I do not know if this is something to do with the coming new year but have noticed that many popular websites have either gone in for a makeover or added some eye candy for users. Popoular ones include Wall Street Journal (website redesign), Gmail (themes for the mailbox), Yahoo ( website redesign, second time in the last one year). The list is big but these are the ones that come to my mind now.
This post is being made from wordpress 2.7 which comes with a completely new layout. I like it.
Will the world end today? Is the Large Hadron Collider going to spell the doomsday? Not yet.
Part of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN
Ignorant to a large extent about the science and theory behind the CERN‘s LHC, everyone was curious to know what the scientists were trying to do. Creating more doubts in the minds of people were the ever alert, extra curious news channels asking all kinds of questions: Will the project result in black holes that will gobble up the earth? Have the scientists created the world’s poweful killing machine? Quite innovative, I must say.
Now into the details, scientists are trying recreate the conditions that existed after the “Big Bang” and also try to find the “God Particle” or “Higgs boson” using the Large Hadron Collider the most powerful particle accelerator in the world. Built in a 27 km long underground tunnel on the Franco-Swiss border the project has cost US$ 9 billion and 20 years to build.
Tour of the LHC
The Large Hadron Collider will fire opposite beams of energy particles using the world’s largest Superconducting Solenoid Magnet. The resulting collisons is what the scientists will be studying to understand the elusive “God Particle”. A huge network of 5000 computers and sensors will analyse the petabytes of data that will be generated in the experiment. For more updates follow the live LHC webcast from CERN.
Here is a Popular Rap Video on LHC doing the rounds on the Internet.
Innovation today occupies a prominent position in the growth strategies employed by lot of companies. Innovation and innovative approach have made Google what Google is today. Google’s most successful products and services have scored over their rivals with their innovative approach. Built on an open source platform Google Chrome, the new browser from Google to be launched soon in over 100 countries, packages a lot of features required for a browser in an innovative way.
Update: Google Chrome has been released. Download Google Chrome here.
Using components from Apple’s Webkit and Mozilla’s Firefox the new browser from Google could give a new twist to the browser war, change the way browsers are built and used.
So how different is Google Chrome? The most interesting and innovative aspect is the way the browser treats the tabs. Unlike other browsers, Google Chrome will create independent processes for each website or tab opened in a browser. This will allow users and the browser itself to control the tabs more efficiently for reducing the memory requirements and also ensure that the browser is more stable. Similar to a task manager found on most Windows Operating Systems, Chrome will allow users to close a tab without affecting the other tabs and importantly prevent the browser from crashing—a very important aspect for browsers.
Google Chrome essentially will be an interface that will allow users to view websites or tabs opened in a browser as independent applications that are independent of each other and come with their own controls, customisations, settings and features.
In short Google Chrome will be a collection of browsers in a browser. No matter what happens to Google Chrome, the approach certainly is commendable. The open source browser will allow developers to add more features and improve it further.
A list of the few important features and innovations in Google Chrome.
Improved Stability – A very important aspect for any browser. Google Chrome will try to improve the stability of the browser by making the tabs and resources used by the browser independent of each other.
Efficient Memory Use – Will reduce and make efficient use of memory needed to run the browser and all the tabs opened within. Chrome uses Webkit to optimise the memory usage.
Manage Tabs and Plug-ins – Will allow the users to monitor and control the resources (importantly the memory) occupied by tabs and plug-ins in the browser.
Security – Provides a privacy mode and protection from phishing and malware.
Lightweight Application – Uses optimised code (Java Virtual Machine and Gears) that make efficient use of memory.
UI Improvements – Provides tab specific controls and URL box and also a list of the most used / visited websites.
And for people who are anxious to see how the new browser looks like here a few Google Chrome screenshots. For more information on how Google Chrome works check the comic book.
Click on the image to enlarge.
(All Images courtesy of Google Chrome)
I have been anxiously waiting for Vodafone to announce the pricing for Apple’s iPhone 3G in India. And the prices for the 8GB and 16GB models of Apple iPhone 3G were announced by Vodafone India today.
This is the message that I received from Vodafone 
as I had registered with them for more details on the iPhone and the offers.
Your wait is about to end! iPhone 3G arrives on August 22. 8GB model is for Rs. 31,000 and 16 GB for Rs. 36,100. To get your iPhone before others, visit one of the select Vodafone stores and confirm your booking by paying Rs. 10,000 on August 20 or 21. You’ll get an appointment to collect your iPhone after paying the balance amount. For list of the select Vodafone stores, go to www.vodafone.in/iPhone. Save this SMS—you need to show it at the Vodafone store.
The pricing is a bit high, considering the options and features that the iPhone comes with. Adopting a wait-and-watch approach should work fine. The prices are expected to come down after the initial euphoria settles down. On another note, a combination of Apple iPod (Nano / Touch) and a high-end mobile (from Nokia, Sony Ericsson, or HTC) should cost less than the 8GB iPhone model. The pricing should be a big relief to the competition for Apple iPhone for some time in India.
Congratulations! You just booked your new iPhone with Vodafone. We will keep you updated on its price, features and availability in due course. Till then, if you have any further queries feel free to call us on 111(toll free) and we’ll be happy to help.
This was the message I received when I pre-registered with Vodafone for an Apple iPhone 3G. First impressions are the best impressions. That is what a Mac had on me the first time I saw it at our printers office. We have a few iMacs in our office and I use them quite often. This only intensified my urge to buy one for myself. But I couldn’t convince myself to dump my eight year old PC for an iMac considering its price.
Image: Courtesy of Apple
Then I had almost decided to buy an Apple iPod but stopped myself after coming to know that the Apple iPhone 3G will be soon available in India. I currently use a Nokia 1108 mobile phone that I bought two years ago. Even with its limitations–limited memory, no radio, no music player– it has served me quite well all these days.
I always wanted to go for a phone that was sleek and light weight. iPhone 3G a sleek model with a depth of 12.3 mm and weight of 133 grams fits the bill perfectly for me. Have to see what kind of pricing Vodafone comes up with for the Apple iPhone 3G in India.
Apple iPhones will also be available with Bharti Airtel. Interested people can register their names with Airtel by sending an SMS with the keyword “iPhone” to 54321 (toll free).
Found this interesting Google Guide while going through the Google Analytics Blog. The site has options for novices, experts and teens to use the guide for using the features of Google’s products.
A must read for people who want to know how searching can be done faster and efficiently using Google’s search engine.
Aala Santhosh Reddy 