Sixteen Million Smart LEDs Illuminate Gateway Of India

Every sunset, the iconic Gateway of India will now be dazzled with smart LED lighting.  The Governor of Maharashtra, K. Sankarnarayanan recently inaugurated the lighting of the landmark monument. The initiative has been taken up by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) in association with Philips India.

Commenting on this new face of the monument, K. Sankarnarayanan, Honourable Governor of Maharashtra said, “I am pleased to be present here to witness the lighting makeover of this beautiful monument. It is as much a matter of pride as is a responsibility to help maintain and revive our historic structures and such initiatives will only further promote tourism in Mumbai.”  

Philips Color Kinetics utilizes the latest advancements in LED technology to create more light, while making it more focused and controlled. The state of the art lighting system will allow the monument to minimize light spill, directing light exactly to where it is needed.  With the new LED fixtures, the beautiful monument can be easily automated in real-time by a computer control system to create unique light shows with varied effects like ripple, cross-fade, particle and burst. The system will also simplify the maintenance schedule, as well as monitor unforeseen issues such as power outages.

 Chhagan Bhujbal, Honourable Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra said, “Being a place of great tourism interest, this makeover only seems befitting to the grand structure. Using a one-of-a-kind lighting system, the façade and mast of the iconic Gateway of India now have lights complementing its existent architecture and adding to its glory. I hope more and more tourists and Mumbaikars come forth to enjoy this spectacle.

“It is overwhelming to see our efforts transform into such an impressive show at the Gateway of India, after we enhanced the lighting at India Gate in 2012. We hope that our Gift of Light to the people of Mumbai has given them another reason to visit this wonderful monument. The LED lighting system used provides color and spectacle, and is energy efficient. On behalf of Philips, I would like to take this opportunity to thank MTDC and all the government authorities who hugely supported this initiative and made this lighting makeover possible,” said, Nirupam Sahay, President, Philips Lighting India.

There are various products from the Philips Color Kinetics and LED street lighting family which have been used to light up the monument and the adjoining landscape. In all, approx. 132 light points have been created to bring the right kind of lighting effect. The new lighting system is 60% more energy efficient than the older lighting system which was installed at the monument which means that the energy consumption by lighting at the monument and surrounding landscape has been reduced to 13KW now from 32KW earlier, while the light output is clearly much brighter and aesthetically more appealing. The lifecycle of this LED lighting is about 15 years.

The event was live-streamed on www.MumbaiInANewLight.com – a special site created for people to keep track of the build-up to the event and suggesting interesting lighting ideas – the winning entries for which was showcased at the Gateway of India. The best paintings from the painting competition held with children from Akanksha NGO on January 20, 2014 were also exhibited at the venue.

The Gateway of India has not only gone greener but also more colourful with this new energy-efficient LED lighting system. With the lighting specifically designed to withstand weather conditions, the technologically-advanced LED lighting system offers a palette of 16 million shades that make for amazing light shows. One can look forward to many more nights of splendour as the majestic monument flaunts its new look.

No New Hiring For Intel In India

The Indian unit of Intel is freezing hiring this year as it consolidates its R&D operations in Bangalore . The freeze is also in line with Intel's worldwide target of ending 2014 with 5 per cent fewer employees . 

"We are not hiring any people this year and in the near future ... we are deploying resources in new areas like mobile, tablets, allin-ones ," Intel India president Kumud Srinivasan told media in Bangalore on Wednesday. 

Intel, the world's largest chip maker for personal computers, announced it would end the current year with fewer staff after the company reported December quarter earnings that missed street expectations owing to falling PC sales in its main markets, including the United States. The reduction in staff worldwide is likely to come in the form of retirements, voluntary programmes and through attrition, Intel said on January 17. 

Intel ended 2013 with some 108,000 employees. Intel India currently has about 4,500 staff, with about a third of them added over the last two years, Srinivasan said. Globally, Intel has an attrition or staff churn rate of 4 per cent, Srinivasan said. 

While Intel does not give India-specific numbers, attrition in India is in the "very low single digits," an Intel spokesman said. Srinivasan also said the company was investing $120 million in consolidating its centres in India at its facility in Bangalore. Intel had invested some $2 billion in its Indian operations since it started here in 1988, she said. 

India is Intel's largest non-manufacturing site outside the US, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. The consolidated facility in Bangalore will be a global centre of excellence for chip design, according to the statement. 

Big Applause For Modi's Vision On India's ICT

The growth of ICT in the last two decades has been spectacular and historic in the world. IT industry has changed the entire set-up and altered thought processes. I believe in the Mantra of ‘IT+IT=IT' (Information Technology+ Indian Talent= India Tomorrow). My vision for IT sector is that it develops the capacity and capability to become the engine of innovation and the driver of growth in the years to come. I see the IT industry as an engine for making India the knowledge superpower and an agent of change that touches lives of the poorest of the poor, for their empowerment.

The IT sector has become the shining beacon of brand India globally. We need to build up our strengths and effectively leverage our talent pool at home. We need to work to create an atmosphere whereby India becomes the home of the next Apple, Google, Facebook, Twitter and Amazon! We have the talent, what we need to work on is providing the right opportunities, infrastructure and groom our people.

With a policy driven and result oriented approach, I see no reason why India cannot become the next hub of Cloud Infrastructure. We would need to think out of the box on whether there are synergies and opportunities to co-locate Non-Conventional Energy Projects and Massive Data Centres in areas where there is little scope for agriculture or manufacturing. Here too IT plays a crucial role.

As for our Telecom Industry, a lot has been done but we can do a lot more. Mobile phones are no longer a luxury but they are an inseparable part of our lives. Today it is not a question of whether one owns a mobile phone or not, it is about whether we can use this mobile phone to bring a difference in the lives of the common people. We have heard of e-governance but now is the time to move towards m-governance (Mobile governance). M-governance involves greater application of ICT for furthering good governance, moving a step beyond e-governance. Can we think of a system where one mobile can solve maximum problems of the people?

The role of the Internet is paramount now. We need to think of a future where every home and office has a fibre coming and High Speed Data access becomes a basic utility, much like electricity, water and telephones.

In order to see a thriving manufacturing sector we would need to make hubs where both labour and infrastructure are not a problem. We can think of innovative ways to encourage such hubs and incentives that draw big names to come to India. We will need to nurture highly trained people and give them the right environment where they can grow. Emphasis on R&D and IPR creation is also the need of the hour.

Another thing we can do is to set up skill centres in collaboration with the telecom majors that cater to the skills that are required to surge ahead in telecom manufacturing.

At the Government level, we will need to ensure that we can provide seamless supply of power, water and other required infrastructure. Long and stable tax regimes are vital to attract companies, both Indian and international. 

E-Governance for me is ‘Easy, Effective and Economical Governance.' E-Governance has the potential to become the greatest problem solver for the people. It is one of the most positive application of technology that has the potential to transform governance and service delivery. In order to achieve the desired goal of ‘Minimum Government and Maximum Governance' I see an increasingly important role for E-Governance.

Along with reform, we need to increase the scope of E-Governance across the Nation. We need to ensure that E-Governance application of the various states are effectively integrated. More importantly, technology and E-Governance are our strongest weapons to fight corruption. Thus, we need to increase the use of technology within citizen-government interface to completely eliminate avenues for any kind of malafide discretion or corruption.

From our Gujarat experience I can give you several examples of E-Governance. One of the most satisfying initiatives is to take broadband connectivity to all our villages. This has enabled us to provide citizen centric services at the doorstep of our rural population. Through satellite infrastructure we are able to provide quality long distance education to our schools. A student sitting in a village can learn from world-class faculty. Is this not real empowerment! Take another example of rural BPOs. They have the capacity to empower youth in rural areas and if done on a large scale, it can prevent migration from villages to cities. This was a significant lesson- give our rural youth the right facilities and they will always stay in the villages and taste the fruits of development.

Social media has become the defining feature of this century! This medium has revolutionized communication and dissemination of news ad views. Social media will always be remembered and rightfully celebrated as the medium that empowered the common man and woman to express themselves! It has opened the floodgates of expression and communication.

Personally, I have been active on social media for over five years now and my interactions on social media have always been enriching, rewarding and very satisfying. Just recently, we launched a volunteer platform www.India272.com where, among other features there is an option for volunteer sourcing. I was simply amazed by the clarity and depth of ideas I received from volunteers. Social media has brought the ocean of knowledge and creativity that existed among out people on the forefront and this is a welcome sign.

Be it social media or any other media, I would like to categorically state that I am totally against any form of policing or censorship. Let every shade of opinion shine and grow in our Nation. Infact, criticism is also an integral part of our democracy. In 2012 when the Centre unilaterally censored a few handles on social media, I darkened my Twitter display picture in solidarity with the spirit of free speech. To take inspiration from Voltaire, I will say, We need not have to agree with what everyone is saying but we must defend their right to say it.

It is possible that a miniscule minority of people may misuse social media and conversations may get extremely heated and personal. The answer lies in self-restraint not in censorship. Our culture has history of respecting others' viewpoints and I feel we should follow the same on social media as well.

Source: Ciol

Dell India Appoints Anand Sankaran As Global Head

Dell has hired Anand Sankaran, senior vice president of Wipro's Global Infrastructure Services business and appointed him as its new president and global head of Dell Services' Infrastructure and Cloud Computing line of business.

He succeeds Kevin Jones, who moved into the recently created chief customer and sales officer role within Dell Services.

Sankaran will be based in Bangalore and will be reporting to Suresh Vaswani, president of Dell Services.

According to a Dell relese, Sankaran will lead a global team of nearly 10,000 employees responsible for driving infrastructure consulting and delivery, managed services and services related to the company's Cloud offerings.

Sankaran was formerly senior vice president of Wipro's Global Infrastructure Services business as well as head of Wipro Infotech, their India and Middle East business. He previously held a variety of Wipro management positions after joining the company in 1989.

New Range of Voice Phablets From HP In India

Aimed at the fast growing Indian cell phone market, Hewlett-Packard has announced a new line of innovative “voice tablets” with 6-inch and 7-inch screens, which would be exclusively launched in India next month.

Built on Android operating system and featuring the powerful Quad Core processor, the HP Slate6 and HP Slate7 are engineered for the way people multitask, while offering access to entertainment.

Both devices come equipped with a 3G(3) Dual SIM Dual Standby feature, providing voice connectivity and performance that allows people to work and play on the go, the company said. It will also have front and rear cameras.

“Consumers are looking to consolidate their phones and tablets, which is propelling the voice tablet market,” said Ron Coughlin, senior vice-president, Consumer Personal Systems Group, HP.

“This is an exciting new category that represents a meaningful growth opportunity for HP. Our HP Slate VoiceTab provides consumers with a high-quality product at a great value,” he said on Wednesday.

According to The Washington Post, big-screen devices with calling capability have been particularly popular in Asia and Europe, where they appealed to early waves of consumers who were interested in tablets, but not in carting around two devices — particularly on the long train commutes that are more common in those regions than in the United States.

“But ‘phablets’, as these phone-tablet hybrids are so often called, are steadily gaining ground here, as well, as people use their phones more for watching video and surfing the Web than making calls,” the daily said.

Tata Elxsi Delivers Stellar Visual Effects For Dhoom 3

Visual Computing Labs (VCL), the VFX and animation arm of Tata Elxsi Ltd. India’s leading design company has announced its association with Dhoom 3, an action packed thriller, starring superstars Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachan and Katrina Kaif. Directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya and produced by Aditya Chopra, the third installment of Yash Raj Films' popular Dhoom franchise has been rendered in association with Tata Elxsi - Visual Computing Labs (VCL).

To capture and replicate the director’s vision on the silver screen, VCL has worked with some of the best names in the industry in India and abroad to deliver over 1500 VFX shots with a team of 100 artists in a short span of 11 months. The fast paced action sequences in the film demanded a high number of VFX shots to be delivered. VCL achieved this feat by seamlessly integrating multidisciplinary skills to amplify the action and the drama in a completely realistic and believable way. Dhoom 3 is India's first film to simultaneously release in the IMAX format, thus all the VFX had to stand the test of being credible which successfully delivered on VCL’s commitment to offer the viewers with a larger-than-life experience.

Post the initial script narration, VCL held detailed discussions with the creative team to ensure that each shot was meticulously planned to recreate the scene in the film.  Along with VCL's Academy Award winning Senior VFX Supervisor, Joel Hynek, Creative Director, Pankaj Khandpur and VFX Supervisors, Sherry Bharda and Vishal Anand, comprehensive action sequences were designed and rough storyboards were produced which were elaborated further using pre-visualization. In the planning stage, the unique methodology of pre-visualization helped the experts at VCL to recreate the scenes in a virtual format therefore minimizing the effort and time invested in reproducing the shots on location.

VCL has demonstrated a vast array of visual effects solutions in Dhoom 3 ranging from creation of digital characters to re-creation of vehicles and two-wheelers using CGI which also included a 3D water jet ski. To make high-octane actions scenes look real, VCL conceptualized and generated some key elements to control and maintain the focus on the actor’s face in most of the fast-paced bike riding shots. This involved extremely accurate CGI lighting and reflections on the helmet visor as well as on the digital assets used. VCL’s contribution also included the creation of both interiors and exteriors of the sets using CGI to deliver specific sequences in the film.

S. Nagarajan, COO, Tata Elxsi - Visual Computing Labs, said “We are honored to be associated once again with Yash Raj Films , which is one of the most respected and highly acclaimed production houses. This project is our largest VFX project to date and has helped us showcase VCL’s cutting edge capabilities in the VFX domain and we are confident that this film will become a benchmark in mainstream cinema for providing viewers with a world-class experience.” 

Pankaj Khandpur, Creative Director, Tata Elxsi – Visual Computing Labs added, “This film encompasses some interesting ideas, conceptualized and executed by the extremely talented team of VFX artists at VCL. Our association with Yashraj Films has always been a highly enriching experience. It has been our constant endeavor to leverage our VFX expertise to transform the director’s vision onto the big screen and offer larger-than-life experiences to all our viewers.”

Ten Trends In Eduction To Watch For In Future

It is that time of the year when we tend to pause and reflect. What have we achieved this year? What are the highlights of culture, business, technology, and trends that we have observed around us?

For me, the most exciting and positive movement at present is in the domain of technology impacting education. And it is an impact that is coming from many different directions.

Let’s explore them in further detail.

Cost of higher education: 

The cost of higher education is high, and when coupled of youth unemployment and student debt, it has become a serious issue that is finally getting a great deal of attention this year. It is causing the higher ed institutions to experiment, consider alternative models, explore new ideas. Education has been a rather slow-to-change field. This year, however, I think the pace of change has picked up, and most likely, this trend is driven by fear. While the top institutions with big brands can justify their premium pricing, most others cannot. Tremendous amounts of quality educational content is available online for free, or at reasonable prices. Unless the degree comes with a serious branded network, is it worthwhile to pay so much? The question, I am sure, will be hotly debated over the rest of this decade, and changes will come.

Question mark around liberal arts education:

The jobs are mostly in the STEM fields. Then why would anyone pay $30k a year for four years to study the humanities? What is the justification for existence of the liberal arts colleges if they cannot translate that education into lucrative professional careers? This is the question plaguing the leaders in that field. Personally, I am a huge believer in liberal arts education. However, I also believe, that liberal arts should be the arts that liberate. Today, those are technology and entrepreneurship. Thus, I would like to see the liberal arts colleges make it compulsory for students to study programming and entrepreneurship as parts of their degree requirement. We’re not there yet, but by 2020, I hope, we get there.

Evolution of engineering education:

Most engineering schools are hotbeds of experimentation with MOOCs and other online education possibilities. EdX, the mother of all MOOCs, came out of a collaboration between Harvard and MIT, and is run by MIT’s Anant Agarwal. There is, however, concern around intellectual property, and many deans are not as keen to give out their jewels for free. My take on the subject is that Free is a dangerous path. Creating and delivering value isn’t free. Thus, consuming value should also not be free. Is education a public good? To an extent. But with governments neck-deep in debt, it is unclear how such models will sustain at scale. Nonetheless, experimenting with scalable modes of delivering world class education to students worldwide is worthwhile. Whatever comes out of this will likely, also, be worthwhile.

The other observation I have is that many of the deans of engineering schools are trying to figure out how to also train their entire body of engineering students with entrepreneurship education. They don’t have adequate budgets yet, but again, with smart use of virtual methods, it is doable. I would like to see, by 2020, every single engineering student in the world ALSO trained in entrepreneurship. The pace of progress for humanity will accelerate tremendously. It is engineers, not MBAs, who know best how to ‘build’ things. That includes new companies.

Demand for community colleges and vocational education:

At the face of huge global youth unemployment numbers, the country that has drawn attention as a successful model is Germany. They do vocational training well. Most other countries don’t. America has an excellent network of community colleges through which really great quality vocational training CAN be delivered. However, the quality of the community colleges and their connections into the employers is quite poor. There’s a lot of work to be done here, but through a combination of virtual learnings methods and internships, the gap can be bridged. The model, also, needs to be replicated globally.

Changes in K-12 education:

Salman Khan has made some dent in K-12, and Khan Academy’s attempts at turning the schools from ‘sage on stage’ to ‘guide on side’ is a seminal experiment under way. Instead of not-very-qualified teachers trying to create course content, if the lectures are standardized and delivered via online video, which teachers guide students through exercises in class, the quality of education may significantly improve. It’s early. But, it is an extremely promising direction. In general, rich media content available widely for educational purposes is awesome. The film ‘Lincoln’ is far more engaging to teach history with than a dry text book.

Broadband penetration:

Today, the limiting factor for online education is broadband penetration. By 2020, this will change dramatically. The ability for digital learning to impact society will also change alongside.

Changing dynamics of media consumption:

The availability of vast amount of rich media content not only on smart phones and tablets, but also on television is drastically changing how people consume media. Instead of TV being time-bound, today, it is becoming largely on-demand. To the extent this trend accelerates, education and entertainment are going to intersect in ways that we haven’t seen yet. I see huge potential.

Education businesses:

For-profit colleges get a lot of flack. They charge big tuition fees, and don’t deliver on the employability metric as well. But, if you look at education businesses as great providers of digital programs and materials, without having to worry about accreditation, faculty, etc. such that existing institutions can scale their ability to deliver quality education using those capabilities at reasonable prices, the potential is enormous. If community colleges started adopting more of the proven digital learning methods and casting their faculty as ‘guide on side’, the results could be encouraging. In this, also, lies the answer to the question of how a liberal arts college or an engineering school can teach entrepreneurship or programming to large numbers of students (not 50 students, 5000 students).

Entrepreneurship education and incubation:

Entrepreneurship has justifiably become cool, and its education on high demand. This trend will continue. At every level – high school, college, graduate school, community college – entrepreneurship needs to be taught, and by 2020, we will see much greater penetration of entrepreneurship education throughout society. Entrepreneurship as a vehicle of economic development and prosperity is becoming well understood. Its education will also become so within this decade.

Internships:

There is a lot of discussion around whether unpaid internships should be legal. I think, this is nonsense. Any opportunity to educate and develop skills in people should be welcome. If employers are willing to train free of charge, it is absolutely ridiculous to not let them. It takes a lot of bandwidth for an organization to train green, unskilled people. It is free education that makes youth employable. I hope that aided by online services, the process of matching interns with employers will become pervasive at every level, in every country. This is an incredibly important youth development strategy for the world.

Those are currently my observations. I have a long view, and fully acknowledge that it will take time. Many of the experiments are at their very beginning stages. Nonetheless, I do believe that we end this decade on high note, having achieved meaningful strides in the education domain.