LED Television Units Spell Elegance in Home Decor

Futuristic home televisions blend technology subtly with the decor theme

HOME THEATRES INTEGRATED into the * central automated system provide entertainment that's the ultimate in indulgence. People are getting more discerning - cinematic picture and sound quality, where every nuance and detail of the music or sound track is heard, is now a prerequisite.


Settling down with friends to watch a movie, the host can close the blinds, adjust the sound levels in the surround speakers or sub woofer, turn on the AC, dim the lights, check whose at the door-all this and more without even budging from his reclinera smart move for the smart era.

LED flat screens

This being the era of LED flat screens, it is de rigeur to have a dedicated home theatre, that exclusive place for family and friends to view movies at their own leisure and pace, but without compromising on cinematic audio- visual quality.


Bedrooms too are incomplete without a flat screen-oh for the joy of lolling back against a bank of comfortable pillows for end-of the-day bed time viewing.

Boxy, cumbersome TVs were eventually banished from the living room in favour of a more discreet ambience of serenity and quiet relaxation, where people were more motivated to have a conversation, or read, or just simply reflect.

Equally importantly, as home owners got more discerning about their decor, they wanted their carefully envisioned living rooms, replete with bespoke detailing to be the focal point and not the screen of a TV. Seating arrangement too, now had flexibly, instead of being grouped around the TV.

Remote access
Today's homes often have to work on two quite different levels. Besides meeting the requirements of family members who want relaxing private spaces, these homes also need areas that are more formal and designed for entertaining. Consequently, TVs have now made a comeback into living rooms only to do the disappearing act again.


Remotely controlled motorised lifts installed in state-of-the-art cabinetry, conceal or reveal TVs at the touch of a button, while maintaining the design integrity of the room. They are otherwise concealed in the wall, masquerading as a framed piece of art, only to morph into a flat screen when activated, while the canvas retreats into the top of the frame. Or the framed two-way mirror can magically reveal a TV screen behind it when switched on.


The atmosphere of the living room could be transformed at will into that of an impromptu tavern, ideal for a convivial gathering of friends, to catch that crucial cricket match together, over lazy late lunch, while the spirit of bonhomie fills the air with warmth -catering to the owners' love of entertainment and also their conflicting need for quiet and solitude.

Source: TOI

Mouse Creater, Douglas Engelbart Turns 85 Today

Douglas Engelbart apart from the First Computer Mouse invention, is credited with many other inventions

Mention the name ‘Engelbart’ in any circle — preferrably a tech group — and you will have people saying, “Isn’t that the guy who created the mouse?” This would indeed be right but Engelbart, who turns 85 on Saturday, was also responsible for a lot of other creations.


In fact, he and his team showed so many new technologies on Dec 9, 1968 in San Francisco that this is usually hailed as ‘The Mother of All Demos’. Some of the things demonstrated at this convention — apart from the ubiquitous mouse — include email and hypertext, something that all of us use. Things that not everybody uses, but are still popular, were videoconferencing and a collaborative real-time editor, which were also shown at the demo.

But this said, Engelbart remains firmly entrenched in our minds as inventor of the mouse, probably because this is a solid, physical object that we use to interact with computers on a daily basis.


As dougengelbart.org puts it, “Doug Engelbart is best known for inventing the mouse and other seminal computing tools; however, his greatest innovations have been in the visionary strategy he devised for bootstrapping the innovation process, creating a very fast sort of turbo-charged learning curve in his lab, out of which emerged unprecedented levels of breakthrough innovation.”

Much of his innovation was driven by the fact that he had at one time been a radar technician and, therefore, understood how information could be shown on a screen. He felt that one day, everybody would be sitting in front of such screens, communicating and collaborating with each other. Nobody could have described today’s world of the Web better.


Of course, in his time, not many could have understood the concept of what the Web could offer - in fact, even in the mid-90s, when the Web was operational, many people had difficulty in understanding what its true potential was. The greatness of Engelbart lies in the fact that he could envisage a future before anybody saw it,
and more importantly, contribute towards making it happen.

No doubt, people in his time would have ridiculed him for some of his ideas, which may have seemed like sci-fi then, but as he put it so succinctly, “The rate at which a person can mature is directly proportional to the amount of embarrassment he can tolerate.”

NICE TO KNOW

• The pointer device was called a mouse because the wire connecting it to a computer looks like the tail of a mouse
• The pointer that the mouse moves on the screen was originally called a bug
• Engelbart never received any royalties for his mouse invention

ISRO To Set Up a Simulator in Bangalore That Will Recreate Lunar Terrain

MOON COMES TO EARTH
This helps us understand the problems encountered by rovers on the moon’s surface

India is set to take a huge leap in space science and Bangalore is once again in the forefront. In six months, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), will set up a Simulator Lunar Terrain (SLT) in an as yet undisclosed location in the city. India will become the third country in the world to have an exclusive ‘extrasurface’ test drive.


“This will be a terrain testing facility. Our basic idea is to recreate the moon’s surface on earth which helps us in getting first-hand information on how a rover works.”

“The SLT will have features like lunar terrain and its gravitational force,” ISRO’s Chandrayaan project director M Annadurai told Bangalore Mirror. “This helps us understand the problems encountered by rovers on the moon’s surface. For example, if a rover encounters a problem on simulator, we can adjust its permiter and design so that we do not face the problems in real time. Once the simulator is ready, it will be a test drive similar to that cars currently undergo in its factories,” he added.
Annadurai, ISRO’s Chandrayaan project director

D Sreekumar, Group Director, Space Astronomy Group, ISRO said, “We are planning to create a small area which will look like the moon to test the lunar rover. With a simulator in place, it will be easy for us to understand the lunar rover’s path.”

D Sreekumar, Group Director, Space Astronomy Group, ISRO

ASTRONAUT CENTRE
According to ISRO officials, the SLT could be located at the state-of-the-art centre, costing Rs 1,000 crore, that is coming up close to the Bangalore International Airport. Besides housing offices of ISRO, this new facility will have a simulator for astronauts. The centre would be like a big swimming pool where astronauts can go below the water and learn to adjust to zero gravity situations. “Facilities like thermal cycling and radiation regulating chambers will also be established in this centre,’’ an ISRO official revealed.


This centre, to be ready in the next couple of years, will also train astronauts in new space technologies, acceleration aspects when the vehicle zooms into space, in dealing with rescue and recovery, study of radiation environments and to cope with long and potentially hazardous space journeys.

Mumbai Mono Rail Undergoes Test Run on India's 61st Republic Day

On Tuesday, the monorail planned for the city of Mumbai underwent trial run on its upcoming network. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) chose the 61st Republic day for the train run in the city.

The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ashok Chavan, flagged off the rail from Wadala station of the network. The test run was for 108-metre on the Republic Day.

The proposed route between Jacob Circle and Chembur is 19.4-kilometers long and is expected to be completed by 2011. The project is to cost around Rs 2, 460 crore. The project is being implemented by L&T and SCOMI Engineering Bhd.

Monorail network will help ease Mumbai's traffic movement and supplement its existing public transport along with under construction metro rail network. Mumbai is the most populous city in India with an estimated population of 14 million people.

The plan is to launch 14 Monorails with four coaches initially which will have a capacity of 500 passengers. Monorail completes its journey in few minutes. The monorail will have a frequency of 4.5 minutes with a fare of approximately Rs 8 to 20

The Chief Minister said, "It is engineering marvel, only of its kind in India for the use of common man. It is going to help the people of Mumbai to commute."

Sharawa Backwaters - The New Tourist Attraction in Karnataka

Camping in Sharavathi Backwaters
Sharava Backwaters is Sharavathi Backwaters


Overview of the destination

Sharavathi backwater is about 60 KM in length and about 15 KM wide !!!!. It became backwater when a dam was constructed in 1965 at Linganamakki of sagara taluk in Shivamogga(Shimoga) district to the river Sharavathi. As a result the water that blasted away, consumed large parts of the evergreen forest, and once the water settled a huge mass of blue spread over several kms. This backwater has created lots of islands, it is so great to explore all these, where thick vegetation still exists and there is lots of wild life in it including some rare birds.

The slow flowing water provides the perfect platform for swimming, boating, kayaking and other water sports. A small hill of moderate trekking difficulty gives the aerial view of the wonderful


Camp Site:- Sharavathi Backwater Near Sagara in Shimoga Dsitrict
Accomdation:- Dome tents on an ISLAND in the backwaters.
Food:- Food is going to be Simple Vegetarian food and it will be freshly cooked food at the camp site.

When to go there:
All year. Avoid the rains, it is best post-monsoon.

How to Get there:
Sharawa Backwaters is situated at a distance of about 300km from Bangalore, Sharavathi valley is a min 2 days trip. Take a bus to Sagara and then hire a taxi to GubbaGodu, 20km from Sagara.

Contact:
Mr. Sampath Kumar
prapancha@gmail.com
facebook.com/prapanchas

(or)

Call for Assitance: 08182-251444
STD Code: 08183

Things to carry:
Here is a list of accessories you must carry in-order to help yourselves during your stay in Sharavathi Valley.

- A proper BackPack.(A bag which can be put on our back and other kinds of bags wont do).
- A plate with a spoon for eating food. (Must)
- One cup for drinking water, tea etc. (Must)
- One light & thin bed sheet, Foam sleeping Mat will be arranged by them.
- A small hand torche. (Must)
- A 1 ltr. water bottle.
- Well worn in sports/canvas shoes/sandals.
- Toilet kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, comb)
- Sun cap and Sun lotion.

Places of Intrest:

Honnemaradu
A view of Honnemaradu (a place of golden sand) is a tourist place situated on the back waters of River Sharavathi. It is popular among watersports enthusiasts as a site for kayaking, windsurfing and other similar sports.

It is located in Shimoga district, Karnataka about 25 km away from Sagara, on the way to Jog falls. Visitors can stay overnight, with facilities for food, shelter and equipment rentals nearby.

Honnemardu is full of adventurer’s delight and offers a wide range of activities for everyone from the school children to the young at heart 60 year olds. Honnemardu is a small village perched on the hills that overlook the Linganamakki Reservoir. The reservoir is also known as Honnemardu after the village. In the middle of this huge water body there is a small island that attracts the campers. In addition to the various adventure activities, Honnemardu is also a birdwatchers paradise and one can spend endless hours watching and trying to identify the large variety of birds and butterflies.

Honnemaradu, a haven for water sports, is tucked away in the lush greenery of the Western Ghats along the Sharavati backwaters near Sagar. Encompassing an area of 50 km by 80 km, this reservoir stretches as far as the eye can see. One of the few places that cater exclusively to water sports, Honnemaradu or “Golden Lake” has some of the most spectacular views of the sunrise and sunset.

Deep in a forest, without the slightest trace of civilisation, Honnemaradu is a haven for die-hard outdoors fanatics as well as those who want a complete break from the City.

Some of the water sports activities here include coracling, canoeing, kayaking and wind rafting.

Kayaking in Honnemaradu:

If someone is fond of kayaking then he can plan for next vacation in the hill stations of Karnataka. Kayaking in Honnemaradu is a unique experience. Tourists come from India and abroad to experience the thrill of Kayaking in Honnemaradu.

The grace the Western Ghats of India adds to the charm of Kayaking in Honnemaradu. Honnemaradu is located in the Shimoga district, is about 25 kilometers from Sagara towards Jog Falls. It is also situated on the back waters of the Sharavathi River. It is home to many water sports including windsurfing, coracling, canoeing, kayaking and scuba diving.

Holebaagilu

Holebaagilu is situated on the banks of the Sharavathi River at about 30 km from Sagara. One has to take a diversion from B. H. Road towards Ikkeri Road to get there. The Sharavati backwaters of Linganamakki dam has submerged acres of land here. It is a place of natural beauty. It is situated in Kolur Grama Panchayat Limits. One has to take a "launch" (flatboat) to get across the backwaters to reach the other side where Sigandooru is located. The ride is really enjoyable. Madenur Dam which was submerged due to the construction of the Linganamakki Dam is at a short distance from here. It can be seen only during summer.

Sigandooru

Sigandooru is a holy place of Goddess Chaudeshwari. A large temple of Goddess Chaudeshwari is situated here. This Goddess is a highly believed deity in Sagara and the surrounding taluks as a protector against theft and robbery. Coupons for entry will be distributed on first come first serve basis.

Other Attractions Nearby:

Jog Falls: Jog Falls is created by the Sharavathi River. The river water plummets down from a great height of 829 ft, the highest in India. It’s located in Shimoga district.

Dabbe Falls: Located 30 km from Jog Falls, Dabbe is another enchanting waterfall in Shimoga. This waterfall is hidden in the mountains near Hosagadde.

How to Reach by train or bus

From Bangalore, you can catch the overnight Shimoga Express. Reaching Shimoga, you need to board an early morning train, which takes around 3 hours to reach Talguppa. Or, you can also catch a local bus to reach Talguppa. Reaching Talguppa, you can either trek or hire a jeep to reach Honnemardu. An awesome place to visit.

Some more pictures from Sharawati Backwaters