Quick10

Top 10 Worldwide Best Food Retailers for 2011

2011-11-01T18:04:00.010+05:30

Wal-Mart Stores

Headquarters: United States

Top Executive: Michael Duke

Number of Stores: 8,970

Sales in $ Billions (U.S.): 421.8

Areas of Operation: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, United Kingdom, United States

Website: walmartstores.com

Carrefour

Headquarters: France

Top Executive: Lars Olofsson

Number of Stores: 15,937

Sales in $ Billions (U.S.): 123.2

Areas of Operation: Argentina, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, French Polynesia, Greece, Guadeloupe, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Martinique, Morocco, New Caledonia, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates

Website: www.carrefour.com

Metro Group

Headquarters: Germany

Top Executive: Eckhard Cordes

Number of Stores: 2,131

Sales in $ Billions (U.S.): 95.8

Countries of Operation: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Moldova, Morocco, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vietnam

Website: www.metrogroup.de

Tesco

Headquarters: United Kingdom

Top Executive: Philip Clarke

Number of Stores: 5,380

Sales in $ Billions (U.S.): 95.2

Countries of Operation: China, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Poland, Slovakia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Website: www.tesco.com

Schwarz Group

Headquarters: Germany

Top Executive: Klaus Gehrig

Number of Stores: 10,000

Sales in $ Billions (U.S.): 82.4

Countries of Operation: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Kroger Co.

Headquarters: United States

Top Executive: David Dillon

Number of Stores: 3,605

Sales in $ Billions (U.S.): 82.2

Country of Operation: United States

Website: www.kroger.com

Costco Wholesale Corp.

Headquarters: United States

Top Executive: James Sinegal

Number of Stores: 540

Sales in $ Billions (U.S.): 77.9

Areas of Operation: Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States

Website: www.costco.com

Rewe Group

Headquarters: Germany

Top Executive: Alain Caparros

Number of Stores: 15,445

Sales in $ Billions (U.S.): 74.7

Countries of Operation: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Ukraine

Website: www.rewe-group.com/en

Aldi

Headquarters: Germany

Top Executive: Norbert Podschlapp

Number of Stores: 9,500

Sales in $ Billions (U.S.): 71.0

Countries of Operation: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Website: www.aldi.com

#10

Target Corp.

Headquarters: United States

Top Executive: Gregg Steinhafel

Number of Stores: 1,750

Sales in $ Billions (U.S.): 67.4

Country of Operation: United States

Website: www.target.com

10 TED Videos for Designers - Inspiring

2011-01-22T00:38:00.014+05:30

TED is a nonprofit organization that transmits “Ideas Worth Spreading.” It all started in 1984 as a talk conference that brought people from three industries: Technology, Entertainment, Design. TED has some of the most inspiring, innovative, and creative people speak about various subjects. Their goal is to keep moving forward and to make the world a better place.

What I love most about TED is the fact that there are so many intelligent individuals that try to change the world as we know it for the better. TED.com offers thousands of videos for anybody to watch and enjoy. The ideas that the speakers share are really inspiring and make you want to take action. we would like to share with you some of the most interesting videos in most interesting field, Yeah! In design. We hope you will find these ideas very helpful and inspiring, More over, Enjoy by sharing it.

1. Tim Berners-Lee on the next Web

Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. He leads the World Wide Web Consortium, overseeing the Web's standards and development.

For his next project, he’s building a web for open, linked data that could do for numbers what the Web did for words, pictures, video: unlock our data and reframe the way we use it together. He is currently leading the World Wide Web Consortium, and oversees the Web’s standards and development.

2. Rives controls the Internet

Rives - Storyteller and poet Rives is the star of the new special "Ironic Iconic America." A regular on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, he's the co-host of the upcoming TEDActive simulcast event in Palm Springs. Offstage, Rives designs and writes pop-up books. How many poets could cram eBay, Friendster and Monster.com into 3-minute poem worthy of a standing ovation? Enjoy Rives’ unique talent.

3. Sergey Brin and Larry Page on Google

Oh! i am sorry guys, i could find anything about these guys in internet, even in GOOGLE, So, i dont have anything to say about these guys intelligence, OMG, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin offer a peek inside the Google machine, sharing tidbits about international search patterns, the philanthropic Google Foundation, and the company’s dedication to innovation and employee happiness.

4. Mena Trott on blogs

Mena Trott and her husband Ben founded Six Apart in a spare bedroom after the blogging software they developed grew beyond a hobby. With products Movable Type , TypePad , LiveJournal and Vox, the company has helped lead the "social media" revolution. The founding mother of the blog revolution, Movable Type’s Mena Trott, talks about the early days of blogging, when she realized that giving regular people the power to share our lives online is the key to building a friendlier, more connected world. Six Apart's software gives online voice to millions of people and organizations worldwide.

5. Alexis Ohanian: How to make a splash in social media

Alexis Ohanian co-founded Reddit, a social-voting news website with geek allegiances, a small-town feel and a penchant for lighting up the memes your friends IM you about next week. In 2009 he founded Breadpig, an "uncorporation" that creates and sells "geeky products" and donates all its non-sustainable profits to charity. In a funny, rapid-fire 4 minutes, Alexis Ohanian of Reddit tells the real-life fable of one humpback whale’s rise to Web stardom. The lesson of Mister Splashy Pants is a shoo-in classic for meme-makers and marketers in the Facebook age.

6. Stefan Sagmeister shares happy design

Stefan Sagmeister is among today’s most important and influential graphic designers. Renowned for album covers, posters and his recent book of life lessons, designer Stefan Sagmeister invariably has a slightly different way of looking at things. Things I have learned in my life (thingsihavelearnedinmylife.com) so farSagmeister brings a fresh perspective to the role and work of a designer.

Dont forget to visit his website - sagmeister.com/
Watch his other famous video : Stefan Sagmeister: Don't Take Creativity For Granted in vimeo : http://vimeo.com/16480283

7.Marian Bantjes: Intricate beauty by design

Organic, logical, complex, beautiful: Marian Bantjes' illustrations draw on her deep relationship with letterforms (she was a typesetter for ten years). With flowing lines, filigree and generosity, she plays in the space between a and b and c. Her illustration work has appeared in Wired, Wallpaper, the Walrus and many other magazines and newspapers worldwide, and once took over Saks Fifth Avenue top to bottom. In graphic design, Marian Bantjes says, throwing your individuality into a project is heresy. She explains how she built her career doing just that, bringing her signature delicate illustrations to storefronts, valentines and even genetic diagrams.

8. Richard St. John: “Success is a continuous journey”

A self-described average guy who found success doing what he loved, Richard St. John spent more than a decade researching the lessons of success -- and distilling them into 8 words, 3 minutes and one successful book. In his typically candid style, Richard St. John reminds us that success is not a one-way street, but a constant journey. He uses the story of his business’ rise and fall to illustrate a valuable lesson — when we stop trying, we fail.

9. Don Norman on 3 ways good design makes you happy

Don Norman studies how real people interact with design, exploring the gulf between what a designer intends and what a regular person actually wants. His work has resulted in some classic books, including "The Design of Everyday Things."

In this talk from 2003, design critic Don Norman turns his incisive eye toward beauty, fun, pleasure and emotion, as he looks at design that makes people happy. He names the three emotional cues that a well-designed product must hit to succeed.

10. Milton Glaser on using design to make ideas new

Milton Glaser's work is easy to spot in a lineup -- it's simple, direct and clear, while leaping over conceptual boundaries, so that his work connects directly to the viewer like a happy virus. His best-known work may be the I [heart] N Y logo -- an image so ubiquitous, it's hard to believe there was a time when it didn't exist. From the TED archives: The legendary graphic designer Milton Glaser dives deep into a new painting inspired by Piero della Francesca. From here, he muses on what makes a convincing poster, by breaking down an idea and making it new.

Top 10 Green Tech Ideas in 2010

2011-01-21T00:23:00.007+05:30

1. Clean Technology

Join some cleantech Communities like - www.cleantick.com
It is pre-determined that, 2010 could be seen a disaster for the clean technology industry. But, there was a biggest disappointment after December's U.N. global warming summit in Copenhagen, where the nations of the world failed to produce a comprehensive treaty to cut carbon emissions — that should have bring the long-term confidence to invest in clean tech industry. In United states of America, the green tech seems to have gone backwards. But that's a myopic view. In Europe, investment in clean energy including solar and wind are reasonable high, where carbon market is bit high. China has become major player in clean tech, investing hundreds of billions of dollars in renewable energy and energy efficiency. By the way they will position themselves to lead the world in the future cleantech industry. And now even the U.S., the Department of Energy, headed by Steven Chu, physicist (Nobel prize winner), has began to support innovative clean tech companies and investing more money into R&D. They are focussing on Silicon valley companies where most of them might be the world's most innovative entrepreneurs in clean tech.

2. Recycling e-Waste
Today the electronic waste recycling business is in all areas of the developed world a large and rapidly consolidating business. Part of this evolution has involved greater diversion of electronic waste from energy-intensive downcycling processes (e.g., conventional recycling), where equipment is reverted to a raw material form. And that's what really happening, the poor take apart your phone with little protection, exposing themselves to mercury, lead, cadmium and other dangerous metals so that they can get to the gold, copper and other valuable materials within. So-called e-waste is the fastest growing part of the solid waste stream, and some 20 to 50 million metric tons of it are thrown out every year.
But there are ways to recycle e-waste, CloudBlue, helps tech companies take care of their e-waste, arranging for direct pickup and processing, ensuring that valuable metals can be reused and recycled for future electronics thus we can reduce the need to mine more high-tech and harmful metals. They can also process the waste onsite, thus customers like banks that dont have to worry about sensitive data that might be encoded on old computers.

3. Algae Biofuel
The biggest renewable energy business in the U.S. is old corn ethanol. But now they have ended up with statement like high levels of corn ethanol production simply aren't sustainable. But that doesn't mean biofuels can't play a major role in a greener U.S. energy policy — they just have to be the right kind. One of the best options on the horizon is biofuel made from algae, which counters a lot of the problems with corn ethanol. (The right strains of algae secrete oils that can be used to make fuel.) Algae do not need farmland to grow: tanks will do the job just fine anywhere there is spare land and a decent amount of sunshine. Algae also grow much faster than traditional crops, and the micro-organisms may be able to use to use wastewater or even saline water during their development, rather than fresh water. Startups like Sapphire Energy and Algenol in California and Florida are passing the pilot phase and nearing commercial development. Here, 10 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy for 2009-10. Oilgae, the new brand has started termed as oil from algae became oilgae plays major role in spreading knowledge about algae biofuel production, (www.oilgae.com).

4. Algae food
"Algae has been eaten by man for centuries, but scientists have only recently focused on its nutritional potential. Blue- green algae grows in Upper Klamath Lake in southern Oregon, far from urban pollution, under the most natural Conditions possible. Also known as Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, blue-green algae contains no heavy metals or harmful bacteria, and supplies the most complete range of amino acids, vitamins and minerals available in any single food. It is a virtual powerhouse of nutrition. With the addition of a few basic nutrients, algae gather most of their energy from the sun. The result is a protein and carbohydrate-rich slime that can be converted to a variety of products. First, the protein is extracted and processed into animal feed or blended into human food products. For something that looks like pond scum — actually, it pretty much is pond scum — algae are extremely useful- it might have high market as long as you can convince consumers to eat pond scum.

5. Thin-film Solar
Two factors will make solar power more competitive on the energy market. One is efficiency — the percentage of the sun's energy that a solar panel can convert into electricity. The other is price: how cheap are the panels to produce? Many solar panels in use today — the crystalline silicon arrays you'll see on rooftops — focus on efficiency while costing more. But there's another way to make solar panels: thin-film. The technology uses much less silicon, which means that the average efficiency of those panels is less than arrays using crystalline silicon. But the very fact that thin-film panels use less silicon makes them much cheaper and faster to produce. That combination has helped thin-film companies like first Solar of Tempe, Arizona, and Nanosolar of San Jose emerge as early clean tech titans. Publicly traded First Solar is one of the most successful renewable energy firms in the world today. The future of solar looks thin.

6. Molten Salt Storage
Renewable energy has many advantages, as environmentalists won't hesitate to tell you. There's no need to pay for fuel since the wind and the sun are free, and that saves utilities from the price spikes seen in coal, natural gas, oil and nuclear. But wind and solar face one major problem: intermittency. When the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine, turbines and silicon panels aren't producing electricity, and there's no way to store the electricity they do produce during peak times if it's not being used. That's a serious obstacles since utilities, often by law, need to provide enough electricity to meet demand at all times. But utility-scale solar companies are working on ways to store the energy they produce during the brightest days. One option: molten salt. It can be used in solar thermal, which employs powerful mirrors to focus the sun's heat to create steam, driving an electric turbine. The surplus heat produced during the day can be used to warm up massive amounts of salt, which can absorb significant amounts of heat. When the sun goes down — or when it's simply cloudy — that heat can be used to generate steam and run an electric turbine. It's not perfect, but it's the best battery that's been developed yet for utility-scale solar.

7. Solar Tower
There are two ways to harness energy from the sun. One is through photovoltaic panels, which transform sunlight directly to electricity. But — news flash — the sunlight also produces heat, which can be concentrated using mirrors to produce steam, which then drives electric turbines. It's this second form — called solar thermal or concentrated solar power — that has the most potential for utility-scale power generation. In fact, there are already solar thermal plants operating in the deserts of Nevada and California, using low rows of curved mirrors to concentrate sunlight. But Bill Gross at eSolar thinks that he can improve on that fairly basic technology. Instead of rows of mirrors, eSolar uses vertical mirrored towers of that perfectly concentrate sunlight on a ground target. Using sophisticated software that Gross helped write himself — he was an Internet entrepreneur before breaking into alternative power — the mirrors perfectly track the sun as it crosses the sky, maximizing the amount of electricity that can be produced. The result is a relatively compact but power utility-scale plant that gets the most out of that free source of energy called the sun.

8. Custom Biofuels
Before alternative energy, biotech was the next big thing in California's Silicon Valley, with PhD-stocked startups racing to decode the genome and create new and better drugs. But innovators are discovering that the two fields have a lot in common — especially when it comes to biofuels. First-generation biofuels are limited: corn ethanol packs less energy per gallon than petroleum, and new fuels like biodiesel often can't be used in car engines without expensive technical conversions. That's a hidden obstacle to wider adoption; there is a trillion-dollar infrastructure already in place around petroleum, and changing it won't be easy or cheap. But what if you could adapt biofuels to use our current infrastructure, not the other way around? That's what a handful of biotech companies are doing right now. Startups like Amyris and LS9 are using the tools of biotechnology to produce new biofuels that are sustainable and ready for use in our cars and trucks right now. The companies create custom microbes in the lab that can produce biofuels to order — even "green crude" that has most of the benefits of petroleum without the drawbacks. The technology is still a long way from commercial scale, but it provides some of the best hopes for a biofuelled future.

9. Electric Cars
It's an article of faith among many environmentalists: the future will be electric. But how long is it going to take? Electric cars have been around since the dawn of the automobile — in fact, the technology hasn't changed all that much since Henry Ford's own electric Model-Ts. But the electric car lost out to gasoline-powered ones for good reasons: gasoline carries a lot of power per gallon, while batteries never had the capacity to move cars very far. Even in the 1990s, with the introduction of improved electrics like GM's lamentedly discontinued EV1, battery-powered cars remained a fetish for those who value their carbon footprint over convenience. Times really have changed, though — and 2010 could finally mark the tipping point for electric cars. GM's long-awaited Volt — not a pure electric but a plug-in hybrid — is finally set to go on sale at the end of this year. The Japanese car company Nissan is going one better with its all-electric Leaf — the one with the polar bear ads — and Ford and Toyota have electrics in the works as well. Smaller startups are experimenting with ultra-efficient electric cars, while the innovative company Better Place is installing networks of battery-charging stations in Israel for its own electric transportation system, with a subscription payment system modeled on the wireless industry. Electric cars still have a number of obstacles to overcome, and they won't make a huge dent in carbon emissions unless the grid itself is steadily cleaned up, but they are closing in on the mainstream.

10. Smart Meters
Our electrical devices may be 21st century, but the electrical grid we plug them into is strictly 20th. The grid is inefficient and prone to breakdowns — as anyone who remembers the great East Coast blackout of 2003 would know. Improving the grid is going to be a vital part of helping clean energy scale up: better transmission lines are needed to carry wind-generated electricity from the middle of the U.S. to the more heavily populated coasts, for example, while a more flexible grid can better handle the intermittency of renewable power sources. But the first installment on a smarter gird will be smarter meters. Right now the electric meter in your home tells you — and the electric company — only the most basic information. The majority of utilities won't even know that homes have lost power in a blackout until enough annoyed customers call them. But smart meters connected to a network can relay that sort of information instantly, giving utilities and customers alike a real-time picture of how much power is being used at any given moment. And as new appliances are networked into smart meters, we'll be able to use them much more efficiently — programming our washing machines to run only during times of low power demand, say. By smoothing out the electricity demand curves, smart meters can help utilities get more out of the power plants they already have — and avoid building more.
Thanks to TIME

2010: Top 10 College Dropouts

2011-01-17T20:21:00.005+05:30

The most successful college dropouts in history. They have never receive their Degree from the college, But still they achieved a top positions in ranking., it looks amazing.,

1. Bill Gates

In 2010: Bill Gates is No.1 with $54 billion, For the 17th year in a row, Bill Gates has been named as the richest person in world

Time : The Harvard Crimson called him "Harvard's most successful dropout" — the rest of the world just calls him ridiculously rich. For more than a decade, Bill Gates has been one of the wealthiest, if not the wealthiest, men in the world. The son of an attorney and a schoolteacher, Gates entered Harvard in the fall of 1973, only to drop out two years later to found Microsoft with childhood friend Paul Allen. In 2007, more than thirty years after he left Harvard, the co-founder of Microsoft would finally receive his degree (an honorary doctorate) from his alma mater. At the commencement, Gates said, "I'm a bad influence. That's why I was invited to speak at your graduation. If I had spoken at your orientation, fewer of you might be here today."

2. Steve Jobs

Interesting about steve : He was named The Most Powerful person in Business by Fortune Magazine in 2007. His favorite catch phrases are: “Un-be-lievable”; “Mere mortals”; “It’s huge” & “Wouldn’t it be great”.

The Mac, the iPod, heck, even Buzz Lightyear probably wouldn't have existed had Steve Jobs stayed in school. The future wizard of One Infinite Loop dropped out of Reed College after just six months because of the undue financial strain it placed on his working-class parents' savings. He would go on to eventually found Apple, NeXT Computer and Pixar, becoming an instrumental force in shaping the landscape of modern culture. However, his brief tenure in academia was not for naught. In a 2005 commencement speech he gave at Stanford University, Jobs credited a calligraphy class he took at Reed College with forming the basis for the typography used in the first Macintosh computer.

3. Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright is America's most famous architect. During his 70-year career, Frank Lloyd Wright designed 1,141 buildings, including homes, offices, churches, schools, libraries, bridges, and museums. Five hundred and thirty-two of these designs were completed, and 409 still stand.

America's most celebrated architect spent more time designing colleges than attending them. Frank Lloyd Wright was admitted to the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1886, but left after only one year. He would move to Chicago and eventually apprentice under Louis Sullivan, the "father of modernism." By the time of his passing, Wright's resume included more than 500 works, most famous of which are Fallingwater and New York City's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

4. Buckminster Fuller

“I always say to myself: What is the most important thing we can think about at this extraordinary moment?”

This was no mere platitude – but in many ways summarizes Fuller’s entire leadership philosophy. Fuller was always considering not just important things – but perpetually attempting to discern the most important things and placing them in the context of extraordinary times.

Buckminster Fuller — architect, thinker, inventor, futurist, college dropout. Expelled from Harvard not once, but twice, Fuller's post-dropout period was anything but successful. He suffered a string of bad business ventures and years of anguish following his daughter's death. While Fuller could have settled for a less than extraordinary life — he even contemplated suicide — he refused to buck to the bevy of bad breaks. At the age of 32, Fuller set out on a one man quest to change the world for the better. His unorthodox ideas such as the dymaxion (a portmanteau of dynamic maximum tension) house and dymaxion car captivated the nation, while his iconic geodesic domes would bring him international fame and recognition.

5. James Cameron

Do you know : James appeared in an uncredited role in his movie "Titanic". He wrote and directed the short film "Xeogenesis", when he was a film student.

The Academy Award-winning director followed a circuitous route to Hollywood. Born and raised in Canada, he and his family moved to Brea, California in 1971. It was there that the young Cameron enrolled in Fullerton College to study physics. His academic life did not last long. He would drop out, marry a waitress and eventually become a truck driver for the local school district. It was not until he saw Star Wars in 1977 that Cameron would trade his blue collar career for one creating some of the late 20th-century's most stunning (and expensive) science-fiction movies.

His movies : The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989) Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), True Lies (1994), Titanic (1997), and Avatar (2009).

6. Mark Zuckerberg

The Wall Street Journal reporter Jessica Vascellaro wrote, "He was well-known by memorizing Iliad and other epic poems" He also developed some games, which themed by classical literature. "His first important program is based on classical literature,"

Most college students use their dorm rooms to sleep, study, or do things their parents probably don't want to know about. Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook in his. Originally meant only for Harvard students, the popular social networking site quickly spread to the rest of the Ivies and other colleges across the nation. As Facebook's popularity exploded, Zuckerberg packed up his bags and relocated the fledgling company to Palo Alto, California, forever leaving behind Harvard's hallowed halls. So far, the decision has worked out pretty well for the twenty-something. According to Forbes, Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in the world, with a 2010 net worth of $4 billion.

7. Tom Hanks

How he is related to Abraham Lincoln?

Tom Hanks, who is a contributor to the Democratic Party, has reason to believe he is the fourth cousin- four times removed- of the sixteenth President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. He believes he's related to "James Hanks", who was the father of "Nancy Hanks", who was Lincoln's mother. It's kind of ironic that Lincoln was the country's first Republican president.

TIME has called Tom Hanks America's chronicler in chief; Sacramento State can call him their most famous dropout. The storied actor left college to intern full time at the Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland, Ohio. There, he learned various aspects of theater from lighting to set design, laying the foundation for his Hollywood career as movie star, producer, director and writer. Not one to forget his own past, in 2009 Hanks helped fund-raise money to help renovate the Cleveland theater where he got his start.

8. Harrison Ford

Frustrated by the direction his career was heading in the late '60's, Harrison became a carpenter and turned down any role he hated. His favourite technical gadget: an airplane (Harrison has a pilot's licence)

Apparently a college degree isn't a prerequisite for flying the Millennium Falcon. Harrison Ford, of Star Wars and Indiana Jones fame, majored in philosophy at Ripon College, but dropped out shortly before graduation. He subsequently landed several small parts in Hollywood productions, but unhappy with such minor roles, turned to a career in professional carpentry instead. Almost ten years later, he would co- star in George Lucas' 1973 graduation night comedy American Graffiti and subsequently joined Lucas in a galaxy far, far away in the 1977 blockbuster Star Wars.

9. Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga calls the fans that listen to her music as her “little monsters”. She is famous for purchasing pizza for them and has spent up to $1,000 at a time doing this.

Before she was a Gaga, she was a Germanotta. Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, the artist better known as Lady Gaga attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, but dropped out after just a year to pursue her music career full time. She broke onto the New York club scene with her burlesque performances and was signed to Interscope Records by the age of 20. Her 2008 debut album, The Fame, has had the world going gaga for Gaga ever since.

10. Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods got the nickname of Tiger from Vuong Dang Phong, his father's friend. Tiger’s real name is Eldrick Woods. Woods is the youngest winner of the US Masters at the age of 21 years, 104 days. His father Earl allegedly introduced Tiger to golf at age 9 months.

In a world where prodigious sports talents tend to forgo higher education altogether for the pros, Tiger Woods chose to continue playing amateur golf at Stanford University as an economics major. Perhaps it was in Econ 101 that he learned the term "opportunity cost," because his time at Stanford was not long. After two years there, Woods turned pro with his "Hello world" announcement, officially ending his collegiate career. He would go on to become one of the highest paid athletes in the world, earning more than $100 million annually at the height of his career. How's that for economics?

Hope you ll enjoy this :

Ten ways to reduce your carbon footprint at work

2010-12-08T15:20:00.005+05:30

Carbon footprint, became most important topic, It has been around for very long time. Now people finally seems to be became serious about global warming. In one of the article found in Economic times, Dr. Nicholas Stern, the British government’s chief economist, delivered an ominous report on climate change, arguing that developed nations must cut emissions from burning oil and coal by between 60% and 80% by ’50.

“If we take no action to control emissions, each tonne of carbon dioxide that we emit now is causing damage worth at least $85,” Stern said as his report was released in London. “These costs are not included when investors and consumers make decisions about how to spend their money.”

We have lot of forums to discuss about controlling carbon emission, websites to shout against carbon emission, even we have active groups to protest, community to share how we can reduce carbon footprint, So, I am not going to write about How we can control carbon emission, But some of the things in our control can be reduced and ended up with low carbon emission, How can we implement that.,?

What are they.,? What are the things we can implement in Office., (ie., in our work place). So, me and my team got some idea from other websites and came up with list of top ten things to avoid to reduce carbon footprint., rather, 'Ten ways to reduce your carbon footprint at work'. It isn’t that hard. Here are 10 ways you could make a start today.

1. Teleconference

Forget about that sales meeting in Frankfurt. There is no more pointless or wasteful human activity than platoons of business people trooping off to airports every week so they can all gather in an anonymous hotel and moan about the boss while pretending to be working. OK, so it’s a relief to escape the wife and kids for a few days, but hardly worth destroying the planet for. How about investing in some teleconferencing equipment instead?

2. Change your expenses policy.

Lots of people use planes for business travel because they are faster and more comfortable, and you can collect air miles for the next family holiday. How about telling staff they can go first-class if they use the train for a business trip, but they can only travel coach if they go by plane? It will be amazing how fast their bookings change.

3.Switch off those lights.

It is striking how you can wander around any city centre late at night and see office buildings ablaze with lights. Tell everybody that they have to switch them off as they leave the office. Even better, fix the lighting so it cuts out automatically at 10 pm — it is impossible for people to think straight later than that, and they would be better off going home
anyway.

4. Review your supply chain.

We have all grown used to buying fresh vegetables flown halfway around the world when we go to the supermarket. How about the stuff on our desk? Most of us have no idea where any of it comes from. So make sure that as many goods as possible are being sourced locally or from environmentally responsible suppliers. You may even wonder if you really need those yellow post-it notes. Send an e-mail instead.

5. Unplug the computer.

How many of us can even remember that these things have an off switch? Instead we just leave them on permanent stand-by. By switching them off when we’re not using them, we can start cutting down on power consumption.

6. Get rid of the plasma screens.

When did it become fashionable to plaster office walls with great big plasma screens tuned to 24-hour channels? You can keep up-to-date with the latest happenings on the Web. Unless you’re in the news business, you don’t need it following you around all day.

7. Turn off the air-conditioning.

Where does it say that people have to be slightly chilly to get their work done? We can understand why an office building in Hong Kong needs the air-con on during July. It is less clear why you need it in London in March.

We have all been to offices where you can walk there in your shirt sleeves, then have to put on your jacket when you arrive because it’s cold. It’s crazy. Ask them to switch it off.

8. If you can’t cut, offset.

There are plenty of ways to compensate for those carbon emissions you can’t avoid. If the flight to New York is vital, make up for it by paying for some trees to be planted elsewhere. Or instead of driving the car to work every day this month, take public transport.

9. Give people an incentive.

It is easy for a company to target lower carbon use. It is harder to achieve it. So make it an explicit financial goal and award everyone a bonus — as long as they meet the target.

10. Don’t go to the office at all.

You burn up gasoline getting there and back. Resources are used providing you with a desk and computer. And all so you can keep an eye on your employees. Why not let everyone work from home at least one day a week — after all, it will be one less day they have to complain to each other about their boss.

Few simple steps will make a big difference

Top 10 Web Hosting Companies

2010-12-01T11:18:00.005+05:30

1. BlueHost

BlueHost is very expierienced having been in the hosting business since 1996 and hosting over 1,000,000 domains for a reason. They are a top pick as the have some of the best support technicians in the business with no out-sourcing and a full knowagable staff. They are experts in providing top quality hosting at a low cost with all the features you wouls expect. Bluehost's main features are unlimited domains, unlimited bandwidth and unlimited space. The 1st domain name on the account is free for life as long as the hosting account is active. They also offer SimpleScripts which is a 1 click installer of the web's most popular applications such as photo galleries, ecommerce carts, blog tools, website builders and much more. Bluehost also offers a large comprehensive help desk section, with a wide range of help guides, FAQ's, advanced online trouble ticket system and much more.. Bluehost has a world-class data center with top quality equipment which provides a guaranteed uptime and highly functional administrative tools. They use High Performance Xeon Servers with 24/7 Network Monitoring that ensures reliability and secure routine backups. They also utilize mirrored storage backups, which helps ensure that your data is never lost due to equipment failure. BlueHost uses CPanel, which is by far the popular hosting control panel.

2. HostMonster

Hostmonster is ranked amoung the best because of their expierience and excellent services. The features they offer are the best in the industry with unlimited domains, unlimited amount of disk space and unlimited bandwidth unlimited. Advertising credits free as well: $50 Google credit and a free $50 yahoo credit. Hostmonster's state-of-the art equipment provides a guaranteed uptime and highly functional administrative tools. Hostmonster uses Xeon Servers with 24/7 Network Monitoring that ensures reliability and secure routine backups along with Snapshot backups every 6 hours! HostMonster uses CPanel control panel. CPanel operates on an interface with many different functions and is very easy to use. They offer 24/7 live Non-outsourced phone support with average hold times less than 2 minutes, 24/7 email tech support and live chat. They also have an advanced and easy to use Support Center with great tutorials, a getting started guide, a forum, and searchable knowledgebase / FAQ. They also offer SimpleScripts which is a 1 click installer of the web's most popular applications such as photo galleries, ecommerce carts, blog tools, website builders photo galleries, classifieds, forums, contect management utilities and more.

3. JustHost

Justhost is a great pick for web hosting because of their excellent customer service and superb packages and pricing at only $3.45 per/mo is the best in the industry. Justhost has very rapidly grown to a top level hosting companies on the internet offering unlimited domains, unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth and 1 free domain name for life. Their tech support and customer service are great when it comes to knowledgeable technicians as well as response time. Justhost offers all the features you would expect like free website builders with templates, blogs, shopping carts, photo galleries, content management systems and more. Justhost also offers advertising credits for new customers that sign up such to Google Adwordss, Yahoo Search Marketing and Myspace advertising credits. Justhost offers load balancing technology and very fast backbone connections. With load balancing your website is available from multiple servers so if one ever becomes unavailable your website will still be available on another. JustHost uses the cPanel control panel which is by far the most common amoung web hosting companies. CPanel is user-friendly and makes it easy to manage all aspects of your account. When you combine all of their features with the a 99.9% uptime guarantee and anytime money back guarantee you can rest assured JustHost is one of the best web hosting companies out there.

4. HostGator

Hostgator not only provides shared hosting but Reseller and Dedicated web hosting solutions as well. HostGator is one of the world's top 10 largest web hosting companies with more than 2,200,000 hosted domains. They have over 260 employees to provide you around-the-clock superior support. They are the perfect choice whether you are looking for business, personal, or even Fortune 500 hosting.Their services are designed for both beginners and professionals. All of their shared plans include a 99.9% uptime guarantee, 24/7 support and a 45-day money back guarantee. Hostgator is well known for their excellent technical support and reliability and an excellent host for business use. Hostgator's main features are unlimited domains, unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth and 1 free domain name for life. Hostgator also offers Fantastico which is a 1 click installer of the web's most popular applications such as photo galleries, ecommerce carts, blog tools, website builders, photo galleries, classifieds, forums, contect management utilities, project management systems and more. Every web hosting plan comes with a 45 day money back guarantee, 99.9% uptime guarantee, and is fully guaranteed by the owner himself.

5. IXWebHosting

IXWebhosting has been in business since 1999 providing high quality web hosting solutions and services worldwide. IXWebhosting offers a price and package comparable to all the other top hosts. IXwebhosting has grown to a top level hosting companies on the internet offering unlimited domains, unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth and 1 free domain name for life. IX web hosting also offers Fantastico which is a 1 click installer of the web's most popular applications such as photo galleries, ecommerce carts, blog tools, website builders photo galleries, classifieds, forums, contect management utilities and more. with HostClear if there is a technical problem that your site is experiencing? Live technical support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The site also has a Help Centre where registered users can gain access to the basic information that they need about the service. E-mail support and live chat support are also available. When you add to this the fact that IXWebHosting offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee, customer tailored support, an easy to use control panel, a free script library and a 30-day money back guarantee, you can definitely say that IXwebhosting will give you the a great value for your money.

6. FatCow
Founded in 1998, FatCow is a provider of shared Web hosting solutions for small to medium-sized businesses and individuals looking for an affordable Web hosting option. As mentioned in their website, they grown our company with a dedicated group of talented believers in the notion that simple, old fashioned service and value still ring true. FatCow is a very special web hosting company – the way they brought up their hosting plans, they way they design their website, the way they offer their hosting features – everything seems different in FatCow. Personally, I define being different and surviving for 10 years as remarkable! FatCow Hosting: Fast server + effecient customer supports, Reliable backup policy, FatCow’s pledge: The HeiferCratic Oath, Unlimited hosting at a very affordable price. All in all, a hosting company that had been operating for more than 10 years and remain strong in the market is a remarkable result and the research around the Internet convince me that they are a remarkable hosting company

7. GreenGeeks
Greengeeks is a Green energy web hosting provider. It is important that this industry becomes green and GreenGeeks is the world's most eco-friendly web hosting company. GreenGeeks works with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to buy wind energy credits to offset their energy consumption and to put more energy back into the grid which was produced by wind power technology. The energy used to power their servers and offices is replaced 3 times over with wind power credits. When you host your site with greengeeks, your helping the environment at the same time. GreenGeeks is also recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for their green efforts! GreenGeeks utilizes the best breed of server hardware, dependable network providers and up-to-date software programs to make sure that your website will be running as smoothly as possible. GreenGeek's main features are unlimited domains, unlimited bandwidth and unlimited space. The 1st domain name on the account is free for life as long as the hosting account is active. They also offer Fantastico which is a 1 click installer of the web's most popular applications such as photo galleries, ecommerce carts, blog tools, website builders and much more.

8. Arvixe
Arvixe is simply amazing. I have two .com sites currently hosted with them. One is a medium traffic community page and the second is purely business. So far, we've only had two little spots where the site was down (one was their fault, not sure about the second). They had the sites back up in no time. You get SSH free if you ask nicely. I use it for a tunnel so I can access my site securely and fix problems if they should arise. Big plus! Support rocks. Emails are answered in a personal way and they actually want to help you. For example, I was playing around with Django and I couldn't figure out if Arvixe supported that framework so I sent an email. Turns out they don't, but the big thing is that it took about half an hour. The guy was very helpful and suggested a different starting place since I didn't want to upgrade to VPS just for that. Pricing is a bit high for a startup site with little to no value or income. But for the quality of the service, definitely worth it. I would absolutely recommend this to someone who wants to run a business site.

9. Yahoo Web Hosting
Yahoo is known for being a large conglomerate of web services. The Small Business web hosting Yahoo.com provides is pretty generic and provides a one-size-fits-all solution that stands very well in its own right and includes some features that make it great for newcomers. Yahoo Small Business hosting really only offers one plan. The only real option upon sign-up is what billing term one wishes to enter into. One may either choose to be billed monthly, every three months, or annually. The pricing is $12.95, $11.95, and $9.95, respectively; so there is a considerable discount available for the longer term (the annual plan being $36 less per year than the monthly plan). Like many web hosts, Yahoo has adopted the concept of unlimited disk space and bandwidth. It does so under the common condition that these resources must be used for legitimate purposes to benefit the website. This means that the purpose can’t be for file storage or providing a file sharing solution. This is a standard practice and for the customer with normal intentions, this should not be limiting in any way.

10. 1 and 1 Web Hosting
1&1.com is a giant web hosting company. They have almost 6 million customers and more than 2,400 employees, and in excess of 37,000 servers. You’ve probably seen their 10+ page ads in magazines or heard about them from friends or colleagues. They are definitely an industry leader and a well known company in the web hosting industry. 1&1 offers a few main service types: domain registration, mail hosting, Linux hosting, Windows hosting, virtual private servers, dedicated servers, eshops, and Microsoft Sharepoint hosting. This review will discuss the pros and cons of 1&1 as a Linux hosting provider. The company’s offerings are quite inexpensive. 1&1 offers a lot of space and bandwidth for very little money. You have to pay six months in advance for many of the plans, but the six months of their least expensive plan still comes out to be less than $20. Be sure to read the order and refund terms carefully. 1&1 will try to lock you in for longer if you choose some of their special offers.

Top 10 Transformative Technologies : Biofuels

2010-11-07T11:04:00.005+05:30

With fossil fuels depleting fast, research work has been escalated to find new sources of fuel that are green as well. The answers aren’t that difficult to find as several crops have the potential to produce fuel similar to diesel, which can easily replace conventional sources. However, since the demand for biofuel has increased, producing fuel from food crops isn’t viable.

Several universities and research groups are working on technologies that better biofuel production by producing fuel from algae or agricultural waste. Check out 10 such breakthroughs that will help make biofuel a much greener fuel for the future:

Nanofarming:

The Nanofarming technique is conceived by researchers at DOE’s Ames National Laboratory and Iowa State University, in partnership with Catilin, Inc. The technology will make use of nanoparticles to absorb fatty acids from living microalgae. The technology allows biofuel production from algae without destroying the cells.

Engineered tobacco leaves:

Researchers at the Biotechnology Foundations Laboratories at Thomas Jefferson University have found out a way to increase biofuel production from tobacco plants by engineering two genes, which increase the oil in tobacco leaves. The researchers have identified two genes - the diacyglycerol acytransferase (DGAT) gene and the LEAFY COTYLEDON 2 gene. Plants modified to over-express these genes produce more oil.

Biofuel production using artificial photosynthesis:

Taking inspiration from nests of a semi-tropical frog called the Tungara frog, researchers at the University of Cincinnati have found a way to artificially create a photosynthetic material from foam which uses plant, bacterial, frog and fungal enzymes to produce sugars using solar energy and carbon dioxide. Unlike natural photosynthesis, which isn’t quite efficient, this artificial process has been designed to convert all of the captured solar energy to sugars, which are later used to make ethanol and other biofuels.

Biofuel from grass clippings:

Scientists at the National Science Foundation have developed technology to breakdown farm waste such as corn stalks, grass, weeds and wood and convert it into useful biofuel. These scientists believe that they can use the existing infrastructure of oil pipelines, storage tanks, refineries and engines for this new fuel, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and is renewable.

Joule Biotechnologies’ Helioculture:

California-based startup Joule Biotechnologies has developed a unique process that converts carbon dioxide into liquid biofuel using a solar converter. The converter contains an internal broth of gray water, nutrients and unnamed genetically engineered organisms that use photosynthesis to secrete hydrocarbons that can be used as fuel. The company believes that the process, dubbed Helioculture, can produce up to 20,000 gallons of usable fuel per year per acre of land for approximately the same cost as fossil fuels.

Nanotechnology for cheaper biofuel:

Researchers at Louisiana Tech University are planning to decrease the cost of the process of biofuel production by using new nanotechnology processes developed at the university. The new technology can immobilize the expensive enzymes used to convert cellulose to sugars, allowing them to be reused several times over, thereby significantly reducing the overall cost of the process.

Wood-eating gribble for low-cost biofuel:

Researchers at the University of York in Britain have identified the potential of the wood-eating gribble to cheaply convert abundant wood and straw fiber into biofuel. The gut of the gribble can replicate the process of plasma gasification with some enzymes. The research team is trying to produce similar enzymes that all by themselves can produce ecologically sound ethanol from wood.

Duckweed to produce biofuel without any wastage:

Scientists at the North Carolina State University have identified that duckweed, the world’s smallest flowering plant, produces far more starch per acre than corn and can be used to produce biofuel without any waste. Apart from producing bio-fuel, the plants can digest animal waste, quickly converting it into leafy starch which again be used to produce bio-fuel.

Novozymes’ tech to convert agricultural waste into biofuel:

Danish biotechnology company Novozymes has developed a new enzyme that can convert maize, wheat, straw and woodchips into ethanol for as little as 32 pence per liter. The new enzyme, known as Cellic CTec2, breaks down cellulose in the waste into simple sugars, which are then used to produce the ethanol.

Super bug to produce fuel from hydrogen and CO2:

A team of researchers from the North Carolina State University and the University of Georgia are working together to create a version of the Extremophile, a super bug that creates butanol or ethanol. The bug would skip the entire photosynthetic sugar-making step and would create liquid fuels directly from hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Extremophiles will be able to live without water and will be highly resistant to radiation, which makes them ideal for biofuel production.

10 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy for 2009-10

2010-10-21T19:55:00.009+05:30

The list recognizes innovation and achievement in bioenergy development.

The rankings were based 50 percent on votes from a 75-member panel of international selectors, and 50 percent on votes from subscribers of Biofuels Digest, the world’s most widely-read biofuels daily.

1 Solazyme

2008-2009 Rank : 6

Solazyme, Inc. is the leading renewable oil and bioproducts company. The company uses algal biotechnology to renewably produce clean fuels, chemicals, foods and health science products. Solazyme's advanced and proprietary technology uses algae to produce oils and biomaterials in standard fermentation facilities quickly, cleanly, cost effectively, and at large scale.

These natural oils and biomaterials are tailored, not only for fuel production, but also as replacements for fossil-derived petroleum and a variety of natural plant oils and compounds. This makes them useful in a wide range of products, from oleochemicals, to cosmetics, to foods.

2. POET

2008-2009 Rank :4

POET. The world's largest ethanol producer.

At POET, we're using the creativity that comes from common sense to deliver a new bounty of American energy from the eternal bounty of the American Heartland.

With hard work, imagination and discipline, the people of POET have replaced hundreds of millions of barrels of imported oil with clean, renewable domestic energy while bringing hundreds of millions of dollars back to the American economy.

In our more than two decades on the job, POET has developed an unmatched record in technology, reliability and efficiency. That's a legacy we intend to pass on. And every day we keep building on it.

3. Amyris

2008-2009 Rank :7

Amyris is applying an industrial synthetic biology platform to provide high-performing alternatives to petroleum-sourced fuels and chemicals

Amyris is establishing the partnerships and capabilities needed to bring our products to market as early as 2011, and to distribute these products directly to customers. Amyris subsidiaries include Amyris Brasil S.A., a majority-owned Brasilian company through which we conduct our Brasilian operations for the manufacture and trade of our products, and Amyris Fuels, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary through which we are building our U.S. fuels distribution capabilities.

4 . BP Biofuels

2008-2009 Rank :NR

BP (www.bp.com) is one of the world's largest energy companies, providing its customers with fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services and petrochemicals products for everyday items

BP and biofuels

They’ve been in the energy business long enough to know that there are no easy answers – but they’re also convinced that using more biofuels (fuels made from renewable biomass) in the overall ‘energy mix’ can help us reduce global greenhouse gas levels significantly and with immediate impact.

5. Sapphire Energy

2008-2009 Rank :2

Sapphire Energy was founded with one mission in mind: to change the world by developing a domestic, renewable source of energy that benefits the environment and hastens America′s energy independence. What began as a debate among friends in early 2007 on how to create the perfect biofuel, by integrating the principals of industrial biotechnology, has become today's Sapphire Energy with facilities in San Diego, CA; Orange Country, CA; and Las Cruces, NM.

Green Crude Production

Sapphire Energy is at the forefront of an entirely new industrial category with the potential to radically change America's energy landscape. click to see the production : Green Crude

6. Coskata

2008-2009 Rank :1

Coskata is a biology-based renewable energy company whose low-cost platform technology allows for the production of fuels and chemicals from a variety of input material (including biomass, agricultural and municipal wastes, and other carbonaceous material).

Using proprietary microorganisms and patented bioreactor designs, we are ready today to produce FlexEthanol™, or feedstock flexible ethanol, to fuel energy security, economic growth, and environmental sustainability.

7. DuPont Danisco

2008-2009 Rank :9

DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC (DDCE) aims to be the world’s leading cellulosic ethanol company by delivering comprehensive, integrated technology, engineering, and service solutions. Built on a legacy of leadership and strategic collaborations, DDCE is positioned as a key player in achieving global goals for energy independence, rural development, and deployment of a reliable, sustainable transportation fuel supply.

DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC is a 50/50 joint venture between DuPont and Genencor, a subsidiary of Danisco.

8. LS9

2008-2009 Rank : 25

LS9, Inc., the Renewable Petroleum Company™, is a privately-held industrial biotechnology company based in South San Francisco, California developing patent-pending UltraClean™ fuels and sustainable chemicals made with the power of synthetic biology. Located in South San Francisco.

LS9 has the financial backing of venture capital firms Flagship Ventures, Khosla Ventures, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. The company's scientific advisory board (SAB) includes leaders in the fields of synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, microbiology, enzymology, genomics, bioinformatics, and chemical engineering.

9. Verenium

2008-2009 Rank : 36

Verenium Corporation is a recognized pioneer in the development and commercialization of high-performance enzymes for use in industrial processes. Verenium sells enzymes developed using its unique R&D capabilities to a global market. The company harnesses the power of nature and, leveraging unique, patented technology, creates products that maximize efficiency while improving environmental performance.

10. Mascoma

2008-2009 Rank : 8

Mascoma Corporation is a U.S. biofuel company that produces cellulosic ethanol made from wood and switchgrass. Headquartered in Lebanon, New Hampshire, the company was founded in 2005 by Lee Lynd and Charles Wyman, two professors from Dartmouth College. The company's founders have continued to work with Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering on its research into ethanol engineering. The company is named after Mascoma Lake, which is near Lebanon.

The Top 10 Mobile Phone Brands - 2010

2010-10-21T15:53:00.002+05:30

Find out which are the top 10 most popular mobile phone brands this year. The top seller shipped some 100 million phones.

Nokia

According to a Bloomberg report, Finnish company Nokia is still the world's biggest mobile phone maker, with a 37.4 per cent share of the market last quarter.

That means that a cool one third of all phones in the world are made by Nokia.

In the first quarter of 2010, Nokia shipped a total of 107,800,000 phones. Talk about huge.

Samsung

South Korean firm Samsung is in second position with slightly less than a quarter of the global market share at 22.4 per cent.

The brand had some great reviews for its Omnia series of smartphones.

At 64,300,000 units shipped in the first three months of the year, it might still be quite some way behind leader of the pack Nokia, but its numbers do prove that Samsung is quite the mobile phone powerhouse.

LG

LG taking third place makes it two Korean firms in the mobile phone hall of fame top 3.

The company had some pretty nice consumer feedback about its sleek and sexy Chocolate phones, which do look good enough to eat.

Sony Ericsson

Known for their Walkman Phones and camera phones, this joint-venture between Japanese electronics giant Sony and Swedish mobile phone maker Ericsson's rankings had slipped a little from the past year and is now in fourth position.

But its sleek new devices such as the Xperia X10, with its powerhouse hardware and improved interface and features, might mean a comeback for the brand.

RIM

Everyone knows BlackBerry, but few people know the name behind those well-known smartphones popular with the business crowd.

RIM - or Research In Motion, takes fifth place, one of two companies on this list that make only smartphones (the other one is Apple).

Apple

The company behind the iMac, iPod, iPad and of course, the iPhone is in sixth place.

While the iPhone is arguably one of the most popular devices in the mobile phone market, Apple's current standing isn't surprising because it has essentially only the iPhone series of devices in its inventory list.

With a new generation iPhone rumoured to be released this summer, perhaps we might see Apple climb this ladder in the near future.

ZTE

Chinese firm ZTE may not be exactly the most heard of name in the mobile phone market, but their interesting devices and quirky designs would definitely be worth a look.

With an interesting lineup including smartphones and other mobile devices, hopefully we'll see more of this handset maker's products in the market soon.

Motorola

Formerly the number two in the mobile phone market as recently as 2007, Motorola had seen its rankings slide to number eight on the top 10 list this quarter.

According to a Bloomberg report, shipping of units had taken a hit because of the company's difficulties in offering compelling new models following the success of the RAZR.

However, while Motorola's unit shipments continued to slide, the decline reflects the company's strategic decision to shift its focus away from the cheaper, mass-market cellphones and towards higher-profit products like the Dext and Backflip.

With its MotoBlur enabled smartphones getting great reviews from cricits, we might see more great devices from Motorola soon.

Huawei

The second Chinese handset maker on the list, Huawei is known more for is wireless dongles and communications solutions.

But take a look at the handset maker's devices and you will see a few promising mobile phones with lots of potential.

Hopefully those will be more readily available in the market soon.

Alcatel

Few people would be using a device from this French handset maker today, but fans from the early adoption days would remember owning an Alcatel device at one time or the other.

With them still in the top 10 list, hopefully we'll see more of their stuff in the near future.

Top 10 BasketBall players of all TIME

2010-04-29T10:42:00.007+05:30

1) Michael Jordan
There isn't a doubt in my mind that Michael Jordan is the best basketball player in NBA history. He was so good that he didn't win MVP awards because of it. People got tired of voting for him so they started passing the award around to other NBA stars. In all, Jordan won six NBA Championships, six Finals MVPs, five NBA MVPs, and three All Star game MVPs. He was even selected to nine first team All-Defensive teams. Had Jordan not retired for two years the first time around, his career accomplishments would have been even more ludicrous. He almost surely would have won two more NBA Championships as well as two additional MVP awards. Luckily for the Houston Rockets, that never happened. Even with multiple retirements, Jordan is easily the best player in NBA history.

2) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
I always knew Kareem was good. You don't hold the record for most points in NBA history by being average. What I didn't know was just how good he was. I only got to see the “bald” portion of his career. In his prime, Kareem was unstoppable. He amassed six MVP awards (most all-time), six NBA Championships, two Finals MVPs, and 19 All-Star appearances (most all-time). His patented "skyhook" was an unblockable weapon. His defensive skills earned him five selections to the First Team All-Defense. His all-around skills made him the perfect big man for Pat Riley's up-tempo offense. Kareem has the most First-Team All-NBA selections of any center in history. He has the most All-NBA (first, second, and third) selections of any player in history. He finished in the top five of the NBA MVP voting 15 times. No player has even come close to that.

3) Magic Johnson:
Magic's greatness can be quantified by citing a lot of statistics. But, I think the single most compelling evidence of his greatness is that there hasn't been a player since who has been able to do the things he did. He was a 6'8 point guard who could run the break, drive to the hole, rebound and post-up. His excellence produced five NBA Championships and three MVPs. He accomplished all of that despite the fact that his career ended at 31 years of age. One can only imagine what he could have done with five-to-ten more years added to his career. Magic holds a slight edge over Shaq in a number of categories. He holds a 5-4 Championship advantage, a 9-8 All-NBA First Team advantage, a 9-8 advantage in top-5 MVP finishes, and a 3-1 MVP advantage (although both won three Finals MVPs). Magic is 6th on the all-time Wins Shares Above Average-list. Shaq is 7th. Plus, as a 6’8 point guard, Magic is one of the few players in NBA history who can claim a size advantage relative to his position on par with Shaq’s.

4) Shaquille O'Neal
I realize that this won't be a popular placement. I've actually thought about moving Shaq down the list simply to make this list “look” more accurate. But, if I did that, it wouldn't be my list. Shaq is the most unstoppable force in NBA history. His size and athleticism transcend all eras. There are a number of reasons why he won't be rated this highly by most but few, if any, have anything to do with the fact that he dominated the most talented and physically demanding era in NBA history. To be honest, I can't say that I'm thrilled to have Shaq at #4. The majority of his skills are below average. He can't shoot free throws. He can't shoot outside of eight feet. He can't drive to the rim. The things he can't do significantly outweigh the things he can. His game isn't well-rounded by any means. However, the one thing that he has going for him makes him the most unstoppable force in NBA history. No player has ever been able to successfully guard Shaq straight up. In fact, defensive ploys such as the "hack-a-Shaq" were used to avoid having to play defense against him. Shaq benefits from being the biggest man to ever play the game. He has received the benefit of doubt on thousands of uncalled offensive fouls due to his “size". Right or wrong, Shaq's size has allowed him to get away with liberties. Those liberties, combined with his size and athleticism make him un-guardable. Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell had similar success but the difference is that Shaq would have bullied Chamberlain and Russell, too. Shaq is bigger and stronger than Wilt. And, considering Shaq and Wilt shared virtually the same skill-set, Shaq gets the advantage. He is bigger and stronger and dominated in a more difficult era. The average frontcourt player in Wilt's day was 6'7--or Rip Hamilton. Shaq has three NBA Finals MVPs. Only Michael Jordan has more. He has been selected to 14 NBA All-Star games. Only Kareem has more. Shaq has eight First Team All-NBA selections. Only Kareem has more among centers. He has a career shooting percentage of 58%. Only Artis Gilmore was better. By the time he retires, Shaq will have played in more playoff games than anyone in NBA history other than Kareem and Robert Horry. He has the second best PER (Player Efficiency Rating) in NBA history behind Michael Jordan. PER measures everything that a player contributes both positive and negative. Shaq took his teams to the playoffs in 15 of his 16 seasons including nine Conference Finals appearances, six Finals appearances, and four NBA Championships. For all his greatness, Wilt won two Championships in a mediocre era. If you were building a team right now and you could choose any player in NBA history—in their prime—Jordan would probably be your first choice and Shaq would probably be the second choice even ahead of Kareem and Magic. Wilt and Russell could not handle Shaq in the post and they would have a difficult time scoring on him in the post as well. Differences aside, no reasonable list should have Shaq rated any lower than #7.

5) Wilt Chamberlain
More than a few people probably think that Wilt Chamberlain is the greatest NBA player of all-time. I can respect that viewpoint. I just don't agree with it. He dominated the competition like nobody before or after him. There are a number of reasons why I can't rate Chamberlain higher than fifth. First, Jordan, Kareem, and Magic just have better resumes. Second, his competition wasn't anywhere near what Shaq had to play against. There is no way to quantify the differences in competition-levels but Chamberlain most likely wouldn't have fared as well as Shaq had he played in his era. Keep in mind that Chamberlain was essentially Dwight Howard (big, strong, lean, athletic player without much of a game outside of 8’) playing in the 60s and 70s. Howard gives us a glimpse of what Wilt might be like if he played today. He's good but he certainly isn't scoring 100 points or grabbing 55 rebounds in a game. Lastly, Shaq was the prototype for his position. Shaq was bigger, stronger, and more explosive than Chamberlain. Shaq also won twice as many titles in a vastly more difficult era. As for a Chamberlain/Russell comparison, I give the edge to Wilt. Bill Simmons ("The Sports Guy") recently said that revisionist history has caused Chamberlain to be rated higher than Bill Russell. He also said that back when both men were playing, it was common knowledge that Russell was the better player. If that is the case, then why was Wilt selected to the First Team All-NBA ahead of Russell in seven of the nine seasons that they played together? Also, Chamberlain was 7'1 while Russell was only 6'9. That is a significant difference in height. A match-up like that in the NBA today would be called a "mismatch." The extra four inches are likely the reason Russell wasn't able to match Chamberlain's dominance offensively in an era plagued by 6’7 post-players. The edge goes to Chamberlain.

6) Bill Russell
I am a big fan of taking into consideration championships when analyzing a career. That's not to say that a player who never won a championship can't be better than a player who did win a championship. Nobody, in any sport, has won more championships than Bill Russell. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Unfortunately, I can't justify rating him above the players ahead of him on this list. Winning that many championships takes a good amount of skill and an absurd amount of good fortune. Russell played along side Bob Cousy and John Havlicek who are among the top 50 NBA players of all-time. He also had the "Chamberlain factor" of matching up against much weaker competition than Shaq and Kareem. Russell was awesome. I almost feel like I need to justify ranking him only 6th all-time. Eleven championships will do that to you. He was great, but he was vastly inferior offensively to the players above him on the list. His Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is also, by far, the lowest of any player that I have rated in the top 20.

7) Tim Duncan:
Duncan seems to be slowing down. He is still relatively young. If he can pick things up a bit, he could easily reach the top five. His career accomplishments already stand up pretty good to Magic and Bird. Duncan has won four NBA Championships, two MVPs, and three NBA Finals MVPs. He has been equally good on both offense and defense. He has been selected first team All-Defense eight of his eleven seasons. His PER is the 7th best in NBA history.

8) Larry Bird
I went into the Magic/Bird comparison with an open mind. After looking over everything seemingly a million times and recalling what I saw from each personally, I can't rate Bird higher than Magic. They both won three MVPs but Magic won more NBA Championships (5-3) and more NBA Finals MVPs (3-2). Magic was also a more dynamic player with his ability to play point guard at 6'8. Regardless of his standing behind Magic, I do not feel bad about ranking Bird 8th all-time.

9) Oscar Robertson
I never had the luxury of seeing Robertson play as I'm sure most people haven't. But, his numbers speak volumes. He is the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double over an entire season. He barely missed in four other seasons with assist averages of 9.7 and 9.5 and rebound averages of 9.9 and 9.0. If you're a "rounder", then that's four seasons of averaging a triple-double. His team success doesn't match that of some of the other greats but he did manage to win an NBA Championship and an MVP.

10) Karl Malone
If this list was "championship or bust" then Karl Malone would be out. Malone had a remarkable career that famously produced zero championships. He came close twice but was upended by Michael Jordan's Bulls both times. Thanks to Jordan, there were a lot of great players who never won an NBA Championship including Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins, and Patrick Ewing. Malone came close but it never happened. He ranks second on the all-time scoring list behind Kareem. He finished in the top five of the MVP Voting nine times. He was selected to 14 All-Star games which is the second most in NBA history behind Kareem. He won two MVPs and was selected to the All-NBA first team a league record 11 times. That last statistic is why Malone got the nod over the players just below him including Hakeem. A lot of people think Hakeem had the better career but the comparison isn't that close. Malone holds the edge in First Team All-NBA selections (11-6), Top Ten MVP finishes (14-10), Top Three MVP finishes (5-2), MVPs (2-1), and All-Star appearances (14-12). Malone played at least 80 games in 17 of his 19 seasons. Hakeem did it five times. The only edge Hakeem has is the two Championships that Michael Jordan gift-wrapped for him. I'm not going to hold that against Malone.

Top Ten High Concepts in 2009

2010-04-27T08:54:00.004+05:30

When i m searching about the High concepts of last year., i hv came across this site., It seems these are all mostly interrelated with ma field, have to look up each and everything.,

Here is the post :

Fuel from carbon dioxide anyone? Direct solar fuel, along with fusion an ditch power, was one of the more interesting ideas to gain traction during the year.

Venture funding declined, companies had to depend on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for survival and some futuristic products like the Fisker Karma got kicked into 2010.

But that didn't stop futurists from plugging away at the next big thing. Here's our list of the favorites that surfaced during the years. Some of these ideas have been in the works for a while, but were seen more broadly in 2009.

1. Nuclear Goes Mod(ular): NuScale Power, Sandia National Labs, TerraPower and Babcock & Wilcox discussed plans to build and/or license small reactors that could produce 45 to 125 megawatts of power. By connecting 12 or 24 of its reactors in an array, NuScale hopes to build power plants that will produce power for 6 to 9 cents a kilowatt hour. Although that's roughly the same price as regular nuclear plants, NuScale's advantage is that construction time could be considerably less.

"Our principal market is the conventional market for providing power to the grid," said Bruce Landrey, who runs marketing. "We anticipate that the costs will be competitive, perhaps slightly less than the larger [nuclear] plants."

These sort of plants may not be ready for several years, but expect to hear more about nuclear. Energy Secretary Steve Chu, MIT's Ernie Moniz and UC Berkeley's Dan Kammen have also said nuclear in some form will needed to move away from coal.

2. Fusion: Not in our lifetime, Moniz told me. Others disagree. Livermore National Labs showed off a system in which 192 high powered lasers focused on tiny capsule of hydrogen could generate fusion power. Scientists hope to show it can work in 2010 or 2011. Another added bonus: By incorporating blankets of waste from nuclear fission plants, more power could be generated and nuclear waste could be eliminated. (The system is called hybrid fusion.)

Among startups, rumors percolated that secretive Tri-Alpha Energy might describe its technology next year and General Fusion received more VC funds while pushing out the time when it says it can show the technology might be feasible. If fusion works, it could solve a lot of problems.

3. Osmotic Pressure Gradients: In OPGs, fresh water passes through a membrane, drawn through by an inherent attraction to a vat of salty water on the other side. As the volume of water increases in the salty tank, pressure builds, which can be used to crank a turbine. Statkraft in Norway, with some help from Energy Recovery, built a prototype plant. IBM and Aquaporin are looking into it as well.

4. Recycled Water: Step one – flush the toilet. Step two – pass the waste stream through a complex series of membranes and filters to get fresh water, minerals and methane. That's the vision of Mark Shannon at the University of Illinois. Global Water Group set up a small plant in a new development in Singapore to recover drinking water from waste streams.

5. The Everything Box for Smart Grid: SmartSynch came up with a way to ameliorate the standards battle in smart grid: create a router that can adapt to whatever networking protocol a utility wants to adopt. If it sounds like this is something that should have been invented a while ago, don't feel alone. It's a common reaction. Expect Cisco and others to follow.

6. Instant Oil: ARPA-E gave a significant chunk of its first grants to companies working on direct solar fuel, or liquid fuels where sunlight and typically carbon dioxide serve as ingredients in the chemical reactions needed to make it. BioCee and the University of Minnesota wants to take sunlight, carbon dioxide and two organisms (cyanobacteria for sunlight capture and shewanella for metabolic transformation) to produce a liquid hydrocarbon. Coal and oil are indirect: sunlight and carbon dioxide create plant matter, but then geological forces are required to turn dead trees and microbes into a fuel. Think of it as microwave petroleum: no more slaving over the Permian basin for millions of years waiting for those hydrocarbons to be done.
An added plus: It creates a market for carbon dioxide and reduces the total amount that will exist in the atmosphere.

7. The Solar Air Conditioner: Fifty percent of the demand for power during peak periods in California and 70 percent of the power in Dubai can be attributed to air conditioners, according to Peter Le Lievre, founder of Chromasun. (He was behind Ausra too.)

Chromasun takes solar thermal collectors and other technologies to gather solar heat to run a double effect chiller, an ornate heat exchanging device that in the end produces cold air. (More here.) It's interesting in a lot of ways: it curbs peak power, broadens the market for solar thermal technology and fits well within the practices of the building trades. Other novel mixes of liquid and solar: the liquid filled heat sinks for PV panels that can be used to improve the performance of panels and provide a home hot water.

8. Gravity Power: Think of this as regenerative braking on a massive scale. Vycon Energy's flywheel captures energy released when large cargo cranes drop those 30 ton storage containers in the holds of ships. The energy is converted to electric power for the crane for the next hoist. Now, cranes rely on dirty, smelly diesel. Various others are working on technologies to clean ports. It's one of the first practical applications for kinetic energy: you get more energy than those crazy harvesters for dance floors.

9. Lithium, Zinc and Air: For renewables and electric cars to move toward broad acceptance, alternatives for energy storage will be required. IBM and others believe the answer could come through lithium air batteries, which could provide ten times the performance of conventional lithium cells. It will just take a lot of scientific breakthroughs to get them into production. Meanwhile, zinc battery proponents liked to point out that their technology already exists. Nuclear batteries could boost performance by 100x, but practical problems may keep them grounded.

10. Biotech Tools Go Green: Wildcat Discovery Technologies has taken the rapid prototyping and high-performance computing techniques devised in drug discovery to help battery and energy storage companies quickly produce new materials. Wildcat can make 250 new substances in a week, eliminating and/or adding molecules and their arrangement. A traditional battery maker might produce just a handful. More materials to test leads to quicker optimization at the factory level. Intermolecular exploits rapid prototyping in solar. Wildcat grew out of San Diego's biotech cluster, which will likely become more important as energy and biology converge.

Honorable Mention: Silence as a Business. They didn't come out with products and remained highly vague about their actual plans, but some companies made headlines nonetheless with far-reaching ideas that may or may not work. If there were a Nobel Prize for PR, these companies would win: EE Stor (ultracapacitors), Bloom Energy (fuel cells), Calera (cement out of seawater); V-Vehicle (electric cars.)

All of these companies, now that I think about it, received investments from Kleiner, Perkins or Khosla Ventures. Coincidence? But don't dismiss the silence out of hand. Remember, Kleiner also invested in Segway, Pets.com and @Home.

Top 10 Easy Ideas For A Sustainable 2010

2010-04-09T09:19:00.002+05:30

Here is a list of the top 10 easiest ways to become more sustainable for 2010. Striving to become more sustainable is great because it gives a sense of pride and accomplishment and is also contagious. Not all of these will apply to all people, but just pick any you would like to try.

10. Switch light bulbs to CF
This is one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce electricity usage. Each incandescent bulb switched to a CF saves between 50-125kg CO2/year depending how heavily it is used.
Further, it makes economic sense. Incandescent bulbs typically only last up to 1,000 hours. Modern CF bulbs last between 6,000 and 15,000 hours. Not even counting electricity usage, there is a cost savings associated with CF bulbs because of the increased life span, which more than accounts for the difference in initial cost. When considering the electricity savings, each CF bulb would save a few dollars a year in costs.

9. Lower the temperature of your water heater
How often do you use only water from the hot tap? Very likely never, as in the average home it is set above 55C or 140F and it would burn your skin. Think about how you use the shower or water at the sink - it's always mixing hot with cold water. So, why are we bothering to pay to heat our water to such a high temperature when we never use it?
It is recommended to set your water heater down to about 45C or 120F. This could save up to 225kg CO2 and $30 per year!

8. Use reusable bags
I came across interesting link on how to reuse the bags., Do it yourself By Mathumitha

Reusable bags are becoming a lot more popular now, for good reason. Just think how wasteful it is that our world produces hundreds of millions of plastic bags every year intended to only be used once. Single-use plastic bags seems so natural to most of us now but they are really bad when examined.
Tips
· If you drive most places, keep the bags in your car.
· Build the habit of hanging the bags on the doorknob after unloading the contents inside, so they can't be forgotten the next time you leave.
· Have at least one or two more reusable bags than the most you think you will ever use at one time. There will always be a time when the last used bags are forgotten, or some get dirty, so having extras means they are always available.
Some cities have even begun banning single-use plastic bags. Areas of India are banning them because of the waste problems they create. The bags are clogging the sewers and making flooding worse.

7. Switch to a clean energy provider
Switching to a clean energy provider is possibly the largest impact a single action can have in terms of reduced CO2. Most areas now have a clean energy alternative. By switching to a green program you are paying a small premium on top of normal electricity (for me it's about an extra $30/month) which puts green energy onto the grid at the normal price.

6. Turn off unused lights and electronics
Turning off lights when you're not in a room can be a more difficult habit to build (I'm still working on it) but the impact is fairly significant. Lighting accounts for around 9% of household energy usage, on average. The average North American home consumes about 10,000 kWh/year. 9% of that is 900 kWh/year which equates to 628 kg CO2/year. If you could reduce the total time that lights are turned on in your house by a quarter that would save 157kg CO2/year, or by half would be 315kg. That is a good amount of CO2 for very little effort.
Most electronics in your home consume electricity even when turned "off." It's estimated that up to 75% of the energy used by these appliances is consumed while they are turned off. The best advice here is to unplug them or turn off the power-strip when the items are not in use. Televisions, VCRs, DVD players, and kitchen appliances like microwaves and coffee makers, all draw energy when not being used. Why are we paying for all this electricity?
Computers that are left on all the time use up quite a bit of energy as well. Putting them into sleep mode (automatically, from the power savings settings) uses as low as 1% of the energy as when turned on.

5. Install a programmable thermostat
Heating and cooling are the cause of up to half the energy use at home, so any efficiency gained will be a large impact. One of the largest inefficiencies here is managing temperatures. Ideally, temperatures should be adjusted (down for winter, up for summer) when no one will notice. For example, in a typical home where everyone is out during the day (work, school) and sleeps for 8 hours at night, the only time the temperature needs to be set for optimal comfort is the time between coming home and going to sleep.
If the temperature during "off hours" is adjusted by just 2 degrees you could save up to 800kg CO2 per year. This one is a no-brainer especially since programmable thermostats are very cheap ($30-$100), will easily pay for themselves in the first year of use, and take no effort once installed. It will even save you effort if you used to try to remember to manually adjust the temperature.

4. Eat less meat
Somewhat surprisingly, some recent studies have suggested that if the average meat-eater were to become vegetarian they would reduce more CO2 per year than if they traded in their average vehicle for a hybrid. There is still much debate about how much full lifecycle impact meat causes, but at this point it seems fair to say it's significant.
This isn't to say that everyone should become vegetarian. The typical person of developed countries consumes 224 grams of meat per day, probably higher in North America. By comparison the average person in Africa consumes 31 grams per day. Studies estimate that if the global average was 90 grams per day the impact of livestock production would not be accelerating climate change.

Most people in western countries eat meat at both lunch and dinner. If we only ate meat for one of those meals per day we could be more than half-way to a sustainable level of consumption.

3. Try alternate forms of transportation
A significant portion of why developed countries, especially North America, consume so much energy is our addiction to personal vehicles. Think about the way we tend to live, all spread out in the suburbs of major cities. Then each morning we climb into our vehicle (one person per vehicle) and drive an average of 20-30 minutes back into the city to work. We sit there, stopped in traffic, with the millions of other people doing the same thing, and for some reason we think we like doing it. Some of the Ideas like ‘Take a walk’ and ‘Car Pooling’ are better to follow.,!
More attention has been paid lately to the fact that this lifestyle is not at all sustainable. There are a few ways we can help improve on this:
· Try taking public transportation, it's often a lot more convenient than we think. For example, try taking the subway downtown for dinner rather than driving and save the headaches of traffic and parking. This isn't possible in all places but look for ways it might help.
· Carpooling reduces a lot of CO2 emissions and it's very easy with a little forethought. Carpool when going out for dinner with friends. If you live near someone from work, and are unsure if daily carpooling will work for you, suggest trying it one day a week that you know your schedules will be similar. If it works well increase it. Think of the massive amount of CO2 this will reduce.
· If you live close enough to work try walking or biking a few days a week. It has worked very well for me to bike for 30 minutes to work. Not only do I get regular exercise but it's a great stress-reliever on the way home.
· Walk or bike to the grocery store sometimes.
· Look for alternatives to flying. The fuel consumption per passenger by airplanes is much higher than all other forms of transportation, more than double that of trains and cars. Trains in Europe are great and typically much easier than flying. Trains are not as feasible in North America (when speed is important) for cross-continent trips, but are great within the same geographic region.

2. Consider sustainability with every new purchase
Sustainability will impact all aspects of our lives as awareness increases and as the bad effects of our current lifestyles become more obvious. Here are a few items to think about that don't require any sacrifice but can have a large impact:
· Look for products with a minimal amount of packaging.
· When considering moving look at what is within walking distance. If you see 2 homes that are otherwise relatively equal, try picking the one that has more close-by.
· Paying slightly more for a very efficient appliance now will likely save you money in the long-term.
· If you have a choice of 2 products (most obvious for fresh fruits and vegetables) where one is local and the other isn't, choose the local one.
· Look for the most fuel-efficient vehicle within the class you want. Any extra cost would likely be paid back within a few years due to gas savings, but calculate the difference to be sure.
· Bottled water really is very unsustainable, a huge waste of energy, and possibly the most brilliant marketing scam ever. When else would you ever consider paying a lot of money for something you can get for free at home already? Consider using a filter at home instead.

1. Tell your friends
Don't hide the fact that you are making changes in your life to be more sustainable. I'm not saying to annoy your friends by telling them everything you do, but do talk about it with pride. Think of this as a good kind of pyramid scheme. If 5 of your friends decide to install a few CF bulbs because of you, and 5 of each of their friends, etc, just think how much CO2 that will reduce.
Small suggestions such as offering to carpool when going out with friends can also ensure more people think about it in the future.

Top 10 Business Ideas for 2010

2010-03-31T10:18:00.001+05:30

Over the holidays, we reviewed all of the smart new business ideas we covered in 2009, and selected 10 that we believe will provide entrepreneurs with plenty of opportunities in 2010. Needless to say, it was a huge challenge to pick just 10 from such a wide range of innovative concepts. We hope you'll find our selection as inspiring as we did!

1. Small-scale food production using membership models
The past year or two saw a huge increase in innovative, upscale mobile food purveyors working from trucks and selling everything from premium ice-cream to Korean BBQ tacos. Requiring an even lower investment, the next wave could be small-scale culinary subscription services, which allow fledgling entrepreneurs to get a foothold in the food business, and create a steady income and a loyal client base for future business activities.

2. Low impact advertising
Realising that green concerns are here to stay, British media agency Curb offers nothing but low-impact advertising. Its first service used rainwater to clean logos into grubby pavements, and was quickly followed by other techniques that use sand, sea water, grass, glow-in-the-dark funghi and more to broadcast their clients' messages in an earth-friendly manner.

3. Health tracking devices
From wireless headbands that track sleep patterns to wearable gadgets that track every move, an increasing number of options is available for people who want to track their own health-related behaviour. Recording and relaying detailed information that was previously only available through medical monitoring, most of these devices aren't yet available worldwide, which creates a host of opportunities for distributors and localized versions.

4. Sample stores, cafes & vending machines
Sophisticated sampling—dubbed tryvertising by trendwatching.com—isn't new. On the rise, however, are dedicated spaces that facilitate sampling by a variety of brands, attracting consumers through the irresistible offer of free goods. Following sampling stores in Spain, sampling cafes in Tokyo and sample vending machines in Belgium, we suspect this concept will spread even further in 2010.

5. Discreet rooftop solar panels and wind turbines
While most homeowners would in theory like to generate their own wind or solar power, many are put off not just by cost, but by the aesthetic impact of wind turbines and solar panels. Aiming to resolve that problem are smart engineers who are creating new options that blend in with their environment. Two promising examples: rooftop wind turbines that almost disappear along the apex of a sloping roof, and solar panels shaped like traditional clay roof tiles. Plenty of opportunities here over the next decade, both in distribution and in the development of similar products.

6. Rotating retail at airports and in malls
Pop-up, temporary retail is still going strong, but a new alternative has entered the game: rotating retail. Two spottings: opening soon in Glasgow Airport is Planeshop, a permanent store that brands will take over for a limited time, including changing the shop's exterior graphics to match their identity. And in the Netherlands, BrandNew Stores aims to turn those fleeting pop-up shops into a chain concept, creating fixed spaces where brands can temporarily present themselves in a regular retail environment.

7. Remote farming for consumers
According to Wikipedia, farm simulation game FarmVille has become the most popular game application on Facebook with 73.8 million active users in January 2010. Offering consumers a way to remotely control a patch of land that will actually provide them with an edible harvest is a new Italian start-up: Le Verdure Del Mio Orto, which lets anyone build an organic garden right from their web browser. As the produce grows, it's picked and delivered to the customer's door within 24 hours. Weekly deliveries are part of the package.

8. Connecting creative consumers with local fabricators
A partnership between New Zealand-based Ponoko and North Carolina-based ShopBot Tools, 100kGarages is a community of workshops distributed around the world that are equipped with the digital fabrication tools needed to precisely cut, machine, drill or sculpt the components of virtually any creative project. The network allows designers or consumers turn their ideas into physical products, and creates new business for small workshops.

9. Paying consumers to promote products they use and love
As our sister-site trendwatching.com pointed out in its sellsumers briefing, selling is the new saving: a recession-induced need for cash plus an ever-growing infrastructure are fueling concepts that help ordinary consumers make money instead of spending it. One of the easiest ways to do so is by taking on the role of marketeer for products they already use and love: from promoting concerts by their favourite bands, to helping small companies launch new products.

10. Single-use toilet bag turns human waste into fertilizer
While this is a numbered list, we love all of these ideas equally. So, last but not least, a potential solution to a problem that 2.6 billion people have to deal with: no access to a toilet. Designed for use sitting, squatting or standing, the single-use, biodegradable plastic Peepoo bag is lined with a urea-coated gauze layer that disinfects all waste. Used bags are odour-free for at least 24 hours and are safe for burial underground. Within two to four weeks after use, their contents are converted to high-quality fertiliser—something that's also rare in many areas and could become a source of income and further enrichment for individuals or villages.

10 Best Firefox Addons for Designers

2010-02-09T17:17:00.012+05:30

These 10 essential Firefox addons will make your life as a graphic and web designer much easier! The Firefox addons are extremely easy to install and you will be notified when new versions of the addons are available. I have hand picked all of these add ons and without further ado here are the 12 best Firefox addons for graphic designers!

1. ColorZilla 1.0

ColorZilla is an advanced eyedropper, color picker and measuring tool.

Download ColorZilla

2.Window Resizer

The Window Resizer addon allows you to resize your browser to common resolution sizes allowing you to view website designs in a variety of popular browsing dimensions.

Download Window Resizer

3.Web Developer

The Firefox Web Developer addons is one of the most popular addons for web designers. It has a variety off essential tools that allow you to code quality websites and troubleshoot problems easily.

Download Web Developer

4. Palette Grabber

Palette Grabber is a nifty little addon that creates a color palette for Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, GIMP, Flash, Fireworks, or OS X based on the current page you are viewing in your browser.

Download Grabber

5. GridFox

GridFox is a great Firefox extension that allows you to overlay a customizable grid on any website allowing you to make sure the grid you designer in your layout translate correctly to the web.

Download GridFox

6. FireShot

FireShot is a cool extension that allows you to take screenshots of your web pages and also has a set of built in annotation tools that allow you to add graphics and notes.

Download FireShot

7. FoxyTunes

FoxyTunes is a kick butt addon for anyone who listens to music while they design. It allows you to control almost any media player from your browser. You can also find lyrics, covers and so on.

Download FoxyTunes

8. MeasureIt

MeasureIt allows you to overlay a ruler on a browser page so you can verify width, height and alignment of page elements.

Download MeasureIt

9. IE Tab

IE Tab is a useful tool for designers who need to check to see if their website looks good in Internet Explorer. A simple click will switch you back to Firefox.

Download IE Tab

10. FireFTP

FireFTP is a free, secure, browser based FTP client that allows you to easily access your server via Firefox instead of having to launch a separate program.

Download FireFTP

10 Google uses you probably aren’t aware of

2010-01-26T17:51:00.007+05:30

Google never ceases to amaze me. This little startup is only about a decade old, and yet they have changed the world on a large and dramatic scale. Accessing information online has become so much more accurate than before they hit the scene and the business world has been changed forever as well. And it all started with a simple little search engine.

So, according to the stats, if you are reading this, you most likely are a Google user. There is a 18% chance that you still use Yahoo, and about a 10% chance that you are a Bing user. But regardless of what engine you use, experts predict that our daily search engine use is only going to increase over the next decade.

I know in my life I use Google probably twice as much as I did just a couple years ago. It’s kind of like opening Pandora’s box – as I learned that I could find answers to any question that ever crossed my mind, I began to use it more. And the cycle has continued.

1. Use Google as a Calculator

Try typing in “25 / 5″ in your Google search box. Google instantly turns into a calculator for you.

2. Track your flight (US)

By typing in your Carrier + Flight + your flight number you can get up to date status on your flight.

Ex : Southwest Flight 2175

3. Track your packages (USPS)

This one is particlularly interesting to me right now, as I have multiple Christmas gifts that I am still waiting on. So to use it just type “Track” and the tracking number and it will provide you with a link to get more info.

4. Conversions

If you type in “USD in INR” Google will tell you exchange rate for 1 USD in Indian rupee. It s applicable for distance measurement, Volume conversion and Mass Conversion.

5. Find someones address

You can just type in a home phone number and Google will provide the address and a link to a map and of course driving directions as well. If this freaks you out that your info is available like this, you can go to this page to find out how to get yourself removed.

6. Narrow your search

By using the minus sign you can eliminate certain search results. If you place a minus before any words it will eliminate pages with that word on it.

7. Find movie showtimes

Just type “movies” and your zip code to find out movie showtimes near you. Hit the “Showtimes for…” link and it will take you to lots of detailed info.

8. Listen to songs

If you have a song that you want to give a listen before you buy it and aren’t satisfied with the 30-second clip that iTunes offers, you can just Google the artist name and song title and give the song a full listen. It doesn’t pull results for every song, but if it doesn’t try Youtube.com.

9. Find a particular type of file

If you are looking for a PDF or Excel file in the search results you can just type “filetype:” and the file extension you are looking for along with any related keywords.

10. Find Bible references

I no longer use Bible search tools to find verses I am looking for. I just Google all the words I can remember from the verse and quickly by scrolling through the results I can usually tell what the reference is.

Top 10 Richest football clubs

2009-05-31T19:53:00.003+05:30

Following the economic upheavel, the world of sports too has experienced the pinch with most of the football clubs' revenue registering a marginal rise. As the broadcasting deal and season tickets are already in place, the effects of meltdown may not affect the soccer world immediately. However, the problem stares at them when it comes to renewals.

Against this backdrop football afficionados across the world were eagerly waiting for the Deloitte "Football Money League" report, which ranks the 20 biggest clubs based on revenue. The list, which includes only European clubs, was still dominated by the English with seven teams, though Spanish giant Real Madrid topped the chart.

The list saw Valencia, Celtic and Werder Bremen drop out of top 20 while Turkish club Fenerbahce make a place in the list for the first time.Here are the 20 richest soccer clubs as listed by accountancy firm Deloitte with their current revenue (last year revenue in brackets).

1. Real Madrid- 365.8 mn euros

Real Madrid retained the world's richest football club for the fourth consecutive year, thanks to the declining value of the pound. Real Madrid dethroned Manchester United as the richest football club in 2004-05 season. It has been clinging to the top spot since then.

Founded in 1902, Real Madrid has since spent all of its history in the top flight of Spanish football. Also known as Los Blancos, Los Merengues was voted by FIFA as the most successful club of the 20th century, having won a record 31 La Liga titles, 17 Spanish Cups, a record 9 European Cups and 2 UEFA Cups.

2. Manchester United - 324.8 mn euros

Even though Manchester United registered a 21% increase in revenues, they could not regain the top spot due to the plunging pound. Neither their record of winning the Premier League, European Champions League and being the current World Club Champions helped them to win back the coveted tag.

The Red Devils would have ended their season leading the Football Money League if the pound had not depreciated against the Euro.

Founded in 1878, the Red Devils is one of the most popular football clubs in the world, with over 330 million supporters worldwide, having won 10 Premier league, 11 FA cups, 3 European Cup/UEFA Champions League, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FIFA Cup.

3. Barcelona - 308.8 mn euros (290.1 mn)

Barcelona retained the third place on the list with total revenue exceeding 300 million euro for the first time with an increase of 18,7 million euro to 308,8 million euro. The Spanish league leader was provided with an uplift by individually negotiated broadcast contracts in place until 2013-14.

Barcelona or better known as Barca were one of the founding members of La Liga in 1928, and, together with Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, they have never been relegated from the top division. Barcelona which was founded in 1899 were also the first La Liga champions. they have won a total of 18 La Liga, 24 Copa del Rey, 7 Supercopa de España, 2 UEFA Champions League, 4 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, 3 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and 2 European Super Cup trophies.

4. Bayern Munich - 295.3 mn euros (223.3 mn)

Bayern is the most significant movers in the table, climbing from seventh to fourth, above Chelsea (fifth) and Arsenal (sixth), on the back of increased matchday revenues following their full acquisition of their Allianz Arena stadium.

FC Bayern Munich is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful club in German football.The club was founded in 1900 by 11 football players and has won 21 German Championships, 6 League Cup, 2 Intercontinental Cup, 4 UEFA Championship Leauge/European Cup and 1 UEFA Cup.

5. Chelsea - 268.9 mn euros (283.0 mn)

Strangled by a spate of coach sackings, Chelsea has revealed a £65.7m ($95m) loss for the financial year to the end of June 2008, pushing them two rungs down to fifth place on the list. They had to pay a total of £23m in compensation to Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant and five coaches who left the club during the year.

Founded in 1905, Chelsea,also known as The Blues,play in Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions 3 times, and have won the FA Cup 4 times, the League Cup 4 times and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 2 times.

6. Arsenal - 264.4 mn euros (263.9mn)

Failed by the commercial and marketing revenues Arsenal Arsenal slipped one place down to be ranked 6th richest soccer club. Since the club has a massive earning potential they are contemplating to embark on pre-season world tours to increase their revenue.

Arsenal Football Club, also known as The Gunners, was founded in 1886 and were the first Southern club to join the Football League, in 1893.It is based in Holloway, North London. Arsenal till date has won 13 English football Championships, 10 FA Cup, 2 League Cup and 1 European Cup Winners Cup.

7. Liverpool - 210.9 mn euros (198.9 mn)

Liverpool has gone up a place to seventh with a 25% increase in revenues.

Established in 1892, Liverpool is the most successful club in the history of English football. The club has won more trophies than any other English clubs with eighteen First Division titles, 7 FA Cups, 7 League Cups, 5 Eurpoean Cup and UEFA Champions League, which is an English record.

8. AC Milan - 209.5 mn euros (227.2 mn)

AC Milan, the richest Italian club however is 8th overall going two ranks down in the latest list.

Founded in 1899, AC Milan has won 18 officially recognised international titles, tied with Boca Juniors as having the most in the world. The club have won what is today known as the UEFA Champions League on seven occasions; only Real Madrid have won it more times (9). AC Milan is also one of the G-14’s founding members, a group that represented eighteen of the largest and most prestigious European football clubs before its disbandment.Milan has won 5 Coppa Italia, 3 UEFA Winners Cup, 3 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FIFA Club World Cup.

9. AS Roma - 175.4 mn euros (157.6 mn)

Founded by a merger three older Italian Football Championship clubs from the city of Rome in 1927, Roma have participated at the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence bar one season in the early 1950s. For their 57th season in a row, Roma are competing in Serie A for 2008–09. Roma has won 1 Inter Cities Cup/ UEFA Cup and Anglo Italian Cup.

10. Inter Milan -172.9 mn euros (195.0 mn)

According to the new figures released by the accounting firm Deloitte, Inter MIlan is the third richest club in Serie A with revenues of £136.9 million in the 2007-2008 season. However the Italian giant is ranked 10th overall, one place down from last year ranking.

Inter Milan founded in 1908 are the only side in Italian football to have spent their entire history in Serie A, making them the club with the most seasons spent in this top tier. Outside their homeland, the club has success in 2 UEFA Champions League, 3 UEFA Cup and 2 Intercontinental Cup.

Top 10 Money - wasters Beware !!!

2009-05-05T18:18:00.004+05:30

Kiplinger’s had an article about 10 things we overpay for - I think it should instead be titled “10 things we waste our money on!” We all have them, even the most frugal of the bunch has something they spend money on that maybe they feel slightly guilty about. While some things are worth paying more for, some are just money-wasters that happen to be more convenient at the moment.

Here are their 10 money-wasters…

Afternoon snacks. Protein bars, etc… At $2 or more a pop, this just isn’t a cheap snack. Eat an apple instead and you get to keep the doctor away as well…

Bottled water. Rather than spend $2 a day for water, buy a pitcher and a filter for about $20 and drink as much as you want for pennies a glass.

A caffeine fix. Stopping at Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts can set you back as much as $1.65 per cup. Splurge on a pound of gourmet coffee for $8 to $13 and you can make 40 cups for about 20 cents to 33 cents each.

Favorite music. Instead of paying up to $18 for the CD, download the individual songs from iTunes or Amazon.com for under a buck each.

A night at the movies. A night at the theater can be $20-$30. Borrow for free from the library, Redbox, or Netflix are much cheaper options.

Fresh-cut flowers. If you are going to get them, get them from the grocery store rather than the florist - or better yet, grow them yourself!

Fruits and veggies. Sure, precut vegetables and salad mixes that are washed and bagged save a little time. But unprocessed fruits and veggies are cheaper and better for you too!

Credit-card fees. Credit Card fees can be as much as $39 each time. Set up a bill payment schedule to avoid any more fees, and why not negotiate a better interest rate while you are at it….

ATM fees. If you are charged the average out-of-network ATM fee each week it adds up to over $180 a year. A better alternative: Get cash back at the grocery store.

Fax and mail services. Instead of paying FedEx $1.49 to fax one page, sign up to send free faxes from a provider such as FaxZero.com. Also, use the US Postal service to save money shipping!

For me, my guilty pleasure is going out to eat. Not McDonalds, but nicer meals with my wife. Thankfully I have learned to save money eating out over the last few years. What about you? Do you have any money-wasters that you have or haven’t get gotten control of?

Top 10 Home-Based Businesses for Stay-at-Home Parents

2009-04-27T20:26:00.002+05:30

When we are able to work at home it enables us to save time and earn more money. Working at home enables us to spend more time with the children. There a variety of different businesses that parent can do to earn money from home. You need to find a business that will enable you to work during the time that the children are at school. Here are some ideas of the top ten home based businesses that is great for parents to begin.

1. You can become a freelance writer. Do you remember those articles that you have read each year in your favorite magazine or online? Someone is being paid to write a variety of different articles each month. If you know a ton of information about a certain subject or career then you can write about it. You can write and sell articles if you are an expert in the field or love to do research. Some people write about personal experience and other people write about business experiences. Freelance writing is a wonderful profession that is always interesting and enables you to constantly learn new information. You can make up to several hundred dollars or more per article depending upon which market or company that buy your articles and it also depends upon which rights that you sell.

2. Do you love to teach and share your knowledge with other people? You can always start training classes or tutoring either online or at your home. If you are an expert in a field then you can give your knowledge to other people. This is another way to make money since you generate another source of income. People love to learn from the professionals. If you and your partner both have the same profession then this may be a great business for you both to start together.

3. You can write and sell books. You can write and sell books online as an e-book or in print. If you write a book about provides detailed information regarding a certain profession then you could possibly try to sell them at training classes too. You could write a few books about subjects that you know people would love to know about and would find useful. People love to read books about professions. If you decide to write a book then you need to let your readers know why you an expert.

4. Do you love to baby sit kids? You can start a daycare center. It enables you to earn extra money plus being able to stay at home with your kids. You need to check out the regulations for starting a daycare center in your home. If you and your partner decide to start a daycare center together then you should be able to generate quite a bit of money each month. You need to call around to the other daycare centers to ask about how much they charge per hour or week.

5. Are you an expert in HTML and love to create a website? You could always start making websites for other people. Some people don't want to hassle with making a website or don't have enough time. You can make more money when you create a website for large companies or a small business. You want to get business accounts as your clients in order to generate the most money possible. Companies know that it costs a few hundred dollars to get a website made professionally.

6. Do you love to do graphic design? You could always become a professional graphic designer. Companies will often pay several hundred dollars to have logos or slogans made by a professional. This is a great way to make some money on the sideline that can also work out great with web page design too. People want graphics that look great and professional along with being something that people will remember each time that they think of their company.

7. You can sell items on auction sites on the Internet. Auction sites are more fun than a regular yard sale. You can even get a commission from other people’s items if you decide to sell them on the auction sites. One of the most popular places to have auctions is at EBay. You can go to eBay at www.ebay.com to find out more information. Many people make a full time living just from selling stuff on auction sites each month.

8. You can start a magazine or newsletter. You can have people sign up to receive your newsletter or magazine each month. You can make money by selling advertising space. You can also generate more money by having customers pay a fee to receive the magazine or newsletter each month. It is quite easy to generate a newsletter if you have the correct software and enough information to fill up the space to make it complete.

9. You can start a website and sell advertising space on it. You can make quite a bit of money each month by offering advertising space to businesses. You are probably wondering if you can make enough money. You want your clients to be able to see that they are getting more clients due to the advertising space that they pay for on your website each month. You want your advertisers to advertise something that is useful or interesting to people that is visiting your website each month.

10. You can become an affiliate with one of the various affiliate programs on the Internet. You will get a percentage of each sale that you make each month. You can also sell stuff just online each month or even offline each month depending upon what type of products or services that you are selling. You can also get money from affiliate programs by getting people to sign up under you each month. It is another way to generate more money each month.

Ten ideas for maximizing the effectiveness of time

2009-04-23T18:52:00.003+05:30

Over the last few years, I’ve read a ton of time management books and tried out literally hundreds of systems and standalone ideas for maximizing the effectiveness of my time, particularly in terms of my work.

There’s a huge, direct benefit for me when I find a productivity tip that really works. It enables me to get more work done in the same amount of time (allowing me to “grow” The Simple Dollar by writing in more venues or doing other things) or get the same amount of work done in less time (allowing me to spend more time with my family).

1. Avoid multitasking like the plague.

When I begin a big task, I shut off everything. I turn off my cell phone and the ringer on our home phone. I close my email program. I shut my office door. I choose music (or similar audio) that’s conducive to concentration. I set the clock to an hour or so. Then I bear down. I do the research. I write the article. I let everything else go. After about five minutes, I usually get into some sort of flow where I fail to even notice what time it is until my clock alerts me that the time is up. When I stop and step back, I usually realize that I’ve completed what seems like a lot of work, far more than I would have achieved with interruptions.

2. Keep a notebook / PDA with you and write down your thoughts.

For years, I used a simple Mead pocket notebook to do this. Quite often now, though, I simply jot the note down using my iPod Touch. I use Evernote to do this. Evernote allows me to see my notes, edit them, and add new ones on my iPod Touch even when I’m offline, but I can access these notes, edit them, and add new ones from any web browser as well. There’s also a useful client program for Windows and for Macs, which I leave open all the time in case an idea pops into my head when I’m working on something - I just switch to Evernote, jot it down, then go back to my main task very, very quickly.

3. Keep an “inbox” and process it once or twice a day.

I usually keep two separate “inboxes” - one on the computer and one on the left side of my desk. I pick through each of these at least once a day, usually at the end of the day. I make it my goal to deal with everything in some fashion, so I usually spend time adding to my idea file, taking care of little tasks, adding things to tomorrow’s to-do list , updating my calendar, updating my grocery list, and so on.

The biggest challenge I had to work through with this was not simply making another pile out of things that needed filing and things that need further reading (like notes for a future post)

4. Keep a project list - and focus on it at least an hour a day.

I keep a “to-do” list that is a maximum of thirty items long for such projects. I use Remember the Milk to keep this list. I order it by the day that I add a task to the list, so that the oldest one is always at the top of the list. If the list has thirty projects on it and I want to add another one, I simply delete the one on top of the list. When I want to work on something, I start at the top of the list and go down the list until I find one that’s compelling for me to work on at the moment.

This works amazingly well for me. If a task reaches the top of the list and I haven’t taken significant action on it, it’s because on some level I’ve realized that I’m not really that interested in the project. It also keeps my “project list” from getting impossibly big, making it feel like a realistic thing to manage.

5. Keep a SHORT to-do list for each day - four items, max.

Again, I use Remember the Milk for this. I just add items throughout the day to my lists, then at the end of the day, I fill up tomorrow’s list to four items with tasks that always need done - drafting posts, researching a particular angle, and so on.

Each day, I live by this list. I close out distractions and focus on one item on the list until it’s done. Then, I do all of my routine tasks in the gaps between these big jobs. If things go well, I might steal an item from the next day’s to-do list if I have time for a fifth thing.

6. Check email only twice a day.

I check my email twice a day. I often do one email session while eating lunch, then a second session just before finishing up tomorrow’s to-do list and quitting for the day (on occasion, I’ll do a third one in the morning before the kids wake up, but this one is often interrupted). My goal with each session is to clear out my inbox - I deal with every message immediately unless it involves a task that’s going to take more than five minutes or so.

7. File things once a day.

I just made a filing system that makes sense to me, since these are just documents for my own use. Six folders (”to-read,” “2009 receipts,” “post ideas,” “prospectuses,” “2009 account statements,” and “other”). Within each folder, everything is dated and ordered chronologically. It works like a charm for me - I usually have a great idea of when I put things in there, so it’s quite quick to find them. Filing a day’s worth of items takes less than a minute and I’ve had no trouble finding a single thing.

8. Start your day with your major creative or thought-intensive task.

Whenever I look at the day’s to-do list, I always choose the item that seems to be the most thought intensive. That means I do my heaviest thinking earlier in the day, usually ending with an afternoon task or two that doesn’t require nearly as much active thought. I’ll do creative work in the mornings and things like interviews in the afternoon, for example.

9. Take lots of microbreaks (or at least switch to very different tasks regularly).

Whenever I finish an isolated block, I take a five minute break. I get up from my desk, walk downstairs, get a drink of water, use the bathroom, stretch a bit, and maybe grab a very small snack (like a granola bar or a piece of fruit).

Doing this has basically eliminated the mid-afternoon energy lull I used to have - around two, I would basically hit a wall and not be productive for the rest of the day. Now, I can keep going until … well, read the next tip.

10. Don’t overwork.

If I feel myself starting to slip at the end of a day, I stop. I finish up my day and move on to something else.

Burning myself out with regards to my work is incredibly dangerous and something I take great pains to avoid. Stopping early might slightly reduce my productivity for that given day, but it doesn’t drag down my long-term productivity at all - if anything, it does the opposite, because I’m not burnt out the next day.

Top 10 Transparent Animals!

2009-04-20T19:27:00.002+05:30

Here are the most interesting transparent animals, from icefish to jellyfish to frogs to butterflies! Nature sure is very interesting!

Transparent Frog

Native to Venezuela, the Glass Frogs belong to the amphibian family Centrolenidae (order Anura). While the general background coloration of most glass frogs is primarily lime green, the abdominal skin of some members of this family is transparent, so that the heart, liver, and digestive tract are visible through their translucent skin. (Photo by Heidi and Hans-Jurgen Koch)

Transparent Head Fish

This bizarre deep-water fish called the Barreleye (Macropinna microstoma) has a transparent head and tubular eyes. It has extremely light-sensitive eyes that can rotate within his transparent, fluid-filled shield on its head, while the fish's tubular eyes, well inside the head, are capped by bright green lenses. The eyes point upward (as shown here) when the fish is looking for food overhead. They point forward when the fish is feeding. The two spots above the fish's mouth are not eyes: those are olfactory organs called nares, which are analogous to human nostrils. (Photo by MBARI)

Transparent Butterfly

Found in Central America, from Mexico to Panama, the Glasswing Butterfly (Greta Oto) is a brush-footed butterfly where its wings are transparent. The tissue between the veins of its wings looks like glass. (Photo by Hemmy)

Transparent Squid

Found on the southern hemisphere's oceans, the Glass Squid (Teuthowenia pellucida) has light organs on its eyes and possesses the ability to roll into a ball, like an aquatic hedgehog. It is prey of many deep-sea fish (eg goblin sharks) as well as whales and oceanic seabirds. (Photo by Peter Batson)

Transparent Zebrafish created by scientists

This see-through zebrafish was created in 2008 by scientists so they can study disease processes, including the spread of cancer. The transparent fish are allowing researchers at Children's Hospital Boston to directly view fish's internal organs and observe processes such as tumor growth in real-time in living organisms. (Photo by LS)

Transparent Icefish

Fund in the cold waters around Antarctica and southern South America, the crocodile icefish (Channichthyidae) feed on krill, copepods, and other fish. Their blood is transparent because they have no hemoglobin and/or only defunct erythrocytes. Their metabolism relies only on the oxygen dissolved in the liquid blood, which is believed to be absorbed directly through the skin from the water. This works because water can dissolve the most oxygen when it is coldest. In five species, the gene for myoglobin in the muscles has also vanished, leaving them with white instead of pink hearts. (Photo by uwe kils)

Transparent Amphipod

Called Phronima, this unusual animal is one of the many strange species recently found on an expedition to a deep-sea mountain range in the North Atlantic. In an ironic strategy for survival, this tiny shrimplike creature shows everything it has, inside and out, in an attempt to disappear. Many other small deep-sea creatures are transparent as well, or nearly so, to better camouflage themselves in their murky surroundings, scientists say. (Photo by David Shale)

Transparent Larval Shrimp

Found in the in the waters around Hawaii, this transparent larval shrimp piggybacks on an equally see-through jellyfish. (Photo by Chris Newbert/Minden Pictures)

Transparent Salp

This jellyfish-like animals known as Salps feed on small plants in the water called phytoplankton (marine algae). They are transparent, barrel-shaped animals that can range from one to 10cm in length. (Photo by DM)

Transparent Jellyfish

Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. They are found in every ocean, from the surface to the deep sea. Many jellies are so transparent that they are almost impossible to see. The one above is from the Arctapodema genus, with a size of an inch-long (2.5-centimeter-long). (Photo by Bill Curtsinger)

Top ten reasons managers become great

2009-04-18T09:17:00.001+05:30

1. Enjoy helping people grow. Few things feel better than helping someone who is new to a role, or who has been struggling, into becoming a productive, confident person. There’s a kind of satisfaction in helping someone figure out how to be successful that doesn’t come from many other living experiences. Great mangers love seeing this happen on their teams.

2. Love creating positive environments. A great manager creates a team and and office environment that makes it easy for smart people to do good things. They love that moment when they wander the halls and see all sorts of amazing things happening all on their own, with passionate, motivated people doing good work without much involvement from the manager.

3. Want to correct mistakes inflicted on them. Some great managers are looking to undo the evil managers they had. Rather than take it out on their subordinates, they want to do a kind of pay it forward revenge: prove to themselves and the world that it can be better that what happened to them in the past. This can create the trap of fighting the last war: your team may not care at all about avoiding the mistakes of your previous manager. They want to avoid the mistakes you, and your blind spots, are probably making right now.

4. Care deeply about the success and well being of their team. Thoroughbred horses get well cared for. Their owners see them as an expensive asset and do whatever they can to optimize their health, performance, and longevity, even if their motivations are largely selfish. A great manager cares deeply about their staff, and goes out of his way to protect, train, care for, and reward their own team, even if their primary motivation is their own success.

5. Succession mentality. A successful manager eventually realizes their own leadership will end one day, but if they teach and instill the right things into people who work for them, that philosophy can live on for a long time, long after the manager is gone. This can go horribly wrong (See, history of monarchies) but the desire to have a lasting impact generally helps people think on longer term cycles and pay attention to wider trends short term managers do not notice.

6. Long term sense of reward. Many of the mistakes managers make involve reaping short term rewards at the expense of long term loyalty and morale. Any leader who inverts this philosophy, and makes short term sacrifices to provide long term gains, will generally be a much better manager. They recognize the value of taking the time to explain things, to build trust, to provide training, and to build relationships, all of which results in a kind of team performance and loyalty the short term manager never believes is possible.

7. Practice of the golden rule. It’s funny how well known this little gem is, and rare in life people follow it. But I think anyone in power who believes in it, and treats all of their employees the same way they truly would want to be treated, or even better, treats employees as they actually want to be treated, will always be a decent, above average manager. A deeply moral person can’t help but do better than most people, as treating people with respect, honesty and trust are the 3 things I suspect most people wish they could get from their bosses.

8. Self aware, including weaknesses. This is the kicker. Great leaders know what they suck at, and either work on those skills or hire people they know make up for their own weaknesses, and empower them to do so. This tiny little bit of self-awareness makes them open to feedback and criticism to new areas they need to work on, and creates an example for movement in how people should be growing and learning about new things.

9. Sets tone of healthy debate and criticism. If the boss gives and takes feedback well, everyone else will too. If the boss is defensive, passive-aggressive, plays favorites, or does other things that work against the best idea winning, everyone else will play these destructive games. Only a boss who sees their own behavior as a model the rest of the organization will tend to follow can ever become a truly great manager. Without this, they will always wonder why the team behaves in certain unproductive ways that are strangely familiar.

10. Willing to fight, but picks their battles. Great managers are not cowards. They are willing to stake their reputation and make big bets now and then (I’d say at least once a year, as a totally random, put possibly useful stake in the ground). However they are not crazy either. They are good at doing political math and seeing which battle is worth the fight at a given time. A manager that never fights can never be great - they will never have enough skin in the game to earn the deepest level of respect of the people that work for them. But a manager that always fights is much worse. They continually put their own ego ahead of what their team is capable of.

(Bonus!) Instinctively corrects bad behavior within their team. True story: on a new team I once saw a mid level manager make a personal attack of a junior employee in front of the VP. I looked at the VP, expecting him to jump in. He did nothing. Not a thing. Message to team? It’s ok to pick on people if you outrank them.Micromanaging is never good, but correcting destructive behavior, is always appropriate even if you have to jump levels to do it (Sure, perhaps there was an offline conversation. But something like this was so egregious it should have been corrected on the spot). Nothing builds morale and respect faster than a manager who jumps in to the fray to defend someone who is being picked on by a bully, except perhaps a manager who gets rid of the bully altogether.

Top 10 Mysterious Diseases

2009-04-02T20:02:00.006+05:30

There are many sicknesses doctors can cure with the swish of a pen across a prescription pad. But for all we understand now about some illnesses, there are even more that still stump the pros, confound the public and rage on uncontested.

Morgellons disease

This mysterious illness, which has cropped up again recently, displays almost sci-fi symptoms. Sufferers complain of intensely creepy-crawly skin and odd fibrous strands which protrude from open wounds. Some in the medical community blame the "disease" on psychotic delusion, but others say the symptoms are very real.

Chronic fatigue syndrome

Chronic fatigue is a classic MUPS (medically unexplained physical symptoms) disease, with a diagnosis based only on the ruling out of other possibilities. More than just feeling a little tired, CFS patients are often bed-ridden for days at a time.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

One version of this rare brain disorder is better known "mad cow" and can be contracted by eating contaminated beef. "Regular" CJD is also always fatal, quick-acting and is the most common form, but develops in most patients for reasons doctors have yet to figure out and can not prevent.

Schizophrenia

Experts consider this the most puzzling of mental disorders, one which robs the sufferer of the ability to logically distinguish between reality and fantasy. Symptoms range wildly between patients and include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and lack of motivation or emotion, but the disease has no defining medical tests.

Autoimmune disorders

A catch-all term for a host of afflictions including lupus and MS, autoimmune disorders treat the body's organs and normal functions as enemy invaders. They're usually chronic, always debilitating, and doctors can do little except ease their symptoms.

Pica

People diagnosed with Pica have an insatiable urge to eat non-food substances like dirt, paper, glue and clay. Though it is believed to be linked with mineral deficiency, health experts have found no real cause and no cure for the peculiar disorder.

Avian flu

Humans have no immunity to this powerful flu virus carried by birds, which health officials fear could mutate into a strain that can be transmitted between humans. Death rates for infected humans are around 50 percent, but, so far, humans have been infected mostly by direct handling of infected birds. A recent cluster of cases, however, appeared to involve its spread between people.

The common cold

Even with an estimated 1 billion cases in the United States every year, doctors still know very little about the nose-running, cough-inducing cold, whose root causes number in the hundreds. Time and chicken soup, not antibiotics, is often the only prescription that helps.

Alzheimer's disease

Not to be confused with the forgetfulness that affects most everyone in their later years, Alzheimer's is a degenerative brain disorder that manifests differently in each of its sufferers. The exact cause isn't understood and it can't yet be effectively treated.

AIDS

Twenty-five years since it was first identified, there is still no cure for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS remains among the world's most potent killers, especially in developing countries. The disease likely started with the virus jumping from a chimp to a human, recent research confirmed.

Top 10 People with Incredible Abilities : Real-life Superheroes

2009-03-19T19:03:00.002+05:30

With so many superhero movies around, such as Spiderman or Hulk, we are used to see people with special abilities in fiction. But people with amazing abilities actually do exist in real life; here's a list of 10 of the most amazing of these people!

1. The Incredible Brain (Daniel Tammet)

Daniel Paul Tammet is a British high-functioning autistic savant gifted with a facility for mathematical calculations, sequence memory, and natural language learning. He was born with congenital childhood epilepsy. Experiencing numbers as colors or sensations is a well-documented form of synesthesia, but the detail and specificity of Tammet's mental imagery of numbers is unique. In his mind, he says, each number up to 10,000 has its own unique shape and feel, that he can "see" results of calculations as landscapes, and that he can "sense" whether a number is prime or composite. He has described his visual image of 289 as particularly ugly, 333 as particularly attractive, and pi as beautiful. Tammet not only verbally describes these visions, but also creates artwork, particularly watercolor paintings, such as his painting of Pi.

Tammet holds the European record for memorising and recounting pi to 22,514 digits in just over five hours. He also speaks a variety of languages including English, French, Finnish, German, Spanish, Lithuanian, Romanian, Estonian, Icelandic, Welsh and Esperanto. He particularly likes Estonian, because it is rich in vowels. Tammet is creating a new language called Mänti. Tammet is capable of learning new languages very quickly. To prove this for the Channel Five documentary, Tammet was challenged to learn Icelandic in one week. Seven days later he appeared on Icelandic television conversing in Icelandic, with his Icelandic language instructor saying it was "not human."

2. The Boy with Sonar Vision (Ben Underwood)

Ben Underwood taught is blind, both of his eyes were removed (cancer) when he was 3. Yet, he plays basketball, rides on a bicycle, and lives a quite normal life. He taught himself to use echo location to navigate around the world. With no guide-dogs, he doesn't even need hands: he uses sound. Ben makes a short click sound that bounces back from objects. Amazingly, his ears pick up the ecos to let him know where the objects are. He's the only person in the world who sees using nothing but Eco location, like a sonar or a dolphin.

3. The Rubberboy (Daniel Browning Smith)

Five time Guiness Record holder, The Rubberboy is the most flexible man alive and the most famous contortionist. He has been in many professional basketball or baseball games and on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, ESPN's Sports Center, Oprah Winfrey, Ripley's Believe It or Not, Cirque du Soleil, Best Damn Sports Show Period, The Discovery Channel, Men in Black 2, HBO's Carnivale, and CSI: NY and American got a talent. He dislocates his arms to crawl through an unstrung tennis racquet. He performs contortion handstands and unique acrobatics.

4. Mister Eat-it-All (Michel Lotito)

Michel Lotito (born 1950) is a French entertainer, famous as the consumer of undigestables, and is known as Monsieur Mangetout (Mister Eat-it-all). Lotito's performances are the consumption of metal, glass, rubber and so on in items such as bicycles, televisions, a Cessna 150, and smaller items which are disassembled, cut-up and swallowed. The aircraft took roughly two years to be 'eaten' from 1978 to 1980. He began eating unusual material while a child and has been performing publicly since 1966. Lotito does not often suffer from ill-effects due to his diet, even after the consumption of materials usually considered poisonous. When performing he consumes around a kilogram of material daily, preceding it with mineral oil and drinking considerable quantities of water during the 'meal'. He apparently possesses a stomach and intestine with walls of twice the expected thickness, and his digestive acids are, allegedly, unusually powerful, allowing him to digest a certain portion of his metallic meals.

5. King Tooth (Rathakrishnan Velu)

On August 30, 2007, the eve of Malaysia's 50th Independence Day, Rathakrishnan Velu (or Raja Gigi, as he is known locally) broke his own world record for pulling train with his teeth, this time with 6 coaches attached weighing 297.1 tons over a distance of 2.8 metres at the Old Kuala Lumpur Railway Station. Raja Gigi, from Tampin in Malaysia learned a technique of concentrating his powers to any part of his body from an Indian guru at a young age of 14.

6. The Magnetic Man (Liew Thow Lin)

Liew Thow Lin, a 70-year-old retired contractor in Malaysia, recently made news for pulling a car twenty meters along a level surface by means of an iron chain hooked to an iron plate on his midriff. He says that he discovered he had the amazing ability to make objects stick "magnetically" to his skin, and now he's added car-pulling to his repertoire. After reading an article about a family in Taiwan who possessed such power, he says he took several iron objects and put them on his abdomen, and to his surprise, all the objects including an iron, stuck on his skin and didn't fall down. Since this "gift'' is also present in three of his sons and two grandchildren, he figures it's hereditary.

7. The Man who doesn't Sleep (Thai Ngoc)

Sixty-four-year- old Thai Ngoc, known as Hai Ngoc, said he could not sleep at night after getting a fever in 1973, and has counted infinite numbers of sheep during more than 11,700 consecutive sleepless nights. "I don't know whether the insomnia has impacted my health or not. But I'm still healthy and can farm normally like others," Ngoc said. Proving his health, the elderly resident of Que Trung commune, Que Son district said he can carry two 50kg bags of fertilizer down 4km of road to return home every day. His wife said, "My husband used to sleep well, but these days, even liquor cannot put him down." She said when Ngoc went to Da Nang for a medical examination, doctors gave him a clean bill of health, except a minor decline in liver function. Ngoc currently lives on his 5ha farm at the foot of a mountain busy with farming and taking care of pigs and chickens all day. His six children live at their house in Que Trung. Ngoc often does extra farm work or guards his farm at night to prevent theft, saying he used three months of sleepless nights to dig two large ponds to raise fish.

8. The Torture King (Tim Cridland)

Tim Cridland doesn't seem to feel pain like the rest of people. He astounded everyone by pushing needles into his arms without flinching and he now performs a terrifying act for audiences all over America. Scientific tests have shown that Tim can tolerate much higher levels of pain than are humanly possible. He explains that, by using mind over matter, he is able to push skewers through his body and put up with extreme heat and cold unharmed - but to do this safely he has extensively studied human anatomy, because puncturing an artery could be fatal.

9. The Lion Whisperer (Kevin Richardson)

Animal behaviourist Kevin Richardson says he relies on instinct to win the hearts and form an intimate bond with the big cats. He can spend the night curled up with them without the slightest fear of being attacked. His magic works not only work for lions but other animals such as cheetahs, leopards and even hyenas do not hold a threat against him. Lions are his favorites and its a wonder how he can play, carress, cuddle with them whose teeth are sharp enough to bite through thick steel. Its a dangerous job but to Kevin, its more of a passion for him.

10. The Eye-Popping Man (Claudio Pinto)

Claudio Pinto can pop both of his eyes 4 cm (about 1 and a half inch) or 95% out of their sockets. He's now aiming (poppin'?) for a world record. Mr Pinto has undergone various tests and doctors say they have never seen or heard of a person who can pop the eyes as much as him. Mr Pinto, from Belo Horizonte, said: "It is a pretty easy way to make money. "I can pop my eyes out four centimetres each, it is a gift from God, I feel blessed."

Top 10 technology breakthroughs of 2008

2009-02-15T15:32:00.000+05:30

Wired News has outlined a list of the top ten technology breakthroughs of 2008. Check them out. . .

The top ten technology breakthroughs of 2008 are:

1. Apple's App Store

Apple's App Store has made creating and distributing mobile applications for cellphone users easy - jumpstarting the mobile-app development market and creating clones such as the Android Market.

It even forced Research in Motion to offer a BlackBerry Application Storefront.

2. Android

The T-Mobile HTC G1 phone scores with its operating system, Android, the free mobile operating system from Google. It's the first mobile OS to make its debut in years and the G1 is just the first of what will be many phones that use it.

3. USB 3.0

USB 3.0 will be 10 times faster than the current USB 2.0 standard, and will increase the amount of electrical current that can be delivered through a USB cable.

4. Video-Capable SLRs

This year, two new cameras, the Nikon D90 and the Canon 5D Mark II not only capture top-notch still images, but let the photographer shoot high-definition videos as well.

5. The Memristor

The discovery of the "memristor," or memory transistor will make it possible to develop computer systems that remember what's stored in memory when they are turned off.

That means computers that don't need to be booted up and systems that are far more energy efficient than the current crop

6. GPS

This year, the Global Positioning System (GPS) has been used in many new technologies, from the iPhone 3G and the T-Mobile G1 to notebooks such as Fujitsu's LifeBook series.

7. Flash Memory

Flash memory is a mainstay of most consumer electronics products, from ultralight notebooks to digital cameras and media players.

8. Speedo LZR

Speedo's new LZR swimsuit blends new materials and a dose of NASA rocket science to boost the speeds of elite swimmers -- legally.

9. Edible Chips

Soon, tiny edible chips will track when patients take their pills (or don't) and monitor the effects of the drugs they're taking. Proteus, a Redwood City, California, company, has created tiny chips out of silicon grains that, once swallowed, activate in the stomach.

The chips send a signal to an external patch that monitors vital parameters such as heart rate, temperature, state of wakefulness or body angle.

10. Flexible Displays to be a reality by 2010 or 2011

For years, researchers have worked on thin, paper like displays that can be folded, rolled or sewn into the sleeve of your hoodie.

Flexible displays could change the way we interact with the info-universe, creating new kinds of cellphones, portable computers, e-newspapers and electronic books.

Web application collections

2009-01-27T21:41:00.000+05:30

These are the web application what we have in web., it includes everything what we are looking for in our daily life., these collection may be useful to you., check it and enjoy

Communication/E-mail
Dimdim: open-source web conferencing application; free basic service
I Want Sandy: keeps track of daily details
Jott: voice-to-text service for creating notes, lists, e-mails and text messages; free basic service
Oovoo: video messaging, chatting and conferencing
Paltalk: group IM, chat and video call application
Plugoo: direct chatting with any blog or site visitor
YouSendIt: send files up to 2GB; free basic service

Storage
Adrive: 50GB of online storage and backup for all file types; free basic service
JZip: data compression utility
Mozy: 2GB of online, data and remote backup solutions; free basic service

Financial
BizEquity: company valuations
Mint: personal finance, money management, budget planning and financial planning software
MyBizHomepage: financial dashboard for small business QuickBooks users
QuickBooks: small-business accounting software; free download (Simple Start 2008)
Wesabe: financial advice, analysis and planning

Content/Media/Video
Audacity: open-source software for cross-platform audio recording
Blip.tv: video blogging, podcasting and video sharing service; free basic service
BlogTalkRadio: radio network for users to host their own shows
DropShots: video hosting and photo sharing
FeedBurner: media distribution services for blogs and RSS feeds
Fix My Movie: video enhancement service; free basic service
Paint.NET: image and photo editing software
Phixr: picture and photo editor
Seesmic: video conversation platform
SlideShare: share and embed slideshows, PowerPoints and PDFs into web pages
VideoSpin: video-editing software

Marketing/Networking/PR
Blogger: blog publishing tool
Craigslist: online classifieds and job postings network
CollectiveX: create social networking and collaboration sites for groups
Entrepreneur Connect: Entrepreneur's social networking site
LinkedIn: business social networking site
Pligg: open-source, community-centric site for discovering, rating and sharing content
PolicyMap: geographic and demographic information system for creating custom maps, tables and charts; free basic service
YouNoodle: networking for startups and valuation with Startup Predictor
Your Pitch Sucks?: PR pitch reviewing and advising

Office Productivity/Organizational
Adobe Buzzword: collaborative word processor application
CutePDF Writer: PDF creator; free basic service
Dabble DB: create, manage and share online databases; free basic service
Doodle: schedule and coordinate meetings and other appointments
FreshBooks: invoicing, time-tracking and expense service; free basic service
Google Calendar: shareable calendar and schedule organizer
Google Docs: collaborative word processor and spreadsheet applications
OpenOffice.org: open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets and more
Stikkit: organization and reminder system that integrates with productivity applications
SurveyMonkey: create and publish custom online surveys; free basic service
ThinkFree Office: office productivity suite; free basic service
WuFoo: HTML form builder for creating interactive forms; free basic service
Zoho: office, productivity and collaboration applications

Project Management/Collaboration
LogMeIn: remotely support and access digital information; free basic service
ProjectStat.us: project management solution and updates
Project2Manage: collaborative project management solution
Remember the Milk: task management solution and to-do lists
Socialtext: wiki and website collaboration; free basic service
Team Task: collaborative project management and community website builder
Yugma: web meeting and collaboration service

Security
Adeona: open-source laptop tracking and recovery software
BitDefender Online Scanner: virus scanners; free basic service
ZoneAlarm: firewall protection from hackers and threats; free basic service

Web
Google Alerts: e-mail updates based on choice of query or topic
KickApps: platform of applications to integrate social features into a website
Microsoft Office Live Small Business: create a company website, domain and e-mail; free basic service
Synthasite: web hosting and building
Weebly: website and blog creator
Widgetbox: web widgets for various applications
Woopra: web tracking and analysis application; free basic service

Top 10 Airlines

2008-11-26T10:21:00.000+05:30

The World Airline Awards are based on the annual World Airline Survey by Skytrax - carried out between August 2007 and June 2008.

1. Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines has been ranked as the world's best airline for the 3rd time in a decade. The awards are given every year by the Skytrax, which conducts a world airline survey. Singapore Airlines also bagged the award for offering the 'Best Business Class'. Singapore Airlines took off with three flights per week in the beginning. Today, their network spans across 103 destinations in 41 countries. Singapore Airlines was ranked 17th in 'Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies' rankings in 2007. The airline is known the world over for its innovation, safety and service excellence and profitability. The airline boasts of excellent inflight telecommunication, entertainment services and luxurious amenities that make flying a memorable experience. The airline started its services on 1 May 1947. Singapore Airlines is also the first airline to fly the world's largest aircraft, the A380. The average age of the passenger fleet is about 6 years. Chew Choon Sen is the company's CEO.

2. Qantas

Qantas is the third best airline in the world. It also bagged an award for the 'Best First Class Lounge'. Qantas was founded in the Queensland outback in 1920. It was registered as the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited (QANTAS). The airline has a reputation for excellence in safety, operational reliability, engineering and maintenance, and customer service. Qantas is known as the world's leading long distance airline and one of the strongest brands in Australia. Its global route network covers more than 675 destinations in more than 130 countries. Geoff Dixon is the CEO.

3. Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific is ranked 2nd best airline in the world. It also bagged the award for the world's 'Best First Class', for their new onboard 1st Class product and service concept. Hong Kong?s largest airline, Cathay offers passenger and cargo services to 120 destinations worldwide. Cathay Pacific is one of only six airlines worldwide to carry a five-star rating from Skytrax. Cathay Pacific Airways was founded in Hong Kong on 24 September 1946 by former air force pilots Roy Farrell and Australian Sydney de Kantzow. The Cathay Pacific Group, including Dragonair and Air Hong Kong, now operates more than 150 aircraft to 130 destinations across the world. Eighteen years after the company was founded, it celebrated carrying one million passengers. Nine years later, in 1973, the airline had a record of one million people every year. Today, the airline flies about one million passengers each month. Tony Tyler is the CEO of the company.

4. Thai Airways

Thai Airways ranks fourth in the list of top 10 airlines. It also bagged the 4th place for the best cabin staff. Thai Airways International was founded in 1960 as a joint venture between Thailand's domestic carrier, Thai Airways Company (TAC) and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). On April 1, 1977, after a 17-year partnership with SAS, the Thai government bought out SAS' remaining 15% holding and Thai became fully owned by the Thai govt. Thai flies to 74 destinations in 34 countries on four continents. It has a fleet size of 88 aircraft. Chaisawasd Kittipornpaiboon is the Chairman of Thai Airways.

5. Air Emirates

Air Emirates is ranked as the 9th best airline in the world. It is the eighth-largest airline in the world in terms of international passengers carried. It ranks amongst the top 10 carriers worldwide in terms of revenue, and has become the largest airline in the Middle East in terms of revenue, fleet size, and passengers carried and the eighth largest airline in Asia, in terms of passengers carried. The airline operates over 3,710 passenger flights per week, to 91 destinations in 55 countries. During 2007-08, Emirates carried 21.2 million passengers. The airline was established on 25 May 1985 by the Dubai government and was supported by the founder of the German airline Germania, Hinrich Bischoff, in its initial years.

6. Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways, a 5-star airline is ranked No.7 in the world. It also bagged the award for? Best Airline? and 'Best Cabin Staff' for the Middle East region and 'Best Business Class Catering' category. Qatar has seen an average growth of 35 per cent year-on-year for the past 10 years. The airline is known for high quality services. Akbar Al Baker is the CEO. It has a fleet size of 65 aircraft flying to over 80 international destinations.

7. Asiana Airlines

Asiana Airlines from South Korea is the 5th best airline in the world. It also won an award for world's 'Best Cabin Staff' and award for 'Best Economy Class'. Asiana Airlines is known to offer one of the best services onboard. Formerly known as Seoul Airlines, Asiana flies to 12 domestic destinations and 73 international destinations in 17 countries worldwide. Asiana's headquarters and overseas hub is located at Incheon International Airport (near Seoul) and its domestic hub is at Gimpo International Airport. It has a fleet of 65 aircraft. Asiana was established on 17 February 1988 and started operations in December 1988 with flights to Busan. Asiana was awarded a 5-star rating by Skytrax. Kang Chu-Ahn is the CEO of the company.

8. Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand is the 8th best airline in the world. It offers passenger and cargo transport services within New Zealand, Australia, the South West Pacific, Asia, North America and the United Kingdom. Its main hub is Auckland Airport in New Zealand. Air New Zealand began as TEAL (Tasman Empire Airways Limited) in 1940. Today, it has a fleet of 60 aircraft. The airline has gained reputation for innovative and outstanding passenger services at a fair price. Rob Fyfe is the CEO of the company.

9. Malaysia Airlines

Malaysia Airlines is ranked the 6th best airline in the world. The flag carrier of Malaysia, it operates flights from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and its secondary hub in Kota Kinabalu. Malaysia Airlines maintains a strong presence in Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Middle East and on the Kangaroo route between Europe and Australasia. Malaysia Airlines has started its operations in 1987 after the airline changed its name from Malaysian Airline System. It was founded on 1947 by Malayan Airways. It started flying operations in 1947. In 1963, the airline was renamed Malaysian Airways Limited. Idris Jala is the managing director CEO of the airline. It is one of the six airlines to be given a 5-star status airline by Skytrax.

10. Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways jumps into the top ten leagues for the first time. Etihad Airways was set up as the National Airline of the United Arab Emirates in July 2003 by a Royal decree issued by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, then the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. Dr Sheikh Ahmed bin Saif Al Nahyan was appointed Chairman of the airline. The Abu Dhabi based Etihad Airways is expanding services at a fast pace. On November 12, 2003, the airline started commercial operations with the launch of a service to Beirut. Soon the company started adding one new route a month. By June 2006, it started flying to over 30 destinations. By 2010, the company plans to fly to 70 destinations. Etihad was the first to launch a direct flight from the UAE to Geneva (June 2004), Brussels and Toronto (October 2005) and first-ever non-stop flight from Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg.

Top 10 trekking vacations in world

2008-10-14T09:50:00.000+05:30

For travellers who enjoy getting away from it all, online site for adventure travel iExplore has come up with a list of the world's top 10 hiking and trekking vacation spots.

1. Annapurna Circuit, Nepal

The 186.5 mile (300 km), three-week Annapurna circuit gets you up close to some of the highest mountains in the Himalayas, and is considered the best hike in the world by many.

2. Appalachian Trail

Each year tens of thousands of people set off to complete the entire length of this 2,175 mile (3,500 km) trail that takes months to complete, while thousands of others hike just sections of the trail.

3. Santa Cruz Trek, Peru

It's a 4-day, 31 mile (50 km) hike through wildflower filled meadows, turquoise lakes, and near the highest snow capped peaks outside the Himalayas.

4. Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania

Apart from the snow-capped cone of Mount Kilimanjaro, the various routes take you through gorges and past Africa's amazing wildlife.

5. Tour de Mont Blanc, France/Italy/Switzerland

The 106-mile (171 km) trail near the highest peak in the Alps (15,780 feet or 4,810 metres) traverses three borders.

6. West Coast Trail, British Columbia

A 75 mile (121 km) coastal hike on Vancouver Island's pristine wilderness includes views of caves, cliffs, coves, beaches, shipwrecks, and much more.

7. Overland Track, Australia

The 80km (50 mile) Overland Track in Cradle Mountain and Lake St. Clair National Park in Tasmania is often considered Australia's best.

8. Torres del Paine, Chile

Torres del Paine National Park in the far south of Chile is home to two legendary trails: The Loop and the W.

9. John Muir Trail, California

Named after the founder of the Sierra Club, you will traverse Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks. Photographer Ansel Adams would be jealous.

10. Camino de Santiago, Spain

Hiking this 460 mile (740 km) pilgrimage footpath, a thousand year old tradition, leads to cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, the third holiest site in Christianity.

This list was compiled by iExplore (http://www.iexplore.com/) and is not endorsed by Reuters:

Top 10 World's Most Powerful Athletes

2008-10-06T20:30:00.000+05:30

#1 Tiger Woods

Tiger chalked up another monster year on and off the course in 2007. He won his ninth PGA Player of the Year award and a seventh Vardon Trophy (given to the PGA Tour's leader in scoring average) and was the top money winner for an eighth time. He won the inaugural FedEx Cup, adding a $10 million payout to his bursting retirement account. Off the links he parted ways with American Express after a decade together. He still has big contracts with Nike, Accenture Buick and Gillette. His latest endorsement: a five-year agreement for his own line of Gatorade drinks.

#2 David Beckham

Coming to America paid off for England's soccer sensation despite the injuries that plagued his first season with the Los Angeles Galaxy. His base salary with the team was only $5.5 million, but that figure more than doubled with his cut of the team's ticket, merchandise and sponsorship revenues. He added deals with Sharpie, Giorgio Armani and vitamin company GO3 to an existing roster of sponsorships that includes Adidas Motorola and Pepsi.

#3 LeBron James

King James added an NBA scoring title and his second All-Star Game MVP award to his list of accolades this season. His bank account got a boost from a new State Farm Insurance deal and the extension of one with Coca-Cola.

#4 Michael Jordan

The Jordan Brand is now an $800 million a year (in sales) business for Nike—and the royalty checks from that provide the bulk of Jordan's income. Now he's head of basketball operations for the Charlotte Bobcats.

#5 Kobe Bryant

This year the Lakers' shooting guard became the youngest player in NBA history to score 20,000 points. His endorsement portfolio includes Sony and Coca-Cola's VitaminWater, but his biggest paycheck comes from Nike.

#6 Phil Mickelson

Playing in the shadow of Tiger continues to be lucrative work for Phil the Thrill. The world's second-ranked golfer won $10 million on the course in the last year and pulled in another $35 million from appearance fees and sponsorship deals.

#7 Roger Federer

The world's top tennis player won $10 million in prize money in 2007—and another three grand slams. He recently signed up for 10 more years with Nike, one of the biggest deals ever in tennis. Federer's $41.8 million in prize money over his career puts him just $1.5 million behind Pete Sampras when it comes to all-time winnings. Look for Federer to pass Sampras later this year.

#8 Alex Rodriguez

The three-time American League MVP almost struck out when he opted out of his 10-year, $252 million contract with the New York Yankees in October to become a free agent. The Yankees and A-Rod reconciled, though, and the third baseman signed a new, 10-year, $275 million deal that includes $30 million in potential incentives based on historical home run records. Of the field, A-Rod has deals with Nike, Rawlings and Topps.

#9 Kimi Raikkonen

The "Iceman" became the highest paid driver in Formula One after Ferrari signed him to a three-year deal in the 2007 season. He earned it by winning the Formula One World Driver's Championship in his first year.

#10 Jeff Gordon

The Rainbow Warrior's 30 top 10 finishes in 2007 were a Nextel Cup Series record. Gordon has an equity stake in his own No. 24 car as well as that of the No. 48 car, raced by Jimmie Johnson, winner of the last two Nextel Cup Championships. Gordon has several personal sponsors, including General Motors, PepsiCo, Tag Heuer and Time Warner.

Top 10 Most Earning Models

2008-10-03T20:39:00.000+05:30

1. Gisele Bundchen

$35 Million
The highest-paid model said goodbye to Victoria's Secret in 2007, but still juggles 20 contracts.
The 27-year-old continues to bag new contracts, noticeably with Pantene and a cosmetics giant yet to be named. Her face graces ads for Disney, Nivea, Vogue eyewear and Aquascutum, the U.K.-based luxury line. Her line of Grendene sandals, Ipanema by Gisele, banks her about $6 million a year. And her romance with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady keeps her in the tabloids--she even escaped being blamed for the Patriots' loss to the Giants.

2. Heidi Klum

$14 Million
The second highest-paid model in the world is more of a media and retail mogul, with hit shows in two countries and lines of jewelry, jeans and skincare.

The 34-year-old model and mother of three (hubby is singer Seal) has renewed her Victoria's Secret contract, heads up the hit Bravo (soon to be Lifetime) reality fashion show Project Runway and Germany's version of America's Next Top Model. She designs three lines of Mouawad jewelry and a line of Jordache jeans. Then there's new deals with Diet Coke, McDonald's, Volkswagen and Fontanis water. She's also coming out with a skincare line, In An Instant, to be marketed by powerhouse Guthy-Renker.

3. Kate Moss

$7.5 Million
The überwaif lost some important contracts last year, but her fashion line is an international hit.
The 34-year-old ended campaigns with Burberry, Stella McCartney, Dior and Versace. But her retail line with British retailer Topshop, carried in 29 countries, keeps her bank account from starving. Other clients include Donna Karan, Longchamp, Agent Provocateur, Yves Saint Laurent, Roberto Cavalli and Rimmel.

4. Adriana Lima

$7 Million
The Brazilian beauty remains hugely popular on the Web and in her Victoria's Secret commercials.

The blue-eyed beauty, 27, lost her Italian phone company Telecom Italia contract, but holds on to bread-and-butter clients Victoria's Secret and Maybelline, for which she just renegotiated a multiyear deal. She also modeled for Mexico City-based department store giant Liverpool and graced the April cover of GQ magazine, her second for the men's mag, and drew a record number of hits to its Web site. Her sexy Valentine's Day Victoria's Secret Superbowl ad was a sensation.

5. Doutzen Kroes

$6 Million
This honey from Holland, 23, makes the longest leap up the list this year thanks to her contracts with Calvin Klein, L'Oréal and Victoria's Secret.

The Dutch model catwalks into the top five, thanks to being a triple contract threat: She reps fragrance and fashion with Calvin Klein's Eternity and White Label, cosmetics with L'Oréal and lingerie as the newest Victoria's Secret model. And let's not forget diamonds with De Beers.

6. Karolina Kurkova

$5 Million
The Victoria's Secret babe remains one of the lingerie giant's most important--and highest paid--models.

If it seems like this Czech beauty has been around the industry much longer than would it would seem for someone only 23 years old--that is because she hit success young, appearing on Vogue at 16 and bagging her Victoria's Secret contract at 21. This year, she renegotiated her contract with the lingerie giant, as well as campaigned for Dell and Mexico City-based department store giant Liverpool.

7. Natalia Vodianova

$4.8 Million
This ravishing Russian and mother of three, 26, has been a Calvin Klein muse for longer than any other model, including Kate Moss.

Vodianova is the exclusive face of Calvin Klein's Euphoria fragrance. She also picked up deals with Paris-based beauty giant Guerlain, Chanel, Versace and Diane Von Furstenberg, and continues to model for David Yurman jewelry.

8. Carolyn Murphy

$4.5 Million
The face of Estée Lauder has no trouble bagging other clients.

If you've been in a department store any time within the past few years, you've seen this ubiquitous 32-year-old. The porcelain-skinned beauty is not only the main face of cosmetics powerhouse Estée Lauder, but she adorns ads for Anne Klein, Tiffany & Co., Lord & Taylor and Jantzen swimwear.

9. Daria Werbowy

$3.8 Million
This Canadian may not be a household name, but she's a household face.

This striking brunette, 24, is the main visage for beauty behemoth Lancome, but that is far from all. She rotates ad campaigns for Louis Vuitton, Versace, Roberto Cavalli, Chanel, Valentino, H&M, Missoni and David Yurman jewelry.

10. Miranda Kerr

$3.5 Million
The bewitching babe from Down Under is Victoria's Secret's latest star.

Kerr is getting a bit of a late start, breaking through in her delectable Victoria's Secret campaigns at the ripe age of 23. However, expect her to remain in angel wings for awhile--the lingerie giant just renegotiated her contract for multiple years. She's also the face of Australian department store David Jones and the face most likely to be seen around town with actor Orlando Bloom. Not bad for an Aussie who only moved Stateside two years ago.

Top 10 most trafficked Websites

2008-10-02T20:15:00.000+05:30

No. 1
July 2008: Google
Unique Visitors: 123,161,000
Average Time per Visit: 1:18:24
Rank in July 2005: No. 4

No. 2
July 2008: Yahoo!
Unique Visitors: 116,178,000
Average Time per Visit: 3:33:00
Rank in July 2005: No. 1

No. 3
July 2008: MSN/Windows
Unique Visitors: 99,512,000
Average Time per Visit: 2:12:36
Rank in July 2005: No. 3

No. 4
July 2008: Microsoft
Unique Visitors: 92,318,000
Average Time per Visit: 0:38:01
Rank in July 2005: No. 2

No. 5
July 2008: AOL Media Network
Unique Visitors: 91,776,000
Average Time per Visit: 3:40:40
Rank in July 2005: No. 5

No. 6
July 2008: YouTube
Unique Visitors: 74,809,000
Average Time per Visit: 1:02:57
Rank in July 2005: N/A

No. 7
July 2008: Fox Interactive Media
Unique Visitors: 70,103,000
Average Time per Visit: 2:06:53
Rank in July 2005: N/A

No. 8
July 2008: eBay
Unique Visitors: 56,111,000
Average Time per Visit: 1:49:30
Rank in July 2005: No. 6

No. 9
July 2008: Wikipedia
Unique Visitors: 51,786,000
Average Time per Visit: 0:20:49
Rank in July 2005: No. 57

No. 10
July 2008: Apple
Unique Visitors: 50,694,000
Average Time per Visit: 1:12:10
Rank in July 2005: No. 11