Vol. 2 No. 6

November 2003
Science & Technology
  World's 1st handbag light in Germany

London - October 2, 2003 - A pair of German brothers, Mr. Philipp and Mr. Axel Bree, have invented the worlds first internal handbag light, who hope to sell it on the international market next year. It will effectively make the enigmatic personal safety deposit box act like a fridge so that it lights up when opened. "We had been toying with the idea of illuminating the dark insides of handbags for quite some time, but lacked an elegant solution which not only met our high demands with regard to style and function, but was also technically feasible," Mr. Axel Bree said. The Bree light will penetrate every crevice of the bag. It will not only illuminate its contents, but may even offer scientists clues as to how a woman can fit the entire contents of her kitchen, bathroom and garage into a space no bigger than a cushion.

The Asian Age - October 3,2003.

'Remote-controlled toy planes smuggled into J&K'

Jammu - October 19, 2003 - Pakistan-backed militants, particularly those of Lashkar-e-Taiba, have smuggled 20 remote-controlled toy planes made of plastic to Jammu division from across the border to target VIPs and aircraft, and cause terror and security problems, official sources said today. "By smuggling these toy planes, a new chapter has been added to the 13-year-old insurgency in the State of J&K after suicide attacks were introduced by Pakistan's ISI in 1998," they said. These remote-controlled toy planes, weighing three to four KGms, can fly up to 500 or 600 meter and can carry two kilograms of explosives, enough to damage an aircraft or blow up a vehicle, they said.

The Hindu - October 20, 2003.

Smart robot to detect explosives

Allahabad - October 21, 2003 - The robot, developed by a team from the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), can not only sniff out explosives but also suggest ways to defuse them. G.C. Nandi, who guided the "Intelligent Mobile Robot System" project, says the system can detect bombs planted in public places. "It will also perform the task of explosive ordnance disposal. The robot will completely decontaminate the explosives," he says. The software for the robot was developed by Manish Saggar, an IT student. Nandi told the Hindustan Times on Monday, "We thought of developing a system that could raise an alarm and decontaminate the explosives, if needed." IIIT director, Dr. M.D. Tiwari, said the institute was working on another, more advanced system capable of detecting explosives.

Hindustan Times - October 22, 2003.

Army on drive to improve weapons against terrorists - communication devices to be upgraded

New Delhi - October 23, 2003 - Briefing the press, the infantry director general, Lt. General K. Nagaraj, said the terrorists in Kashmir are under "tremendous pressure" and the surveillance devices such as hand-held thermal imagers, unattended ground sensors and battlefield surveillance radars, had made a "significant contribution" in effectively curbing terrorists trying to sneak from across the LoC. Following the Rs.3000 crores earmarked for modernization of the Army, the infantry will also be equipped with modern light weapons like anti-material rifles, multi-shot grenades and flame throwers. He also said that the soldiers were being provided with Nuclear Biological Chemical warfare suits and decontamination kits.

The Asian Age - October 24, 2003.

Soon, if late at work, tell your microwave to heat up dinner!

Mumbai - October 28, 2003 - Sunil Nair, a Mumbai-based public relations executive, uses his cellphone to lock his television when no body is at home. He also uses his handset to send messages to his refrigerator and microwave oven to cool his drink and heat his food. This is reality and it is happening with the help of technology made available by Anchor Electronics and Electricals Limited, which will be commercially launched in the country in February next year. Mr. Shashi Nair, Anchor's president of marketing, told the Asian Age, AEEL is one of the 17 companies worldwide and the only one in India which is working on this technology.

The Asian Age - October 29, 2003

Thoughts on Greatness

  • There are countless ways of achieving greatness, but any road to achieving one's maximum potential must be built on a bed rock of respect for the individual, a commitment to excellence, and a rejection of mediocrity.

Buck Rodgers

  •  Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Hindu - October 4, 2003

Food for Thoughts

It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.

Charles Darwin
(1809-1882)

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"The quality of what we expect determines the quality of our actions."

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Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up.