In today’s day and age, taking a picture has become more of a daily activity that has attached itself with online photographic services like Instagram and Flickr. These days, a picture is taken more for social networking sites rather than the artistic side of it. Also, with the coming of cheap and easy to use cameras, photography is accessible to all; but even with a point and shoot camera, people can create stunning photographs, one of them being the wide-angled panoramic pictures. Many new age cameras and phones come with a panorama feature built in but you truly desire to take a full length professional looking panoramic picture, the use of a computer application is a necessity. If you have a DSLR, it’s even better because most DSLRs don’t come equipped with a panorama feature and the use of a computer application paired up with the DSLR’s high resolution imaging has the ability to make a truly breathtaking panorama.
To create a panorama, two stages need to be performed. The first is taking pictures that stitches up to turn into a panorama; and second, the act of using those single pictures and stitching them together to create a long seamless panoramic image. Since a panoramic image uses single images that lengthen into a long wide-angle image, a normal DSLR with the kit-lens (18-55mm) should be enough; but even if you don’t own a DSLR, a normal point and shoot camera should also suffice. But before beginning, make sure to turn off all automatic features on your point and shoot because if there is any change in the brightness or the color of the picture, the panorama will be a mixture of varying colors.
The first stage of making a panorama will involve taking single shots of a wide view. Frame your shots in such a way that it begins from one side and keep taking pictures till the end of the view. But make sure that there are ample areas that overlap with each other, this makes it easier for the software to recognize vital points in the pictures and matches it up with your second picture. While using a DSLR, one vital point would be to shoot in Manual mode because automatic settings will not change and you will get the same feel throughout your series of pictures. One trick to getting the right exposure throughout the series would be to set up your camera setting to the best exposure on the brightest part of your panorama and then locking them.
Once you have your series of pictures, the second stage begins with you importing your pictures onto your computer. There are many applications that can help you out here but two of the best ones would be Microsoft Research Image Composite Editor (ICE) and Hugin. Both of these software are free of cost but Microsoft ICE is only Windows based whereas Hugin is a cross-platform open source application that will run on Windows, Mac and Linux. Also to ensure that these applications work perfectly with your computer, you also need to install an additional application called AutoPano. Macs have this application pre-installed but Windows and Linux users may have to install it separately. AutoPano is a script that helps your computer recognize the control points on your pictures that help connect them together.
Among these two applications, Microsoft ICE is definitely the easier one to use but is quite restricted when it comes to features. Using ICE is easy with a very straight forward interface and most of the work you need to do to create a panorama is already done for you and there is little you can do to change that compilation, except change the crop and a few features. When the application starts a simple interface will greet you and all you have to do is collect your series of pictures and drag them to the application windows and the application will do the rest for you. After the panorama has been stitched, you will have the option to change the camera motion and give it a range of different looks and the crop tool that gives you the option to save only a select part of the picture. Apart from these two options and an export option, there is little you can do to change your panorama within this application. The second option, Hugin, in contrast, is a powerhouse. So, if you happen to be a beginner to cameras and camera concepts, Hugin might be a little confusing for you but even though, using Hugin for basic stitching is easy. Much like ICE, Hugin comes equipped for basic users as well with an assistant, much like a wizard, to help you through the process. There are many options within the application that you can explore through but if you want to stitch a panorama together, the assistant is the easiest way. The assistant is the primary tab that greets you once the application is open. Hugin will ask you to load your images as step one. After Hugin is done with analyzing the picture, a second option button titled ‘Align’ is focused. Aligning the picture will take some time but will create the panorama for you, after that a third option of ‘Create Panorama’ will help you save you image. A simple panorama with very little input from the user can be created in this way in Hugin but there are a plethora of options to help you get that perfect panoramic image if you are aware of what you are doing.
Photographers use many software to bring that extra edge to their photos. High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography is made possible by application on the computer and even photographic post-production is heavily dependent on application on the computer. Photography is art, so experiment with your camera and take pictures that come out as pieces of art.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
The right fit
HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE
Job related websites a useful tool for job seekers and providers
KATHMANDU: With development of IT, most people can find answers to almost all their quires on the internet. Extensively flooded with all kinds of websites, nothing is too hard to find on the internet. In this backdrop, job portal is no exception with proliferation of websites chiefly dedicated to the job market. Of late, these websites are getting highly fashionable in the domestic market as both the employers and job seekers find it easy to make the right fit.
With the growing popularity of such job portals, it is hardly a surprise that there has been a considerable growth in the number of these websites. Today, there are over a dozen such websites being operated actively. Jobsnepal.com is one of the pioneer job search engines which was developed and operated by WebSoft International since 2000. Similarly, merojob.com, growthjobsonline.com is another portal in the job market.
“There is greater advantage for the seekers as they can visit these websites from any place with internet access,” says Neha Shrestha (name changed), a graduate from Kathmandu University, adding that however, it is different scenario for the people living in remote areas. Having placed her résumé in merojob.com, she adds, “With the help of the portal, I’m informed about the vacancy announcements in various companies which is the easiest way to be updated about where to apply and when to apply for positions that best suits my qualifications and interests.”
Manika Rai, finance and administration manager at Jobsnepal.com, says, “The website has played a crucial role as a mediator between job seekers and recruitment companies,” adding that until now the site has helped more than 6,000 employers find appropriate candidates for their companies. According to her, the portal had received around 230,000 visitors last week alone. “The sites receive resumes from two categories of clients — experienced professionals and freshers, which make up to 75 and 25 per cent respectively,” adds Rai. Informing that the portal receives around 4,500 views per day, she says, around 55 per cent of them are unique visitors.
Moreover, the portal offers services to the recruiting and job seeking community in Nepal and abroad, especially for those seeking Nepali human resources where over 85 per cent visitors are especially from Phokhara, Dharan, Biratnager, besides Kathmandu. While the remaining are from abroad, with the US topping the priority list. According to her, during its infancy, the site posted free vacancies from recruitment companies. However, in 2008 they started charging in various categories like Rs 1,300 for hot list, Rs 600 for middle page and Rs 10,000 and more for banner advertisements.
Mohan Ojha, managing director of growthjobsonline.com, says, “We think we don’t have any major competitors, apart from ourselves.” According to him, the site does not charge recruitment companies as they are still focusing on branding. Similarly, job seekers can post their resumes for free while the portal itself extracts vacancy ads from newspapers, which is of greater advantage to the potential candidates. The company claims that the portal has received job vacancy from 200 recruitment companies and have around 800 recruitment companies and have around 800 daily visitors. According to him, in an average they receive some 40 vacancy announcements and in response some 60 job seekers post their resumes every month. Citing that they also provide recruitment services, Ojha says, “Although the website conducts interviews, merely around 30 jobs seekers are provided employment opportunities in various companies every month.”
While employers and recruiters are making good use of the internet, job seekers should also make the most of this tool in their quest for a new job. They may find that visiting a career related website is just what they need to reboot their job search.
SOME ACTIVELY OPERATED JOB PORTALS
- Jobsnepal.com
- Merojob.com
- growthjobsonline.com
- Jagire.com
- Froxjobs.com
- Bmjobs.com
- Rojgari.com
- Ejobnepal.com
- Ekhoji.com
- Baidesikrojgar.com
This material is further published in The Himalayan Times, April 8, 2013 edition.
Job related websites a useful tool for job seekers and providers
KATHMANDU: With development of IT, most people can find answers to almost all their quires on the internet. Extensively flooded with all kinds of websites, nothing is too hard to find on the internet. In this backdrop, job portal is no exception with proliferation of websites chiefly dedicated to the job market. Of late, these websites are getting highly fashionable in the domestic market as both the employers and job seekers find it easy to make the right fit.
With the growing popularity of such job portals, it is hardly a surprise that there has been a considerable growth in the number of these websites. Today, there are over a dozen such websites being operated actively. Jobsnepal.com is one of the pioneer job search engines which was developed and operated by WebSoft International since 2000. Similarly, merojob.com, growthjobsonline.com is another portal in the job market.
“There is greater advantage for the seekers as they can visit these websites from any place with internet access,” says Neha Shrestha (name changed), a graduate from Kathmandu University, adding that however, it is different scenario for the people living in remote areas. Having placed her résumé in merojob.com, she adds, “With the help of the portal, I’m informed about the vacancy announcements in various companies which is the easiest way to be updated about where to apply and when to apply for positions that best suits my qualifications and interests.”
Manika Rai, finance and administration manager at Jobsnepal.com, says, “The website has played a crucial role as a mediator between job seekers and recruitment companies,” adding that until now the site has helped more than 6,000 employers find appropriate candidates for their companies. According to her, the portal had received around 230,000 visitors last week alone. “The sites receive resumes from two categories of clients — experienced professionals and freshers, which make up to 75 and 25 per cent respectively,” adds Rai. Informing that the portal receives around 4,500 views per day, she says, around 55 per cent of them are unique visitors.
Moreover, the portal offers services to the recruiting and job seeking community in Nepal and abroad, especially for those seeking Nepali human resources where over 85 per cent visitors are especially from Phokhara, Dharan, Biratnager, besides Kathmandu. While the remaining are from abroad, with the US topping the priority list. According to her, during its infancy, the site posted free vacancies from recruitment companies. However, in 2008 they started charging in various categories like Rs 1,300 for hot list, Rs 600 for middle page and Rs 10,000 and more for banner advertisements.
Mohan Ojha, managing director of growthjobsonline.com, says, “We think we don’t have any major competitors, apart from ourselves.” According to him, the site does not charge recruitment companies as they are still focusing on branding. Similarly, job seekers can post their resumes for free while the portal itself extracts vacancy ads from newspapers, which is of greater advantage to the potential candidates. The company claims that the portal has received job vacancy from 200 recruitment companies and have around 800 recruitment companies and have around 800 daily visitors. According to him, in an average they receive some 40 vacancy announcements and in response some 60 job seekers post their resumes every month. Citing that they also provide recruitment services, Ojha says, “Although the website conducts interviews, merely around 30 jobs seekers are provided employment opportunities in various companies every month.”
While employers and recruiters are making good use of the internet, job seekers should also make the most of this tool in their quest for a new job. They may find that visiting a career related website is just what they need to reboot their job search.
SOME ACTIVELY OPERATED JOB PORTALS
- Jobsnepal.com
- Merojob.com
- growthjobsonline.com
- Jagire.com
- Froxjobs.com
- Bmjobs.com
- Rojgari.com
- Ejobnepal.com
- Ekhoji.com
- Baidesikrojgar.com
This material is further published in The Himalayan Times, April 8, 2013 edition.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Looming danger
Are mobile messaging apps a threat to FB?
SAN FRANCISCO: Create personal profiles. Build networks of friends. Share photos, videos and music. That might sound precisely like Facebook (FB), but hundreds of millions of tech-savvy young people have instead turned to a wave of smartphone-based messaging apps that are now sweeping across North America, Asia and Europe. The hot apps include Kik and Whatsapp, both products of North America startups, as well as Kakao Inc’s KakaoTalk, NHN Corp’ LINE and Tencent Holdings Ltd’s WeChat, which have blossomed in Asian markets.
Combining elements of text messaging and social networking, the apps provide a quick-fire way for smartphone users to trade everything from brief texts to flirtatious pictures to YouTube clips — bypassing both the SMS plans offered by wireless carriers and established social networks originally designed as websites. FB, with one billion users, remains by far the world’s most popular website, and its stepped-up focus on mobile has made it the most-used smartphone app as well. Still, across Silicon Valley, investors say there is a possibility that the messaging apps could threaten FB’s dominance over the next few years. The larger ones are even starting to emerge as full-blown ‘platforms’ that can support third-party applications such as games.
To be sure, many of those who are using the new messaging apps remain on FB, indicating there is little immediate sign of the giant social media company losing its lock on the market. And at a press event this week, the company will unveil news relating to Android, the world’s most popular smartphone operating system, which could include a new version of Android with deeper integration of FB messaging tools or possibly even a FB-branded phone.
“True interactions are conversation in nature,” says Rich Miner, a partner at Google Ventures who invested in San Francisco-based MessageMe, a new entrant in the messaging market. FB’s big challenge is reeling back users like Jacob Robinson, a 15-year-old high school student in Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK, who said the Kik messaging app ‘blew up’ among his friends about six months ago. It has remained the most-used app on his Android phone because it is the easiest way for him to send different kinds of multimedia for free, which he estimated he does about 200 times a day. “We also stay up in bed with our phone all night, just on YouTube searching for funny videos, then you quickly share it with your friends,” he added. “It’s easy. You can flip in and out of Kik. FB has really started to lose its edge over here,” said Robinson, who found his interactions interesting than his real-time chats.
Waterloo, Ontario-based Kik has racked up 40 million users since launching in 2010. Silicon Valley entrants in the race include Whatsapp, funded by Sequoia Capital, and MessageMe, launched earlier this month by a group of viral game makers. MessageMe has received seed-stage funding from True Ventures and First Round Capital, among others, and claimed one million downloads in its first week. Meanwhile, Asian companies are producing some of the fastest-growing apps in history. Tencent’s WeChat boasts 400 million users — for more than Twitter, by way of comparison — while LINE and KakaoTalk claim 120 million and 80 million users, respectively. Both have laid the groundwork to expand into the US market. — Reuters
SAN FRANCISCO: Create personal profiles. Build networks of friends. Share photos, videos and music. That might sound precisely like Facebook (FB), but hundreds of millions of tech-savvy young people have instead turned to a wave of smartphone-based messaging apps that are now sweeping across North America, Asia and Europe. The hot apps include Kik and Whatsapp, both products of North America startups, as well as Kakao Inc’s KakaoTalk, NHN Corp’ LINE and Tencent Holdings Ltd’s WeChat, which have blossomed in Asian markets.
Combining elements of text messaging and social networking, the apps provide a quick-fire way for smartphone users to trade everything from brief texts to flirtatious pictures to YouTube clips — bypassing both the SMS plans offered by wireless carriers and established social networks originally designed as websites. FB, with one billion users, remains by far the world’s most popular website, and its stepped-up focus on mobile has made it the most-used smartphone app as well. Still, across Silicon Valley, investors say there is a possibility that the messaging apps could threaten FB’s dominance over the next few years. The larger ones are even starting to emerge as full-blown ‘platforms’ that can support third-party applications such as games.
To be sure, many of those who are using the new messaging apps remain on FB, indicating there is little immediate sign of the giant social media company losing its lock on the market. And at a press event this week, the company will unveil news relating to Android, the world’s most popular smartphone operating system, which could include a new version of Android with deeper integration of FB messaging tools or possibly even a FB-branded phone.
“True interactions are conversation in nature,” says Rich Miner, a partner at Google Ventures who invested in San Francisco-based MessageMe, a new entrant in the messaging market. FB’s big challenge is reeling back users like Jacob Robinson, a 15-year-old high school student in Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK, who said the Kik messaging app ‘blew up’ among his friends about six months ago. It has remained the most-used app on his Android phone because it is the easiest way for him to send different kinds of multimedia for free, which he estimated he does about 200 times a day. “We also stay up in bed with our phone all night, just on YouTube searching for funny videos, then you quickly share it with your friends,” he added. “It’s easy. You can flip in and out of Kik. FB has really started to lose its edge over here,” said Robinson, who found his interactions interesting than his real-time chats.
Waterloo, Ontario-based Kik has racked up 40 million users since launching in 2010. Silicon Valley entrants in the race include Whatsapp, funded by Sequoia Capital, and MessageMe, launched earlier this month by a group of viral game makers. MessageMe has received seed-stage funding from True Ventures and First Round Capital, among others, and claimed one million downloads in its first week. Meanwhile, Asian companies are producing some of the fastest-growing apps in history. Tencent’s WeChat boasts 400 million users — for more than Twitter, by way of comparison — while LINE and KakaoTalk claim 120 million and 80 million users, respectively. Both have laid the groundwork to expand into the US market. — Reuters
Friday, April 12, 2013
Laughter into your Day
Who doesn’t enjoy a good laugh? And we all know that ‘laughter is the best medicine’. Sometimes unlikely things bring a smile to our faces like the wording on the back of a bus that said: ‘Love is Life; Life is Damage’. Or if you have travelled on the hill roads of India, you will come across witty sayings painted on the sides of the hills that might ask the driver to ‘Go slow on my curves’. So, to celebrate April 1, here’s a compilation of humour to put.
>> A salesman, tired of his job, gave it up to become a policeman. Several months later, a friend asked him how he liked his new role. “Well,” he replied, “the pay is good and the hours aren’t bad, but what I like best is that the customer is always wrong.”
>> The boss joined a group of his workers at the coffee urn and told a series of jokes he’d heard recently. Everybody laughed loudly. Everybody, that is, except Mike. When he noticed that he was getting no reaction from Mike, the boss said, “What’s the matter, Mike? No sense of humour?” “My sense of humour is fine,” he said. “But I don’t have to laugh. I’m quitting tomorrow.”
>> Faced with hard times, a company offered a bonus of Rs 10,000 to any employee who could come up with a way of saving money. The bonus went to a young woman in accounting who suggested limiting future bonuses to Rs 1,000.
>> On her way back into the movie from the snacks stand, Julie asked a man at the end of the row, “Pardon me, but did I step on your foot a few minutes ago?” Expecting an apology, the man said, “Indeed you did.” Julie nodded, and noted, “Oh good. Then this is my row.”
>> A man takes his seat in the theatre, but he is too far from the screen. He whispers to the usher, “This is a mystery, and I have to watch a mystery close up. Get me a better seat, and I’ll give you a big tip.” The usher moves him into the front row, and the man rewards him with a measly rupee. The usher looks at his tip for a second and then leans over to whisper to the man, “The wife did it.”
>> A taxpayer received a strongly worded ‘second notice’ that his taxes were overdue. Hastening to the collector’s office, he paid his bill, saying apologetically that he had overlooked the first notice. “Oh,” confided the collector with a smile, “we don’t send out first notices. We have found that the second notices are more effective.”
>> Joe was looking quite depressed. “What’s the matter?” his friend asked. “My wife and I got into a fight,” explained Joe, “and she said she isn’t talking to me for a whole week.” “But, isn’t it kind of a good thing that she isn’t taking to you?” asked his friend. “Yeah, except today is the last night.”
>> Dave was sound asleep when his wife nudged him. “The phone’s ringing,” she said. “At this hour it must be for you.” Dave rolled out of bed and tramped downstairs. A moment later he climbed back into bed and shook his dozing wife. “It wasn’t for me, after all,” he said. His wife crawled out of bed, pulled on her robe, and was at the door when he mumbled into his pillow, “It was a wrong number.”
>> A woman walked into a store to return a pair of eyeglasses she had purchased for her husband a week before. “What seems to be the problem, madam?” “I’m returning these glasses I bought for my husband. He’s still not seeing things my way.”
>> A young lady visited a dating service and requested, “I’m looking for a suitable one?” The matchmaker said, “What exactly are you looking for?” “Well, let me see. Needs to be good looking, polite, humorous, sporty, knowledgeable, good at singing and dancing. Willing to accompany me the whole day at home during my leisure hour if I don’t go out. Be able to tell me interesting stories when I need a companion for conversation and be silent when I want to rest.” The matchmaker entered the information into the computer and, in a matter of moments, handed the results to the woman. The results read, “Buy a television.”
>> It turned out that the newly married wife was not a tidy housekeeper. It didn’t bother her much until one evening when her husband called from the hall, somewhat dismayed: “Honey, what happened to the dust on this table? I had a phone number written on it.”
>> A wise schoolteacher sends this note to all parents on the first day of school: “If you promise not to believe everything your child says happens at school, I’ll promise not to believe everything he says happens at home.”
>> A professor of psychology at a British university included a lecture on crowed psychology in his annual course. To illustrate mass hysteria, he regularly showed TV news footage of teenage crowds TV news footage of teenage crowds greeting the Beatles at the local airport in the 1960’s. One year, when he ran the footage, he heard squeals and bursts of laughter from his students. When the film ended he asked what had caused the hilarity. Replied one student, “We recognised some of our parents!”
>> The teacher was reading the story of the Three Little Pigs. She said, “…and so the pig went up to the man with a wheelbarrow full of straw and said ‘Pardon me, sir, but might I have some of that straw to build my house with?” Then the teacher asked the class, “And what do you think that man said?” One boy raised his hand and said, “I know! I know! He said, ‘Holy smokes! A talking pig!”
>> A beautiful, sexy, good looking lady was sitting next to a guy on a plane. She said to him, “Can you help me remove something from my breasts, please?” The excited young man replied, “Wow! It will be my pleasure. So, what is it?” Your eyes, idiot!”
>> An Asian lady married an English gentleman and moved to London. The lady was not proficient in English, but managed to communicate with her husband. The real problem arose whenever she had to shop for groceries. One day she went to the butcher for pork legs. She didn’t know how ask for it, so lifted her skit and showed her thighs. She got the pork legs. Next day she needed chicken breasts. Again she didn’t know what to say, so unbuttoned her blouse to show the butcher her breast. The lady got what she wanted. The third day, the poor lady wanted to buy sausages. So, she brought her husband to the store … because he spoke English.
>> A couple is sitting on the porch sipping wine. The wife says, “I love you.” The husband says, “Is that you or the wine talking?” The wife replies, “It’s me, taking to the wine.”
>> A salesman, tired of his job, gave it up to become a policeman. Several months later, a friend asked him how he liked his new role. “Well,” he replied, “the pay is good and the hours aren’t bad, but what I like best is that the customer is always wrong.”
>> The boss joined a group of his workers at the coffee urn and told a series of jokes he’d heard recently. Everybody laughed loudly. Everybody, that is, except Mike. When he noticed that he was getting no reaction from Mike, the boss said, “What’s the matter, Mike? No sense of humour?” “My sense of humour is fine,” he said. “But I don’t have to laugh. I’m quitting tomorrow.”
>> Faced with hard times, a company offered a bonus of Rs 10,000 to any employee who could come up with a way of saving money. The bonus went to a young woman in accounting who suggested limiting future bonuses to Rs 1,000.
>> On her way back into the movie from the snacks stand, Julie asked a man at the end of the row, “Pardon me, but did I step on your foot a few minutes ago?” Expecting an apology, the man said, “Indeed you did.” Julie nodded, and noted, “Oh good. Then this is my row.”
>> A man takes his seat in the theatre, but he is too far from the screen. He whispers to the usher, “This is a mystery, and I have to watch a mystery close up. Get me a better seat, and I’ll give you a big tip.” The usher moves him into the front row, and the man rewards him with a measly rupee. The usher looks at his tip for a second and then leans over to whisper to the man, “The wife did it.”
>> A taxpayer received a strongly worded ‘second notice’ that his taxes were overdue. Hastening to the collector’s office, he paid his bill, saying apologetically that he had overlooked the first notice. “Oh,” confided the collector with a smile, “we don’t send out first notices. We have found that the second notices are more effective.”
>> Joe was looking quite depressed. “What’s the matter?” his friend asked. “My wife and I got into a fight,” explained Joe, “and she said she isn’t talking to me for a whole week.” “But, isn’t it kind of a good thing that she isn’t taking to you?” asked his friend. “Yeah, except today is the last night.”
>> Dave was sound asleep when his wife nudged him. “The phone’s ringing,” she said. “At this hour it must be for you.” Dave rolled out of bed and tramped downstairs. A moment later he climbed back into bed and shook his dozing wife. “It wasn’t for me, after all,” he said. His wife crawled out of bed, pulled on her robe, and was at the door when he mumbled into his pillow, “It was a wrong number.”
>> A woman walked into a store to return a pair of eyeglasses she had purchased for her husband a week before. “What seems to be the problem, madam?” “I’m returning these glasses I bought for my husband. He’s still not seeing things my way.”
>> A young lady visited a dating service and requested, “I’m looking for a suitable one?” The matchmaker said, “What exactly are you looking for?” “Well, let me see. Needs to be good looking, polite, humorous, sporty, knowledgeable, good at singing and dancing. Willing to accompany me the whole day at home during my leisure hour if I don’t go out. Be able to tell me interesting stories when I need a companion for conversation and be silent when I want to rest.” The matchmaker entered the information into the computer and, in a matter of moments, handed the results to the woman. The results read, “Buy a television.”
>> It turned out that the newly married wife was not a tidy housekeeper. It didn’t bother her much until one evening when her husband called from the hall, somewhat dismayed: “Honey, what happened to the dust on this table? I had a phone number written on it.”
>> A wise schoolteacher sends this note to all parents on the first day of school: “If you promise not to believe everything your child says happens at school, I’ll promise not to believe everything he says happens at home.”
>> A professor of psychology at a British university included a lecture on crowed psychology in his annual course. To illustrate mass hysteria, he regularly showed TV news footage of teenage crowds TV news footage of teenage crowds greeting the Beatles at the local airport in the 1960’s. One year, when he ran the footage, he heard squeals and bursts of laughter from his students. When the film ended he asked what had caused the hilarity. Replied one student, “We recognised some of our parents!”
>> The teacher was reading the story of the Three Little Pigs. She said, “…and so the pig went up to the man with a wheelbarrow full of straw and said ‘Pardon me, sir, but might I have some of that straw to build my house with?” Then the teacher asked the class, “And what do you think that man said?” One boy raised his hand and said, “I know! I know! He said, ‘Holy smokes! A talking pig!”
>> A beautiful, sexy, good looking lady was sitting next to a guy on a plane. She said to him, “Can you help me remove something from my breasts, please?” The excited young man replied, “Wow! It will be my pleasure. So, what is it?” Your eyes, idiot!”
>> An Asian lady married an English gentleman and moved to London. The lady was not proficient in English, but managed to communicate with her husband. The real problem arose whenever she had to shop for groceries. One day she went to the butcher for pork legs. She didn’t know how ask for it, so lifted her skit and showed her thighs. She got the pork legs. Next day she needed chicken breasts. Again she didn’t know what to say, so unbuttoned her blouse to show the butcher her breast. The lady got what she wanted. The third day, the poor lady wanted to buy sausages. So, she brought her husband to the store … because he spoke English.
>> A couple is sitting on the porch sipping wine. The wife says, “I love you.” The husband says, “Is that you or the wine talking?” The wife replies, “It’s me, taking to the wine.”
Friday, April 5, 2013
An introduction to Cloud
With Google’s Drive, Apple’s iCloud, Microsoft’s OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive), and Ubuntu’s One, all the big powerhouses in technology have moved to offer some services of a cloud of networks. Although there has been significant talks about the cloud in our daily lives, most of are quite oblivious to what the Cloud really does and where it can comes into use.
Cloud Networking is a recent development where individuals or business powerhouse can use the Internet and provide services to communicate, transfer files across each other, without any form of localized networking, and move it all to an international server which, in turn, is locally accessed by a different computer.
To put it more simply, we have all been used to transferring files via the Wi-Fi or the local network. For example, if you go on to any kind of a business environment, there is usually a server that all computers within the confines of the office can access. This server can be a space for people within an organization to share important files. Let’s say, as a journalist, you write an article and need to provide your piece of writing to the designer. Normally, this is done with the use of additional hardware, like a pen-drive or an optical drive. But using a different hardware is rarely done in a business environment. So, we use servers that can be accessed all across the business house, which makes file sharing a lot of easier.
But what Cloud Networking brings to light is the opportunity to negate the hassle of starting up a new server. It provides you with a service that stores all of your files together in one online space that can be accessed by many different people, just like a server on the Internet.
One of the most famous cloud services that many of us use but are unaware of is Dropbox. Dropbox is also a cloud service but seems to be targeted more at individual users. Using it is a lot easier as well because of the cross platform support and the ease of use. Not only Dropbox but almost all of these cloud-based services have local applications for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android, making file sharing between devices a breeze.
These applications, once installed in your computer, will automatically create a Dropbox or OneDrive folder in your system where every file you drop automatically reaches the web server. You can access these files on your cellphone or tablet with the help of an iOS or Android application which gives you access to your files. So any files you drop on your cloud folder is instantly available in all your other devices, and even if you happen to use your friend’s computer and you need access to your files, a web portal for your files are also available.
Google is pioneering the cloud movement with the help of their Chromebook, a laptop that runs on Google’s own Chrome OS but works entirely on the web. Your music, your documents and even your applications work entirely from the cloud and all the documents that you create are saved in your cloud drive.
Google has been offering many forms of cloud services for a long time, like Google Docs or Google Music. Google Docs has been offering an online word processor that rivals Microsoft’s much appreciated Office for a long time and we have even been uploading documents or presentations on Google Docs for ages. We’ve used Gmail as a tool for sending across files to friends and family, but the Cloud’s creating, editing and sharing documents have never been easier.
Microsoft, with the release of the Office Web Apps, is in a way trying to shift the traditional norm of having office installed in a working PC. With Office Web Apps, the entire word processor experience that you get with an installed version of Office, is now available on the Internet for use. Office Web Apps are limited in certain functionalities but other free alternatives, like Google Doc, are equally powerful to their computer counterparts. In the newest installment of Microsoft’s Office 2013 series, the program is also programmed for save on the SkyDrive folder by default.
Similar to Microsoft’s push to embed cloud services on Windows itself, Apple has already made the jump with Mac’s native support for iCloud. Android users are also automatically signed up for Google’s Drive services since an Android phone automatically syncs all of your contacts, photos and call logs to your Google account and retrieves them back for your phone.
Google also offers an amazing cloud service that uploads all of your music to cloud storage called Google Music. The Google Music application, once installed in your system, automatically starts scanning for your music files and one by one starts uploading them to your music server on the cloud. Paired up with the Android app for Google Music, you have access to your entire music collection on the fly. But Google Music does require an active Internet connection to download your music for the server.
The future of networking technology seems to heavily dominated by cloud networking, especially once the Internet becomes cheaper and commonplace in Nepal. Seamless integration with multiple devices, the security of never losing your documents, and the easy access says it all for the future of cloud networking.
But Nepal still has a lot of high speed Internet troubles and the complete implementation of cloud services maybe a thing of the distant future; but no matter, a change is still coming.
Cloud Networking is a recent development where individuals or business powerhouse can use the Internet and provide services to communicate, transfer files across each other, without any form of localized networking, and move it all to an international server which, in turn, is locally accessed by a different computer.
To put it more simply, we have all been used to transferring files via the Wi-Fi or the local network. For example, if you go on to any kind of a business environment, there is usually a server that all computers within the confines of the office can access. This server can be a space for people within an organization to share important files. Let’s say, as a journalist, you write an article and need to provide your piece of writing to the designer. Normally, this is done with the use of additional hardware, like a pen-drive or an optical drive. But using a different hardware is rarely done in a business environment. So, we use servers that can be accessed all across the business house, which makes file sharing a lot of easier.
But what Cloud Networking brings to light is the opportunity to negate the hassle of starting up a new server. It provides you with a service that stores all of your files together in one online space that can be accessed by many different people, just like a server on the Internet.
One of the most famous cloud services that many of us use but are unaware of is Dropbox. Dropbox is also a cloud service but seems to be targeted more at individual users. Using it is a lot easier as well because of the cross platform support and the ease of use. Not only Dropbox but almost all of these cloud-based services have local applications for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android, making file sharing between devices a breeze.
These applications, once installed in your computer, will automatically create a Dropbox or OneDrive folder in your system where every file you drop automatically reaches the web server. You can access these files on your cellphone or tablet with the help of an iOS or Android application which gives you access to your files. So any files you drop on your cloud folder is instantly available in all your other devices, and even if you happen to use your friend’s computer and you need access to your files, a web portal for your files are also available.
Google is pioneering the cloud movement with the help of their Chromebook, a laptop that runs on Google’s own Chrome OS but works entirely on the web. Your music, your documents and even your applications work entirely from the cloud and all the documents that you create are saved in your cloud drive.
Google has been offering many forms of cloud services for a long time, like Google Docs or Google Music. Google Docs has been offering an online word processor that rivals Microsoft’s much appreciated Office for a long time and we have even been uploading documents or presentations on Google Docs for ages. We’ve used Gmail as a tool for sending across files to friends and family, but the Cloud’s creating, editing and sharing documents have never been easier.
Microsoft, with the release of the Office Web Apps, is in a way trying to shift the traditional norm of having office installed in a working PC. With Office Web Apps, the entire word processor experience that you get with an installed version of Office, is now available on the Internet for use. Office Web Apps are limited in certain functionalities but other free alternatives, like Google Doc, are equally powerful to their computer counterparts. In the newest installment of Microsoft’s Office 2013 series, the program is also programmed for save on the SkyDrive folder by default.
Similar to Microsoft’s push to embed cloud services on Windows itself, Apple has already made the jump with Mac’s native support for iCloud. Android users are also automatically signed up for Google’s Drive services since an Android phone automatically syncs all of your contacts, photos and call logs to your Google account and retrieves them back for your phone.
Google also offers an amazing cloud service that uploads all of your music to cloud storage called Google Music. The Google Music application, once installed in your system, automatically starts scanning for your music files and one by one starts uploading them to your music server on the cloud. Paired up with the Android app for Google Music, you have access to your entire music collection on the fly. But Google Music does require an active Internet connection to download your music for the server.
The future of networking technology seems to heavily dominated by cloud networking, especially once the Internet becomes cheaper and commonplace in Nepal. Seamless integration with multiple devices, the security of never losing your documents, and the easy access says it all for the future of cloud networking.
But Nepal still has a lot of high speed Internet troubles and the complete implementation of cloud services maybe a thing of the distant future; but no matter, a change is still coming.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Dealing with irresponsible employee
Irresponsible employees have a direct impact on productivity and the bottom line. Workers who shirk their responsibilities and rely on other staff to pick up the slack can also damage workforce morale. Managers must act to correct irresponsible behaviour.
Step 1: Behavioural standards must be demonstrated from the top down — if management behaves irresponsibly, this creates the impression that the behaviour is sanctioned by the company.
Step 2: Inform staff that irresponsible behaviour — such as failing to turn in work by the deadline or arriving late to an important meeting — violates policy and will lead to disciplinary action.
Step 3: Schedule a private meeting to discuss incidents of irresponsibility. For example, “Your tardiness means customer calls go unanswered, and we lose business.”
Step 4: Ask the employee to suggest ways so that he can improve the behaviour. Place the onus on the employee to identify solutions for his irresponsibility.
Step 5: Follow up on performance improvement plan. If the employee has failed to correct his behaviour, and continues to act irresponsibly, issue progressively severe disciplinary actions. — Agencies
Step 1: Behavioural standards must be demonstrated from the top down — if management behaves irresponsibly, this creates the impression that the behaviour is sanctioned by the company.
Step 2: Inform staff that irresponsible behaviour — such as failing to turn in work by the deadline or arriving late to an important meeting — violates policy and will lead to disciplinary action.
Step 3: Schedule a private meeting to discuss incidents of irresponsibility. For example, “Your tardiness means customer calls go unanswered, and we lose business.”
Step 4: Ask the employee to suggest ways so that he can improve the behaviour. Place the onus on the employee to identify solutions for his irresponsibility.
Step 5: Follow up on performance improvement plan. If the employee has failed to correct his behaviour, and continues to act irresponsibly, issue progressively severe disciplinary actions. — Agencies
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Awakening the inner ‘I’
We live in a world where things are contrary to how we would wish them to be and in which situations can occur suddenly and ‘out of context’. This leaves us wondering what will happen next and creates a question mark about the future. Today, it is not a question of something unexpected not happening, instead it is a question of when the unexpected does happen, how do we then rise above it and support others to do the same?
Ultimately it’s our mind that experiences whatever we pass through it, like happiness, sorrow, anxiety et cetera. In a way we are ‘slaves’ to whatever happens in our mind. Our mind is swept this way and then that, depending upon the situation we are in. Hence, if we want to be able to face and rise above these insecurities, then we need to become masters of our minds. By becoming the one, we can remain stable and unharmed in any situation and respond positively.
So, in order to deal with and be a support to others no matter what happens, we need to make and keep our mind in the right direction. For this, we need to first understand ‘what the mind is’ and ‘who is the master of the mind’.
When we speak about the mind, we say ‘my mind’. Who is the one saying ‘my’ or ‘mine’? If I say ‘my mind’, then surely ‘I’ must be the master of ‘my mind’? Right? So, we need to ask ourselves these questions — Who am I? What is mine? In doing so, we come into the awareness of the inner ‘I’.
Our biggest mistake is to not understand who is saying ‘I’ and ‘mine’. Hence, when we recognise the ‘I’, we can reclaim our inner (soul) power, and by doing so we would become masters of our minds.
Editor’s note: Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj ji is a writer at www.brahmakumaris.com and can be reached at nikunjji@brahmakumaris.in.
Ultimately it’s our mind that experiences whatever we pass through it, like happiness, sorrow, anxiety et cetera. In a way we are ‘slaves’ to whatever happens in our mind. Our mind is swept this way and then that, depending upon the situation we are in. Hence, if we want to be able to face and rise above these insecurities, then we need to become masters of our minds. By becoming the one, we can remain stable and unharmed in any situation and respond positively.
So, in order to deal with and be a support to others no matter what happens, we need to make and keep our mind in the right direction. For this, we need to first understand ‘what the mind is’ and ‘who is the master of the mind’.
When we speak about the mind, we say ‘my mind’. Who is the one saying ‘my’ or ‘mine’? If I say ‘my mind’, then surely ‘I’ must be the master of ‘my mind’? Right? So, we need to ask ourselves these questions — Who am I? What is mine? In doing so, we come into the awareness of the inner ‘I’.
Our biggest mistake is to not understand who is saying ‘I’ and ‘mine’. Hence, when we recognise the ‘I’, we can reclaim our inner (soul) power, and by doing so we would become masters of our minds.
Editor’s note: Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj ji is a writer at www.brahmakumaris.com and can be reached at nikunjji@brahmakumaris.in.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)