Chennai Super Kings draw from 2012 heartbreak, eye third IPL crown

Hussey and Raina have been in superb form for Chennai this year.

CHENNAI: Sometimes it takes a painful loss to spur a team on to greater heights. It is no different with Chennai Super Kings.



A heart-breaking loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in last season's final at home appears to have instilled a burning desire to set things right. And what better way to do it than to lift the title at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, home to Knight Riders.

There seems to have been a single-minded drive in the CSK camp and it was quite obvious even before the start of the tournament.

"We'd love to go and win the title in Kolkata. They (Knight Riders) came and beat us to win the title on our home ground last year, so to go and win it there at the Eden Gardens would make it a sweet victory," Michael Hussey had told the TOI.

And Hussey has undoubtedly been one of the leading lights this season, defying age and skeptics to the leading run-scorers spot. Coach Stephen Fleming was more than generous in his praise for the Aussie after an unbeaten 86 against Mumbai booked CSK's final berth.

"It's been unbelievable. He (Hussey) is also in a little bit of shock as to how good he has been. I used to pull his leg, calling him 'too old and traditional' to play some innovative shots. But now that he is concentrating solely on T20s, he is exploring ways to get better. He has been an absolute delight this season," Fleming said.

CSK have at times been compared to Manchester United and their rampaging journey to the 2013 final is similar to United's romp to the 2012-13 EPL title after losing the title to Manchester City in dramatic fashion last year.

Defending champs KKR were promptly swept aside in the two league games and now the men-in-yellow are one win away from finishing the job.

West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo bowled the last over of the 2012 final and hopes this year things will be different.

"Last year we lost the final, but we will try to win it this year," he said on Tuesday after helping CSK win the qualifier with figures of 3 for 9.

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Hodge shines as Rajasthan Royals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad for Qualifier 2 berth

Rajasthan Royals' Brad Hodge celebrates with teammates their team's victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 6 Eliminator match in New Delhi.

NEW DELHI: The last one week has been a nightmare for the Rajasthan Royals. With all the chatter around the three disgraced players charged of spot-fixing, no one would have blamed Rahul Dravid and his boys if they decided to throw in the towel, especially with the Sunrisers Hyderabad turning on the screws in the Eliminator at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Wednesday.


But that was not to be the case, as Royals skipper Dravid marshalled his troops superbly to restrict Sunrisers to 132/7 after losing the toss and bowling first.

Then, in a tense chase, it was Australian Brad Hodge (54; 29b, 2x4, 5x6) who provided much-needed balm over the Royals' wounds and ensured a four-wicket win to set up a date with Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2.

If the Royals thought the chase would be an easy one, they were in for a rude shock. Sunrisers have made it a habit of defending small targets in this tournament and they didn't make the task any easier on Wednesday night. Punches were traded with equal intensity by both the sides but it was Royals who stood up to have the final say.

Hodge, one of the finest T20 players in the world with over 5,000 runs in this format, displayed why he is a prized commodity even at 38 years of age. With the Royals gasping for breath at 57/5 in the 10th over, it was Hodge's blistering fifty that tilted the scales in Rajasthan's favour.

The equation boiled down to 10 off the final over but Hodge landed the crushing blows with two massive sixes off Darren Sammy - one over mid-wicket and other over wide long-on.

The turning point of the contest was the 14th over of the Royals innings, bowled by leggie Karan Sharma, which produced 18 runs as Hodge hammered two sixes and four to turn the tide.

The contest had seemed to be heading the Sunrisers' way till then, with a pumped up Darren Sammy (2/27) leaving a dent in the Royals innings with a couple of wickets and a brilliant catch of Shane Watson on the mid-wicket boundary.

Earlier, Himachal Pradesh seamer Vikramjeet Malik (2/14) justified his skipper's decision to play without a specialist spinner with two early strikes - Parthiv Patel (1) and Hanuma Vihari (1) - as Sunrisers slipped to 3 for 2 by the third over.

Malik, playing in only his second match of the tournament, induced a leading edge from Parthiv in the opening over while Vihari only managed to mistime an intended pull shot to Kevon Cooper at mid-wicket.

A charged-up Sammy (29; 21b, 3x6) tried to provide some impetus to the innings. The 16th over of the innings was the best one for the Sunrisers as a six each by Sammy and Thissara Perera produced 16 runs from the over.

Dravid speak

"It's been a pretty difficult week for us but to play a game like this and win was good. We didn't bat too well in that period between the 7th-10th over, but it's a young side and they will learn. Hodge put his hand up and got us through. Mumbai is a very good side, in some ways the pressure is on them. In many ways we have a moneyball team and will look to get going at Eden Gardens."

On the ball, right away: Rajasthan Royals pacer Vikramjeet Malik gave away just two runs in the first over, besides dismissing Parthiv Patel. It was the best first over he has bowled in the league, in 10 outings.

Faulkner fails to fire: Royals paceman James Faulkner had picked up two five-wicket hauls against Sunrisers this season. This time, however, he gave away 28 runs and picked up just one scalp.

Dhawan in slow-mo: Shikhar Dhawan is one of the most attacking batsmen you will see in the league. On Wednesday, at the Kotla, though, his strike rate was just 84.61 - the slowest he has scored in an innings where he has faced more than 30 balls.

No respite for White: Sunrisers skipper Cameron White hasn't had a great time against the Rajasthan Royals. In four innings against them, White has scored 42 runs.

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LinkedIn retools Web navigation to match mobile

The professional social network's navigation bar is now easier to use and more pleasant to behold.

Starting Wednesday, LinkedIn will be sporting a much sexier and simplified navigation bar inspired by the design of its just-improved mobile applications.
"Over the last year and half we've had the chance to learn quite a bit from you about the types of changes that add the most value to your daily professional life, and we've brought some of these learnings to the new navigation," LinkedIn Principal Designer Amy Parnell wrote in blog post.

The idea is to make LinkedIn's navigation menu on the Web not only nicer looking, but easier to use. The search field is now front and center, tabs have been cut back, and profile and account information is just a single click away.
The refreshed look also more closely matches that of LinkedIn's redesigned mobile applications for iPhone and Android, which were released in April.
The professional network said that all English-speaking members will get the new navigation menu at some point during the next month.

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No Apple watch until late 2014, analyst says

Don't expect to see Apple's iWatch until the second half of next year, says KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Waiting for an Apple watch? You might need to keep waiting.

(Credit: Sarah Tew and Christopher MacManus/CNET)

Consumers awaiting Apple's rumored wearable, watch-like device might need to wait until next year before the gadget sees the light of day.
That's according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said Apple "may not have adequate resources" to develop a version of iOS for the device given its efforts to revamp the software as part of iOS 7.

In Kuo's note to investors, which was excerpted by AppleInsider and MacRumors, he adds that the components going into wearable devices simply haven't matured, potentially pushing manufacturing into the second half of next year. He also notes that Apple will likely go with a 1.5- to 2-inch screen, as well as make use of biometric security, presumably from its $356 million acquisition of AuthenTec.
Rumors of Apple's interest into a wearable gadget first heated up in February in a report from The New York Times, which claimed that Apple was "experimenting" with wristwatch-like devices. Bloomberg later followed, adding that Apple had a team of around 100 people working on such a device. Since then, there have been new patents pointing to Apple's exploration in the concept, as well as murmurings about rival products from companies like Samsung, Google, and Microsoft.
Kuo's been spot on about Apple's plans and timing of its 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro last year, along with iPod and iPad details. Before that, there were his accurate reports of the white iPhone 4 timing, Apple's discontinuation of the 17-inch MacBook Pro, and revamps of the MacBook Pro line in mid-2011. Adding some additional credence to all this were remarks from Apple CEO Tim Cook last month tempering any expectations of new products into the fall and "throughout 2014."

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Top social photo sites for browsing and sharing

Whether you enjoy the artistry of photography or the social aspects of photo sharing, choosing the right service is important.

With high quality digital cameras on every smartphone and apps that make your pictures even better, just about anyone can be an accomplished photographer. Sure, you may not be an accomplished professional photographer, but you can certainly upload your images to photo sharing sites and receive feedback to make your shots even better.
As most people know, there are a number of popular services already out there that let you take your shot, add effects and other enhancements, then upload it for all to see. But the other thing that's great about photo sharing sites is the ability to browse through thousands of photographs and join the conversation in the comments. Seeing the world through others eyes has a voyeuristic quality and swimming through a sea of photographs can be incredibly addictive. So even if you're not an aspiring photographer or don't care about the social aspects of these services, you might just like to look at other people's work simply for the stories the images tell.
I rounded up a couple of the most popular photo sharing sites and put them together with some good quality lesser known services so you can decide which one is more up your alley.

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Instagram (iPhone | Android) is a popular photo enhancement app that requires only a couple of touches to produce retro-looking images and then share them with friends and other Instagram members. It's the most well-known of this collection and the user base is enormous. While you will find great shots on Instagram, the service is definitely geared towards the social aspects of photo sharing rather than a focused love of photography. So it's more about letting people know what you're doing right now rather than going over the finer details of your image.

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We Heart Pics (iPhone | Android) is a much lesser known service whose premise revolves around telling your life's story through pictures. It has image filters and other tools you can use just like Instagram, and you can follow, "like," and comment on people's images.
Where We Heart Pics is little different is that it is set up in specific categories where you can submit your version of a specific idea that tells people more about you. The service will give you the tag "staying fit," for example and people will upload photos of exercising, eating healthy food, or maybe workout clothes. On your profile page there are also categories such as About Me, Family and Friends, Home, and Places, where you can add photos to give people a better ides of who you are through images.
Right now, We Are Pics hasn't really seemed to gain as much traction with users in my part of the world, but I really like the intuitive photo browsing interface and daily pic challenges, and I think you will too.

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Flickr (iPhone | Android) is a popular service that focuses more on the photography than the social, and a recent update improved the interface for browsing, and added a few more tweaks to make it even better.
With Flickr you get an endless scrolling wall of photos, with almost all of them high-quality shots. In the comments you'll find detailed well-intentioned critiques about the photography rather than the more conversational comments found in the other services in this collection. Yahoo also recently announced that you can upload uncompressed originals and raised the storage capacity to one terabyte per user. Obviously, the focuses here are on getting your best photographs online for showing off your talents or just browsing through tons of beautiful images.

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EyeEm (iPhone | Android) is a photo app that's similar to Instagram, but I really like the layout and photos categorized by location, making it easy to both browse and add your own shots to collections. This app is also a little more photography focused then other services, but there's still a social feel to the app.
With EyeEm, the users choose from pre-made tags or create their own so you can search for keywords or specific subjects and get a big collection of images that match in a nearby location. The browsing features are dependent on location and these subjects (shown as big colorful headers), so you might find a heading that says "San Francisco" in the feed, and you can browse all the images people have placed in that collection. On a smaller scale, you might run across a tag for a particular restaurant, and you can view (and add) images for that location. The app will find the tags and photos that are nearby your current location so you can use the app to learn about what's around you.
EyeEm has a really great layout, but the user base is not in the same league as the big names like Flickr and Instagram. Still, I think if you check out this app, you'll like everything it has to offer

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Today`s Quotes

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

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5 things to do on Social Media to get your dream Job

Getting on to a professional network, engaging people and attracting potential (read dream) employment opportunities is not enough these days. Here are 5 steps to boost your chances of getting your dream job through social media:
By Neha Singh Verma
1. Be findable: Irrespective of which social/professional network you choose to join jobseekers should have a clear profile picture and an explanatory bio/description, including how people can get in touch with you, informs Yashwant Mahadik, Vice President, Head of Human Resources, India & Indian Sub-Continent & Global Lead – Learning Strategy and Philips University Program. Also it’s not just enough creating your profile on social media. Incomplete profiles or descriptions about skills quickly decrease your value. And be specific, HR professionals are not going to waste time on your profile if it reads “Searching for something meaningful…”, explains Anupama Katkar, VP-HR, Quick Heal.
2. Join relevant groups: Join groups that will connect you with experts from your industry. You can also start building your own group to establish yourself as an expert in the field. These groups help in spreading your message and connect you with key people, advices Katkar. Supporting the same, Mahadik encourages job-seekers to get engaged in conversations with industry experts, LinkedIn groups, chats etc. which are of interest to you, so that your ‘personal brand’ becomes visible and you get noticed. Eg. Programmers can show their work and code on Github/Stack Overflow. Designers can showcase their work on Behance, Dribbble; mechanical engineers can showcase their expertise on GrabCad. Then there are generic discussion and Q&A forums on LinkedIn and Quora. This raises the likelihood of prospective hiring managers noticing your expertise.
3. Converting Your Virtual Contacts Into Tangibles Ones: According to Jennifer Fernandes – Country HR Director, Faurecia India, followers are a form of digital currency on the web. They are, after all, the ones who are responsible for spreading your message to those who you haven’t reached yet. Inviting them over lunch/dinner will not only build an informal connection but also oblige the network to re-invite you for their social gatherings. Prashant Bhatnagar, Director-HR, Sapient is of the opinion that networking with professionals at dream firm/competitive firms and seek recommendations on your profile.
4. Start a Blog: A blog is great for online visibility and getting indexed by search engines. It can showcase your point of view, expertise and become a platform for other professionals to connect with you, highlights Mahadik. Bhatanagar also tipped that showcase your original work/ point of view that aligns to your dream job and link them via blogs/articles.
5. Be consistent: In words of Navin Chugh, SVP & MD, First Advantage India, be consistent. Don’t overdo and disappear. Do not hibernate. Cross link your social media pages. Adds Fernandes, “The best thing to do is just determine a schedule for your social media and stick to it. Whether that’s an hour per day or a few hours per week, as long as it is YOU doing the work and doing it in real time. This is important because it allows you to engage with people regarding the content you’re posting and it gives you the opportunity to respond to any number of situations that might arise during that time.”

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Understanding BYOD

 

Srinivas Tadigadapa, Director – Enterprise Solutions Sales, Intel South Asia

Excerpts from the interview:

1) What strategy should be followed while planning and implementing the BYOD policy at workplace?
BYOD initiatives need to contribute directly to the company’s bottom line, while catering to the employee’s needs for IT consumerisation. Intel’s research found that security, manageability and remote wipe capabilities are valued by IT decision makers as the top three requirements for a successful consumerisation program. We suggest adopting new approaches to BYOD through five steps:
• Understand the powerful forces shaping consumerisation today – the younger workers that grew up with technology will have higher expectation.
• Rethink user computing to optimise the compute experience and keep users productive on any device.
• Create an inclusive approach by addressing both employee owned and employer-provided devices.
• Support employee-owned devices with best practices that address a user-centered strategy and the inherent security issues around BYOD.
• Find the right tools for the job through recognising that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for consumerisation.
2) We live in a BYOD world today, where use of smart phones and tablets are common. To what extent can an organisation control the use of personal devices in workplace?
By leveraging the existing IT investment and taking advantages of the trusted and familiar technology platform such as IA, companies can extend support to personal devices with new programs without interrupting the entire computing experiences – all while gaining greater security and manageability. Control comes through a) technical efficiency, b) usage policies and c) involving employees in creation of policies to encourage behavior modulation and accept training.
• Security advantages through involving employees in policy creation
• Quick refresh – oldest device is 2 years
• Less data exposed – device compromise won’t create much trouble
• More control factors, users help with security settings
• Mobility improves availability risk by improving time to respond, time to contain and time to recover from events
• Involve users in creating a policy, get employees thinking about what they would allow others to do, encourage constructive criticism and improve openness to policy compliance
3) Security is often mentioned as one of the biggest problems with BYOD. What are the other big concerns?
IT managers were asked to rank the top three barriers to allowing certain types of employee-owned computers, tablets, or smart phones from being used for work. Respondents chose from a list of eight statements that addressed – support, compatibility, standardization, customisability, compliance, security. To overcome these, there is a need to drive agility through platform-agnostic applications. Business decision makers can set mandates to ensure the safety of corporate data. Filtering information and tying available information to user privileges can also help to safeguard sensitive data. Employees need to be made aware of policies through active involvement, as explained in the previous response.
4) What is the future potential of BYOD in terms of engaging, retaining and building productive workforce?
The desire among employees to bring personal devices to work is symptomatic of the gap between what employees expect and what IT organisations provide—and it’s contributing to the risk level. Because employers either don’t offer the right technology or are slow to do so, personal device usage remains a chronic challenge: Employees are increasingly using non-supported devices and therefore exposing employers to a number of potential security holes. To address the gap in expectations, IT organizations must rethink their approach to managing consumerisation. With a user-centered strategy that better aligns the at-work technology experience with the at-home experience, you can help improve employee morale and increase productivity, all while gaining greater IT security and control.

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15 healthy reasons to eat mangoes

15 healthy reasons to eat mangoes

Mango is called the king of fruits not just for its taste and super flashy yellow colour, but also for the array of health benefits it offers.

We give you 15 healthy reasons why you should stock up on mangoes this summer.

Fights cancer
Antioxidants like quercetin, isoquercitrin, astragalin, fisetin, gallic acid and methylgallat present in mango protect the body against colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers.

Keeps cholesterol in check
Mango has high level of vitamin C, pectin and fibres that help to lower serum cholesterol levels.

Skin cleanser
Mangoes help you unclog your pores and add freshness to the face. Mangoes are applicable to any skin type.

Alkalises the body
According to natural health school.com, mango is rich in tartaric acid, malic acid and traces of citric acid that primarily help in maintaining the alkali reserve of the body.

Weight loss
Mango has a lot of vitamins and nutrients that help the body feel fuller. Also, the fibrous fruit boosts the digestive function of the body by burning additional calories, helping in weight loss.

Regulates diabetes
Not only the fruit but the leaves of mangoes are healthy too. For people suffering from diabetes, just boil 5-6 mango leaves in a vessel, soak it through night and drink the filtered decoction in the morning. This is helps in regulating your insulin levels.

Mango has a low glycemic index (41-60) so going a little overboard will not increase your sugar levels.

Aphrodisiac
Mango has aphrodisiac qualities and is also called the 'love fruit'. Mangoes increase the virility in men.

Eye care
Did you know that mango is rich in vitamin A. One cup of sliced mangoes equals 25% intake of your daily need of vitamin A. Mangoes help in promoting good eye sight, fights dry eyes and also prevent night blindness.

Helps in digestion
Mango contains enzymes that help in breaking down protein. The fibrous nature of mango helps in digestion and elimination.

Heat stroke
When the sun is bogging you down this summer, just chop of a mango in a juicer; add a little water and a tbsp of sugar free or honey. This juice will instantly cool you down and prevent heat stroke.

Strengthens your immune
The deadly combination of vitamin C, vitamin A and 25 different kinds of carotenoids keep your immune system healthy.

Nutrition chart
According to care2.com, one cup (225 gms contain) contains the following percentages that apply to daily value.
105 calories
76 percent vitamin C (antioxidant and immune booster)
25 percent vitamin A (antioxidant and vision)
11 percent vitamin B6 plus other B vitamins (hormone production in brain and heart disease prevention)
9 percent healthy probiotic fibre
9 percent copper (copper is a co-factor for many vital enzymes plus production of red blood cells)
7 percent potassium (to balance out our high sodium intake)
4 percent magnesium

Body scrub
Make a paste of mashed mango, honey and milk and use as a body scrub, you will feel that your skin is tender and smooth.

Aids concentration and memory
Feed mangoes to children who find it difficult to concentrate on studies. The glutamine acid found in mangoes help in keeping cells alive and boosting memory.

High iron for women
Mango is rich in iron, hence it is a great natural solution for people suffering from anemia. Menopausal women can indulge in mangoes as this will increase their iron levels and calcium at the same time.

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Panasonic launches 5-inch smartphone @ Rs 26,990

Panasonic today re-entered the smartphone market with the global launch of its new P51 smartphone in India.

NEW DELHI: Panasonic today re-entered the smartphone market with the global launch of its new P51 smartphone in India. The phone runs on a quad-core processor and has a 5-inch display, a feature seen in many top-end models nowadays. It has been priced at Rs 26,990 in the Indian market and will compete against the likes of Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC One X and LG Optimus 4X HD, among others.

The company said it has inked a partnership deal with Times Internet Limited, the online division of The Times Of India Group, and the new handset will come preloaded with TOI and ET apps.

The all-new Panasonic P51 features an IPS display with 1280x720p resolution and 295ppi pixel density; the touchscreen boasts of Asahi DragonTrail scratchproof and damage-proof glass for added durability. This device runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), the latest iteration of Google's free mobile operating system. It has a 1.2GHz quad-core CPU under the hood and packs 1GB RAM and 4GB onboard storage, along with microSD card support up to 32GB.

The connectivity suite of this dual-sim phone comprises features like 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB. An 8MP autofocus camera with LED flash is placed on the back of the phone, while a 1.3MP HD unit is used in the front. Powered by a 2,500mAh battery, Panasonic P51 comes with a free magnetic flip cover and supports input via stylus. This phone measures 8.5mm along the waistline, weighs 135gram and will be available in white and black colours.

The Japanese manufacturer has roped in Student Of The Year star Varun Dhawan as the brand ambassador for its smartphone range. He joins Katrina Kaif, who is the brand ambassador for the company's air conditioners, in endorsing the company's products.

Panasonic has joined hands with Jaina Marketing for the distribution, marketing and customer care support of its P51 smartphone. It has said that it will invest Rs 200 crore over the next year in brand building for the mobile range. Panasonic is eyeing an 8% share of the Indian smartphone market in the first year

Daizo Ito, president, Panasonic India, said, "We are now launching our innovative smartphone which will redefine the Indian smartphone consumer experience. We are confident that our product will provide the Indian consumer a great multimedia experience and the 'best value for money' proposition."

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Unfair to say IPL shouldn't continue: N Srinivasan

"It's not like players are not getting enough money. So, it's not a question of inadequate compensation. You can call it greed," Srinivasan said.

MUMBAI: While the BCCI's million-dollar baby -- its eyeball-grabbing Twenty20 league -- appears to attract more unsavoury elements with each passing season, the cricket board says it is unfair to call the tournament "untenable" because of a few "bad eggs".

Board president N Srinivasan, who is himself the chairman and managing director of a company that owns a Twenty20 franchise, left everything else aside on Thursday to address the media as soon as the spot-fixing scandal involving cricketers S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila broke early on Thursday morning.

Calling the incident "truly sad", Srinivasan said, "We thought when we made an example last year (of the five cricketers) that the message was clear and people would not indulge in such things. We will take whatever steps necessary for people to understand this is a serious matter and they can get into trouble."

He was referring to the five cricketers -- TP Sudhindra, Mohnish Mishra, Abhinav Bali, Shalabh Srivastava and Amit Yadav -- who were suspended and banned for life after a television channel exposed them for accepting money to spot-fix performances in 2012. However, it seems like the lure of money has been far bigger than the punishments that BCCI has threatened the players with, and that, Srinivasan said is a simple matter of "greed".

"It's not like players are not getting enough money. So, it's not a question of inadequate compensation. You can call it greed," he said.

Srinivasan also said that to see a Test cricketer getting involved in this mess was truly shocking. "We have an anti-corruption code, the anti-doping code and we have also advised state units on steps to be taken. One of them is a Test player (referring to Sreesanth) and that is what is shocking," he said. "We acted the moment we got information that Delhi police had arrested the three players. Apparently an FIR has been filed but we haven't seen it. We have extended all co-operation to police and other agencies if they want any information from us."

The image of the entire tournament has come into serious question after Delhi police's expose on how the three cricketers went about trying to spot-fix performances. Further, allegations that around 70 cricketers were closely monitored by the police and that a few others may also be involved in the controversy has been doing the rounds.

However, Srinivasan -- who addressed the media hours after the controversy broke -- denied that the tournament's image was getting tarnished.

"I am as sad as all my colleagues in the BCCI, that a player who played Tests for India is involved. But that does not mean that the entire game is corrupt. I do not agree at all. I do not agree the tournament cannot continue. We will take all steps to root out this kind of corruption," he said, adding that he wouldn't agree with the idea of making a sweeping statement that the entire tournament is untenable.

The BCCI chief says the Delhi police has given the board no information yet if there are any other players involved. But as far as the three detained players are concerned, action will be taken as per the rules and procedures and keeping in mind that natural justice has to be preserved. "If more information comes to the BCCI (about involvement of other players), we will take immediate action," he said.

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Did BCCI ignore prior warnings of spot-fixing?

Demonstrators shout slogans as they hold a placard and posters of S Sreesanth during a protest in Ahmedabad.

What was supposed to remain in the realm of speculation and innuendo has now blown up in BCCI's face, with sordid details emerging from the modus operandi of spot fixing and the complicity of players.

Did the T20 League have it coming? Was the tournament's structure vulnerable from the beginning to nefarious elements, who it now appears were allowed to work their charm on susceptible players and systematically go about placing eyes and ears inside a team's inner core? Did BCCI ignore prior warnings of spot-fixing ?

Even as BCCI chief N Srinivasan scrambled to emphasize why the league was not "untenable", questions are being asked whether the arrest of these Rajasthan Royals players is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to performance fixing, if not result-manipulation.

The League has always had a love-hate reputation when it comes to conflict-ofinterest issues but what needs to be recalled is the issues the tournament has had with policing its own house. The bosses had initially ignored concerns from the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit before allowing them 'entry' to police the tournament for a brief period. Last year the BCCI set up its own anti-corruption unit, roping in Ravi Sawani, a former head of the ACSU, as head. Clearly the body has not done enough, even in spite of handing out bans to certain fringe players following a TV sting in last year's edition.

This season has been abuzz with rumours even about team owners turning a blind eye to spot-fixing.

Whispers and snide remarks about spot fixing have gained ground since the India TV operation, following which MP pacer TP Sudhindra was handed a life ban and UP's Shalabh Srivastava banned for five years. In fact, there were similar rumours during the 2009 edition too.

Goa off-spinner Amit Yadav, MP batsman Mohnish Mishra and HP all-rounder Abhinav Bali were also handed one-year bans for "loose talk and unsubstantiated bragging" but in hindsight, should the BCCI have taken the sting more seriously and made it a police matter?

The one-year bans, after all, were lifted on Wednesday, a day before the Sreesanth story broke.

With Delhi police commissioner Neeraj Kumar on Thursday having to field questions on the implications of the spot-fixing saga and possible involvement of bigwigs, it is interesting to recall what Amit Yadav told India TV reporters last year when asked about the involvement of team owners.

Yadav was asked, "Franchise owner khud hi fix kar dete hai (franchise owners themselves fix matches)?" His reply was: "Kar dete hain (they do)... aapko meine bol diya ki bhai aaj rok kar pyar se khelna hai (suppose I tell you today you have to play a bit slowly)... ek aapko fix kar liya, ek middle order fix kar liya, bas ho gaya (fixing one more batsman is enough to get the job done)."

The sting had also revealed how bookies coerce susceptible players into bowling wides or no-balls, or playing defensively. Sudheendra revealed how he had been "directly" approached by bookies, and suggested how peer pressure plays a part since other players are doing it.

It could be all "loose talk and bragging" but did the BCCI do more harm by not initiating a police probe? The Sreesanth saga, after all, is bound to impact the credibility of the league. The next time you see a bowler overstepping, or a batsman using a towel or a team losing from a winning position, you might not know what to believe.

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Kings XI Punjab stay alive for another day

KXIP players David Miller,Shaun Marsh an(PTI Photo)

DHARAMSHALA: Staying alive was the theme of Kings XI Punjab on a day when the spot-fixing controversy hit the T20 league big-time.



Playing under the shadow of the sordid disclosures in Delhi, the home team produced a professional display at the HPCA stadium here but still edged out Delhi Daredevils by seven runs and keep their faint hopes of a berth in the playoffs alive.

Put in to bat, KXIP, aided by useful knocks by Adam Gilchrist, Shaun Marsh and David Miller, posted a handy total of 171/4. And with their seam bowlers making better use of the conditions, they throttled the already struggling DD batting line-up to notch up their seventh win. Their chances now rest on Bangalore and Hyderabad losing their remaining games and they themselves defeating Mumbai Indians in their final match here on Saturday afternoon.

The Delhi batsmen continued their miserable run even as they demoted Virender Sehwag to number four. That ploy did not work as Praveen Kumar and Sandeep Sharma made early dents. It put a lot of pressure on Viru who not for them first time failed to deliver.

And with skipper Mahela Jayawardene struggling to collect runs at a fast clip, it was left to Ben Rohrer to give KXIP a fright with a well-struck half-century. But once he fell to Piyush Chawla in the final over it was all over for DD, who are now in danger of finishing last should they lose their final match to Pune Warriors.

Sent in to bat, it was Gilchirst who provided a flying start to KXIP. Gilly likes the ball to come onto the bat and he made full use of the bouncy pitch by collecting five fours and two sixes even though he lived a charmed existence. He and Shaun Marsh put on 60 in 7.3 overs, before Gilchrist was well held by Irfan Pathan off his own bowling. Gilchrist made 42 from 26 balls which set the platform for the likes of Azhar Mahmood and David Miller to launch into a blitzkrieg.

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Betting nexus thrived on codes and signals

According to the police, it was decided that for the May 9 RR and KXIP match that Sreesanth would put a towel in his trouser in the second over of his first spell and also give enough time for bookies to do some heavy betting.

NEW DELHI: The bookies in the spot fixing scam had a nodal person in Delhi, an old-timer, who is now in custody and whose identity the cops are not yet willing to disclose. He was giving directions to different groups in various states where IPL 6 matches were being played on how the players would signal compliance on field. The modus operandi devised by this D Company man gave enough time to the bookies to put maximum bets.

The signals were such that these won't have ever raised any suspicion on or off the field. Disgraced cricketers S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan were willing to do anything - tuck a towel in the trouser, rotate the wrist band, pull their T-shirt up and down, pull out the locket around their neck, do stretching and warming up exercises and even set the field to earn those big bucks, according to the cops.

For example, it was decided that for the May 9 Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab match that Sreesanth would put a towel in his trouser in the second over of his first spell and also give enough time for bookies to do some heavy betting, said Delhi police commissioner Neeraj Kumar, adding that "he (Sreesanth) did some warming and stretching exercises" too.

"The modus operandi included asking the bowlers to give pre-decided signals with the help of their accessories like wrist-watches, chains, towels etc at the time of starting the over. The bowlers were asked to concede at least a given number of runs in a pre-determined and mutually decided over. After receiving the signal from the bowler, the bookies would bet heavily and make huge profits," said S N Srivastava, special CP, special cell.

If the players failed to give the signal, the money was lost as it happened in the case of Ajit Chandila. Chandila was supposed to pull up his shirt to signal the start of the manipulated over but he forgot to give the signal. Though he conceded the agreed 14 runs, the bookies could not place any bets since they didn't get the signal. "This led to a lot of arguments and demand for return of the money (Rs 20 lakh) advanced to him. Another Rs 20 lakh was to be given after the match," said the police chief.

The bookies, sources said, targeted vulnerable players, who would easily give away runs for money. They got in touch with them at team hotels, stadiums and elsewhere besides using the phone, BBM and whatsapp. Their conversations too were coded with words like 'samaan' (for money), said the source. And the bookies were careful not to use their real names.

During the matches, some associates and bookies remained in the stadium and signals were also given during 'strategic timeouts' and 'commercial breaks', said sources. After the over was successfully bowled according to the bookie's wish, money was delivered in cash to the players.

Officials said several players' names have been used in the recorded conversations between bookies and Chandila, but these players, even after accepting money, did not perform in the previous matches.

A top source said some batsmen, who had not performed and got out mysteriously, could also come under the scanner after the bookies were questioned.

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Google introduces new search tools to try to read our minds

Google keeps trying to read our minds.
The company revealed some new search tools Wednesday at I/O, its annual developers conference in San Francisco. Taken together, they are another step toward Google's trying to become the omnipotent, human-like "Star Trek" search engine that its executives say they want it to be.
When people ask Google certain questions, it will now try to predict the person's follow-up questions and answer them, too. Ask for the population of India, for instance, and you will also get the population of China and the United States, because Google knows those are the most common follow-up questions.
"The 'Star Trek' computer shouldn't just answer questions; it should make you more intelligent, should anticipate what you expect next," Amit Singhal, senior vice president for search at Google, said in an interview before the conference.
This is an extension of Google's knowledge graph - its semantic search product that aims to understand the meaning of things, not just keywords. It is why a search for Barack Obama brings up links to Hillary Clinton and Honolulu, for instance.
Google Now, the service that sends you information on traffic and weather before you even ask for it, is also digging deeper into our minds. Google is adding more entertainment alerts, like new music based on videos watched on YouTube, and turning Google Now into a robotic to-do list and a stronger competitor to Apple's Siri. Tell Google to remind you to buy milk next time you are in a grocery store, for instance, and the alert will automatically pop up when you step inside a Safeway.
Google is also trying to make search more conversational by encouraging people to talk to their phones and computers and hear answers out loud. Voice search has already been possible on both types of devices, but Wednesday, Google announced that people can now talk to its Chrome browser to perform a search, by saying, "OK Google." (If Google has its way, we will all soon be walking around shouting, "OK," because "OK Glass" is the command to activate its Internet-connected glasses.)
Google also uses location information to answer questions. So people can ask, "How far from here to Santa Cruz?" and Google will know where "here" is, or they can ask, "How tall do you have to be to ride the Giant Dipper?" and Google will know that is a ride nearby.
In another step to personalize search, Google is expanding its tool that plucks information from Gmail and presents it in search results. Already, a search for "flights" by logged-in users produces flight information from Gmail. Now, you can ask Google to show your photos from your trip to New York last year, and it will find them on Google Plus and show them to you.
Underlying many of these developments is Google's privacy policy, which it revised last year to permit the company to use information shared with one Google service on another one. That is why Google can, for instance, pull information from Gmail to show up in search results or send you alerts about new movies because of a trailer you have watched on YouTube.

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Google Plus gets 41 new features with a special focus on photos

Google is digging deeper into its technology toolkit to turn its social networking service into a more formidable threat to Facebook, sprucing up its photo features at a time when sharing snapshots online and on mobile gadgets is growing more popular.Many of the 41 new features being added to Google Plus beginning Wednesday will draw upon the computing power, machine learning, algorithms, semantics analysis and other innovations that established Google's search engine as the most influential force on the Internet.
"All of these features collectively put more of 'the Google' into Google Plus," said Vic Gundotra, Google's senior vice president of engineering, in an interview. "This will give people a powerful reason to come to Google Plus."
But the most compelling new attraction may be a new photo-management tool that promises to test how much control people want to cede to computers. It will also further blur the lines between a real moment in time and augmented reality.
Google promises the feature will pick out the best shots from a wide assortment of photos. The automatic photo selection is done by calling upon Google's knowledge of the elements that make up a visually pleasing picture, coupled with facial recognitiontechnology and a vast database that helps tie together the relationships of people appearing in a photo. Google says its computers will recognize the best photos featuring family members or close friends of a person who uploads a bunch of pictures to Plus.
"You have amazing images of the most precious image of your life," Gundotra told a software developers conference Wednesday as he discussed the additions to Google Plus. "But if we are honest with each other photos are very labor intensive."
If the photos don't look quite right, Google is promising to enhance them, taking over a job that typically requires people to buy and master special photo editing software such as Adobe System Inc.'s Photoshop, Apple's iPhoto or Google's Picasa. Computer-controlled editing tools will automatically remove red eyes, soften skin tones, sharpen colors and adjust contrast. Google offers something similar through an "I'm Feeling Lucky" button on Picasa.
In an effort to get more photos onto the Plus network, Google is offering to back up all pictures taken on a mobile device, as soon as they're snapped. To accommodate the increased volume, Google Plus will now provide each account holder with up to 15 gigabytes of storage for full-resolution photos.
Gundotra believes Plus' management tools will be compelling because they are designed to save people the time and trouble of choosing and editing photos. Google Plus users will be able to compare all original photos with the versions altered by computers. The auto-enhancement tool can also be turned off.
Another new photo feature promises to stitch together a sequence of photos taken of the same group of people or a panoramic scene. This stitching system can be used to create a single photo that pulls the best shots of everyone featured in a series of pictures. It will also produce an animated clip featuring the motions of people captured in a succession of photos taken against the same background.
By appealing to people's photo fondness, Google is hoping to make Plus a more useful and fun place to hang out than Facebook. But Google Plus still hasn't proven it can become as much of a magnet as Facebook, largely because people had already established their online social circles at Facebook.
Google Plus has built up a broad swath of accountholders since its introduction nearly two years ago, mainly because so many people already had set up Google logins while using the company's Gmail or other services. Gundotra announced Wednesday that Google Plus now has 190 million users who interact on the service each month, up from 135 million in late December. About 390 million people log in to Google Plus each month, but that includes a large number who have tied their Gmail accounts to the social networking service. Facebook says it has about 1.1 billion active users.
As such, Google has a long way to go. Facebook has claimed the title of being the world's largest photo-sharing site for years, and with last year's purchase of Instagram only propelled it further ahead. Instagram has 100 million monthly active users, up from 22 million when Facebook agreed to buy it last spring.
Rather than offer powerful editing tools or high-quality pictures, Facebook became the most popular way to share the photos online simply because it is the most popular place to hang out online. Today, users upload more than 350 million photos to Facebook each day.
Over the years, it enhanced the quality of the photos displayed, too, and has recently redesigned its site to make photos more pronounced. Instagram, meanwhile, offers an easy-to-use mobile app and playful filters users can apply to snapshots of friends, quirky buildings or plates of food.
Google Plus is getting a new look just two months after Facebook spruced up its news feed - the centerpiece of its service - to feature photos more prominently and generally make posts look more like articles in a magazine or newspaper. Unlike Facebook, Google says there are no current plans to show ads on the revamped Plus.
In another change aimed at attracting more traffic, Google Plus will start to display automatic hash tags to identify the main topic being discussed in a post or featured in a photo. Google is using its understanding of semantics and photo-scanning technology to figure out what is going on. Individuals will still have an option of editing or forbidding a hash tag from appearing if they don't agree with Google's automatic selection. Clicking on the hashtag will take Google Plus users to other posts and pictures bearing the same marker. Similar content being shared by family and friend is supposed to show up first, thanks to the same ranking system that Google's search engine uses to pick out the most relevant results.
Facebook doesn't currently use hash tags, though there have been reports that it is working on incorporating them to its site, just as Twitter and Instagram already do.

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SMS integration coming to Google+ Hangouts

A Googler takes to Google+ to say that texting via Hangouts is coming soon. But will it help Hangouts pull in a wider audience?

The new Google+ Hangouts was introduced at Google I/O this week.

This week at Google I/O, Google announced it's beefing up Google+ Hangouts by introducing a one-on-one chat feature, access to chat history, and a standalone app. But how about adding some real red meat, like say, SMS integration?
Never fear, hardcore messaging carnivores -- it's on the way.
So says Dori Storbeck, community manager for Google+ Hangouts & Chat, responding to a question on her Google+ page:

...SMS integration is coming soon -- it is one of our most requested features!

No word on how soon we might be able to send texts from within the Hangouts app, but it would put Google in even more direct competition with Facebook, which has been aiming to replace conventional texting with its Messenger app and recently introduced Facebook Home and chatheads for Android.
Hangouts has struggled to gain mainstream traction, though. It remains to be seen if adding SMS capability could be the kind of feature that opens the communications tool to a wider audience -- or if it's more like adding yet another headliner to a music festival in North Dakota in January: No matter how great the lineup, it's just further than most people are willing to go for something they can get closer to (Facebook?) Home.

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Google goes under the sea with Street View at Google I/O

Google's partner in documenting the ocean floor says it needs more help from developers to save the world's coral reefs.

Google showed off its underwater Google Maps Street View photography at the Google I/O show in San Francisco.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google and its partner The Catlin Seaview Survey need help from developers to document the world's coral reefs and save them from extinction.
During a session at the Google I/O developer conference, Richard Vevers of the Catlin Seaview Survey and Jenifer Austin Foulkes, a business product manager for Google Earth & Maps, talked up Google's efforts to bring underwater panoramic images to Google Maps.
Google first started virtually mapping the ocean floor four years ago, and in September the company launched its first 360 degree panoramic street views of the ocean. Google partnered with The Catlin Seaview Survey, which is taking the pictures and using Google tools to upload the pictures to Google Maps.

The Catlin Seaview Survey is a partnership between the global insurance company Catlin Group Limited, nonprofit Underwater Earth, and The University of Queensland's Global Change Institute. And the group's work is focused on ocean conservation, specifically protecting coral reefs throughout the world. As part of the Street View project with Google, the Survey has plans to document the world's coral reefs to document the state of the reefs today and to monitor changes over time. So far, the group has managed to compile images from six different locations including sites off the Philippines, Hawaii and the Great Barrier Reef off of Australia.
The Catlin Seaview Survey has two major goals for this project, Vevers said. One is to document the state of the reefs for scientific study. And the other is to bring awareness of both the beauty and fragility of the ocean ecosystem to the public in the hopes that people will take action to protect them.
Google Maps ocean Street View allows people to dive with sea turtles, fish, and manta rays. But it also shows scientists the state of the coral reefs. Vevers said that images taken from the Great Barrier Reef recently document a 33 percent devastation of corals compared to the past few decades. Vevers hopes bringing awareness to this issue as people explore the wonders under the sea will help with conservation efforts.
"People don't protect something they can't see," he said. "Google's map tools have been instrumental in helping with the public engagement part so that people can see the images and then they can do something about preserving these environments."
But taking millions of people on virtual tours of the ocean is no easy task. And Vevers said his organization, which has developed special cameras that cost about $50,000 a pop, and has adapted some of Google's Street View photography technology, needs more help.
Specifically, he said that as the project opens up to allow more people to take pictures to document the ocean, the group needs image recognition software that can look at full 360 degree images. He said that the group also needs developers to develop more ways to make the images engaging to get people more involved.
"The effort we are undertaking is a race against time," Vevers said. "We need to monitor these changes and figure out the critical areas to protect. We need more developers. We already have some good support. But we need more help."

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The Art of managing your Boss

According to a recent report by JobBuzz.com, relationship management has been ranked as one of the key skills that a candidate needs to possess to be successful at his job. The key to establishing a meaningful working relationship with your boss is communication

Managing relationships in the corporate world is a tedious job, more so if it is about maintaining an amicable relationship with your boss. Relationship management among employees and between employer and employee is gaining lot of importance lately. According to a recent report by Jobbuzz.com relationship management has been ranked as one of the key skills that a candidate needs to possess to be successful at a job.
Managing the manager
The relationship that one creates and manages with his/her boss is critical to workplace success and career progress. They hold your future prospects in their hands. They are privy to the company’s goals and knows what the company is looking for in future executives. They can inform you of the company’s direction that may affect your future aspirations and can also put in a good word for you when need be. Vaidyanathan, HR-Head, Alten Calsoft Labs agrees, “Whatever good work one does, has to be projected to the outside world – be it the client or the colleagues or the management. Employee’s good working relationship with the manager/boss helps in getting recognition at work and also ensures a peaceful work life.”
The key to establishing a meaningful working relationship with your boss is communication. Learn and understand his/her goals and priorities. At the same time, ask for feedback and accept criticism gracefully.
From manager to mentor
A boss is your ally and your guide. Learn from your boss, he/she has much to teach you. So, ask questions to learn and listen more than you speak to develop an effective relationship with your boss. When a boss takes up the role of a mentor, the equation between him/her and his/her employees, changes automatically. Vaidyanathan suggests that to become a good mentor, every boss/manager should empower their team members. “Managers can become good mentors by passing the success-credit to the executor and giving the confidence to the team members that they always look up to their managers when they come across any problems in their work.” He advised that if an employee fails in the task assigned, protect and teach him the right way to execute the job instead of defaming him.
We agree to disagree
Overall in your relationship with your boss you will sometimes disagree and occasionally experience an emotional reaction. Don’t hold grudges. Disagreement is fine; discord is not. One needs to come to terms with the fact that your boss has more authority and power than you do. And then perhaps you could mould yourself to work better and achieve success in your organisation.

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‘Edupreneurs contribute towards a rapidly changing education sector’

Pavan Chauhan, Founder and MD, Meritnation.com 

With the rising Internet penetration in our country, edupreneurs or education entrepreneurs are venturing into the space of online learning to impart valuable knowledge to the Gen-Y’ers. Pavan Chauhan, Founder and MD, Meritnation.com shares his views behind this concept in India and how it’s helping the student community. 
Excerpts from the interview:
How big is the scope for edupreneurs in India?
The education sector in India has seen a revolution in the way knowledge is imparted. Entrepreneurs who have made inroads into the education sector are fast contributing to a rapidly changing education sector. The increasing demand for quality education and the willingness to spend on education by the middle class is rapidly changing the landscape of the education sector.
The rise of online learning has been an interesting game changer in this aspect. Today, more and more entrepreneurs are stepping into the online education market with ideas that leverage pedagogical expertise with technology, providing a fresh, new approach towards how studying and knowledge gaining is perceived. With the internet becoming a comfortable necessity in our lives, the potential for education entrepreneurs is limitless. Students are becoming tech-friendly at an increasingly earlier age and hence form a huge base for realising entrepreneurial opportunities.
The need of the hour is to have edupreneurs who have the vision to make education more meaningful for students. So if edupreneurs dream of making a difference to this sector by being potential change agents, it is important to focus on creating value for the students –the money will follow.
What have been the primary challenges for the entrepreneurs?
The education sector is complex. The choices, influences and decisions interplay in various combinations. This sector is also constantly evolving, mirroring the socio-economic changes in the consumer. For example, in the K-12 online learning space in which we operate, the ‘consumer’ is the student, while the ‘customer’ in the lower grades is the parent, and in the higher grades it could be the parent or the student. Taking along all the stakeholders – students, parents and teachers – and creating value for all, appears to be by far the biggest challenge.
Poor internet and broadband penetration in the smaller towns continues to pose a big challenge for edupreneurs in the online space.
Finally, the ability of edupreneurs to create sustainable change lies in their ability to create financially viable models. Unless an edupreneur gets the right kind of funding, sustaining the initiative might be a challenge.
How well is this adopted by the student community?
Students in urban areas form the maximum chunk of subscribers using online education as a means to supplement their learning. According to the IAMAI report (2012) a whopping 21% of the subscribers belong to the student community. With several entrance exams either switching to or experimenting with the online mode, students have responded favourably to learning from videos and taking online tests. Online preparation is effective not only in terms of money but also time and effort.
What is the role of an edupreneur in bringing a 360 degree change in how education is perceived? 
An edupreneur plays a very important role in changing how education is perceived. Resistance to change is inevitable. Edupreneurs must be able to effectively advocate the need for change and help create an environment conducive to innovation and effective learning.
In Meritnation we have successfully leveraged technology to provide a meaningful learning environment for the students. Getting an opportunity to make available quality education to students in the remotest corners of the country is the single biggest change effected by online education.
This is also helping to gradually change the perception that quality education is accessible only to students residing in urban towns & cities.
How are educational institutions reacting to this change? 
Schools are gradually warming up to the idea of using technology to make the teaching-learning process more effective. Customised attention made possible using technology, ease of conducting assessments, effective monitoring of individual student progress and that of the class as a whole, using the ‘classroom’ time more effectively for discussions and other student-let learning initiatives –are only some of the various things facilitated by edupreneurs in the online space.

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