Tuesday, October 6, 2015

‘SONA – SHADES’ Tops the National Biz Competition !

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TEAM SHADES – Naveen K, Purushothaman,Sakthi Karthick, and Ali Ibrahim
The young management students of Sona College of Technology have got national level appreciation for their outstanding business idea. Young Indians, along with confederation of Indian Industry (CII) conducted a national competition, named YuStart, which supports the students launching new business and social impact ventures.
YuStart is conducted as a part of National Entrepreneurship Summit, #GROWTHHACK, organised by young Indians, Bangalore chapter along with CII. MBA student team comprising Sakthi Karthick, Naveen K, Purushothaman and Ali Ibrahim, of Sona College have been chosen as the top 5 Teams among 150 teams competed from all over India. SHADES – the business idea of the team was highly appreciated by investors and got investment offers from various venture capitalists during the idea presentation held in Leela Palace, Bangalore.
During interaction, the student team members said that, the Business INCUBATOR facilities provided by their college moulded them very well and helped them to come out with a distinct business idea. They added that SONA is the institution which has mentors from foreign bodies to help the aspiring young engineering and tech minds to come out with their unique business ideas.
“We have already started the next level of process of initiating the venture. Before we complete our MBA course, SHADES will be Campus Company which will stand out having unique business model in the aspiring young country like India with the support of prospering institution like Sona” – said the energetic students’ team.
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Sunday, August 16, 2015

Gadget Ogling: Smart Rings, Breathalyzing Bike Locks, and Laptop-Sized Transports


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Welcome to Gadget Dreams and Nightmares, the column that relaxes in a cabin in the woods of the latest gadget announcements, with a roaring fire to keep the terrible ones at bay and a s'more ready for the finest new gizmos.
In our bug trap this week are a smart ring for notifications from your loved one, a breathalyzing bike lock, a payment device that authenticates itself against your heartbeat, and a laptop-sized personal transport system.
As always, these are not reviews, because I surely would have fallen off the transporter several times and injured myself to the point where I could not write this week's column -- that's more of a slant on my balance than the actual product, I should note. The ratings reflect only how interested I am in using each item, no matter how much I may hurt myself doing so.

The Ping Ring

Please, whatever you do, don't decide with your loved one it would be a good idea to get rings that vibrate only when you're trying to get in touch with one another.
Omate and Emanuel Ungaro are offering schmucks the Ungaro ring (pictured above), which does just that. It buzzes when one designated person, whoever that may be, sends a text message or calls you.
I can appreciate the concept to an extent, but that doesn't mean I don't think it's completely silly and useless. With a retail price of up to US$2,000, depending on which type of precious metal and which gemstone you choose to adorn it, it's almost ridiculous enough to make me want to try it. Almost.

10 great new features in Windows 10

10 great new features in Windows 10

1. There's loads of stuff for touch, but it's different stuff

Designed to appeal to experts and novices alike, Microsoft was at pains to point out that it hasn't given up on touch with the new OS. The Charms bar remains for the moment although we expect it to die if you're using a non-touch PC (check out Continum below).
Microsoft says it wants to support touch users who have persevered with Windows 8 and "evolve" the touch UI. (Translated: That means it is changing quite a bit.) The task switching will no longer work on the left. So with that and the charms going, that's goodbye to most of the problem with Windows 8 - and a whole philosophy down the pan.
Microsoft's Joe Belfiore said at the preview: "We want Windows 7 users to feel like they upgraded from a [Toyota] Prius to a Tesla, but they don't need to learn a new way to drive."
Windows 10

2. It's BACK!

As we've covered before, the e most noticeable change is the new Start Menu, which looks somewhat like the old start menu. It brings some features from the Windows 8.1 Start Screen, such as live tiles, and can be resized.
Windows 10

3. Another new Task View (the Windows 8 flippy thing has gone)

Now the Windows 8 task switcher has been unceremoniously dumped, there's a new Task View in Windows 10, too, so users can switch between virtual desktops.That's because Microsoft now recognises that novice users use the taskbar rather than switching in other, cleverer, ways such as Alt+Tab (which also now switches between desktops).
Windows 10

4. Snap Assist helps you snap windows

A new Snap Assist feature also helps users work out which way is best to snap apps to. You can snap windows into new screens and tile Windows - just as you've been able to since Windows 2.0 or maybe 3.0.
Snap Assist in Action

5. The Command Prompt enters the 21st Century

Another quite amazing feature for those of us that use it is that the command prompt is now getting keyboard shortcuts! So you will be able to paste in your commands! Hardly groundbreaking, but actually pretty exciting.
Windows 10

6. Improvements to Windows Explorer

A new Home location is the new default view in Windows Explorer. There's also a Share button on the Windows Explorer taskbar (we really hope this is in the context menu, too).

7. Continum - the special one

This is the best new thing we found out today. Continum is an on-the-fly mode for 2 in 1 devices that can automatically change mode if it detects there is suddenly no keyboard attached. So, for example, a back button appears to help you navigate the Desktop with touch if the keyboard is removed. We reckon the charms will also disappear in non-touch mode, although we've heard conflicting news about that.
A virtual desktop in Windows 10

8. Windows 10 Universal apps

Windows 10 will also usher in a new app model - Universal Windows apps. Windows Universal apps are the new name for Metro apps/Modern apps/Windows Store apps. Take your pick on those old monikers, they've got a new one! Presumably (although we don't know as yet) that these will also work on Windows Phone. Windows 10 will be able to run on all devices from phones to servers and there will be a single app store across the lot.
All older Windows Store apps will work with Windows 10.
Windows 10

9. Modern (sorry, Universal) apps now float on the Desktop

The new Universal apps also work on the desktop and 'float' in their own Windows. Microsoft wants to banish the separation between the Modern UI and the Desktop.
These 'modern' apps on the desktop have a ... icon for more options - replacing the commands that used to be in the charms on the right-hand side of the screen.
A floater!

10. Windows 10 has lots for Business and Enterprise

Microsoft says it hopes to appeal to business with this release of Windows, more so than Windows 8 ever did. Belfiore said they were "starting the dialogue with businesses today".
To be honest, it needs to - Windows XP is now ancient and unsupported, while precious other businesses want to make the leap away from Windows 7. But part of the reason why Microsoft is demonstrating the OS without all the consumer features is to show enterprises what the OS is capable of at this stage.
This version of Windows will have plenty of other features for enterprise, including a customised store and protection for corporate data. Mobile Device Management will be able to be used for all devices.
Windows 10 will keep personal and corporate data separate.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Mars Rover Nearing Marathon Achievement

Opportunity Rover Nears Mars Marathon Feat










 A drive on Feb. 8, 2015, put the rover within 220 yards (200 meters) of this marathon accomplishment. An Olympic marathon is 26.219 miles (42.195 kilometers).

Opportunity is headed for a portion of the western rim of Endeavour Crater where observations by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have detected multiple types of clay minerals. These minerals are indicative of an ancient wet environment where water was more neutral rather than harshly acidic. More than six months ago, the rover team informally named that destination "Marathon Valley," having estimated what the odometry would total by the time Opportunity gets there.
"When Opportunity was in its prime mission 11 years ago, no one imagined this vehicle surviving a Martian winter, let alone completing a marathon on Mars," said Mars Exploration Rover Project Manager John Callas of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. "Now, that achievement is within reach as Opportunity approaches a strategic science destination. What's most important about the longevity and driving distance the mission keeps extending are not numerical thresholds, but the wealth of scientific information returned about Mars, made possible by these feats."
Before driving Opportunity into Marathon Valley, the team plans to use the rover for observations of an impact crater called "Spirit of Saint Louis Crater," at the entrance to the valley.
The team is operating Opportunity in a mode that avoids use of the rover's flash memory. In this mode, data gathered during each Martian day are stored in volatile memory and transmitted to an orbiter before the rover's overnight, energy-conserving "sleep."  NASA orbiters Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter relay the rover data to Earth.
Opportunity engineers plan in coming weeks to upload a software revision they have developed to enable resuming use of non-volatile flash memory. It is designed to restore Opportunity's capability to store data overnight or longer, for transmitting later.
During its original three-month prime mission, beginning after landing on Jan. 25, 2004, UST (Jan. 24, 2004, PST) Opportunity drove 0.48 mile (771.5 meters). Its twin, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, landed three weeks earlier and covered 0.39 mile (635 meters) in its three-month prime mission. Both Spirit and Opportunity have returned compelling evidence about wet environments on ancient Mars. Spirit's mission ended in 2010. Since 2011, Opportunity has been investigating the western rim of Endeavour, a crater that is 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter.
The rover climbed to its highest elevation on the Endeavour rim on Jan. 6, 2015, reaching a point about 440 feet (135 meters) above the local plains. It has driven about 440 yards (400 meters) since then, mainly southward toward the entrance to Marathon Valley.
JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about Spirit and Opportunit
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Sundar Pichai is new Google CEO

n a surprise announcement, Google has formed a new parent company named Alphabet, and handed over the charge of key products to Chennai-born Sundar Pichai. The 43-year-old CEO of Google will take charge of some of the most widely-used products, such as Search, Maps, Apps, YouTube and Android.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Technology's Latest Quest: Tracking Mental Health

You can now count your steps, measure your glucose levels, monitor your blood pressure and track your caloric intake from your phone or high-tech wristband. But for those dealing with depression rather than diabetes, or trying to keep tabs on their bipolar disorder rather than their weight, the pickings are slimmer.
There are apps that track mood by asking users to fill in surveys, ones that give tips on breathing or thinking positively, others that remind people to take their antidepressants or other medications and even some that turn cognitive treatment into games. The problem is that many lack a substantial basis in research, and the kind of information a user can provide can be severely limited. Another problem is that many patients are either not motivated or not self-aware enough to respond accurately, says Philip Resnik, a computational linguistics professor at the University of Maryland, who is studying how natural language processing can shed light on mental health.
Researchers are beginning to link to mental health certain types of data that people can’t track or identify in themselves. Just as an EKG is a more effective tool to diagnose cardiac disease than asking a patient how his or her heart feels, these new data sources could radically change our ability to track mental health.
Several recent projects have begun to explore ways technology can be further leveraged to address an increasingly dire situation in the U.S. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in four adults experiences some form of mental illness each year, while about 6 percent of the population is living with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 89.3 million people in the U.S. lack access to mental health care.
Technological tools to flag mental health problems could have a huge impact on these populations, which could use an easily downloadable app for early screening instead of jumping through hoops to find a qualified clinician just to start the process.
In addition, moving to tech could help better reach a younger generation. Roughly 20 percent of teenagers (ages 13 to 18) in the U.S. experience severe mental disorders each year, according to NAMI, while suicide is the third-leading cause of death for those ages 15 to 24. “A lot of psychology still takes place on paper,” says David C. Cooper, a Mobile Health Program psychologist at the National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2), which leads initiatives for the Department of Defense that use technology to deliver psychological health care options to the military community. He was referring to traditional therapy tools like the paper journal he asks patients to keep between sessions, and the notes he takes during those meetings. With 70 percent of military personnel under the age of 30, the generation of veterans Cooper treats is starting to expect tech as part of their treatment.
“If I give patients a piece of paper, they’re going to look at me like I’m some sort of Luddite,” Cooper tells Newsweek
Cooper has helped develop apps like PTSD Coach, Mood Tracker, Breathe to Relax and Virtual Hope Box that translate standard, analog mental health care practices into ones and zeros. But using new kinds of data and technological capabilities to track mental health is a daunting task. Unlike measuring glucose levels, which can easily help patients (and their doctors) understand where they stand, there is no direct way to measure depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or PTSD.
Carol Espy-Wilson, a professor of computer and electrical engineering at the University of Maryland, is working with Monifa Vaughn-Cooke in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Resnik, the computational linguist, to come up with a complete set of measures—physiological markers like heart rate and skin temperature, along with patterns based on vocal features, facial expressions and language use—that could help track mental health.
Espy-Wilson started by looking at the Mundt database, collected in a study from 2007 that looked at depression and speech patterns. The Mundt study recorded participants, all of whom were undergoing treatment for depression, as they spoke freely and assessed their depression on the standard Hamilton Depression Scale.
Espy-Wilson’s study built on those findings. She looked in particular at six patients whose assessments showed the greatest variation in mental well-being week to week. She found that when they were depressed, their speech tended to be slower and their vowels “breathier,” and that their voices’ “jitter and shimmer”—a measure of variability in duration and amplitude of sound—increased.
Meanwhile, Vaughn-Cooke is running a study with healthy participants, which she’ll later repeat with others who have been diagnosed with depression, prompting them with questions like “How was your day?” and “What was the saddest part of your day?” The responses are recorded with both video and audio. The former will be analyzed for emotion using facial recognition software, while the latter will be sifted through to identify vocal patterns as well as transcribed and analyzed as text.
That’s where Resnik will come in. He has already been looking for “signals in language use that help produce insight into people’s mental health status,” he tells Newsweek. In other words, his goal is to connect speech or writing, whether it’s an essay or a tweet, to something that can identify problems with a person’s mental health—something like the Hamilton Depression Scale, for example.
“Once [we start] understanding how all of these different predictors relate to each other, we can then develop algorithms to better predict when a depression patient is going into a relapse,” Vaughn-Cooke says. This will “not only improve quality of life but also reduce incidence of suicide, relapse and readmission to treatment facility.”
Ideally, all this will be streamlined into one app that would collect this information while a person is going about his day, potentially asking him to record responses to questions periodically in addition to continuous passive tracking. The result will be a tool, a Siri on steroids, that can track mental health outside of formal treatment or between therapy sessions. “You want people to get the kind of attention they need when they need it,” says Espy-Wilson.
Glen Coppersmith, a research scientist at Johns Hopkins University’s Human Language Technology Center of Excellence, has been studying Twitter in an effort to understand just that. His work focuses on quantifying signals—whether from the text itself or from the tweets’ metadata (e.g., the time and location of tweets and degree of interaction)—that are relevant to mental health and could potentially lead to intervention. He and his colleagues have already figured out how to parse people’s Twitter feeds and identify whether they’ve been diagnosed with depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD or seasonal affective disorder.
In early November, Coppersmith will run a weekend-long hackathon at Johns Hopkins. A few dozen attendees—computer scientists, statisticians, psychologists and others—will work in groups on a data set from Twitter, trying to learn more about subtle cues and patterns that could cumulatively indicate something about users’ mental health.
Some efforts have already made use of social media to track mental health. The Durkheim Project, run by a team from Dartmouth University and the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, launched in July of last year. The goal of the project is to analyze data from the social media accounts and mobile phones of veterans who opted in to try to find ways to predict suicide risk. Until recently, “most of the available signals about mental health state through language were not accessible—[like] the conversation by the watercooler at work or at the dinner table at home,” says Resnik.
But now that many of our interactions happen in public forums, like Twitter, “we’re starting to have data that’s relevant that we can derive insights from, that we can build technology on,” says Coppersmith.
One company, Ginger.io, has released an app that uses phone sensors to track mental health in patients who are participating at the suggestion of one of their health care providers. The app is built on the hypothesis that the ways people use their phones can provide important information about mental health. It runs in the background and builds a model of its owner’s behavior patterns.
It can then “notice” and flag any behavioral patterns identified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as potential markers of depression. An increase in missed calls or texts, for example, could indicate reduced social interaction. Changes in sleep cycles often accompany depression and bipolar disorder, so the app uses sensors and activity to track sleep. GPS and other movement-tracking sensors can be analyzed for patterns that might indicate lethargy.
“None are perfect diagnostics,” says co-founder and CEO Anmol Madan, but when risk factors are picked up by the app, it can “send them a message, coaching, a question or set up interaction with a nurse or provider.” It’s a “first level of triage,” he says, but the intervention, communication and support patients need is still done by people, psychologists and other mental health professionals.
Closing the circuit between the technology and the professionals and larger health care system is part of the challenge, Stacie Vilendrer, an M.D./MBA candidate at Stanford University who has studied ways to harness technology to benefit patients, tells Newsweek. Beyond the difficulty of asking longtime clinicians to change their ways, there are concerns about patient privacy and the potential for liability. “For example, if an app collects information that a patient is suicidal, dumps this information into a portal that the physician has access to, and the patient commits suicide without any physician intervention, it would seem the physician is still liable,” Vilendrer says.
It can also be a disheartening challenge for researchers and entrepreneurs to find ways to work within the U.S.’s complicated health care system, she tells Newsweek.
But “mental health is something that has touched every single one of us at some point in our lives,” whether it’s a personal experience or watching family or friends go through it, says Coppersmith, who predicts that a spike in research activity around technology and mental health is coming. “I don’t know how you can’t attack this problem. This is the one everyone should care about.”

Monday, October 27, 2014

RBI announced fourth Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement 2014-15 

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced fourth Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement on 30 September 2014. RBI in its fourth bi-monthly monetary policy statement has kept the policy rates unchanged at 8 percent.

Based on the assessment of the current and evolving macroeconomic situation,the following changes has been taken

•    The Repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 8.0 per cent

•    The cash reserve ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks unchanged at 4.0 per cent of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL)

Reduced the Statutory Liquidity Ratio under the export credit refinance (ECR) facility from 32 per cent of eligible export credit outstanding to 15 per cent with effect from 10 October 2014

•    Continue to provide liquidity under overnight repos at 0.25 per cent of bank-wise NDTL at the LAF repo rate and liquidity under 7-day and 14-day term repos of up to 0.75 per cent of NDTL of the banking system through auctions

•    Continue with daily one-day term repos and reverse repos to smooth liquidity

•    The reverse repo rate under the LAF remained unchanged at 7.0 per cent and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 9.0 per cent.

This is the fourth consecutive time that the RBI has kept key interest rates unchanged despite clamours from the industry to cut rates to boost economy. RBI Governor Raghu Ramrajan cited WPI inflation as the rationale for the status quo policy.

Assessment of the macroeconomic situation in India

Since the third bi-monthly monetary policy statement of August 2014, global activity has been recovering slowly from the setback in Q1 of 2014, on the back of strengthening consumer spending and gradually improving labour market conditions in advanced economies (AEs) like the United States.

Domestic activity appears to have come off somewhat after the stronger-than-expected upturn in Q1 of 2014-15. In Q2, the growth of industrial production slumped in July 2014, as capital goods production followed consumer durables into contraction.

Exports cushioned the fall in manufacturing output, with the Reserve Bank’s industrial outlook survey indicating expansion in export orders.

Non-food credit growth decelerated in September 2014, the lowest level since June 2001, despite liquidity conditions remaining comfortable and deposit growth remaining normal.