Good Times for Bangaladesh - Daylight Savings Time (DST) enters Asian Subcontinent

Grappling with a power crisis, Bangladesh has decided to begin its days an hour earlier in a move to save electricity by utilising daylight.The country switched to Daylight Saving Time (DST) on Saturday, moving away from the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), by utilising the daylight.

The official Bangladesh Standard Time is now GMT+7."Majority of the people think there will be no negative impact on the daily life due to observance of DST," The Daily Star said on Sunday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday night inaugurated the DST, urging everyone to save electricity by utilising the daylight.The government expects a five percent reduction in the national power demand, equivalent to 200 megawatt of power, during the evening peak hour - 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The daylight saving measure will end Oct 1, when the clock is to be set back an hour. From next year, the clock would be set an hour forward April 1 and set back an hour Oct 1.

Related Story : "What is Day Light Saving Time(DST)"

Green Computing - Eco-Friendly Bamboo Laptop

Bamboo remains one of the most versatile grasses. It has increasingly been replacing plastics and wood products. It has also entered the world of computers. Here is an end-to-end eco-friendly bamboo notebook or laptop, an innovation in green computing. It is green throughout its life cycle — from conception and production, to recycling and disposal.

These notebooks, launched by ASUS Technology (India), are exquisitely designed with real bamboo to give a personalised and exclusive feel. It complies with RoHS (restriction of hazardous substances) and WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) standards.

Stanley Wu, country manager (notebook business), ASUS India, says the gadgets have been made through a green procurement process. It has restricted the use of 37 hazardous substances which are opposed by the RoHS directive. Also, the notebooks use super hybrid engine that can extend the battery life by 35 to 70 per cent compared to other notebooks. This saving is achieved by intelligent monitoring of the power requirements of the components and automatically adjusting power levels.

Mr. Wu says the notebook is made from the Moso species of bamboo. With the advantage of eco friendliness, the notebook offers great performance with its premium configuration. It is light at just 1.57 kg. ASUS offers a two-year global warranty for the product.

The track pad is also made of bamboo. Each touch of the bamboo laptop brings you closer to nature. The entire panelling of the ASUS U6V and the mouse bundled along with it are made of bamboo. Every piece can be further enhanced with treatments that yield different colours, or by laser-etching distinctive designs on the bamboo-clad cover.

The notebook uses super hybrid engine that reduces the yearly carbon dioxide emission by 12.3 kg a piece. The company has so far shipped approximately six million notebooks a year. This works out to a massive reduction of 73.8 million kg of CO2 emission per year, equal to saving 36 million trees annually.

The ASUS U6V bamboo is priced at Rs. 1,10,000 in India. The company offers a 2-year global warranty for the product. Mr. Wu is confident that the notebook will usher in a new era of green computing.

Hinglish "Jai Ho" to English Dictionary, One Millionth English word-'SlumDog'

Come June 10 and English is likely to get its one millionth word. The frontrunner is ‘Hinglish’ term ‘jai ho,’ with the two other Indian entries of ‘slumdog’ and ‘cuddies.’

“The million-word milestone brings to notice the coming of age of English as the first truly global language,” president and chief word analyst of Global Language Monitor Paul J J Payack said.

‘Jai ho,’ a song composed by A.R. Rahman, and ‘slumdog’ achieved popularity through the multiple Academy Award Winner film ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’

‘Slumdog’ refers to those living in Indian slums, while ‘cuddies’ is used to refer to ladies’ underwear.

“There are three major trends involving the English language today: an explosion in word creation with words being added to the English language at the rate of some 14.7 words a day; a geographic explosion in which some 1.53 billion people now speak English around the globe as a primary, auxiliary, or business language; and English has become, in fact, the first truly global language,” Mr. Payack said.

According to the Global Language Monitor, owing to the global extent of the English language, the millionth word is as likely to appear from India or China as it is to emerge from Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s home town. The other words in the reckoning are ‘alchopops’ (sugary-flavoured mixed drinks in Australia) and ‘chengguan’ (‘Chinglish’ term for urban management officers, a cross between mayors, sheriff, and city managers )