It’s big, bright and white with doodles all over — and it’s on wheels. Friendly lettering on its shiny body invites you to “Explore the world of the Internet.” Inside, the bus is stocked with the essentials — computers, a broadband connection and a grandfather telling you how easy clicking ‘send’ is.
The ‘Internet Bus,’ launched here on Tuesday, is Google India’s initiative to demystify the Internet. “Five billion users are not on the Internet,” said Prasad Ram, head of Google R&D, India. “Only 50 per cent of the world will be online by 2030.”
Seeking to attract more people on to the information superhighway, the bus will travel through 15 towns in Tamil Nadu for around six weeks, telling students, teachers, government and businesses of how they could use the Internet.
Why Tamil Nadu? “There is a deep interest among Tamilians to use the Net and access content,” he says. The extent of Net usage in Tamil is as high as in Hindi, despite the latter having a larger potential user base, he added, citing data from third-party sources.
The bus has four booths focussing on different uses of the Internet: information, communication, education and entertainment. There are also videos providing simple explanations on how to use the Internet.
Hopping through Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities will help Google India get a pulse on what products are of interest to non-metro users. Apart from limited awareness, Dr. Ram cited “lack of relevance and a failure to engage,” as reasons for many people choosing to remain offline. He hoped that the feedback would help the company create more meaningful products.
Updates of the bus trip are at www.google.co.in/
Ref : The Hindu
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
DLF to Slash Price, hints Job cut
As the credit crunch continue to hit hard at every ones living room, not many is in mood of buying property even after slash of interest rate for home loans from most of the banks. And people started to go for a hard bargain with the builders. It has changed the real state business from “Seller Driven” market to “Customer Driven” Market
As a result of which real estate biggies like DLF has slashed prices about 15 % while the firm hinted that unless the housing market improved, it could resort to “some kind of cutting” of jobs.
Pointing out that the property market had come to a “virtual shutdown”, with sales declining to 10-25 per cent of normal volume, DLF Ltd vice chairman Mr Rajiv Singh said new projects would be offered at cheaper rates. “New project of ours will be competitively priced. As we look and go forward, we expect price levels to come down another 15 per cent if the economic uncertainty continues,” said Mr Singh.
Ref:DeccanChronicle
--Gopi
As a result of which real estate biggies like DLF has slashed prices about 15 % while the firm hinted that unless the housing market improved, it could resort to “some kind of cutting” of jobs.
Pointing out that the property market had come to a “virtual shutdown”, with sales declining to 10-25 per cent of normal volume, DLF Ltd vice chairman Mr Rajiv Singh said new projects would be offered at cheaper rates. “New project of ours will be competitively priced. As we look and go forward, we expect price levels to come down another 15 per cent if the economic uncertainty continues,” said Mr Singh.
Ref:DeccanChronicle
--Gopi
Gold : 26% return in 100 days
Glitter of gold has outshined all other investments since the meltdown started last October. Deepening worries over global economic outlook has sparked off a rally in gold prices which rewarded investors with 26% return in just hundred days.
Large funds and investors are shifting their moolah to gold, always a safe bet. Since October 10, 2008, gold prices in the domestic markets have moved up by nearly 26% to Rs 14,268 per ten gram, while the benchmark sensex has shown just 4% gain during the same period. Silver prices too have chased the gold prices and it has gone up 22% to Rs 19,752 per kg.
Analysts firmly believe that large investors and hedge funds are dumping other investments and diverting their funds to the yellow metal on fears that the recession would cut deeper than anticipated.
"Prices of all commodities have gone down, except for gold and silver. Investors in global markets are largely parking their funds in gold to protect the value of their money," said Naveen Mathur, head of commodities, Angel Broking. The top five gold exchange traded funds (ETFs) of the world have increased their gold reserve by 108 tones in the past three months. The total holding of these five ETFs has gone up from 972 tones to 1080 tones.
However, rising gold prices have pulled down imports of gold in the country, as retailers are staying away from making fresh buying at these levels. India's average import of the gold is around 50 tones per month but it dipped to just two tones in January 2009, said Devarsh Vakil, analyst with Anagram Comtrade.
Ref: EconomicTimes
Large funds and investors are shifting their moolah to gold, always a safe bet. Since October 10, 2008, gold prices in the domestic markets have moved up by nearly 26% to Rs 14,268 per ten gram, while the benchmark sensex has shown just 4% gain during the same period. Silver prices too have chased the gold prices and it has gone up 22% to Rs 19,752 per kg.
Analysts firmly believe that large investors and hedge funds are dumping other investments and diverting their funds to the yellow metal on fears that the recession would cut deeper than anticipated.
"Prices of all commodities have gone down, except for gold and silver. Investors in global markets are largely parking their funds in gold to protect the value of their money," said Naveen Mathur, head of commodities, Angel Broking. The top five gold exchange traded funds (ETFs) of the world have increased their gold reserve by 108 tones in the past three months. The total holding of these five ETFs has gone up from 972 tones to 1080 tones.
However, rising gold prices have pulled down imports of gold in the country, as retailers are staying away from making fresh buying at these levels. India's average import of the gold is around 50 tones per month but it dipped to just two tones in January 2009, said Devarsh Vakil, analyst with Anagram Comtrade.
Ref: EconomicTimes
Fire Drill or Layoff?? Be Aware
XYZ Office -> A fire alarm rang at 6 PM when almost all employees are in office(approx 5000). As usual entire office was evacuated within 3 mins & every employee gathered outside office. 10 mins passed..................................5 more mins passed.
Security Officer -> Announcement started,
"Dear Employees - With melting heart I am making this announcement that for many of you it will be
a last evacuation drill, as we are laying off almost 80% employee. While moving in who-so-ever ID card won't work are layed off & all their belongings will be couriered to them tomorrow. We followed this approach as we don't want to fill email box size with layoff mail in thousands & also to avoid any fight inside office". Hope you have nice career ahead.
Please move in & try your luck.
Source : Email
Recommended Links :Joke , Thought and Photo
Security Officer -> Announcement started,
"Dear Employees - With melting heart I am making this announcement that for many of you it will be
a last evacuation drill, as we are laying off almost 80% employee. While moving in who-so-ever ID card won't work are layed off & all their belongings will be couriered to them tomorrow. We followed this approach as we don't want to fill email box size with layoff mail in thousands & also to avoid any fight inside office". Hope you have nice career ahead.
Please move in & try your luck.
Source : Email
Recommended Links :Joke , Thought and Photo
Sourav Ganguly: 200% Fit to play both forms of Cricket
Sourav Ganguly might have walked into the sunset of his cricketing career, but the former India captain today said he is still good enough to play both forms of the game at the international level for at least a year.
Asked if he is still good enough for international cricket at 36 years of age, Ganguly replied, "Two-hundred percent." "I think I am still good enough for both forms of cricket. I played my best in my last years. If I had played, I could have easily continued for at least one or one-and-half years more. "But that's not possible now, though. One has to accept the fact that retirement was part and parcel of a sportsperson's life," Ganguly said.
"I have Indian Premier League to look forward to. But turning out in the IPL could not be compared to playing for India," he added. Ganguly was speaking at a function to release 'Dada Tantra', a book based on him and authored by sports journalist Goutam Bhattacharya.
Ref : IBNLIVE
Asked if he is still good enough for international cricket at 36 years of age, Ganguly replied, "Two-hundred percent." "I think I am still good enough for both forms of cricket. I played my best in my last years. If I had played, I could have easily continued for at least one or one-and-half years more. "But that's not possible now, though. One has to accept the fact that retirement was part and parcel of a sportsperson's life," Ganguly said.
"I have Indian Premier League to look forward to. But turning out in the IPL could not be compared to playing for India," he added. Ganguly was speaking at a function to release 'Dada Tantra', a book based on him and authored by sports journalist Goutam Bhattacharya.
Ref : IBNLIVE
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