Why India needs to get its act together, quickly - Business Today - Business News

Why India needs to get its act together, quickly - Business Today - Business News: 


"What can be done quickly to turn around the deep pessimism hanging over us, move the needle on the fiscal situation, and give global investors the feeling that India is still a good place to do business?


The answers are loud and clear - clear the way for foreign direct investment in multibrand retail, roll out the Goods and Services Tax nationwide, slash the subsidy bill by raising diesel prices - and throw in insurance-sector reforms for good measure."


Source: http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/bt-editor-chaitanya-kalbag-on-indias-economy-growth-and-more/1/185558.html




'via Blog this'

National Savings Certificates (NSC) - Planning For It!

National Savings Certificates (NSC) - Planning For It!: 


National Savings Certificates (NSC)
InvestmentYogi: All you need to know about National Savings Certificates (NSC)

The reliable National Savings Certificate (NSC) looks like it may have lost popularity with countless competing investment options available such as equities, mutual funds, unit linked insurance and fixed maturity plans. However, there is no ignoring the instrument's respectable returns, which are not only assured, but also tax-exempt (under 80C) and government guaranteed.

Compared with the NSC, the Public Provident Fund (PPF) has traditionally been more popular on account of its 8% tax-free interest. However, the PPF has a maximum investment limit of Rs 70,000 per annum (this means the maximum amount one can invest in PPF every year is capped at Rs 70,000).

Source: http://investmentyogi.com/planning/national-savings-certificates-nsc.aspx

'via Blog this'

Bosch Introduces New Autonomous Robotic Lawnmower - IEEE Spectrum

Bosch Introduces New Autonomous Robotic Lawnmower - IEEE Spectrum: 

"We got a tip over the weekend that Bosch is introducing (or, has just introduced) what a press release (machine translated from Swedish) calls the "world's first intelligent robot lawn mower," the Bosch Indego. Well, we're not entirely sure about the world's first bit, but from what we can tell, there are definitely some features here that will make the Indego more intelligent than some of its competitors.
We should preface all of this by saying that we're relying on Google-translated press releases and websites, so it's entirely possible that some of these details aren't 100 percent correct, but it's what we've got for now.
As I'm sure you know, or at least, as the Bosch press release says, "the Swedish summer is short and should be fully utilized." The best way to go about doing this is to not spend all your time mowing the lawn, which is where the Indego comes on. It's a completely autonomous robotic lawnmower that, after you set it up, will happily behead up to 1,000 square meters of grass without any supervision whatsoever."
Source:  http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/home-robots/bosch-introduces-new-autonomous-robotic-lawnmower

'via Blog this'

Rome Itinerary – 2 Days

Rome Itinerary – 3 Calendar Days (2 complete useful days) (minimum recommended 2 full days– excluding train/flight dead-time etc)

Visited last week Feb-2012.

Day 1 (Arrival mid-day)

We had taken a morning Ryan Air flight from Paris Beauvais airport to arrive mid-day at Rome Ciampino airport. There are several shuttle services available at the airport to take you to the main city center – drop point Roma Termini main railway station. They are all the same - take the one which is departing earliest. I had booked a Hotel very close to Roma Termini. It was a simple budget category hotel – no frills, low cost, clean, and functional. There were a lot of shops and restaurants nearby. We enjoyed Italian veggie pizzas and pastas on all three days. Get information from tourist info centre at the main station. They are quite helpful. They speak English. I had made my own little sight-seeing wish-list before-hand. With this list as a starting point, and their generous help, we were able to chalk out a detailed plan for the rest of trip. The Metro (underground train) service is very good. Make sure you take city tourist maps, maps & info about Metro, Bus, etc. from the counter. Travelling within Rome is easy with the Metro. Someone with prior experience of visiting a European city will find it easy to use the public transport service in Rome – it is similar. I had found out that a Carnival is going on in the city. They suggested that some good Carnival event is scheduled that evening in Piazza del Popolo. We were pleasantly surprised to find a fantastic "Horse Show" going on. We spent the rest of the evening watching the mesmerizing dance/performance from a raised platform (free of cost ;-)). Since it was my birthday, we decided to end the day with a nice dinner at a nearby restaurant. Menu: Pizzas – authentic Italian Pizzas.

Day 2 (Full useful day)

The Glories of Ancient Rome

We reached here by Bus around 12:00 – you should reach as early as possible.

Colosseum - Ancient Rome's huge amphitheater was built in between 70 and 82 AD in the heart of Rome whose sheer size and grandeur still impresses almost 2,000 years later. When it was inaugurated in 80 A.D., the Colosseum could hold up to 70,000 spectators, who came to the arena to watch gladiatorial contests and daring animal hunts. This ticket is valid for The Roman Forum also.

Roman Forum : a huge complex of ruined temples, basilicas, and arches, was the ceremonial, legal, social, and business center of ancient Rome. Give yourself at least two hours to wander around. Here's what to see at the Roman Forum. Take the tourist maps from the ticket counters. The Palatine Hill includes ruins from the House of Augustus and the Stadium of Domitian, among other excavations. Entry to the Palatine is included in the Colosseum/Roman Forum ticket. From the Palatine, you can also see the Circus Maximus, famed for its chariot races.

We took some wrong paths and ended in dead-end – try to avoid such things as you have to conserve energy and time. When in doubt anywhere - Ask ask and ask till you are sure. Make sure you keep strict eye on your watch. The sign-boards here are not always correct. So keep observing the tourist movement around – if you find a guided tour group, the guide may help you with directions. This place is so huge – you easily spend the full day wandering around. Look for the panoramic view point. From there try to locate and identify the structures and buildings in the map.

We then came out of the Forum and walked till the Piazza Venezia. It is a large traffic circle in front of the magnificent  Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II. After clicking several pics, we moved on to The Pantheon. We asked people how to reach there – everyone knows English here. The Pantheon, is the best preserved building of ancient Rome, has a spectacular dome and free admission, closes 7PM. You can find all these places within walking distance . Look for the sign-boards and directions on walls of corner buildings. Trevi Fountain, one of Rome's most recognizable landmarks. Must See. Spanish Steps: We reached here after dark. L For an incredible view of the Rome at sunset, climb the stairs and walk left to the Pincio Gardens where there is a panorama of the city with St. Peter's Basilica in the distance. Directly below the Pincio Gardens, the Piazza del Popolo (we visited this already on Day 1) is another traffic-free square that is a popular spot for an evening stroll. 

Day 3 (Depart Rome at 16:12)

Vatican City

Vatican Museums - At the Vatican Museums you choose from 4 different itineraries all ending with the Sistine Chapel. Because of the vastness of the museum it's wise to take a guided tour. Do some homework research and shortlist the main exhibits you don't want to miss there. These exhibits could become the basis of selecting the visit routes. Audio Guides and guided tours were not our thing – so we skipped them. Believe me – it is huge. I strongly suggest you do a booking online in advance. The queue for the entrance can be unimaginably long. We arrived around 11:00 and were shocked to see a long serpentine queue already waiting. In our estimate it would have taken at least 2 hours to reach the ticket counter. We definitely did not want to waste precious hours waiting in the queue. We had to think of an alternative – we swapped the Day 3 and Day 2 itineraries and went on to explore "The Glories of Ancient Rome".

St. Peter's Basilica 

Saint Peter's Basilica, built on the site of a church covering Peter's tomb, is one of the largest churches in the world. Entrance to the church is free but visitors must be properly dressed, with no bare knees or shoulders. Saint Peter's Basilica is open daily, 7AM - 7PM (until 6PM October - March). Masses, in Italian, are held all day on Sundays.

1.       Vatican Dome – It costs 7€ / person. You can go up the dome of Vatican and get an aerial view of the city. Half the way you can go by elevator, but will have to climb up the final 300 odd steps. Also there is ticket for 5€. This cuts out the elevator option. You will have to climb up all the way.

2.       Tomb of Previous Popes – Here you can find tombs of previous popes not all though.

3.       Basilica – This is the cathedral. Here you can find St. Peters tomb. It is surrounded by 99 candles, always illuminated.

Sistine Chapel: The Sistine Chapel was built from 1473-1481 as both the pope's private chapel and the venue for the election of the new pope by the cardinals.

Castel Sant Angelo: ( we did not visit this) Castel Sant Angelo, on the Tiber River, was built as a tomb for Emperor Hadrian in the second century. In the Middle Ages it was used as a fortress until it became a papal residence in the 14th century. It was built over the Roman walls and has an underground passageway to the Vatican. You can visit Castel Sant Angelo and in the summer, concerts and special programs are held there. It's a pedestrian area so it's a good place for strolling and enjoying the river.Castel Sant Angelo Visitor Guide

Spice of India - New Indian Shop in Feuerbach, Stuttgart

A new Indian shop has opened near Feuerbach bahnhof.

It’s a short walk from the bahnhof – just take the narrow footpath along the U-Bahn railway track after crossing the tracks (on the side opposite to S-Bahn station) – take a right turn at the dead-end – you’ll see the store right ahead.

Spice of India

Tunnel Straße 12

Feuerbach 70469

Stuttgart

0711-21740605

0152-34008803

It also has a seating area – A small snacks menu and Indian Thali will be available this week onwards.

Most of the basic items like rice, dal, spices, ready-to-eat stuff are available now.

The opening hours on Saturday are actually till 16:00.

On weekdays it will be open till 20:00

East meets West - Infographic

A very good comparison of Eastern and Western mind-set

This series of info-graphic posters were designed by a China-born German-educated designer Liu Yang (http://www.yangliudesign.com/)

Although the stereotypes portrayed here are (I think) German (Blue) and Chinese (Red), but you (as Indians) can find resonance in some slides. I found myself smiling at some slides thinking – “oh, I do the same!” J

http://www.slideshare.net/thanhhuynh/east-vs-west-presentation

http://www.scribd.com/dawpa2000/d/14276662-Liu-Yang-East-vs-West-Ost-Trifft-West

Look for the zoom control icons towards the bottom of the screen for a larger view.

Hope you like it.

EasyBlood: This is how you fight blood trafficking..
from B Shantanu's Blog by B Shantanu

A few weeks ago, I got an email in my inbox about a very intriguing initiative called “Easyblood”. I had a look at the website and decided to find out more…Here is what I learnt after a brief chat with Souvik. EasyBlood(www.easyblood.info) is an online network cum directory of voluntary blood donors across India. It is an initiative of an NGO set up by Souvik and Bhaskar in Jamshedpur. Souvik and Bhaskar are not your typicaljholawallahs – They both gave up lucrative jobs in Banking and Consulting to set up “People for Change” in Jamshedpur! In their own words,


The website provides a platform to locate voluntary blood donors for any given blood group in more than 2500 cities of India. The website aims to ease the process of searching for a blood donor in times of an emergency by providing a direct link to matching and interested donors across the country.





India faces an acute shortage of blood donors. As per an estimate the blood deficit is close to 62 lakh units in the country. This acute shortage can be overcome only if new people pledge and turn to actively donating blood. While 8% of population in U.S.A donates at least once a year, a meager 3% of Indian population donate blood. As per a WHO report, shortage of blood has resulted in India becoming the world leader in blood trafficking and transfusion of diluted or adulterated blood to patients. India has round 14 crore internet users. Out of this, 12 crore users are above 18 years of age, which is the age eligibility to donate blood. If this user base is motivated to donate even once a year, it can address the blood shortfall of India.

www.easyblood.info aims to target this user group to bridge the blood deficit.

Have a look at the website…and help them spread the word. It is an interesting idea – to say the least!

Living and Working in Stuttgart

After staying in the sub-urbs of Stuttgart for four-and-a-half months, I have the following recommendation for a person living alone and working in Schwieberdingen. I suggest staying closer to the city. This way you can catch the weekend action of the city without having to worry about “the-last-bus-to-your-home”. Weekend public transport connection is very poor for sub-urban towns like Schwieberdingen. You will feel isolated and bored in such village-like places. Localities within the Stuttgart city limits like Zuffenhausen, Weilimdorf and Feuerbach are very well connected on all days till mid-night including weekends with U-Bahn (city-tram service). The flip-side of staying in the city is that, your office will be far. Daily travel one-side from the city to your office in Schwieberdingen can be anywhere between 1-hr to 1.5-hrs by public transport, and may involve multiple changes of bus, S-bahn or U-bahn. Schwieberdingen is poorly connected even during the week.

 

Also, sub-urban towns of Ludwigsburg and Asperg are well connected to the Schwieberdingen. There are direct bus services from these places to Schwieberdingen. And for weekend, they are served by S-Bahn (sub-urban train). The plus-point is that Ludwigsburg itself is quite a big town.

 

European debt crisis could take years to resolve

European debt crisis could take years to resolve

Economic Times - ‎45 minutes ago‎

It has happened time and again in recent months as Europe's debt crisis has played out. Stocks stage a remarkably strong comeback on expectations that a solution has been found. Then they quickly resume their decline as hopes dissipate, ...

LINK

10 things to learn from JAPAN, in the wake of the triple disaster that has devasted the island nation

Here are some important lessons to be learnt from the Japanese people in the wake of the triple disaster that has devastated the island nation

 

10 things to learn from JAPAN                          

 

1. THE CALM

Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.

 

2. THE DIGNITY

Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture.

 

3. THE ABILITY

The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn’t fall.

 

4. THE GRACE

People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.

 

5. THE ORDER

No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding.

 

6. THE SACRIFICE

Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid?

 

7. THE TENDERNESS

Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the weak.

 

8. THE TRAINING

The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just that.

 

9. THE MEDIA

They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly reporters. Only calm reportage.

 

10. THE CONSCIENCE

When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly

 

 

Source: Received as a forwarded email from a friend

 

 

DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE

              *DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE*
 
There was this family with one kid. One day the  mother was out and dad was
in charge of the kid, who just turned  four.
 
Someone had given the kid a little 'tea set' as a birthday gift  and it was
one of his favorite toys. Daddy was in the living room engrossed in  the
evening news when kid brought Daddy a little cup of 'tea', which was just
water. After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea from
father, kid’s Mom came home.
 
Dad made her wait in the living room to  watch the kid bring him a cup of
tea, because it was 'just the cutest  thing!!'
 
Mom waited, and sure enough, the kid comes down the hall with a  cup of tea
for Daddy and she watches him drink it up, then she says to him, 'Did  it
ever occur to you that the only place that baby can reach to get water is
the  toilet??'
 
....Mothers know!!
 
 
MORAL OF THE STORY:
 
*Domain knowledge is very important!!!*

Two women researchers on MITs India TR35 list - CIOL News Reports

Two women researchers on MITs India TR35 list - CIOL News Reports: "BANGALORE, INDIA: On the eve of the International Women's Day, Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT's Technology Review India edition said that two women researchers – Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan and Alefia Merchant – have found place the prestigious ‘India Technology Review 35’ list for 2011.

The researchers got this recognition for their innovative work done in Bangalore, said a press release.

Bangalore-based Microsoft Researcher Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan came up with a low-cost digital system which lets the users have the convenience of using a normal pen and a plain paper to record data and instantly store it in the digital form.

On the other hand, Alefia Merchant, the second woman on this year’s list, developed a novel method of screening for eye disease in children under the age of five."

Union Budget 2011- Appeal against Service tax on Health care

The government has imposed an additional 5% servive tax on hospital bills. Dr Devi Shetty from Narayana Hrudayalaya Bangalore appeals to the common man to protest against this move.

Corruption and Scams in India - An interesting snap-shot

Google Search Result - Corruption and Scams in India (MAR-2011)

Here is a snap-shot of the result of a Google search with the keywords "corruption and scams in India". I had used the Timeline option in the More Search Tools (seen on the left-hand-side menu). I was amused to see the result of the search.
Tthe  interesting points to be noted here are:

1. The graph at the top shows how the number of corruption cases being reported in India, has been rising steadily over the years.
2. The peaks can be seen around 2010 - 2011.

Looks like Timeline is a very good search tool.

Scrap Book of Funny Sights, Signs and Signboards

Here are some really funny pictures of signs and signboards spotted in India. I presume it would be South India since there were pictures of some Kannada signs also in email I received. The origin of these pictures is not known. It was one of those time-pass forwarded mails.

Some bottled water thoughts (and maybe some rants)

The names of places and the facts may be from a US perspective, but the ideas are equally applicable to India. think about it.

Some bottled water thoughts (and maybe some rants)

via The Frugal Girl by Kristen on 3/1/11

Ok, definitely some rants.
On Sunday afternoon, Mr. FG and I watched Tapped, a documentary about bottled water.
I have never been a fan of bottled water, and so I expected to be in agreement with the message of the documentary. I did not expect to be so completely and utterly disgusted by the production practices, and I didn't expect to feel so depressed.
I've always known that bottled water is insanely expensive (I think the mark-up is something like 1900 times).
I've known for quite a while now that a lot of bottled water is merely filtered tap water (Aquafina and Dasani are two such products).
And I've thought for quite some time that the amount of plastic produced by the bottled water industry is unnecessary and excessive.
But I never really thought before about where bottled water comes from. Tapped showed how a Nestle company, Poland Springs, scouts out areas where water laws aren't very well thought out (like in Maine), quietly buys up land, and trucks the water out.
And they showed how bottled water plants in Georgia and North Carolina pump millions of gallons of water out of the public supply in the midst of a drought. People are on water restrictions, public reservoirs are drying up, and the local bottled water plants just keep on chugging along, bottling water, packaging it, and shipping it off to places where people already have access to water.
Seeing that practically made me want to cry.
Also, I have always assumed that though bottled water is unnecessary, expensive, and wasteful, it is at least pure.
Not so. Bottled water is very loosely regulated (the equivalent of half a person at the FDA is in charge of the whole bottled water industry), the bottled water companies are responsible for their own testing, and they don't make the results of their tests public.
In contrast, tap water has to be tested between 300 and 400 times per MONTH, depending on the population of the area, and the test results are made public.
The makers of Tapped sent several different brands of water off to two independent test labs and the results were read by someone independent of those two labs. The bottled water contained stuff like styrene and phthlates.
Pure?  Not so much.
And the tests they did on bottled water that had sat in a car trunk for a week were even worse (the plastic bottles that are supposed to be so safe appear not to be).
And then there is the matter of the production/waste of those plastic bottles. I was so disheartened to hear about how few plastic bottles get recycled (people drink water on the go and don't want to bring the bottle home to recycle it.). So they just throw it away, and an amazing number of these bottles end up in the Pacific Ocean.
Plastic bottle deposit programs (I'm a little confused about how they work, but I know they end up costing the manufacturer in some way) increase the recycling rate to something like 97%, but bottled water companies steadfastly resist this idea, and instead say they support curbside recycling (which isn't very effective since people drink bottled water on the go, not at home).
Of course they support curbside recycling.  Because that program is paid for by taxes, and it doesn't cut into their almighty bottom line.
Bottled water bottles are obviously made from oil, and Tapped showed an oil refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas.  The health problems experienced by the people who live near the ever-growing refinery broke my heart.  Often we think of pollution just in terms of what it does to the environment, but this documentary reminded me of the impact it has on people (as an example, the cancer rate in that county is 80% higher than elsewhere in Texas).
I know that the bottled water industry is not the only one that uses oil or that uses water, but what makes me so frustrated about it is that it is almost completely and utterly unnecessary.
Here in the U.S., we have a tap water system available to us that is tested rigorously, that costs almost nothing, and that produces no plastic.
Bottled water is expensive.
Bottled water requires plastic bottles, many of which are not recycled, and even the ones that are still use energy (recycling plants have to have energy to run).
And a lot of bottled water is just TAP WATER anyway!
So, why in the world are we spending more than 100 billion a year on bottled water??
I think we've been duped by the bottled water industry's clever marketing.  They want us to think that tap water is dirty and gross and unsafe, and that the only way to get pure water is to buy their product (a higher-up in a bottled water company said plain and simply that tap water is the enemy).
Also, I think we are a culture of convenience.  We like to have water with us but we don't want to bother to actually fill it up, carry it with us, carry it back home with us, and wash it.

Alternatives

I feel quite convinced that the bottled water industry is a money-making machine that doesn't care about the environment or even about our health.  I'm not in a place where I can make laws against them or do something big, though, and you probably aren't either.
But, we consumers hold an enormous amount of power here because if we don't buy the water, the manufacturers will not produce it.
Would you consider helping to dry up the bottled water market?
I know that a number of you will comment and share that your water tastes bad or is unsafe.
But, for every person that truly does have bad water (and after watching Tapped, I'm not at all sure bottled water is going to be any safer for you!), I'm positive that there are many more whose tap water is perfectly potable.
If your water tastes icky, buy a filter. When Mr. FG and I rented our basement apartment, we thought the water had a weird taste.  One Brita pitcher later, we were happily drinking the tap water. Our Brita Pitcher costs $22.99 on Amazon, and even with the continued cost of new filters, you're going to recoup your cost in no time if you quit drinking bottled water.
If you don't trust a Brita filter, consider one that fits onto your tap, or one that's a little more involved.  Over time, even the more expensive systems will pay for themselves.
Also, consider buying a good water bottle, like a Klean Kanteen . We own six Klean Kanteens, one for each of us, and we love them. Klean Kanteens don't come cheap, but I actually think that's a good thing. If you've forked over $15 for a stainless steel bottle, you'll value it enough to keep track of it and reuse it.
I know some of the ideas I share on my blog take time to implement, and I know they won't work for everyone.  But I really think that everyone on the planet has time to run their water through a filter (if they feel it's necessary) and fill up a water bottle. It just doesn't take THAT long.  If you don't have time to do it, you probably don't have time to read my blog (and I'd be thrilled if you gave up reading my blog in order to have time to give up bottled water!).
And if you don't buy bottled water, you won't have to lug cases of it to your car, out of your car, and into your house, so you might even save time by giving it up.
Give it a try, won't you?  Tap water is a win, win, win, win situation in almost every case, and I strongly urge you to join me in making it your beverage of choice.

IIT Engineer turns Comedian - Colossal waste of precious resource

This is a classic example of a thoroughly confused student who was forced by parental or peer pressure into pursuing engineering. What a colossal waste of precious and scarce resource - each seat in the prestigious IITs are sought after by thousands of candidates. This guy got that opportunity and what does he do with it? Ridiculous ! He becomes a comedian. Why the heck didn't he take up arts instead of wasting a precious IIT seat. Some other deserving candidate could have got that seat.

Entertainment Engineers

via www.humorbeings.in on 3/2/11

Nitin Gupta ( Rivaldo): (FOUNDER & CEO: Chief Entertainment Officer)

Nitin Gupta is a B. TECH from IIT Bombay. He is a Chemical Engineer by Education and an Amusement Engineer by Passion. In his own words he explains, " I just happened to choose Comedy over Entropy :)".He holds the distinction of being the only Stand Up Comic in India to have been invited to the Prestigious TED Talks. TEDx VNIT Nagpur , TEDx Trichy.
At 25, he is not only one of the youngest, but also probably the only Stand Up Comic in India,who can perform in both English and Hindi, with equal Panache. He also created a play "Love in December" which is extremely famous across colleges in India.Presently he is performing touring the country with his Stand Up Comedy Concerts and you could also catch him performing at Comedy Store Mumbai.

Unrest in the Middle East and Africa -- country by country - CNN.com

Unrest in the Middle East and Africa -- country by country - CNN.com: "Unrest in the Middle East and Africa -- country by country
By the CNN Wire Staff"

CNN gives the key data on each nation experiencing unrest with updates on what's happening where...
Demonstrations have spread across parts of the Middle East and Africa. Here are the latest developments, including the roots of the unrest:

EV Cup electric car racing to get the electrons flowing this year

via Autoblog Green by Jonas Dalidd on 2/23/11

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Th!nk (Think), Racing


EV Cup, the world's first racing series dedicated solely to zero emission vehicles, starts this August with a debut race in the UK, followed by events in Spain, Portugal, and the U.S. Drivers will compete in three categories: the City EV class, which will feature the tiny Think vehicles; the Sports EV class, with drivers racing in Westfield iRACERs; and the Prototype EV class, wherein non-production EVs (with very little limitations) will go head-to-head in time trials.

Entering in the Sports EV class is Drayson Racing, headed by Lord Paul Drayson, former British Government Minister of Science who quit his job to get into green racing (at the time, a bio-ethanol car in Le Mans). Drayson had good things to say about the EV Cup in a prepared statement:

The team at EVCUP have taken a bold step forward to create the world's first electric racing series. As one of the world's leading green motorsport teams, we want to be a part of it and we want to win it!

If you're an auto racing enthusiast who is also concerned about the environment, make sure to check this series out. To get all the details, the full press release is available after the jump.
[Source: EV Cup / Drayson Racing]
Continue reading EV Cup electric car racing to get the electrons flowing this year

EV Cup electric car racing to get the electrons flowing this year originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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10 Creative Uses Of The New Facebook Profile Page

 

 

Sent to you by Sugandh via Google Reader:

 

 

10 Creative Uses Of The New Facebook Profile Page

via MakeUseOf.com by Jeffry Thurana on 2/24/11

Don't call yourself a true Facebook user if you haven't tried to "hack" your new profile page. Well, at least that's what the profile page hackers believe. A French artist called Alexandre Oudin is credited as the pioneer of the craze. Since then many people have joined the trend and created their own hacked profile page.

If you want to create your own, below are several examples that could inspire you. Please note that due to the nature of Facebook profile pages, which some people change as often as changing clothes, the linked Facebook page might already display a different series of images when you visit them. That's why some of these page profile artists recorded their creations and saved them somewhere else.

Tools Of The Trade

Before we go through the examples, let's see some of the tools that you can use to customize your Facebook Profile Page. We discussed several of them in 3+ Ways To Customise Your Facebook Profile Picture and How To Reface Your Facebook Profile Using FB Photo Magic.  There are also other similar tools that you could try, such as :

• Profile Pimp
• Facebook Profile Picture Generator
• Profile Maker
• MyPeex
• Your New Profile
• Cut My Face (in French)

Armed with these tools, you are ready to go. You only need some inspiration to spice up your own design, inspiration you could perhaps get from some of the following profile pages. The list is in no particular order – except for the first.

1. Alexandre Oudin

   The first spot is reserved for Mr Oudin to honor him as the person who triggered the trend. He creatively used a close-up picture of himself to compile his profile page. Looking at how many profile page creation tools are available today, it's amazing how he – being the first of the pack – did his profile page manually, with the help of Photoshop and a lot of patience.

   

2. Jon Yang

   I have only one word for this one: amazing. Mr Yang used the profile page layout to perfectly put the emphasize on the action.

   

3. John Robert-Nicoud

   Whose heart wouldn't melt after looking at this cute picture? Mr Robert-Nicoud divided the images into two parts and so enhanced the focus on each one. The cute hand and the small flower connected the two parts and gave soul to the whole.

   

4. Thibaut Le Brasseur

   Who said that Facebook profile page hacks have to be built only from photos? This example shows a playful twist to the page hacking process.

   

5. Jack Smith

   This is what we call going all the way. Mr Smith didn't stop at utilizing the profile page and photo streams, but also the other lines of images. I don't know whether this one was done manually or by using one of the available tools, but you surely need lots and lots of patience to do it the manual way.

   

6. Cynthia Lay

   Even with the help of the Facebook profile page builder, this profile page is not an easy one to create (at least not for me). Aside from the well-thought out composition, adjusting the position of the butterflies to fit the page hack layout is not something that ordinary people could do in one go.

   

7. Claudio Nader

   While I personally think that this one is not as good looking as the other examples, Mr Nader creatively uses the space that he has to promote himself. He shows us that the Facebook profile page hack can also be used to literally show your profile.

   

8. Taylor Kwek

   This is an example of how a limitation can be turned into an advantage. Mr Kwek utilizes the edges of the profile picture and photo streams as a virtual wall to give the illusion that he is peeking from behind the wall.

   

9. Dave Keffer

   This profile page hack literally bends the concept of linear edges. The curved photos give the feeling of depth, as if there's a room behind the page.

   

10. Serentonin Boogie

    Scrapbook fans will love this one. Instead of using just one photo like the majority of profile page artists, Mr Boogié tastefully composed and stitched several images into one, making the result a true work of art.

    

These ten are just a tiny proportion of the total number of Facebook profile page hacks. There are lots more examples out there, and it's impossible to show them all. If you have a favourite or if you'd like your creations to be featured here, please share them using the comments below.

Image credit: thurana

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