates fear of a police raj."

    What has most alarmed freedom-of-speechniks is that this is not a random instance. Increasingly, Big Brother is turning his gaze from pornography to political debates and ideological differences.
  2. Times of India article by jdunlevy · · Score: 3, Interesting · on India Blocks Yahoo Groups Over Political Content

    The Times of India has an article, "Big Brother turns gaze on debates," about this (dated Saturday). From the article:

    "The government has given itself sweeping powers to police Internet content and demonstrated it is willing to use them," said Somasekhar Sundaresan, a lawyer specialising in technology issues. "What makes it worse is that rather than acting with transparency and explaining why it was necessary, ISPs were ordered to block 'Kynhun' without being given facts or reasons. All of which creates fear of a police raj."

    What has most alarmed freedom-of-speechniks is that this is not a random instance. Increasingly, Big Brother is turning his gaze from pornography to political debates and ideological differences.
  3. SLASHDOT MYTHS VS. REALITY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll · on AMD Moves Closer To Linux PDA
    MYTH #2: "New, innovative companies won't start up overseas."

    Really? What do you think these laid-off chip designers are gonna do when they get back to Chennai? Sell trinkets to tourists?

    MYTH #3: "R&D jobs don't go overseas. Hell, they don't even leave the US east and west coast, for the most part."

    REALITY:

    MYTH #4: "If you're truly working on something high-tech, today's high-tech, you'll never have to worry about your job moving."

    Per nasscom.org, "A recent study on the biotech market by business intelligence firm, Ernst & Young, has shown that India has the potential to become a leading hub of biotech projects. Indian companies have the capability to enter segments such as manufacturing biogenerics, contract research services, clinical trials and even areas such as bio-informatics."

    MYTH #5: "Ultimately, what xenophobes need to realize is that writing shitty code doesn't make anyone "high-tech." You're no more entitled to an inflated salary than the auto workers who saw their work moved overseas - if someone with no education can do your job cheaper, you don't deserve your job."

    "Accenture in India has also been moving into front office work such as doing clinical data management for its pharma clients. Accenture's pharma team here, which consists of doctors, dentists and biologists, analyses data from tests and helps its pharma client to gain `time-to-market' advantage. "Normally, for a BPO, back office activities are the target, but we are beginning to spot opportunities in front office activities as well," Cole said."

  4. SLASHDOT MYTHS VS. REALITY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Australian IT Minister Alston Replaced
    MYTH #2: "New, innovative companies won't start up overseas."

    Really? What do you think these laid-off chip designers are gonna do when they get back to Chennai? Sell trinkets to tourists?

    MYTH #3: "R&D jobs don't go overseas. Hell, they don't even leave the US east and west coast, for the most part."

    REALITY:

    MYTH #4: "If you're truly working on something high-tech, today's high-tech, you'll never have to worry about your job moving."

    Per nasscom.org, "A recent study on the biotech market by business intelligence firm, Ernst & Young, has shown that India has the potential to become a leading hub of biotech projects. Indian companies have the capability to enter segments such as manufacturing biogenerics, contract research services, clinical trials and even areas such as bio-informatics."

    MYTH #5: "Ultimately, what xenophobes need to realize is that writing shitty code doesn't make anyone "high-tech." You're no more entitled to an inflated salary than the auto workers who saw their work moved overseas - if someone with no education can do your job cheaper, you don't deserve your job."

    "Accenture in India has also been moving into front office work such as doing clinical data management for its pharma clients. Accenture's pharma team here, which consists of doctors, dentists and biologists, analyses data from tests and helps its pharma client to gain `time-to-market' advantage. "Normally, for a BPO, back office activities are the target, but we are beginning to spot opportunities in front office activities as well," Cole said."

  5. SLASHDOT MYTHS VS. REALITY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Microsoft Money Leads To Street-Legal Porsche 959s
    MYTH #2: "New, innovative companies won't start up overseas."

    Really? What do you think these laid-off chip designers are gonna do when they get back to Chennai? Sell trinkets to tourists?

    MYTH #3: "R&D jobs don't go overseas. Hell, they don't even leave the US east and west coast, for the most part."

    REALITY:

    MYTH #4: "If you're truly working on something high-tech, today's high-tech, you'll never have to worry about your job moving."

    Per nasscom.org, "A recent study on the biotech market by business intelligence firm, Ernst & Young, has shown that India has the potential to become a leading hub of biotech projects. Indian companies have the capability to enter segments such as manufacturing biogenerics, contract research services, clinical trials and even areas such as bio-informatics."

    MYTH #5: "Ultimately, what xenophobes need to realize is that writing shitty code doesn't make anyone "high-tech." You're no more entitled to an inflated salary than the auto workers who saw their work moved overseas - if someone with no education can do your job cheaper, you don't deserve your job."

    "Accenture in India has also been moving into front office work such as doing clinical data management for its pharma clients. Accenture's pharma team here, which consists of doctors, dentists and biologists, analyses data from tests and helps its pharma client to gain `time-to-market' advantage. "Normally, for a BPO, back office activities are the target, but we are beginning to spot opportunities in front office activities as well," Cole said."

  6. About the Offshore IT folks by $exyNerdie · · Score: 3, Interesting · on CIO Magazine On Offshore IT

    This article talks about the about the kind of folks who are working in Offshore IT :
    Dilbert pokes fun at IIT grads

    Contents:
    Jokes apart, the ongoing backlash in the US against job losses to Indian techies has found a place even in the famous cartoon strip Dilbert, the latest of which (September 15, 2003) goes on to take a dig at IIT grads from India.

    Asok, the brilliant but naive Indian trainee, the cynical Wally and the ever-sceptical Alice are sitting in the boardroom with the pointy-haired Boss. Asok says that though he was the project manager, nobody replied to his e-mail.

    However, he is proud of the fact that he is an IIT graduate and considers himself superior to his counterparts and thus had been able to finish the project himself. When Wally asks him, "Are you tired?", he replies: "I am trained to only sleep during National Holidays".

    And this spoof shows up the threat of Indian takeover in global arena specially in the field of technology. It also show up the Indian techie - the IITian - as he is perceived by his colleagues: a work maniac who has inhuman abilities to slog and thus outpace his American counterparts.

    India's IITs have, of course, been the subject of admiration - now bordering on envy - in corporate America for more than five years now. A 1998 BusinessWeek article on India's whiz kids has this to say for IITians: "The rise of IITians, as they are known, is a telling example of how global capitalism works today. The best companies draw on the best brains from around the world, and the result is a global class of worker: the highly educated, intensely ambitious college grad who seeks out a challenging career, even if it is thousands of miles from home. By rising to the top of Corporate America, these alumni lead all other Asians in their ability to reach the upper echelons of world-class companies."

    A researcher at UC Berkeley estimated that fully 20 per cent of start-ups in Silicon Valley are IITian-owned. Amazon.com CEO and founder Jeff Bezos has described the Indian IITian as a "world treasure." Bill Gates says the computer industry has benefited greatly from them.

    Besides graduates of the prestigious IITs, where the quality of technical training is comparable to the best of the educational institutes in the world, India has a growing bank of 4.1 million technical workers, supplied by over 1,800 educational institutions and polytechnics. These train more than 67,785 computer software professionals every year - many of whom are a threat to America's homegrown computer jocks in the competition for jobs.

    With the recent swell in outsourcing key software development jobs to India - coming on top of the BPO migration - a mixture of awe and resentment about India's brainpower is beginnning to develop. The American media have so far been mostly kind to IITs and IITians. CBS 60 Minutes had a very flattering portrayal of IITs recently. In fact, a co-anchor on CBS 60 Minutes had gone on to describe IIT Bombay thus: "Put Harvard, MIT and Princeton together, and you begin to get an idea of the status of this school in India."

    But as usual, cartoonist Scott Adams - who draws and writes the Dilbert strip six days a week, is probably ahead of the pack in anticipating media and public opinion about IIT grads.
    Here's the:
    Dilbert strip

  7. SLASHDOT MYTHS VS. REALITY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Response to Spider Robinson on the State of Sci-Fi
    MYTH #2: "New, innovative companies won't start up overseas."

    Really? What do you think these laid-off chip designers are gonna do when they get back to Chennai? Sell trinkets to tourists?

    MYTH #3: "R&D jobs don't go overseas. Hell, they don't even leave the US east and west coast, for the most part."

    REALITY:

    MYTH #4: "If you're truly working on something high-tech, today's high-tech, you'll never have to worry about your job moving."

    REALITY: Per nasscom.org, "A recent study on the biotech market by business intelligence firm, Ernst & Young, has shown that India has the potential to become a leading hub of biotech projects. Indian companies have the capability to enter segments such as manufacturing biogenerics, contract research services, clinical trials and even areas such as bio-informatics."

    MYTH #5: "Ultimately, what xenophobes need to realize is that writing shitty code doesn't make anyone "high-tech." You're no more entitled to an inflated salary than the auto workers who saw their work moved overseas - if someone with no education can do your job cheaper, you don't deserve your job."

    REALITY: "Accenture in India has also been moving into front office work such as doing clinical data management for its pharma clients. Accenture's pharma team here, which consists of doctors, dentists and biologists, analyses data from tests and helps its pharma client to gain `time-to-market' advantage. "Normally, for a BPO, back office activities are the target, but we are beginning to spot opportunities in front office activities as well," Cole said."

  8. SLASHDOT MYTHS VS. REALITY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll · on Distributed Computing and Climate Change
    MYTH #2: "New, innovative companies won't start up overseas."

    Really? What do you think these laid-off chip designers are gonna do when they get back to Chennai? Sell trinkets to tourists?

    MYTH #3: "R&D jobs don't go overseas. Hell, they don't even leave the US east and west coast, for the most part."

    REALITY:

    MYTH #4: "If you're truly working on something high-tech, today's high-tech, you'll never have to worry about your job moving."

    REALITY: Per nasscom.org, "A recent study on the biotech market by business intelligence firm, Ernst & Young, has shown that India has the potential to become a leading hub of biotech projects. Indian companies have the capability to enter segments such as manufacturing biogenerics, contract research services, clinical trials and even areas such as bio-informatics."

    MYTH #5: "Ultimately, what xenophobes need to realize is that writing shitty code doesn't make anyone "high-tech." You're no more entitled to an inflated salary than the auto workers who saw their work moved overseas - if someone with no education can do your job cheaper, you don't deserve your job."

    REALITY: "Accenture in India has also been moving into front office work such as doing clinical data management for its pharma clients. Accenture's pharma team here, which consists of doctors, dentists and biologists, analyses data from tests and helps its pharma client to gain `time-to-market' advantage. "Normally, for a BPO, back office activities are the target, but we are beginning to spot opportunities in front office activities as well," Cole said."

  9. Re:SCO is running a commercial... by ronaldb64 · · Score: 1 · on IBM's New Linux Advertising
    I didn't notice it until you pointed it out... it's in the small print ain't it.

    However, if you actually go to the article it says that "...The SCO Group, which has terminated IBM's right to sell its AIX operating system and wants $3b in damages, is not seeking to go to the Justice Department..." and "But, if required, we may take our case to the Senate".

    Basically, this is the same FUD they've been spreading for a while now. Anyone received one of their invoices yet?

  10. FUCK THE COMIX--DAILY REMINDERS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Redundant · on The Rebirth of Comics
    DAILY REMINDERS:

  11. DAILY REMINDERS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Gates Says Windows Reliability Is Greater
    DAILY REMINDERS:

  12. DAILY REMINDERS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on CCIA Urges Dept. of Homeland Security to Avoid Microsoft
    DAILY REMINDERS:

  13. DAILY REMINDERS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll · on FWB Admits RealPC for Mac OS X was Vaporware
    DAILY REMINDERS:

  14. DAILY REMINDERS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Mac OS X Maximum Security
    DAILY REMINDERS:

  15. They don't care about the GPL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on GPL in Court - Good or Bad?
    (Posting anonymously.)

    I have reported GPL violations to RMS, and he simply asked me to go to the program authors. Specifically, the codebase for Indiatimes Messenger contained some GPL'ed code from Everybuddy (now Ayttm). I reported this to the authors of Everybuddy, but they didn't seem to care beyond a point. After that, I've seen so many license violations, GPL and otherwise.

    Thus, in practice, the GPL is not a strong instrument. Personally, I've come to believe that either I'll go for a closed-source license for my programs, or I'll go for something like BSD.

  16. DAILY REMINDERS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Do-It-Yourself-Game-Console
    DAILY REMINDERS:

  17. DAILY REMINDERS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on FreeBSD Ports Tricks
    DAILY REMINDERS:

  18. DAILY REMINDERS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll · on Techs Discover End Users Aren't So Bright
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  19. DAILY REMINDERS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll · on LWCE Wrapup
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  20. DAILY REMINDERS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll · on Slashback: Picnic, Pistol, Doggedness
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  21. DAILY REMINDERS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on DefCon WiFi Shootout Winner Announced
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  22. DAILY REMINDERS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Former Intel Engineer Pleads Guilty To Taliban Aid
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  23. DAILY REMINDERS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Sinclair's Answer To The Segway
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  24. LOUD SUCKING SOUND EMANATING FROM WASHINGTON by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll · on Real Announce Helix Grant Program, Player
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  25. LOUD SUCKING SOUND EMANATING FROM BUFFALO, NY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1 · on Beginning Java Objects
    DAILY REMINDERS:

  26. Re:And in other news... by Urkki · · Score: 1 · on Florida's Version Of TIA May Spread To Other States
    Funny... Laugh while you can. There are already many kinds of aircraft, and soon there will be ter^H^H^H robots too. Let's just hope there's no Skynet brewing in the 'net ;-)

    ...Actually this is kinda scary stuff to think about, especially right after watching T3...

  27. LOUD SUCKING SOUND EMANATING FROM WASHINGTON, DC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll · on Contiki Ported To x86
    DAILY REMINDERS:

  28. LOUD SUCKING SOUND EMANATING FROM BUFFALO, NY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on EU Says Microsoft's Abuses Are Ongoing
    DAILY REMINDERS:

  29. That's good... by gmaestro · · Score: 2, Informative · on PeopleSoft Deflects Oracle Takeover, So Far

    ...because I think Oracle has its hands full making sure that its own software works.

  30. My two cents by Daniel+Rutter · · Score: 5, Interesting · on Nanotech Pinball and Miniature Engines
    I didn't link to anything about the recent University of Birmingham press release in the column I put up the other day about fuel cells and related technologies. The reason why I didn't is that their press release doesn't make a lot of sense, and there's nothing more substantial on their site or in the video. This piece is better, but not much better, at least for the microengine-instead-of-battery applications to which people keep saying their developments apply.

    "These micro-engines have over 300 times more energy than an ordinary battery" is meaningless. If they mean total energy delivery over whatever time period you like, then microengines can beat batteries by a factor of a million trillion zillion, as long as you hook them up to a big enough fuel tank. In actual power capacity, though, microengines aren't anything special at all, yet.

    The aim is little turbines the size of a sugar cube that run from butane or propane or whatever, and have several watts of output power; prototypes of such things have been spinning for a while now. The microengines shown in the U of B release, though, are minuscule piston units which have power output in the microwatts, if that. Heck, the ones shown in the release don't even have generators attached to them, so their electrical output at the moment is zero!

    For your amusement: A reader also pointed this out to me; it's a reprint of a piece on the subject from the British "Sun" tabloid, and it reads as if they took the U of B press release and put it through a Markov chain program, or something.

    It's good to know that alcoholism in the press is alive and well.

  31. Even bigger thing to worry about by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Microsoft Backs Down on Windows 2000 EULA



    Even bigger thing to worry about
    Computer vision syndrome increases among geeks


    Computer vision syndrome increases among geeks
    N S RAMNATH
    [ SUNDAY, JUNE 08, 2003 12:16:47 AM ]

    A recent study has found that computer scientists find it very difficult to concentrate on any off-screen objects, and âoeeven the faces of their loved onesâ can cause eye strain among them.

    Researchers suggest that this could be because of the added stress of needing to âoemake senseâ of a third dimension after focusing on two-dimensional objects for hours on end...

    Actually, this is just a joke doing its rounds among software engineers â" concocted in all probability by a techie on a quick coffee break after endless hours of writing codes or fixing bugs. And in all probablity, this techie too suffers from an increasingly malicious problem called the computer vision syndrome.

    Medical practioners say that computer vision syndrome is becoming increasingly common among computer users, especially those who spend a lot of time in front of their monitors or video display terminals (VDTs).

    Dr Mohan Rajan, medical director, Rajan Eye Care Hospital, a leading Chennai-based tertiary centre treating eye disorders recounts that when his institute conducted an eye checkup for around 1,000 software engineers from Infosys, it found about 750 of them had âoedry eyeâ problem.

    âoeThis is not a problem with the software engineers at Infosys alone, but spread across almost all IT companies,â he said. And itâ(TM)s the nature of an IT professionalâ(TM)s job that leads to this problem.

    Dr Amar Agarwal, director, Dr Agarwalâ(TM)s Group of Eye Hospital, another leading centre in Chennai, points out that VDT users tend to have a very fixed posture â" this means that the distance between the computer user and the VDT, and the direction of the gaze remain the same for long periods causing the entire upper body to remain in a fixed position for a long time.

    Since the muscles in the eye donâ(TM)t get much opportunity to move, it causes visual and ocular discomfort. The other possible reasons for computer vision syndrome could be lack of image clarity, glare from reflections and lights, having to concentrate on work, not blinking or resting the eyes and uncorrected visual defects, Agarwal said.

    Rajan explains: âoeNormally we blink 15 times in a minute. But while working on computers, the blink rate comes down to 5 times a minute, resulting in the evaporation of fluids on the eye. This results in dry eye. For some, this may lead to severe headaches and in extreme cases even to depression.â

    Other symptoms of CVS, besides dry eyes, include: tired eyes, eyestrain, sore eyes, periodic blurred near vision, occasional blurred distance vision, slowness in changing the focus of your eyes, red eyes, burning eyes, contact lens discomfort, changes in color perception, glare sensitivity, excessive neck, shoulder and back pain.

    A quick survey of IT firms by ET showed that the companies are yet to treat computer vision syndrome as a serious issue. However, many software engineers are aware of the âoeeye strainâ caused by prolonged exposure to VDTs, if not about CVS itself. âoeI remember seeing a mail from my friend about CVS.

    I forgot most of it, except that it said it is better to take your eyes off your monitor once in a while and blink,â a software engineer said. That, doctors feel, will do in most of the cases.

    âoeThe obvious solution to stillness is to move. One should take micropauses and focus on distant objects at regular intervals,â says Agarwal.

    Rajan agrees. âoeWe suggest a formula 20:20:20 to IT professionals. Every 20 minutes, for 20 seconds, blink 20 times,â he advises.

    Besides, he said, the posit

  32. Computer vision syndrome increases among geeks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll · on Microsoft Backs Down on Windows 2000 EULA

    Computer vision syndrome increases among geeks


    Computer vision syndrome increases among geeks
    N S RAMNATH
    [ SUNDAY, JUNE 08, 2003 12:16:47 AM ]

    A recent study has found that computer scientists find it very difficult to concentrate on any off-screen objects, and âoeeven the faces of their loved onesâ can cause eye strain among them.

    Researchers suggest that this could be because of the added stress of needing to âoemake senseâ of a third dimension after focusing on two-dimensional objects for hours on end...

    Actually, this is just a joke doing its rounds among software engineers â" concocted in all probability by a techie on a quick coffee break after endless hours of writing codes or fixing bugs. And in all probablity, this techie too suffers from an increasingly malicious problem called the computer vision syndrome.

    Medical practioners say that computer vision syndrome is becoming increasingly common among computer users, especially those who spend a lot of time in front of their monitors or video display terminals (VDTs).

    Dr Mohan Rajan, medical director, Rajan Eye Care Hospital, a leading Chennai-based tertiary centre treating eye disorders recounts that when his institute conducted an eye checkup for around 1,000 software engineers from Infosys, it found about 750 of them had âoedry eyeâ problem.

    âoeThis is not a problem with the software engineers at Infosys alone, but spread across almost all IT companies,â he said. And itâ(TM)s the nature of an IT professionalâ(TM)s job that leads to this problem.

    Dr Amar Agarwal, director, Dr Agarwalâ(TM)s Group of Eye Hospital, another leading centre in Chennai, points out that VDT users tend to have a very fixed posture â" this means that the distance between the computer user and the VDT, and the direction of the gaze remain the same for long periods causing the entire upper body to remain in a fixed position for a long time.

    Since the muscles in the eye donâ(TM)t get much opportunity to move, it causes visual and ocular discomfort. The other possible reasons for computer vision syndrome could be lack of image clarity, glare from reflections and lights, having to concentrate on work, not blinking or resting the eyes and uncorrected visual defects, Agarwal said.

    Rajan explains: âoeNormally we blink 15 times in a minute. But while working on computers, the blink rate comes down to 5 times a minute, resulting in the evaporation of fluids on the eye. This results in dry eye. For some, this may lead to severe headaches and in extreme cases even to depression.â

    Other symptoms of CVS, besides dry eyes, include: tired eyes, eyestrain, sore eyes, periodic blurred near vision, occasional blurred distance vision, slowness in changing the focus of your eyes, red eyes, burning eyes, contact lens discomfort, changes in color perception, glare sensitivity, excessive neck, shoulder and back pain.

    A quick survey of IT firms by ET showed that the companies are yet to treat computer vision syndrome as a serious issue. However, many software engineers are aware of the âoeeye strainâ caused by prolonged exposure to VDTs, if not about CVS itself. âoeI remember seeing a mail from my friend about CVS.

    I forgot most of it, except that it said it is better to take your eyes off your monitor once in a while and blink,â a software engineer said. That, doctors feel, will do in most of the cases.

    âoeThe obvious solution to stillness is to move. One should take micropauses and focus on distant objects at regular intervals,â says Agarwal.

    Rajan agrees. âoeWe suggest a formula 20:20:20 to IT professionals. Every 20 minutes, for 20 seconds, blink 20 times,â he advises.

    Besides, he said, the position of workstations also matter a lot. âoeIdeally,

  33. In a related news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Offshore Outsourcing Threatens Offshore Outsourcing


    GM India rolls out first locally produced Chevrolet Optra in India

    I know Ford sells cars there and I am sure many other non-Indian companies sell stuff there. It is all about trade and human greed to want more than what we currently have that drives us to do what we do...

  34. In a related news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Treating Monitor-Related Eye Strain?

    GM India rolls out first locally produced Chevrolet Optra

    I know Ford sells cars there and I am sure many other non-Indian companies sell stuff there. It is all about trade and human greed to want more than what we currently have that drives us to do what we do...

  35. Re:makes sense by pamri · · Score: 1 · on President Of India Advocates OSS

    While the president of India does not have much political power, his opinions atleast among the politicians do make an impact. The current president, Abdul Kalam, by virtue of his being a scientist & a former scientific adviser to the Prime Minister does carry a lot of weight. And one more thing to remember is, having the President of India advocate open source software carries a lot of weight and is a great reference for people(including yours truly) who are pushing for OSS/FS in the Indian Govt., against a sceptic & unwilling to change beaurocracy. Slightly OT, will these incidents combined with countries favouring OSS/FS over s/w developed by American Cos.,(mostly, i a may be wrong) lead to the US adopting OSS/FS more widely & more rapidly.

  36. Despite all the Matrix jokes... by Pall+Agamemnides · · Score: 2, Informative · on Energy from Grapes
    ... this article talks about using this sort of device in humans:

    Capable of producing only about 2.4 microwatts, the biofuel cell could be used to derive power from body fluids. For instance, it could also drive a tiny, autonomous sensor implanted near a wound after surgery to sense fluctuations in body temperature that might signal inflammation and infection.

    It seems like a useful application.

  37. Re:Will a $20 cut matter? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Microsoft Announces Price Cut For Xbox

    Sorry, that link should be

    http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/u ncomp/articleshow?msid=46235399

  38. Re:Laws are a disease by inaeldi · · Score: 2, Informative · on The MPAA's Lobbying-Fu is Stronger Than Yours
    Just like European steel is subsidized?

    (If you don't know the background story, the US put tariffs on European steel, saying that it's subsidized and whatnot. The WTO found that it wasn't, the US was wrong, and European countries are now allowed to sue the US for billions. One story is here.)

    The idea of the forestry being subsidized is just the US government's excuse.

  39. Current events.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Watching Kids Via Mobile Phone



    US remembers the law on POWs, belatedly

    I found this on /. earlier today. I find it disgusting

  40. Re:An Israeli Died (ands some others too) by pamri · · Score: 1 · on Updated Information On Columbia Shuttle Tragedy
    Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian in Space. He flew aboard the Russian rocket Soyuz T-11 on an Indo-Russian space programme. Kalpana was the first Indian female and first Indian-American in space.

    The times of India has more details about her background.

  41. 6 Americans, 1 Israeli AND 1 Indian by theBrownfury · · Score: 2, Informative · on Space Shuttle Columbia Breaks Up Over Texas

    I understand the tragedy, but it cannot be ignored that there was a seventh astronaut onboard Columbia.
    Her name is Kalpana Chawla. Times of India has the story here.
    Text as follows:

    Kalpana Chawla did India proud

    PTI[ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2003 09:25:13 PM ]

    WASHINGTON: Kalpana Chawla, who is feared to have perished in the Columbia space shuttle mishap along with six others, had done India proud when she embarked on her first space mission on November 19, 1997.

    The Karnal-born Chawla, the first Indian American astronaut, began her career at the Ames Research Center at Nasa in 1988.

    A graduate in aeronautical engineering from the Punjab Engineering College she began work at the Ames in the area of fluid dynamics.

    Following her successful tenure at the Ames, Chawla in 1993 joined the Overset Methods Inc in California as vice president and a research scientist in charge of simulating various body functions for future space missions.

    Nasa selected Chawla as an astronaut candidate in 1994 and she joined the 15th group of astronauts in March 1995.

    After an year of training and evaluation, Chawla was assigned as a crew representative to work on technical issues for Nasa's Astronaut Office Extra Vehicular Activities, Robotics, dealing in space walks.

    She was instrumental in the testing space control software in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory.

    Chawla's received recognition here and was assigned as mission specialist and prime robotic arm operator on the STS-87 and was involved in the manual capture of an orbiting satellite.

    Born in Karnal in Punjab, Chawla did her schooling from the Tagore School in the city and took a degree in aeronautical engineering from the Punjab Engineering College.

    She went on to complete her Masters from the University of Texas in 1984 earned a doctorate from the University of Colorado.

  42. Military robots well trained for war by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Top 10 Vulnerabilities in Web Applications


    Today on CNN - Military robots well trained for war

    The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is offering a $1 million cash prize to the winner of a planned robot vehicle race between Los Angeles and Las Vegas known as DARPA Grand Challange. The course will feature both on-road and off-road portions and will include extremely rugged, challenging terrain and obstacles. The purpose of the race is to stimulate interest in and encourage the accelerated development of autonomous ground vehicle technologies that could be used by the US military. See the DARPA website for Grand Challange Rules and details... For more news, refer to articles on these websites - Forbes, ABC, TOI

  43. Pentagon - $1million prize for Robot race winner by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Hardware Block

    The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is offering a $1 million cash prize to the winner of a planned robot vehicle race between Los Angeles and Las Vegas known as DARPA Grand Challange. The course will feature both on-road and off-road portions and will include extremely rugged, challenging terrain and obstacles. The purpose of the race is to stimulate interest in and encourage the accelerated development of autonomous ground vehicle technologies that could be used by the US military. See the DARPA website for Grand Challange Rules and details... For more news, refer to articles on these websites - Forbes, ABC, TOI

  44. Pentagon - $1million prize to boost robot warfare by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Mac vs. PC Digital Photography Comparison

    Here is the story submitted to /. but was ignored:

    The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is offering a $1 million cash prize to the winner of a planned robot vehicle race between Los Angeles and Las Vegas known as DARPA Grand Challange. The course will feature both on-road and off-road portions and will include extremely rugged, challenging terrain and obstacles. The purpose of the race is to stimulate interest in and encourage the accelerated development of autonomous ground vehicle technologies that could be used by the US military. See the DARPA website for Grand Challange Rules and details... For more news, refer to articles on these websites - Forbes, ABC, TOI

  45. Re:$1million prize to boost robot warfare by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Mac vs. PC Digital Photography Comparison

    Here are some links:

    http://www.forbes.com/business/newswire/2003/01/10 /rtr844270.html

    http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s761479.htm

    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/co mp/articleshow?artid=34101659

  46. DARPA - $1million prize to boost ROBOT Warfare by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Mac vs. PC Digital Photography Comparison

    Since /. won't accept this submission, I am putting it in here [this is about information, right ? If modded (-1, offtopic), some people might lose the chance to read it]. Here it goes -

    US offers $1m prize to boost robot warfare

    REUTERS[ SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2003 12:12:08 AM ]

    WASHINGTON: The US Defence Department says it is offering a $1 million cash prize to the winner of a planned robot vehicle race between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
    The "Grand Challenge," scheduled to take place on February 28, 2004, is intended to spur development of technologies that could be used by the US military.
    The contest was the brainchild of the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, the Pentagon's cradle for revolutionary technologies.
    "The race is intended to spur the accelerated development of autonomous robotic vehicle technologies for military applications," said Jan Walker, a DARPA spokeswoman, on Friday. It offered a unique chance to help shape "this promising new dimension of our national defence," she added.
    Robots are already playing a growing role in the US arsenal, including devices that scout enemy positions, sniff for chemical and biological warfare agents and slither down sewers or under doors to collect intelligence.
    In a separate category are remotely piloted aircraft such as the RQ-1 Predator, being used for surveillance and as armed attack drones in the US-declared war on terror.
    Among those encouraged to attend were futurists, inventors, robotic engineers, software designers, technology companies, universities and "trail-blazers," the Pentagon agency said.

    To find out details and more news about it, search http://news.google.com/ Some of the links are:
    http://www.forbes.com/business/newswire/2003/01/10 /rtr844270.html
    http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s761479.htm
    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/co mp/articleshow?artid=34101659

  47. US offers $1m prize to boost ROBOT Warfare by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Finding Every Species

    Since /. won't accept this submission, I am putting it in here [this is about information, right ? If modded (-1, offtopic), some people might lose the chance to read it]. Here it goes -

    US offers $1m prize to boost robot warfare

    REUTERS[ SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2003 12:12:08 AM ]

    WASHINGTON: The US Defence Department says it is offering a $1 million cash prize to the winner of a planned robot vehicle race between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
    The "Grand Challenge," scheduled to take place on February 28, 2004, is intended to spur development of technologies that could be used by the US military.
    The contest was the brainchild of the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, the Pentagon's cradle for revolutionary technologies.
    "The race is intended to spur the accelerated development of autonomous robotic vehicle technologies for military applications," said Jan Walker, a DARPA spokeswoman, on Friday. It offered a unique chance to help shape "this promising new dimension of our national defence," she added.
    Robots are already playing a growing role in the US arsenal, including devices that scout enemy positions, sniff for chemical and biological warfare agents and slither down sewers or under doors to collect intelligence.
    In a separate category are remotely piloted aircraft such as the RQ-1 Predator, being used for surveillance and as armed attack drones in the US-declared war on terror.
    Among those encouraged to attend were futurists, inventors, robotic engineers, software designers, technology companies, universities and "trail-blazers," the Pentagon agency said.

    To find out details and more news about it, search http://news.google.com/ Some of the links are:
    http://www.forbes.com/business/newswire/2003/01/10 /rtr844270.html
    http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s761479.htm
    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/co mp/articleshow?artid=34101659

  48. Running scared by Jucius+Maximus · · Score: 5, Interesting · on MS Proposes Disclosing Windows Source To India
    Here is a link to the actual article .

    It sounds like Microsoft is running scared now. They realise that India is a powerhose because it has way more people (population) than the United States.

    India seems to be tilted toward linux right now and if the linux movement there gets into full swing, the momentum will be very, very hard for Microsoft to stop.

    I hope the Indians look to the long terms effects of the windows and linux paths, as opposed to short terms benefits.

  49. Another recent eBay fraud scheme: ebayupdates.com by mkweise · · Score: 2, Informative · on MacAddict Tracks Down eBay Scam Artist

    There's a story in today's Times of India on a newly uncovered scheme involving this fake ebay site.

  50. Re:Bill's Goodwill Tour? by The+Cydonian · · Score: 2 · on Microsoft Targeting Indian Developers
    He also wore a "tika" (the deep red mark on the forehead). Anybody have actual pictures (as opposed to your 5 minute Photoshop efforts).

    Blatant karma-whoring, but since you've asked for it, here you go.

    Nothing to it methinks, except for being a blatant attempt at positive Indian PR.