Airtel launches NetPC

Bharti Airtel has launched NetPC which works with an Airtel broadband connection. It comes as a package of 15 inch LCD monitor, keyboard and a mouse. The package costs Rs. 7,999(4999 without LCD monitor) which is a one time investment. Including tax and installation charges, it'll be around 9000 Rs. There will be no costs for upgrades or maintenance. Airtel provides home pack over Rs.699 monthly broadband scheme, Professional pack(MS office standard with admin rights) over Rs.899 monthly broadband scheme and Business pack(MS office premium with admin rights) over Rs. 1199 monthly broadband scheme. All the packs offer 256 kbps speed and 3GB data transfer cap. Last year in November, Novatium had launched its network PC in collaboration with BSNL costing Rs. 2999(excluding tax and installation charges). But it didn't offer any LCD monitor. Airtel NetPCs will be available in Airtel and Next stores after 23rd MAy in Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida.

NetPCs are meant for internet usage and small businesses. NetPC is a computer without disks. It employs internet booting to load its operating system from the server. There are no softwares stored on NetPC and the server takes care of it. Thus we need not worry about software upgrades. NetPC works on the concept of cloud computing technology based on shared infrastructure in internet wherein a large number of systems are linked. Cloud servers fulfill storage purposes. Thus the software and data are stored in centralized servers instead of the user end PC. This approach results in lower cost as it eliminates the need to install software or hardware.This also gives the advantage of access to genuine softwares by users. Also, just like email, we can access our internet based NetPC anywhere around the world with our login account and perform any task.

Airtel NetPC is powered by Nivio Companion which connects PC to a backend Linux server for storage and applications. Nivio provides the necessary hardware and software(genuine Windows XP) while Airtel provides broadband services. Airtel NetPC is featured with 10 GB online storage.

Advantages of this PC are low costs, low power consumption (5-10 Watt), regular software upgrades(genuine), 100% data security and privacy, no virus, no crashes. Disadvantages: due to the absence of optical media, playing games will be cumbersome; we can't download any software, no hardware upgrades, no CD-ROM drives or hardware expansion slots.

Aung San Suu Kyi: The Burmese boon

People from all over the world have their eyes laid upon this incredible woman Aung San Suu Kyi, who is struggling hard to establish democracy in Burma and relieve the country from the clutches of military dictatorship. She is the leader of National League for Democracy (NLD) in Burma. Well, by now she should have been the elected P.M. of Burma, but the military dictators are not letting it happen.

Suu Kyi was born on 19 June,1945 in Rangoon, Burma. She finished her B.A. in Philosophy, Poltics & Economics at Hugh's College, Oxford (1969) and Ph.D at School of oriental and African Studies, university of London (1985). Meanwhile in 1972, she got married to Dr.Michael Aris (scholar of Tibetan culture) who lived in Bhutan. She gave birth to two sons.

In 1988, she returned to Burma to take care of her ailing mother. In the same year, agitated by the military rule, she addressed half million people and stressed the need for a democratic govt. as their right. The NLD was formed and she took responsibility as its General Secretary on 27th Sep, 1988. Thus paved the way for pro-democracy movement.

Displeased by these awakening spirits, the military officials put her under house arrest on 20th July, 1989. In 1990, general elections were called for and Suu Kyi was massively elected as the P.M. But the military refused to hand over the power and she was continued to be kept under house arrest.

SInce her house arrest, her husband Michael could help himself in making out only five visits to meet her in Burma. He had his last visit in 1995 after which he was denied of entry visa. In 1997, Michael was confirmed to be suffering from cancer. In spite of the pleadings made by UN, Pope John Paul ll, he was not allowed the entry visa. Instead Suu Kyi was made free from house arrest and was given the chance to meet Michael abroad. But she refused it since she knew that once she left Burma, she wont be allowed to enter again. In 1999, Michael died.

Suu Kyi's struggle is still going on. Suu Kyi is a great believer of Buddhist concepts and non violence preached by Gandhiji. Suu Kyi was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. Her sons who live in UK received the award on her behalf. She dedicated those received 1.3 million dollars in the establishment of health and education trust for the people of Burma. She has been awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Peace Prize in 1992. In May, 2008 US awarded her the Congressional Gold Medal. GOrdon Brown (British P.M.), in his book 'Courage: Eight Portraits', talks about her selflessness and the way she has given her own life for the Burman people.

Suu Kyi is now on a trial, accused of violating the terms of her house arrest. The charges against her talk about her secret visit with an uninvited American man at the lake near her house. The western Govts and international human rights org. see upon these charges as a travesty. Police officers have blocked the road near the Insein prison thus not allowing anyone to observe the trial. Members of NLD are found to be protesting outside the prison. With all these happenings on one hand, the people of Burma on the other are praying for the best for their hero, Suu Kyi.

WHERE IS KOLLYWOOD GOING!

Today, cinema is about business and glamour more than art. Hundreds of movies are getting released within a very short time, most of which talk of all bright nonsense in a vivacious way. Movies lack originality and keep hovering around the same story. It cannot be said that good and sensible films never come out, they do, but rarely and that too some fail to reach the hearts of people may be since they don’t have the normal mix masala. A hero who can now also be a rowdy, a heroine who has no role other than just loving the hero, a nasty villain, some fight, few stunts, few punch dialogues, item and other songs with amateurish lyrics and that’s it; it becomes the Main film yet to be certified or Running successfully all over.

Now, another trend is ruling the market. Movies based on adolescence love, casting a very bad loking guy, who is not even fit for a side role, as hero and any good looking girl.

Some films have a good theme, but the way the story is built on it, the way they are pictured and the over sentimental or nasty dialogues make it a mess. But it is a fact that we, the public, should also be equally blamed for the current scenario. People are now no longer selective and watch everything that is dumped on them right from television shows to cinemas. Having craze on any film star is not wrong. But creating thousands of fan clubs, their effusive worship with abhishekam begs condemnation. Such people really need to act sensibly. The censor can only help us by editing certain scenes or dialogues and by rating the film as ‘U’ or ‘A’. But it is in the hands of the public to demote the films that lack good art and story. People should maintain their own class of taste and reject films which fail to be classic.

Well, it is right that we cannot expect perfection, but at least we should strive towards it for the betterment of art and society.

Nano : India's baby car

India's baby car, the Nano, was launched in Mumbai on 23rd March, 2009.
The 3 versions of nano launched are:
Base version:Tata Nano Standard (BSII* and BSIII*): Around Rs 1.2 lakh
Single-tone seats, and fold-down rear seat.
Middle version:Tata Nano CX (BSII* and BSIII*): Around Rs 1.5 lakh
Plus heating and air-conditioning (HVAC), two-tone seats, parcel shelf, booster-assisted brakes, fold-down rear seat with nap rest.
Top end version:Tata Nano LX (BSIII*):Around Rs 1.7 lakh
Plus complete fabric seats, central locking, front power windows, body colored exteriors in three premium colours, fog lamps, electronic trip meter, cup holder in front console, mobile charger point, and rear spoiler. Many of these features are not available on current entry-level small cars in the country.

In the LX and CX versions, the standard air-con provides decent cooling for the front passengers but the small 60cc rotary compressor struggles to keep the rear passengers cool. Only a provision for music system (wiring) is provided on all the 3 versions of Nano.

Warranty: 18 months or 24,000 km whichever is earlier

Colour Options:
Nano base: Bright red, Ivory white, Summer blue
Nano CX: Bright red, Ivory white, Summer blue, Champagne gold, Lunar silver
Nano LX: Champagne gold, Lunar silver, Sunshine yellow

THE CAR:

Nano is 3.1 metres (10.23 feet) long, 1.5 metres wide and 1.6 metres high. It can comfortably accomodate four adult persons.It has a big enough passenger compartment with good leg space and head room (21% more interior space than Maruti 800).
Nano has an all sheet metal body. The Nano's body and chassis are steel, while the bumpers are plastic.(Bumpers on most new cars are color-coordinated plastic "wrappers," molded sleekly around the front and back ends of the vehicles.)
The front seats are bucket seats. The rear seat is a bench seat. High seating makes getting in and getting out easy. A luggage space of 80 litres is available behind the rear seat. When rear seat is folded, we get 500 Litres of luggage space.

Battery and fuel tanks being placed under the front seats. Petrol tank of this car will have capacity of 15 litres.
There is only one windshield wiper, one wing mirror, and the headrests aren’t adjustable.

A bulging central console with a high-mounted speedometer and digital fuel gauge and odometer make the central layout of the dash unique.
Front Power windows are offered only in Nano LX.
There is a roof lamp in all the 3 trim levels of Nano (that is integrated with the IRVM- Internal Rear view mirror). The ORVM (outer rear view mirror) is offered only on the Driver's side in this car.
Nano has Style-in-steel wheels. They are steel wheels made to look like alloy wheels.
The small car sports a two cylinder 623 cc, 33 horsepower rear mounted multi-point fuel injection (MPFi) petrol engine. The all-aluminum gasoline-fed engine is located at the rear. Rear engine is used in most internationally acclaimed city cars. Rear engine leads to more passenger space in cars of small dimensions Also it makes lesser noise & vibration in passenger cabin.Two scoops are provided on either side of this car. These scoops allow for cooler air to enter as the car moves and help in engine cooling. The engine is well insulated with heat shields. So there is no chance of rear seat getting heated. Engine noise is also far less than one might imagine.

To take care of the larger rear load, rear tyres are wider than the front tyres. They also help maintain the slip angle while turning at higher speeds and to achieve good drivability and handling characteristics. Nano has tubeless tyres.Car has drum brakes at the front instead of usual disc brakes. Since engine is located at the rear of this car, the load on front wheels is low. Hence drum brakes at front will serve the purpose. The braking distance for this car is comparable to any other entry level cars. The dinner-plate sized wheels have three bolts rather than four. There are no air bags, which aren’t mandated in India. The trunk doesn’t open. The brakes in the Nano are more than adequate.

Performance:.
The real secret to the car is weight,” said David Hudson, a British engineer at Tata Motors. “Because if you control weight everything else follows. Once the key is turned, the Nano doesn’t make an autorickshaw-like racket as many thought it would. The twin-cylinder motor has a unique single balancer shaft that smoothens out the unbalanced blows. However, there is some vibration inside the cabin, especially in the doors. The engine smoothens up as you climb up the rev band. The ultra-light clutch makes it easy to move. The gearing is short, and this is further exaggerated by the conservative 5600rpm rev limit. Just as the engine gets into stride, you are quickly up against the limiter, especially in first and second gear which can be quite frustrating. However, the Nano has enough pep in the closer-stacked lower gears and progresses well in city traffic. Except on steep inclines, it never feels like hard work, and the crisp shift action of the four-speed gearbox works surprisingly well.The Nano gets to 60kph in about 9 seconds, which is merely a second slower than the Maruti 800.
It move past 60kmph without any strain but becomes noisy after that. turning radius of just 4 metres, makes it extremely manoeuvrable in the smallest of parking slots.
Nano has the lowest-in-class turning circle radius of just 4m - compared to 4.4m on Maruti800 and 4.6m on Alto. This lowest turning radius mean that the car can be manouvered easily and driving in city traffic is easier. Getting in and out of the parking slots is also easier with this car.With a turning radius of only 4 meters, or 13 feet, the Nano is nearly capable of doing a 360-degree turn in its own tiny shadow.
Power steering is not offered on any of the trim levels in this car.The steering, while lacking power assistance, provides pin-point location of the car. Nano can tackle the worst of Indian roads. On the highway, the Nano’s straight-line stability is terrific. Except for when parking at very low speeds you won’t really miss power steering. But under hard braking Nano tends to oversteer.
The Nano has 4 forward speed and 1 reverse speed gearbox for all the versions. Nano is fitted with four speed manual gearbox. The gearbox is far from the engine and is operated through cables. The gearbox is precise but it requires sufficient effort to slot in.
Tata claims that the car can touch the top speed of 105 kms. This car accelerates from 0-60 kmph in just 8 seconds. The torque on this car is 48Nm@3000 rpm.ground clearance: It is a best in class 180 mm. It can 'negotiate inclines with a gradeability of 30%' explains the Indian car maker, which will be important to people living in mountainous or hilly areas.It is extremely comfortable to drive the car in the Ghats due to a gradeability of 30%.
Nano runs perfectly fine on the highway.
The Nano tips the scales at 600 kilograms, so the acceleration naturally suffered. Yet the ride remained stable and comfortable.
The biggest flaw is pick up. Try to pass someone as an overloaded truck bears down on you from the opposite direction, honking its giant horn, and you'll wish the Nano could accelerate more quickly.
At idle, you can feel the unit rocking, and under hard acceleration its vibrations filter through to the cabin. As the Nano is a city car, Tata has made low-speed acceleration a priority.
Fuel Efficiency: This car will give fuel average of 23.6 Km/L., certified by the Automotive Research Association of India under mandated test conditions, which is the highest for any petrol car in India.
The Power to weight ratio in Nano is ~58 PS/ ton which is higher than that of any other level car in the Indian market (It is ~56 PS/ton for Maruti 800)

Pollution:
Against the criticism and concerns of the environmentalists, Nano surpasses Indian regulatory requirements and Euro IV emission norms. In fact, Tata claims that the small car is less polluting than most of the bikes on Indian roads. Adding to the environment’s concerns, Nano’s fuel efficiency not promises economic mobility but also assures a low carbon footprint.

Safety:
Nano promises a strong passenger compartment, with the latest safety features including crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats and anchorages. The rear tailgate glass of Nano is bonded to the body making it even safer. Tubeless tiers help in further enhancing safety. The car has passed the full frontal crash tests and side impact tests.
This car passes all the safety tests required in india including full frontal crash, roof crush (Roll over), side door intrusion for doors, etc. In addition other safety features like collapsible steering, ELR type seat belts at front, high mount stop lamps are provided. Nano LX has host of other safety and security features like front and rear fog lamps and central locking and antiglare IRVM. It also has a Hazard Warning Light switch which can be operated without the Ignition being turned on. This can be used in case of breakdowns esp. in the night when the vehicle has to be parked off the road or when the vehicle is operated in adverse conditions.
This car has a feature of fuel cutoff at the top speed of 105 kmph. So, there is no danger of overspeeding in this car.

Positive specifications of the car
* The looks of the car are very attractive
*fuel average of 23.6 Km/L which is the highest for any petrol car in India.
* The car is eco friendly as per the emission standard.
* The car has been tested for safety measures for full frontal crash tests and side impacts.
* The length of the car is good for people to park and keep.
* Ground clearance: It is a best in class 180 mm.

Negative specifications of the car

* The car has a low maximum speed of 90km/h.
* Space inside the car is less for keeping luggage
* The car is not equipped with power steering
* There’s no denying that the Nano is better suited to the city and not for overtaking oncoming traffic on single-lane highways. With a 15-litre fuel tank crossing long distances will become a fuel-hopping exercise.

How does this car compare with other entry level cars in India?

The interior space for the Nano is 21% more than the Maruti 800, 8% small than Maruti 800. The power to weight ratio of the nano is more than Maruti 800. This is also wider and taller than Maruti 800. The Kerb weight of 600 kg for nano is lower than other entry levels cars in Indian market Certain high end features like body coloured bumpers, Power window on front doors and Central locking are offered on Nano LX which are not offered even on other entry level cars (Maruti 800 and Alto) that are priced between Rs.1.8 to 2.75 lakhs.

Not so in the U.S. and Europe. Tata Motors is planning more kitted-out versions of the Nano for American and European consumers, who have fatter tastes, tougher safety regulations, and sometimes have to handle icy roads and fast superhighways.

Ratan Tata said the U.S. model would probably be a three-door version targeted at young people and could be ready for launch in about three years. The Nano Europa is set to launch in 2011.

Now lets have a brief review of nano and other cars:
NANO
Powertrain: Engine: 623 cc, Petrol transmission: 4 forward and 1 reverse
Dimensions: Ground clearance: 180 mm Turning radius: 4m Kerb weight: 600 kg Fuel tank capacity: 15 litres
Performance
# 0-60 kph: 8.66 secs
# 0-100 kph: 31.3 secs
# Top speed: 106 kph
# Mileage (overall): 23 kpl(claimed)

Price: Rs 125,000 to Rs 172,000

MARUTI SUZUKI 800
Powertrain: Engine: 796cc, 4-forward, 1-reverse
Dimensions: Ground clearance: 170 mm Turning radius: 4.4 m Kerb weight: 665 kg Fuel tank capacity: 28 litres
Performance
# 0-60 kph: 8.1 secs
# 0-100 kph: 26.3 secs
# Top speed: 130 kph
# Mileage (overall): 16 kpl

Price: Rs 197,000 to Rs 234,000.

MARUTI SUZUKI ALTO
Powertrain Engine: 796cc, 5-forward, 1-reverse
Dimensions Ground clearance: 166 mm Turning radius: 4.6 m Kerb weight: 725/740 kg Fuel tank capacity: 35 litres
Performance
# 0-60 kph: 6.9 secs
# 0-100 kph: 20.4 secs
# Top speed: 138 kph
# Mileage (overall): 15 kpl

Price: Rs 236,000 to Rs 286,000.

CHEVROLET SPARK

PowertrainEngine: 995cc, 5-forward, 1-reverse,
DimensionsGround clearance: 170 mm Turning radius: 4.6 m Kerb weight: 840 kg Fuel tank capacity: 38 litres

performance
# 0-60 kph: 6.4 secs
# 0-100 kph: 15.2 secs
# Top speed: 164 kph
# Mileage (overall): 12 kpl

Price: Rs 292,000 to Rs 401,000.

HYUNDAI SANTRO XING
PowertrainEngine: 1086cc, petrol Transmission: 5-forward, 1-reverse
DimensionsGround clearance: 172 mm Turning radius: 4.4 m Kerb weight: 854/868 kg Fuel tank capacity: 35 litres
Performance
# 0-60 kph: 5.5 secs
# 0-100 kph: 14.6 secs
# Top speed: 150 kph
# Mileage (overall): 13 kpl

Price: Rs 272,000 to Rs 400,000.

MARUTI SUZUKI ZEN ESTILO
PowertrainEngine: 1061cc, petrol Transmission: 5-forward, 1-reverse
DimensionsGround clearance: 165 mm Turning radius: 4.6 m Kerb weight: 855/875 kg Fuel tank capacity: 35 litres
Performance
# 0-60 kph: 6.1 secs
# 0-100 kph: 16.2 secs
# Top speed: 160 kph
# Mileage (overall): 13 kpl

Price: Rs 313,000 to Rs 395,000.

The Sethu Samudram

Gap The Bridge!

The Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP) is currently one of the hottest issues in our country. But many are not aware of why is it actually being confronted. The controversy is not only based on religious beliefs, but also based on environmental, economic, defense, and scientific facts. The Ram Sethu starts at Dhanushkodi tip of Rameshwaram, continues as a chain of limestone shoals and ends at Mannar island of Sri Lanka. A group of geologists say that the sethu was formed due to crustal downwarping or block faulting, while others say it is due to continuous sand deposition and sedimentation with changes in mean sea level. Also, few believe that the breaking away of Sri Lanka from the Indian subcontinent could have lead to such a formation. On demolishing the bridge, the SSCP will create a navigable passage for the ships across the sethusamudram, thus eliminating the need to circumnavigate around Sri Lanka. This will save a travel distance of 350 to 400 nautical miles. It is said that it will directly benefit the shipping industry and EXIM trade and will bolster industrial development resulting in huge employment opportunities adding to our national economy.
But the protesters say that these economic advantages will not outweigh the irreparable and disastrous effects that the SSCP will impose on the ecological system. NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, a central Govt. agency) has reported that by dredging the sethu the turbidity of seawater in its vicinity will increase. This will prevent the sunlight to penetrate into the water body and thus the survival of marine flora and fauna will not be possible. Also marine assets like pearl and shanka may face extinction in those areas. The Gulf of Mannar (declared as a protected biosphere by UNESCO) is a habitat to many endangered species. Thus the Govt. should preserve this biosphere as per Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. SSCP may also diminish the rich fish stocks in the biosphere close to Ram Sethu, which will affect more than one lakh fishing families (noth in India & Sri Lanka), says a convener of Coastal Action Network. NEERI has stated that the disposal of dredged material will also be a problem, since it may have adverse effect at disposal site.
Moreover, since sethusamudram is quite shallow (10 meter depth), only small and medium sized vessels will be able to navigate and futher deepening of the channel will be both economically and environmentally unviable.
From defense point of view, critics say that the SSCP will convert historic waters to international waters, which will dilute our national defense system. Also, it is expected that the LTTE will have an easy access into our country. Tsunami experts have stated that Ram Sethu stopped tsunami of Dec 2004 from traveling to Indian west coast. Experts have warned that if next tsunami hits, SSCP canal will allow tsunami energy to pass though to the Gulf of Mannar and destroy the Kerala coast.
According to BARC, 30% of world’s thorium deposits are found on the beaches of Kerala. Scientists estimate that thorium can be a source for nuclear power that can support about 387 years of electricity generation at 2030 capacity levels. A former director of GSI (Gological Srvey of India) has stated that ocean currents have been depositing minerals on Indian southern coastline because of Ram Sethu. Thus, SSCP can pose danger to the thorium and other rich mineral deposits along the beaches lying in proximity to the channel.
Not only this. Ram Sethu has historic and religious values. The Chennai High Court has stated that Ram Sethu is a man-made bridge. Geologists have found loose sand layers of two to three meter depths below the coral reefs over the entire stretch and hard rocks were found several meters below the sand layer. They say that coral reefs normally form above rocks and hence Sethu cannot be a natural formation. Unless somebody had transported those reefs, they could not have come there. It is said that the dept. of Earth-Science has found rich assemblage on mesolithic-microlithic tools and human fossils on both sides of the bridge.
The new argument over Ram Sethu is that if lord Ram had constructed the Sethu, then he had also destroyed it. So where is the Sethu? Well, what explanation of its destruction can the believers provide to such people who need an evidence for Ram’s existence itself. It is really sad to know that Govt. of India (India, which is known as Punya bhoomi, the land of deities, saints and scholars) needs to have a proof for Ram’s existence. Even if Vishnu reincarnates as Ram and appears, it seems he would be asked to build the Sethu again to prove himself!