Technology

Washington, Nov 19: Ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit here next week, Indian and US space agencies have signed a letter of intent (LoI) for collaboration on India’s Oceansat-2 satellite for studying the seas.

The LoI signed between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) promotes opportunity for receiving Oceansat-2 data by the US agencies for research, education and activities of public good, the Indian embassy said.

Washington, November 19: US space agency NASA has signed an agreement with ISRO to use data from Indian satellite Oceansat-2, for various American agencies for research activities, including weather forecasting.

Launched on September 23, 2009 using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from Sriharikota, Oceansat-2; is designed to provide service continuity for operational users of the Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) instrument on Oceansat-1.

Washington, Nov 19: U.S. space agency NASA has signed an agreement with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to use data from Indian satellite Oceansat—2, for various American agencies for research activities, including weather forecasting.

Launched on September 23, 2009 using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from Sriharikota, Oceansat-2; is designed to provide service continuity for operational users of the Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) instrument on Oceansat-1.

Washington, November 19: US space agency NASA has signed an agreement with ISRO to use data from Indian satellite Oceansat-2, for various American agencies for research activities, including weather forecasting.

Launched on September 23, 2009 using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from Sriharikota, Oceansat-2; is designed to provide service continuity for operational users of the Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) instrument on Oceansat-1.

New Delhi, November 18:US-based multinational company Honeywell plans to set up a new technology centre in India with an investment of $34 million.

“The centre will also include labs for process and applications development for other speciality materials technology areas, including fluorine products and nylon materials,” the company said in a release.

The centre is expected to employ 100 people in five years, it added.

Honeywell will invest $34 million in an existing property to develop the centre at Gurgaon.

Kolkata, November 18: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the information technology department of the West Bengal government would construct an IT park here at the eastern part of the metropolis.

Industry minister Nirupam Sen, while laying foundation of the park here today, said the land area available for the project was two acres and the building would have a floor area of 8,890 square metres.

Estimated at Rs 40 crore, the project would come up within the premises of Science City in fifteen months.

Washington, Nov 18: In a discovery that could help addressing neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzeimer’s, American scientists have identified a gene that instructs embryonic stem cells in the brain when to stop producing nerve cells called neurons.

According to researchers from North Carolina State University, the research is a significant advance in understanding the development of the nervous system, which is essential to addressing conditions such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other neurological disorders.

Washington, November 18: Warning of a “cyber arms race,” a leading Web security firm said that China, France, Israel, Russia and the United States were among countries that have developed “cyber weapons.”

“McAfee began to warn of the global cyber arms race more than two years ago, but now we’re seeing increasing evidence that it’s become real,” said Dave DeWalt, president and chief executive of McAfee Inc.

Nagpur, Nov 18: A city-based psychiatrist has created a unique brain museum here for educating people about the functioning of this vital organ.

Dr. Avinash Joshi, a psychiatrist associated with the KEM hospital in Mumbai for nearly two decades, brainstormed for almost two-and-a half years to come up with the idea for “inculcating scientific temper about brain and mind” among people.

“Brain is the most complex structure in the universe. As a matter of fact the whole universe stays in the brain and not outside,” Dr Joshi told PTI.

Washington, Nov 17: The presence of pets can help adult patients, particularly those recovering from total joint-replacement surgery, minimise medication, according to a new study.

“Evidence suggests that animal-assisted therapy (AAT) can have a positive effect on a patient’s psycho-social, emotional and physical well being,” said Julia Havey, senior systems analyst, Loyola University Health System (LUHS).

“These data further support these benefits and build the case for expanding the use of pet therapy in recovery,” she added.

London, Nov 17: Children in today’s age start making decisions regarding their study and career early, says a study.

Researchers at UK’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) sought to understand how young children perceived the educational and occupational possibilities available to them and how they made choices.

Professors Croll and Attwood found that boys and girls from all backgrounds saw education as important in securing their future.

Kokonogi, November 17: A blood-orange blob the size of a small refrigerator emerged from the dark waters, its venomous tentacles trapped in a fishing net. Within minutes, hundreds more were being hauled up, a pulsating mass crowding out the catch of mackerel and sea bass.

The fishermen leaned into the nets, grunting and grumbling as they tossed the translucent jellyfish back into the bay, giants weighing up to 200 kilograms (450 pounds), marine invaders that are putting the men’s livelihoods at risk.

Florida, November 17: The shuttle Atlantis has blasted off carrying vital supplies and spare parts for the International Space Station to push its life past the 2010 retirement of the aging shuttle fleet.

Atlantis launched at 2:28 pm (1928 GMT) on Monday from the Kennedy Space Center near Florida’s Cape Canaveral carrying six astronauts and some 27,000 pounds (12,300 kilos) of gyroscopes, ammonia tanks and other equipment.

New Delhi, Nov 17: In the first high-level visit to India by an Iranian official in the second tenure of the UPA government, and also the first after re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, both sides had discussions on a range of bilateral and regional issues including energy security, trade, Iran’s nuclear ambitions and enhanced collaboration in science and technology.

According to officials, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reportedly reiterated commitment to take forward the three-nation gas pipeline also involving Pakistan.

London, Nov 17: Scientists have unveiled the world’s first universal programmable quantum computer, capable of processing two quantum bits or qubits which store more data than the simple “on” or “off” bits of conventional computing.

But, the test programme has revealed significant hurdles which the scientists claim must be overcome before it is ready for real work, the ‘New Scientist’ reported.

Berlin, Nov 16: Climbing stairs daily helps to lower the risk of suffering a stroke, according to the German Stroke Foundation. It noted that getting too little exercise and being overweight were among the risk factors for a stroke.

Regular exercise and a balanced diet could prevent half of the strokes in Germany, the foundation said, pointing out that cardiovascular events such as stroke were the third-most frequent cause of early retirement in the country.

Beijing, Nov 16: The world’s newest carbon citadel rises up between the blasted deserts of Inner Mongolia and the coal-black lands of Shaanxi province.

Ordos is a city that few outside China know. But the future of global warming looks increasingly more likely to be set in industrial powerhouses like this than in the negotiating halls of Copenhagen.

New Delhi, 16: Rubbishing the claim by a government-backed study that melting of glaciers was not due to climate change, leading environmentalist R K Pachauri on Sunday dubbed it as “totally unsubstantiated scientific opinion” and flayed Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh for endorsing it.
Pachauri, head of the Nobel prize winner Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said it was universally acknowledged that glaciers were melting because of climate change and the same applied to Indian glaciers.

Florida, November 16: The shuttle Atlantis stood ready for its scheduled Monday afternoon launch as a massive support structure separated from the gleaming white orbiter ahead of a fiery blastoff to the International Space Station.

As the sun set Sunday over the central Florida coast, NASA slowly rolled back the structure to fully expose the shuttle and its massive fuel tanks, illuminated by floodlights. A nearby banner read “Go Atlantis!”

New Delhi, November 15: Astronomy enthusiasts have a reason to cheer as an Indo-Italian astronomy fortnight is being organised here to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy and Italian “Year of Galileo”.

The International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) is a year-long celebration, taking place in 2009 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the first recorded astronomical observations with a telescope by Galileo Galilei.

He made startling discoveries which compelled the world to accept the Heliocentric view of our Solar System neighbourhood.

Washington, NOvember 14: A “significant amount” of frozen water has been found on the moon, the US space agency said heralding a giant leap forward in space exploration and boosting hopes of a permanent lunar base.

Preliminary data from a dramatic experiment on the moon “indicates the mission successfully uncovered water in a permanently shadowed lunar crater,” NASA said in a statement.

“The discovery opens a new chapter in our understanding of the moon,” it added, as ecstatic scientists celebrated the landmark discovery.

San Francisco, November 14: Online video site YouTube is to introduce high definition video capabilities next week in a move that marks another milestone in the transformation of the internet into a full-fledged video viewing platform.

The Google-owned company said Friday that users will be able to upload and view 1080p video rather than the 720p limit that has been available for just over a year.

While the move will make it easier to use high definition home videos, it will also improve YouTube’s ability to offer its viewers television shows and movies.

Washington, November 14: There is indeed water on the moon – as first indicated by India’s maiden lunar mission Chandrayaan – and plenty of it, US space scientists said Friday on the basis of impacts made by a new satellite.

“Indeed yes, we found water,” Anthony Colaprete, the principal investigator for US space agency NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, said in a news conference Friday.

Los Angeles, Nov 13: The Mars rover Spirit will soon try to drive itself out of a sand trap where it has been stuck for the past six months.

NASA is set to outline plans to try to free Spirit, a risky process that could take months. Details of the extraction attempt will be announced later. For the past several months, engineers have been busy testing different escape routes on Earth using prototype rovers.

Washington, November 13: Windows 7 comes with more handy utilities than any previous version of Windows. Disk imaging, automated backup, and sticky notes are just a few. But no Windows system has ever been complete without a passel of utilities that make life with your PC easier, and Windows 7 is no different.

The fact is, although Windows 7 offers a lot, it’s still lacking in some important areas: file zipping, encryption, and antivirus, to name a few. The good news: There are some outstanding free utilities on the market that have been tested with Windows 7. Here are a few.