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- Top 5 most active Bollywood stars on Twitter
- 10 things to do in Hong Kong … FOR FREE
- Why India is the Hub of Offshore Software Development?
Did You Know ?
1. At 32.3 degrees Shimla was hottest in 170 years on May 27, 2010.
2. On an average 40% of all electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are on standby mode.
3. The United Nations` Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that 11 of the past 12 years are among the dozen warmest since 1850.
4. We should not kill that spider! There are more than 40,000 species of spiders, and they all eat insects and provide natural pest control.
5. Over the last 100 years global sea level has risen by about 10 12.5 cm.
6. By 2015, consumer electronics and small appliances will be responsible for almost 30% of all household electricity use.
7. A photocopier left on overnight uses enough energy to make 1,500 photocopies.
8. 80 per cent of car tyres are under-inflated, which increases fuel consumption.
9. India is the world`s fourth biggest greenhouse gas emitter and produces about 4 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions.
10. In India solar lanterns and homelighting systems are being used in over 600 000 homes, and are contributing to substantial savings in kerosene.
11. The energy saved by recycling one aluminum drink can is enough to run a TV for three hours.
12. India has constituted about 4.6% of its geographical areas into protected areas and a chain of 89 national parks and 489 wildlife sanctuaries have been established over 15 million hectares of dense forestland.
13. It takes less energy to keep a full freezer cool than it does an empty one. If you don`t have enough food to fill it, use bottles filled with water.
14. For office meetings, use telephone or videoconference, rather than travelling far off places.
15. Every year we throw away 24 million tons of leaves and grass. Leaves alone account for 75% of our solid waste in the fall.
16. Temperatures have increased by 0.4 o C over India since 1901.
17. The total electricity consumed by electronic devices in standby mode equals the annual output of 12 power plants.
18. Products made from recycled paper, glass, metal and plastic reduce carbon emissions because they use less energy to manufacture.
19. Even if all GHG emissions were to cease immediately, the earth would still experience a certain degree of climate change, due to the long lifetime of GHGs in the atmosphere.
20. Rising temperatures could provoke more frequent floods and droughts, spur disease and increase water scarcity in India because of the disappearance of Himalayan glaciers.
21. Check and replace your vehicle`s air filter regularly to keep your car fuel efficient.
22. 2000 trees a minute are cut down in the Amazon alone. That is 7 football fields a minute!
23. Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil.
24. Between 1990 and 1998, 97% of all natural disaster-related deaths occurred in developing countries.
25. Glass produced from recycled glass instead of raw materials reduces related air pollution by 20%, and water pollution by 50%.
26. There has been a 10% decrease in snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere since the late 1960s.
27. On average, floods affect about 5,000 square kilometers of land and 4.2 million people in India each year.
28. Majority of the developing countries (in Asia, Africa, Latin America and small island states) are in tropical and subtropical regions - the areas most likely to be affected by climate change impacts.
29. By 2020 between 75 and 250 million people in Africa will be facing increased water shortages due to climate change.
Top 5 most active Bollywood stars on Twitter
Bollywood stars are not far behind in tweeting on Twitter as compare to Hollywood. The new crops of Bollywood stars have embraced Twitter as their connection to their fans across the world. Some stars are going as far as asking their fans on what to wear in an award function or a party. Let’s have a look on five most active bollywood stars on Twitter.
5. Ritesh Deshmukh: From cricket updates to social issues, Ritesh loves to share his opinion on twitter. With around 2,312 tweets and 132,109followers by mid of May, Ritesh is active on Twitter most of the time and following almost all big names in Bollywood
4.Salman Khan: Salman had recently join twitter and since then he is generating lots of interest. Salman joined twitter the same day Shah Rukh completed 100 days on the microblogging site and within six hours, accumulated as many followers as Shah Rukh did in the first day. 24-hours after his first post, Salman had 18,833 followers, compared to SRK’s nearly 10,000, in the same time. In a short spam Salman has 430 tweets and 148,489 followers.
3. Shahrukh Khan: Shahrukh joined twitter on special request by Karan Johar. With 1554 tweets, King Khan has a huge followers list of 423,140. Shahrukh regularly tweets all his updates, related to IPL, films and his personal life
.
2. Priyanka Chopra: Priyanka is always connected to her fans and never miss the opportunity of expressing her feeling and gratitude to them. With 3,307 tweets and 394,905 followers, Priyanka outshines all other bollywood actress on twitter.
1. Abhishek Bachchan: With as much as 6,486 tweets and 235,382 followers, Junior B is always visible on twitter. Abhishek manage to bring wife Aishwarya and papa Amitabh Bachchan as well on twitter. Thanks to twitter, fans are able to receive all recent updates of Bachchan family directly through Bachchan’s.
10 things to do in Hong Kong … FOR FREE
Compared to its Southeast Asian counterparts, Hong Kong is by no means a cheap place to visit. The city is full of trendy shops and restaurants, designer labels, custom tailors and franchise attractions like Disneyland. Here are ten fun activities every bit as rewarding as emptying your bank account in Hong Kong, but available for free, or nearly free.
Temples:
Hong Kong has some 600 temples and joss houses. Some are ornate holy sees, like the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas, which starts with a trail lined with larger than life gold sculptures and ends in rooms literally lined with tiny Buddha statues. Others are simply smoky side-of-the-road shrines where worshipers light a coil of incense for a departed ancestor. These are all free and make for great photo opportunities. Remember to be respectful of the monks' and worshipers' privacy, however.
Mid-Levels Escalator:
The 2,600-foot-long Central-Mid-Levels escalator is the longest covered outdoor moving sidewalk system in the world. I know it sounds silly, but you'll be grateful it's there when you see the steep grade it covers, rising some 440 feet over its course. As most businesses are near the harbor and most housing on the hillside, the system runs downhill in the morning. Then, at 10am, each section of escalator is ceremoniously closed and its direction switched. The system offers a unique perspective on the city and passes by many nice restaurants and hole-in-the-wall shops. Make the locals happy by standing to the right and walking to the left.
Jade Markets:
Yes, the word market implies buying, which is not free. But a visit to Kowloon's Jade markets is well worth the price of whatever trinket you choose to purchase. Try getting out without buying something if you want a true test of willpower. Old jade, new jade, odds and ends - it's all there. Most of the shops are found between Jordan Road and Kansu Street on Canton Road.
Wet Markets:
Less tempting are the items for sale at the city's numerous wet markets. Walking through the hordes of vegetable vendors, incense sellers and open-air butcher shops can be an olfactory overload. For an authentic look at iconic old-Hong Kong, however, nothing compares to dodging delivery trucks while vats of live crab or fish splashing water into the street.
Beaches:
Weather patterns can be tricky in Hong Kong, but when the sun's out nothing beats a day at the beach. Feel free to ignore the countless umbrella and chez lounger hustlers if you like, and enjoy getting your feet in the sand. Be sure to check ahead about water quality, however. Beaches on the smaller islands tend to be fine, but the sea at some beaches closer to city centers can be too dirty for safe swimming.
The Tram:
OK, it's not free - but for US$0.26 a ride, this has got to be one of the world's cheapest sightseeing trips. The century-old tram runs from Kennedy Town in the west to Shau Kei Wan in the east, through some of Hong Kong Island's most iconic districts. Jostling along steel rails in the street, the rickety double-decker wooden cars can fill up with busy shoppers, but if you are lucky you can claim one of many seats. Top level views from the front of the tram offer a dramatic take on Hong Kong's towering skyscrapers and snaky traffic.
A Symphony of Lights:
Called the world's largest permanent outdoor light show, A Symphony of Lights turns the super-dense forest of skyscrapers along the both side of Victoria Harbor into a disco of sorts. High-power laser lights shoot off the rooftops while multi-colored LEDs race up and down the sides of the buildings. The hour-long display starts at 8pm and is best seen from the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront or Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai.
Lan Kwai Fong Madness:
Unquestionably the heart of Hong Kong's nightlife, the Lan Kwai Fong district in Central is home to scores of nightclubs, bars, street eats, and general Bacchanal. Several roads are blocked to motor traffic allowing the party to spill into the street, which can resemble Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras on any given night. Since the city's smoking ban went into place last year, most of the party is outside anyway. Body paint, head-to-toe bear or gorilla suits, and glow-in-the-dark headbands are as common as designer dresses and business attire. Living it up with the hundreds (or thousands, depending on the evening) of thirsty night owls can be expensive but gawking at the costumed revelers is absolutely free and well worth your time if you don't mind crowds. If you do get thirsty, budget-minded patrons head to the busy 7-Eleven convenience store at the heart of it all. Unlike many cities, Hong Kong does not ban consuming alcoholic beverages in the street, so locals have dubbed the mini-mart "Club 7-Eleven." Lines to and from the beverage cooler at the back of the store can get pretty long during peak hours. The friendly cashiers are always happy to open your bottle if you have forgotten your opener.
Sitting Out Areas:
One of Hong Kong's most delightful and best kept secrets is its public spaces, or "sitting out" areas. Some of these are normal parks, while others are little public alcoves on private property - somewhat like an outdoor hotel lobby. One uniquely beautiful space sits in the rooftop courtyard of the upscale restaurant, The Pawn, in Wan Chai. Visitors enter through the restaurant and either ascend stairs or take the elevator to the roof, where they can choose to dine from the restaurant menu or simply look out over hectic Johnston Road. Cushioned seats and canvas awnings make the space a lovely, free resting spot in an otherwise hurried part of town. Another public sitting area along a popular nightclub strip in Mid-Levels allows voyeuristic views of barhopping without the associated noise and liver damage. Located between Arbuthnot Road and Wyndham Street, the waterfall-lined space overlooks several clubs and is within earshot of party central, Lan Kwai Fong. To truly get the experience, budget voyeurs can drop in to the nearby 7-Eleven store on Wyndham and buy the beverage of their choice for a fraction of nightclub prices, then enjoy a nightclub-esque drink while literally being above it all.
Hiking:
Perfectly juxtapose to the uber-modern city landscape, Hong Kong's miles of green space make for lovely hiking during the mostly dry and cool winters. Trails range from easy to ruggedly difficult, but usually let out near a bus stop or canteen. One popular trail is the mountainous Dragon's Back.
Source: www.allvoices.comWhy India is the Hub of Offshore Software Development?
The economic situation in the early 1990s called for the world’s demand for cost reduction in the majors in various fields. This has paved the way for multi-site study, multi-country software development, IT and ITES approaches. And, India, and Eastern Europe are becoming the most Haunted tour.
The phenomenal growth of India in the software development outsourcing segment is due to several factors. This article focuses on some of them in a nut shell.
Skilled talent pool for IT and software development
The quality of education in Indian institute of technology, National Institute of technology and other premier engineering colleges matches the international standard. According t an estimate, India is capable of adding new 250,000 IT professionals every year to its already existing massive IT talent pool.
Quality
Indian companies are the initial achievers of CMMI level 5 accreditation( the highest level of SEI) for their well defined maturity level in software development and maintenance process. Now, every second CMMI level company is an Indian and the number is increasing every year. It means a healthy competition is intensifying among the Indian IT and software development companies to offer clients qualitative software development solutions.
Cost Effective
The differences in the exchange rate and cost of living are the two most important factors that affect the interests of reducing costs, while outsourcing software development in India. NASSCOM estimates indicate that the reduction of costs can be up to 40%.
English speaking population
According to 2001 census, approximately 90 millions of Indians can speak English compared to 42. 5 millions in Philippines and 10 millions in china. Now, India is the home to the second largest English speaking population of the world and estimate show that India will be the numero uno by 2010. . English proficiency of Indian IT professionals helps a lot to bridge the communication gap during the process of software development and IT outsourcing.
Superior IT infrastructure
After liberalization of Indian economy, the development of IT infrastructure has been unprecedented attention to the Government of India and several state governments. Bangalore IT infrastructure and software development can be compared to that of Silicon Valley. Other cities like Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai and worked for a large IT infrastructure and software development.
Article Source:China Sourcing Blog
