In a move to simplify and expedite submission of passport applications, Regional Passport Office (RPO) formally launched the decentralised passport services counter at the Khairatabad eSeva centre on Thursday.

The facility would not only spare the citizens the ordeal of standing in long queues at the Passport Office to submit their applications but also help them get their passports faster.

Speaking to media persons, Commissioner, eSeva and secretary IT&C Suresh Chanda said passport services would be offered in nine more eSeva centres in the city in a month and the facility to other centres in the State later. The Khairatabad e-Seva centre earlier served only as a collection point but now all the details of the application would be entered into the system and sent to RPO. It would also forward the Personal Particular Forms (PPF) directly to the Police Department for verification.

Passport in 25 days

Regional Passport Officer B. Bala Bhaskar said decentralisation would make the process comfortable to citizens, eliminate role of middle men and cut down on the time taken to issue a passport. “The eSeva centres act as extension centres of RPO and work seven days a week. Passports can now be issued within 25 days,” he said.

People can also submit passport applications at special counters at Begumpet and Pathergatti post offices in addition to General Post Office and at the counter in traffic police station near I-Max theatre.

The eSeva centre and other centres will accept applications for fresh passports, renewal of existing ones, duplicate passports and applications of minors.

Through speed post

Citizens now need to go to the passport office only for Tatkal and miscellaneous services like change of address and extension of validity.

Applicants in other districts could send their applications through the offices of Superintendent of Police and 79 speed post centres, Mr. Bala Bhaskar added.

• Birth Name: Konidela Siva Sankara Vara Prasad
• Nicknames: Mega Star Chiranjeevi / Chiru / Annayya
• Height: 5′ 9″ (1.75 m)
• Parents: Sri Venkat Rao( Late ) and Mrs Anjana Devi
• Born on 22 August 1955, In Narsapur, West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh

Education

• Ist Class: Gurazala, Andhra Pradesh, India
• IInd, IIIrd Class: Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh, India
• IV, V, VI Class: Ponnuru, Andhra Pradesh, India
• VII Class: Mogalthuru, Andhra Pradesh, India
• VIII, IX Class: Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh, India
• Xth Class: Mogalthuru, Andhra Pradesh, India
• Intermediate: CSR Sharma College, Bi.P.C, , Ongole, Andhra Pradesh, India
• Degree ( B.Com): NM College Narsapuram, Andhra Pradesh, India
• CA (Discontinued): Chennai,India

Film Career
The veteran with his career spanning over three decades and over 150 films, is still a name to reckon with, in Telugu films. Is the most popular and highly acclaimed actor from Andhra Pradesh.

Family

• Father - Sri Venkat Rao
• Mother- Anjana Devi,
• Brothers-Nagendra Babu, Kalyan Babu
• Sisters - Vijaya
• Wife - Surekha
• Daughters Sushmita & Srija
• Son- Ramcharan Tej.Social Service
  

Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust (CCT) was started by megastar of Telugu cinema Chiranjeevi with the able guidance of Allu Arvind on 2nd October 1998. The two major wings of CCT are blood bank and eye bank. In a span of five years, CCT has collected 38,200 units of blood. 79% of these blood units (30,500) were given to poor and downtrodden for free of cost and remaining units were given to corporate hospitals at a nominal fee. CCT has collected 390 pairs of eyes and 780 blind people were benefited through cornea transplant at CCT. CCT also won the prestigious “Best Voluntary Blood Bank’ award by State Government of AP for the years of 2002 and 2003.

Awards
In January 2006, Mr Chiranjeevi was honored with the Padma Bhushan. the third highest civilian award in India. In November 2006, Chiranjeevi was awarded with a honorary doctorate by Andhra University for his services to the Telugu film industry and for his social work.

Chiranjeevi Party First Day… First Show…

Special striking forces would be deployed at strategic places on the eve of two-day Bonalu festival beginning from Sunday in old city.
The festival will conclude on Monday with a procession from Shahlibanda and Lal Darwaza to Afzalgunj.
DCP (south) Atul Singh on Saturday said that these forces would be utilised in any emergency.
He said elaborate arrangements were made for smooth conduct of the festival. Around 1,000 policemen, 20 platoons of Armed Force and two companies of Rapid Action Force were also pressed into service.
Policemen would be deployed on rooftops to keep a constant vigil.
Bomb disposal squads would conduct checking at temples and the main procession routes.
“We are requesting devotees not to bring bags and vehicle parking will not be allowed near temples,” the DCP said. He also requested temple committee members not to use DJs during procession.

Wine shops closed
The city police informed that wine shops, including bars and restaurants would be opened after 6 p.m. on Monday in the following police station limits.
The police stations include Sultan Bazaar, Malakpet, Nallakunta, Osmania University, Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Punjagutta, Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar, Tukaramgate, Gopalpuram, Karkhana, Mahankali, Market, Trimulgherry, Abids, Begum Bazaar, Narayanguda, Saifabad, Ramgopalpet and Gandhinagar.
However, wine shops and bars, excluding those in star hotels would remain closed from 6 a.m. on Sunday till 5 p.m. on Monday in connection with the festival.

Traffic curbs for Bonalu

Traffic will be either stopped or diverted on some routes in Secunderabad from 4 a.m. on Sunday to 10 p.m. on Monday in connection with Mahankali Bonalu.
The following roads will be closed for all vehicular traffic: Road leading to Mahankali temple from Tobacco Bazar Hill Street and General Bazar, Subhash Road -- starting from Kingsway crossroads --- up to Ramgopalpet police station and the roads leading to Mahankali temple from Lalgudi crossroads (Hill Street) and from General Bazar.
RTC buses coming from Tank Bund towards Secretariat via M.G. Road will be diverted towards Ranigunj, Minister’s road, Parade Ground, Sangeet crossroads and Secunderabad railway station. They would return via Ghansmandi road. Those coming from Tank Bund towards Secunderabad via M.G. Road, Paradise (CTO junction), St. Ann’s School, Sangeet crossroads and Keyes High School will be stopped in the by-lane near Keyes High School. They will return via St. Mary’s Junior College and St. Ann’s College to their destinations.
The road from Secunderabad railway station towards St. Mary’s road will be closed from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday.
All buses proceeding towards Secunderabad railway station from Hakeempet, Bowenpally, Balanagar and Ameerpet will be terminated at YMCA. They will return to their destinations via Patny.

HIGHLIGHTS: Islamic military group claims responsibility for 17 bombings
At least 88 people wounded as blasts strike within 70 minutes of one another
Muslim militant group Indian Mujahedeen reportedly claims responsibility
Attacks an effort to cause panic, 'unsettle the country,' official says.

Seventeen low-intensity blasts rocked Ahmedabad on Saturday evening leaving 15 killed and 30 injured sending a wave of panic. The blasts happened in Maninagar, Bapunagar, Hatkeshwar, Sarnagpur Bridge, Amraiwadi, Govindwadi, Sarangpur, Chakla area, Jawahar Chowk and Juhapura.

The synchronised explosions in the space of 90 minutes in the eastern and western areas after the first blast hit Maninagar at 6.45 pm occurred in 13 places. There were two blasts each in Maninagar--the constituency of Chief Minister Narendra Modi--and in Sarkej targeting a state transport CNG bus and Sangam theatre.

Significantly two hospitals were also the target of attack. An NSG team has been rushed to Ahmedabad.

The low-intensity explosions occurred at eight areas of Maninagar, Isanpur, Narol circle, Bapunagar, Hatkeshwar and Sarangpur bridge, Sarkej and Odhav and created a wave of panic.

There were two blasts in Maninagar and the first blast occurred in this area at 6.45 PM. The second blast here occurred near LG hospital. Maninagar is the constituency of Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

The Ahmedabad blasts came a day after the multiple explosions in Bangalore in which two persons were killed. The mobile network in the area has completely collapsed.

Police said at least two had died and 25 injured, some of them seriously, in the blasts. The injured have been rushed to civil hospital and LG hospital.

Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal said in New Delhi there were eight blasts. Unconfirmed reports said there were 13 blasts.

The explosion in the sensitive Sarkej area occurred in a CNG bus.

Some of the bombs were believed to have been placed in cycles eerily similar to the Jaipur blasts on May 13 in which 65 persons died. A couple of bombs were reported to have been placed in tiffin boxes in a modus operandi similar to the explosions outside a Lucknow court last year.

President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the blasts and appealed for calm.

Updates:

July 27:
(1) 38dead, over 100 injured
(2) Police find number plate of car used for : Registration plate number GJ6CD9718 has been found around the Civil Hospital blast site, police said.
(3) Another live bomb found in Ahmedabad; security agencies trying to defuse it
(4) I saw people fly like objects, says eyewitness
(5) Terror email leads to Mumbai
(6) Alert Hyderabad Police

All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Rahul Gandhi arrived here today for a two-day visit to interact with students and academicians over the Indo-US civil nuclear deal issue and address executive meeting of the state congress.

The 90-minute interaction on "123 Ki Pathshala- a discussion on nuclear agreement" was organised by the state unit of National Students Union of India (NSUI) in Hyderabad.

Only students, academicians and NSUI office-bearers attended the discussion. Even the media was kept out of bounds of all his programmes, citing reasons, according to Congress sources.

The panelists for the interactive session included Vice-Chancellors of Osmania University Professor Tirupati Rao, environmentalist K. Purushotham Reddy and former director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Dr. Anand.

Gandhi is also scheduled to participate in the concluding session of "Aam Aadmi Ke Sipahi", a five-day training camp for youth Congress workers at Miyapur on the outskirts of the city. The camp will train party workers on social audit of welfare schemes and how to take the message of development to the people.

On Sunday, Rahul Gandhi, will visit Gandhi Bhavan, the state Congress headquarters in Hyderabad, to interact with the members of various cells of the party and frontal organisations and address a meeting of the executive committee.

He will also participate in a tele-conference with district unit presidents and inaugurate a set ofcomputers that link state party office with its district units.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee Chief D. Srinivas were among the party leaders who received him at the Shamshabad International Airport in Hyderabad.

Bangalore News - Reports of 7 Blasts
Serial Blasts in Bangalore has took place today. 7 Serial bomb blasts rocked Nayandahalli, Madivala, Adugodi areas of Banglore city on Friday. One woman was killed and several have been injured. According to Rediff.com , Gelatin sticks appear to have been used in the bangalore bomb blast.

The Injured Victims of This Serial Blasts are admitted to the St Johns Hospital in Bangalore.

In 2005 , Terrorists attacked IISC , Bangalore.
I request fellow Indians and People in Bengalooru to maintain peace and keep united . And send the strong message to the Peoplw who did this type of things.



Breaking news from Bangalore

3:40PM
7 blasts rock Bangalore; two killed, 20+ wounded

3:18 PM
Several persons have been injured in the attack and they have been admitted to the St Johns Hospital in Koramangala - Bangalore this is near to Forum Mall and Madivala

3:10PM
7 serial bomb blasts reported in Bangalore - 1 Killed several injured
The blasts took place at 1.30 pm in Nayandahalli, 1.50 pm in Madivala (2 blasts) and 2.10 pm in Adugodi.

Updates:
1. There is a breaking news from Bangalore and reports of Serial bomb blasts in areas around Madiwala bus stand and Hossur road.
2. Atleast one person died and more detailed news is awaited.
3. Keep watching this space for more update information on these Bangalore Serial Bomb Blasts.
4. Also tracking this news at Bangalore Serial Bomb Blasts
5. The news has spread and most of the TV news channels are showing live pictures - TV9, Zee News, Udaya TV, NDTV News, IBN Live, ETV Kannada etc.
6. The Police Commissioner of Bengaluru city has given the statement that these are pre planned blasts. and the People pf Bangalore City should keep peace.
7. Mobile Phones have been jammed.

8. Another bomb found in Bangalore, defused

New to the Photoshop family, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended delivers everything in Photoshop CS3 and more. Render and incorporate 3D images into your 2D composites. Stop time with easy editing of motion graphics on video layers. And probe your images with measurement, analysis, and visualization tools.

Ideal for:
- Film, video, and multimedia professionals
- Graphic and web designers using 3D and motion
- Manufacturing professionals
- Medical professionals
- Architects and engineers (AEC professionals)
- Scientific researchers

Like a well-fed amoeba, the 2007 Adobe Photoshop has split in two, producing its own child, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended. Think of Extended as Photoshop heavy (as opposed to Photoshop Light); it’s basically the same application with some extra capabilities and bundled scripts targeted at video postproduction tasks, 3D texture-map editing, and scientific image analysis. At about $300 more than Adobe Photoshop CS3, it is a significant upgrade decision–one which I’m not sure will entirely satisfy the relevant users.

Adobe seems to use Extended as a dumping ground for everything it considers “other.” What else could explain a product that supports both DICOM image stacks and texture-map editing? Though it boasts some useful capabilities, Extended seems like a tentative, uncertain step toward addressing each segment of Photoshop’s heretofore tangential users. It’s Photoshop with multiple personality disorder: one scientist, one architect/engineer, and one game designer/video producer.

Furthermore, whenever a company draws a market segment line between two versions of a product, the placement of that line becomes somewhat arbitrary. In the case of Photoshop standard versus Extended, that fuzzy line cuts across its 32-bit high-dynamic-range (HDR) imaging support. The standard version has Merge to HDR, which allows you to take bracketed photos and combine them to attain a broader tonal range. But for HDR-capable brushes and support for adjustments like Levels, Hue, and Saturation, you’ll have to bump up to Extended. Even there, the Magic Wand doesn’t work in 32-bit mode (although, oddly, Quick Select works), nor do Curves and the new Black and White adjustments (you can still use the Channel Mixer, however).

Its new measurement tools, which let you drop counters on an image as well as measure and record the distance and angle between two points, are faster to use than previous manual methods, but they feel a bit undercooked–as if Adobe is waiting to hear from users before putting them back in the oven. For example, the count tool doesn’t even let you change the size or shape of the markers it drops, or provide an option to let them scale when you zoom. Despite the many potential applications for recording color values in an image, the color sampler tool still only supports four data points, and you can’t record the measurements.

For more detail on Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop CS3 Extended’s new features, click the image.


In addition to the enhanced Vanishing Point capabilities in its cheaper sibling–the ability to create linked planes at odd angles–Extended allows you to measure the planes and angles as well as export the meshes to DXF or VPE (After Effects). You can import a few popular formats of 3D models and edit any embedded texture maps; there are some basic rotation controls, coarse rendering options, and some odd lighting presets (it will load lights from the file, however).

However, if Adobe intends this to be a useful tool for creating presentation materials using 3D objects–can you say Acrobat 3D?–it needs more high-quality renderers and light presets, plus better visual feedback as to whether you’re manipulating the camera or the object. The cross-section view is nice, but a reference axis floating in the object space would be really helpful. You can apply filters to 3D objects via Smart Filters, which I have to admit is very cool for producing “artist’s rendering” views of a model.

Extended also contains some refugees from the now-defunct ImageReady, including its frame-based animation tools. Adobe has expanded the animation to include a timeline for basic keyframing of video effects and individual frame edits; it’s certainly no replacement for After Effects CS3 Professional, but will serve in a pinch. Though I can understand the development reasons behind splitting the motion capabilities into a separate package, it’s a shame to deny Web or mobile designers the ability to, say, animate the movement of a drop shadow via the Global Light setting, unless they fork over the extra $300 bucks.

(compare Two editions of Photoshop CS3)Though based on the veteran 10th-generation Photoshop CS3, Photoshop Extended feels like a version 1.0 product tacked on. If you have the budget and want to experiment with the new tools, it’s certainly worth a try. But if you’re looking for the same streamlined, high-productivity tools for technical analysis, 3D imaging, and video/animation that Photoshop brings to traditional imaging, you’ll need to wait a version or two.

Photoshop CS3

Adobe Photoshop CS3 includes all the features you love in Photoshop CS2, plus many innovative new ones. Photoshop CS3 accelerates your path from imagination to imagery. Ideal for photographers and designers, the professional standard delivers new features such as automatic layer alignment and blending that enable advanced compositing. Live filters boost the comprehensive, nondestructive editing toolset for increased flexibility. And a streamlined interface and new, timesaving tools make your work flow faster.


Ideal for:
- Photographers
- Graphic designers
- Web designers
- Print service providers

Photoshop CS3 Extended

New to the Photoshop family, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended delivers everything in Photoshop CS3 and more. Render and incorporate 3D images into your 2D composites. Stop time with easy editing of motion graphics on video layers. And probe your images with measurement, analysis, and visualization tools.


Ideal for:
- Film, video, and multimedia professionals
- Graphic and web designers using 3D and motion
- Manufacturing professionals
- Medical professionals
- Architects and engineers (AEC professionals)
- Scientific researchers

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The good: Adds the ability to animate effects; some cool 3D capabilities; same excellent Photoshop underpinnings.

The bad: Most of the implementations of the new features lack flexibility and polish.

The bottom line: The professional’s choice for image editing spawns Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended to appeal to select vertical markets, but it delivers mixed results.

Specs: License qty: 1 user; License type: Complete package; Min processor type: Intel Xeon, PowerPC G5, Intel Pentium 4, Intel Core Duo, PowerPC G4

Hyderabad interactive map

View Larger Map

Track Beijing Olympics Medal Count Using Windows Vista Sidebar Gadget

It’s Olympics fever all over and at Tech Dreams we have been covering lot of interesting stories related to Olympics 2008.

Here is another another article related to Olympics. LiveGadget.net has just released a cool Windows Vista Sidebar gadget that helps you to keep track of Olympic Medal wins from the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
I’m not a big fan of Windows Vista sidebar, but just to keep track of the Medals count, I enabled it. The sidebar widget is pretty cool. It shows the top 5 countries that are in the medals race and on clicking the country links it redirects to official Olympics results page.
Download the Olympic Medal Count Vista Sidebar Gadget.

Sony Introduces New Bravia Series

Sony India on Thursday launched the Bravia series, the LCD television range,
which boasts high quality images with powerful side speakers. Available in three
models, the Series T models are designed especially for the Indian market, after
a consumer research undertaken last year. The price ranges from Rs. 17,900 to Rs.
29,900.

Convert Youtube Videos Online

Vixy.net is new web online tool which helps you to convert Online Video or youtube video with some simple steps. No need to install and confugure the software. This service allows you convert a Flash Video / FLV file (YouTube’s videos,etc) to MPEG4 (AVI/MOV/MP4/MP3/3GP) file online.

This service allows you convert a Flash Video / FLV file (YouTube's videos,etc) to MPEG4 (AVI/MOV/MP4/MP3/3GP) file online. It is using a compressed domain transcoder technology (outline in Japanese). It converts FLV to MPEG4 faster and less lossy than a typical transcoder.
When you submit a URL, it will download and convert to the video format, and then you can download the converted file.
FLV to MPEG4 Conveter engine is now OpenSource. You can download the source code via subversion: http://sourceforge.net/svn/?group_id=183657
For Windows users: Please install DivX to play DivX AVI

Vixy.net Converter Desktop Version (BETA):

For your desktop version is available now. It looks like this site and the usage is almost same as this site. It's free but with Ads. It's still in BETA release so it will expire at Sep/30/2008.

• Download Installer for Windows (Xp, Vista)
  Version 0.6 Jul/01/2008
  (If you use Xp, please install .NET Framework 2.0.)
• Download App for MacOSX (10.4, 10.5) Intel / PPC
  Version 0.3 Jul/01/2008
  To install the app, please open dmg file and copy the app to your "Application" folder. The converted file will be in your "Movie" folder. (You can change the output folder from "Preference" Menu.)

iPhone 3G Indian price

Yes after a long wait the pricing for iPhone 3G in India has been out. Its officially going to Rs. 31,000 for 8GB version and Rs36,000 or Rs. 37,000 for 16GB. So I guess all those people waiting for iPhone for Rs. 8,000 should start saving a hell lot of money now because its not going to be enough. I was thinking that it might be around Rs. 24,000 or something but I am not shocked by this figure at all. If I am correct Deep had said this might be the price some days back on twitter which had made me ready for the impact. So iPhone is competing with Nokia E90,HTC P 3650 (Cruise), HTC TYTN II, O2 XDA Atom Exec, BlackBerry 8820 and Nokia N93. All of these phones are high end phones and nearly all are business phones except Nokia N93 which means iPhone has been placed as a luxury item and nothing else. That means its only for those people whose bank balance is bigger than their bank itself, thats how normally Apple products are priced anyways. Not that I am bashing iPhone or anything but the price is exorbitantly high for a phone like iPhone. Lets hope they will reduce the price sometime in far away future.

14 Firefox Addons for All Internet Users

Here am Posting the 14 Firefox addons which are useful to anyone who uses the Web. These extensions make surfing the net, reading email, bookmarking links, and talking to friends easier. Here are the Lists:

Music Addons

1. FoxyTunes
If you listen to music while you surf, you might find FoxyTunes useful. It embeds audio player controls (play, pause, etc) into Firefox. It can be in the status bar or a toolbar.
Supported media players include iTunes, Pandora, Windows Media, Winamp, and lots more.
2. TwittyTunes
Quickly post what you’re listening to (or watching) on Twitter. (Also see TwitterFox for more general purpose Twitter updates.)

Webmail Addons

3. Better Gmail 2
This addon is a compilation of a bunch of Greasemonkey (required) scripts that enhance Gmail. Among the upgrades:
For the full list of features and screenshots, visit the Better Gmail homepage at Lifehacker.
4. Gmail Manager
Lets you manage multiple Gmail accounts at the same time. You’re logged into multiple accounts, and get updates via the a new dropdown added to your navigation bar.
5. Yahoo Mail Notifier
If you just want to know when you get new Yahoo mail without all the other features of the Yahoo Toolbar, this addon is for you. It places a small icon in the status bar with the number of new unread messages in your inbox.

Social Networking

6. LinkedIn Companion
Integrates with your webmail (eg., Gmail, Yahoo) and adds a button you can click next to contacts with LinkedIn profiles. Adds a dropdown menu of things you can do with LinkedIn — search jobs, search profiles, add a connection, etc. Useful for people who use LinkedIn extensively for business networking.
7. Facebook Toolbar
Always be on Facebook, literally, by embedding it into your Firefox! This toolbar lets you search Facebook, pop open a sidebar and quickly connect with friends, and get notifications while you surf. With the toolbar, you don’t have to periodically check back in at the Facebook website because you’ll always be connectecd.

Surf the Web

8. Fire Gestures
With this extension, you can use your mouse for much more than clicking. For example, by holding down the right mouse button and moving the mouse to the left a bit, Firefox will go to the previous page as if you had clicked the Back button.
9. GooglePreviewAdds a thumbnail preview next to the Google search results page.
Being a visually oriented person who spends a lot of time at Google, this addon is one of my favorites. I like seeing what the linked website looks like before I click through.

Bookmarking

10. Del.icio.us
Del.icio.us is the original social bookmarking service. It lets you bookmark links and organize them by tags. Because it’s a Web based service, all your bookmarks sync up on all your computers. The del.icio.us addon provides buttons to quickly bookmark and tag a webpage, and displays the last few links you’ve bookmarked.
11. Foxmarks
Foxmarks synchronizes your Firefox bookmarks across all the computers you use. Bookmarks are synced via a central location at my.foxmarks.com.
12. Fast Dial
Creates a page with thumbnail links to your top 15 bookmarks. Links are assigned to numbers, so you can also use the keyboard shortcut ALT- to quickly jump to one of your fast dial websites.

Block Online Advertising

13. Adblock Plus
Block banner ads from being displayed. The killer feature of this addon is the subscription list.
When you install Adblock Plus, you are asked if you want to subscribe to a list of ad servers to be blocked. Choose Yes. The list is maintained by someone else, so by doing nothing other than installing this extension, you’ve eliminated 90% of Web advertising that you used to see.

Other Extensions

14. Greasemonkey
Greasemonkey allows users to customize how webpages are displayed (on their own computers) using small bits of JavaScript. If you’re a programmer, you can write your own bits of code and share it with the world at userscripts.org.
Installing Greasemonkey alone won’t do anything. You’ll need to install another addon that uses Greasemonkey to provide new features. Here are all extensions that require Greasemonkey. A few good ones are Better Gmail 2, Better Flickr, Better YouTube, and Better GReader.

Near Future Buying List

1. A Mobile - I guess you might have read how I have been looking for a mobile without camera but failed in all of my attempts. My choice was Nokia E51 camera free variant but apparently Nokia thinks Indians are not worth it so didnt introduce it here. But after seeing Nokia E71 I feel like getting myself one but only if it comes without camera. So thinking of getting a Nokia E51 without camera if nokia introduces it in Indian market or Nokia E71 without camera if they ever actually make it. I guess I dont mind getting even by the end of these 2 years. This should set me back by around Rs. 17,000($400).
   
2. A Playstation 2 - I guess you must be wondering why a Playstation 2 when the PS3 is already in the market. My reasoning is quite simple. I dont think I will be getting a HDTV anytime soon and wont be buying a Blu-Ray movie anytime soon either. And the support for PS2 aint going to die out that soon. I am getting it by this month end if my dad doesnt create a fuss about it. It would cost me around Rs. 7,000($166).
   
3. An Internal Hard Disk - I have around 120 GB at present in my computer but this space isn’t enough for me. It has deterred me from installing Vista and Ubuntu. Not that I miss Vista, just wanted it to be there. And also my music collection has suddenly started growing making it difficult for me to keep all of them. So, I will buy a 1TB Internal Western Digital HDD by the end of this year or by mid 2009. As far as I know it will cost me around Rs. 9,300($221).
   
4. A Pen Tablet - Ever since I learned that I can draw I have thought of combining it with my love for computers and after I saw Goobimama’s new pen tablet I just had to have that. But maybe it was the price that had been putting me off. And I had made sure I will buy the Medium size Wacom Bamboo Fun. I have no idea when I will buy this but it has to be under these two years so I listed it here. It should cost me around Rs. 9,200($219).
   
5. A Prosumer Camera - I have a Canon PowerShot A450 as of now. My main problem with it is that most of the pictures come out saturated and also the macro feature isnt that great. Then the sad fact of low optical zoom. It was then I came to know about cameras similar to DSLRs but like point and shoot cameras. They have High optical zoom(sometimes 15x) and many manual features. It was something I had been looking for in a camera. So with the help of Aalaap, I have come down to two options. Sony DSC-H50 and Sony DSCH-10 and I would be buying one of these by end of next year or so. The maximum I will have to pay for it will be around Rs. 17,000($400).
   
6. Dumbbells - This is one of those weird things I was talking about. I have recently became a bit of more careful about my health and physique so thought why not get dumbbell for myself. After using my cousins 5 Kg dumbbell made me realise its too light for me, so decided to get myself a 8Kg. I will be getting this by this month end too. It will drain Rs. 1300($30).
   

I hope to buy all this stuff in these two years time. Just for the heck of it the total cost of all these products comes to Rs. 60800($1436). I guess I will have to really work hard to get that much of money.

Tokyo: The new iPhone model went on sale in Asia on Friday, making its debut in Japan after a 30-second countdown chanted by hundreds of people who waited -- in some cases for days -- in a line that snaked around the block.
Japanese carrier Softbank Corp. started selling Apple Inc.'s much-awaited cell phone at its downtown Tokyo store five hours before its other stores across Japan.
Fans throng stores for new iPhone
The countdown celebration, which included a digital clock display ticking away over the entrance, was part of a global rollout in 22 nations of the 3G, or third-generation, wireless connecting iPhone. The latest iPhone is an upgrade of the model that went on sale last year in the U.S. and several other nations.

Gadget lovers worldwide are already camped out ahead of Friday's global rollout of the new model of Apple Inc.'s iPhone, which is also the first iPhone to go on sale in many countries.
Carrier Softbank Corp., which beat market leader NTT DoCoMo for the right to sell the iPhone in Japan, is planning a countdown ceremony at its flagship downtown store.
By late Thursday, a line of nearly 800 iPhone fans snaked around the block, with some sleeping on the streets to ensure they would be among the first customers.
Images: The much-awaited model
The iPhone goes on sale there five hours earlier than other nationwide outlets, helping to kick off a global rollout in 22 nations.
The first model, which launched in the United States a year ago, ended up being sold only in six countries. Because of time differences, the new iPhones went on sale first in New Zealand, then Australia. Japan and Hong Kong are to follow.
In the United States, phones will be available at 8 a.m. in each time zone.
Japan, though, is the tech-mad market that analysts like to watch. It is home to powerful electronics brands such as Sony Corp. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.'s Panasonic, but its consumers are trend-chasers and have long adored Apple products such as the iPod.
Why don't you need a new iPhone
Japan has about 107 million cell phones, or about one for every person. Many of the phones already work on 3G, or third-generation, wireless networks, offering the speedy Internet access that the new iPhone will also deliver.
The old iPhone used a relatively slow cellular network combined with the ability to use fast Wi-Fi hotspots. The iPhone's capabilities are less revolutionary here, where people have for years used the tech-heavy local phones for restaurant searches, e-mail, music downloads, reading digital novels and electronic shopping.
They tend to shrug off foreign models, such as those of Nokia Corp.
The latest Japanese cell phones have two key features absent on the iPhone — digital TV broadcast reception and the "electronic wallet" for making payments at stores and vending machines equipped with special electronic readers. But they don't have the iPhone's nifty touch screen or glamour image.
New iPhone is not 100% perfect
Another key difference is that the iPhone is designed to browse the Web in the much the same way computers do. The networks promoted by Japanese carriers, such as "i-mode" from NTT DoCoMo, are more closed than the Web. Such systems have allowed carriers to control services and charge fees.
Masayuki Otani, deputy chief of research at Maruwa Securities Co. in Tokyo, said the iPhone faces competition from emerging rivals, who offer mobile Internet devices in Japan, and the iPhone may attract a limited following. "The iPhone is a fad," he said. "There are lots of people who love it and jump at it, but there are those who are going to be less impressed."
Norikazu Sasaki, a 20-year-old student among those in line for the iPhone in Tokyo, was already won over. "The iPhone is so user-friendly, more than any other mobile phone. It combines the best features of a PC with the best features of a phone," said Sasaki, who's been taking turns with two friends to save his spot in the line since 1 a.m. Wednesday. "There isn't anything else like it," Sasaki said.
The iPhone has sparked similar enthusiasm in Australia. In downtown Sydney, a few hundred people who had camped outside an Optus telecom store on a cold and windy winter night were treated to free pizza, coffee, massages and entertainment as the clocked inched toward midnight. Brett Howell had sat outside the store since 1 p.m. Thursday, bringing a small blanket and a book, and was the first to buy the phone.
iPhone First version
"I'm not a super geek, but apparently I am," said Howell, 36, a business analyst. "I'm Australia's super geek." Ben Thomas, 27, had his own explanation for iPhone mania. "It's a chick magnet," he said. Apple plans to sell its 8-gigabyte iPhone for $199 in the United States and the 16-gigabyte version for $299. The company, based in Cupertino, Calif., says it has sold about 6 million iPhones since last year. It hopes to sell 10 million by the end of 2008.

By Moviebuzz Shankardada Zindabad, a sequel to the enjoyable comedy Shankardada MBBS, is entertaining and a scene to-scene remake of the original (Rajkumar Hirani’s Lage Raho Munnabhai). The only additions are a few more songs in tune with mega star Chiranjeevi’s larger-than-life image.This is a new episode in the life of the lovable don Shankardada and his good friend ATM. Shankardada (Chiranjeevi) falls in love with a Radio Jockey Jhanvi (Karishma Kotak) after listening to her voice. He tries to impress her by pretending he has a deep interest in the values propagated by Mahatma Gandhi. One day, he happens to meet her at the studio, after winning a contest on Bapu, and learns that Jhanvi helps the old and destitute people by running a shelter for them.Shankardada gets closer to her by lying and stating he is a professor and a true Gandhian. However, when he gets into difficult situations, he finds himself being guided by Gandhiji himself, whose teachings and principles Shankar adopts—reluctantly at first—but eventually with unconditional faith.Then there is Rajalingam (Sayaji Shinde), an unscrupulous builder who has been using Shankardada and ATM to his advantage. He even cheats his daughter Sandhya’s (Sada) prospective in-laws by telling them her ‘horoscope’ is clean. Now he wants to take over `Second Innings`, the bungalow where Jhanvi and the old people she supports stay! How Shankardada, and what he calls “Gandhigiri”, solves the issue forms the rest of the story.The film is a winner thanks to its star cast. Chiranjeevi is superb with his one-liners, screen presence, comedy timing and dance moves. As Shankar’s sidekick, Srikanth steals the thunder. Sayaji Shinde as a comical villain and Shankar’s nemesis is a revelation. But newcomer Kashmira could not match the grace and beauty of Vidya Balan, who did the original Bollywood film.Dilip Prabhawalkar as Gandhiji is impressive. Dharmavarapu, Venu Madhav and Sunil in cameo roles are good. Allu Arjun, Ravi Teja and Nagendra Babu appear in guest roles and Pawan Kalyan surprises you in the climax. Some scenes from the original have been taken as is and mixed and matched with the Telugu version. There is nothing new in what Prabhu Deva had to offer because the film is a carbon copy of the original. The music by Devi Sri Prasad is an asset especially the Good Morning…. number.On the whole Shankardada Zindabad is a faithful adaptation of Lage Raho Munnabhai, a clean family entertainer.

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Yet studies demonstrates a strong link between good nutrition and reduced risks of developing a common and often blinding eye disease known as age-related macular degeneration (loss of straight-ahead or central vision caused by deterioration of a portion of the inner back lining of the eye known as the retina, where the macula is located).

Diet high in vitamins C, E, and zinc, along with beta carotene found in many fruits and vegetables including carrots. This helps to reduce the risk of developing macular degeneration by about 35%. Macular degeneration damages the inner lining of the eye, the retina, where images are processed.

The study suggests that the risk of Macular Degeneration can be modified by diet--in particular, by dietary vitamin E and zinc." Researchers recommend eating these types of food to help reduce risks of developing macular degeneration.

Dietary Recommendations for Preventing Macular Degeneration

Vitamin E : Whole grains, vegetable oil, eggs, nuts.

Zinc : Meat, poultry, fish, whole grains, dairy products.

Beta Carotene : Carrots, kale, spinach.

Vitamin C : Citrus fruits and juices, green peppers, potatoes.

Job agencies in the country report that resume padding is extensive among the resumes from Hyderabad to the level that it turned into a stereotype.

In fact, 'padding or sprucing' up one's resume is becoming commonplace in India Inc. Search firms say only 20% of all resumes are authentic. This is due to the boom in the job market and the fact that companies are in a tearing hurry to hire candidates, says Ronesh Puri, MD, Executive Access, a search firm. “Background verification is taking a backseat now," he laments. Adds Asim Handa, country leader, Future step, a middle management search firm says, "Many candidates pad up their CVs by overstating their educational qualifications. At the middle level, many executives overstate their CTC (cost to the company). Senior-level executives normally refrain from doing so as they know a lot is at stake,"

The sprucing up is done in various ways. From overstating their educational qualifications to work accomplishments to covering up unemployment gaps, Indians are doing everything possible and getting away with it. According to industry sources, a majority of resumes either withhold or show false and incomplete information. This results in disqualifications of up to 8% for every batch of recruitment.

And, by the time such disqualifications come to notice, training initiatives that account for 15% of the corporate budget and 25% of the management time are lost. Moreover, recruitment has to be done. Take IT for instance. Achutam Nair, VP, strategic re sourcing, Wipro, says, “We find the 'padding up' menace more prevalent in mainframe and SAP arenas." Wipro, on its part, has shown the door to such fraudulent candidates and is constantly strengthening its recruitment process.

Hyderabad has been the meeting place of many different cultures and traditions and is known to be the city where the distinct cultural and linguistic traditions of North India and South India meet. Hyderabad also has a very good transport system. It is well connected to the outer world through its airways and railways. The public transport in Hyderabad comprises of local trains, 3-seater and 7-seater auto-rickshaws, buses and also private taxis for sightseeing.

Hyderabad is one of the most developed cities in the country and is the emerging IT and biotech hub of India. It is known as the city of pearls and lakes. The pearl market is situated near Charminar. Ornaments made with Rice Pearls can be bought from Char Kaman or General Bazaar Market. It is famous for its traditional markets such as Laad Bazaar, Sultan Bazaar and so on. It is also a source of attraction for tourists from all parts of the world. Hyderabad is famous for its Char Minar, Falaknuma Palace, Salar Jung Museum, Makkah Masjid, Chilkur Balaji Temple, Husain Sagar, Sanghi Temple, Snow World and Ramoji Film City.

Golconda; The name much heard when it comes to the famous forts in India. It stands as head to Hyderabad which is now became Hitch-city. The moment you enter into premises of fort you can find the lefts out of Royal foots. You can feel what kind of a culture was lied in there.

The moment you enter the 20 feet big walls welcomes you, and the moment you cross it, you will be thrilled with the acoustic engineering architecture. If you clap standing in the place specified, you can here the echo of claps at the 350 ft high of the fort. Then you will be wondered with the water supply as how it goes till the peak of fort. You will be wondered to know that they had separate hot water and cold water supply. The best part of this fort is 356 roomed rani mahal. It is built with such architecture that, if you speak in the ground floor the same can be heard in the first floor.

Golconda has a love story attached to it. It is being said that Hyderabad is built in that name of “Hyder Begam”, who is queen of Golconda.

You have a light show at Golconda in the evening, which is worth watching. In that they explain the history of Golconda in Hindi, English and Telugu.

In the Hyderabad's history of enchanting pearls, Beautiful poetry, mouth-watering multi-cuisine, we also have the Hyderabadi Bangles.

Since time immemorial, bangles, like Bindhi, have become an integral part of an Indian woman, more so, for a traditional Hyderabadi woman. They love to adorn their wrists with colorful bangles and their elders simply love the sound of "chan-chan" on their younger women folk.

Bangles are not just a decoration for a woman but are a beauty in itself, ask any Hyderabadi man and he will vouch for it!!!!

There are many types of bangles and roughly a couple of hundreds of shops are present near and around Charminar itself, where bangle sellers weave a web of magic around your wrists. The most famous is the Hyderabadi Lacquered Bangles, molded out of pure lack and studded with glittering and beautifully cut glass pieces of various colors. These bangles are a must for every Hyderabadi bride. Again Lad Bazaar is the main market for Bangles.

A word of advice and caution:

Although most of the shops are genuine a new shopper to this area may be easily duped. Either tag along with an experienced Hyderabadi shopper or take care to demand a receipt of your purchase.