25-yr-old blogs his way to LSE

Ankur Shanker is a trained engineer, but the 25-year-old loves economics. The London School of Economics is willing to admit him, but like most middle class Indians, he doesn't have enough money.
While most people would take loans or try for a scholarship, Ankur's trying something different.
"I've started a blog, www.milliondollarstory.blogspot.com. By April, I hope to earn $1,10,000 through it," says he.
Silly pipe-dream you say? But it's actually working. In just one month, 5,000 people have been to his site and Ankur's already earned more than $200.
Here's how he does it.
"There are a lot of free advertisement programs on the Internet. You fix one on your homepage. Now, every time a visitor comes to your site, the program owner pays you some money. If the visitor actually clicks on an advertisement, you get even more money," says he.
Two years ago, this website earned its owner a million dollars by just selling advertising space. An Indian girl soon tried the same stunt and she earned a neat packet too.
But Ankur's trying something different. He's posting short stories on his blog, hoping people will keep coming back for more. A new story everyday, 180 in all by April.
"I have a full time job, so I write my stories whenever I have the time. It takes me around three hours to copy edit and finalise one story," says he.
Two hundred dollars in 30 days isn't bad, but Ankur needs 500 times that much to get to London.
He says, "Maybe the blog itself won't raise all the money, but the publicity it generates just might do the trick. If a corporate sees this and decides to sponsor my studies at LSE, I promise to return and work five years exclusively for him or her."

Common man's airline Deccan will still be affordable

The much anticipated merger between Air Deccan and Kingfisher has been formalised. But how will it affect the way you travel?
Air Deccan MD G R Gopinath says, “It has already been decided by both Vijay Mallya and me that we will retain two separate identities."
Air Deccan will still fly the Indian skies but with a new name. Despite the merger with Kingfisher airlines, Air Deccan will continue to operate as a low cost carrier bringing to the table India's largest civil aviation company one that's more profitable and punctual.
Talking about the merger, UB Chairman Vijay Mallya says, “The report has highlighted the synergy potential between the two airlines and how it can bring down the cost of operations, save a lot of money and accelerate the route to profitability."
But how will this integration change the way you travel? If you are an Air Deccan regular, the first thing you will notice the restructuring will be the change in flight schedules

For example, if you fly an 0800 hrs, IST Mumbai-Delhi Air Deccan flight, it may soon be replaced with a Kingfisher one simply because there's a higher demand for premium services during the peak hours.
But if you're looking for cheaper tickets during the non-peak hours, there may soon be many more available.
So for all practical purposes the common man's airline will still be affordable to the common man, and that with a bonus of no-frills international flights as well

Britney Spear's sister Jamie is pregnant at 16

Britney Spears' 16-year-old sister, who stars as a schoolgirl in Nickelodeon's popular TV show Zoey 101, is pregnant.
The cable channel confirmed a report in the forthcoming edition of celebrity gossip magazine OK! that Jamie Lynn Spears is expecting a child.
"We respect Jamie Lynn's decision to take responsibility in this sensitive and personal situation. We know this is a very difficult time for her and her family, and our primary concern right now is for Jamie Lynn's well being," Nickelodeon said in a statement e-mailed to Reuters.
A high school student who lives in Louisiana, Jamie Lynn Spears reportedly met the father, Casey Aldridge, the son of a Tennessee papermill worker, at church.
Jamie Lynn Spears' personal publicist was not available for comment.
Her big sister, Britney Spears, may not be the best source of parenting advice.
The 26-year-old pop star lost primary custody of her two sons, aged 2 and 1, to ex-husband Kevin Federline after their divorce last year and is engaged in a bitter custody battle that has shone a harsh spotlight on her maternal shortcomings.
Zoey 101, which wrapped production on its fourth and final season in September, revolves around a headstrong student at a co-ed boarding school in California.
Fresh episodes will air through 2008, a spokeswoman for the Viacom Inc-owned network said.

One-film-old Gemma bags next 007 girl role

London: Actress Gemma Arterton of the show St. Trinian will be the next Bond girl. It will be her second film.
Thesun.co.uk reports that the 22-year old beat 1,500 other women to co-star with Daniel Craig in the movie is tentatively titled Bond 22. Filming starts in January.
After getting the confirmation, Arterton sent an SMS to her mom saying, "I got Bond!"
An insider at the Bond studios Eon Productions said, "She has the modern look."

Prez Bush might just be on 'The Simpsons' show

Prez Bush will now be on 'The Simpsons' show
IANS
And now for the final feather in the cap for faux pas king, US President Bush. After making repeated headlines with his gaffes, goof-ups and bloopers, seems like Pres Bush might just meet his animated-television twin, Homer Simpson.
Popular animated comedy series, The Simpsons writer James L Brooks is hoping to get US President George Bush to appear on the show.
Thesun.co.uk reports Brooks as saying: "A vulnerable moment with George would be great. You cannot go wrong with George. George and Homer, George and Bart, even George and Comic Book Guy. We've never got a US president. We will take any US president willing to pass his or her love of us."
Brooks is one of the original writers of the show and was in Britain promoting The Simpsons Movie, which he co-wrote and co-produced.
Talking about the movie he said: "One of the toughest things was we cared so much and our profile was so high that it became intimidating. For a while we had to work to get past it and then we could start having fun."
So far while many celebrities have made their appearance on The Simpsons, no US president has been seen on the show. Given how Pres Bush is a favourite topic for lampooning for media, commentators and cartoonists, having him on the show will be a coup of sorts for The Simpsons.

Touching one to Stop Abortion

Dear Mommy,
I am in Heaven now... I so wanted to be your little girl. I don't quite understand what has happened. I was so excited when I beganrealizing my existence. I was in a dark, yet comfortable place. I sawI had fingers and toes. I was pretty far along in my developing, yetnot near ready to leave my surroundings. I spent most of my time thinking or sleeping. Even from my earliest days, I felt a specialbonding between you and me.

Sometimes I heard you crying and I cried with you. Sometimes you wouldyell or scream, then cry. I heard Daddy yelling back. I was sad, and hoped you would be better soon. I wondered why you cried so much. Oneday you cried almost all of the day. I hurt for you. I couldn'timagine why you were so unhappy.

That same day, the most horrible thing happened. A very mean monster came into that warm, comfortable place I was in. I was so scared, Ibegan screaming, but you never once tried to help me. Maybe you neverheard me. The monster got closer and closer as I was screaming andscreaming, "Mommy, Mommy, help me please; Mommy, help me." Complete terror is all I felt. I screamed and screamed until I thought Icouldn't anymore. Then the monster started ripping my arms off. Ithurt so bad; the pain I can never explain. It didn't stop.Oh, how I begged it to stop. I screamed in horror as it ripped my leg off. Though I was in such complete pain, I was dying. I knew I would neversee your face or hear you say how much you love me. I wanted to makeall your tears go away. I had so many plans to make you happy. Now I couldn't; all my dreams were shattered. Though I was in utter pain andhorror, I felt the pain of my heart breaking, above all. I wanted morethan anything to be your daughter. No use now, for I was dying apainful death. I could only imagine the terrible things that they haddone to you. I wanted to tell you that I love you before I was gone,but I didn't know the words you could understand.And soon, I no longer had the breath to say them; I was dead. I felt myself rising. I was being carried by a huge angel into a bigbeautiful place. I was still crying, but the physical pain was gone.The angel took me away to a wonderful place... Then I was happy. Iasked the angel what was the thing was that killed me. He answered, "Abortion". I am sorry, for I know how it feels." I don't know whatabortion is; I guess that's the name of the monster. I'm writing tosay that I love you and to tell you how much I wanted to be your little girl. I tried very hard to live. I wanted to live. I had thewill, but I couldn't; the monster was too powerful. It sucked my armsand legs off and finally got all of me. It was impossible to live. Ijust wanted you to know I tried to stay with you. I didn't want todie. Also, Mommy, please watch out for that abortion monster. Mommy, Ilove you and I would hate for you to go through the kind of pain Idid. Please be careful. Love,Your Baby Girl

John, Bips shoot to prove the affair ain't over

Bollwood's most talked about couple make it to the cover pages of the latest issue of Filmfare and finally all the doubts about their rocky relationship are put to rest.
John and Bipasha launched the latest edition of the Filmfare magazine that shows the couple in some cozy moments caught on camera by Jatin Kampani. The shoot needless to say was John and Bipasha’s way of mixing business with pleasure.
Bipasha says that they were their natural self and that is the way they usually are. "It was good to shoot with John after a really long time," she adds.
And it is not just John’s fans who lust over his six-pack, but it is Bipasha too who goes crazy over his hot looks. “I think John is hot and yes he is getting better with every passing year. Ask the girls here in Mumbai who drool over his looks."
The couple seems to be all praises for each other. John too is all praises for his lady. “She is Asia's sexiest woman, so that’s more than enough a reason for me to go gaga over her," says John.

Cars flash mails before breaking down

Bangalore:Breakdowns in the middle of a busy street due to engine trouble would become a thing of past as future technologies would enable a car flash ‘health report’ well in advance indicating ‘all was not well with it’.
“Your car could send an e-mail telling you that it’s time to drop in for a health check-up at your nearest service centre,” said Alan Taub, executive director, General Motors Research and Development in Warren Michigan, while tracing the future technology in the automotive industry.
“It could warn you well in advance that it was having an engine problem or that the brake pads were getting worn out or that the battery has not been charged enough,” he said. The component of electrification and electronification of value-added software in vehicles, especially in the high-end segment will go up to 40% by 2015, said Allan. The vehicle would have sophisticated software that could be serviced by just downloading a patch of software.
GM, which has already made available parts of this sophisticated technology in the US, is working on increasing the content of sophisticated software that could be addressed through remote applications, Nady Boules, director, Electrical and Controls Integration Research Lab said.
The technology, which will be made in India in future, would enable the driver to receive a ‘once-in-a-month’ report from the vehicle telling you its health status. The technology would help monitor the critical systems in the car from time to time and send indications if it was going to face some trouble, said Boules.
“The indicators could be available in various ways, you could have a green saying that it is time for a check up, a yellow that could indicate that you need to hurry and red which meant that you swerve immediately to your service centre,” said Boules. GM is working on software at two ends, one that could be made available on the driver’s panel and another that could be availed through remote control, he said.
“Next time you find you have locked your car and left the keys inside, you could call the back office of the company, inform them and they could in turn ‘break in’ the software and unlock the car. Or if you find there is some problem that needs to be immediately attended to, they could through remote application attend to it immediately,” he said.
In the US, currently, a driver whose vehicle has been stolen could intimate the company back office, which, through GPS system, would track the location of the car.
The software, which could be remotely controlled could actually “slow down the car and prevent the thief from running away. It would take out the control of the car from the thief’s hands,” he said with a chuckle.
Such a technology could help immensely in preventing vehicle thefts and free the owner from worries about the car being parked in dim-lit corners of a road. These back-office services could be availed of even during other crises with regard to the car. “The person driving the car could simply call up the back office of the company, inform them of the specific problem, which could be attended to immediately with the help of the advanced software,” he said.
In the US, in case of an accident, the back office is immediately alerted through an automatic system which then calls the driver to understand the gravity of the situation. Help is immediately deployed to the site of the accident. Such accident alerts could be extremely beneficial for India too where the driver in a serious situation could get help immediately, he said. The bursting of the airbags could send out the alert signals to the office.
“Currently, GM is working on components like engine control, steering, safety controls in the process of introducing more electronification of the vehicles,” he said. Once the sophisticated software is in place, it would mean that a car breakdown would have to be struck off from the list of ‘most common excuses’ dished out for showing up late.

76% mails from India are spam

New Delhi: Government on Monday said that as much as 76 per cent of e-mails originating from India are spam mails, although the country accounts for only one per cent when compared with top 25 spam-producing nations.
In a written reply, Communication and Information Technology Minister A Raja informed the Lok Sabha, "As per a study conducted on internet security by one of the international industry leaders, the spam origination in India amounts to 76 per cent."
He, however, said when compared with top 25 spam-producing countries, India accounts for only one per cent of the spam mails.
Replying to another query, he said the Department of Information Technology has received a proposal from CBI seeking funds to set up investigation and training facilities for cyber crime investigations with an outlay of Rs 363 lakh for a duration of one year at CBI Academy, Ghaziabad.
To a question on government's plans to set up one lakh cyber cafes in the country, the Minister said it has approved a scheme to provide support for establishing 100,000 broadband, internet-enabled kiosks termed as Common Service Centres (CSCs) in the rural areas.

The scheme is expected to facilitate the delivery of e-enabled government services at the doorstep of the citizen, he added.
Talking about exports from Software Technology Parks of India units, he said there was an increase of 43 per cent at Rs 1,44,214 crore in 2006-07 as compared to Rs 1,00,965 crore in 2005-06.