Feb 26, 2011
Feb 3, 2011
Camera to record what teenagers do behind the wheel
Driving has always been synonymous with teenage independence. But not anymore, as an insurance company is offering parents the chance to place a video camera in cars driven by their children.
The tiny two-way camera, which also records audio, is placed on the rear-view mirror at the centre of the windshield. It tapes both the driver and his view of the road ahead.
Should a driver violently swerve or even brake too hard, a video report of what happened before and after the event is sent by the insurance company to the teenager and his parents, the Daily Mail reports.
The desired effect is to force teenagers to drive sensibly and, therefore, prevent deaths on the road caused by careless and inexperienced drivers.
American Family Insurance (AFI) has teamed up with California-based technology company DriveCam to offer protective or just paranoid parents the opportunity to spy on their children's habits behind the wheel.
The service is offered at no extra cost, the insurance company said.
However, the teenagers' primary complaint is that their parents will be able to see what they get up to at precisely the moment when they have traditionally broken free and hit the open road.
But Phil Reed, senior consumer advice editor at US car website Edmunds.com, said: 'Once teenagers know that the only way their parents are going to see any of the video is when they do something erratic in the car, then they become more open to using this.'
The tiny two-way camera, which also records audio, is placed on the rear-view mirror at the centre of the windshield. It tapes both the driver and his view of the road ahead.
Should a driver violently swerve or even brake too hard, a video report of what happened before and after the event is sent by the insurance company to the teenager and his parents, the Daily Mail reports.
The desired effect is to force teenagers to drive sensibly and, therefore, prevent deaths on the road caused by careless and inexperienced drivers.
American Family Insurance (AFI) has teamed up with California-based technology company DriveCam to offer protective or just paranoid parents the opportunity to spy on their children's habits behind the wheel.
The service is offered at no extra cost, the insurance company said.
However, the teenagers' primary complaint is that their parents will be able to see what they get up to at precisely the moment when they have traditionally broken free and hit the open road.
But Phil Reed, senior consumer advice editor at US car website Edmunds.com, said: 'Once teenagers know that the only way their parents are going to see any of the video is when they do something erratic in the car, then they become more open to using this.'
Jan 26, 2011
Google's Larry Page to take over as CEO
Google CEO Eric Schmidt will step down from his role and will be replaced by co-founder Larry Page, 37, in April. Schmidt who joined Google in 2001 to become its chief executive, will stay on as executive chairman after he leaves his CEO role. This unexpected shake-up has surprised many in the tech world, as Schmidt was widely credited with maintaining Google's dominance in the internet search and advertising, software, operating system businesses, despite competition from the likes of Microsoft, Apple and Yahoo. Schmidt was brought in as CEO as investors believed the company needed a more mature leader.
According to the company, after retirement he will focus on deals, partnerships, customers and broader business relationships, government outreach and technology thought leadership. He will also continue to act as an advisor to co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
In my clear opinion, Larry is ready to lead and I'm excited about working with both him and Sergey for a long time to come,' Schmidt said.
Page praised Schmidt, too. 'There is no other CEO in the world that could have kept such headstrong founders so deeply involved and still run the business so brilliantly,' Page said.
'Eric is a tremendous leader and I have learned innumerable lessons from him.'
In a Twitter message today, Schmidt wrote: 'Day-to-day adult supervision no longer needed!,'
The surprise move shocked the tech industry. Schmidt, Page and Brin have long run Google as a trio, an approach they spelled out in an 'owner's manual' included in the company's 2004 IPO filing.
'We run Google as a triumvirate,' Page and Brin wrote. 'The three of us run the company collaboratively with Sergey and me as presidents. The structure is unconventional, but we have worked successfully in this way.'
Page, Google's founding CEO, served as chief executive from 1998 to 2001. He will once again take charge of the company's day-to-day operations, and he will also be in charge of Google's product development and technology strategy. Brin, Google's other co-founder, will continue to work on Google's new projects, but will no longer serve as a company president.
Also Thursday, Google reported a quarterly profit and sales that rose from year-ago results and beat Wall Street's forecasts.
The world's online search leader said its net income in the fourth quarter rose to $2.5 billion, up 29% from a year earlier.
Google noted that new products like mobile and display advertising continue to perform very well. YouTube's revenue more than doubled in 2010.
According to the company, after retirement he will focus on deals, partnerships, customers and broader business relationships, government outreach and technology thought leadership. He will also continue to act as an advisor to co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
In my clear opinion, Larry is ready to lead and I'm excited about working with both him and Sergey for a long time to come,' Schmidt said.
Page praised Schmidt, too. 'There is no other CEO in the world that could have kept such headstrong founders so deeply involved and still run the business so brilliantly,' Page said.
'Eric is a tremendous leader and I have learned innumerable lessons from him.'
In a Twitter message today, Schmidt wrote: 'Day-to-day adult supervision no longer needed!,'
The surprise move shocked the tech industry. Schmidt, Page and Brin have long run Google as a trio, an approach they spelled out in an 'owner's manual' included in the company's 2004 IPO filing.
'We run Google as a triumvirate,' Page and Brin wrote. 'The three of us run the company collaboratively with Sergey and me as presidents. The structure is unconventional, but we have worked successfully in this way.'
Page, Google's founding CEO, served as chief executive from 1998 to 2001. He will once again take charge of the company's day-to-day operations, and he will also be in charge of Google's product development and technology strategy. Brin, Google's other co-founder, will continue to work on Google's new projects, but will no longer serve as a company president.
Also Thursday, Google reported a quarterly profit and sales that rose from year-ago results and beat Wall Street's forecasts.
The world's online search leader said its net income in the fourth quarter rose to $2.5 billion, up 29% from a year earlier.
Google noted that new products like mobile and display advertising continue to perform very well. YouTube's revenue more than doubled in 2010.
Jan 24, 2011
Beware, smoking damages your genes within minutes
Scientists have issued a stark warning about smoking - it begins to damage your genes within mere minutes and not years after it reaches your lungs.
Their report is the first study to detail the way certain substances in tobacco cause DNA damage linked to cancer, reports the journal Research in Toxicology.
University of Minnesota's Stephen S. Hecht, professor in medicinal chemistry, who conducted the study, and his colleagues point out that smoking related lung cancer claims 3,000 lives daily worldwide.
Smoking is also linked to at least 18 other types of cancer. Evidence indicates that harmful substances in tobacco smoke - termed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs - are one of the culprits in causing lung cancer.
Until now, however, scientists had not detailed the specific way in which the PAHs in cigarette smoke cause DNA damage in humans, according to a Minnesota statement.
The scientists added a labelled PAH, phenanthrene, to cigarettes and tracked its fate in a group of volunteers who smoked.
They found that phenanthrene quickly formed a toxic substance in the blood known to trash DNA, causing mutations that can cause cancer.
Smokers developed maximum levels of the substance in a time frame that surprised even the researchers - just 15-30 minutes after the volunteers finished smoking.
Researchers said the effect is so fast that it's equivalent to injecting the substance directly into the bloodstream.
'This study is unique,' writes Hecht, an internationally recognized expert on cancer-causing substances found in cigarette smoke and smokeless tobacco.
'The results...should serve as a stark warning to those who are considering starting to smoke cigarettes,' he said.
Their report is the first study to detail the way certain substances in tobacco cause DNA damage linked to cancer, reports the journal Research in Toxicology.
University of Minnesota's Stephen S. Hecht, professor in medicinal chemistry, who conducted the study, and his colleagues point out that smoking related lung cancer claims 3,000 lives daily worldwide.
Smoking is also linked to at least 18 other types of cancer. Evidence indicates that harmful substances in tobacco smoke - termed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs - are one of the culprits in causing lung cancer.
Until now, however, scientists had not detailed the specific way in which the PAHs in cigarette smoke cause DNA damage in humans, according to a Minnesota statement.
The scientists added a labelled PAH, phenanthrene, to cigarettes and tracked its fate in a group of volunteers who smoked.
They found that phenanthrene quickly formed a toxic substance in the blood known to trash DNA, causing mutations that can cause cancer.
Smokers developed maximum levels of the substance in a time frame that surprised even the researchers - just 15-30 minutes after the volunteers finished smoking.
Researchers said the effect is so fast that it's equivalent to injecting the substance directly into the bloodstream.
'This study is unique,' writes Hecht, an internationally recognized expert on cancer-causing substances found in cigarette smoke and smokeless tobacco.
'The results...should serve as a stark warning to those who are considering starting to smoke cigarettes,' he said.
IGNOU to offer several culinary and catering courses
The Indira Gandhi National Open University is all set to launch a host of degree and diploma programmes in catering, culinary arts, and food production, a varsity official said Saturday.
The courses will be offered by the university's upcoming Institute of Culinary Arts and aspirants can enrol either in three years degree course in culinary arts, culinary management and catering technology or one year diploma courses in food production and patisserie as well as food processing.
'There is a wide spectrum of courses waiting to be launched once the institute starts its functioning soon. Additional courses will be added every year,' added the official.
The university also plans to come up with eight new certificate courses which would last for a week, targeted mainly for housewives. A Master in Culinary Administration (MCA) course would also be launched soon on the lines of Masters of Business Administration.
'A doctorate course in culinary management will also be available to interested candidates involving strategic courses to take Indian cuisine to greater commercial levels of excellence. An entrepreneurial course would offer self-employment opportunities to many students,' added the official.
The courses will be offered by the university's upcoming Institute of Culinary Arts and aspirants can enrol either in three years degree course in culinary arts, culinary management and catering technology or one year diploma courses in food production and patisserie as well as food processing.
'There is a wide spectrum of courses waiting to be launched once the institute starts its functioning soon. Additional courses will be added every year,' added the official.
The university also plans to come up with eight new certificate courses which would last for a week, targeted mainly for housewives. A Master in Culinary Administration (MCA) course would also be launched soon on the lines of Masters of Business Administration.
'A doctorate course in culinary management will also be available to interested candidates involving strategic courses to take Indian cuisine to greater commercial levels of excellence. An entrepreneurial course would offer self-employment opportunities to many students,' added the official.
Jan 23, 2011
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