India's cougar couples: When a man loves an older woman

Somebody has very rightly said love knows no age. At a time when the dynamics of marriage are changing rapidly and youngsters are experimenting with their lives, 'cougar' relationship is a new phrase catching up among them.

The term cougar refers to a relationship where a woman is romantically involved with a much younger man and it was the theme of the 2009 superhit film 'Wake Up Sid'. Audiences loved watching Ranbir Kapoor falling in love with the older Konkona Sen Sharma and even thronged the theatres for it.

'This trend is not so uncommon in India. It has been around for some time now. And, yes, Indian sensibilities are not in conflict with such relationships,' psychiatrist Sanjay Chugh told IANS.

'The phenomenon, whether people like it or not, is increasingly coming out in the open. In the past too, such relationships existed but were not talked about too much,' he added.

Way back in 1967, Hollywood came out with its well-known classic 'The Graduate', where Anne Bancroft, an older woman, seduces a much younger man, played by Dustin Hoffman.

And such experiments were not restricted to the celluloid.

Quite a few Hollywood celebrities have had successful 'cougar' marriages and the recent example is Demi Moore who has enjoyed marital bliss with 15-year younger actor Ashton Kutcher.

Other such couples are Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins (12-year age gap), Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon (10-year age gap).

Even pop diva Madonna, known for her experimental looks, tried it when she tied the knot with 10-year younger Guy Ritchie. But they separated.

In India, the most publicised cougar couple was Saif Ali Khan who married Amrita Singh way back in 1991. She was 12 years older to him. Their marriage had raised a lot of eyebrows, with people questioning the compatibility and the big age-gap, but it lasted a good 12 years. In 2004 they got divorced.

Samir Parikh, a consultant psychiatrist at Max Healthcare, says anything unusual is bound to get attention.

'Anything which is slightly different raises eyebrows for a while. This happens more so with celebrities because they are so much in the public glare and the reactions are all the more manifest,' Parikh told IANS.

Even master blaster Sachin Tendulkar's wife Anjali Tendulkar is five years older to him whereas Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala has married seven years younger Samrat Dahal and choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan exchanged vows with eight-year younger Shirish Kunder.

According to Chugh, if one looks at the Indian value system closely, it emphasises on making a relationship work and not so much on the peripherals.

The age difference of a year or two doesn't even qualify for the term 'cougar', and there are many examples of such couples in the Hindi film industry - Bollywood actors like Aishwarya Rai and Shilpa Shetty have respectively married Abhishek Bachchan and Raj Kundra who are two years younger to them. Even legendary actress Nargis was a year older to her actor husband Sunil Dutt.

Sometimes such marriages are seen by society as an attempt by a woman to have some fun in her life or by someone who wants to tame her partner and can do so by marrying a younger man.

This psyche was beautifully portrayed by director Ajay Sinha in the popular television serial 'Astitva - Ek Prem Kahani', about a young photographer marrying a doctor who's 10 years older to him.

Chugh said: 'Just as a woman would look for a father figure or fulfil her needs for protection in an older man, a man would look for a mother figure or fulfil his needs for tender care and love in an older woman.'

Moreover, a drastic shift in the financial status has made today's women independent and they enjoy the power to pick and choose their partners without worrying about age, money and caste.

'Women today, just like the men, are experimenting and are also sure enough of themselves to take such chances. In this whole discussion, we must not make it a feminist thing as it is as much a woman's choice as a man's. The younger man is also, at the same time, taking the decision to marry an older woman,' said Chugh.

Internet Contributed 5% to GDP Growth in India – McKinsey Study

According to a study based on internet-enabled consumption patterns by individuals and governments, McKinsey finds that the internet contributes more to GDP than , and several other traditional sectors do in many countries.

In India , the internet contributed 5% to GDP growth in the past 5 years compared with the average 3% for BRIC economies. India beats China in internet contribution to GDP.

Two billion people are now connected to the internet, and this number is growing by 200 million each year.

How internet contributes to growth:

• Companies are able to keep costs down.
• Target customers bring better goods and services to markets around the world much more easily.
• Individuals are able to compare prices, search for batter items or information, communicate and learn in new, improved ways.
• Governments can serve citizens very quickly and at a much lower cost through e-governance.

Internet GDP Growth is shown below:

Internet Contributed 5% to GDP Growth in India – McKinsey Study

According to a study based on internet-enabled consumption patterns by individuals and governments, McKinsey finds that the internet contributes more to GDP than , and several other traditional sectors do in many countries.

In India , the internet contributed 5% to GDP growth in the past 5 years compared with the average 3% for BRIC economies. India beats China in internet contribution to GDP.

Two billion people are now connected to the internet, and this number is growing by 200 million each year.

How internet contributes to growth:

• Companies are able to keep costs down.
• Target customers bring better goods and services to markets around the world much more easily.
• Individuals are able to compare prices, search for batter items or information, communicate and learn in new, improved ways.
• Governments can serve citizens very quickly and at a much lower cost through e-governance.

Internet GDP Growth is shown below:

The net's sweeping impact on growth,jobs and prosperity

The Internet is a vast mosaic of economic activity, ranging from millions of daily online transactions and communications to smartphone downloads of TV shows. But little is known about how the Web in its entirety contributes to global growth, productivity, and employment. New McKinsey research into the Internet economies of the G-8 nations as well as Brazil, China, and India, South Korea, and Sweden finds that the Web accounts for a significant and growing portion of global GDP. Indeed, if measured as a sector, Internet-related consumption and expenditure is now bigger than agriculture or energy. On average, the Internet contributes 3.4 percent to GDP in the 13 countries covered by the research—an amount the size of Spain or Canada in terms of GDP, and growing at a faster rate than that of Brazil. Research prepared by the McKinsey Global Institute and McKinsey's Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice as part of a knowledge partnership with the e-G8 Forum, offers the first quantitative assessment of the impact of the Internet on GDP and growth, while also considering the most relevant tools governments and businesses can use to get the most benefit from the digital transformation. To assess the Internet's contribution to the global economy, the report analyzes two primary sources of value: consumption and supply. The report draws on a macroeconomic approach used in national accounts to calculate the contribution of GDP; a statistical econometric approach; and a microeconomic approach, analyzing the results of a survey of 4,800 small and medium-sized enterprises in a number of different countries. The Internet's impact on global growth is rising rapidly. The Internet accounted for 21 percent of GDP growth over the last five years among the developed countries MGI studied, a sharp acceleration from the 10 percent contribution over 15 years. Most of the economic value created by the Internet falls outside of the technology sector, with 75 percent of the benefits captured by companies in more traditional industries. The Internet is also a catalyst for job creation. Among 4,800 small and medium sized enterprises surveyed, the Internet created 2.6 jobs for each lost to technology related efficiencies. The United States is the largest player in the global Internet supply ecosystem, capturing more than 30 percent of global Internet revenues and more than 40 percent of net income. It is also the country with the most balanced structure within the global ecosystem among the 13 countries studied, garnering relatively equal contributions from hardware, software and services and telecommunications. The United Kingdom and Sweden are changing the game, in part driven by the importance and the performance of their telecom operators. India and China are strengthening their position in the global Internet ecosystem rapidly with growth rates of more than 20 percent. France, Canada and Germany have an opportunity to leverage their strong Internet usage to increase their presence in the supply ecosystem. Other Asian countries are rapidly accelerating their influence on the Internet economy at faster rates than Japan. Brazil, Russia and Italy are in the early stages of Internet supply. They have strong potential for growth. These findings suggest that corporate leaders will need to sharpen their focus on the opportunities the Internet offers for new products and expanded customer reach. Companies should also pay attention to how quickly Internet technologies can disrupt business models by radically changing markets and driving efficiencies. Public-sector leaders ought to promote broad access to the Internet, since Internet usage, quality of infrastructures, and Internet expenditure, are correlated with higher growth in per capita GDP. For governments, investments in infrastructure, human capital, financial capital and business environment conditions will help strengthen their Internet supply domestic ecosystems.

Video chatting: All you need to know

You would normally use video calls to stay in touch with friends and family. You could also use them for work. But some new uses are emerging, such as social video calls, where you and a friend can watch videos together or you can share applications with colleagues. 
Video calling takes on a whole new meaning with these new uses, from simultaneous screen-sharing with video to remote application control. 
Here's all you need to know about video chats: apps, tips and tricks, little-known uses and more.

Group video calls

With a standard video chat, you can see a friend and talk face to face. But with a group chat, you and three or more friends can see each other and talk at the same time. 

Skype offers group video chat, but unlike the oneto-one video chat, you have to pay for this. You can initiate video chats between three or more people (maximum 10 at a time) and at least one person needs to have Skype Premium or a group video subscription (US$ 8.99 per month). 

You can try the group feature free for 7 days to see if it works reliably for you. As a free alternative, you can always use Oovoo on your PC (www.oovoo.com). Three-way video chats are free with Oovoo, or you could choose one of their pay per month or pay per use plans, as detailed on the website. 

To make group video calls using a phone has not been possible till now. Fring is going to be first with this feature, and they currently want feedback from users, so it is available as a free Beta for iPhone/iPod Touch and Android phones. Anyone can sign up for the limited beta release, ahead of the actual launch, but you'll have to hurry, since limited beta tester slots are available. 

To get the beta, you have to fill the beta tester form from http:// goo.gl/XmjxW, and include all handset types and IMEI numbers in the form.

Social video calls

Rounds offers a unique proposition : simply head to www.rounds.com from your PC, login with your Facebook account and you can video chat with your Facebook friends while doing other activities together, like playing online games or watching a video. 
Zorap (www.zorap.com) is another social video chat application. You can communicate with Google friends, or if you'd rather not put in your Google ID, just share a link with friends to invite them to your chatroom.

Zorap requires you to install a small add-on for your web browser, post which the site can access your webcam and microphone. 
Invite multiple friends, and they'll all be able to see, hear and chat with each other. You can also do dragand-drop sharing of various files. It does need each user to have a fairly fast internet connection, otherwise the video just shows up as a series of photographs.

Video chat in HD

The integrated webcams in laptops are usually not high definition, but with an external HD webcam for your laptop or desktop PC, you can video chat in HD. Needless to say, both parties need to have HD webcams, the required software and fast broadband internet connections for it to work. The uses are many. 

For example, you could hook up an HD webcam to your laptop and then output the video via HDMI to a HDTV. Your counterpart does the same and you can do full-screen, HD video chats from the comfort of your couch. HD video chats usually work on a 720p resolution (1280 x 720 pixels), even if you have a 1080p webcam. 
The latest versions of MSN Messenger, FaceTime & Skype support HD video chats.
FaceTimeFaceTime is Apple's proprietary application for video calling. Available across their latest product range (iPhone 4, iPod touch 4th generation, iPad2 and MACs), FaceTime allows for video calling only among Apple devices using the assigned e-mail address. 
It currently only supports calling over Wi-Fi and works in both portrait and landscape modes.

Fring

Available for iOS, Android and Symbian phones, Fring offers two way video calls as well as group video (currently in beta) calls over 3G or Wi-Fi to kother Fring users. After a simple registration, it quickly scans through the contacts on your device and offers one touch chat, voice and video calls. Simply choose the contact name and select the video chat icon to start a video call. More info at www.fring.com

Skype

Skype is available across PCs and mobile devices. Windows, MAC, Linux, iOS and Symbian are supported. It offers voice calls as well as one-to-one video calls. Skype requires a one-time registration which you can use across your devices and then contacts need to be manually added with their contact number or email address. 
To initiate a video call, just select the contact and next to the name, you’ll find the icon to make a video call.

Tango

Tango is currently only available for Android and iOS devices and offers one-to-one video calls. It requires a quick registration with your email address and then scans your phonebook for other contacts using Tango. 

All your contacts that are using Tango are automatically added to the contact list within the application. Initiating a video call requires selecting a contact, which in turn shows the profile page with options to place a voice or a video call.

Various email providers

The most commonly used email providers like Google, Microsoft and Yahoo have their own messenger software available for various platforms. 
Using these messengers, you can initiate quick video calling. Google allows video chat right from your Gmail windows by installing a simple audio/video plugin, whereas Microsoft and Yahoo offer the feature through their respective messenger applications. It works on the same basis as initiating a chat wherein instead of chatting the video call needs to be initiated for specific contact.

VSee

VSee is available only for Windows computers. It requires a simple one step registration, where in a username has to be created for the VSee application. 
When the application launches, it shows your video feed on the desktop along with a video. Contacts need to be manually added to your list using their VSee ID. To make a video call, simply double click on the user name and the application starts the call

Alaska Airlines replaces heavy paper flight manuals with the iPad

iPad in the cockpit , woot !
Alaska Airlines has become the first US Airline ( or first airline in the world according to my knowledge) to replace heavy paper flight manuals with the Apple iPad. This means that Airline pilots will only have to carry a 700 gram iPad (assuming it’s the iPad2 WiFi version) in place of over 11 kilos of paper manuals.

The GoodReader app on the iPad will be used to read 41 flight manuals and other reference materials in PDF format.The aeronautical navigation charts are still not available on the iPad though.
Now I wish kids who go to school carry an iPad instead of really heavy backpack and that hope the pilots have a spare iPad or paper manual as backup. And another item on the pre-take-off check for the pilot –  Charge iPad – Check !
Press Release

Alaska Airlines Pilots Go Lean And Green With iPads

First major domestic airline to use iPads to replace flight manuals
5/27/2011 9:12 a.m.
SEATTLE — As part of an ongoing effort to use technology to enhance flight safety, improve efficiency and protect the environment, Alaska Airlines is issuing iPad tablet computers to its pilots. The 1½-pound iPads replace up to 25 pounds of paper flight manuals that pilots are required to carry when they fly.
The iPads are being distributed to all Alaska Airlines pilots, a process that will be complete by mid-June. This follows a successful trial by 100 line and instructor pilots and Air Line Pilots Association representatives, who evaluated the feasibility of using iPads as electronic flight bags this past winter and spring.
Alaska Airlines is the first major domestic airline to use the iPad to replace paper manuals.
"We’ve been exploring the idea of an electronic flight bag for several years, but never found a device we really liked," said Gary Beck, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of flight operations. "When the iPad hit the market, we took one look at it and said this is the perfect fit."
The iPads contain an app called GoodReader that is loaded with PDF versions of 41 flight, systems and performance manuals, reference cards, and other materials. The electronic manuals include hyperlinks and color graphics, enabling pilots to find information faster and easier. Updating these reference materials can now be accomplished with one tap on the iPad screen instead of the former, labor-intensive process of replacing individual pages with new ones. The iPad is considered a Class 1 electronic device, meaning it is stowed during takeoff and landing under Federal Aviation Administration regulations.
In conjunction with replacing paper manuals, Alaska Airlines is exploring the replacement of paper aeronautical navigation charts with electronic versions on the iPad, eliminating the need for every pilot to carry their own copy. The two initiatives, dubbed "Bye, Bye, Flight Bag," will save about 2.4 million pieces of paper.
The cost of the project is expected to be offset by lower paper, printing and distribution expenses and reduced fuel consumption as some weight is removed from the aircraft. Further savings are expected from fewer back and muscle injuries caused by pilots carrying flight bags that can tip the scales at 50 pounds or more fully loaded.

Here is the first man to be cured of HIV- AIDS

 Timothy Ray Brown, 45, from San Francisco Bay Area, is in the news – as the first man cured of HIV- AIDS. “I think so,” he calmly tells his interviewers who ask if he actually is cured.

Brown has been facing cameras, gun mikes and diagnostic kits ever since the publication of a research paper on his unique case in the journal Blood in December 2010.

The researchers led by Kristina Allers and Gero Hutter at Charite University Medicine Berlin documented what can be dubbed as a miracle.

The successful reconstitution of a set of white blood cells that the HIV eats up in Brown’s body is a “very rare” occurrence, they noted.

Brown, who was tested HIV back in 1995 in Germany, was later diagnosed with another disease — leukaemia or blood cancer that involves an abnormal increase in white blood cell.

He was treated with bone marrow stem cell transplant — a cure for blood cancer. The stem cells came from a donor with a rare gene mutation that involves immunity to HIV — again a rare occurrence.
 The mechanism involved special white blood cells called CD4+ helper T cells.  When a dangerous material like a bacterium or a virus is detected in the body, immune cells immediately stimulate these special cells.

The helper T cells further activate and direct other immune cells to fight the disease. HIV specifically attacks helper T cells, making the body unable to launch a counter offensive against invaders.
Hence, AIDS patients suffer from other lethal infections. The researchers in Berlin showed that after stem cell therapy Brown’s body had reconstitution of CD4+ T cells at a systemic level and specifically in his gut mucosal immune system.

“While the patient remains without any sign of HIV infection,” they wrote. Brown has quit taking his HIV medication. The secret is that if the white cells could be manipulated to a state in which they are no longer infected or infectable by HIV that would mean a functional cure.

Researchers, however, have warned that though the study offers promise, it is not a surefire cure from the dreaded disease — transplants are risky, and this involved a very rare transplant. Brown is a rather lucky man. He said in a recent interview that appeared in the San Francisco media about his cure: “It makes me very happy — very, very happy.”

IIT Result 2011: 24 of Bihar's Super 30 crack IIT-JEE this year

After the 100 percent success rate of the last three years, only 24 of 30 students of Super 30, Bihar's free coaching centre, have cracked the Indian Institute of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) this year.

'It is again a good news that this year, 24 out of the 30 students made it to the IIT-JEE. In the last three years, all 30 from Super 30 had qualified. This takes the total number of Super 30 students who have qualified for the IIT-JEE in the last nine years to 236,' the institute's founder and director Anand Kumar told IANS Wednesday.

He added that the changed pattern of the exam this year could be a reason why his entire batch could not bag the coveted IIT seats.

The successful candidates include the wards of a roadside vendor, mobile mechanic, private marginal farmer, a truck driver and a class four government employee.

'All of them have managed to successfully chase their IIT-JEE dreams at Super 30 with their commitment and hard work,' he said.

Super 30 helps economically backward students crack the IIT-JEE, and has received numerous national and international recognitions.

The Time magazine featured it in the list of 'The Best of Asia 2010'.

The magazine noted that about 230,000 students appear for the IIT-JEE every year, but just about 5,000 succeed.

Students from poor families have to pass a competitive test to get into Super 30 and then commit themselves to a year of 16 hours a day study routine. Coaching, food and accommodation is free for the students.

Anand, who was mobbed by his students after the results, said it was an outcome of students' hard work and single-point devotion.

'As a teacher, I am happy for what they have achieved, for it will make a lasting difference to their lives. It underlines the cause Super 30 has been championing for the last nine years. The smiles on their faces give me the biggest award,' he added.

'Hard work, proper guidance and supervision are the secrets of our success. We teach students to eat, sleep, walk and talk only IIT,' he said.

In 2003, the first year of the institute, 18 students made it to the IITs. The number rose to 22 in 2004 and to 26 in 2005. In 2007 and 2006, 28 students made it through ITT-JEE. In 2008, for the first time 30 students cracked the exam, a feat which was repeated in 2009 and 2010.

Anand said the institute is supported by the income generated from his Ramanujam School of Mathematics , which has students who can afford to pay fees.

The Super 30 was started by Anand along with Bihar's Additional Director General of Police Abhyanand. Three years back, Abhyanand dissociated himself from the institute.

IIT Result 2011: 24 of Bihar's Super 30 crack IIT-JEE this year

After the 100 percent success rate of the last three years, only 24 of 30 students of Super 30, Bihar's free coaching centre, have cracked the Indian Institute of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) this year.

'It is again a good news that this year, 24 out of the 30 students made it to the IIT-JEE. In the last three years, all 30 from Super 30 had qualified. This takes the total number of Super 30 students who have qualified for the IIT-JEE in the last nine years to 236,' the institute's founder and director Anand Kumar told IANS Wednesday.

He added that the changed pattern of the exam this year could be a reason why his entire batch could not bag the coveted IIT seats.

The successful candidates include the wards of a roadside vendor, mobile mechanic, private marginal farmer, a truck driver and a class four government employee.

'All of them have managed to successfully chase their IIT-JEE dreams at Super 30 with their commitment and hard work,' he said.

Super 30 helps economically backward students crack the IIT-JEE, and has received numerous national and international recognitions.

The Time magazine featured it in the list of 'The Best of Asia 2010'.

The magazine noted that about 230,000 students appear for the IIT-JEE every year, but just about 5,000 succeed.

Students from poor families have to pass a competitive test to get into Super 30 and then commit themselves to a year of 16 hours a day study routine. Coaching, food and accommodation is free for the students.

Anand, who was mobbed by his students after the results, said it was an outcome of students' hard work and single-point devotion.

'As a teacher, I am happy for what they have achieved, for it will make a lasting difference to their lives. It underlines the cause Super 30 has been championing for the last nine years. The smiles on their faces give me the biggest award,' he added.

'Hard work, proper guidance and supervision are the secrets of our success. We teach students to eat, sleep, walk and talk only IIT,' he said.

In 2003, the first year of the institute, 18 students made it to the IITs. The number rose to 22 in 2004 and to 26 in 2005. In 2007 and 2006, 28 students made it through ITT-JEE. In 2008, for the first time 30 students cracked the exam, a feat which was repeated in 2009 and 2010.

Anand said the institute is supported by the income generated from his Ramanujam School of Mathematics , which has students who can afford to pay fees.

The Super 30 was started by Anand along with Bihar's Additional Director General of Police Abhyanand. Three years back, Abhyanand dissociated himself from the institute.

Talent scarcity in India increased

Indian companies are increasingly finding it difficult to find right talent, with 67 per cent of employers struggling to meet their critical-level hiring targets, a survey claimed.

About a year ago, only about 16 per cent companies were facing difficulties in getting the right talent for critical positions, the survey by staffing services firm Manpower said. 

According to Manpower's sixth annual Talent Shortage Survey, India results are well above the global average of 34 per cent and second only to Japan, where 80 per cent of employers are struggling to fill critical positions. 

Talent scarcity in India has worsened, as just a year ago, India was ranked 29th among 36 countries surveyed, when 16 per cent of employers faced difficulty to fill jobs. 

Explaining the reason behind this talent crunch, Manpower India Head - Sales and Marketing Namr Kishore said 'for the last many quarters demand for talent is increasing in India, but the supply is limited as individuals are lacking mission critical skills, resulting in such talent scarcity. 

On one had we have a demographic advantage, and on the other hand due to low employability, many of our talent is not employable. It is quite an ironical situation,' Kishore added. 

In India, the job employers have most difficulty filling vacancies for research and development, sales manager and IT staff, the survey said. 

Trailing behind Japan and India in the global list is Brazil, where 57 per cent of employers are having difficulty in finding the right people for the right job. 

This is followed by Australia (54 per cent), Taiwan (54 per cent), Romania (53 per cent), USA (52 per cent), Argentina (51 per cent), Turkey (48 per cent)and Switzerland (46 per cent).

Cisco sued for infringing patents

Mosaid Technologies Inc has filed a patent infringement complaint against Cisco Systems Inc with the US International Trade Commission. 

Mosaid, which has sued global companies like Intel Inc, Dell Inc and Research in Motion over patent violations in the past, said certain Cisco products had infringed its patents. 

The Canadian company has requested the commission to halt the unlawful importation and sale of certain Cisco products in the United States. 

The two companies are currently involved in a patent infringement case in the US District Court inDelaware over 10 Mosaid patents, including the six patents mentioned in the complaint filed with the US International Trade Commission on Wednesday. 

Fresher trouble for IT companies

Top outsourcing customers, including Amex spinoff Ameriprise and Capital One, are raising concerns over the increasing number of new engineering graduates employed by Indian and foreign tech firms in IT projects.

 

People familiar with the discussions said customers, especially in the banking and financial services sector, are worried that a high proportion of freshers may affect quality in what they call critical back-office functions. 

Already, customers such as Capital One—theVirginia bank that outsources to some of the top tech firms based in India and overseas—are demanding more scrutiny on the ratio of freshers working on critical projects. A person familiar with TCS' engagement with Ameriprise said the outsourcing firm had to pay a penalty of around $2 million towards errors in updating a brokerage system at the financial firm last year. 

'TCS did not use 'liability insurance' to pay up this fine to avoid getting this documented and instead had to reduce cost of different contracts,' the person added. For the over $100-billion US IT outsourcing market, these concerns are an early warning signal as rivals TCS, Infosys, IBM, HP and others push to maintain profitability by increasing the proportion of fresh graduates at lower salaries in locations such as India. 

Customers such as Amex, Citibank and JPMorgan are demanding more with less, or the same IT budget, forcing firms to seek ways of sustaining their profit margins through the use of freshers at lower salaries. Ameriprise spokespersons Benjamin Pratt and Stacy Housman did not responded to an email query sent by ET last week. 

The Pyramid model 
A questionnaire sent on May 12 to the TCS office was not answered till Wednesday. When contacted initially on May 12, the TCS spokes-man had said he would get back on the query in a day, but did not re-spond later. A US-based analyst who consults customers on working with vendors such as TCS says, 'We are aware of certain big players having to pay fines based on poor quality, and these are actual costs. It's (the labour-based model) going to catch up with them.' Ameriprise and Amex together are one of the top customers for outsourcing and offshoring globally. 

TCS, Infosys and Cognizant derive nearly $100 million every year from these two customers. For long, outsourcing firms have been perfecting a model wherein they hire thousands of freshers every year, accounting for nearly 95% of overall recruitment. These fresh hires, after up to six months of training, are pushed into the system to ensure that offshoring remains cost effective despite a 10-15 % wage inflation every year. Growing concerns at large outsourcing customers about the profile of workers assigned to their projects is an early warning for all tech firms following the so-called 'pyramid model', which is based on a high proportion of fresh engineering graduates recruited from campuses and managed by a few middle to senior-level managers at the top. 

At least three top executives at five of the biggest tech firms said while most customers are only interested in the output and not necessarily the profile of the staff, some have started becoming more watchful. 'You can't single out only the Indian companies,' said the CEO of one of the top Indian tech firms. 'I don't think it's such a big problem, we have been increasing the training period before they are put on live projects, and while these complaints are rare, many multinationals are now increasing the proportion of freshers in India.' 

Microsoft offers students free Xbox with $699 PC purchase

Microsoft is offering what may be its strongest incentive yet for students to buy a Windows PC: a free Xbox.

Starting May 22, the company will give a free Xbox 360 4 GB console, valued at $199, to high school and college students who buy a Windows PC priced $699 or more. Verification of student status has to be provided in-store (where a student ID is required) or online (where you need a “.edu” email address). The deal will be available at Best Buy, the Microsoft Store, Dell.com and HP.com. Microsoft announced the deal on its Windows Blog on May 19.

Though it may seem strange that Microsoft is offering a deal aimed at students at a time when school is letting out, a rep says late May is a big purchase time for prospective college students. ?Students have told Microsoft that they want technology that gives their person life fun and entertainment and also allows them to manage their school work and life with ease,? the rep says. ?Windows delivers that.?

The deal also comes after Microsoft reported weak sales for its consumer PC unit last quarter, partially due to the introduction of Apple?s competing iPad 2.

Editor's pick

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5 things you should never share on Facebook

Washington, May 18 (ANI): Almost every user likes to share everything on their Facebook page but certain updates can lead to criticism, embarrassment and even job termination.

So here's a shortlist of what you shouldn't share on the social networking site, reports CBS news.

1.That your job sucks.

If you say this, you could be fired.

2.That you hate your ex.

In the event that you and your boyfriend get back together, or you and that friend you had a falling out with start talking again, you'll look like a total sucker. It's okay to let your emotions govern your thoughts but keep your feelings off your Facebook until you've started to think clearly about said ex.

The important thing to remember about social networks is that although you have the option to delete your comments, sometimes it can be too late. It's immediate and someone might've laid eyes on it before your retraction.

3.That you're going on vacation and then give the dates you're away.

You could be robbed. A recent study found that thieves scan social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter for folks in targeted neighbourhoods before they strike.

4.That you love yourself.

In fact, don't give any indication that you're your biggest fan. Your followers will only think the opposite. It's the biggest barometer of insecurity. Researchers at the University at Buffalo also found that women who base their self-worth on appearance and what people think of them tend to upload pictures very frequently.

5.That you're mean.

Saying mean things about people can only make you undesirable-for potential employers, dates, friends and strangers. (ANI)

Internet speed reducing in India

Even as other countries worked for better internet connections, in India the speed of internet connection has come down in the last one year.

According to a report by Akamai, a firm that runs a globally distributed network of servers, in India the average internet speed was 0.8mbps in Q3 of 2010. This, according to the report, amounted to a -6.9% quarterly decline and a -9.1% yearly decline. India was the only country to see the fall in internet speed among the 12 Asian countries that were covered in the study. 

According to Akamai, the average internet speed in the world was registered at 1.9mbps. South Korea topped the list of countries with fastest internet connection with average speed of over 13mbps. In the same list, India ranked 143. Among the table of 45 countries for which data was made available in the Akamai report, only Egypt and Sudan fared worse than India. 

While number of broadband subscribers has increased in India, the quality of connection remained poor. 'Though online research appears to indicate that the Indian government considers connections above 256 Kbps to be 'broadband', the continued growth in the percentage of connections below that threshold (2mbps) should be of some concern,' the report noted. In India, it found that over 35% internet connections had a speed of 256kbps or less. 

In the National Broadband Plan, which was prepared in December last year, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) suggested that minimum broadband speed should be increased to 512kbps from January 1, 2011. 

'It is universally recognized that the minimum speed as per definition of broadband in India is very low i.e. 256kbps. What has been proposed by the Authority as part of the National Broadband Plan is a minimum download speed of 512 Kbps immediately and 2 Mbps by January 1, 2015,' noted TRAI. 'It is absolutely essential that this definition is adopted; failing which, there will be serious quality of service issues.' 

However, four months later, the recommendations are yet to be enforced and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) continue to offer 'broadband' plans with 256kbps speed. 

Sources allege that most of private ISPs don't want the government to increase the minimum broadband speed. Broadband users claim these service providers sell high-speed internet connections but with 'ridiculous data limits of 5GB per month'. The practice, termed 'fair usage policy', stipulates that once a subscriber has consumed the allotted data, his speed is reduced to 256kbps, in some cases from as high as 4mbps. 

'Even though the high-speed internet plans are marketed as those with unlimited data transfer, the reduction in speed virtually renders the internet connection unusable,' said a broadband user. 'By providing 256kbps they can still claim to provide broadband services. ISPs do it so that they can sell their 'speed boost' services. If the government increases the minimum speed of broadband in India, this malpractice can be stopped.' 

In the last few years, availability of good and robust internet connection has come to be regarded as a vital parameter of development. In fact, Finland last year made internet connection a 'legal right' for its citizens. In 2009, a French court termed access to 'internet a fundamental right'.

NASA website hacked

Hackers compromised pages on NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory website

WASHINGTON: Software scammers offering cheap Adobe software have hacked into numerous web pages of NASA, just days before its final launch of the shuttle Endeavor, and Stanford University.



According to Fox News, hackers compromised pages on NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratorywebsite, before the May 16 scheduled launch of the shuttle Endeavor.



The affected pages included barrages of "nonsense text" and interest-generating keywords, like "Edit buy adobe premiere pro cs4 some callouts and balloons to make this time it took you and saved you a long time," the report quoted technology site Computerworld, as saying.



The scammers employed the effective tool of search engine poisoning, by which they tricked Googleinto ranking their manipulated pages at the top of its rankings, to draw attention of netizens.



NASA removed its website, but other targets including Web pages belonging to Stanford, Syracuseand Northeastern Universities, still have not.

IT majors fight for day one slot at campuses

HCL is also in talks with Madurai Kamaraj Univ for a tie-up. 'We are looking at Madurai Kamaraj University in the next round.' With ambitious hiring plans laid out for the coming year, information technology majors are not only making sure they reach the campuses early, they are also trying to fend off rivals by wooing universities for the fiercely contested 'day one slot.' Institute placements follow a hierarchical order where top firms are given the day one slot and the rest follow. 

On Tuesday, HCL Technologies joined hands with Madras University for day one slot at colleges - even those in the tier I and tier II cities under the university's ambit. Meanwhile, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is attempting to fend off rivals at its traditional hunting ground, the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT). The biggest battle is for bagging the number one slot -- usually the first day of recruitment -- at top engineering colleges. TCS, Infosys, Wipro and HCL have locked horns with multinational rivals like Cognizant. 

Firms conduct placement meetings with institutes where the latter negotiates on the numbers and branches from where they can be picked up. Only once the terms and conditions have been reached, are the companies given the slots. Subrat Chakravarty, HR Head - Business Services, HCL Technologies, says: 'This is just the beginning where we have recruited 300 students from 43 colleges. We have issued letter of intent to another 1,200 students and they will also be joining us shortly. One thing about this tie-up is we are not asking the students to sign any bonds.' 

HCL is also in talks with Madurai Kamaraj University for a similar tie-up. 'We are looking at Madurai Kamaraj University in the next round. We are also working on a tie up with some colleges in North India,' Chakravarty said. Cognizant, which has been growing at industry-leading rates and closing the gap with its closest competitor Wipro, has been fairly aggressive at the campuses. 

For instance, in 2010, the company got the first slot in all the engineering colleges it recruited from -- approximately 75. Recently, Cognizant made job offers to a record 1,643 students of the 2011 batch at the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) University. 'We need to keep pace and tap talent. That's why we wanted to be the first ones to grab the best talent from these universities,' added Chakravarty. 

Microsoft Corp. and Skype Global announced that Microsoft will acquire Skype for $8.5 billion in cash. The agreement has been approved by the boards of directors of both Microsoft and Skype.

Skype will become a new business division within Microsoft, and Skype CEO Tony Bates will assume the title of president of the Microsoft Skype Division, reporting directly to Steve Ballmer.

Microsoft has a long-standing focus in real-time communications across its various platforms, including Lync, Outlook, Messenger, Hotmail and Xbox LIVE.

Skype will support Microsoft devices like Xbox and Kinect, Windows Phone and a wide array of Windows devices, and Microsoft will connect Skype users with Lync, Outlook, Xbox Live and other communities. Microsoft will continue to invest in and support Skype clients on non-Microsoft platforms.

The acquisition will increase the accessibility of real-time video and voice communications, bringing benefits to both consumers and enterprise users and generating significant new business and revenue opportunities. The combination will extend Skype’s world-class brand and the reach of its networked platform, while enhancing Microsoft’s existing portfolio of real-time communications products and services.

Founded in 2003, Skype was acquired by eBay in September 2005, and then acquired by an investment group led by Silver Lake in November 2009. Skype has made impressive progress over the past 18 months under Silver Lake’s leadership, increasing monthly calling minutes by 150 percent, developing new revenue streams and strategic partnerships, acquiring the intellectual property powering its peer-to-peer network, and recruiting an outstanding senior management team.