Shocking plastic effect on Birds...

Photos Show the Shocking Effect of Plastic on Albatross Chicks

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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is known to be an “island” of trash, mainly plastic, floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is well known that it has vastly negative effects for marine life, and these shocking pictures from photographer Chris Jordan drive the point home.

During his visit to Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, the photographer had the chance to see and photograph the havoc plastic waste is wreaking with the lives of albatross chicks. Parents mistake the waste as food, and feed it to their chicks, hundreds of which then die due to poisoning, choking or deadly blockages.

His photographs show the remains of such albatross chicks, with nearly decayed bodies but with the plastic waste clearly visible in their bodies. The photographer has said that the images show the actual contents in the birds’ stomach, and has not been “moved, placed, manipulated, arranged, or altered in any way.” It really is a stunning, shocking sight.

Source : http://www.greenpacks.org/

TigerText - SMS with Expiry Date

TigerText - SMS with Expiry Date and Lots more.

WHAT IS TIGER TEXT & HOW DOES IT WORK?

Tiger Text is an iPhone app that advertises itself as a tool to help people “cover their tracks” that are left when sending traditional text messages.  What Tiger Text does is enable a cheating spouse to send text messages between the “other person” (who is also using Tiger Text) and not worry about the text message being found by someone else — because messages sent via Tiger Text will essentially self destruct within a specified timeframe.

When you send a text message using Tiger Text, the content of your message is never sent to the recipient’s phone as it does when you send a standard text message.  Since the message doesn’t reside on the recipient’s phone, but rather stored on Tiger Text’s servers, you are given full control when the messages are deleted from Tiger Text’s servers.

Check out the screen shots below for a sample.

As you can see from the screen shots above, once the messages are gone, they are gone.  You can set messages to ‘Delete On Read’ or set your own time limit such as 2 hours, 4 hours, etc. A few other tidbits of information are that both users must have Tiger Text installed (there is a free reader if the other person doesn’t want to buy Tiger Text), and if a message is set to expire at a specified time period and it’s not read, then its gone forever. Check out the screen shot below for an overview of Tiger Text’s settings.

Pricing for Tiger Text is FREE for the first 100 messages  or 15 days (whichever comes first), and then its $1.49 per 250 messages sent per month or $2.49 per month for unlimited messages.  Currently the iPhone is the only supported device, but there are now plans for BlackBerry and Android versions later this year.

The developer of the app says that using Tiger Text will help you cover your tracks, and I agree 100%.  It will help someone cover their tracks who is using Tiger Text to send text messages.  However, if a suspicious spouse has secretly installed an iPhone spy app on their spouse’s iPhone, then its game over. The cheating spouse will get caught. I’m 100% sure of it, for the reasons below.

With Tiger Text, you don’t have to worry about someone going through your iPhone and reading your text messages.  Tiger Text will enable you to set your text messages to either delete when read, or self destruct within a specified time frame. However, it wont protect you from an iPhone spy app as described above.

Features: Automatically delete messages or specify when messages are to self destruct.

Price: FREE for the first 100 messages  or 15 days (whichever comes first), and then its $1.49 per 250 messages sent per month or $2.49 per month for unlimited messages.

URL: www.tigertext.com (or do a search for ‘Tiger Text’ in the app store)

Source :

www.tigertextapp.com/

http://www.spyphoneguy.com/2010/03/03/tiger-text-cheating-spouse-app-vs-iphone-spy-apps/#Top%205 

Mens Fashion

Mens Fashion

Kawasaki Ninja 650R

This is could be the best news yet for the motorcycle enthusiasts this year craving for a suitable motorcycle which is not so powerful like litre-class motorcycles or the slightly underpowered quarter litre motorcycles. India’s second largest two-wheeler company Bajaj Auto and Kawasaki on Wednesday launched the highly anticipated Ninja 650R.

The famous motorcycle deftly combines ample power (72 PS), serious torque (66 Nm), perfect ergonomics, nimble handling and supersport styling. It will be sold and serviced exclusively through Bajaj Probiking, India’s largest dealership network for premium motorcycles. At a price of Rs. 4.57 lacs (ex-showroom Delhi) the Ninja 650R is expected to create a new market for riding enthusiasts seeking a premium sports motorcycle. Already the motorcycling forums are abuzz with the great pricing strategy from Bajaj.

The motorcycle is already expected to heat up the things for the mid-size sportsbike segment and apart from its inimitable road presence and performance the Ninja 650R comes with a host of features such as triple petal disc brakes, MotoGP display, daylight running lights with hazard indicators, under-slung exhaust and a twin cylinder engine tuned for 91 Octane fuel to make it best suited for India and its diverse riding conditions. The motorcycle has a proper 649cc liquid-cooled twin cylinder motorcycle that aims to balance sportiness with every-day ridability and long distance comfort. The motorcycle is a liquid-cooled, DOHC, eight-valve fuel-injected twin cylinder engine with focus on ridability and is also equipped with a 180-degree crankshaft-driven balancer shaft.

According to reports, Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Auto said "We conceived Bajaj Probiking 6 years ago with the objective of making it the default destination for motorbike enthusiasts looking for looking for premium and performance bikes. The Ninja 650R is the next step in realizing that objective." He added, "The Kawasaki Ninja 250R has been a success with 1500 of these speed machines sold to date. It is now joined by its larger sibling to rule the roads."

Yoshiro Segawa, Managing Director (designate), India Kawasaki Motors, stated "After setting up a wholly owned subsidiary in India, we have chalked bigger plans for the performance aficionados of the country. We are pleased to present the stylish Ninja 650R for the Indian performance bikers. With the launch of this bike, we together with Bajaj Probiking are set to redefine the premium sports bike market in India." Available exclusively through Bajaj Probiking showrooms in 30 cities, the Kawasaki Ninja 650R will be backed with Probiking service capabilities and spare parts availability.

Super 30 Rocks Again...

Super 30  is an Indian educational program that started in Patna, Bihar, India under the banner of 'Ramanujan School of Mathematics', by Anand Kumar. Established in 2002, the program selects 30 meritorious and talented candidates each year from economically backward sections of society and trains them for the IIT-JEE, the entrance examination for Indian Institute of Technology.Time Magazine has selected mathematician Anand Kumar's school - Super 30 - in the list of Best of Asia 2010. Super 30 received praise from United States President Barack Obama's special envoy Rashad Hussain, who termed it the “best” institute in the country. Newsweek Magazine has taken note of the initiative of mathematician Anand Kumar’s Super 30 and included his school in the list of four most innovative schools in the world.Anand Kumar has been awarded by top award of Bihar government Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Shiksha Puraskar in November 2010.

Super 30 founder to start school!

Super 30, a distinctive programme that coaches students for the IIT entrance exam, has seen unparalleled success in the number of students that make it into the prestigious IITs each year. Its founder, Anand Kumar, selects 30 students from economically weaker families, provides them with food and boarding, and tutors them for a year as they prepare for the IIT JEE.

By 2011, 236 out of 270 Super 30 students made it into the IITs. We bring to you an exclusive interview with the man behind the success of Super 30. Pioneer, visionary and guru, Anand Kumar, as he talks of his inspirations, his plans for the future, his take on education in India, and the Indian Teaching Service he hopes to see become part of India’s blueprint for education.  An Interview With Anand Kumar

How does it feel to see the running success of Super 30? It makes me extremely happy. Many of these children left their homes, their villages, to come follow their dream; and to see this kind of result makes me very glad. This is the chance they need to break out of poverty and build a future for themselves.

What has been your inspiration to set up Super 30? Growing up, I had a keen interest in Mathematics, and spent many hours working on my subject. After graduation, I applied and got admission into the University of Cambridge. But my financial situation, and my father’s medical condition were factors that held me back, and I had to let go of the opportunity. It made me realize that there were many students in India facing the same situation. Despite being gifted students, with a strong academic inclination, poverty and inaccessibility to quality education held them back. If there was a way to help them, I knew I had to find it.

Who has been your role model? There have been many, but most outstanding in my memory, remains my father, Rajendra Prasad. He passed away around the time that my admission into Cambridge came through. He always said “ Son, whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly. Put your heart and mind into it. He had a good heart, and encouraged in us, the idea of giving back to society.

What advice would you give our readers that are aspiring IIT-ians? I would advise them to read voraciously, and be thorough with the basics. One must never memorise or “ratto”; that is not learning. Instead, study the basics, and understand them fully. As you develop on this, use your imagination and then apply to new learning.

If you could be India’s Education Minister, what changes would you bring into the system? To begin with, everyone must understand that education is not a commodity to be bought and sold. Right now, there are expensive private schools, and there are Government schools, and there is a great divide between them. Quality education is being sold to the highest bidder. That has to change. Education - quality education - must be accessible to everyone. Government schools must impart education of the same standard available at private schools. And excellence in quality of education must begin right from primary schools. Secondly, the IITs that now allow only 2 attempts at entrance admissions, must make allowances for children from less privileged backgrounds, and give them 3 attempts at clearing the IIT entrance exams. You spoke of primary schools; what changes do you think we need to see in this sphere of education? As I said, the quality of education must improve, and this begins right at primary school level. Most importantly, we have to attract and retain good teachers. It is the teacher that can transform a student, and it is imperative our schools have good teachers. We need to change the existing policies, and re-look at the salaries we give them, the facilities and tools to aid them in the classroom. Why don’t we have something similar to the IAS, and IFS? The ITS “ Indian Teaching Service. Something as prestigious, to attract and build talent in the education sector.

In your opinion, why aren’t there more schools like yours? Is this a difficult model to replicate? Super 30 is a school that takes no donations. In this sense, yes it can be hard to sustain. But we have created a prototype, and we encourage the government, and corporate business, to replicate this model. In fact, several State governments have expressed interest in setting up something similar, drawing inspiration from the success of Super 30.

Any plans to expand Super 30 into Super 50 or Super 100? Yes, why not? Super 30 started as an experiment with 30 students who showed potential. We had no idea the name would become so popular. If there are more children with the talent and determination, then there is always room for more.

What do you see yourself doing over the next few years? Any plans beside Super 30? Well, it has been a dream of mine to run a school for children from lower income families, and from villages where quality education is not available. I plan to set up this school, for children from the 6th to the 12th standard. I am looking for land right now, for the school premises, and for a hostel for the children to stay. I want to give them a chance to think of going abroad, to study medicine, to attend Olympiads, and meet other students excelling in different fields of academics.