Twitter invades Kerala classrooms

Twitter, the micro-blogging cum social networking tool Twitter made popular by the likes of Shashi Tharoor and Shah Rukh Khan is all set to enter Kerala classrooms.

Teachers, students and parents will use the social media technology to enhance the communication and learn new skills. The IT@School which is implementing the project has already started training the teachers the art of ’tweeting’.

Schools will be able to call a staff and PTA meetings, notify the progress of students and the date to pay the school fee in seconds using 140 characters.

Social media experts point out that Twitter can act like a virtual staffroom where teachers can access  a stream of links, ideas, opinions, and resources in seconds.

Twitter hiring workers to turn Tweets into money

Twitter, the popular but money-losing microblogging service, is hiring engineers and specialists who can help turn it into a money-maker.

The 2-1/2-year-old Internet start-up, whose short text messages or "tweets" have become a global social phenomenon, is building up a team focused on generating revenue with a new range of yet-to-be launched products, judging by job postings on the company's website.

Among the 26 job openings listed on Twitter's site, four are specifically identified as being devoted to "monetization." Striking licensing deals are key responsibilities for two other jobs.

"Twitter is looking for new members of our technical staff to work on cutting edge monetization projects," several of the postings said.

The move to invest in such projects signals that making money is becoming a bigger priority at Twitter, as it seeks to evolve from being one of the Web's fastest-growing social media firms into a self-sustaining online business.

"The company has crossed into the phase where monetization matters. They're ramping it up," said a source close to Twitter who did not wish to speak on the record about its finances. Read More

Intel to Boost Netbooks' Atomic Power

Intel unveiled new additions to its line of Atom processors, a set of chips designed for ultra-small notebook computers and entry-level desktops. The new products integrate graphics processors and memory controllers into the CPUs, and a dual-core Atom chip is included in the lineup. The processors should make their way into computers from several vendors available early next year.



Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) unveiled several new Atom processors on Monday. The chips are smaller and more energy-efficient than their predecessors. They also integrate graphics processors (GPUs) and memory controllers into the CPUs.


Two of them are single-core processors and the third is a dual-core CPU. All run at 1.66 GHz. Computers based on these new processors will be available Jan. 4, 2010.




Shrinking the Atom


Intel's new line of Atom processors consists of products for netbooks and entry-level desktop PCs. For netbooks, Intel unveiled the N450 processor. For desktop PCs, Intel announced the D410 and the D510, the only dual-core processor in the latest lineup. All three are paired with the new low-power NM10 Express Chipset, which was also announced on Monday.


Intel claims the integration of memory controllers and graphics into the CPU in the new line of Atom processors is an industry first on x86 chips. This means the processors now consist of a CPU and a chipset. They don't need an input/output controller hub like older-generation chips did.


The N450 offers a 20 percent improvement in average power consumption, Intel said. The integration has cut the total footprint for the netbook platform by about 60 percent, according to the company. For entry-level desktop PCs based on the new Intel Atoms, the reduction is about 70 percent.


The Nitty-Gritty Tech Info


The N450 is a single-core processor with 512 KB of L2 cache and a 7-watt total kit TDP, including the chipset. TDP stands for "thermal design power." It's the maximum amount of power a chip will draw when running real applications and represents the maximum amount of power the cooling system in a computer has to dissipate.


The D410 is a single-core Atom processor for entry-level desktop PCs. It has 512 KB of L2 cache and 12 watts of total kit TDP, including the chipset. The D510 is the only dual-core processor unveiled on Monday. It's for entry-level desktop PCs and has 1 MB of L2 cache. It has a 15-watt total kit TDP, including the chipset.


All three processors run at 1.66 MHz. Pricing and availability will be announced in January.


The smaller processors with their lower power consumption rates may make for new, super-small fanless and all-in-one desktops, Intel spokesperson Bill Calder said..


Battling the Competition


Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Dell (Nasdaq: DELL), Toshiba, Samsung and Fujitsu are among the vendors coming out with products based on the new Atom line, Intel said. Most of the new systems will run on Windows 7 Starter or Windows 7 Home Basic, but some vendors will offer Moblin Linux v2, Intel's version of Linux, as well.


The netbook line is expected to be very hot -- Gartner (NYSE: IT) predicts that worldwide PC shipments will grow, driven by increasing mobile PC shipments. This year, mobile PC shipments will probably hit 162 million units, and in 2010, they are expected to total more than 196 million units, Gartner forecast.


That has led to expectations of strong sales , which in turn are pulling chip vendors into the market for mobile computing chips. This could cause Intel a headache. "The big problem for Intel is ARM (Nasdaq: ARMHY) and the massed number of companies, ranging from Marvell and Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOM) to Nvidia (Nasdaq: NVDA) and Freescale, that are suddenly focused on this emerging segment of small personal products," Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, told TechNewsWorld.


Many of these vendors have a strong presence in the GPU side of the business, which seems to be gaining ground at the CPU's expense, Enderle pointed out. For example, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Department of Energy's largest science and energy lab, plans to build a new supercomputer based on the next-generation "Fermi" CUDA graphics processing unit Nvidia announced recently.


Intel's traditional weakness in the graphics sector is going to hurt it in the battle for GPU dominance, Enderle said. "While Intel's much larger and more powerful than AMD (NYSE: AMD) or Nvidia, and has the x86 base behind it, it's much weaker, comparatively, in this battle than it is on the regular PC platform," he explained. "There is a much more even playing field here."


For example, Intel recently had to put its plans for its Larrabee graphics processor on hold indefinitely, just one month after setting a new processing speed record with that chip. Intel now plans to use Larrabee technology as a software development platform for internal and external use in high-performance computing.


However, Intel's new Atom line is a different kettle of fish, company spokesperson Calder pointed out. "Larrabee was an entirely different focus, which is discrete graphics," he told TechNewsWorld. "With this segment, we've integrated graphics directly into the CPU. That's not anything like Larrabee."


The competition does not pose much of a threat, Calder said. "We have a year-and-a-half lead in sales of silicon for netbooks," he said. "We've heard a lot about various competing designs, but today you can't buy anything in terms of significant numbers from other suppliers."


Footfalls of the FTC


Intel's integration of GPUs into CPUs in its new Atom line is being dogged by questions about the lawsuit filed recently by the FTC against Intel alleging anticompetitive behavior.


Could this pending lawsuit impact sales of the new Atom chips? Intel doesn't think so. "The integration of graphics and memory controllers into the CPU is a function of Moore's law," Calder explained. "As we continue to shrink transistors and the overall real estate of silicon, we're able to put more and more features on the chips themselves. That's what we do as a company -- we innovate and integrate."


However, analyst Enderle contends the FTC lawsuit could still be a thorn in Intel's side. "Much like Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) was forced to change behavior by the European Commission, Intel could be forced to open up its technology more by the FTC," he said. "It will be a very interesting year in 2010 for Intel, but not necessarily in the best possible way."

Avatar- The Best 3-D Movie Ever - Technically

Though filmmaker James Cameron shows a few rust spots when it comes to elements like dialogue, it's clear the director has mastered the technical side of his craft with "Avatar." The sci-fi action flick takes CGI and 3-D to new heights, and Cameron uses the technologies at his disposal with artistry and restraint. The question is, will other 3-D filmmakers be so deft, or are we in for years of cinematic headaches?

"Avatar" could indeed light the way to fresh, uncharted territory for filmmaking and entertainment thanks to its groundbreaking special effects and 3-D technologies -- but that's not necessarily a good thing.

The best way to explain that is to go see writer-director James Cameron's new blockbuster in a 3-D IMAX theater. (Before you scream "Duh!" at your PC, hear me out). As you settle down with your popcorn and drink to watch this 160-minute adventure, pay close attention to the 3-D previews of other movies vying for your leisure-time dollars next year. In the IMAX theater I was in for a midnight Thursday screening of "Avatar," I was treated to a massive, grinning Cheshire Cat head that appeared to float inches from my face, thanks to director Tim Burton's revisionist version of "Alice In Wonderland."
Dreamworks' idea of a scary-yet-cute dragon flew right at me in the studio's trailer for "How to Train Your Dragon." And of course, the lovable and hygiene-challenged ogre Shrek is back in "Shrek Forever After," and there he was towering over me in all his green glory.
The point bludgeoned into me during these trailers was that 3-D was going to be used for 3-D's sake in all three films. Objects and characters are going to be shot at the audience as they have been since "Bwana Devil," "House of Wax" and the dawn of 3-D in the 1950s. The only exception was a preview for a new IMAX documentary, "Hubble 3-D;" an image of the space telescope appearing to stretch out into the movie theater from the screen, with Earth in the background, was truly breathtaking.
Otherwise, it was 3-D business as usual.
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Our Great Malayali director for AICTE

KOTTAYAM: Dr K Sree Krishna Kumar, Director, School of Technology and Applied Sciences (STAS), Mahatma Gandhi University, has been appointed the Director of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

Dr Sree Krishna Kumar, who has 17 years of post graduate teaching experience and 11 years of administrative experience by vide of positions held in the LBS, IHRDE and M G University, has been appointed in the AICTE on deputation basis. The 45-year-old Sreekrishna Kumar is the youngest and is the only Malayalee to adorn the top post in the national body till date.

AICTE has wide ranging powers in the control and curriculum formation for technical education in the country.

A native of Chettikulangara, Mavelikkara, SreeKrishna Kumar is the son of retired teachers’ N Krishnan Nair and K Janaki Amma. His wife Dr M S Latha is a lecturer in the SN College, Chengannur.