Khwaja mere Khwaja – from the movie “Jodha Akbar”; music by A.R. Rahman
Hey Ram – this version sung by Jagjit Singh
Ek Onkar – from the movie “Rang De Basanti”
Arziyaan – from the movie “Delhi – 6”; music by A.R. Rahman
Bulla Ki Jaana – Rabbi Shergill
Another Google innovation, a toolkit for Non-Profits with a simple yet catchy punch line, “You're changing the world. We want to help.”
Google for Non-Profits is a bundle of Google products and services that non-profit organizations around the world can use to enhance their “business” of development. The bundle includes: Google Grants (a non-profit version of Google Ad Words); Google Checkout (to collect online donations); Google Analytics (to understand how users interact with your website); Google Maps & Earth; YouTube; and Google Apps (GMail, Docs, Sites and Calendar). Click on the image links below for tutorials for non-profits.
Here’s a small video that provides a testimonial from a small non-profit organization about the impact of deploying the Google for Non-Profits bundle of products and services.
Unfortunately, some of these services are only available in the US but hopefully, Google is working towards extending these services to every corner of the world.
Yes, I admit… I am a Google fan! But then, who isn’t? Here’s a preview of their latest innovation – Google Voice.
I like to keep informed about how Google is going to (pleasantly) surprise me next and this new service is no exception. I haven't tried it, yet... but the concept seems brilliant. Incidentally, Google sent me an invite to sign up the beta for Google Voice but since I am not in the U.S., I was unable to do so.
I can’t wait to have my own Google Number… and you?
The Telegraph recently reported about Gerrit Blank, 14, who was struck by a meteorite on his way to school. A red hot, pea-sized piece of rock hit his hand before bouncing off and causing a foot wide crater in the ground. Gerrit survived the strike - the chances of which are just 1 in a million - but with a 3-inch scar on his hand.
At first I just saw a large ball of light, and then I suddenly felt a pain in my hand. Then a split second after that there was an enormous bang like a crash of thunder. The noise that came after the flash of light was so loud that my ears were ringing for hours afterwards. When it hit me it knocked me flying and then was still going fast enough to bury itself into the road.
Scientists have confirmed through chemical tests that the pea-sized rock is indeed a meteorite which crashed to Earth in Essen, Germany. According to Ansgar Kortem, director of Germany's Walter Hohmann Observatory, the meteorite is a rare collectors item since most meteorites evaporate in the atmosphere and 6 out of 7 that manage to get through land in water.
So here’s to Gerrit’s luck – a rare meteorite found his hand at 30,000 mph and he survived without any significant damage. Makes you wonder…about luck and the role it plays in our life, everyday!
Over the years, several people have tried to explain LUCK in their own way. A Rationalist might say, “Luck is probability taken personally” (quote: Chip Denman, Stats Lab, University of Maryland). Spiritual or religious leaders believe in the will of a supreme being or Divine Providence as affecting “luck” to different degrees. Western “New Age” reinterpretations of Karma cast it as luck associated with virtue. Hindu philosophy refers to Lakshmi as the original “Lady Luck”! Others like Freud have argued that a belief in luck is a way of escaping the responsibility of our actions.
Personally, I feel closest to the rationalist viewpoint but I’m not going into philosophical discussions here. But while we’re at it, here’s an excellent compilation on lucky streaks from YouTube. Enjoy…
Recently, I posted about the carbon footprint of Spam and it seems Carbon as a currency is gaining currency! What exactly is Carbon Footprint? Here’s how the UK Carbon Trust defines it:
the total set of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event or product
You can calculate your own Carbon Footprint here. It requires some guesswork about your consumption habits but it will give you a general idea about where you stand vis-à-vis the rest of the planet.
Carbon is not the only metaphorical footprint that has become popular in recent years. In fact, its not even the first. I think the metamorphic footprints started in a big way with the Ecological Footprint – a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems. Then there’s the Water Footprint – the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business. You can also find references to Social Footprint, usually in the context of Corporate Social Responsibility.
Anyway, coming back to the Carbon Footprint. I recent read about a new washing machine that claims to have a Carbon Footprint 40% lower than the most efficient alternative. How so? Well, it uses 90% less water and (therefore) significantly less electricity for drying the laundry. This “green gadget” from Xerox uses thousands of tiny nylon beads that have the characteristic of attracting and retaining dirt particles (now you know why nylon clothes get dirty very easily!) in conjunction with detergent and a little water. Read more here.
We all know how irritating Spam can be. No matter what filters you use, there will always be some new spammer who find its way into your inbox. Have you ever wondered how much time and resources the world spends on creating and sending Spam and on preventing Spam from entering our mailboxes?
According to the estimates of a recent report (PDF: 2.33 MB) by ICF International (commissioned by McAfee Inc.), approximately 62 trillion spam emails were sent out in 2008. The report estimates the global carbon footprint of these spam emails as well as the estimated savings by the use of spam filters.
Here are some key findings:
The Economist ran an article on the report (link requires subscription) and some of the reader comments are really interesting.
Now, coming from McAfee Inc., these results are not very surprising. That Spam Filters save GHG emissions equivalent to removing more than 3 million cars is excellent news indeed – but to what effect? Spam is a “created paper tiger” that McAfee et al. shoot down and in the process make huge profits. Obviously, they are not doing this to “save the planet”. But then again, as Michael Douglas says in Wall Street, “Anything worth doing, is worth doing for money”.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
