Windows 8 Wikipedia page vandalized

Why would anyone wish to besmirch the Windows 8 Wikipedia page? Hasn't Windows 8 got enough problems? Please don't say it's a fanperson from another brand. It seems that it might have been.

 

Every time I see a squirrel squashed, a house painted yellow, or a discarded condom on a sidewalk, I wonder what sort of human might have perpetrated such a deed.
Was it someone angry, someone merely tasteless, or someone who simply hasn't been educated in even the most basic elements of human decorum?
I found myself with somewhat similar feelings on discovering that a human being, or beings, took to the Wikipedia page for Microsoft's Windows 8 and attempted to pervert the course of truth.
For a random visit to this page revealed this notice from the Wikipedia masters: "Editing of this article by new or unregistered users is currently disabled due to vandalism."
In Wikispeak, vandalism means "any addition, removal, or change of content in a deliberate attempt to compromise the integrity of Wikipedia."
Clearly, the suggestion was that people were marauding their way onto the page in order to suggest falsities about Windows 8.
Microsoft's latest operating system hasn't ripped and roared its way to the summit.
Some regard it as a complete failure, believing it to be poorly designed. The difficult and rapid movement of people away from PCs doesn't help either.
The question is, therefore, what facts someone vandalizing the Wikipedia page wanted to alter.
Were the infiltrators Microsoft apologists who wanted to Microsoften the blow? Or might they have been gloating fanpersons of another brand who were desperate to jig at a Windows 8 wake?
It was inevitable, therefore, given my sense of pained confusion, that I would contact Wikipedia to ask whether Montagues or Capulets were involved.
I know that people like to alter the Wikipedia pages of real human beings, in order to make those human beings look better or worse.
It's the incursion onto something as theoretically innocuous as the Windows 8 page that seemed so very troubling. Especially when the page is remarkably thorough.
A spokesman from the Wikimedia Foundation helped me reach the core of the vandalism. Wikipedia keeps a record of it all.
Essentially, much of Windows 8 page was erased and replaced with this in the reviews section:

Everyone hated Windows 8. The interface was useless, it looked like a drag queen on steroids. And the operating system is extremely unstable on mobile devices, which would guaranteeing angry shoppers who has used a mobile device that ran on a Windows OS before. Save yourselves and use either an iPad or an Android mobile device.

You might imagine that this was swiftly noticed.
However, the vandal was undeterred.
He or she (and the IP address strongly suggests it's someone from a college in the Miami-Dade area of Florida) wiped the whole Windows 8 page, offering instead: "window 8 is a Flop Programme....All editors ki maa ki chooooot......saaley Rundi baaz."
Currently, the page is on a very low-level lockdown, just in case this wag (or any other) chooses to return to the scene once more to offer edited guidance.
The Wikimedia Foundation doesn't chase those who perpetrate such amusements. It seems to accept it as part of the encyclopedia of life.
Indeed, on occasion, there can occur truly witty forms of vandalism.
In March, for example, LeBron James rather humiliated Boston's Jason Terry with a dunk.
Almost immediately, Terry's Wikipedia page read: "Born September 15 1977. Died March 18 2013 9.01pm."
The poster added: "The cause of death is being viciously dunked on."

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Hate Facebook mobile ads? Now you can hide them

The social network lets users hide some mobile ads, with even more ad-nixing options on the way.

 

Facebook is letting mobile users hide ads in their News Feeds, the company confirmed today.
This applies to the ads that Facebook Pages share featuring photos or links, and is available on iOS, Android, and the mobile Web (Pages are Facebook profiles for brands or public figures). The feature, which was already available on the desktop, has been live for about six months now, according to a representative. Just click the "x" button in the top right of the advertisement.
The Atlantic noted this change after writing an article about how annoying the Facebook mobile ads were.

Additionally, more options are on the way. In the next two or three weeks, Facebook will start offering the "x" button for ads designed to get people to install mobile apps, and for ads that show up when your friends have "liked" a page.
These features will land on iOS first, followed by Android.
According to Facebook, it's about enhancing people's control over the content they see, while also letting advertisers better target customers. Targeting is important to Facebook, hence one of its latest ad products, custom audiences. That's a targeting tool that keeps "x-out" rates down by 15 percent, according to Facebook.

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Today`s Quote

“You can't live your life for other people. You've got to do what's right for you, even if it hurts some people you love.”

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HR believes in innovation and not management skills

The role of an HR in startups is to drive the workforce through effective action and not by means of their position

Needless to say, both large and small companies face a number of HR challenges such as recruitment issues, communication problems, setting up of roles and responsibilities, processing of remuneration, etc. While in larger corporations HR is responsible for specific functions, in start-ups they take on multiple roles. The role of HR professionals in start-up companies is primarily to drive the workforce through effective action and not by means of their position. They have to play multiple roles and don various hats.
Some of the key processes that HR professionals in start-ups have to focus on:
-          Retaining right group of talent
-          Creating appropriate job descriptions
-          Dividing job roles/responsibilities
-          Set up proper communication between the team members
-          Working on the basics of recruitment
Being different…
“HR folks in start-ups are a different blend of individuals who keep challenging themselves to do more. They are driven and have enhanced skills in their domain which makes them different. Often they wear multiple hats and have to be more innovative to attract, retain and develop talent without adequate resources, especially during their foundation days,” says Vishnu Iruvanti, HR Manager, Myntra.com.
Manpower is inadequate, funding and resources are scarce; yet HR professionals in start-ups have to be able to create something big from almost nothing. As Iruvanti says, “Constraints always bring out the best in people.”
Innovation is key
The way HR manages people in a start-up makes all the difference, innovation is critical. According to Deepak Singh, general manager, Nature’s Feast (an e-grocery company), “In smaller companies the key word is not management, but innovation.”
He further adds, “In bigger corporations it is people management for HR, but in smaller companies it is a combination of passion and the ability to change the game as they go along. They need to identify the strength and the weakness of the human resource and set practical targets.”
HR in smaller companies has to think of out of the box solutions for everything from job descriptions to engagement of employees. Sahil Baghla, co-founder, Bluegape.com (online fan merchandising store), says, “In a start-up we do things which no one has done before, instead of people with 5 years of experience in something, we look for people who can learn fast and have a raw skill set. We look for raw intelligence and those who can perform well in a team.”
For a start up, people are the competitive advantage in the market, and HR can make all the difference by hiring and managing right.

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Top 6 foods for your hair

Top 6 foods for your hair

Here's how paying a little more attention to diet can add to the shine of your mane.

It's not called the crowning glory for nothing. Deepika Padukone's hair in the movie Cocktail was a head-turner. Now that's what you call statement hair. Beautiful, lush thick hair is a symbol of your body's well-being. Hair care and maintenance goes beyond oiling them with exotic oils and using your fancy-schmancy shampoos, conditioners, serums and other products from your beauty arsenal.
What you eat can make your tresses even better or just worsen their condition. Here's a list of some yummy foods that you must add to your diet for the model mane.

1. Salmon:
Fish makes any diet healthy, salmon is the fish for hair. This oily fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin B12 and iron. Clubbed together, these components can restore the shine in your tresses. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to retain a healthy scalp. A deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids can leave you with a dry scalp and dull, lifeless hair. Can't get your hands on salmon? Substitute it with flaxseed instead.

2. Eggs and chicken:
You know dieticians and trainers always urge you to have eggs and chicken to increase your protein intake. Hair and nails are composed of protein. Needless to say, consuming chicken and eggs encourages hair growth as well as curbs hair fall and breakage. Eggs are full of vitamins from the B-group, especially B12 and B7 (biotin). Chicken is a rich source of protein and helps strengthen fragile hair.

3. Beef and oysters:
Beef and oysters are rich sources of zinc, which is why they are helpful in improving the appearance of hair. Zinc deficiency is a cause of hair loss, so do include beef and oysters in your diet. Zinc also helps combat premature greying of hair.

4. Nuts and almonds:
Chomp on nuts like walnuts and almonds which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids (hair regenerator) and zinc (hair loss preventer).

5. Lentils:
Lentils are full of folic acid. Folic acid is necessary in restoring the health of red blood cells that supply skin and scalp with much-needed oxygen. Folic acid is also essential for hair growth and cell renewal. If you are serious about having healthy hair, lentils are something you should just not skip.

6. Carrots:
Everyone knows carrots are an excellent source of Vitamin A. Vitamin A encourages the formation of sebum (oil) in the scalp. Sebum is important to keep the scalp and hair well moisturised and maintain their health. Just like overactive sebaceous glands cause conditions like acne, low secretion of sebum damages hair causes flaky scalp and dandruff.
Tips:

Vitamin C
Make sure you include Vitamin C in your diet as it is necessary for the absorption of zinc.

Hydrate
Water helps to maintain the moisture content as well as keeps the hair healthy and shiny.

Keep that body moving
Exercise releases happy hormones and helps combat stress, which is a major reason for hair fall.

Fad diets
Diets that promise drastic weight loss should be avoided at every cost. You might be successful in knocking off those nasty extra kilos but it adversely affects hair and skin.

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Sony, HP slash prices of Windows 8 laptops

Sony and HP have cut prices of Windows 8-based laptops in India by up to Rs 2,000.

BANGALORE: Amidst slowing personal computer sales and lukewarm consumer interest in Microsoft's latest operating system, at least two device-makers have cut prices of Windows 8-based laptops in India.

This comes just days after PC-makers in the United States dropped prices to combat slow sales for such devices. Sony and Hewlett-Packard have dropped the prices of laptops based on Microsoft's touch-based operating system by as much as Rs 2,000 over the past two weeks, according to leading multi-brand retailers.

While Sony called it "routine," HP declined to comment citing the silent period ahead of its earnings announcement on May 21. But analysts said these price cuts are aimed at pushing sales.

"For PC makers, it is really a question of survival," said Sumanta Mukherjee, analyst at market research firm Cybermedia Research. "With all the money now being spent on smart phones, PC firms expect price cuts to generate some fresh demand. Additionally, there hasn't been a huge interest for Windows 8-based PCs."

Windows 8 is the biggest attempt yet by the Seattle-based software company, which has dominated the PC market, to make its operating system more appealing as consumers are shifting preference from computers to touch-based mobile devices.

PC shipments in India barely grew in 2012 to 11 million, from 10.5 million units in the previous year. Global PC sales fell 6.4% to 89 million units, according to technology market researcher IDC. Launched in October last year, Windows 8 comes with a common touch-based interface for laptops, tablets and mobile phones. Over the past few quarters, device manufacturers have been betting on the success of Windows 8 to spur PC sales, which has been falling in most of developed markets.

But analysts said there is little evidence yet that Microsoft's latest software has had much influence among consumers. "A touch-based laptop with full functionality, in the Rs 30,000- Rs 35,000 price range might just be the trigger for Windows 8 in India," said Kiran Kumar, research manager at IDC.

Kumar said prices of Windows 8-based PCs were kept artificially inflated for a while as vendors tried to sell Windows 7 stock.

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Chennai Super Kings not taking it for granted

"I don't think we would really rest anyone (for the next game). I think it's important to continue playing your best XI," skipper Dhoni said after Tuesday night's win over the Pune Warriors. (TOI Photo)

CHENNAI: MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings go into their penultimate home game against Kings XI Punjab on Thursday knowing that a win will all but assure a playoff spot. With six wins on the bounce, confidence is high but the men in yellow are in no mood to take their feet off the gas despite sitting comfortably at the top of the pile with 16 points.


"I don't think we would really rest anyone (for the next game). I think it's important to continue playing your best XI," skipper Dhoni said after Tuesday night's win over the Pune Warriors.

His words made it pretty clear that CSK are looking to finish at the top to give themselves the best chance of making another final, rather than be content with a playoff spot.

CSK are being driven by their skipper himself and Dhoni's influence on games in this year's tournament can never be understated. He was, yet again, he was the game-changer on Tuesday with a 16-ball 45 that took CSK to a winning total.

Like CSK, Kings XI are also led by a wicketkeeper but the great Adam Gilchrist took a cue from fellow Australian great Ricky Ponting and dropped himself after a string of poor performances. David Hussey is expected to lead them again in Chennai.

The home team goes up against a Punjab side that can punch above their weight but their inconsistency sees them sitting in sixth place on 8 points. However, if a couple of key moments had not gone against them, they could have pulled off a stunning upset in their last game against the Mumbai Indians in Mumbai.

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IPL 6: Mumbai choke in Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad player Shikhar Dhawan celebrates his fifty runs during their IPL6 match against Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

HYDERABAD: It is a formula that has served Sunrisers Hyderabad rather well in the tournament, the formula of forcing the opposition to play into their hands.
Watch IPL Videos | Scorecard | Match in Pics

MUMBAI: Indians were their latest victims at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The seven-wicket win on Wednesday was another statement that with 12 points from 10 games, home is where Sunrisers are at their best.

They easily negated the Mumbai bowling attack. Their own bowlers restricted the visitors to 129 for four after they chose to bat. Shikhar Dhawan (73 n.o., 84m, 54b, 9x4, 6x1) marshalled the chase brilliantly. Sunrisers overcame the loss of Akshath Reddy cheaply and skipper Kumar Sangakkara just as he was beginning to look dangerous and won the match by seven wickets with 12 deliveries to spare.

The southpaw had missed out in the last match but he stood firm after Harbhajan terminated the 37-run stand for the second wicket between Dhawan and Sangakkara (21, 21b,3x4) and in finding boundaries at will, ensured Mumbai Indians' three-match win streak ended with a crushing defeat.

GH Vihari (25 runs, 23b, 2x4) was an ideal foil and kept the fielders busy with their 74-run stand for the third wicket (57b).

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Microsoft launches Skype Video Messaging preview for Windows users

Microsoft has launched the preview of Skype Video Messaging for Windows desktop version of the app on Windows 7 or above. However, the feature is not available yet on Skype for Windows 8, the Metro UI/ Modern UI version of the app.

Through Skype Video Messaging, users can record a video message of up to 3 minutes and send it to people on their contacts list any time, even when they're offline. The recipients will be able to watch the video message when they sign-in next time.

To get access to the Skype Video Messaging preview, users will need to download the latest beta version of Skype for Windows desktop on Windows 7 or above. However, Microsoft mentions that the beta version of Skype for Windows desktop with Video Messaging in preview may not be available in all markets and that it requires Adobe Flash player to be installed.

The video messaging feature is already available as a preview for users of Skype for Mac, Skype for iPhone, Skype for iPad and Skype for Android. It was first launched in February, initially available to Skype users in the US and UK. The Video Messages feature is part of Skype Premium, and users can send 20 free messages after which they need to subscribe to Skype Premium for a monthly fee of $4.99 (if subscribed annually) in order to continue using it.

While Skype for Windows 8 and Skype for Windows Phone users can also receive and view Video Messages, they can not record and send Video Messages, at this point in time. According to Microsoft, the functionality would be extended to these platforms in the near future.

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Intel to announce first Atom chip redesign

Intel's redesigned Atom will offer performance that gets closer to mainstream laptop processors.

Asus may be eying new Android devices with Intel chips.

Intel will detail plans for the first redesign of its Atom processor since its launch in Netbooks five years ago.
On May 6, the chipmaker is expected to announce the Silvermont micro-architecture, which will spawn Bay Trail and Merrifield processors, for tablets and smartphones, respectively.
"Intel Executive Vice President Dadi Perlmutter will...talk about Intel's next-generation Atom micro-architecture targeted at a range of market segments from low power tablets and smartphones, to microservers, the data center, and much more," Intel said in a statement Tuesday.
The new Atom uses a higher-performance out-of-order design, just like Intel's mainstream Core processors, and uses a fast Intel graphics chip, also like its mainstream cousins.
In other words, this is a very different creature from the Atom chip that's been around since 2008.
And the new Atom will integrate up to four processing cores based on the company's 22-nanometer 3D transistor design -- all firsts for an Intel chip that's designed for tablets and small devices.

Maybe most importantly, it will (according to leaked slides) be just as battery friendly as the current Atom.
The redesign is a crucially important step for Intel. Windows 8 tablets will be undoubtedly faster and should be better at multitasking Windows 8 applications -- a sore point for the current Atom.
And this will also present new competition for ARM chip vendors like Qualcomm and Nvidia, which dominate Android devices. Laptops and hybrids from vendors like Acer and Asus are expected to run Android on Intel.
Products with the Bay Trail processor should appear in time for the holiday season. New Android phones using Merrifield processors should emerge by early next year.
The Atom processor debuted in 2008 in Netbooks, which were a a sensation for a while but faded in the face of tablet competition.

New Windows 8 tablets from PC makers like Lenovo should also tap Intel's Bay Trail chip.

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Facebook courts small businesses with new ad type

With Promoted Page Likes, the social network targets local merchants with smaller budgets and basic targeting needs.

 

Facebook is providing Page owners with a basic way to pay to garner more "likes." Promoted Page Likes is a new ad tool attached to Pages and is meant to more conveniently serve small businesses that don't have the targeting requirements, or budgets, of bigger companies. Tuesday marks the global rollout of the tool, first introduced in the U.S. in December, a Facebook spokesperson told CNET.
Page owners can make the simplified ad buys from the admin section of their Pages and choose between showing their ads to people nearby, or in the same city, state, or country. The like campaigns run inside Facebook's desktop and mobile News Feed.
Promoted Page Likes isn't a major advertising initiative, but the new tool could help Facebook sell units to a clientele, local merchants with little budgets for instance, who may not otherwise spend on the social network. The ad play also aligns nicely with Facebook's interest in getting members and business owners to think of the social network as a local search engine.

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Yes, you can tweet from Google Glass

LeWeb founder Loic Le Meur confirms to CNET that he's been using a third-party tool called GlassTweet to tweet photos.Due to erroneous information provided by a source, the original version of this report misidentified the app as an official Twitter app for Google Glass. It is in fact an app produced by a third party.

There's no doubt about it: Google Glass is already being used to send tweets.
For now, however, it's not known for certain that anyone has done so with an official Twitter app for Google's wearable computer. What is known is that LeWeb founder Loic Le Meur has been testing out a third-party app called GlassTweet that offers users a rudimentary way to tweet photos but little else.
This afternoon, Le Meur tweeted a photograph taken in San Francisco using the hashtag "#throughglass."
Le Meur said that GlassTweet is "very simple, and it's very limited. Basically, you take a picture. You take it with your voice, which is cool, especially when you're driving."
He added that the app offers multiple ways to share a photo. First is Google+, which makes sense given Glass' provenance. Twitter is second.
Though GlassTweet is a third-party app, there's still reason to believe that Twitter has an official app in the works.
TechCrunch reported Monday on the likely appearance of tweets being posted in the wild from what seemed like a Twitter-created app for Glass. But Twitter wouldn't comment about it, and the tweet that spurred the report was quickly removed.
In its article, TechCrunch pointed out recent comments made by A-list venture capitalist John Doerr, who was heard to have dropped hints at a meeting of the Glass Collective that Twitter would likely soon put out an app for Glass.
What Le Meur's tweet showed is that Glass is ideal for tweeting photographs. But the question about such a device -- and Twitter apps, whether official or third-party, for it -- is whether it would be useful for more text-oriented purposes.
That's the obvious challenge for Twitter, and others jumping on Glass. Can they adapt to the device's voice and tap interface? Taking a picture with Glass and tweeting it is a relatively simple function of setting the Twitter app up for the device. Twitter, however, has traditionally been a text input service, used with a keyboard, even if that keyboard is usually on a mobile device.
Now Twitter service is starting to branch out, and Glass could well present its users with new use cases, such as video "tweets" from Vine and audio tweets with a limited time span, a kind of parallel to the 140-character limit. Presumably, Glass could enable users to dictate tweets to Glass, but voice recognition has clear limitations, and plenty of inaccuracy. So it remains to be seen how such applications will play out on the device, and on other similar wearable computing equipment that is sure to come along.

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IE 10 doubles its share of desktop browser market

The latest version of IE now claims 6 percent of the browser desktop market, according to Net Applications.

 

Internet Explorer 10 doubled its reach last month thanks to its recent debut for Windows 7.
In April, Microsoft's latest browser won a 6 percent share of all traffic seen by Net Applications, a healthy rise from the 2.93 percent captured in March. Of course, the bounce isn't too surprising.
Up until recently, Internet Explorer 10 existed only in Windows 8 and RT. But in late February, Microsoft released it for Windows 7 users. Among all desktop browser versions, IE 10 is now in sixth place, trailing slightly behind IE 6.

Internet Explorer 8 is the top dog with a 23 percent share, followed by IE 7 with 18 percent. Google's Chrome version 26 holds 13 percent, while Firefox 20 is in fourth place with a 9.5 percent share.
Among the rival browsers in general, IE holds the overall lead with almost 56 percent of the market. Firefox takes second place with 20 percent, leaving Chrome with a little more than 16 percent and Safari with 5.3 percent.
In the mobile arena, Safari for iOS lost a bit of ground last month as its share dropped to 59.4 percent from 61.8 percent in March. At the same time, the stock Android browser and Google Chrome eked out minor gains, while Opera Mini saw its share jump to 9.9 percent from 8.4 percent the prior month.

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LinkedIn turns online resumes into professional portfolios

Now users can upload videos, images, and other rich media to showcase their work and skills on the professional social network.

LinkedIn users can now upload images of their work to their profiles and have discussions about it with members in their networks.

LinkedIn is letting users take their online resumes to a whole new level. The social network announced Wednesday that people now have more options to visually showcase their work experience and talent with videos, images, and photos.
For example, graphic designers can show images of their past projects, photographers can show examples of their snapshots, and advertisers can launch videos of previous campaigns. With this new feature, LinkedIn is aiming to let users turn their text-only resumes into interactive lookbooks.

"You can illustrate your greatest achievements in the form of stunning images, compelling videos, innovative presentations and more," LinkedIn product manager Udi Milo said in a blog post Wednesday. "From the analyst who makes annual predictions on tech trends to the 3D animator who is looking to fund a new short film, the opportunities are limitless for how professionals can now use the LinkedIn profile to help showcase these unique stories in a visual way." To make changes to their profiles, users can click "edit" and then follow the prompts in each relevant section, such as "Summary," "Experience," and "Education." The social network is also boosting user interaction by setting up comment sections where people can like and discuss each other's work.
LinkedIn has been amping up its features over the last few months. Just in April, the site added mentions for English-speaking members to stimulate more conversation, launched a desktop and iPhone app to let users stay in touch with their most important contacts, and acquired the newsreader app Pulse to bring users more content.

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Hey Google Glass, are you recording me?

The Glass display is on when in record mode, but it's not easy to detect from a distance or if you are unaware that someone with strange glasses is staring at you.

Google Glass display shows cards with information customized for each user. (Credit: Google)

Google's Glass is officially in the wild. There are sightings of Glass explorers -- a few thousand people who are paying $1,500 to be among the first to put Glass through its paces -- beyond Google's campus. The initial in-depth reviews are trickling in, assessing the new wearable computer as innovative, functionally limited and pricey.

The Google Glass display is visibly on when recording video or taking pictures.

While Google Glass has a cool factor, it may make some people on the other side of the lens uncomfortable. They could be concerned about being recorded without some indication that Glass has them in its sights. There is no tiny red LED light flashing when Glass is in recording mode. However, the Glass display is on when recording, and people in close proximity on the other side of the lens can see the tiny reverse image of what's on the display. But the act of recording video or picture taking may not be that obvious from a distance or to the uninitiated. It's clearly less obvious than someone pointing a phone in your direction.

Noble Ackerson, a business strategist and software developer in Washington, D.C., has been using Glass daily for the last ten days, and believes the privacy concerns related to surreptitious recording are overblown. "In my experience more people take a picture or video of me than anyone asking me if I am recording them. The privacy concerns are based around people not having the device in hand yet and not understanding the social signals."
At this juncture, however, Glass is more of a curiosity item than a well understood technology with established social norms.

Nobel Ackerson

In an interview with the BBC Eric Schmidt, Google's executive chairman, noted the privacy concerns.
"The fact of the matter is we'll have to develop some new social etiquette. It's obviously not appropriate to wear these glasses in situations where recording is not correct, and indeed you have this problem already with phones," Schmidt said.
Ackerson doesn't think that Glass will be of any use to those who want to play spy.
"It's a horrible snooping device. In order for me to record a person across the room I would have to be staring at them, which is very awkward," he said. "If you wanted to do something convertly, you could find a better device. People generally don't want to invade peoples' privacy, and there are better tools like CCTV cameras or Memoto life-logging camera."
Tech guru and Glass fan Robert Scoble shares Ackerson's view that privacy concerns are misplaced. In a post he wrote, "The privacy advocates have overplayed their hand and as more and more of you get Glass you'll see just how. Their fears of the future have led them down a bad path....if I really wanted to capture you, I'd just rent a 600mm lens and a parabolic microphone (which is what NFL Football does to make those cool movies where you can listen to the quarterback). I'd just sit across the street."
What's clear, no matter what rules of Glass etiquette evolve, is that the future will be recorded exponentially more than the past, and it will be increasingly difficult to stay out of the picture.

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Apple remains tablet king, but Samsung climbs

Apple comes in at No. 1 in the world's tablet market, but the share of No. 2 device maker Samsung grows quickly.

 

The tablet market has grown by more than 140 percent over the course of a year, with Apple continuing to reign as the No. 1 provider of tablets, according to a report published Wednesday by IDC.
That means Apple shipped 19.5 million of the 49.2 million tablets shipped worldwide during this past three-month quarter. Samsung, in comparison, shipped 8.8 million tablets, but it's a figure that's grown more than 280 percent since last year. Asus shipped 2.7 million tablets, thanks to the Nexus 7, and Kindle maker Amazon shipped 1.8 million tablets. Microsoft landed among the top five tablet vendors for the first time with its Surface PT and Surface Pro tablets. It shipped a total of 900,000 tablets.
IDC analysts attribute the growth of the tablet market overall to consumers' fondness for smaller screens.
"Sustained demand for the iPad Mini and increasingly strong commercial shipments led to a better-than-expected first quarter for Apple," Tom Mainelli, research director for tablets at IDC, said in a statement. "In addition, by moving the iPad launch to the fourth quarter of 2012, Apple seems to have avoided the typical first-quarter slowdown that traditionally occurred when consumers held off buying in January and February in anticipation of a new product launch in March."

Top Five Tablet Vendors, Shipments, and Market Share, First Quarter 2013 (Shipments in millions)

Vendor	1Q13 Unit Shipments	1Q13 Market Share	1Q12 Unit Shipments	1Q12 Market Share	Year-over-Year Growth
1. Apple	19.5	39.6%	11.8	58.1%	65.3%
2. Samsung	8.8	17.9%	2.3	11.3%	282.6%
3. ASUS	2.7	5.5%	0.6	3.1%	350.0%
4. Amazon.com Inc.	1.8	3.7%	0.7	3.6%	157.1%
5. Microsoft	0.9	1.8%	0.0	N/A	N/A
Others	15.5	31.5%	4.9	24.1%	216.3%
Total	49.2	100.0%	20.3	100.0%	142.4%

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Today`S QuoTes

“It's better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone.”

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7 solid reasons you're not losing weight

7 solid reasons why you're not losing weight

Trying to lose weight, but cannot? Here are 7 reasons that could be getting in the way
Do you keep piling on the kilos, no matter how many diets you try? The problem may have more to do with your general health than with your food. Here are simple solutions that can help you beat the bulge.
Need more sleep
If you don't sleep well, then the body's hormone axis don't work properly. They affect metabolism and eventually lead to weight gain. Doctors say if you aren't sleeping, your body won't be digesting food normally either. Besides, people suffering from insomnia often snack through the night or drink coffee, which makes the problem worse.
Fix it: Get into a routine by going to bed at regular times and waking up at the same time, even during the weekends. Steer clear of caffeine after 4 pm and try to avoid iPhones or watching TV in your bedroom. Instead, unwind by reading before going to bed.
You're depressed
The problem here is twofold. Most people share an emotional relationship with food. So when depressed, they tend to eat more. However, antidepressants can also stimulate the appetite as, when people feel happier, thanks to the medication, they overeat.
Fix it: It's important not to use an increase in appetite as an excuse to eat the wrong foods. Instead, make sure you always have healthy snacks, such as fruit, nuts and seeds, on hand to stave off those pangs of hunger. If you feel your medication is to blame for your weight gain, then see your GP who might be able to prescribe alternatives.
You're stressed
When adrenaline (the stress hormone) kicks in, the body produces more cortisol, which in turn causes hunger. When you're stressed it's tempting to turn to unhealthy ready meals, high-calorie snacks or alcohol. Stress can also make you feel lethargic. All of these factors take their toll on the waistline.
Fix it: Even in times of stress, eat regular, healthy meals. People who are stressed at work tend to laze around in bed on weekends, but that makes matters worse. Unless you eat within half an hour of waking up, the body will go into fasting mode and store up the last meal in case you don't eat.
Thyroid to blame
Hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid, slows down the metabolism; many people find they put on weight while it goes undiagnosed. With treatment, the hormones will balance out and weight will soon return to normal.
Fix it: Symptoms of hypothyroidism include tiredness, constipation, aches, dry skin, lifeless hair and feeling cold. If you experience any of these, see your GP for a blood test.
PCOS syndrome
Many overweight women suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS. They have a resistance to insulin, just like people with diabetes, which in the case of PCOS makes it difficult for them to convert the male hormone testosterone in the ovaries into the female hormone oestrogen.
Higher levels of testosterone in the body will make sufferers put on weight and the insulin resistance does the same thing because the body can't utilise the calories it is taking in.
Fix it: Patients are treated with metformin (the same medication given to type 2 diabetics). It reduces the insulin resistance, which rectifies the hormone balance. They are also encouraged to maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating well and exercising regularly. Other symptoms of PCOS include excessive body hair, irregular periods, infertility, hair loss and acne.
Eating late at night
Studies have shown that people who consume the same calories as others, but eat them an hour or two before going to bed will put on more weight than those who eat earlier. This is because the body is aware that you are not being active, so it stores the calories by turning them into fat. It takes the body longer to convert this stored fat into energy again.
Fix it: Eat your main meal at lunchtime and then have a smaller, lighter meal in the evening, at least three hours before going to bed. The body's ability to digest food reduces as the sun sets.
You've cut out carbs
We all know you need a balanced diet to be healthy but for many of us, cutting out carbs is a sure-fire way to reduce a few kilos quickly. However, when you eliminate something from your diet, the body starts to crave it. Carbs are important building blocks for the body to turn into energy.
Fix it: Eat healthy carbs, such as wholemeal breads, rotis, and brown rice. Avoid diets that ban them.

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Samsung launches 7-inch tablet with voice calling

Samsung has announced a new tablet with 7-inch screen, called the Galaxy Tab 3.

NEW DELHI: Samsung has announced a new tablet with 7-inch screen, called the Galaxy Tab 3. This new device will be available in Wi-Fi only as well as Wi-Fi+3G variants that will roll out in May and June this year, respectively.

The all-new Galaxy Tab 3 features a TFT screen with 1024x600p resolution and 169ppi pixel density and runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). This device is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, though the company has not specified which chipset it has used. It comes in 8 and 16GB variants, supports microSD card expansion and offers 1GB RAM.
Connectivity options in the device include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and microUSB 2.0; the other variant also supports 2G and 3G-based voice calls, internet connectivity and messaging. On the back is a 3MP camera, while a 1.3MP unit is used in the front. This tablet measures 9.9mm along the waistline and has a 4,000mAh battery.

In the Indian market, this device will compete against the recently-unveiled Asus FonePad.

Key specs:

Display: 7-inch TFT screen with 1024x600p resolution, 169ppi pixel density;
Operating system: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean);
Processor and RAM: 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM;
Connectivity: 2G/3G (optional), WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, microUSB 2.0;
Storage: 8/16GB internal storage, microSD slot (up to 64GB);
Camera: 3MP primary camera, 1.3MP secondary unit; and
Battery: 4,000mAh

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Bendable smartphones coming soon

Researchers, including an Indian origin scientist, have developed prototypes for gen-next shape-shifting smartphones and mobile devices that can change form on-demand.

LONDON: Imagine a cellphone that bends to block a snooping bystander from reading your private messages!

Researchers, including an Indian origin scientist, have developed prototypes for gen-next shape-shifting smartphones and mobile devices that can change form on-demand.

The research introduces the term 'shape resolution' and its ten features, to describe the resolution of an interactive device, in addition to display and touch resolution.

The research, led by Dr Anne Roudaut and Professor Sriram Subramanian, from the University of Bristol's Department of Computer Science, have used 'shape resolution' to compare the resolution of six prototypes the team have built using the latest technologies in shape changing material, such as shape memory alloy and electro active polymer.

One example of a device is the team's concept of Morphees, self-actuated flexible mobile devices that can change shape on-demand to better fit the many services they are likely to support.

The team believes Morphees will be the next generation of mobile devices, where users can download applications that embed a dedicated form factor, for instance the "stress ball app" that collapses the device in on itself or the "game app" that makes it adopt a console-like shape.

"The interesting thing about our work is that we are a step towards enabling our mobile devices to change shape on-demand," Roudaut, Research Assistant in the Department of Computer Science's Bristol Interaction and Graphics group, said.

"Imagine downloading a game application on the app-store and that the mobile phone would shape-shift into a console-like shape in order to help the device to be grasped properly.

"The device could also transform into a sphere to serve as a stress ball, or bend itself to hide the screen when a password is being typed so passers-by can't see private information," said Roudaut.

By comparing the shape resolution of their prototypes, the researchers have created insights to help designers towards creating high shape resolution Morphees.

In future, the team hopes to build higher shape resolution Morphees by investigating the flexibility of materials.

They are also interested in exploring other kinds of deformations that the prototypes did not explore, such as porosity and stretchability.

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