Why do computer monitors flicker when seen on TV?

Monitors are caught in the middle of the constant, super-fast loading of images that creates the picture on a computer screen, says Jennifer Ernst of the Palo Alto Research Centre. Most TV cameras capture images slower than computers produce them. Hence the flickering. » Continue reading

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Data freaks, unite!

You probably don't need one more time-wasting website, but we can't resist suggesting a look at swivel.com. This is sort of a YouTube for excel files, where people can upload statistics. The results are some really amusing graphs, such as comparison between wine consumption and violent crime or how when the temperature goes down in Apple's headquarters city of Cupertino, Calif., the company's stock price goes up - maybe because employees are staying inside and working more? » Continue reading

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Worthwhile Indian Podcasts

Podcasting might not have taken of in India like how blogging has but here is a short list of some really worthwhile Indian Podcasts.

Podmasti
Everything you wanted to know about India and Bollywood. Arguably the first India-based podcast site.
Author: Ruchita Gupta
URL: www.podmasti.com

Kamla Bhatt Show
A blog, radio site and podcast run by Chennaiite, Kamla Bhatt, since 2005, while shuttling between Bangalore and San Francisco. Kamla Bhatt studied at Madras Christian College and at Marquette University, Milwaukee, United States.
Author: Kamla Bhatt
URL: kamlabhattshow.com

Indicast
Mumbaikars Abhishek Kumar and Aditya Mhatre gave up jobs with major companies at home and in the US to create India's first podcast site focussed solely on news and views. The podcast focuses on topics, ranging from Sonia to Sania, with a view point of the common man (aam aadmi).
Authors: Abhishek Kumar and Aditya Mhatre
URL: www.theindicast.com

PodioIndia
Concentrates on a rich content of Indian music, served up by co-podsters Piya and Deb.
Authors: Piya and Deb.
URL: www.podioindia.com

Podbazaar
A great source for Tamil podcasts.
Author: US based Sujatha Jagannathan
URL: www.podbazaar.com

PodTech-India
One of the first podcasts for those interested in the achievements of Indian techies. A spin-off from the US based Podtech.
URL: www.podtech.net/indiatech

If you are a blogger or a podcaster don't forget to catch India's largest event on audio and video podcasting PodWorks, a workshop style unconference to be held at Tidel Park Auditorium, Chennai on the 9th and 10th of June 2007. » Continue reading

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Who am I, again?

Fed up with your current life? Want another one on the side to spice things up? You got it. Log on to www.secondlife.com, a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. More than six million people from around the word virtually live here. Residents can meet other residents, socialize, get involved in individual and group activities and even trade. The only thing you can't do here is go to the bathroom. Or eat and drink. For that, you'll have to visit the real world once in a while. » Continue reading

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Beware of shift work

Working in shifts and frequent shift changes are quite common in today's globalised business scenario, more so with the advent of business process outsourcing, especially here in India where call centers have sprung up in huge numbers.

If you regularly switch between day and night work, it could be harming your health. A study of oil-rig workers found that alternating weekly shifts put the blood's levels of sleep-regulating melatonin out of sync: the men were drowsier at work and had heightened levels of fatty acids in their blood after meals, raising their risk of heart disease and diabetes. » Continue reading

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Linksys WAP4400N Wireless-N access point

The Linksys Wireless-N access point, WAP4400N, with power over Ethernet capability is designed and developed specifically for the small business environment.

Built based on the 802.11n draft specification, the WAP4400N supports Wireless-N (802.11n), Wireless-G (802.11g), Wireless-B (802.11b) and wired network devices so as to allow addition of PCs to the network without cabling hassle. Power-over-Ethernet support makes it easy to install allowing it to be mounted anywhere, even without ready access to a power plug.

In addition, the integrated QoS features provide consistent voice and video quality on both the wired and wireless networks, enabling the deployment of business quality VoIP and video applications.

To protect data and privacy, the Linksys Wireless-N access point supports both wired equivalent privacy and the industrial strength wireless security of Wi-Fi protected access, encoding all wireless transmissions with powerful encryption.

The Linksys WAP4400N Wireless-N access point is available for US $149.99 at xPCGear.com or just search for it on Amazon. » Continue reading

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Ancient Images

Behold the granddaddy of cameras! The 1839-model daguerreotype camera in the picture was the first camera to be sold commercially.

In a daguereotype the image is exposed directly onto a polished silver plate. It is a direct image-making process with no 'negatives' involved. It produced images 16.5 cm × 21.5 cm.

Named after French cmist Louis J. M. Daguerre, dagueeeotypes are preserved by sealing them in vacuum-sealed glass cases filled with nitrogen.

The warrantee label on the side of the camera was signed by Daguerre himself.

Photo courtesy of the JCII Camera Museum. » Continue reading

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