MARCH 2009 G RS.

50

IT magazine for the contemporary woman

CAMPUS LIFE AT
SECOND LIFE
HOTS & LEARNING
TECHNOLOGIES
COURSES WITHOUT
PRICE TAGS
ONLINE DEGREES
ACCREDITED?
THE INTERNET
COOKBOOK
E-LEARNING
GAMES TO
TEACH KIDS

DIGITAL AGE
LEARNING
Vol. 1 Issue 6
feature
24
32
Learning in Digital Age
Courses without Price Tags
76
e-Learning -
Make it your
38 Play while You Learn Business
42 Role of e-Learning in Imparting HOTS
54 The Food Blog
57 Online Degrees - Are they Accredited?

102 Tech Career

72 What’s your e-Avatar?

tech tip
60 Fill in PDF Forms Online with PDFescape
61 Translate Text Online with Translators
contents 62
63
Store Just About Anything Online with Hordit
Watch Regional Moviews Online for Free
march 2009 64 Change the Default Browser Quickly Using Browser Tray Switch

28 Active, Interactive and

Reflective e-Learning

tech tip
65 Listen to Music Online
66 Watermark Photos and Images Using

67
Windows Live Writer
Create a Free Avatar
Double your
71
Fun with Dual
with DoppelMe Monitors
45
Style IT
68

69
Joongel - Internet Search
Portal for News and Media
Open Internet Explorer
in Full Screen Kiosk Mode
70 Maximise your Home
Theatre System
 18
Live IT or Leave IT
how to Founder
85 Make Money through Blogs Vishwa Nath (1917-2002)

Editor, Publisher & Printer

86 Data Security in Laptop Paresh Nath

88 Deleting Google Search Editorial Office

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Letter

From Editor’s Desk

e-Learning
For more than a decade now, we have been hearing that e-learning revolution is around the corner, or that the
next big advancement that could happen in the field of education, will in the form of e-learning.

When it first started out in the early 90s, the IT industry in America and Europe was abuzz with the opportunities
online learning could possibly bring along with it – how it would save cost, make learning more flexible and smash
down the barriers to learning across borders, time zones, languages, as also revolutionize the field of education
by bringing under its fold more people than was possible ever before. The corporate sector, more than anyone
else, was heavily counting on e-learning as a panacea for the training needs of their employees, something that
would save the heavy costs of classroom learning in terms of both time and money.

However, to the utter disappointment of most e-learning companies (and their clients), online learning has failed
to live up to the expectations the field generated when it initially took off. It dawned upon many companies that
when it comes to developing the skills of its employees, e-learning lagged far behind as an effective medium
when compared to traditional classroom coaching. Similarly, in case of distance learning programs offered by
various educational institutes, it has often been found that online learning is less effective as a means of
developing skills.

The reasons for the ineffectiveness are quite straightforward. e-Learning relies too heavily on self-study wherein the
student must be extremely disciplined and motivated to learn from the program. However, in actuality that’s not
the case. Also, more often than not, online learning lacks the benefit of customized teaching, something that
happens spontaneously in classroom coaching where the instructor moderates his program on the bases of
verbal and visual cues from the students.

This does not, however, mean the end of the road for e-learning. The clues to the development of e-learning lie in
the two problems stated above. The advent of Web 2.0 has given genesis to e-learning 2.0. As against an
‘instructional-only’ system, e-learning can now evolve into a system of ‘collaborative learning.’ Virtual classroom
built on the platforms supported by Web 2.0 can make learning over the Internet much more interactive and
customized than ever before.

A case in point is Second Life (read article on page 72) that allows for a more personal and interactive teaching
process. Second Life has made its presence felt as an important platform for education by many institutes using
the benefits of Web 2.0.

With all the new developments in Web 2.0, e-learning is bound to be a better, useful and effective medium to
teach and train people who are separated by distances in time. We explore the many facets of this evolving field
in this issue of Live IT.

There is one caveat attached however. Even with all the technological benefits of Web 2.0 (or any other
technology that might come up in future), the most effective medium of learning will always be one that relies on
direct interaction between a teacher and the student. E-learning’s success will lay in it being viewed as a support,
rather than as an alternative to traditional classroom teaching.

Anant Nath
Managing Editor
 News

G L E E A R T H 5 .0
NE W GOO
The new and updated Go
ogle Earth is pro bab ly the big ges t lib rar y of knowledge (and fun
) any free software has eve
400 bucks, but that is har
dly nec ess ary
r

eed the re is now a Go ogle Earth Pro that costs e ver sio n. Go ogle Earth 5’s
been able to offer. Yes, ind already get from the fre
tor you can
of information and fun fac rs. You can now go
considering the amount fro nti er, the 20t h cen tur y, and the Red Planet: Ma
e the other final
biggest new features includ marine animals.
tim e, loo k at shi pw rec ks, and even track tagged
bac k in

EU SIGNS PAC T
WITH SOCIAL
NE T WORKING SITES
The European Union has
signed a pact with 17 soc
including Facebook, Googl ial networking sites,
e, etc., in an effort to impro
the bullying of teenagers ve safeguards against
online. According to the
Martin Selamyr, this step Eu rop ean Spokesperson
has been taken to protec
abusive behaviour on the t young users from
sites or web. The compan
sign the pact would provid ies wh o have agreed to
e an easy to use ‘report abu
sites to notify of the inapp se’ button on their
ropriate conducts of tho
that those under 13 years se under 18 and ensure
of age are able to registe
r for profiles.

liveit.in 8 March ‘09

INTEL TO INVEST $7
BILLION IN U.S.
MANUFAC TURING
P L A N TS p giant Intel plans to
Santa Clara computer chi
next two years on state-
invest $7 billion over the
turing in the United
of-the-art chip manufac
amp existing Intel
States. The outlay will rev
na and New Mexico so
plants in Oregon, Arizo
meter chips. Using that
they can make 32-nano
nsistors would be so
technology, the chip's tra
llion of them would fit
small that more than 4 mi
of this sentence.
in the period at the end
ter chips are the smallest
Currently, 45-nanome
rket.
semiconductors on the ma

IBM UNVEILS NOKIA TO LAUNCH

CLOUD NEW FLIP PHONE
COMPUTING Nokia’s latest offering is
handset called the 3640
a stylish flip phone or cla
fold. This GSM handset
mshell
is equipped

STRATEGY
IBM is now planning to
expand its business by pay
more attention towards clo ing
ud computing. This techn
would store and run an app ology
lication for the users ove
Internet. It would, on the r the
other hand, also allow the
users
ors and it
of 2 inches with 256K col
with an internal display es 265k
nch display that also featur
also has an external 1.36-i er. The
analog clock as a screensav
colors. It features a large MB of
megapixel camera and 30
3640 fold comes with a 1.3 e est ated
im
croSD card support. Th
internal memory with mi
R 7910.
price of the phone is IN

to switch some of the wo

rk they are doing at the PC
IBM’s data centre. With to
this move, IBM has becom
first technology compan e the
y to offer a service that lets
customers buy the equiva
lent of overdraft protectio
data centres. n for

March ‘09 9 liveit.in

 News

S IT S F IF T H B IR T H D AY
CELEBRATE
The predominant social
networking site, Facebo
e gift
ok
sho
is cel ebr atin g its fift
p’s presents usually range
h birthday. On this occasi
on, Facebook is giving ou
from cuddly bears to a pin
t of
ok,
bee r and fro
t its
m
would be used as a
ry vir tua l gift . Th er of the Fac ebo
150 million users a myste ord ing to Mr . Ma rk Zu ckerberg, found
clover. These gifts acc
champagne to a four-leaf
connected on Facebook.
thanksgiving to the people

SONY ERICSSON BRING AMAZON’S NEW,

S FO
GAMING HANDSET F305 RTH NOVEL
Sony Ericsson, one of the SLIMMER KINDLE
TO BE LAUNCHED
major brand names in the
industry, introduced its inn worldwide mobile handse
ovative gaming handset t
‘F305’ in India. There’s
also
news that Sony Ericsson Amazom.com is ready to launch a slimmer
joined hands
with Zapak.com and Mi version of its Kindle electronic reading
crosoft
XBOX 360 to observe Feb device. The new version would cost the same
ruary 12 as
the ‘World Gaming Day.’ as its previous one and rather than lowering
The
gaming handset ‘F305’ is the price, Amazon touted several upgrades
priced at
Rs. 8,995 and is learnt to to the e-book
include the
motion sensor technology. reader and a
The
handset has three pre-lo novel from
aded motion
games along with 50 add Stephen King
itional
games and is equipped wit that will be
h a two-
megapixel camera. available
exclusively for
the device.
According to

T WARE TO
Amazon CEO

GOOGLE UNVEILS SOEFRGY WASTE

and founder

CUT HOUSEhoH OLD EN

Jeff Bezos,
“There was no
ld way to lower
Hoping to reduce house the price given the upgraded components in
ns
energy waste, Google pla the Kindle 2, which is a bit more than one-
re to
to unveil a free softwa third of an inch thick — about half the
real-
provide consumers with thickness of the first Kindle. Its 6-inch screen
y use .
time data on electricit can display 16 shades of gray, compared
The software has bee n
vide with the previous Kindle's four shades. It will
specially designed to pro sumption. According to
ati on ab out household energy con be able to read text aloud from two small
rea l-ti me inf orm chael Terrell, the home-
pro gra m ma na ger with Google.org, Mi speakers on the back, and it can store 1,500
an ene rgy would save 5 to 15 per
rgy -us e inf orm ati on changes behaviour and books, instead of 200.”
ene
cent of electricity.

liveit.in 10 March ‘09

CALL STD ON MOBILE
FOR 50 PAISE/MINUTE
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, BSNL plans to launch ‘India
Golden 50' scheme in Chennai. This will take Indian mobile telephony
into the sub-one rupee tariff structure. The scheme will let mobile
phone users
make STD or
long distance
call at 50 paise
per minute. The
scheme will be
launched for
pre-paid mobile
services this
month. The
charges for
India Golden
50' will be Rs.
375 plus
WIPRO
UNVEILS
applicable taxes
with free talk
value of Rs. 50. Besides, customers can make local and STD calls to

AFFORDABLE
selected BSNL numbers at a very low rate of 20 paise and 30 paise per
minute, respectively. Each SMS will be charged at 50 paise.

APPLE ANNOUNCES
LAPTOPS
Wipro Infotech unveiled the ‘e.go’, a premium range

PUBLIC BETA OF SAFARI 4 of laptops at an unbelievable price starting below Rs.

20,000 in Bengaluru. The range was launched in the
Apple announced the launch of the public beta version of Safari 4 web third week of February last month. Anand
browser for Macs and PCs last month. Apple has come out with this Sankaran, chief executive officer of Wipro Infotech,
innovative and said on the occasion, “The company is hopeful that
novel initiative to its new range of affordable laptops would make good
bring speed and business especially in times of global financial crisis.
open standards back We wanted to break the rupees 20,000 price barrier.
to the web browser. So, this laptop is launched at sub- (rupees) 20,000
The new Safari 4 and it basically is for the consumers. It’s for home
includes HTML use. So, we wanted to ensure that we get it at a price
support for offline point which is affordable to the consumers in times
technologies so that like this.”
it can work without The e.go range comes in three models – 7F3800,
an Internet EM471X series and BM2700 series. It also comes
connection. It is also with 12 inch and 14 inch screens. With battery
the first browser to backup capacity for three hours, the laptops are
support advanced fully loaded. I
CSS effects.
(News compiled by Rishali Yadav.)

March ‘09 11 liveit.in

 Did You Know
f you reply to the same piece of spam e-mail
I more than 100 times, it would on one hand
overwhelm the sender’s system and on the other
hand, it would also interfere with their ability to
send any more spam as well.
n Advance Fee Fraud Scam, you get an e-mail
I from someone overseas who supposedly has a lot
of money and needs your help to transfer it. If you
help him in this transaction by sending a small fee
or give him your bank account information, he
promises to send you all the money for routing and
you get to keep a small but good chunk of it.
However, once you send him the fee or give him
your bank account information, you will never get
to hear from him. You will also be ripped off your
money and your personal finance information.
now?
or the television to reach its 50 million users, it
took approximately 13 years but, on the
contrary, Internet took even less
k
than 4 years.
d
I
id U
f you are a seller, beware of Money Order
Scam. Here the buyer pays you through a
money order for the goods you have already sold.
The money order is usually more than the value
of goods sold. By the time the bank notifies you
that the money order is fake, the cheat is nowhere
to be found.
B y the end of year 2002, the total number of
spam which an Internet user receives rose from
an average of 3.7 to 6.2 spams per day. And in the
year 2007, it reached 830 messages per day.
mall, low-cost micro computers which
S individuals and small businessman could afford
were eventually developed by the microprocessor.
But, unexpectedly, by the 1990s the micro computer
or Personal Computer became a common
household appliance and became more widespread
with the advent of the Internet.
liveit.in 12 March ‘09
oogle per day receives about 200 million
G search queries. And more than half of it
comes from the United States. More than 2000
queries are answered every second even during the
heaviest traffic.
o you know that the founders of Google did
D not know HTML? They just wanted the quick
interface and that’s the main reason for so many
home pages to be so bare.
n phishing scam, hackers send you an e-mail
I posing as someone important (credit card agency,
a bank agent) and tell you that they need some
confidential information such as your bank
account number, user ID, pin
number or your
credit card details to
process a request. You follow the
link to a website that looks strikingly real
with the logo et al. and you give all your information
that goes directly to the phisher’s account. He can
now commit fraud, make purchases on your name,
and launder money with your stolen identity.
D o you know that the Internet’s complex
organism Yahoo! is as complex as its name?
Yahoo! is short for ‘Yet Another Hierarchical
Officious Oracle’. And this complicated name was
coined by PhD candidates at Stanford University:
David Filo and Jerry Yang.
he credit of inventing the Internet actually
T goes to Al Gore because he did most of any
elected official to promote the Internet. In 1969,
when the APRANET was formed, he was not
even the member of Congress. Not even then
when the Internet came into use. Gore was first
elected in 1976.
hen you see error 403 and 404 using the
W Internet, there is some meaning to it. The
error 403 means site access is forbidden or
password protected. On the other hand, the error
404 means site not found in HTTP. I
 Buzz Byte
Buzz Byte
earning in the digital age has undergone a tremendous change. It has turned more flexible,

L thereby allowing us to enroll in more courses than one besides giving us the privilege of
taking the courses from home or work via the Internet. In online courses, contents are
broken down into bite-sized chunks allowing us to learn at our own pace, and at times most
suited to us. So, is online learning for you? Take this simple quiz to find out.

Q something online,
I
When I am learning
material.
to follow the course
A. Find it difficult d.
h time to understan
B. Don’t take muc
more on it.
C. Try to research
Q ething better, I us
ually
To understand som
le of times
Q in a topic:
A. Learn it a coup
B. Think it throug
h
When I need help C. Try it out myself
asking for help
A. I feel comfortable
r
from the instructo
th ugh the
ro
B. Simply browse
information.
Internet to gather
C. I log into my so
cial network to
discuss the same wi
th my friends.
Q skills are:
My critical thinking rning.
I do well while lea
aly zin g m ate ria l is not something
A. Poor. An
rm opinions.
n so m eti mes analyze and fo ed.
B. Fa ir. I ca s on what I’ve learn
ca n an aly ze an d formulate opinion
C. Good. I

Q king an online cour

se because
I’m considering ta sses.
us about online cla
A. I’m just curio nt to
my friends and wa
B. I’ve heard from
e.
enjoy the experienc job
tio na l graduation for a
C. I need an addi lar sch ed ul e.
my regu
and I can’t fit it into

Q w subject, I would
prefer to
Q know about a ne
If I am to
learning: get it in
When it comes to and notes or verbal info
rmation.
s around technology A. Simple written hs and charts.
A. I get very nervou sq ue pres entation with grap
it. B. A ctu re
would rather not try pi
gies, but I urse plan.
ound new technolo C. An interactive co
B. I get nervous ar Check out the next page to
like to learn.
rtunities to learn ne
w things see how well you scored!
C. I welcome oppo olo gie s.
tive techn
and master innova
March ‘09 13 liveit.in
 Buzz Byte

Congratulations!
You finished the quiz! Now, calculate your score. A carries 1,
B carries 2, and C carries 3 points. Did you check mostly A, B, or C?

:
If your score is lf-
n d 3 0 : ilo r- m a d e fo r you! You are se
teractive
a
Betwee n 2 1 is just ta
a nyt im e a n y where learning u s to m a ke th e most of the in s
The y and adventuro m that you alway
ch no -sav v th e p ro g ra
driven, te , enroll for
e ed u ca tio n al offerings. So u t o f the virtual spa
ce.
onlin fulle st o
and get the
wanted to learn

Between 11 a
nd 20:
You are comfo
rtable with on
intervals to do line activities b
the right thing ut need a bit o
. You can unde f push at
need tutoring rstand the con
to get them co cept but
application. Yo ncretized for p
u could look fo ra ctical
an online prog r a blended co
ram is supplem urse where
classroom sup ented with a p
port. hysical

n is
Less than 10: g to o ls a n d o nline educatio
e with self-learn
in -held while
You are a novic o t ye t! Yo u n eed to be hand what
m p ly n o t yo u r cup of tea. N r-stu d e n t lea rning course is
si ach e
conventional te
learning and a
ad for.
you should he

liveit.in 14 March ‘09

 Care IT

Cyberchondria
It’s a cold, it’s pneumonia, it’s Cyberchondria!
Payal Shah Karwa

vetlana was working at her desk as usual, when suddenly to prevent stomach cancer. She could make someone suffering

S she felt heady. She almost drooped on her desk and her
colleagues were frantic. They tried to revive her in vain.
One of them got her some water with glucose, some
sprinkled water over her face. Someone even called for a doctor.
After a few minutes when she came about, she couldn’t feel
from common cold feel like he or she will die of pneumonia. In
fact, people did not know that she was a hypochondriac – a
person who self-diagnoses a simple symptom and imagines it to be
a major illness. And after joining this organization, her usage of
the Internet was invested in looking up information on health-
normal. She still felt quite giddy, and was unable to sit up. Worried related matters for minimum an hour to two per day. She suffered

“
about her health condition, she was laid in
an empty cabin where she was made to
rest. She was inundated with various
questions right from acidity symptoms to
pregnancy, but no one could figure out the
exact reason why she had fainted.
Meanwhile, one of her colleagues, Antara,
looked up the Internet to see if she could
suggest any medication while the doctor
arrived. She was a health freak, always
doctoring others from low-fat diets to how
from what is commonly known as
This is a state in Cyberchondria or Internet Printout Fever.
which a person looks This is a state in which a person looks up
the Internet for health-related matters and
up the Internet for health- based on the symptoms, assumes the illness
related matters and based
“ in a magnified condition.
To give an example, Antara downloaded
on the symptoms, assumes pages of information based on Svetlana’s
the illness in a symptoms of fainting and giddiness. “It
could be a tumour!” she deduced. “See,
magnified condition. this website has information on how brain

March ‘09 15 liveit.in

 Care IT

“
tumour attacks initially. If you have had Cyberchondrics are this assumed or imagined sickness, he or
breakfast or if you are not expecting, this
has to be something more serious,” she
told Svetlana, much to the shock of the
people present around at that time.
However, when Svetlana was taken to the
susceptible to “ she could suffer a downward spiral of
elongated depression tendency for a
extreme reactions and can minimum of six months. Not just that but
get into a state of
a study conducted by the NHS also reveals
that more than 15 lakh surfers are women
doctor, he inspected her, got some X-rays depression. who are looking for health information for
done and by evening the reports clearly their families.
said that she was a patient of cervical spondylitis. The continuous Apparently, Cyberchondria has been considered as a
sitting in the same position had caused this problem, and she was psychological disorder. These surfers have no qualms of
given a week’s dose of medication and some exercises. Within a revealing personal confidential facts as well to get the required
couple of weeks, she was fit and fine as earlier. information – that is the level of desperation and insecurity they
However, since Svetlana was not hyperchondriac, this possess. So, more than anyone else, it’s your doctor who’s the
assumption of a tumour did not affect her much, but patients of most worried of all. It’s the patient who is at most risk as he or
Hyperchondria converted to Cyberchondrics – like Antara – are she might delve into some wrong medication based on a wrong
susceptible to extreme reactions and can get into a state of diagnosis. Due to the availability of various OTC medicines,
depression. These people are over anxious about their health there is a huge risk of unwanted results lying in wait to occur.
and assume the worst of illnesses based on certain symptoms, The only way to deal with such a situation is to spread the
without consulting an expert doctor. It has been found that message to surfers, through the Internet itself that they should
about 3 to 4 % of Internet users look for health information in not reach a conclusion without seeing their doctor and that the
this plethora of cyberspace. Also, a study revealed by Microsoft information provided on that particular site is only for reference.
researchers says that individuals, when rely on the Internet for It should be made mandatory, like a clause in any financial
diagnosing a health problem about themselves, causes them to policy is made mandatory, that any content hosted in cyberspace
believe in the worst of results. It could be a temporary should include this point. This will help the reader, who is a
phenomenon or even an acute case of hypochondria. These potential Cyberchondriac, to use the information more
people start believing in the information made available through responsibly without damaging one’s own health condition and
these search engines as though they were doctors and experts. not providing others with wrong information either.
This state of easy availability of information seamlessly and Though in India, due to low usage of the Internet amongst
without any censorship can be quite a dangerous situation common people unlike in the USA, this phenomenon of
though. Especially for those who are already suffering from Cyberchondria has not manifested itself much. It is a potential
Hypochondria. Apparently, when the person gets anxious over problem, which should be dealt with right away. I
 Inbox

Letters to the Editor

FEBRUARY 2009 RS. 50
G

Hello! Dear Editor,

‘Live IT’ has been really You team is doing a great
IT magazine for the contemporary woman
helpful to me to acquire job, and I would like to
basic as well as professional congratulate you for taking all
THE YOUTH WEB
working knowledge of the the efforts to make sure good
CONCEPTION
TO PARENTING information gets printed on
ON NET
computer. The features
the pages. This is for the very
KNOW THE presented are well laid and
DIGITAL first time that I saw an IT
STORYTELLER quite impressive by way of
YMEX: JOIN,
magazine just for the women.
CONVERSE,
content and designing. Hope It is amazingly designed and
ENJOY
to get a similar input every very well written. The team
FEAST ON
WEB FEEDS time I buy the issue. effort is really praiseworthy.

EXPLORE THE G. Sreenivasarao,

INTERACTIVE Manpreet Kaur,
INTERFACE Hyderabad Patiala

Please mail your comments/opinion to us at editor.liveit@delhipress.in or write to us at:

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 Live IT or Leave IT

Sun Jar
A cool, alternative way to light up your own little space. The Sun
Jar is a highly efficient lighting concept, which lights up your
room with the help of a solar cell. Just place the jar under sunlight
for a few hours to charge its battery. When it gets dark or lights
are turned off, this energy powers the three natural-coloured LED
lamps inside the jar. The frosted glass of the jar then diffuses the
light, giving the appearance of trapped sunlight.

Bellysonic Speaker Pouch

The Bellysonic Speaker Pouch is perfect for expectant
mothers as it delivers relaxation and enjoyment to both mom
and womb. Utilizing the sound splitter provided in the
pouch, both parties can listen to the recorded music on a
MP3 player or CD player. The pouch is worn loosely around
the belly allowing for easy movement. Another nice touch is
the material that the pouch is made of. It is organic, which
holds the included digital speakers in place.

Colour Phasing
Shower Light
Taking bath in colour phasing shower light sounds
something amazing and unrealistic at the same
time. And that’s not all, it also tells whether the
water is cold or hot with different spotlight colours.
Its colour changes from green to red as the
temperature rises. It works without any battery
as it is incompatible for piped-in-showers.

liveit.in 18 March ‘09

 Banana Guard
This one’s been specially designed for the
safe transport and storage of bananas,
letting you enjoy perfect bananas anytime,
anywhere. It has multiple small
perforations to facilitate ventilation that in
turn would prevent the bananas from
ripping. The Banana Guard is also
dishwasher safe for easy cleaning.

Minoru 3D Webcam
Bring home the world’s first 3D webcam. The
Minoru 3D webcam is capable of creating a
mind-blowing stereoscopic effect – noses, ears,
fingers and anything else you care to thrust forth
are given genuine depth and incredible reach-
out-and-touch realism. You can even use it to
take 3D photos and shoot 3D videos, which you
can upload to You Tube later.

Glow Graffiti
These Glow Graffiti cans are filled with glow-in-the-dark
paint and there’s a bright LED light placed near the nozzle,
which discharges the paint. They come powered with UV
light. Now you can write, stencil and draw amazing
pictures to create your very own glowing light show.

March ‘09 19 liveit.in

Live IT or Leave IT

Sky Lanterns
Surprise your family and friends at parties,
birthdays, weddings, etc. with these sky lanterns.
They can be used at parties as an addition or
alternative to fire works or lights, especially at
night. The sky lanterns come fuelled with wax
paper wick and are fully bio-degradable. Lighting
this sky lantern would truly lend a magical effect
to your gatherings.

Flip Digital Video Camera

Trying to catch those beautiful moments without the fuss and bother of a
heavy-duty model? Then bring home the Flip Digital Video Cameras.
They’re a pair of simple digital video cameras that are taking the masses
by storm. Both the flagship Flip Ultra camera and its tiny brother, the Flip
Mino, are so simple to use that anyone can become a miniature director.

Elvis Duck
This cute little Elvis is not only a rubber duck but this adorable duck
can float right by your side in the pool. The best thing is that it also
throws out a sequence of relaxing ambient coloured lights, designed
especially to entertain you. It doesn’t revolve quickly and repeatedly
around one’s own axis but would definitely shake you up.

Bubble Wrap Keychain

The Bubble Wrap Keychain features eight rubbery ‘bubble’
buttons that activate a realistic popping sound when pressed. And
guess what? Every 100th pop is not a pop but a random sound: a
boing, a bark, a rude noise, a yell, whatever. The keychain
definitely makes one addictive and one obviously remains hooked
on to it for the next daft sound it produces.
 Light Cast
Here is a nifty device that brings your music to life with a
mesmerizing, out-of-the-world light show that dances across
walls and ceilings. This ingenious gizmo actually syncs with
the tunes it ‘hears’ and pulses and reacts to the beat. Simply
plug in your MP3 player, your PC, your electric guitar or
virtually any other music source and prepare to be visually
assaulted by a kaleidoscope of dancing light.

Rado Ceramica
Chronograph Range
Rado has now combined brilliance, fluidity and refinement in its
new Chronograph range of luxury ceramic watches. Available in
four versions, it’s the best money can buy. The Ceramica Chrono
XL Jubilee version has its dial studded with black diamonds to form
a wave of ebony light. The watches in this range are exceptionally
light, absorb the body’s heat and are not allergic to the skin.

Digital WiFi Detector

This is a pocket-sized device that sniffs out the presence of Wi-Fi
wherever you may roam. And that’s not all. It can also help
detect a signal and indicate its strength in a matter of seconds,
Besides, this ingenious box of tricks also displays essential
network info, including network ID (SSID), encryption status
(WEP and WPA) and channel.

Desktop Coffee Maker

Bring home this fabulously compact, fuss-free
Desktop Coffee Maker, which lets you make your
own delicious filter coffee from the comfort of your
own desk. All you need to do is plug the little gadget
in and make a cup of invigorating filter coffee
without leaving the comfort of your chair.

March ‘09 21 liveit.in

 Chatroom

ch a
t
t
th
re
og
o m
ir ls h ave to say on e
-l earn in g ! to R is h ali Yadav, Corr
esp ondent

Here’s wha

Ankita Sharma
Account Assistant, DMRC
E-learning, though good for
some, doesn’t appeal to me as
the best mode of education and
learning. If you ask me, I think
what a student can learn in the
classroom with the help of a
teacher, cannot be achieved
through e-learning. Discussion
and explanations make things
easy to understand and that is
missing in e-learning. It even
reduces social and cultural
interaction, because it would
keep a student occupied with
computers all the time.

Andleev Kaur
Student, Law Faculty
Damyanti In a country where a significant
number of the population is still
Assistant Manager, illiterate, e-learning has made
ICICI Bank great contribution towards
In the past few years, e- spreading awareness amongst the
learning has grown general people. Various medium
considerably and, in my of e-learning like Internet,
opinion, it is bound to be an television, radio, etc. have
important traditional revolutionized channels of mass
qualification measures in communication and have also
the future. It would be great assured easy access of information
help for those who do not by one and all. E-learning is
have time to attend surely a boon for the society.
classroom sessions,
especially in some

“ e-Learning is a
professional courses. With
the help of e-learning, one

great help for those

can study as and when
required as per
convenience. Out of the
tight job schedule, not only who do not have “
for me but for everybody I
think, e-learning is a
time to attend
blessing. classroom sessions
liveit.in 22 March ‘09
 “
et
e-Learning via Intern
can be explored an
ywhere “
in the world

Mansi Kohli
Student, ICFP
Pursuing studies via the Internet is a
good opportunity for those who are
busy in other fields of work. This way
they can continue with their studies
besides being engaged in other work.
E-learning via Internet can be
explored anywhere in the world. It is
also convenient for college and
universities to upload various courses
with forms so that students do not face
any problem.

Kanika Mittal
Student, IP College
E-learning is an expensive Alpana Jena
method of learning, because
MSC Student,
despite technology
London University
advancement, there are many
people who cannot afford the e-Learning is a good medium for
facility of e-learning. In study and its standards are
comparison, college fee in the constantly evolving. We just need
university is remarkably less to gear up to educate ourselves
and even then there are responsibly. I think the courses
people who cannot afford to are easily accessible and do not
study in colleges. As it is, one require you to physically move to
requires facilities like a any location for attendance. It
computer with decent would also enhance the
Internet connection; and not computer skill which is a must for
everyone can afford to spend everybody these days.
that much.

We invite you to share your experience on arriving at a fun solution for a serious problem with the help
of technology. Send us your entries, with your photograph, to editor.liveit@delhipress.in

March ‘09 23 liveit.in

 Feature
Learning in the
Digital Age
A
teacher walking into the classroom to deliver lecture to
a group of students – that is the vision of education
that most of us like to harbor in our minds. But the
truth remains that in the Web 2.0 era, education is not
simply confined to the boundaries of a brick-and-mortar
classroom. Computers and other Internet enabled devices have
managed to break through the walls of places of learning, giving
students greater opportunities to individualize their educational
needs and aspirations. They can, using these resources, access
distant resources, learn in myriad new ways, and also find
exposure to unique concepts and ideologies. It is safe to assume
that what was earlier simply ‘Learning’ has now come dressed
liveit.in 24 March ‘09
Anoop Verma
up in the new avatar called ‘Learning 2.0’. Times change …
technologies change … students change … and the system of
education changes too!
It is quite common nowadays for students to browse through
websites like YouTube, Flickr, MySpace, Facebook, Scribd,
Wikipedia, etc. for their research work. Pervasive wireless
networks are redefining the ways in which schools and
universities interact with their students. Ample storage space and
omnipresence of cloud computing are having a seminal effect in
their own way. A teacher may still appear in a classroom to
address a group of students, but instead of reading from a book,
he may use an LCD screen connected to the World Wide Web.
And when they are submitting their homework, the students
may end up creating files in the university’s server and share it
with not just their teacher, but also with their classmates. If the
teachers and students need to alert each other about any
development, the Twitter comes in very useful.
Learning 2.0
The Web 2.0 generation of students can hardly imagine life sans
information and communications technology. The Internet is
something akin to oxygen to them. They can’t comprehend of a
real world that is not linked to the cyberspace, where they prefer
to meet, play, date, and learn. It’s an integral part of their social
life. And that is precisely why Learning 2.0 is expanding at such
a furious pace. Students today tend to be more ready recipients
to online information than they are to the world of books and
papers. They would rather Google for information than turn the
pages of a physical volume of Britannica Encyclopedia.
Net-savvy students are capable of expediting their learning
process as they surf through the resources available online. In
fact, the speed with which students in many developed countries
have imbibed the net culture has made it difficult for topmost
universities of the world to catch up. Till a few years ago,
websites like YouTube, Flickr, MySpace, Facebook, Scribd and
Wikipedia did not even exist, but today they are a popular and
integral part of the popular youth culture. Many of the world’s
leading universities, including those in India, have finally realized
that in order to create a better bonding with their students, they
have to evolve out of the traditional set-up by coming up with
new web-based learning techniques that can augment, but not
replace, the brick and mortar infrastructure already in place.
The idea of conventional universities, as delivering
information to comparatively passive learners, has now become
outdated. The scope of Learning 2.0 is turning out to be
massive in scope, in the sense that the teachers and the
university infrastructure can no longer claim to have the sole
monopoly on information; students can collect information on
any subject through various avenues available online. Then
there is the facet of online collaboration. Thanks to
cloud computing and softwares like Windows
Live Office, it is possible for students to
post their essays online where their
teachers as well as other students can see
them. All this leads to collaboration on a
wider level. A student in the U.S. University
may find himself collaborating with a student in
China or in Bengaluru.
Online universities
Just type in the words ‘Online
Universities’ in the search box
and Google it. It is true that
majority of these search results
might not accurately reflect
someone’s educational needs, but
at least few of them will. The fact remains that the concept of
‘Distance Education’ has acquired a whole new meaning in the
Web 2.0 era. There was a time when distance education used to
entail, and it still does in many cases, packets of reading
material arriving by post on a regular basis. But that method is
extremely inefficient because text typed on paper does not allow
any room for feedback from students. So the flow of
information becomes a one-way street, where the teachers keep
sending papers to isolated students, who are expected to read it
quietly at their home without having the privilege of generating
discussion or feedback.
Online universities, on the other hand, have found a unique
way to deal with this problem. They manage to generate
feedback and discussion by creating new learning environments
that can use the unique capabilities of the Web. Many of the
popular online universities are equipped with in-house forums,
blogs and digital bulletin boards. In order to communicate with
teachers or other classmates, a student can simply login and post
his comments. One student’s comments many inspire many
other students to post their own ideas resulting in a situation
where the digital space takes the shape of a brick and mortar
classroom. Moreover, if the content is being supplied to the
students in a digital format, it is easier to update it with new
information that may have just arrived.
New age technologies like Second Life are helping also online
universities reach out to their students in their own way. Let’s
imagine a situation where a class of ancient Egyptian history is
going on. A brick and mortar university might sponsor its
students for a trip to Egypt so that they can get a direct feel of
the pyramids and other ancient Egyptian artefacts. But an online
university can offer similar experience by taking a student to a
virtual tour in a format similar to one in Second Life. In fact,
many educational researchers are of the view that in the days to
come such virtual tours are going to become part and parcel of
online education. Students and their teachers can log into a
virtual classroom and they can directly interact with each other,
hold discussions and set out on virtual learning
tours of all different kinds of exotic and
modern landscapes.
New developments
There is simply no dearth of ways by which
online learning can allow participants to
collapse time and space. An Internet-based
delivery method allows for flexibility of
access, from anywhere and usually anytime.
But the best thing is that the technologies
that go into online learning are still evolving.
That means, in near future we can expect
more efficient, and web–based, ways to
facilitate interaction between
students and teachers. Here is a
short list of few of the emerging
trends in online education:
March ‘09 25 liveit.in
 Feature
Growing up with search engines
For the present generation, the computer is the nucleus of their
workplace. Browsing online is the best form of searching option.
Multi-tasking is a way of life for them. State of the art emerging
technologies allow them to connect to more than one person at
the same time. The popular image of a teen engaged in five
chores at the same time – yapping on his cell phone, surfing the
net, playing a video game, listening to music on a MP3 player,
and exercising on his treadmill – might turn out to be based on
fact rather than on a parody. Even the popular cell phone is
losing out on its significance owing to the simple fact that people
just don’t need to call someone when they chat with up to eight
people at the same time using IM.
In the coming months and years, the transition between the
real and the digital avatars is bound to get more seamless.
Students will spend more time in virtual worlds and gaming
communities. Social networking sites, such as MySpace,
Facebook and Bebo, could evolve further so that they can deliver
educational material to the students. An innovative multi-player
virtual environment, built on the lines of Second Life, might be
used for organizing virtual tours and seminars open to all
students. Rather than relying on words and symbols, learners
will get to experience the real thing in a virtual world –
participating in a mission to Mars, travelling through the human
body. Twitter already does the job of constantly updating on
activities, feelings and observations to friends and followers. And
finally Google is already on its way to turning into a virtual
encyclopedia. Need a question answered – just ask Google!
Gizmos that foster learning
The rise in the number of smaller, faster, and wireless technology
enabled gadgets, coupled with constant improvement in wireless
networks, is allowing students to easily access information on their
course material. When students of the Web 2.0 era venture out of
their house, they prefer to take the tools of web access such as
mobile phones, media players and other wireless devices with
them. The ability of being connected to the rest of the world and
being able receive information customized to one’s life is now
taken for granted. The Internet-based services are maturing at an
amazing rate and they are effectively knitting together Web 2.0
with the mobile platform to create a new system that is geared to
liveit.in 26 March ‘09
provide opportunities for learning. Due to the sheer fact of being
ubiquitous, the hand-held net access devices also foster
collaboration and networking on a far wider scale.
Start gaming to get educated
One of the most promising aspects of online learning is that it
might offer new hope to those for whom learning from books, or
in conventional classroom settings, is difficult. While learning
history lessons, students might be taken on guided virtual tours
of historical landscapes. They might even have to play video
games, based on the political or cultural movements of any
given era about which they are being taught. Students might
even role-play characters from history to get a real feel of the
bygone era. Learners could also become virtual tourists visiting
museums a thousand miles away. In classes on astronomy, they
might play video games based on trips to Mars or to the furthest
reaches of the solar system. A whole range of games and
simulations can be developed to offer educational content in a
way that is easier for the students to grasp.
Next generation interfaces
In times to come, the interaction that students have with
computers and web- based content is bound to become more
intuitive and that is because of the evolution of a whole range
of more natural and human centred interfaces. In fact, the
developers at Microsoft are already envisaging a situation
where the bulk of computing would move from the desktops to
be embedded in objects, devices and locations around us. In
other words, our desktop and data will cease to be device
dependent and will follow us across multiple platforms and
locations. In the realm of education, the proliferation in the
number of interfaces can only lead to a better understanding
of complex content and enhance the opportunities for
collaboration online.
A newly launched gizmo called Microsoft Surface is a good
example of a new generation interface. The system of the
interface is based on optical tracking set up, which can track up
to 40 simultaneous touches at the same time. It is possible that in
times to come the desks in the universities might not be made
out of traditional wood; instead, they might consist of a system
like Microsoft Surface. While talking of desks, we can also take
note of the fact that even paper is
turning interactive these days. There
are digital pens available as well that
are capable of capturing everything
that you write.
Pitfalls to avoid
The myriad advances in web-based
digital technologies are mostly going
to have a salubrious effect on the
educational needs of society. But
there are some potential bottlenecks
that have to be addressed in order

to derive maximum advantage from online learning. Although
we may rightly assume students are technologically savvy, they
still might not have the sense to fully comprehend the scope of
the Internet.
Here are some of the issues that need focus:
1. In an online environment where plagiarism is so easy to
execute, whose responsibility is it to ensure that students
develop respect for intellectual property and the ethical use
of information?
2. It is true that a wealth of information is available on the
Internet, but not all of it is authenticated. So how can it be
ensured that students only get to access the genuine websites
and they keep away from those with
doubtful authenticity?
3. Due to proliferation of
information outlets, at times
students develop low attention span.
How can students be taught the
value of following the longer
argument or narrative?
4. Collaboration is becoming the
buzzword in universities these days.
But when students collaborate to
create a project, who gets credit for
it? More importantly, how does the
community judge the quality of its
collective output? After all, the
purpose of education is to prepare
students as responsible citizens,
but outside the university campus,
such collaboration may or may not
be possible.
5. There is also the issue of
online safety and privacy. When
you are storing your personal
profile and information online, you
give up something to get something.
That something you give up is your
privacy and your control over the
content that you have created.
There is also the issue of
ownership. Who owns the data? Is
it the creator or the owner of the
website? The students have to be
taught to verify such simple facts
before they start using any web-
based service.
6. When it comes to online
universities, there are still no clear
norms about how to rate them.
Often times, students end up paying
fees to websites promoted by fly-by-
night operators, whose only
intention is to make a quick buck,
rather than impart education. There is no doubt that the future
of education may ultimately rest with online universities, which
can use the latest web-based tools most efficiently, but a clear set
of norms is a must.
7. There is no doubt that the Internet is full of information on
a whole range of issues and subjects. But not all the information
is good or moral. There are sites that deal with pornography,
with violence and with fraud. It would definitely be a bad idea to
try to censor the Internet; it is best to let it remain the bastion of
free speech. But at the same time, the students have to be taught
the difference between content that is legal and one that is
illegal. So, what are the best ways of doing this? I

March ‘09 27 liveit.in

 Feature

Active, Interactive and

Reflective Learning!
Suneetha B.

liveit.in 28 March ‘09

 Most ideas about teaching are not new, but not everyone knows the
old ideas.
“P
– Euclid, c. 300 BC
edagogy empowered by digital
technology,” says a definition of e-learning.
Sounds terrible? Hey, wait! This is only a
pompous way of describing ‘learning
through the medium of the computer’. In other words, we can
say that e-learning is all about technology-enabled learning.
We have always associated learning with physical classrooms,
teachers, fixed hours of group or individual instructions and, of
course, the printed form of the word, or the ubiquitous texts and
notes. E-learning takes away all this paraphernalia and
concentrates on the learner and ‘how’ he/she learns. In fact,
even ‘what’ the learner learns lags a fraction of a second behind.
The ‘method of learning’ claims the same level of importance
with the ‘content learned’, in the context of e-learning. To put it
in simpler words, what is considered most important is getting
the learner to learn without getting bored and also retaining
his/her interest. You might even see a methodology in e-
learning classes where the student is asked to click on specific
options and also asked to react in a given situation rather than
telling him/her what/how to do.
You may wonder whether e-learning is an IT tool or an
educational one. Well, you are not the only one to be thinking
so. This is a debate that is yet to see the last argument. But it has
been agreed upon without doubt that e-learning is a way to
improve people-performance in a positive and concrete way.
E-learning is applicable in a wide array of contexts. While a
company uses e-learning to impart training and perk up
employee potentials (and cutting costs while on the job), a
university uses it to facilitate more students to attend
classrooms online without having to shift their geographical
positions to attend a course. In general, we come back to the
general definition we used initially, “learning that occurs at
the computer.”
e-Learning is not confined to converting pages of printed
material to lessons displayed on a browser or sitting at your
computer listening to pre-recorded lectures alone. The
possibilities of interactive sessions in e-learning have been
exploited to a large extent, but it is by no means exhausted.
Advantages of e-learning
Cost savings is perhaps the primary advantage available to users
opting for e-learning method. There is definitely more to gain
from e-learning than this lone reason.
Pace
A user learns at his pace in these virtual classrooms. There is no
slow learner here who lags in courses here, but a learner who is
reached out to and who learns what he prefers to learn at a
speed most comfortable to him. In fact, he can take as many
repetitions of the same class as he likes.
Short shots
A short burst of teaching is what does the trick in e-learning.
A ten or fifteen minute lesson on a particular topic makes
sure that the learner gets the most out of the
learning session. This ensures that the
learner is not inundated with ideas at any
point and hence finds it difficult to
assimilate a lesson.
Environment
The impact of environment is reduced
considerably when one is in a virtual
classroom. External disturbances can be
limited to a large extent. The impact on
environment is also reduced to a
considerable extent. One can get rid of
paper work, which certainly is a boon to the
planet if not to the student.
E-learning tools
The tools of e-learning can be as basic as
the Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
or as sophisticated as specially developed
software and games that facilitate intricate
patterns of learning. It can also be
multimedia content like DVDs, CD-ROMs,
Internet, satellite broadcasts, interactive
TV, etc. Other than the tools described
March ‘09 29 liveit.in
 Feature
here, the methods of e-learning can be active, interactive
and reflective as well. The learning factor here does not
merely adhere to education; it takes into purview
entertainment factor as well, making the effort an
endeavour in edutainment.
CD-ROMs and DVDs
A decade ago, the Encyclopedia Britannica was almost a synonym
for bulk. Remember those seemingly endless rows of hard
bound editions in the public library? No longer so! The
Britannica is a handy pack of CD-ROMs now. In fact, it is not
the only source offering edutainment. Any aspect of
knowledge is now available in the form of a CD-ROM as an
aid to e-learning.
World Wide Web
The term WWW is known by the pseudonym of the Internet
and it has almost become the last word in edutainment as well
as e-learning. There is no limit to the possibilities of the
Internet today. The very Britannica, which you purchased as a
CD-ROM last week would be updated again by now and
available on the web at the click of the mouse, once you have
made the payment.
But web encyclopedias are not the only things on the net for e-
learners. Here is a non-exhaustive list of tools of e-learning for
the basic learner.
Communications tools
E-mails, blogs, chat, online groups and discussion/bulletin
boards have made their presence felt in the e-learning arena.
Yahoo! and Google groups have become the mainstay of e-
learning groups these days. For example, creative writing courses
hosted on the web are almost always held together by online
groups. Here the groups use group boards to post lessons and
feedback. This remains accessible for the members at any point
facilitating learning at the required pace.
Tools for manipulating text and data
Writing with a pen is a skill of the past, and the convenience of
the ‘cut and paste’ option is something one cannot imagine
being without. Microsoft Word, Excel and Access initiated the
revolution in manipulating text and data and now the parallel
applications in open software have joined the bandwagon.
Arranging data in the order required, mathematical operations
at the touch of a finger and the click of a mouse have all
reduced the stress of the e-learner and helped him focus on the
primary issue of acquiring knowledge. The spell-checker and
grammar monitoring devices make sure that there are zero
errors in the documents.
Presentation and dissemination tools
The tools that made the change here include PowerPoint and
Adobe; and the final glossy presentation is all a matter of some
patience and knowing how to manipulate a few keys. The
liveit.in 30 March ‘09
emergence of the PDF file ensured that data won’t be tampered
with since it cannot be edited.
Data analysis tools
Tools like SPSS have become a literal blessing to the research
student. Laborious calculations and simulation exercises are a
thing of bygone days and hypotheses are formulated in seconds
with research data. The researcher can now work on the analysis
part of his work rather than routine mathematical applications
all the time worrying about their accuracy.
Information gathering tools
Search engines are the right hand associates of anyone who
spends time on the web, and for the e-learner. Gathering
information is now child’s play if one knows the rules of
searching. Google, Yahoo!, Lycos, Jeeves … there are any
numbers of search engines being used. Google Earth provides
images of geographic locations from geo-stationary satellites
monitoring the planet skies. Google Maps provide maps of not
just countries but specific locations too.
Information storage and management tools
Journals and databases are valuable tools here. Spreadsheets
often store and share data online, giving easy access to multiple
users. Folders to store information and databases from which
information can be easily retrieved are the tools that aid storage
as well as management.
Personal management tools
Most e-mails have reminders, address masters and task masters,
which can manage the e-learner’s social and academic calendar to
a good extent. Messenger applications like Skype, Gtalk, Yahoo
IM, etc. facilitate instant communication between users, which
reduces virtual distances between various learners and the faculty.
Tools for brainstorming, mind mapping,
visualization and project management
Adobe Photoshop is an example of a visualization tool that
can manage your images from digital photography to the
precision required. Microsoft Projects is an excellent software for
project management.
Tools for movie making endeavours
Windows Media Player, Movie Maker, YouTube, etc. all aid the
e-learner with the various aspects of film format. Media Frame
is an open source streaming media platform allowing web users
to view your audio/video content without having to rely on
external player applications.
Tools for videoconferencing/Webinars
Polycom video conferencing is one such facility used mainly in
distance education. In India, the Indira Gandhi National Open
University, which hosts a number of distance learning courses,
uses video conferencing facilities quite extensively.
 Seminars, today, no longer put a stop to regular work or
require a person to move geographically to another location.
Webinars, short for web seminars, have changed the concept of
distances in seminars.
Are these tools effective?
The emergence of technology has eased the burden of the
scholar in general and the e-learner in particular. But, not
all the tools are fool-proof and there is plenty of room
for improvement.
For example, the very popular MS Word is often used by
the layman without full knowledge of its entire set of
applications; they use just the relevant feature that is of most
use to them at the point, resulting in just a fraction of the
developed software being made use of. The trade-off is
between the time required to master the software and its use
to the learner.
Again, a finished appearance of a document does not
really signify that the content is perfect. Often the content
may have a lot of imperfections like typos, which are
acceptable to the dictionary of the document but which
makes no sense in general.
The easy reach of mathematical operations has also led to the
wide speculation that general mathematical skills are on the
decline among young students who have never had a chance to
use the concept of brain-math.
A tool like Movie Maker is compatible only with Windows
XP, so sharing is highly limited. As a result, research
communities now swear by the e-prints. But does that mean the
end of traditional journals?
Future of e-learning tools
E-learning is constantly evolving. We are now established on the
threshold of M-learning, or mobile learning, which combines the
advantages of e-learning onto any portable communication device
like the mobile. There are no restrictions of time and space, and
the user gets access at his fingertips to just about anything. In fact,
information literacy is donning a new avatar here. The explosion
of information is going places. It is now left to us how we harness
the energy in the information highway to suit our purposes. I
March ‘09 31 liveit.in
 Feature

Online Courses
without the
Price Tag Resmi Jaimon

Price
$0.00
T
o acquire knowledge is the prerogative of one and all.
The Internet has tremendous source of information, yet,
browsing through the scores of pages involves a lot of
time since the pages are presented in a random fashion,
thereby throwing up info in a scattered manner. It is more
strenuous if you have a busy schedule and cannot afford time to
browse through the different sites. Online courses are in plenty,
but then it could be that you are not willing to shell out those
extra bucks for learning. So, here’s a list of places from where
you can take free online courses. Some of them have discussion
boards or classrooms and yet others offer courses via e-mail, or
in the form of e-book.

liveit.in 32 March ‘09

HP Learning Center
(http://h30187.www3.hp.com)
A reliable and informative course provider, HP Learning Center
has dozens of courses on offer. Registration is free and so is
enrollment. Most of the courses offered have chapters put
together as a pdf file, quiz and assignments as well as a
discussion board.
For example, the course ‘virus protection best practices,’ a 42-
page pdf file, is available for download. It has four lessons, which
include an introduction to malware, implementing layered
security strategies, exploring security tools and techniques as well
as understanding proactive and reactive protection strategies.
Besides, at the end of each lesson, a quiz is provided to evaluate
your understanding of the topic. Plus, there’s an assignment you
have to cover.
An interesting topic for schools and family is ‘Internet safety for
students and schools.’ The course is designed to help students,
parents as well as school. Also, there’s a message board for each MIT OpenCourseWare (http://ocw.mit.edu/Ocw
course, where you can discuss the topics or clarify your doubts. Web/web/home/home/index.htm)
MIT Opencourse ware offers course materials for both
undergraduate and graduate subjects taught at MIT. The course
material is available for download in zip format. Clubbed under
various categories including aeronautics and astronautics,
architecture, biology, chemical engineering, economics, foreign
languages and literatures, history, music and theater arts, nuclear
science and engineering, political science, urban studies and
planning, writing and humanistic studies, physics, etc., this site is
worth paying a visit.

Emasters
(http://www.emasters.info/ecourses.html)
Courses such as Jinger Jarrett’s ‘How to really start your business
in 30 days,’ ‘7 steps to killer ad copy’ and ‘Hackers, fraud and
trust online: the netpreneur’s quick & easy guide to cyber-crime

Additionally, HP Learning Center offers video sessions of 10-

20 minute duration. There are also two minutes’ videos such as
on how to create a pivot table in Microsoft Excel 2007, using the
disc clean-up feature in Microsoft® Windows Vista and similar
simple yet must-know topics.

Free-ed.net (http://www.free-ed.net)
Here, you can browse by the name of the course or see the list of
available courses by topic and subject. There are plenty of
courses like Visual Studio.NET (Fundamentals), Pre-algebra,
Child psychology, Principles of modern marketing, etc.

About U (http://u.about.com)
About U lists a range of courses categorized under arts &
literature, business, computing & technology, electronic &
gadgets, hobbies, jobs & careers, etc. These courses can be
received via e-mail daily or weekly, depending on the course.
Find courses such as a ‘9-Day Make a greeting card’ class for the
beginner or non-designer, ‘Starting your career in advertising,’
‘how to promote a show,’ ‘learn yoga to ease your back pain,’
‘bead stringing for beginners,’ etc.
prevention’ are some interesting courses. For more free courses,
visit their website.
These are resources you can take a look at to get started. There
are many more such interesting free online courses or ‘ecourses,’
which you can do at your leisure, for the sake of gaining more
information and knowledge, and saying goodbye to examinations. I

March ‘09 33 liveit.in

 Snapshots

1 2

Jaipur, a distinct city with rich

cultural, historical, and architectural
heritage is fast developing and even
set to surpass larger cities in India by
embracing latest technologies.
Rishali Yadav
Wi-Fi in Palace on Wheels
1 Everybody fancies royalty and luxury. Jaipur stands as
the symbol for a unique combination of these with technology.
A city making way for itself down the tech path has now
integrated tech suaveness with its most acclaimed royalty – the 5
Palace on Wheels. Each and every cabin of the Palace on
Wheels is being designed to be equipped with modern
amenities like Wi-Fi, LCD television and DVDs with six
satellite channels inside it. The facility will be provided to help
New technology to recycle waste
passengers in the train to stay in touch with the world outside
through wireless connectivity.
3 Jaipur Municipal Corporation along with RUIDP and
JDA is all set to become the first municipality in the country to
BSNL IPTV launched in Jaipur
2 Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, world’s seventh
use ultra filtration and reverse osmosis technologies for
removing contaminants present in water. This would be useful
largest telecom providing company, along with Aksh, one of for using all the sewage water for industrial and agricultural
India’s leading optical fiber cable maker, have for the first time purposes like boilers and other industrial processes after
in the state of Rajasthan launched an Internet Protocol recycling. The process of reuse and recycle mechanism would
television. The service has been provided under the brand go under various STPs. The municipality is working on five
name ‘iControl.’ iControl, through Internet broadband sewage treatment, environment-friendly plants and would get
connection, would make it possible to watch more than 120 remittance of over Rs. 35 lakhs per annum. A great step
channels as per the viewer’s choice. The company has further towards social welfare through technology!
planned to extend the service to more cities in North India,
namely, Punjab, Haryana, UP, etc.

liveit.in 34 March ‘09

 3 4
6 lighter and of better quality. Therefore, this would
4 Intel unveils Jaipur technology initiative
INTL and BSNL have come together with a
technological initiative to bridge the IT gap in rural areas
of Jaipur. This joint initiative of public and private
partnership has been done to provide support to both
teachers and students for training in IT. Providing help in
the field of technology is indeed a good step towards
advancement of Jaipur city. It would also work for the
advancement of broadband to enhance the connectivity.
Thus, it will help bridge the digital divide by increasing IT
adoption in rural areas.
Limb technology
5 Any kind of work done towards social cause
is considered a marvelous achievement, and Jaipur is
not far behind in this respect. The city’s remarkable
organization named Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang
Sahayata Samiti, which is famed for making artificial
foot and limb for people, is now in association with
the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization), a
premier scientific body of India, to produce the
limbs and foot with Polyurethane. It is used by
scientists to make rockets and satellites. This
technology would make artificial foot and limb
be a major breakthrough in limb making technology
all over the world.
6 E-Mitra
Jaipur is a name where every step taken is only
for the benefit and development of the society as a
whole. And E-Mitra is an example of the same. Just to
deploy IT for the benefit of society, the government of
Rajasthan has come up with citizen-friendly projects
called LokMitra and JanMitra. LokMitra helps in the
payment of all kinds of bills like electricity, water, and
landline bills; it can even take care of fee payments.
Likewise, JanMitra is mainly for any kind of online work
like online submission of any applications, gathering
information on mandi rates and agriculture, or for public
grievances redressal, etc. This technology has surely
made life hi-tech and easy for the people of Jaipur. I
March ‘09 35 liveit.in
 Learn
Feature

w h i l e
You
P l ay
David Welch

T
he students of Mrs. Johnson’s fourth grade
math class fidget in their seats as they count the
remaining seconds before the bell rings. So far, no
homework has been assigned and they hope the
teacher will forget. But they’re too late – Mrs. Johnson swiftly
dictates a homework assignment to supplement today’s lesson on
long division. Surprisingly, this homework doesn’t involve
cracking open a textbook. The students are told they must go
online and play a game.
The ways in which children learn are changing. While you
may fondly remember the essential learning tools in primary
school as pencils and papers, and blackboards and chalk, today
children are reaping the benefits of technology and learning
their ‘three Rs’ (reading, ’riting (writing), and ’rithmetic
(arithmetic)) through a computer and keyboard. They play
electronic learning games, or ‘e-learning games,’ to reinforce or
supplement the material they are taught in school.
E-learning games for children usually take a simple learning
concept, such as memorizing multiplication tables, practicing
spelling, or learning historical facts. They add graphics, music,
sound, and immediate feedback by rewarding correct answers
and penalizing incorrect answers. These games give context to
learning by adding story and setting to give the players clear
objectives and goals to achieve.
For example, to brush up on their spelling a student may
play a computer game called Bookworm Adventures. The
principle idea behind the game is similar to the classic word-
forming game of Scrabble, but the electronic version of it
allows for the potential of many more bells and whistles.
Players take on the role of Lex the worm as he battles
creatures and advances on his quest. But unlike a traditional

liveit.in 38 March ‘09

game where the player might battle by using arms or magic,
Lex defeats his foes by forming words from a grid of available
letters. The longer the word formed, the more powerful
Lex’s attack. So, players who push their spelling
vocabulary to the limit are rewarded in the game.
The learning experience in Bookworm Adventure is
heightened by colourful graphics, music, and
engaging gameplay.
Another e-learning game, Speare has the player
blasting through space and zapping enemy spaceships
while – at the same time – learning about Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet. Players help recover the stolen texts of the
bard’s play by memorizing lines, learning facts about
Shakespeare’s life, and devising synonyms and homonyms for
parts of the text.
Not all e-learning games are that advanced. Many can be as
simple as a variation of ‘hangman’ and still be fun for the player.
E-learning games are becoming an accepted part of the
curriculum, and there are many benefits from using games as
learning tools.
 Feature
Math Man, an obvious homage to Pac-Man, has the chomping down
pellets and numbers. The twist is that when you eat a power pellet,
you can only eat the ghosts whose numbers solve the equation.
There are no cumbersome materials to find and set up. All
you need is a keyboard, computer, and a decent Internet
connection. It’s easy to find great e-learning games with a search
engine, and most are usually free.
The immediate feedback afforded by a program keeps the
student engaged in the activity. They do not have to check if
their answers are correct or not because the game will tell them.
Games provide clear goals and coherent objectives which keep
students from being distracted.
Computer games simultaneously teach children about using a
graphical user interface. We often marvel at how young children
learn to use a computer, but it’s absolutely essential for kids
today to be prepared to use technology in the digital age. E-
Kids practice their keyboarding in The Typing of the Ghosts. The
player must eliminate the ghosts by typing the words on them before
they take away a life.
liveit.in 40 March ‘09
learning games teach kids how to use and navigate a menu and
interact with a computer.
Most of all, these games are a fun way for kids to learn. A
game provides a challenge that begs to be mastered by the
player. Games add a fun context to learning by giving the player
creative objectives in the game-world, such as eliminating ghosts
or saving the princess. By immersing the player in a game and
getting them to care about the experience, games can succeed in
making learning fun.
While many teachers have embraced games as effective
learning tools, some are still skeptical of this non-traditional form
of education and feel games may trivialize learning. Tabula
Digita, the makers of the DimensionM games, has conducted
research to demonstrate the effectiveness of their games.
DimensionM teaches students about algebra by having them
embark on exciting missions in a video game world where they
can compete against other students. The research compared
students in a Washington, DC high school. The group that
worked with Tabula Digita’s Dimenxion Algebra curriculum
showed a 10% improvement over those students that did not.
Edutainment and e-learning games is still a relatively new idea
and many are still researching and exploring the application of
such games as learning tools. There are plentiful books and
studies on the subject. The Serious Games Initiative is a
movement focused on using games to explore management and
leadership challenges facing the public sector. The Serious Games
Initiative intends to find productive links between the electronic
gaming and education, training, health, and public policy.
The union between educational learning and gaming is a
natural one and it’s easy to see how the two are linked. When
you play any game, whether it is educational or not, you learn
the rules, objectives, and various strategies. Players must acquire
and adapt a wealth of information in order to succeed in the
game. And in games, the player is then rewarded for their
acquisition of knowledge and skill development. But with most
commercial games, even though players are learning, it isn’t
always useful information that can be applied to their
schoolwork or real-life activities.
The difference here e-learning games apply is to learn
something that can help students with their education. The
result is that games are a great way for kids to learn. And
when learning becomes fun for kids, then they emerge as the
real winners. I
Links to learning games:
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com
http://www.funbrain.com
http://www.primarygames.com
http://www.pbskids.org
http://www.dimenxion.com
 Feature

Role of e-Learning
in Imparting HOTS
Sripriya R.

liveit.in 42 March ‘09

W
hen Benjamin Bloom proposed the
taxonomy of educational objectives
in 1956, a gradual change was
observed in the education standards.
The advocates of reforms in the education system
wanted higher order thinking skills (more popular as
HOTS) to become an essential part of teaching,
learning and testing learning outcomes. Though it has
always invited criticism from the conventionalists who
want to emphasise on the basic skills, HOTS have,
nonetheless, become popular with the reformists.
Benjamin Bloom categorized educational objectives
into three domains: Affective, Psychomotor and
Cognitive. While the other two domains deal with
behaviour, attitude and physical skills, the cognitive
domain focuses on knowledge, understanding and
thinking. It was the levels proposed in the cognitive
domain that brought about the major change in educational
reforms. This domain lays emphasis on thinking as a skill.
Higher order thinking essentially includes the following:
G Critical thinking
G Analytical thinking
G Decision making
G Inference making
G Problem solving
These skills are not about learning by rote. Rather, they go
beyond learning facts and concepts. They focus on tackling
situations that go beyond the text book.
Arizona State University, on its website, describes higher order
thinking as “a complex level of thinking that entails analyzing
and classifying or organizing perceived qualities or relationships,
meaningfully combining concepts and principles verbally or in
the production of art works or performances, and then
synthesizing ideas into supportable, encompassing thoughts or
generalizations that hold true for many situations.”
So, how can HOTS be taught or learnt? Or, can they be ever
taught at all? Instructional designers and e-learning enthusiasts
are of the view that e-learning can promote HOTS effectively.
The basis of this connection is Bloom’s taxonomy of educational
objectives in the cognitive domain. Bloom classified cognitive
objectives into six levels of hierarchy: Knowledge,
Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis and Evaluation.
The Knowledge level of Bloom’s taxonomy deals with
recalling and remembering facts and concepts. Example of a
knowledge-level learning objective: Name the first five prime
ministers of India.
The Comprehension level deals with understanding a piece of
knowledge. A comprehension-level learning objectives asks the
learner to identify, describe and compare elements. Example:
Describe the process of photosynthesis.
The Application level asks the learner to apply his/her
knowledge and understanding to perform a given task. Example:
Given the radius of a circle, find the area and the circumference
of the circle.
The Analysis level of Bloom’s taxonomy requires the learner
to analyze a concept, differentiate between two elements, or
make an inference. Example: Differentiate between the food
habits of Bengal and Kerala.
The Synthesis level asks the learner to make a plan or
design a product. This level deals with constructing
something using one’s existing knowledge. Example: Create a
flowchart for categorizing a number into the following
categories: Prime Number, Composite Number, Negative
Integer and Positive Integer.
The Evaluation level of Bloom’s taxonomy triggers the highest
order of thinking in an individual. It asks the learner to assess
and evaluate a concept, situation, opinion, etc. Example: Assess
the situation of moral policing in India.
Typically, HOTS fall into the Analysis, Synthesis, and
Evaluation levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. It is obvious that higher
order thinking skills cannot be taught using conventional
teaching methods alone. Can HOTS training be imparted on
an e-learning platform? What is e-learning and how can it
promote HOTS?
Simply put, e-learning is training delivered via electronic
media. Web and computer-based trainings impart e-learning.
Teaching HOTS sounds absurd, irrespective of the platform it is
being taught on. This is where e-learning makes a difference.
Unlike conventional teaching, e-learning focuses on learning.
Instructional design, which forms the basis of e-learning, focuses
on making the training learner-oriented and goal-oriented, not
just content-oriented. Since the focus in instructional design is
on the expected outcome and the way the learner learns, the
resultant training created on an e-learning platform is more
effective than conventional training. e-Learning is better
structured because of the underlying instructional design, which
is usually absent in conventional training mediums.
The most important thing to understand when promoting
HOTS is that they cannot be ‘taught’; they can only be
facilitated and triggered. The first step towards facilitating
HOTS is to understand the learning behaviour of adults. While
March ‘09 43 liveit.in
 Feature

Online group discussions, live chats, live

multi-participant simulations, and multi-player
games are some of the ways e-learning
promotes higher order thinking. Apart from
being convenient, e-learning offers several other
benefits to the learner.
G e-Learning is not intimidating. The learner is

no longer overshadowed by brighter students or

intimidated by a strict trainer.
G It helps learners shun their inhibitions. Even

the most shy and introvert learners find it easy

to express themselves and voice their opinions in
discussions, forums and chats.
G The instructional design strategies present the

content in a smarter way, making the training

friendly for the learners.
G e-Learning is not bound by time. The learner

can learn at his/her own time and pace.

some adults are visual and some auditory, others are G The learner has the flexibility to skip concepts that he is

kinaesthetic. Visual learners learn better by seeing things; they
respond well when presented with visual educational media like
charts, presentations and diagrams. Auditory learners learn by
listening; they respond well to lectures, audio presentations and
discussions. Kinaesthetic learners, on the other hand, learn by
doing things; they do well in a lab or when they use simulations.
One cannot impart learning effectively without understanding
the learner. A thorough audience-analysis paves way to
successful e-learning.
Scenarios, simulations and games are integral to promoting
higher order thinking. They offer the learner opportunities to
explore and judge that are otherwise missing in a conventional
learning environment. Learners also get to interact with other
learners, triggering discussions and debates. These help elicit
responses and opinions from all learners, making them think
better and harder. With 3-D virtual environments like
SecondLife, learners can do more thinking than they need to do
in their real environments.
already aware of. e-Learning trainings are learner-driven.
e-Learning has enhanced drastically over time. Now, the focus
is no longer on giving Computer-Based Instruction (CBI) or
Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) but on Computer-
Enhanced Instruction (CEI). It is the CEI that promotes higher
order thinking.
e-Learning, however, will not work just because it is
electronically delivered. It may completely fail to benefit learners
if it is not created properly. Learning theories and instructional
strategies are the foundational stones that make e-learning
beneficial. e-Learning is, in fact, a structured adaptation of what
learning theories and strategies preach. Higher order thinking
cannot be initiated without understanding the learner and the
learning theories.
The best way to reap the benefits of e-learning is to introduce
learners to a blended learning environment. Learners can be
initiated to ‘think through’ only if they learn in an open
environment that embraces all learning styles and platforms. I

Saras Salil Editor Elected New ILNA President

Paresh Nath of Saras Salil, a publication of Delhi Press, was elected President of the Indian Languages
Newspapers Association (ILNA) at its 67th Annual General Meeting held in New Delhi on 14 January 2009.
He succeeds Sunil Dang.
Mr. Nath is associated with many organizations in various capacities. He is Deputy President of Indian
Newspapers Society. Founder President Association of Indian Magazines.
Other office bearers elected are VK Chopra (Gavakari), Dinesh Shakti Trikha (Kavita Express) as Vice
Presidents and Anil Agarwal (Amravati Mandal) as General Secretary (Headquarters). Krishna Shewdikar
(Shramik Ek Joot) and Ravi Kumar Bishnoi (Kesar Khushbu Times) will be other General Secretaries,
Chandrakant Bhave (Dauk) is the Treasurer, Members of the Executive Committe of ILNA are Govind Lal Vohra, Girish Kumar
Aggarwal, Pushpa Sharma, Rajeev Vashishth, Sandip Kulshreshtha, Sanjay Gupta, Satya Prakash Aseem, Sunil Dang, Uttam
Chand Sharma and V.G. Wani.
New Co-opted members of the Executive Committee are Ankit Bishnoi, Chaitnaya Kashyap, Gaurav Chopra, Jai Prakash
Pandey, Prakash Aggrawal, Vipin Mohan Sharma, Yashpal Singh, and R.C. Tanwar.
The Indian newspaper & magazine industry has two major organizations working in their interest, ILNA, being one of them.
One-third of its executive members are elected every year.

liveit.in 44 March ‘09

 Idea,
Innovation &

style it Creativity
with Apple

Apple is making waves in the PC space so

much so that it has compelled Microsoft to
re-look at their entire model of product
development and marketing. It is not very
uncommon these days to see a Macintosh
replacing the Windows driven PC and in huge
numbers. The company that set the personal
computer revolution rolling way back in 1970 is
today regaining its glory of being the market
leader and a trendsetter. It is the uniqueness of
its products that lies at the heart of its position of
eminence. Be it OS X, iLife or digital products
like iPod, iPhone, video players or the iTunes
online store, it’s all about innovation, trendy
Model: Mansi Tambade design and great marketing ideas. These
Concept & Photography: technologies offer the best that is in the field of
Hemant Kedar entertainment, and also enhance personal
Makeup: Amit Sawant productivity and creativity in an easy, complete,
and connected way. You can store, share, and
Hair Stylist: Sharda
enjoy all of your photos, all of your music and
Apple Gadgets: RSG
even all of your video in the most sleek and
simplified space.
Live IT features Apple’s foray into the modern
technology based entertainment market with its
revolutionary products. A large platform is now
set for exciting advances in mobile
entertainment technology.

March ‘09 45 liveit.in

 Style IT

Macbook Air
This is the most handy, stylish
and stirring machine ever.
Made of a just a single
piece of aluminum, the
Macbook Air weighs just 3
pounds. So, you can carry it
anywhere and everywhere
at any time. In simple words,
it is more than portable. It
has a glossy 13.3-inch wide
screen, which is just of the
same viewable size as of
other Macbooks. It gives
vibrant images and rich
colour. To add to its beauty,
it has backlit keypads, which
makes it easy to use in low
or dim light settings.
iPod Classic 120 GB
The cool and sleek iPod
Classic with 120 GB
memory can store up to
30,000 songs, 150 hours
of video, and a huge
collection from your
photo album as well. In
other words, it’s a musical
treat. Isn’t amazing, one
size fits for everything.
Available in black and
silver, the Classic 120 GB
is truly beautiful, durable
and sleek.
 Style IT

iPod Shuffle 2GB

This one’s for hard core
music lovers. This
surprisingly small iPod
can carry up to 500
songs of your choice to
keep you entertained
on the go. Clip it on
anything and rock with
the music you love.
Choose from four new
colours – vibrant blue,
envious green, pretty
pink, and ravishing red.
Available in 1 GB and 2
GB capacity.
Wireless Keyboard
and Mouse
The Apple wireless keyboard
features a low-profile
anodized frame that
complements any Mac. Just
connect this beautifully
designed ultra thin keyboard
to the USB port of your MAC
to enjoy its functions. Then,
to experience the ultimate in
flexibility, pair it with Apple’s
wireless Mighty Mouse.
Style IT

iPhone 3G
Get fast 3G wireless
technology, GPS
mapping, a
widescreen iPod, a
breakthrough Internet
device with rich HTML
e-mail and
a desktop-class web
browser. The apple
iPhone 3G definitely
redefines what a
mobile phone can
do – yet again.
 Airport Express
A simplified and
compact, which allows up
to ten network users and
includes a new feature
called AirTunes. With the
blazing 802.11n, the
affordable AirPort Express is
powerful enough to run a
home Wi-Fi network. It is
compatible with both Mac
and PC. Its small design and
light weight makes it
extremely portable and
stylish as well.
 Style IT

Apple TV
Now redefine what
your TV can do with
Apple’s stylish high
definition TV. Watch
high definition movies,
listen to your favourite
iTunes, watch
podcasts, and even
show off your
cherished photos. The
Apple TV even
connects you to the
Internet so you can
stay in touch with the
world outside.
 iMac 20”
This smart, sleek, ultra thin
Apple iMac (20”) desktop
offers more performance
and features than many
Windows-based PCs;
robust iLife ‘08 digital
media suite. It is just for
everything and anything
you want to pack in for
a computer.
 Feature

The
Food
Blogs
Ritu Goyal Harish

liveit.in 54 March ‘09

“Recipes are like poems; they keep what kept us. And
good cooks are like poets; they know how to count.”
– Henri Coulette
t was a revolution that began indistinctively and right out of
I the blue. Slowly but steadily like a fire that rages, catching up
in intensity and spread, suddenly having a blog became
fashionable and having a ‘voice’ became the latest craze.
Rising from amongst the popular blogs talking of politics, media,
technology and personal experiences were the ‘Food Blogs’.
As Kate Hopkins, a popular food blogger says, “There was
never any conspiracy to forward the discussion about food. It
just happened.”
Blogging about food became a culture for many, and a daily
dose of their connection with the virtual world. Blogs are
popular also because they are inexpensive, have easy accessibility
and allow freedom of expression.
“Nothing great in the world has been accomplished
without passion.” – Georg Wilhelm
For almost all bloggers, it is passion that
drove them to develop and maintain a
food blog.
Arundhati Raghavan, avid food blogger,
singer and HR professional, has always
been passionate about food. “I was 10
when I started baking. So, effectively I have been interested in
food for 20 years,” she says with a smile. For her, the blog was
initially and essentially “to keep my recipes in one place.”
Blogging since May 2007, Arundhati has a repertoire of over
400 recipes on her blog, some of which include cherished
recipes passed down by her mother. “I wanted to safeguard the
recipes from my mother, which include Tamil and Konkani
dishes for posterity,” she says emphatically.
For Anita Tikoo, a Landscape Architect by profession and a
regular food blogger for the past two-and-a-half years, food was
always a passion. “I started searching for homely food on the
Internet, especially South Indian. Books usually have very exotic
recipes but blogs gave me several options where I could browse
through very simple everyday recipes. My own interest in
cooking fuelled the beginning of my own food blog.”
Suganya, another regular food blogger since April 2007, says
determinately, “It is definitely a passion and purely a means for
me to improve my skills with cooking and photography.”
While most bloggers try to be as regular as possible, “it is
difficult to post everyday” admits Arundhati. Most of them are
busy professionals and find it tough to post recipes everyday.
However, they also agree that,
“What we’re all striving for is authenticity, a spirit-
to-spirit connection.” – Oprah Winfrey
It is no longer a secret that the Internet has brought the world
closer and blogging, in particular, has made people-to-people
interactions at a human level a possibility. Food bloggers agree
that blogs have a deeper and perhaps a more personal
connection with the reader because of their very nature.
“The ability to interact with the creator of the recipe allows the
readers to understand the exact procedures of preparation. This
not just helps increase the probability of replicating the recipe, but
also provides a creative forum to improve the recipe further and
create multiple variations of the same dish,” says Suganya.
“There is great amount of interaction on the Internet. There
is a sense of intimacy and readers know that the person posting
the blog is real. It also helps to know that the recipe has been
tried by them, making the
chances of success that
much higher,” adds
Arundhati.
Anita also believes that
blogs are very interactive.
“Readers on my blog can
ask me questions related to
the recipes I post and I
respond to them, making
this a two-way interaction.”
Feedback is another
crucial element to blogging.
Everyone thrives on
compliments, and most
bloggers welcome constructive criticism to their recipes.
“Many times, the recipes from cook books don’t work. And
there is no one you can turn to for assistance. But on my blog,
visitors can leave their comments about the recipe, or a suggestion
to improvise on it. Some of the comments are very honest and
help me devise a variation to the original,” says Arundhati.
“Blogs also offer a social environment to exchange
constructive feedback that in turn contributes to personal
development,” feels Suganya.
Notwithstanding, the bloggers in unison agree that food blogs
may never actually replace books. “Books have their own
March ‘09 55 liveit.in
 Feature
romance. I still read a cook book page to page although I may
not cook the recipe immediately,” admits Anita.
“A blogger, I myself refer to books all the time. Books will
always be around as they provide a valuable perspective and a
point of reference,” feels Suganya.
Arundhati also echoes the sentiment. “There is a certain
charm in cook books and a joy in flipping through the recipes. I
may be buying fewer books than I used to, but I certainly refer
to them all the time.”
“Books may well be the only true magic”
– Alice Hoffman Publilius Syrus quotes
(Roman author, 1st century BC)
Food blogs are one of the greatest places for a variety of
recipes on the Internet. From simple home cooked Indian
recipes, to complicated Kebabs, Biryanis; world cuisine such as
Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Greek, Continental, Japanese, Malay
or even Egyptian; desserts, breads, pastries, cakes, puddings, pies
– you just name it and you have it on blogs.
“On food blogs you can find recipes from the exotic to the
regular; simple to complicated,” says Arundhati.
On most food blogs, as in books, the pictures convey a lot.
Some blogs thrive on presentation, while others simply depict
the dish ‘as it is’.
While some bloggers consider pictures to be as important as
the recipe, some don’t. “Photographs are essential but I think as
long as they are not ‘dressed up,’ they connect with the reader,”
feels Arundhati.
“I did buy a better camera but nothing more than that,”
admits Anita.
“Each friend represents a world in us, a world
possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this
meeting that a new world is born” – Anais Nin
For a lot of bloggers, their personal spaces on the web have
been a great way to make new friends and foster long-lasting
relationships. “I have made some great friends through my
liveit.in 56 March ‘09
blog,” beams Anita. “We haven’t met until yet but we chat on a
daily basis. There is certainly a connection.”
“Initially a lot of them were just acquaintances. With time and
repeated exchange of comments with these interesting
individuals, I have made several friends across the globe who
share common interests, values and principles as me. A few of
them have gone on to become extremely close friends. I have not
met a lot them in person yet, but have learnt a great deal from
them,” adds Suganya.
And this deep connection brings bloggers and readers
together, across cultural and geographical boundaries.
“Blogs help us to break boundaries of country, culture and
language quite easily. In my opinion, this is one of the
fundamental strengths of blogs,” says Suganya.
However, most bloggers are not at ease revealing their
identities on the Internet and are quite comfortable with the
anonymity. “Although people close to me know that I have a
blog, professionally no one knows,” admits Anita.
On the other hand, to Arundhati the anonymity is of little
importance. “I have 200 followers on my blog and even my
nephew visits often. Most of them are random visitors but many
are friends,” she smiles.
“A new recipe for success”
“I am happy that I have managed to attract many visitors.
What started as a personal space to post my collection of recipes
has now become a great place to exchange notes and try out
new stuff,” says Arundhati.
“The biggest high I get is that on my blog I am the writer,
editor and publisher,” laughs Anita. “To my family, my passion
for food was well known. But that I could write well was also a
surprise,” she adds.
As for readers, says Mayanka who refers to food blogs when
she needs to whip up something special for a guest or party, “I
like food blogs for their simplicity. The recipe sounds
uncomplicated. They give the feel as if anyone can make the
dish, even a novice in the kitchen.”
If you are a writer with a passion for food, or a cook who likes
to write and share recipes, a kitchen novice or expert, or a
compulsive recipe browser, peep into the extraordinarily
scrumptious world of food bloggers, and you will be pleasantly
surprised at the bounty available! I
Popular food blogs:
http://chefatwork.blogspot.com
http://tastypalettes.blogspot.com
http://madteaparty.wordpress.com
http://indianfoodrocks.blogspot.com
http://onehotstove.blogspot.com
http://elaichietcetera.wordpress.com
http://saffrontrail.blogspot.com

Online Degrees –
Are they
Accredited?
Roli Gupta
o, you are this busy executive who wants to add value
S to her resume with a management degree. Or, maybe a
homemaker venturing into a home business but require
some entrepreneurial skills to get started. Or, a grad-
uate student who wishes to enhance her work profile with a
post-graduate degree while continuing to work. Maybe you
would like to make a career switch, but need to first get a
certain skill set in the new industry. Well, whatever it is that you
are desirous of doing, the best answer to all your constraints of
time and effort made at travelling down to the educational
institute seems to be one of the many popular online courses
available on the net. In fact, you have even selected the right
course which provides you with the proper skill-enhancement
Feature
that you require. But, even as you get ready to part with some
hard-earned money in the hope of forwarding your career,
certain niggling doubts always remain.
Beginning with what exactly is it that you can expect from
an online course? How do online courses differ from distance
education courses? What sort of a qualification can you
expect at the end of the course? What are its pros and cons?
How necessary is accreditation? How do you know whether
the course is accredited? Who accredits online courses? What
is the difference between accreditation and approval? What
sort of industry standing does an online course have? Well,
these are questions that arise in the minds of every person
planning to enroll in an online course.
March ‘09 57 liveit.in
 Feature
For the beginner, an online course is simply a course of study
which aims to provide the student with a certain skill set using
the Internet as the primary medium of instruction. Use of the
Internet, in this case, typically involves downloadable self-study
material, lectures through webcasts or interactive webinars,
online chats with professors to resolve doubts and online tests,
which are graded online and a final assessment of the student’s
proficiency. In that sense, online courses differ greatly from
distance education courses, the latter usually is a blend of
studies using the Internet and a contact program, which
requires that the student go to a designated study centre for a
few lectures, laboratory experiments or project work. The
exams are held in a conventional setting at their examination
centres. Within online courses also, there is a clear bifurcation
based on the type of qualifications that they claim to provide –
at the end of some courses, the student would get a proper
qualification – say a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree. The other
type of online course is simply a skill enhancement course, for
example those offering proficiency in OOAD (object-oriented
analysis and design) concepts. These courses do not provide any
qualification per se, but are intended only as study modules for
gaining knowledge. Institutions like NIIT (www.netvarsity.com)
and Aptech (www.onlinevarsity.com) offer similar courses
online, which include a plethora of subjects in a variety of fields
– Crystal Reports, RDBMS Concepts, Client Server Concepts,
SQL Server, Word, Excel, Access, time management, Linux
and so on. Many of these study courses are industry-
recognized; the Sun certified Java program is a good example
here (http://www.sun.com/training/certification/java/
index.xml). The study material is available online exclusively
through e-learning modules and doubts can be resolved by
e-mail; the test is also administered online. To this end,
Sun Microsystems also provides a list of authorized
training centres.
As far as the pros and cons go, online courses are advantageous
in that they offer great flexibility of study hours and also save
time and cost, especially that of travelling. The primary
disadvantage would be that you would have to deal with the
feeling of being on your own and be disciplined enough to set
aside proper time for study, because procrastination can be a real
problem with self-study. While there are clear answers to most of
the queries related to online courses, answers pertaining to
accreditation are still a little hazy. By definition, accreditation is
easy enough to understand – it means a minimum guarantee or
the act of granting credit or recognition (especially with respect
to educational institutions) that maintains suitable standards. But,
determining whether or not a course is accredited is much
tougher. For a course to be accredited, there has to be a
government authorized organization providing the accreditation.
The problem lies in the fact that in India, there is no clear
rule on which organization provides accreditation to online
courses. In the U.S., for example, The U.S. Department of
Education (USDE) approves certain organizations to be in
charge of approving schools with providing online accredited
liveit.in 58 March ‘09
college credit courses. ‘The Distance Education & Training
Council’ (DETC) and ‘The Accrediting Council for
Independent Colleges & Schools’ focus specifically on
accrediting online degree schools. In India, the ‘Distance
Education Council’ (http://www.dec.ac.in/) is the
authorized organization to provide approval and
accreditation to distance education. So, logically, courses by
any university, which is recognized by the DEC, would be
accredited. Online courses offered by Indira Gandhi
National Open University (IGNOU)
(http://www.ignou.ac.in/) come under the purview of the
Distance Education Council. Similarly, courses provided by
the Yeshvantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University
(http://www.ycmou.com) are recognized by the University
Grants Commission (http://www.ugc.ac.in/). This means
that degrees offered by such universities, duly recognized by
the government, must be accredited; unfortunately, there is
no clear, written rule about this. So, if an online course
claims to be accredited, first check with the Distance
Education Council or the UGC.
The next big issue is whether these courses are recognized
by the industry and whether it is important to enroll for an
industry-recognized course only. Jyoti Jagasia, Assistant
Professor at S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research
opines: “I did my Masters in Information Technology from
BITS Pilani, which was a distance education course,
recognized by the UGC. This course was a work-integrated
learning program, completely off-campus with the project
viva at Pilani. So, this is very close to being an online course.
Getting a qualification like this was a huge boost to my
profile. Being an electronics engineering graduate, this course
not only helped me getting a foothold into the IT industry,
but also got me into the academics field and an option of
pursuing doctoral programs anywhere in the world.
Obviously, securing a job after the completion of a course
actually depends on previous work experience and the
industry recognition that the course has. Several courses are
 actually helped me get more work in freelance writing was
the rigorous training and constructive criticism in writing that
I got through the assignments that I completed.”
The verdict is clear – online courses are good, but they
must be accredited and industry-recognized. A simple search
on the Internet will throw up a confusing array of online
courses, which may seem right for you. We selected some of
the popular courses, not necessarily offered by Indian
educational institutions, but approved by government
organizations (See Box below). So, go ahead, take that course
and get those skills which would catapult you up the ladder of
success. But remember, whichever course you do decide to
study, it is important to spend some time ascertaining
whether it will give the value that you want from it. I

Some important links:

well accepted, while some others may not be. It’s important
to talk to people from the industry and find out what courses
are accepted. All in all, online courses are a great option for
skill enhancement and value addition to your profile – but
they must be accredited.”
Batul Hafiji, Project Manager with a leading software firm
adds, “We do consider online courses as a positive indication
of the candidate’s skill set, but job experience in the
technology or a certification from Microsoft or Sun
Microsystems would have far greater value than a regular
online course that does not have industry recognition. Of
course, we would prefer a candidate who has done an online
course to acquire certain skills, for example, OOAD concepts,
as against someone who is just a graduate.”
Preeti Mishra is a freelance writer who did a
correspondence course to augment her writing skills. She
says, “Though all the study material came in through post,
my assignments were submitted through e-mail. At the end of
the course, I received a certificate of completion, which did
not help much because employers do not accept this sort of a
course as guaranteeing a minimum competency. What
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools:
Commission on Higher Education
http://www.msche.org/
New England Association of Schools and Colleges:
Commission on Institutions of Higher Learning
http://www.neasc.org/cihe/cihe.htm
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools: The
Higher Learning Commission
http://www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org/
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
http://www.nwccu.org/
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools: Commission
on Colleges
http://www.sacscoc.org/
Western Association of Schools and Colleges: Accrediting
Commission for Junior and Community Colleges
http://www.wascweb.org/
Western Association of Schools and Colleges: Accrediting
Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities
http://www.wascweb.org/
The International TEFL Corporation
http://www.teflcorp.com/ol-home.htm
Kaplan Open Learning
http://www.kaplanopenlearning.org.uk/
MIT Sloan School of Management
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Sloan-School-of-
Management/
Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts, India
http://www.iutripura.edu.in/
Amity Institute
http://www.amity.edu/
http://amityelearning.com/

March ‘09 59 liveit.in

 Tech Tip

Fill in PDF Forms Online

with PDFescape
Tech Tips by: Anoop Verma

I
t is a common misconception that PDF files cannot be and fill in your e-mail ID. But PDFescape does attach a logo
changed once they have been created. About time you mark to the documents that you export from the site. If you
made a visit to the website www.pdfescape.com. There is want to remove the logo mark, you will have to purchase
nothing to download or install as the application runs on premium credits.
the web itself and enables you to make changes in any PDF To use PDFescape, go to the website www.pdfescape.com and
document, fill up PDF forms and save them onto your click the icon that says ‘Start Now.’ You can either use the
system. In addition to text, you can also use PDFescape to application as an unregistered user or as a registered user. It is
better to get registered before using the
application, because as an unregistered user,
you cannot avail of a bulk of the features
that are accessible there. Click on the icon
that says, ‘Register Now Free.’ Out here you
will have to fill in your name, e-mail address
and also create a unique login ID with a
password. Click on the option ‘Create
Account’ and it will take you directly to the
site where you can launch the PDFescape
application. Here you will have the option to
open a PDF file from the
computer or from the Internet.
Make a selection and after
the file opens, you can either
fill a form or make changes in
the PDF file itself. There will
be a menu bar at the top, with
drop-down menus under the
heading File, Edit, Tools and
Help. The features of each tab
are somewhat similar to what
you may find in a normal
Word document. Once you
have finished working on the
file, you can save it on
PDFescape’s online server. The
file will remain in the server
and you can access it by
logging into your account
anytime. You also have the
option of e-mailing the PDF
throw in custom images, shapes, and links into the document. documents in which you have made changes. You have to give
The best part about the website is that the service is PDFescape a try, in order to find out how easy it can be to fill
completely free. You are only required to register yourself PDF forms and to make changes in a PDF document. I

liveit.in 60 March ‘09

 he Internet in the Web 2.0 era is breaking boundaries

T between different cultures and countries in more ways than

we can imagine. Now there are web-based
applications that allow you to translate text from one lan-
guage to another with the click of a mouse. Most of the time,
these applications are available for free. It is only in case of some
languages that you are required to pay some fee. You can check
out www.freetranslation.com. This site offers free translation from
English to a host of European languages, as well as Japanese and
Russian languages. For availing of free translation, you have to se-
lect the language combination that you require from a drop-down
list. Once the selection is made, click on the box that says, ‘Type
of Paste text here.’ Once the text has been inserted, just click on
the link that says, ‘Free translation.’ The translated text will
appear in the same box instantly.
In any case, the computer translation remains far from perfect.
You have to keep your sentences very short, or the computer might
not be able to analyze and it might give absurd results. All sentences
should end with a full stop so that the computer system can recog-

Translate Text Online

with Free Online Translators
nize where the sentence ends. At one time, you can have 750 words
translated. But if you need text from English or any other language
translated to most other Asian or African languages, then the
service does not remain free. The going rate for having about 250
words in English translated to Hindi turns out to be $50. And if you
want to have the translation proofread as well, then you have to pay
$10 extra. Now, that is really costly. But as the technology improves, it
is possible that the translation costs might actually come down to zero.
Another website www.online-translator.com offers similar service.
At this site there are two boxes in one of which you can paste the
text that you need to have translated. After that you choose the
language combinations from a drop-down list and when you click
the translate icon, the translated text will appear in the second
box. www.worldlingo.com offers translations into Chinese, Arabic
and Korean languages along with all the European ones. Then
there is the site http://babelfish.yahoo.com/, which proves quite
efficient in translating English to a host of European languages as
well as many variants of Chinese. The application at
http://www.reverso.net/text_translation.asp is confined to Euro-
pean languages only. IBM, too, has made a modest foray into the
translation bandwagon with its WebSphere software. But the scope
of this software is quite limited as of now.
However, if you are looking for free English to Hindi translation can take care of desi languages. As of now, for your translations
and vice- versa, then you will face some amount of problem. It involving Hindi language, you still have to rely on human trans-
seems an efficient translation application is yet to come up that lators or pay hefty fees to online portals. I

March ‘09 61 liveit.in

 Tech Tip

Store Just about Anything

Online with Hordit
click in order to verify
yourself. That’s it, no
downloads, no sign-up
fees, your account
becomes operational and
you are free to start
uploading on your
unlimited Hordit space.
On the Hordit interface,
you will find a range of
pre-created folders that
you can use to categorize
the documents or the
links that you upload. If
none of the folders
match the profile of your
documents, you can
create new folders easily.
Hordit also has a
built-in tracking feature
that enables it to
remember the links that
you have browsed
during any session. And
if you are prone to
f you are tired of tugging along heavy files in a working from different computers, you can simply import all

I cumbersome laptop or even a portable flash drive, then you

might as well take a look at the new website on the block,
called Hordit. Billed as a place where you can store and
backup any amount of data, Hordit allows users to store docs,
photos, spreadsheets, PDF documents, notes, contacts,
YouTube links, scanned images, etc. in an online space. You
are no longer tied to a computer or a flash drive as Hordit
allows you to access your data from anywhere by simply
logging into your account. The best thing about this site is that
there really is no limit to the size of files that you can store. Be
it 100 GB file or 1 TB file; at Hordit, size simply doesn’t
matter. And all this is available for free.
To start using this site, you have to log on to www.hordit.com.
First, you must sign up, the process for which is remarkably
hassle free. Just provide your first name, last name, and an e-mail
address. However, you need to pick up a login ID and a
password. Once you have finished with the sigh-up process,
Hordit will send you an e-mail with a link, which you have to
your bookmarks into your Hordit space and use this
information to go to your favorite sites from any computer
with an Internet connection. Currently, Hordit accepts
imports from Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox browsers.
But the best feature of Hordit lies in its ability to make
networking possible between different users with similar
tastes. If you click on the People tab at the top, it will take
you to the list of current users. It is for a user to decide if he
wants to make his profile public or not. If you opt to make it
public, then other users can check you out.
By clicking on the Groups tab, you reach the groups menu at
Hordit, which turns out to be quite extensive. You may wish to
join any particular group according to the dictates of your
ideology and tastes. It is also possible to share documents with
other users, or make it completely public. The application is still
in the beta stage. Therefore, you might come across some
glitches, but even in its present avatar Hordit is capable of
providing great service to its users. I

liveit.in 62 March ‘09

 o you find it difficult to believe that movies can be you have to watch it on the website itself on a YouTube kind of

S available online for free! Nevertheless, it is true. There

are a number of websites that promise to deliver online
movie experience for free. Check out
www.bharatmovies.com, which has a massive collection of films
in Indian languages. When you open the website, you will find a
bar on the top that lists most of the major Indian languages –
Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali and
Marathi. Just click on the tab of the language in which you want
to watch the movie and you will be taken to a page that
incorporates the list of movies available in that language.
a window. Then there is www.apnaview.com, which turns out to
be full of great movie resources. Last time I checked, this portal
had latest blockbuster films like Ghajini and Chandni Chowk to
China listed for viewing. But in order to watch movies, you have
to download and install a software called Zango.
In fact, if you make a simple Google search for free Hindi
movies, you are going to get an amazing amount of response. For
a somewhat complete list of such websites, you can go
www.indiaholic.com. But not every website listed on
www.indiaholic.com is capable of offering original print. Mostly,
it is camera copy prints or badly burned DVD prints that are

Watch
available. So the quality of the movie downloads that you get for
free, might not be as prefect as what you get to see in any theatre,
but as it is free, you can still use it for pastime. It is far better to
use these websites to download music videos, as the file size in
that case is much smaller and so it does not take too much time. I

Regional
Movies
Online for
Free
When I checked this site, a number of good Hindi films were
available for viewing – Akele Hum Akele Tum, Raaz, Daag, etc. The
list of films keeps changing on a day to day basis. The film that is
available today might not be there tomorrow, its place might get
taken by some other film. To watch any given movie of your
choice, you just have to download a Veoh Player on your laptop
or PC. The software is available for free on the Bharat Movies
website itself. Once you have downloaded and installed the
player, you can start downloading the film. But that turns out to
be a job of patience. Even if you have a high-speed broadband
connection, the downloading process takes lots of time.
Another good website for movie viewing is www.rajshri.com.
As of now, this website has a library of more than 500 Hindi
films and a sizeable number of Tamil and Marathi films as well.
It also has TV shows, documentaries, trailers, short films, kids’
movies, etc. Here you are not allowed to download the movie;

March ‘09 63 liveit.in

 Tech Tip

Change Default Web

Browser Quickly using
Browser Tray Switch

Firefox

W
ith a number of browsers like Internet Explorer, default browser, all you need to do is right click, and all the
Firefox, Google Chrome, etc. available for free, it selected files and URLs will open in the selected browser. Along
is now becoming increasingly common for most with helping to shift between browsers quickly, the software also
computers users to have more than one browser helps in making the system more secure. This it does by
installed in their systems. There are Internet users who may preventing malicious programs from connecting through the
want to use one browser while they are checking their e-mails Internet by launching the default browser. I
and another for searching for a piece of
information on the Internet. And if
someone is a web-developer, he may have
all the major browsers installed in his
system to check out his website in IE,
Firefox, Chrome and Safari. But, while
switching from one browser to another,
you have to copy and paste the link. That
can turn out to be a cumbersome process.
A way out is a software called Browser
Tray Switch.
It’s a software available for free and
takes up as little space on your system as
90 KB. And, to top it all, it is going to
make the process of switching from one
browser to another remarkably simple. Just
visit the website
http://www.donationcoder.com/
Software/Mouser/browsertray/
index.html and download the software.
The installation process takes less than a
minute. Once the installation is complete,
every time you have to change your

liveit.in 64 March ‘09

Listen to Music Online
ow you don’t even have to go through the rigmarole of
N downloading pirated music. You can actually listen to
your favourite music online for free. There are any
numbers of websites that are currently offering this
facility. Blame it on quirk of fate, or a quirk of nomenclature,
because of which all of them end up having names that start
with the letter ‘S’. But it is also possible that that the names start
with ‘S’ because each website owes its leitmotif to songs. Just
visit the websites of Songerize, Songza, SingsBOX or Seeqpod
and have a tryst with the music of your choice.
Songerize is located at http://songerize.com. The home page is
quite stark, but the music that you can hear out here turns out to be
absolutely riveting. You will find two boxes on the home page – one
carries the heading ‘Song Name’ and the other says ‘Artist’. Below
these two boxes, there is the ‘Play Song’ button. Well, you don’t need
to be an Einstein to figure out how the system works. An enthralling
musical experience is only a click of the mouse away. Try it today itself.
Located at http://songza.com Songza is geared to let you listen to
any band or song of your choice. It has a Google type search box
and a search button beside it. All you have to do is fill the title of the
music of your choice in the search box and then leave it to Songza to
find it and start playing it for you. Out here you have the facility to
register yourself. In fact, it would be a good idea to get registered
because then you become eligible for creating your own playlist and
storing it online. During any subsequent visit to the website, all you
have to do is access your playlist to start playing your favourite songs.
SingsBOX is spreading its musical joy at
http://www.singsbox.com. The starkly bare home page has only one
rather long search box in the middle of the screen and beside it lies
the Search button. In fact, the website looks somewhat like Google,
but it does have a banner advertisement at the top. SingsBOX proves
itself to be really efficient in finding songs from all genres. Other
than giving you the chance of listening to your favourite songs, this
website also allows you an option to store the songs on your playlist
or embed them on your website or blog.
Then there is Seeqpod, located at http://www.seeqpod.com. The
role that Seeqpod plays goes far beyond music, in the sense that this
is a search and recommendation engine for indexing and finding
playable search results including audio, video, podcasts and
Wikipedia articles. The site is currently indexing more than 13
million tracks and files. Powered by the GenoPharm algorithm,
Seeqpod solves search queries by linking relevant information
automatically from each analyzed source of information, creating
connections similar to that in the human brain. In that sense, its
working is somewhat different from that of traditional search engines
that rely on keyword associations. I
March ‘09 65 liveit.in
 Tech Tip

hese days everybody is publishing blogs with lots of

T amateur pictures in them. But there is always the

chance that your pictures might end up as plagiarized
pictures on someone else’s blog. That is just the sort of
eventuality that you can avoid by using the freely available
Windows Live Writer. The latest 2009 edition of the software has
now become available at http://windowslivewriter.
spaces.live.com. Just log on to this website, and click on the
download button. The minimum operating system required to
run this software is Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 Beta. There
are other requirements regarding the browser, RAM, graphics
card and processor, but these are nothing exceptional and most
PCs running on XP or Vista should have these systems in place.
The download and installation process will be over in few
minutes depending on the speed of your connection.

Watermark Photos
and Images Using Windows
Live Writer
Watermarking an image by using this software is absurdly
simple. First of all, you have to insert the image into the blog
that you are writing. After that, click on the image to select it.
On top of the Windows Live Writer window you will find three
tabs – Picture, Advanced and Effects. Click on the tab that says
Advanced and from there choose the Watermark tab, which
appears at the bottom of the drop-down list. A watermarking
form will open in front of you. You can type in the text that you
want to have as watermark. You can also choose the font type,
the size of the letters and the exact positioning of the text.
While Windows Live Writer proves to be a nifty
watermarking tool, it can also be put to many other uses.
You can crop, tilt or create a border around your picture.
You can also use it to insert multiple pictures using as
Individual Thumbnails or as Windows Live Photo Album.
There is no dearth of album styles through which you get to
display your pictures. For example, you can use the ‘Scatter
Style’, by which you can make your pictures appear
scattered all over your blog. You can even use the Windows
Live Writer to insert a video from your computer and have
it automatically published to either YouTube or Soapbox
when you publish your blog.
Then there are the various add-ons that you can choose
to have with this software. You can download and install
add-on softwares like Flickr Upload, Digg This, and
Twitter Notify. For those avid bloggers out there, this
software is certainly a must have. It makes blogging look so
easy and enjoyable.I

liveit.in 66 March ‘09

Create a Free Avatar
with DoppelMe
hese days in most Internet chats, forums or blogs, a

T personal avatar has become somewhat de rigueur. You

simply can’t express yourself properly online unless you
have an avatar that is in sync with your real personality. A
visual identity has the effect of putting a friendly face to your
Internet presence and the best thing is that you can quickly
update it to reflect your mood at any point of time. Still
wondering? Well, you don’t have to be a graphics expert in order
to create an avatar. Leave it to web-based applications such as
DoppelMe to create one for you; and it takes just a couple of
minutes to get it done. Take a peek at the site
http://doppelme.com whose homepage seems so starkly bare,
and yet it hides an innovative system that is capable of dishing
out an array of delightful avatars.
It is not necessary for you to register yourself on this website,
but if you choose to register then you will have the option of
saving in this site’s server your very own DoppelMe avatar,
which you can access any time by simply logging into your
account. However, even if you do not register you can still access
the application and save the avatar that you create on your own
system. At the top of the website there are four tabs – Home,
Create, Sign In and FAQ. In order to create an avatar, just click
on the Create tab. A toy-like figure will appear on one side of
the screen. You have the option of choosing the gender, skin
colour and eye colour of your avatar. The changes you make will
reflect on the toy-like figure. Once done, click on the next icon.
The new page has a small screen on which myriad smiley kind
of images are set in a row. Simply click on the smiley that best
reflects your mood and then click on the button that says, “I am
done.” On the new page you fill in some of your personal details
and reveal your e-mail address. Within a few minutes you will
receive an e-mail link with step-by-step instructions on how to
make more changes to your avatar. There is no end to the funny or
rather serious looking avatars that you can come up with. You can
give it a look from the figure of the iconic movie called Star Wars, or
you can have an avatar that is like any normal boy or girl. You can
change hairstyle, facial expression, hats, tops, bottoms, shoes,
accessories, background and extras in so many different ways.
By default, the avatars carry a GIF format, but you can also
request for a PNG format. To do that all you have to do is
replace GIF with PNG while saving your avatar. Once the avatar
is ready, you can put it in blogs, forums, instant messenger and
anywhere on the Internet. Go ahead, try it out! I

March ‘09 67 liveit.in

 Tech Tip

Joongel and Lemmefind

– Internet Search Portals
hen you think of a

W search engine, you think

of Google. Sure Google
is currently the Goliath
amongst all search engines in the market,
but newer search engines are new breed
search engines are emerging all the time like
so many bubbles in the vast Internet pond.
Have you heard of Lemmefind? This is
a search engine, with its home page
located at www.lemmefind.us. The
home page is somewhat bare, but not as
starkly bare as it is in Google. There is a
drop -down list at top, where you can
choose if you want to make a country-
wise search or an international search.
There is as search box followed by a
search button that is quite similar to that
in Google. But the difference lies in the
array of buttons that occur on the top of
the search box. By clicking on any one
of the buttons, you can narrow down
your search and target results that are
more in line with what you want. For
example, if you click on the ‘button
Images’ button, then only the search
results that have to do with an image of
some kind will be generated. Similarly,
you can opt for video, audio, MySpace,
Wikipedia, and much elsemany more.
Every search result can be instantly
shared by using the e-mail link at the
bottom of each page. This search engine
is still in beta stage as it was launched only in November last year. side bar, by using which you can narrow down your search. The
Another search engine that is generating interest is Joongel. Its search box is located at the top of the screen. Instead of one search
searching method is based on the geographic location of the user button, there are two of them. The first button is meant for choosing
and traffic ranking analysis from Google, Hitwise, Compete, the category of your search and you need to click on the second to
Comscore, Nielsen, Netratings, Quantcast and few other systems. If get the search process going. Joongel is probably derived from the
anything, the home page of Joongel at www.joongel.com is world ‘jungle’. The idea is that Internet is like a jungle and you need
absolutely cluttered with buttons and tabs and that is probably why it a search engine like Joongel to find the information that you seek out
takes some amount of time to load. On the main body of the home there. Currently, the website is running in its beta phase and this
page you will find buttons that lead to every popular search engine, could be the reason why itthat might be the reason why it is so slow
blog and much else. Then there are the buttons occurring on the to respond. I

liveit.in 68 March ‘09

Open Intern t Explorer in
Full Screen
Kiosk Mode

T
here can be umpteen numbers of
occasions when you may want to
maximize the viewing area in
your browser. This can be
achieved by turning on the full screen
kiosk mode, which gets rid of the toolbars
at the top, status bar at the bottom, and
the scroll bars, leaving the entire space on
the screen free for the web page that you
may be surfing through. To switch on the
full kiosk mode in your Internet Explorer
browser, go to Start and click on ‘Run’. In the box that opens,
type the following command: ‘iexplore –k page’. The ‘page’ in
the command stands for the URL of the web page that you
wish to go to. When you click OK, Internet Explorer will
open in full kiosk mode.
For example, to start IE in the kiosk mode with the
Microsoft website, type ‘iexplore -k www.microsoft.com’ in the
box. You can also use this method to open any website saved shortcut that can launch IE in kiosk mode instantly. To create
in your system in the kiosk mode. For this also you have to such a shortcut, right click on the blank area of your desktop.
click Start, point at Run and in the open box you have to type: On the menu that appears, just point at ‘New’ and then go to
iexplore -k ‘c:\my documents\name.htm’. As the forward and ‘Shortcut.’ Into the open box of the Create Shortcut wizard
back keys and the taskbar are not visible in kiosk mode, you that appears, type the following instruction: C:\Program
have to use keyboard shortcuts in order to operate IE. For Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE –k. After that,
closing IE, use CTRL + W or Alt + F4. A full list of the click on the option ‘Next’ and in the new window, you can
keyboard shortcuts that you can use to operate IE in kiosk choose an appropriate name for this new version of IE. Click
mode is available at windows website: on ‘Finish.’ Whenever you click on this link, IE will open in
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/154780. kiosk mode on the home page.
And if you tend to use this type of browsing too often, then It is fun to browse on the full screen mode, and if you have
it would turn out to be a good idea to keep on your desktop a not tried it already, it is about time you did. I

March ‘09 69 liveit.in

 Tech Tip
I
n an era where electronic gadgets are becoming more and more
economical, it is but natural for you to settle for one yourself.
Only a few years ago, it would set you down by half a lakh to
buy the cheapest home theatre system. But today, you could buy
one for as low as 10K. And if you have a great budget, there are
home theatre systems that cost Rs. 10 lakhs, too. However, no
matter what your budget, there are certain things you need to look
at after you bring home the stars into your drawing room.
The beauty of a home theatre system lies in its sound quality
above all. The clearer and booming it is, the more realistic feel
you get of a movie hall. After all, you are turning your drawing
room into a theatre. However, if you don’t take care of a few
important things, your movie-watching could be no less a
nightmare. Here are a few tips that could go a long way in
ensuring good quality music to your ears.
How to
Maximise your
Home Theatre
System
liveit.in 70 March ‘09
Happy listening!
1. Positioning the speakers is important: gear surround
speakers high up on the walls, tilted down towards your listening
position, or use tall stands instead. Place your centre speaker at
the same height as the main left and right speakers, under the
screen if possible. Try to align its tweeter with those on the other
front speakers in your system.
2. Specify to the dealer before he offers choices to you. For
example, if you want a system that could meet both your hi-fi
and home theatre needs, say so early on. Also, specify the size
and shape of your room because it’s important from an
acoustic perspective.
3. If you have money to spare, get your room sound-proofed
and acoustically perfect. It could set you back Rs. 1 lakh, but it’s
worth it. If you don’t have the money, even curtains will make
do as they absorb sound. But don’t use glass walls as they reflect
sound. And for better acoustics, buy two sub-woofers (one
passive and one active).
4. There’s no point having 6.1 speaker systems if your intent is
to enhance the acoustics in the room, as most movies except
Gladiator and a few others are made for 5.1. Go for 6.1 only if
you have a wider room or a 7.1 if it’s a lengthier room. For
example, a 15 × 20 feet room should be perfect for a 5.1
whereas a 25 × 30 feet room requires a 7.1.
5. Go for a projector instead of an LCD or plasma screen if
you have a very dark room. Most people use plasmas for
commercial purposes. The biggest advantage of an LCD is
that it can be mounted on the wall and also enhances your
style statement. Flatscreen TVs take a lot more space and are
pretty old fashioned. I
Double your Fun
with Dual Monitors
second monitor on your system has great potential to
A double your fun, especially if you happen to be a
videogame aficionado. Looking beyond videogames,
two or even multiple monitors can be helpful when
you want to get extra productive by working on more than one
office program at the same time. Especially when working on a
really large spreadsheet, you can have different parts of it open
on different monitors.
While chatting with friends, you can have many more IM chat
windows open. But the best thing about a double monitor is that
it is easy to install and comes very cheap; in most cases all you
need is an extra monitor.
Most laptops these days come with an external VGA port, so
you just have to plug your second monitor into this port and
switch it on. This is usually done with the help of the function
key – ‘turn on one, or both monitors’. Once this bis done, you
have to set it up under your display settings in the computer’s
operating system. But if you are planning to set up a second
monitor on your desktop system, first make sure your CPU has a
dedicated video card. Many of these cards come with two video
ports that can support two different monitors, but if your card
has a DVI type port, then you will have to get for yourself a DVI
to VGA adapter. Use this adapter to plug in your second
monitor and you are ready to double your fun.
However, if your CPU has the video built into its
motherboard and lacks a second video port, then installing a
second monitor is not that easy. In this case, you will have no
option but to add a video card to your desktop computer.
However, you must also ensure that the new video card has two
video ports. Running two different monitors can pose as an
incredibly vibrant computing experience; if you have not tried it
yet, then it is time that you did. I
March ‘09 71 liveit.in
 Feature

What’s your
E-Avatar?
Campus of the Future – Second Life Experience
Payal Shah Karwa

liveit.in 72 March ‘09

 magine a typical day in your campus life, just a couple of

I years down the line. You wake up early morning, finish

your daily ablutions and get ready for another exciting
day in college. Instead of putting on your satchel and
shoes, you simply switch on your PC, the broadband
connection and log on to your 3-D classroom, based out of
the USA. You greet your classmates online, engage in a chat
session, and when the professor walks in, you start your class.
This is no cyber-fiction story, but a future reality, the reality
of virtual 3-D campuses.
It’s about time we start taking seriously the role of
technology in our daily lives and realize the potential it has to
the maximum. For instance, the Internet has opened up
incredible opportunities in all fields, including education.
Starting from distance
learning, or e-learning as it have a choice to permanently buy off or rent the island on SL
is popularly known, the to continue their classroom activities. What’s good about
Internet has used SecondLife campus is the fact that just as a student, you can
multimedia to disseminate have a basic account for free. You just need to sign up for a SL
knowledge seamlessly, account and locate the SLurl of the campus you would like to
crossing geographical and visit. A SLurl is the exact location in terms of co-ordinates.
demographic boundaries. So, once you have the exact url or address you are directly
Probably one of the only taken to the island wherein you are asked whether you would
lesser points of distance like to teleport.
learning courses would be Currently, the universities of Stanford, Harvard, and New
the lack of physical presence York have their own campus on SL wherein students from
or interaction with the any part of the world can attend the sessions created by
faculty or peers. But this educators and interact with each other. One can even visit
issue can be addressed with the library of the respective university, explore the campus
the use of the latest and its facilities, etc. Similarly, INSEAD is the world’s first
innovation in cyberspace – virtual campus. Launched in 2006, INSEAD offers MBA
www.secondlife.com. and Executive MBA programs. Once you have created your
Secondlife, or SL, is a Net- avatar at SL, you can participate in the virtual event on their
based 3D virtual world, campus. For instance, try logging on the SLurl of INSEAD
which thrives on user- (http://slurl.com/secondlife/INSEAD/176/214/31) to
generated content. People experience this. You only need to ensure that your PC is
can login as a resident with a equipped with the requisite hardware and software
new avatar (online requirements. The INSEAD program, for instance, has video
personality) and teleport streaming and IM tools so you need to have the requisite
themselves into any such in- broadband connection and programs.
world … they can attend live
concerts to contests, visit
museums or a green park
using the SLurl or build a
world of their own.
Similarly, there exist several
education campuses created
by educators around the
world, which you can
explore and enroll yourself
for. SL offers educators to
create a campus of their own
by virtually lending them an
island. These educators also

March ‘09 73 liveit.in

 Feature

SecondLife offers a powerful and effective learning facility

course, which would help her automate her planning process
to students in the virtual environment. They can enter intoand help create 3D structure designs. But the advanced course
the existing virtual campuses and interact with each other was turning up to be too expensive for her family to afford.
using their new avatar. This allows them to maintain some However, her career plans did not go futile. One of her friends
level of anonymity and at the same time a great platform toresiding in the USA informed her about e-learning courses in a
express themselves. So, one can even consider the 3D environment of the virtual world, called secondlife.com.
environment relatively safer to operate in. The platform Today she has created an island using her own ideas and
gives the student to experiment reality in virtual space and
developing the content and sharing with fellow learners online.
learn from mistakes. Her designs too have been well appreciated.
Another benefit of virtual campuses on SecondLife is the The diversity that a virtual campus brings along with it is
depth of opportunity it offers for students to learn. For instance,
also commendable. It brings together people and educators
they can do research, meet potential employers, innovate and
from across the globe who share their experiences to enrich
share through distributed learning. In other words, they can
other residents’ knowledge base. Currently, cyberspace has
generate their own content, share with fellow classmates and in
over 250 such educators, thus enabling thousands of
turn learn better. Virtual campuses also get rid of travel and
learners to learn creatively through virtual campuses on SL.
other costs involved in attending a full-time course. For Fields like gaming, architecture, medical, media, business
instance, Mayeka’s family was financially
management, etc. can adopt the help of SL to build a
challenged. Having completed her
virtual campus. Also, the educators have the flexibility to
Bachelors’ Degree in Architecture,
build the learning ambience as per their choice and what
she desired to take up an advanced
they think would be liked by students. From amphitheatres to
open gardens to box classrooms,
there exists an interesting variety
of campuses online.
The courses conducted here
are as good as a normal study
course, i.e., they have semester
schedules, examinations, projects,
assignments and the works. The
diversity also stems from the fact
that educators have a choice to
create content. This way they can
develop their teaching courses by
adding new objects and material
as and when required.
Experts foresee virtual campuses
created on SL as the future trend
owing to the flexibility and
dissolution of geographical
boundaries and physical distances.
The growth of SL has nurtured
the growth of the use of e-
learning through in-world as well.
From a user base of almost 4
million in mid-2007, the number
Second Life is a free online virtual world has leaped to about 11 million.
Though the concept is still new in
imagined and created by its ‘Residents.’
cyberspace, it is gaining ground
You’ll surely discover a fast-growing digital slowly. With broadband
connections and acceptance of
world filled with people, entertainment,
distance learning making inroads
experiences and opportunity. into the Indian psyche, the use of
virtual campuses might be a
regular feature in a student’s life.
Have a happy second life. I

liveit.in 74 March ‘09

 Feature

E-Learning: Make
it your Business
Sudarshan Purohit
A
ll around us, in every part of our life today, e-learning
is making a difference. Whether it is tiny tots learning
their alphabets from multimedia CDs, homemakers
learning new dishes from Sanjeev Kapoor CDs, or
software professionals learning Java on the job from Internet-
based videos, we cannot avoid being affected.
Supporting this rising demand is a new wave of entrepreneurs
creating the content and tools that go into e-learning programs.
Given the right tools and the right approach, this is one business
that has huge potential for growth – and you could be one of
those riding the wave!
So how does one go about creating an e-learning product? To
understand this, we need to break apart the typical ingredients
of popular e-learning products, and see what makes them tick.
The three broad areas that we need to explore are the content,
that is, the actual pieces – text, sound, video, that make up the
product, the platform used to integrate all these pieces, and
finally the delivery method, that is, how we get the completed
product to the user.
Content
Content, as they say, is King. The real core of any e-learning
product is the knowledge it provides and how it is presented.
Modern multimedia-based e-learning products make full use of
text, music, voice narration, images, and video to convey the
point.
Each of these components has its own strengths, and the tools
and skills required to create them are different. Often, specialists
are required in each area to create these parts. An ambitious
project may have specific teams for each department, and a
different person or set of people to put it together. The low-
budget or quick solution does exist, though: use free images and
music from the Internet and open source software to put it
together.
In addition to the technological skills required to create the
content, as described below, pay close attention to the subject
itself. Are all the relevant areas covered? Does it provide enough
depth on the topics? If you are not confident of these, or if the
topic is very technical, it will be a good idea to consult a subject
matter expert while creating the content.
1. Text
We have studied from books all our lives. Even when learning
from a screen, we need the reassurance of familiar text
explaining or confirming the information we have learned. For
example, Sanjeev Kapoor, though he may demonstrate the
entire recipe in video, still recaps everything in a traditional,
written recipe format.
The content writer for the product has one of the most
important roles to play – the text must flow well and should be
easy to read. Some or all of the text may also be read out by a
narrator – this part needs to sound natural and engaging.
MS Word or Notepad is all you need to create the text.
Writing good text for e-learning products requires good writing
skills. If you have a passion for the written word or are a regular
contributor at blog spots, possessing good experience in the field
of journalism, you’ll be a a good fit, else find a professional
technical writer.
2. Images and video
Similar to music, there are several resources available on the net
for free images and video. Care must be taken not to violate
copyright since ‘free’ usually refers to ‘free for personal use’, and
not in commercial products. There are a number of websites that
offer royalty-free images and clipart – these are the safest bet.
Software tools such as Photoshop, CorelDraw or even MS
Paint are very useful to have in order to create images and then
turn them into the right sizes, resolutions, and colour schemes
for your e-learning product.
Video, until recently, was considered a high-budget option,
since the cost of cameras, editing and transferring to computers
was very high. But new webcams are fairly powerful, and
camcorders, too, now come within an affordable range. Some e-
learning sites (such as those for the popular programming
platform Ruby on Rails) offer tutorials shot entirely as a video
file. Webcasts, as they are called, are regular sessions on specific
subjects, shot on a low budget, and offered as a series on a
hosting site. They make an ideal format for creating e-learning
modules on rapidly evolving or changing subjects.
3. Voice and music
For very simple or low budget products, a simple microphone
and a voice recording software like Audacity is good enough to
record spoken text.
More sophisticated recording may require employing a
professional voice artist, and using a recording studio to get a
noise-free voice track.
Music is a trickier business. Whether or not your product
requires music depends on the target market. If you are aiming
for casual users or children, music adds to the appeal of the
product. For technical-oriented products, such as programming
language tutorials, or school/college subject guides, you may do
away with this requirement.
March ‘09 77 liveit.in
 Feature
Larger companies get original music created by composers, or
else license existing soundtracks. Software such as RealAudio
Server or Shockwave can be used to mix and compose. On a
small budget, you can look up free music and sounds on the
Internet (two good sites are www.royaltyfreemusic.com and
www.mymusicinc.com), and download these as required.
The most common audio formats include WAV, AU, MPEG,
MPEG2, MIDI, and RA. All these can be played using audio
players that are usually bundled along with operating systems.
Putting it all together
Now you have all the text, video, and photos you need to create
your product. Time too get ready for the second stage:
combining them all into a single compelling product. This can
be a long, demanding process.
Fortunately, there are several tools that help you take in
various media and combine them into a package. There are
several companies and professionals available on hire for this
purpose but they are not too difficult to learn, especially if you
are familiar with computers.
1. Flash
This is probably the most popular format for standalone e-
learning products. Flash, owned by Adobe, offers tools like Flash
Professional to create applications quickly.
There are other tools like Adobe’s Flex and Articulate, which
give you a different environment to create your product, and
finally create the result in Flash. These may be used depending
on availability and pricing.
2. HTML
The good old HTML, staple of web pages, can be quite a
powerful tool to create training and tutorials. It embeds all kinds
of media, allows for easy linking between pages, along with
Javascript and Ajax, and also gives a rich experience similar to a
desktop product. Best of all, there are hundreds of books and
study material available to show you how to use it and solve
problems. And finding professionals to create pages in HTML,
too, is an easy task.
Tools such as Microsoft’s FrontPage and Adobe’s
Dreamweaver are popularly used to create HTML pages. But
they’re not strictly necessary, since HTML is a plain text format,
and in a pinch can be created and edited using Word and
Notepad as well.
Delivery methods
So now you’ve put together a package in Flash or HTML and
are ready to sell it. How do you get it to customers?
The most common method of distributing e-learning products
is on CDs, especially those targeted at casual users. Children’s
learning, cook books, foreign language tutorials, exam
preparation aids, all use packaged CDs as the delivery medium.
If you’d prefer to use this method, you will need to work on
designing and printing the packaging for the CDs – the CD
liveit.in 78 March ‘09
cover, perhaps a box,
along with manuals
and set-up instructions.
Selling the product as
a boxed package will
also require tie-ups
with bookstores, electronics stores and distributors to allow it to
be displayed and sold.
Using the Internet to sell your product avoids all of this. The
Internet has turned into a viable delivery mechanism in recent
times – especially with broadband connections becoming more
common. The infrastructure required to host a website, too, has
become cheaper. All you need, basically, is a registered URL,
and space on a hosting server (GoDaddy and RackSpace are
popular international companies that can provide these facilities,
while BSNL has a good service of its own in India). The amount
of space you buy on it depends on the size of your product.
Make sure your account also has enough bandwidth, since
customers will be downloading multimedia files as part of the
learning.
The Internet as delivery method is especially useful when your
target market is already a heavy net user – professionals, college
students, and IT workers, for example. Many software
companies offer training on their products only through the net.
It allows them to reach a market that is scattered worldwide, and
the infrastructure required is much less. Another advantage is
that the content can be updated quickly. The users can be
notified using e-mail whenever new modules are added, and
errors only need to be fixed in a single location – the web server
where the e-learning product is hosted.
So, is it for you?
e-Learning is a large industry that has the potential to be much
larger. Whatever your skills are, there is a space for you. As a
subject matter expert, you could work on content. As an artist,
writer or photographer, you could work on creating the text,
images, and sound that create a compelling multimedia
experience. As a software engineer or web designer, you could
work on integrating media and text into a complete product. As
a marketing executive, you could work on creating access to your
product for customers. And as a businessman or investor, you
could oversee the operation and make sure the final product is
the best possible.
Whatever role you decide to take up, you will find yourself in
a career that is much in demand. E-learning is here to stay, and
is the biggest invention in teaching since the blackboard. I
 Tech Cartoon

A language instructor
was explaining that
French nouns are
grammatically desig-
nated as masculine
or feminine.

d that computers belonged to the

ud ly declare ne gender.
Puzzled, Harry er then
pro masculi
e ach
raised his hand and The t
asked, “What gender
is a computer.”

get their attention, you have to turn them on. Second reaso
First, in order to n
they ar being, althou
e alway g
s cluele h they hav
ss. e a lo
t o f da
ta,

e supposed to help you solve a pr

Thirdly, they ar oblem but
half th
e tim e ‘they
’ are th
e ones
who a
re the p
robl
em
i tse
lf.

And, lastly, as soon as you are committed to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer,
you might have had a better model.
Illustrations by: Tanmaya Tyagi
March ‘09 79 liveit.in
 Fiction
Pre- rime
–The Pl t
Resolved
AD 2050
F
our Pre-Crime cops burst into the cubicle and stared at
her with accusing eyes. “What do you want?” Rachna
ejaculated sharply, frightened out of her wits at the
sudden intrusion.
Without batting an eyelid, one of the cops declared, “We are
here to arrest you on charges of murdering your husband a year
from today.”
“Murder my husband!” Rachna screamed. “What are you saying?
I don’t even have a husband, I am unmarried. I am just 23.”
“We know that you are not married. But, according to a latest
prediction made by the Pre-Crime computer system, two
months from today you will be married and thereafter you will
go through many upheavals. You will murder him after another
nine months.”
“That’s nonsense,” Rachna cried. “Your Pre-Crime computer
system has made an incorrect prediction. You can’t arrest me on
basis of such flimsy prediction made by a mere computer
system. I already told you I don’t have any husband, so there is
no question of my murdering anyone.”
“Hold on miss,” said the Pre-Crime cop firmly, “the last thing
we need is you getting hysterical and creating a scene out here. I
can assure you that all the necessary legal procedures have been
followed in your case. As per law, we have to take you into
custody to prevent a future murder from happening.”
Rachna realized that her pleas and arguments would
definitely not yield any result. So, she allowed herself to be
liveit.in 80 March ‘09
Anoop Verma
escorted out of the cubicle by the Pre-Crime cops. The robotic
receptionist and few shoppers, present in the lobby, cast
disdainful looks in her direction. “My God,” Rachna thought
sadly, “everyone is already taking me to be a criminal.”
She wanted to plead not guilty but felt too traumatized to
articulate a single word. A dark and sinister looking vehicle,
with the Pre-Crime logo emblazoned across its sides, was
parked outside the building. The cops made her sit down in the
vehicle, which then drove away. Sitting in the vehicle Rachna
ruminated quietly about how happy she had been only few
minutes ago, when she left her home to come to the mall and
do some shopping.
*****
After emerging from her home, Rachna stood on the sidewalk
and looked at the gaudy hoarding on the other side of the road.
It had the caption in bold letters saying, “In a city guarded by
Pre-Crime Computer System, everyone can feel safe.” Rachna
smiled at the hoarding before marching ahead. When it was first
introduced ten years ago many people, including Rachna, had
misconceptions about Pre-Crime. But there were many others
who insisted that such a system was needed in order to rid the
society from the scourge of murderers. Now, ten years later, all
debate about the good and bad side of Pre-Crime had been
squelched. The system had worked so perfectly in making the
country safer that most skeptics, like Rachna and others, were
won over completely.
 For the last ten years there hadn’t been a single case of
murder in the country. How could there be, when the
perpetrator of every future murder got detected and
apprehended up to a year before he could even conceive of
killing anyone. The system functioned by keeping a tab on the
movements and on the minds of every human being living in the
country. A network of spy satellites, surveillance cameras and
microphones, covered every inch of the public area in the
country, and kept a firm eye on the body language and facial
expressions of every single person. Every e-mail, chat message,
blog post and telephone conversation was also routed through
the Pre-Crime computer system, whose state-of-the-art software
was capable of analyzing voluminous amounts of data and draw
up an accurate profile of each and every individual.
Rachna reached the shopping mall where she planned to do
her shopping. The year was 2050 and no one went shopping for
goods physically. You could either do it from home using online
networks, or you could come to the shopping malls where you
could lounge on a comfortable massage chair, while your brain
got logged on the shopping mall’s computer system. After that
your physical body would hibernate on the chair while its digital
avatar walked around and browsed at different shops. It was the
kind of ‘out of the body experience’ entailed in this kind of
shopping that Rachna especially enjoyed. She entered into the
plush lobby of the mall, where the robotic receptionist
welcomed her with the usual frozen smile on her face.
A robotic shopping assistant appeared in the lobby to escort
Rachna into an empty cubicle, where a sofa with its corresponding
headgear was arranged. Rachna ensconced herself on the sofa and
the robot assisted her in wearing the headgear.
“I wish you a very happy shopping experience,” said the
robot cheerfully.
“Thank you so much,” replied Rachna happily.
The headgear latched itself firmly with her head like any
helmet covering her entire face. She could not see, hear or even
speak except through the mind’s eye, which in this case meant a
digital rendition of her own body. Soon she found herself
getting up from her seat, but her body remained behind in an
inert state. It was only her sense of consciousness that had now
got transported into the digital space, which moved out of her
body. She walked out of the cubicle through the digital door and
entered the glitzy world of fashionable stores: a world that was
March ‘09 81 liveit.in
 Fiction
full of many other digitally generated people, some of them
manning the various shops, but majority of them simply out
there shopping like her.
At a coolly designed music shop there were many young
people browsing for music or just hanging out. Rachna’s digital
avatar walked into the music store. A digitally created shopping
assistant came forward to offer help, but Rachna declined and
instead expressed her desire to browse for music herself. In no
time she had found what she wanted and she had the music
downloaded into her online cloud space. The payment for the
music got automatically debited to her credit card account. Next
on her agenda was the bookshop, where she browsed for the
latest in fiction, but none of the digital books on display caught
her fancy and she dropped the idea. However, the scenario at
the boutique turned out to be quite appetizing and Rachna
managed to select a dress, which would be couriered to her
home address automatically.
Shopping in a state of art digitally carved mall was such a
pleasurable exercise that every time Rachna came here, she
was struck by the feeling that she should spend the rest of
her life hanging out in this cool ambience. Today also, the
sheer beauty of digital space mesmerized her. But
technology had still not advanced to the degree where
people could lead their entire life in the digital space; they
had to return back to the normal world in order to carry out
other chores. Rachna left the mall and started making her
way back to the cubicle where her physical body was stored.
Outside her cubicle she saw four Pre-Crime cops, who
seemed to be looking at her intently.
Rachna was somewhat unnerved by the intense stare that she
was getting. “Why are they staring at me?” the annoying
question popped up in her mind. She did think of asking the
cops if they had come here to arrest a Pre-Crime suspect, but
their relentless stare was giving her creeps and she preferred to
vanish into her cubicle. Inside her cubicle, she touched the body
that was lying on the sofa. Immediately her digital avatar faded
away and conscious returned to her body. Her hands reached at
the headgear, which she promptly and came back on her feet. It
was precisely at that moment that the Pre-Crime agents burst
into the cubicle.
*****
Through the tinted windows, Rachna saw the vehicle enter
the foyer of a large building. Having seen this building many
times from the outside, she knew that she had been brought to
the Pre-Crime Headquarter in the city. The vehicle stopped just
in front of the building’s large portal. The cops opened the door
and jumped out. Rachna quietly left the vehicle to follow them.
As she was escorted inside the forbidding entrance of the
building, she shivered with fright. Tears welled up in her eyes.
But the cops didn’t seem to care about her feelings. She was
taken to a large chamber whose walls, floor and roof were made
out of some kind of laminated white-coloured material. There
was a large computer screen fitted to one of the walls. In front of
the screen there was a single ergonomically designed chair.
liveit.in 82 March ‘09
The cops made Rachna sit down on the chair and face the
computer screen, which suddenly came to life and the face of an
elderly but genial looking man materialized on its surface.
“Ah, you must be Rachna,” said the face on the screen. “I am the
computer- generated interface of the Pre-Crime computer system. I
am going to be the judge for your case. Please take a seat.”
Rachna sat down on an empty chair facing the judge.
“I guess you already know why you have been brought here,”
said the computer-generated judge.
“The charge against me is completely baseless,” Rachna cried
vehemently. “I am not even married, so how can I murder my
husband.”
Her plea failed to have an effect on the implacable judge on
the computer screen. He said, “According to my prediction you
are going to be married in two months and in another nine
months you will kill your husband.”
“That’s such nonsense. Can you at least tell me who my so-
called future husband is, the one I am predicted to kill?”
“According to my data, the name of the gentleman who is
predicted to be your husband in two months is Mahesh Gulati.”
“God!” Rachna screamed. “I hope you are not talking about
the Mahesh Gulati who works in my office.”
“I am talking about the same gentleman who works in
your office.”
“Then I am sure that your predictions are totally incorrect,”
said Rachna firmly. “There is no way I will ever marry someone
like Mahesh Gulati. I mean that guy is an absolute retard. He is
also a thief. About a month ago, I found evidence that he was
pilfering money from the office fund that the company has
entrusted him to manage. I had reported the matter to my
seniors and departmental inquiry is currently on against Mahesh
Gulati. He is likely to be arrested in few days’ time.”
“Miss Rachna, the Pre-Crime system is not concerned with
matters relating to financial fraud. We are only concerned with
cases of murder. So, even if you have evidence of financial fraud
against Mahesh Gulati, there is nothing we can do about it.”
“There is no way I can ever marry a man who I know is a thief.”
“But my computer system says that you are all set to marry
Mahesh Gulati in two months and in nine months you are going
to kill him.”
“I would not marry Mahesh Gulati even if he were the last
man alive on earth.”
“I don’t care about your personal opinions,” said the digitally-
generated judge firmly. “I will only go by the predictions that my
computer system has made. In order to prevent you from taking
Mahesh Gulati’s life, I have to sentence you for a nine-month
preventive detention at the Pre-Crime facility.”
“But this is so unfair. You can’t lock me up for nine months
when I have not committed any crime.”
“The purpose of Pre-Crime is to prevent future murders from
happening. That’s the reason why we have to hold you back. If
you stay with us for nine months, you won’t be able to marry
Mahesh Gulati and, thus, you won’t be able to kill him. I hope
you enjoy your nine month long stay at the Pre-Crime facility.”
The face on the screen started to fade away.
“Wait!” Rachna screamed. “You can’t do this to me. I am
innocent. There is no way I would ever marry Mahesh Gulati,
so there is no question of my killing him.”
But the image of the digital judge had already disappeared
and she realized that she was protesting ineffectually in front of
a blank screen. The cops held her hand and made her rise from
her seat. Rachna screamed again and again that she was
innocent, but the cops reminded her that they were only doing
their duty. She was led to her quarters at the back of the
building where she was presented before a female warden.
“Hi, you must be Rachna,” said the female warden breaking
into a smile.
“I am innocent,” Rachna said ruefully. “I am sure it is some kind
of computer glitch because of which I have been brought here.”
“As you have not committed any murder yet, technically you
are innocent,” replied the warden. “But according to the laws of
the land, we have to hold you back in order to prevent you from
committing a murder at a future date. It is for your own good.”
Rachna collapsed on a nearby chair and placed her head
between her hands.
“I know what you are going through,” said the warden
sympathetically. “But by allowing yourself to be overcome with
sorrow, you are only aggravating your problems. You have to
accept the truth that for the next nine months this facility is
going to be your home. This place is not as bad as you may be
fearing it to be. You will have your own personal room, where you
can enjoy complete privacy and live in comfort. When you want to
have food or snacks, you can place your order via room service or
you can walk up to the canteen. We also have a very good
gymnasium, a club and an outdoor garden where you can walk.”
The warden escorted Rachna to her room, which was
equipped with a bed, a closet, a TV and a computer. There was
an attached bathroom as well. “Is that computer connected to
the Internet?” Rachna demanded.
“Of course. Every computer in the Pre-Crime facility is in the
online mode. The inmates at this facility, most of whom are
people like you, have not committed any actual murder; you are
merely being detained to prevent a future murder from
happening. That is why we have no problem if you use the
Internet to communicate with the rest of the world or to do any
other kind of work.”
“The computer will prove handy during my stay here,”
Rachna said with a sigh of relief.
Few minutes later, the warden walked out of the room.
Rachna remained seated on the bed, with her head in her
hands. The same nagging question kept hammering into her
mind, “How could something like this happen to me?” It was
certainly unbelievable that the computer system at Pre-Crime
had predicted that she would get married to someone like
Mahesh Gulati. How far-fetched that idea was, of her marrying
that inveterate thief who was pilfering from the funds that his
office had entrusted him. But what if a master hacker had
tricked the computer system at Pre-Crime? The idea jumped
March ‘09 83 liveit.in
 How To
Fiction
into her mind all of a sudden. She knew quite well that Mahesh
Gulati was good with computers and all kinds of software.
The thought energized her and the very next moment she was
in front of her computer, with her office website open. There
she found the names of various employees. She logged into her
own account and started looking for any activity that she could
construe as suspect. She checked the time for her last log in;
there did not seem to be any discrepancy in it – the same bunch
of mails in her inbox, in the draft folder and the sent folder. She
clicked on icon of special folders that she had created few
months ago to store mails and files that she thought she might
need at a later date. Here too she could detect nothing
extraordinary. There was absolutely nothing in this mail account
that could help her prove her innocence. Maybe there was no
evidence to be found out here. She felt depressed.
She was about to log out when her eyes fell on the bar at the top
of the web page. The bar indicated that her mail account was
using about 12.82 GB of space. In fact, her mail account had been
indicating a usage level of above 10 GB since last 15 or 20 days.
She didn’t store any heavy files in her account, so why should her
usage level be 12.82 GB? She did a check on the size of all the
individual folders and the total came to 7.6 GB. But that failed to
explain about 5.22 GB of extra bulk. It could only mean one thing
– she had a hidden folder in her mail account, about which she
knew nothing. The evidence of her innocence might exist in this
hidden folder. She frantically searched down the network for any
trace, but they all came up negative.
She knew that the system used an integrated protocol to verify
r/w rights. She decided to run a check on the mail account’s
administrative system to detect any kind of security breach. To
her immense surprise, the server rebuffed her by sending the
message, “You have no right to make changes in the
administrative section. Please contact the Master-Administrator
to gain more rights.”
“Hey, this is my mail account and I am the Master-
Administrator out here,” Rachna shouted at the screen. But now
it had become apparent to her beyond doubt that her mail
account had been hacked. “I am a victim of a conspiracy
hatched by Mahesh Gulati,” she gathered. She went on a search
for integrated system security, anything that could be capable of
generating feedback. There were plenty of feedback generators,
but none integrated and she had to bypass each one of them on
entry. She opened another window and started searching
through the main system on which the accounts of all the
employees at her office were maintained. Suddenly it hit her.
Buried under a few thousand lines of code, sat a Trojan
program designed to play the role of a Master-Administrator to
her account. She took control of the Trojan and used it to
change the administrator settings of her account.
The secret folder in her email account now became visible.
There were copies of a bulk of mails supposedly written by her
to Mahesh Gulati. Most of them were mushy kind of love
letters. There were her replies to his e-mails that reiterated their
desire to get married within the next two months. She was
liveit.in 84 March ‘09
breathless with fury as she read some of the e-mails, but she
hardly had the stomach to go through the vast majority of them.
Her priority was to trace the router that Mahesh Gulati had
used to plant those incriminating e-mails in her account. After
some digging, she managed to trace the complete log of his
activities that proved beyond doubt that he had been planting
false evidence in her account. She e-mailed this log to the Pre-
Crime Computer system, hoping that the system would be able
to draw the correct inference.
The response was much quicker than what Rachna had
expected. In less than five minutes, the door to her room opened
and the female warden peeped in. “The judge wants to see you,”
said the warden.
“About time,” said Rachna and she got up from the chair.
She was taken to the same chamber where she had met the
digitally created interface of the judge earlier in the day. She
waited expectantly to hear the new verdict.
“The Pre-Crime Computer System seems to have made a
terrible mistake,” the judge began. “Now it has come to light
that it was Mahesh Gulati who planted files in your account in
order to create a false profile for you and get you arrested by the
Pre-Crime System. He wanted to take revenge against you
because he was frustrated by your act of reporting his corrupt
activities to the seniors. The false profile has now been removed
from your account and that has led the Pre-Crime Computer
System to predict that there is no chance of your murdering
anyone during the next one year. You are free to go now. The
Pre-Crime Computer System wishes you a safe and happy life.”
“I always had a feeling that the Pre-Crime Computer System is
not infallible,” said Rachna. “It is prone to misuse by any hacker.”
“Instances of misuse are extremely rare,” said the
judge complacently.
“Will you arrest Mahesh Gulati now? That man tried to wreck
my life. I want him to be punished.”
“Pre-Crime System is not concerned with any crime other
than murder. But the new evidence has been passed on to the
cops who are engaged in normal police duty and according to
my latest data he has already been taken into custody.”
“I am relieved to hear that.”
When Rachna walked out of the chamber, she did not go
back to her home. After her short tryst with incarceration, she
wanted to enjoy her freedom in the digital universe. She walked
back to the same mall from where she had been arrested. The
robotic receptionist seemed surprised to see her back so soon.
“Oh, I thought you had been arrested by Pre-Crime cops,” said
the robotic receptionist.
“You know,” said Rachna quietly, “it is difficult even for the
draconian Pre-Crime system to incarcerate someone like me,
who is well versed in the techniques of hacking. I managed to
convince them that they must let me go.”
“I am so glad to know that you are versed in the techniques of
hacking. Maybe you can hack into the mind of the robotic janitor
who works in the mall and make him fall in love with me.”
“Why not!” said Rachna and broke into a dense laughter.I
 How To

How to Make Money

Through Blogs Zahid H. Javali

S
ure the headline is instant eye-grab material, and your blog post and you will attract plenty of new visitors to
you must be salivating to read the next few sentences your site. After that, it all depends on whether your site has
on how to monetise your blog. I have read tons of enough engaging content to keep them hooked and they don’t
stuff on how to monetise your blog and here is what mind the con game.
I have found out … 8. Read. Study. Assimilate from the success stories of
1. First and foremost, get your own domain name. other bloggers, most notably John Chow dot Com.
Many affiliate marketing firms and even text link ads Last heard, this guy made a cool $31,000 from
don’t work on platforms like WordPress. (I am his blog in just one month. This is how he made
soon going to start my own blog where I own the his moolah …
domain name.) G Private Ad Sales: $15,230.00;
2. Write content that’s genuine, honest, G Affiliate Commissions: $7,729.37
insightful and original. In the beginning, G ReviewMe: $5,000.00
however, just keep at gaining a steady G Text Link Ads: $2,031.90
readership through your content. G Kontera: $1,000.00
3. Once you gain a critical mass of readers
(both through RSS feed subscribers and site
visitors), that’s when you should begin to
monetise your blog.
4. Many sites like reviewme.com and
kontera.com will not even accept you if
your traffic rank is below 500,000 hits
a month. Therefore, it’s important
to get there with great content. G TTZ Media: $384.24
5. Promote your blog on G FeedBurner: $45.73
social networking sites, e- G Subscription: $20.00
mails, messengers, chat G Grand Total: $31,441.24 (that’s
status messages, and around Rs 15 lakh)
through other blogs By any measure, 2008 was a good
and websites … it year for John Chow dot Com. He
could even be stuff accomplished many of the goals he set
like leaving an for himself and saw some amazing growth from the
insightful comment on blog. At the start of the year, the blog had just broken
other blog posts. 14,000 RSS readers. He finished 2008 with nearly
6. Linking to other 45,000 RSS readers and over $400,000 in income.
popular blogs and asking That’s more than double the income from 2007 and
them to reciprocate the more than triple the RSS readership. It’s really hard
gesture works wonders. to believe that all this happened in just three years,
7. Make the most of link but it did happen.
festivals like April Fools Day to Which is why, I highly recommend his blog.
make unrealistic announcements Not only do his reports inspire you, but
that you made an ‘X’ amount of subscribing to his blog posts should give you
money through your blog and so on. enough dope on how to go about making
This will let many people forward your blog more profitable. I

March ‘09 85 liveit.in

 How To
Data Security in
a Stolen Laptop
Zahid H. Javali
hy would one want to secure data on a laptop that
W has been stolen? To make sure that confidential and
important data does not lie in the wrong hands.
While it’s certainly disheartening to lose even the
tiniest of possessions, imagine the despair at losing a laptop with
months or years of data. However, even after losing the laptop,
one can prevent the data from landing into malicious hands.
The service that helps in this seemingly impossible task is known
as LaptopLock.
Here’s what the service does:
G The LaptopLock team deletes the important files when a
laptop is reported missing.
G The service team can also encrypt all the data stored on
the stolen laptop so that no important information
falls into wrong hands.
G If the stolen laptop is connected to the
Internet, the service can track the ISP
number, which in turn will help the police
to track the thieves.
The awareness of this service will deter thieves from stealing
laptops in the first place.
The following steps provide instructions to set up the
LaptopLock service for your laptop.
1. Open the LaptopLock website by typing
http://www.thelaptoplock.com in your web browser.
2. Register with the LaptopLock service. You will need a valid
e-mail address and a password to register on the website. The
registration at this website is free.
3. Once the registration process is complete, log in to the
LaptopLock website. A new page will appear with a box titled
‘MONITORED COMPUTERS’.
4. Enter a name for the laptop in the given field.
5. Click the Add Computer button. The message, ‘The new
computer has been added to the database.
Remember to download and set up the
LaptopLock agent’ will appear on the
screen.
6. After closing the message box, click
the Download here link available on
the right-hand side of the screen.
7. Install the downloaded
LaptopLock agent.

8. After installation, you need to configure the
LaptopLock agent with information about your computer.
The following information needs to be entered to complete
the configuration:
- Account e-mail: This is the e-mail ID that was used to
register on the LaptopLock website.
- Computer ID: The LaptopLock service generates a unique
ID for each computer/laptop you add on the website. Enter this
ID in the given field during configuration.
Once the information entered is verified, you will get a
confirmation message.
9. Next, enter a password to access the LaptopLock agent.
Ideally, you should enter a password different from the one you
used to register on the LaptopLock website. This password is
critical for accessing the LaptopLock agent later.
After configuring the computer with the LaptopLock software,
you can begin instructing the LaptopLock agent to act in a
certain way if the computer/laptop goes missing. Here are the
steps to specify what the LaptopLock agent should do if you
report a laptop missing:
1. Start the LaptopLock application on your computer.
2. Select the Security/Manage Security Plan option. This
is where you start giving instructions to the LaptopLock agent.
Now you can specify if a particular folder or file should be
deleted from your computer when you report it as stolen.
3. Click the File Security tab. There are various options that
you can select here for ensuring that your important data
remains untouched.
- Add Folder: Using this option, you can secure the data in the
folders of your choice.
- Add File: Using this option, you can secure the important
files that you want no one else to access.
The LaptopLock agent provides a feature called the secure
data wiping method. This essentially refers to physical deletion
of a file from the hard drive of the computer.
Some people prefer to encrypt their data instead of choosing
to delete it. This essentially comes from the feeling that if the
laptop is recovered, the data can also be recovered. A certain
encryption function is applied to turn the data into gibberish.
After the laptop’s recovery, the corresponding decryption
function can be applied to recover the original data.
4. Click the Notification Options tab.
In this tab, you can set up messages that the person using the
stolen laptop will receive. For starters, you can set up a message
that will pop up as soon as the person switches on your laptop.
Some people set up a threatening message while others put a
polite message requesting the laptop to be returned. You can
add your contact to the message so that you let the person in
possession of your laptop get a chance to return it.
Apart from the ‘welcome’ message, you can choose a sound
that will play when the computer is tuned on. The sound can be
selected from the ones that you have stored on your computer.
5. Save all your chosen settings. There are several other options
available in the LaptopLock software that you can activate.
Here’s how the LaptopLock service works:
Every time the registered computer is turned on and connected
to the network, the LaptopLock agent checks on its website if
the computer has been reported as stolen. The owner of the
computer is the one who updates the status of the computer on
the website if the computer has been stolen. If the status of the
computer is found to be stolen, it follows all the instructions that
you had earlier specified in the LaptopLock software. All those
instructions work as commands now. Thus, as the laptop thief
turns on the computer, he/she will be welcomed by your
messages while the data being turned into gibberish!
The first and foremost thing to do if you realize that your
computer has been stolen is notify the LaptopLock service of it.
You should do this even before you report to the police. Here are
the steps to notify the LaptopLock service of a missing laptop:
1. Open the LaptopLock website in a web browser.
2. Click the Report Computer Missing button next to the
computer that has been stolen.
You will get the following message:
“Are you sure you want to flag this computer as stolen? When the
computer connects to the Internet all pre-determined actions, including
file removal and encryption will occur. Some of the actions could be
unrecoverable. Are you sure you are missing your computer?”
3. Click the OK button if you are absolutely sure that your
laptop is missing. Otherwise, you may experience a nightmare
with all your commands being executed on you instead of a thief.
If you get your laptop recovered, follow the steps given below:
1. Start the LaptopLock agent on your computer.
2. Enter the password.
3. Click the Recovery Options tab.
4. Choose to decrypt the files you had asked to be encrypted
in case of the theft of the laptop.
Remember, you will not be able to recover the files that you
had chosen to be deleted.
Check the LaptopLock website to learn how your private data
is secured and protected. You can go through the answers to the
frequently asked questions available on the website to
understand the way the service works.
In case of the theft of your laptop, you no longer need to
have sleepless nights wondering about the plight of your
confidential data. I
March ‘09 87 liveit.in
 How To

Clearing Search History

from Google Search
Uma Narayanan
henever you try to type something into the entirely, uncheck the ‘Save information I enter in web page

W search box on Google homepage, you

immediately see query suggestions both from
your own previous searches on a particular
topic and other relevant suggestions as well. The latter set of
queries is powered by Google Suggest. If you do not want
forms and the search bar’ option.
Another way to quickly clear the search history is to place
your cursor on the search box, right-click and select ‘clear search
history.’ This is a quick way to delete the stored data.

Google Suggest to display possible queries, there is an option to
disable it. However, your previous searches are stored in your
search history on your browser and not on Google Homepage.
Fortunately, deleting your past searches can be done easily.
Here’s how you can delete all your past searches, in one go.
In Internet Explorer
G Go to the ‘Tools’ menu.
G Select ‘Internet Options.’
G Select the ‘Content’ tab.
G Under the ‘Personal Information’
Deleting search history from Google Toolbar
If you are using Google Toolbar, you would have seen that
Google Toolbar also retains the search history if you allow it to
store them. Clearing the current search history or disabling the
feature in the browser, as explained in the above paragraphs,
does not affect the
Google Toolbar
contents. You have to do
it in the Toolbar
separately. To completely

field, select ‘AutoComplete.’

G In IE 7, AutoComplete is seen

within the Content tab itself.

G To clear the current history, click

on ‘Clear Forms.’
G To disable this feature entirely,

uncheck the ‘Forms’ box.

Else, click on the General tab on
Internet Options window. Click on
Delete under Browsing history item.
From the new window that opens, you can clear the previously
typed entries in forms along with cookies and temporary
Internet files. You can also delete individual entries from your
search history by using the down arrow key to highlight a
previous search and then pressing the Delete key.

In Firefox: http://www.googletutor.com/wow/
cs-pic1.htm
Just as you did with Internet Explorer, you can also clear the
search history or disable the feature in Firefox.
G Go to the ‘Tools’ menu.
G Select ‘Options.’
G Select the ‘Privacy’ tab.
Within the ‘Saved Form Information’ area, to clear the
current history, click on ‘Clear’ and to disable this feature
disable your Toolbar’s search history, follow these simple steps
given below.
Select the ‘Options’ button on the Toolbar, generally notified
as a spanner icon on the toolbar. From the window that opens,
uncheck the box next to ‘Drop-down search history.’
To simply clear the current search history, click the Google
logo to access the drop-down menu; select the ‘Clear Search
History’ option. Your past entries are deleted and would not
appear again. I

liveit.in 88 March ‘09

Share your iTunes
Library on the Web
Uma Narayanan
f you are a big time iTunes user and happily flaunt your
I iPod or iPhone, you might sometimes want to share the
songs in your library with friends across the globe or would
like to download your friend’s iTunes library who owns an
enviable collection of music. This way, you could avoid wasting
time on making searches on the Internet for music and can
simply browse and download them to your library at ease.
Mojo is a cool application for both Windows and Macs
that allows you to share any song from your iTunes library
and download any song from your friend’s library.
Download Mojo and create an account to continue
working with it. After you create an account with Mojo, you
will be able to start adding buddies to your buddy list on the
left hand side panel. Remember, in order to share your
iTunes library with your friends, it is required that your
friends also need to download, install, and create an account
with Mojo.
Once you add a friend and they accept to get added to your
friend’s list, you will have full access to their iTunes library. Now
to start browsing their music collection and downloading songs,
simply double-click on a buddy’s name. A window will pop up
with a list of all their songs, playlists, movies, TV shows,
podcasts, audio books, etc.
To download a song of your choice to your iTunes library,
click on the small down arrow located next to each song or video
or just click on the Download button at the bottom right. Mojo
will also create a new playlist with all of the songs that you
download from a particular friend’s library.
If you do not wish to download a particular song or a video
but would like to listen to it or watch it from his library folder,
double-click on it to listen to it or play it. Another cool
feature about the program is that it can automatically detect
whether a song in a friend’s library is already in your library
and would highlight those files in grey, so you would not
download it again.
The Mojo free version has some limitations that it permits
access for only three people, which means you can have only 2
buddies to share your iTunes library with. But for a reasonable
one-time payment, you can have unlimited number of friends
accessing your library and vice versa and also allows
subscription to playlists in your friend’s library. Enjoy! I
March ‘09 89 liveit.in
 How To
How to
Get the Best
Out of Google Chrome:
Tips, Tricks & Shortcuts
Priyanka Dey
G
oogle Chrome is surely pulling crowd, thanks to the
various functions that it has in offer. But do you
really know all that Chrome can do for you? Here
are some tricks, tips and shortcuts that can come in
handy while you are at it.
1. You can create desktop and Start menu shortcuts to web
applications, such as Gmail. Just go to www.gmail.com and
select Create application shortcuts ... from the Page Control
menu (located in the top-right corner of your browser; the
menu is similar in appearance to a page with the corner
folded over). Next, decide where you want the shortcut to be
placed. You can also create similar shortcuts for other Google
apps such as Calendar and Documents, and other services
such as Windows Live Hotmail.
2. Do you want to view sites and hide them from your
History list? Simple, just press Control + Shift + N. This will
open an 'incognito' window. The websites you view in this
window won't appear in your history and cookies served by
sites in this window will be deleted when the window is closed.
3. In case you want to open a link in the incognito window,
you can just right-click on the link and select the option Open
link in incognito window.
liveit.in 90 March ‘09
4. To make Google Chrome your default browser, click on the
Tools button (in the right-hand corner of the browser window
with a spanner icon), select Options, then click the Basics tab
and finally select the Make Google Chrome my default browser
button. Now, every time you open the browser, Chrome will
show up as your default page.
5. To run through open tabs in order, press Control + Tab.
6. Pressing Control + Shift + Tab cycles through your tabs in
the opposite order.
7. You can also jump to different open tabs using Control + 1,
Control + 2, Control + 3, an so on. For example, Control + 9
takes you to the last tab in the browser.
8. Right-clicking or holding down the back button will bring
you a drop-down list of sites to go back through. Show Full
History, located at the bottom of the list, opens a new tab with
your full browser history.
9. If you wish to load your Google Chrome homepage, with
thumbnails of your most visited sites shown in the active tabbed
window, press Alt + Home.
10. To open a new tab, press Control + T. You can drag tabs
around to change their order or drag a tab out of the window
into its own window.
11. Control + Shift + T opens your most recently closed tab.
To open the tab closed prior to the last closed tab, press the key
combination again. Google Chrome lets you open up to the last
ten tabs you've closed.
12. To clear data such as the Google Chrome browsing history
and cache, click on the Tools icon and select Clear browsing data ...
13. To clear the list of most frequently visited websites that
appear on your Google Chrome start page, you can clear the
browsing history using the same method given above. Clearing
your Google Chrome browser history will also stop matches
from previously browsed sites appearing as suggestions in your
address bar.
14. To bookmark a website, click on the star sign located on
the left of the address bar and then select a folder to add it to.
15. To quickly bring up the History page, just press Control + H.
16. As with Firefox 3, you can drag a link onto a tab to open
it in that tab, or drop it between two tabs to open a new tab in
that position.
 17. Control +B hides the Google Chrome bookmarks bar. Press
Control + B to bring it back again.
18. You can delete history for chosen days by scrolling to
the day you want to delete and
clicking Delete history for this
day on the right-hand side of the
window.
19. If you wish to see your
Downloads page, just press the
combination Control + J.
20. In order to clear an item
from your Downloads page, right-
click on the entry you want to
delete and select Remove.
21. Press Control + K or
Control + E to search from the
address bar. Once pressed, you’ll
get a ? symbol in the address bar.
Here you can simply enter your
search query and then hit Return.
22. Right-click the top of the
browser window and select Task
manager to see how much memory
different tabs and plug-ins are
using. You can highlight one and
click End process to stop it running.
23. Shift + Escape is a quicker
way to bring up the Google
Chrome task manager.
24. To see what plug-ins are
installed, type about:plugins into the
address window of Google Chrome.
25. To delete cookies, go to
Tools→ Options→Under the
Hood. Now, scroll down to the
Security section and click on the
option Show cookies. Now you
can click on the option Remove
all or choose to remove
individual cookies. I

March ‘09 91 liveit.in

 How To
Download
Free
Mouse
Cursors
Priyanka Dey
W
ant to add new cursors to your same old Windows?
It’s definitely worth a try if you are tired of the
same cursor you have been using for years. The an-
swer lies in the shape of CursorFX, which gives
you some really cool options to replace your mouse pointer with.
Now, you must be wondering what could be so special, or new,
about this. Well, the cursors readily available for download from
the web could be great source but did you know that most of
them carry malware or spyware. I am sure you wouldn’t like to
have any of it. If that sounds interesting, then read on!
CursorFX comes across as a reliable source for safe download
of cool pointer options. And, it manages to rule as the best cur-
sor manager without the nasty spyware or malware. To down-
load the free version, just visit www.download.com
Once the download is complete, run the software to install it.
Now, open the program to see the control panel. On the panel
liveit.in 92 March ‘09
that opens up, click on the option My Cursors to bring up the
list of available cursors.
Next, choose a cursor you like and then click on Apply to acti-
vate the cursor.
You will get a number of cursors for the theme you have cho-
sen. This will show you the different modes of the cursor once
you start using it.
You can also add effects to it like ripple animation for a type
of mouse action.
You also have the option of adding trails to the effect. Just
click on the option Trails and apply the type of trail you want.
The free version will only take you this far. For more actions
and options, like adding sound effects and for more cursor de-
signs, you can get a paid version at www.wincustomize.com
So, what’s holding you back? Go ahead and add some fun and
action to your work environment. I
A
stitch in time saves nine. This adage works brilliantly for your computers, too. Not
only will keeping your computer clean help you save on maintenance cost, it will
also keep you stress-free, so you can focus on your work and not fret and fume
about trivial issues. So, why is cleaning important? A lot of dust and debris get
collected in your system resulting in the heating up of your machine. This further leads to
major faults as fatal as hardware failure.
Here are a few simple tips that could help you keep your system clean. Read on…

Few simple tips

on cleaning your
computer
To clean the computer case, first unplug your system power
1.
from the electrical outlet. Remove all cables and connectors
from the backside of your computer. The computer will require
the fans to be cleaned also. Some PCs have multiple fans
encased in them – one on the processor and one or two on the
power supply. Hit them all. Blow air around all the hardware
components and keeping away your blower nozzle 4 to 5 inches
away from main board components. You can use compressed air
to clean a system.
Another good alternative to compressed air is to use a
2.
portable battery- powered vacuum that can effectively
remove dust, dirt, and hair from the motherboard completely
and also prevent it from getting trapped within the case.
However, do not use a standard electricity powered vacuum as it
can cause a lot of static electricity that can damage the computer.
When using the vacuum, it is vital that you stay a couple inches
away from the motherboard and all other components to help
prevent contact as well as to prevent anything from being sucked
into the vacuum. Ensure that you do not dislocate any small
components with the vacuum such as jumpers.
To clean your keyboard, pick up a can of compressed air from
3.
any supply store. These cans can be used to clean out dust
and debris on your keyboard without disturbing the configuration
of components inside it. Be careful not to blow dust into your hard
drive as this may damage your machine. It's a good idea to turn the
keyboard upside-down and shake it properly to remove the keys.
Next, soaking in a solution of ammonia and water can clean the
set of keys. Be careful while you try to pop off the keys as not all
keys come off easily; if you struggle to get them off, quit the idea.
If you feel the need to test fate, you can pull the memory and
4.
other cards and gently rub a pencil eraser on the contacts
before putting them back in. However, don't pull any cards out
unless you're having problems reaching certain areas.
Zahid H. Javali
Remember, never open a CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitor.
5.
Even when unplugged, they retain enough current to harm you.
When cleaning the inside of your computer (motherboard,
6.
etc.), make sure your computer is not plugged on to the electric
socket. And never place your computer on the ground; always use a
computer table or shelf for this purpose.
Use only an air duster/canned air to remove dust from your
7. components. Do so outside so it doesn’t end up all over
your house.
When cleaning the monitor, make sure you do so with a clean
8.
rag and use cleaning agents that are designed for
electronic products.
Use lightly dampened cloth or spray any cleaning fluids on the
9.
computer case and use a paper towel to dry it. Gently wipe
clean the casing, using Q-tips to clean smaller areas like vent holes
and floppy disk drive openings.
Never clean components inside the computer or circuit boards
10.
with damp or wet cloth.
To clean the mouse, wipe the outside of it with a slightly damp
11.
cloth. Next, unscrew the scroll ring from the bottom of your
mouse and remove the ball. Dust off the ball with a soft cloth.
Next, clean the cavity of the mouse where mostly all the dust gets
accumulated. This dust clings to the rollers that move the ball and
you can just scrape them out with a Q-tip or your fingernail and
replace the ball and ring. An optical mouse requires little
maintenance, but a ball mouse can be disassembled with much
ease. Clean the ball itself as well as the X- and Y-axis rollers.
To keep your computer looking clean for a longer time,
12.
purchase an inexpensive plastic covering for your equipment! I

March ‘09 93 liveit.in

 How To
How to Make the Best
of your Camera Phone
Zahid H. Javali
ith most cell phones equipped with cameras,
W everyone has become a walking, talking
photographer. To make your photo jaunt even
more eye-opening, here are a few simple tips that
could take your photography to an altogether different level. All
you need is an instruction manual. Follow the instructions
adroitly, and all should be well. Just one thing to be kept in
mind: Though some phones equipped with 3.2 megapixel
cameras look good when printed, most phones with a lower
pixel count are largely good to capture Kodak moments when
you don’t have a conventional camera handy. And these pictures
are great for circulating through e-mail or posting on the
Internet like blogs, websites and so on.
It’s a numbers game
The more pictures you take, the better you will get in the art of
taking good shots. Remember the ‘use and disuse’ theory?
Practice, practice, practice!
Get up, close and personal
Since most camera phones don’t have a terrific zoom feature, it
is best to move closer to your subject to take the photograph.
Even if your camera phone has a zoom feature, try to avoid
using it as most pictures get foggy when clicked with the zoom
feature on.
Look in the eye
One of the first and foremost tools of photography is to make
sure that you shoot the subject at his eye level, not yours. Be it a
child or a stone bench, the picture seems more real and tangible
when you get down to its level. So if you are taking a picture of
a dog at your eye level, the picture won’t have the impact unless
you shoot at its eye level. The dog will look more
friendly/unfriendly as the case maybe and you would have
captured it at its very best angle.
Focus on the lighting
Lighting plays a key role in any form of photography,
particularly in the use of a camera phone because of its limited
camera functions. Though some cameras come with the flash
feature, it is best used in dark surroundings. Just make sure you
liveit.in 94 March ‘09
don’t have a bright light behind your subject while taking a
picture. Always get the light fall on the subject, and not on the
lens, for a clearer picture.
Plain white backgrounds are best
If you are using portraits, it is best to take pictures with a white
background or any plain light-coloured background. Just make
sure, the subject isn’t wearing white and the background is also
white. This will just merge the subject with the background
colour. Choose backgrounds that contrast the subject, and not
merge him or her into the background. If the subject is wearing
white, use black for best results and vice versa.
Go for unique angles
Since you have a digital camera phone that allows you to see the
picture as soon as you take it, you have the flexibility to shoot the
same subject and setting in different angles – low angle, high
angle, close-up, wide angle, etc. Try any or all the angles you can
think of and then choose the one that best compliments the
mood and setting.
Look for unique camera phone functions
Do a lot of trial and error using your camera phone. You could
read the manual and experiment or you could just experiment
with all the features in the camera phone by instinct. Remember,
every camera phone comes with its own value additions. It is
important to know all the functions of your camera phone
properly to make full use of it. It could be the ‘macro feature’
that allows you to take pictures from an extreme close-up angle.
Take people’s permission before shooting
Don’t just go on taking pictures of people and places without
taking relevant permission. Sometimes, it is best to ask the
people you are photographing for their permission. When taking
candid shots, you could take their permission after the
photography is done. Try to avoid any legal trouble while you
are at it.
Keep your regular camera on standby
While taking pictures on your camera phone, don’t forget to carry
your regular camera along. While camera phones are used to take
casual, not so important but primarily functional pictures (like with your subject leaving no room on either side or placing your
taking the picture of a new dress at the shop window to show your subject right at the corner of the frame. Or better still, take only
mom at home), if it is proper photography, be it portraits, half of the subject’s face to show off your creativity. Once you
landscapes or wildlife, it is best to use your regular camera. know the rules, the new rule should be: anything goes.

Share your photographic exploits Lens cleaning is a must

All the pictures you have shot are best enjoyed if stored and Fingerprints are a common problem on camera lenses,
shared. You could download your pictures on your computer and especially if your phone doesn’t have a lens cover. Treat the lens
MMS or e-mail your pictures to your friends and relatives. You of your camera phones the way you would treat your sunglasses.
could also join an online photo sharing site like Flickr.com and let In fact, use the very same cloth to wipe the lenses every time you
the whole world see what you are up to. use it for shoots. Since the phones remain largely outside and
some don’t even have dust covers, it is important to clean the
Don’t shake the camera lens before starting the shoots.
Try to lean your camera phone/hand against
a solid object (like a tree, wall, ledge) Keep an eye on the
when taking shots. This is particularly camera resolution
useful in low-light conditions when the Make sure you set the
camera is prone to use longer shutter resolution of your camera
speeds, which means it is a longer phone every time you are
exposure and demands that you stay using it. If it’s just
put for at least a few seconds after shooting pictures that
pressing the shutter. you don’t really feel the
use for, set it to low
Don’t immediately delete resolution. But if it’s an
the pictures important shoot whose
It is best to keep all the photos you have taken pictures you want to
from your camera phone for a while and revisit keep for posterity, make
them when you have more time to spare. What you sure you have set it to the
initially thought to be bad photos because of their highest resolution. Also
blurry, out-of-focus images, could be quite useable in an remember that the
abstract way. What’s more, they could even be used to create a higher the resolution, the
painting kind of effect with Photoshop. Also, remember that more the memory it
the photo might appear bad on someone’s computer, but not uses. So, it is advisable to
yours. So, if possible, hang onto your shots until you can get use at least a 2 GB
them on your PC. memory card. This
should allow you to take
Go for multiple images of at least 800 pictures at
the same subject and the highest resolution.
experiment a lot Happy shooting! I
Because they are mobile and tiny,
camera phones are quite handy in
allowing us to not only take as many shots as
we want to (there are 8 GB memory cards), but also
help us in experimenting with different angles. Shooting from
different angles, like down low, up high, close-up, etc. could get
you interesting and cool shots. You can always discard what you
don’t like later and not pay a penny for your indulgence, one
of the many benefits of being digital.

Break the rules of the game

Before you actually break the rules, you need to know the rules
of composition. For example, the ‘Rule of Thirds’ mandates that
you place your subject a third of the way into the frame and not
bang in the middle. But who stops you if you fill up your frame

March ‘09 95 liveit.in

 How To

Changing the
Default Program
to Open a File With Uma Narayanan
With and then select Choose Program.

A
ll the while, we are used to open, view and edit
files with the default applications that come along Now choose the program that you want to use to open files of
with the Windows package. But, with a plethora of a particular type. If it is not in the list, you can click the Browse
commendable open source programs available button, go to the Program Files folder and click on the EXE file.
these days, it is pretty normal for anyone to use a third Once you choose the program, make sure to check the Always
party text editor, photo editor, media player, etc. instead of use the selected program to open this file box. Here, in
the default programs. our example, check this option on Notepad++. Then click OK.
When you double click on the TXT file, it always opens up in Voila! Now, whenever you click on a TXT file, it will open
Notepad. Now you can open a TXT file with Notepad++, an using the program you’ve chosen, i.e., Notepad++ in the
awesome text/code editor with plenty of additional features. If Open With dialog.
you have installed Notepad++ on your machine and
experienced it, you would rather have all your text files open Method 2 – File Types Dialog
with Notepad++ instead of Windows Notepad. The second method is to open My Computer, go to Tools, and
Here is how to change the default setting for opening a click on Folder Options.
particular type of file. Now click on the File Types tab and scroll down to the file
type extension you want to change, in this case TXT.
Method 1 – Use Open with Dialog Click on the Change button and the same dialog box pops up,
The easiest way to change the default launching program for a prompting you to Choose
file type is to right-click on the file, click on the option Open Program from the Open
With menu. Go ahead
and pick the program
from the list and click OK.
You can do this for
any file type on your
computer, including
pictures, sounds, videos,
PDF formats, etc. So,
wht are you waiting for?
Go ahead and enjoy the
advantages of Open
Source programs! I

liveit.in 96 March ‘09

 Feedback
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 Tech Career

Top It Up with
Topper’s
e-Learning
Rishali Yadav

I
magine your kids coming back from school and heading
straight for the TV or computer, only this time to catch up
on their favourite program on Biology or Chemistry. That’s
right, there’s a new innovation appearing in classrooms
throughout the country that still uses the traditional way of
India, where the quality of education is by far quite inconsistent,
we knew that TV was the only medium that could really bridge
that gap.”
Out of the 300 million students who enroll in schools, there
are only 2 million who manage to secure seats in universities and

“
engaging teachers for imparting lessons,
the only uniqueness being that they do so
from thousands of miles away. Topper
Learning, working on similar lines, has
developed its own visual learning
curriculum that doubles up as a television
channel, Topper TV. Instead of having to
pen down formulas on paper, students can
actually watch what happens when two
substances mix.
“The television set is largely restricted to
entertainment and news,” says Sunil
Khanna, co-founder of Topper Learning.
“With the existing infrastructure issues in
just about 700,000 odd ones who are able
to grab professional courses. With the odds
so tough, students need every technique
The first step at they can learn to qualify for the best and,
more importantly, to make learning more
Topper’s was to enjoyable.
Programs offered by Topper, for a
assemble a team of nominal annual fee of 1100 rupee, are
brilliant educators “ designed for classes 9 through 12. The
curriculum that Toppers follows is
to host their
consistent with CBSE syllabus that’s
followed by most state government schools.
broadcasts. Thus, whatever students learn online or
through electronic media can compliment

liveit.in 102 March ‘09

what they learned in the classroom earlier that day. The faculty
at Toppers develops real-world experiments to make the
examples clear.
In an effort to reach out to as many students as possible,
Toppers has partnered with Educomp Solutions to impart
computer training and provide software to schools in 13 states.
While Educomp takes care of installing the computers and
televisions in schools as well as training the teachers on how to
use the same, Topper has taken the key responsibility of
teaching the children how to use it as well.
“[The Internet] has been a passive medium where the
maximum one can download is the written stuff. Quality
educational videos were never available for the benefit of
students,” sighs Khanna.
When the organization was first formed, one of the first steps
was to assemble a team of brilliant educators to host their
broadcasts. One guarantee Toppers does make is that all their
teachers, called Experts, are highly qualified and hold Master’s
degrees or PHDs.
Khanna says, “We have an internal faculty who develops
the lesson; there are script writers to take a call on how things
are to be presented on TV, and finally our faculty goes
through lesson modules before they are shot, edited, and put
up on the television.
People from various skill sets come in for the training.
There are programmers, content developers, people engaged
in packaging, etc. So, the training modules are obliviously
specific to each person’s functional area. The story board
chooses the topics to be covered, which are then converted
into programming scripts. Lastly, animations are added to
the script.
We don’t give live lectures online. Instead, we showcase videos
so they can be accessed any time, anywhere. Then, there’s an
option where students can submit curriculum questions, or
anything they didn’t understand, to the ‘Ask Expert’ section.
Thereafter, we provide a personalized response from the best
experts in the faculty.”
Students can also take tests online that are graded
immediately to let you assess the areas you are strongest in and
those where you need to work hard.
However, Khanna isn’t hoping to replace the teachers in the
classrooms; he simply aims at complimenting their curriculum
with the materials and information that can’t be provided by
blackboards and textbooks. I
March ‘09 103 liveit.in
 Interview

In Conversation with
Eric Tong, Vice President,
Belkin Asia Pacific Limited
Priyanka Dey
Walking through the lifestyle
concept of Belkin “@ home,
@ work, in the car, on the go,”
Eric Tong, Belkin’s Vice
President discusses the journey
and thought process behind
the company’s electronic
accessories designed specially
for demanding consumers.
Tong shares that an important
step that Belkin has adopted is
to simplify technology to work
on a solution-driven approach
in gadget development.

Tell us a little about

Q.yourself, your foray into
the business world and your first
taste of success here.
I have been based out of the
organization’s Hong Kong office, the
headquarters for the APAC region. My
fifteen years of exciting experience in
sales, marketing and operational
activities and a vision to make an end
user’s life easier are the reasons that get
me going.
I started at Belkin in 1993 in product
management, for Belkin’s product
design, development, and positioning.
My first taste of success was heading the
launch of a range of successful Belkin’s
products like iPod(TM) accessories,

liveit.in 104 March ‘09

networking products, and an innovative
audio-video accessories line-up. Another
achievement was the development of an
award-winning, in-house product design
studio, R&D group, and marketing team.
How was Belkin Inc. formed?
Q. What is the diverse range of
products Belkin seeks to offer?
And who are most likely to
benefit from it?
A privately held company founded way back
in 1983, Belkin started off from a small
garage in Hawthorne, California, with just
two employees and sales of $100,000 for the
first year. We have come a long way since then
and have employed over 2000 employees, over
10,000 product SKU’s and have sales revenue
in excess of US$ 1.2 billion.
Today, Belkin offers a diverse range of networking and
connectivity solutions across three screens of your life –
television, mobile phone and laptops/computers. Apart from
that, we also offer some very stylish and innovative accessories
for MP3 gadgets,
We offer a diverse computers and gaming
devices.
range of networking Belkin has and will
always be a mass brand. We
and connectivity believe every individual
with a digital lifestyle
solutions across aspiration or a gadget is
somehow a Belkin
three screens of life customer. And we are
committed to providing
– television, mobile supporting accessories to
every imaginable digital
phone and lifestyle gadget or
application @home,
laptops/computers. @work, in-car or on-the-go.
Research and development is a major issue
Q. for a product to be successful in the market.
Do you believe so? If yes, then what do you do in
that respect? What does the process involve and
how do you go about it?
Yes, definitely. In fact, every Belkin product available on the
retail shelves today is the result of many man years of involved
mapping of ever-changing consumer applications and digital
lifestyle aspirations.
We believe strong research, innovative design and involved
product development is integral to the success of any digital
lifestyle product. Naturally, Belkin invests a significant amount
of its resources in its strong product design studio, R&D group,
and marketing team.
Many well-established
Q.companies are already
more or less settled in India,
then why should Belkin be
accepted here?
Belkin products are available across
130 countries around the world and we
compete successfully against well
established players in each these
competitive markets. Our product
offerings in India, divided across four
application categories – @ work,
@home, in-car and on-the-go – deliver
exciting digital lifestyle innovations that
make life easy and comfortable.
We are here because we are
confident that our Indian consumers
will embrace our innovative, stylish,
user-friendly and reliable products
wholeheartedly and in a big way.
India has a very talented pool of workmen
Q.and they are providing their services to
many of the International companies. Do you
have any such plan to take them into your
organizational activities?
Yes definitely, India has a large talent pool indeed. So we would
like to have more of talented Indians as a part of our
organizational activities.
Sustainability in a market is a million-dollar
Q.question for a new product to settle in. What
do you think in that respect?
I think sustainability in a market for a new product to settle in,
depends on how well you cater to the everyday need of an end
user. We design products specifically for a consumer-driven
market, helping them to have a smoother and more
comfortable life.
I see, in view of your business commitment,
Q.you travel a lot within and outside your
country. In that case, how do you manage to
devote quality time to the personal front?
My professional commitments constantly keep me away from
my beloved country and my family. My hectic schedule
notwithstanding, I still take care to stay connected with my
family, of course with help from various Belkin innovations, and
by doing socially relevant community service projects.
One last question. The secret mantra to your
Q.success?
I think, one should have a strong passion for excellence with
plain hard work to be successful. There is nothing called
impossible; you just need to have conviction in what you do. I
March ‘09 105 liveit.in
 Profile

I
n the last years, the financial system
created a fog so thick that even its
captains could not navigate it. Like the
rest of us, they fell for a kind of pseudo-
objectivity. But not Pankaj Patel. The CEO
of Carazoo.com, India’s first and only
automobile portal with interactive
animations, is a hands-on manager who
brought with him unique strengths in
conceptualisation, creativity and design
that were instrumental in successfully
redesigning and re-engineering
Carazoo.com from a mere car website to a
full-fledged portal, which won PC World’s
‘best designed website’ award for 2008 in
the automotive sector.
In the age of Barack Obama, a silent but
fateful struggle for the soul of capitalism is
being waged. Can the market system be
made to serve us? Or will we serve it?
According to Patel, it works both ways.
“Net is the biggest leveller,” he says in his
trademark style of eschewing wisdom.
“Whether you are big or small, you have
access to the best news, views and
applications. Similarly, you are given an
equal chance to take a shot at success. With
an investment of Rs 5 crore, we intend to
break even by 2010,” he says with business-
like precision. “Our revenue last year was
Rs 1.5 crore and target for 2009-2010 is Rs
3-4 crore. Last year, I met 92% of my
target. This year, I will exceed it.”
And how much does luck play a part in
this ambitious revenue drive? “Being a
Libran, I have two views on this,” he says
after attending to an urgent business call.
“There is no such thing as luck. If you can’t
achieve something, you blame it on luck. I
have rarely seen people saying, ‘I got this
order because of luck’. Luck is nothing but
recognising the opportunity, seizing it, and
converting it to business.”
Obsession can be genuinely agonising
and disruptive. It can also be highly valued
in an artist, a lover, or a businessman. In
the 25 years of doing commerce, Patel’s
obsession has always bore fruit. Being
smart does not entail being able to make
the right decisions. Rational behaviour,
getting on in life, can be beyond those even
with the highest IQs. Patel has a few gems
of wisdom to share here. Says he: “If you
don’t have common sense, you are bound
Cars by Web!
PANKAJ PATEL, CEO, Carazoo.Com, speaks to ZAHID H.
JAVALI on how he turned a staid car website into India’s
first automobile portal to have interactive animations!
to fail and repeat mistakes. Hard work is
important, but doing more of smart work is
the need of the times. When I joined
Carazoo, I knew zilch about cars. Now, I
can hold fort on them.”
As we all seek more connectivity, we lose
our sense of a private self. We no longer
hear the still, small voice that speaks only in
silence. However, Patel does and that is
precisely what keeps him going in good
times and bad. “Every day is a new day;
every day brings good and bad news; I don’t
let stress affect me,” he reveals. “If
something is going wrong, I will think of
what is it that I can do to stop it and the
options available to me. If it has already
happened, I will think of ways to minimise
the impact and if I can’t do that either, I will
just say to myself ‘I can’t do anything about
it now, can I’ and let it not affect me.”
If religion and television are the opium
of the masses, education can be a great
detox. Take Patel. The 47-year-old has
forever been a student and loving every bit
of it. “I always wanted to be a doctor but it
never happened even though I did my
bachelor’s degree in science,” he recalls.
Instead, he did a certificate course in Cyber
Laws and a Post Graduate Diploma in Tax
Management covering Income Tax, Sales
Tax, Wealth Tax & Excise Tax. He also got
a degree in law from the Government Law
College, Mumbai University and a Post
Graduate Diploma in Business
Management from KC College of
Management Studies, Mumbai.
And this is helping Patel cut costs in his
business. “Whatever I have learnt in law
and management is helping me in my daily
life,” he says. “I draft my own legal
agreements and save my company a lot of
legal fees. It is fairly easy to draft legal
documents on your own. It is more about
the meeting of minds. Therefore, it is more
about the intent behind the agreement and
not on how bad or good the business is.”
If you think facts do not solve problems
and actually feel they are core of an anti-
intellectual curriculum, it’s time to think
again. “Don’t bother to tell your potential
customer about the different features of
your product,” says Patel. “Rather, tell him
how he will benefit from it. The bottomline
is important, more so in India.”
He has mastered the art of the Elevator
Pitch. It is nothing but a concise, carefully
planned, and well-practiced description
about your company or product. “It’s an
American concept that basically tells you to
sell your idea between the time it takes you
to go from the ground floor to the top
floor,” explains Patel. “In that time, you

liveit.in 106 March ‘09

need to say one or two quick benefits to a
prospective customer which will get his
attention. And then, he gives you five more
minutes for you to explain further and 10
more minutes and so on.”
That is how he sealed the deal with a car
dealer. “I was told that the owner of this
car dealership in Bangalore was very busy,”
he explains. “It was my third attempt to
meet him and I had got the same answer.
If he kept on saying that, I wouldn’t get a
chance to make my elevator pitch.”
This demanded some shrewd
machinations. Patel found out the time the
car dealer exited his office on a normal day
and took a chance on one such working
day and strategically placed himself. “As
soon as he walked out, I bypassed
everybody and gave my visiting card,” he
explains. “The dealer asked, ‘What can I
do for you?’ and I gave my one-sentence
spiel. Since he was hurrying for another
appointment and also interested in what I
had to offer, I asked him if he wouldn’t
mind me doing the rest of the pitch in his
car. He said ‘yes’ and I got half an hour in
the car, which gave me enough time to say
what I had to. It got him interested enough
to get a meeting confirmed with his GM
and other people for a full-fledged demo.
Today, he’s one of my biggest customers.”
Carazoo is part of Logix Microsystems
Limited, the world’s largest supplier of
Automotive Animations. And Patel joined
this firm in October 2006 to oversee their
India operations. It is not only listed on the
BSE and NSE but is also ranked amongst
the ET 500 companies. And recently, Logix
was the recipient of Asia’s Fastest Growing
500 Companies from Deloitte Fast 500.
Which is why Carazoo has no competition
as it is a division of a company which has
pioneered automobile animations. If you
log on to Carazoo, you can interact with
the site by taking a 360-degree tour of the
interiors of the car and even paint the car
to the colour of your choice, to see how it
looks. Not just that. You can even attach
accessories that you are going to buy, like
alloy wheels, and see how it will eventually
look before you buy them.
Started in August 2007, it was on a test
run (beta) for almost eight months before
going completely live. However, changes
are a part of the portal. “We do a little bit
of design changes every 1-2 months and
overhaul the entire site every 12-16
months,” says Patel who believes in
continuous improvement. “Content is king.
And then comes the useability and how
easily can you navigate on the site. For
example, if you are looking for a Honda
City, how many clicks does it take you to go
to your desired page – it shouldn’t take
more than three clicks to do so. When that
happens, the person will spend more time
on the site, but if he has to click one too
many, he may lose interest and move on to
some other site. Similarly, the design should
be great and inspiring, so the person stays
around longer.”
Patel’s target group is anybody between
the age of 24 and 36 in any of the Indian
metros who is planning to buy a new or
“Whether you are
big or small, you
have access to the
best news, views
and applications.”
second-hand car. With cellphones
outnumbering computers, Carazoo is going
to have a mobile-friendly version by May
2009 as well.
Until then, Patel is happy to report that
the number of visitors to his portal have
exceeded 2 lakhs every month among whom
1.4 lakh are unique visitors and nearly
60,000 repeat visitors. The hits have grown
by 50% from last year and he is happy the
way it’s going. “We get 3 million views and
18,000 enquiries per month,” he beams.
The slowdown hasn’t affected him as
much. It has only raised his stature on the
web. “Internet is the only medium that is
less costly than the traditional media like
TV, radio, print and hoardings and it is also
the only medium where you can monitor
and track on what’s happening with your
advertisements,” says Patel, matter-of-factly.
“Once the advertiser understands that, the
recession will only help us. The last two
months have been a record month for us in
terms of revenue and the number of users.”
Patel has his own guesstimates to back up
his revenue model. “According to my
personal estimate, 45% of Indians in the
metros go on the Internet before buying
new or old cars unlike 92% in the US,” he
says. “It is here that a user can take a car,
spin it around, paint it, compare it, read the
review, download car brochures and even
order a test drive online. The test drive is
arranged through a dealer. These features
draw consumers to our website and
eventually lead them to a car showroom.”
An avid reader, Patel’s other interests
include online marketing, alternative
medicine and ozone technologies. In fact,
he was one of the first guys to create an
application using Ozone gas for continuous
fumigation and disinfection. “You could
use it in the ICU,” he says. “I sold a few to
pharmaceutical companies and hospitals.
But that meant a whole lot of concept
selling rather than product selling. I was too
ahead of my time, so I gave up.”
However, never ask him about his
pastimes, because he doesn’t have any. “I
don’t remember when I am not working; my
wife and kids stay in Mumbai; I work out of
Bangalore, so I have all the time in the world
to remain a workaholic,” says Patel, who
works anywhere between 16 and 18 hours
on any given day. “I don’t remember
working less than 14 hours, but I try not to
work on Saturday and Sunday.”
Prior to joining Logix Microsystems,
Patel was a Director with Advance
Computer Services Limited (ACS), a Tier 1
vendor of IBM in USA and India. At ACS,
he successfully created a business plan for
contract staffing and offshore development
business. He successfully developed a pan
India presence and built revenues up to Rs
50 million and a total staff of 150 +
engineers in three years. Some of Patel’s
other key engagements and assignments
were with NetBusiness Solutions India
Limited as Chief Operating Officer, Surger
Exim Inc. as President and Chief
Executive Officer and Circuitron Private
Limited as Director.
With 25 years of work behind him,
no wonder Patel is the poster boy of
e-commerce. I
March ‘09 107 liveit.in
 Peek & Pick

Casio EXILIM
Zoom EX-Z9
Twenty three ‘best shot’ modes, face detection technology
that allows you to take clear pictures of at least three
faces in a group photo, anti-shake feature that reduces
blurring of photos due to shaky hands or moving
subjects, ‘Easy Mode’ option that allows you to set your
camera with just three easy menus for quicker shots – if
all these features don’t get you, there’s something more: a
new, improved 8.1 megapixel of image resolution, and a
2.6-inch wide LCD display. And if you are a colour freak,
this model is available in pink, black, silver and orange.

Price: Rs. 6500

Availability: www.my.casio.com

Transcend
PF810 Digital
Photo Frame
Combining a lustrous gloss-black finish with elegant inlaid
rhinestones and an intuitive LED touch-sensitive menu
interface, Transcend’s PF810 is the perfect addition to any
room or office. Its bright new 8-inch 800 x 600 (4:3) colour
TFT LCD panel and 2 GB of built-in flash memory
makes sure users can easily display the entire photo
collection in great clarity and detail. The photo frame is
also equipped with advanced NaturaTone intelligent skin
colour processing that analyzes the makeup of each image
and enhances colours for a more natural, life-like
appearance. It is a true multimedia device fully equipped
to play back movies and videos as well. Besides, the PF810
functions as a full-featured MP3 player and an FM radio.
The digital frame comes with a two-year warranty.

Price: Rs. 9500

Website: www.shopping.rediff.com
Availability: Supertron Electronics Limited
Tel: 033-22131221-23
Mediaman Infotech Pvt Ltd
Tel: 91-22-2382-3100/3200

liveit.in 108 March ‘09

Washable
Mouse
from
Belkin
It’s a specially designed washable mouse from
Belkin. The product is water-resistant, so it
endures spills and stays clean. Its versatile Scroll
Pad lets you scroll vertically and horizontally with
one easy touch. Designed to work on a variety of
household surfaces including upholstery and
wood, the product features optical technology
with 1200 dpi and is powered via USB cable.

Price: Rs. 1500

Availability: www.in.com

March ‘09 109 liveit.in

 Peek & Pick
If style and sport get you going, then this collected by the Swiss
watchmaker could do the trick for you. The range is ‘Faster’
(inspired by the world of automobiles and motor-sports),
‘Further’ (for elegance of performance on treks), and ‘Higher’
(influenced by aviation) and ‘Deeper’ (unveiling the ocean’s

Longines
secrets). Sporting fluid lines, aerodynamic curves, energy-filled
typography and tachymeter, it boasts of an automatic self-
winding mechanical movement and offers a power reserve of
46 hours. The watches are equipped with triple security
deployment buckles that are water-resistant up to 300 metres.
Lateral protection for the crown and double security folding

watches
clasp with integrated diving extension-piece.

Price: Rs. 28,500-1 lakh+

Availability: ITC Park, Sheraton Hotel, Chennai
Amarson Watch Co., C-10, Connaught Place, New Delhi.

liveit.in 110 March ‘09

 PC Guardian
Ezolution
Combo Lock
Carrying your laptop is akin to carrying your
office with you. So it’s most important to lock it
away when you are not using it. Here is where
the PC Guardian Ezolution Resettable Combo
Lock (Rs. 1200-1600) is ideal for users who prefer
the convenience of keyless security and the ability
to choose their own combinations. However, if
you are worrying about keys and lost
combinations, the PC Guardian Master Coded
Combo Lock (Rs. 2000) should help. A push
button head offers keyless locking for press-and-
go convenience. The locking mechanism secures
virtually any device equipped with a security slot.

Price: Rs. 1200-2000

Website: www.pcguardian.com

Sony VRD-MC10
Play and record video footage from handycam
camcorders and other sources directly onto a DVD
without using a computer. That’s what Sony’s
VRD-MC10 DVD recorder allows you to do.
Equipped with a Compact Flash, Memory Stick
(regular and Duo), and SD/xD, this gadget has an
array of input ports for analog R/L audio-in,
video-in, S-Video-in, DV-in, and USB. It is
therefore the most versatile PC-agnostic DVD
recorder on the market. It supports all hi-def
formats, including 1080p. Only one downside: it
doesn’t support Blu-ray Disc. If you find this a tad
expensive, you can go for the previous model, the
VRD-MC5, for Rs. 9000.

Price: Rs. 18,000

Availability: Avit Digital, 62, Janpath, New Delhi
Vivek Ltd., 36/1, Elephant Rock Road,
3rd Block, Jaynagar, Bengaluru

March ‘09 111 liveit.in

 Peek & Pick

Transcend JetFlash V33

Transcend’s JetFlash V33 has a curved, ultra-compact
body (60 mm x 16.5 mm x 8.1 mm) and is ultra-light at
just 7 gram. The USB drive comes in pure
white with a splash of colour around its cap.
With a storage capacity of up to 16 GB,
JetFlash V33 supports Windows Me/
2000/XP/Vista, Mac OS 9.0/OS X and
Linux Kernel 2.4.2 or later. The versatile
rflash drive is also available in 1 GB, 2 GB, 4
GB, and 8 GB capacities, and is backed by a
3-year warranty.

Price: 1 GB - Rs. 400/-; 2 GB - Rs. 500/-;

4 GB - Rs. 800/-; 8 GB - Rs. 1300/-;
16 GB - Rs. 2300/-
Availability: Redington: 91-9381924185,
91-44-32467705; Supertron: 91-33-2213-
1221/23; Mediaman: 91-22-23823100/3200;
Bharti Teletech: 91-9871115703

SmartOffice PL2546
This is a versatile scanner that offers
features like document scanning, editing,
digital filing and archive management;
basically it’s a machine that’s been
specially designed to help offices go
paperless. Users can scan documents and
convert them into searchable PDF format
before sending them to the repository.
Plustek PL2546 has an automatic
document feeder (ADF) that can take 50
sheets at a time and has a heavy duty
cycle of up to 1500 sheets per day. It can
scan 25 pages per minute (or 46 images
per minute) in colour, duplex mode. The
auto detector function of this scanner also
allows an auto preview of the scan.

Price: Rs. 60,000

Availability: Fortune Marketing and
Intra Tech Computers Pvt. Ltd.

liveit.in 112 March ‘09

LG KU990
Camera Phone

This is undeniably a slinky number from LG. This is a camera

you can ring people on and at the same time, watch TV, browse
the web and listen to music. The 5-megapixel camera with a
touchpad screen and dedicated camera buttons on the side
allows movie shooting and playback. Viewing your pictures is
almost as good as having your prints in your hand, especially
when using the landscape setting. Images can be viewed either as
standard thumbnail or scattered around the screen giving it a
snazzy look. Bonus: music player and FM radio.

Price: Rs. 21,000

Availability: www.gadgetsguru.com

March ‘09 113 liveit.in

 Shopper’s Guide

Live IT provides you the following shopping guide which should

The surf shop

help to get you started on a fabulous online shopping spree. Call
it an easy finder or a quick search, the list compiles all the gadgets
and gizmos featured in this issue with appropriate links of the
best possible places for you to shop wisely and browse coolly!

News (pages 8-11) Minoru 3D Webcam Bubbles Wrap Keychain

Nokia 3640
Price: Rs. 7,910.00
Coming soon
Kindle 2
Buy online: www.amazon.com
Price: 359.00 USD
Sony Ericsson Gaming
Handset F305
Retail: Shop no D1-31,
Lotus Communication,
Kamla Nagar, New Delhi
Salore, Shop No. 56, Khanna
Market, New Delhi
Price: 139.99 USD
Buy online: Buy online: www.firebox.com
http://www.firebox.com/produ Price: 6.95 Euros
ct/2274/Minoru-3D-Webcam
Price: 49.95 Euros
Style IT (pages 45-53)
Apple TV
Desktop Coffee Maker Buy online: www.apple.com
Buy online: Price: 229.00 USD
http://www.firebox.com.
Price: 19.95 Euros Airport Express
Buy online: www.apple.com
Elvis Duck Price: 99.00 USD
Buy online: www.firebox.com.
Wireless Keyboard
Price: 5.95 Euros Buy online: www.apple.com
Price: 49.00 USD
Banana Guard
Buy online: Macbook Air
http://www.bananaguard.com/ Buy online: www.apple.com
Price: 6.99 USD Price: 1,799.00 USD

Live IT or Leave IT Flip Digital Video Camera

(pages 18-21)
Bellysonic Speaker Pouch
Buy online:
https://www.amazon.com
Price: 80.00 USD
Sun Jar
Buy online: www.amazon.com
Price: 44.99 USD
Glow Graffiti
Buy online:
http://cgi.ebay.com/
Price: 42.95 USD
Color Phasing Shower Light
Buy online:
https://www.thinkgeek.com.
Price: 49.99 USD
Buy online: www.firebox.com
Price: 119.95 Euros
Sky Lanterns
Buy online: www.firebox.com
Price: 24.95 Euros
Light Cast
Buy online: www.firebox.com
Price: 49.95 Euros
Digital Camera Mask
Buy online: www.firebox.com
Price: 89.95 Euros
Digital Wi-Fi Detector
Buy online: www.firebox.com
Price: 39.95 Euros
iPod Shuffle
Buy online: www.apple.com
Price: 69.00 USD
iPod Classic 120 GB
Buy online: www.apple.com
Price: 249.00 USD
iPhone 3G
Buy online: www.apple.com
Price: 199.00 USD
iMac 20
Buy online: www.apple.com
Price: 1199.00 USD
(Note: Prices may vary or discounts may
be available on some products.) I
Cover Model: Yuvika Choudhury
Photographer: Niloy Kumar De

liveit.in 114 March ‘09