News Digest 22 Sep 2014

GUIDE - WHO'S USING YOUR PC WHEN YOU AREN'T AROUND

Ahmedabad Mirror | 22 Sep 2014

Do you think people are using your computer when you aren't around? Here's how to catch the perpetrator red handed...Are you paranoid about your computer? If not, perhaps you should be. Most people who own a PC use it for countless personal tasks like banking, communicating with friends and managing personal contacts. And most people enable saved passwords in their browsers and apps because it's convenient. Anyone with access to your computer could snoop on every aspect of your life. Read More

It's not English for overseas students

Ahmedabad Mirror | 20 Sep 2014

Foreign students at GU and GTU find the going tough as classes are conducted in Gujarati; lack of PG accommodation and spicy food in canteen add to their woes. Aliben Ali Yussouf is a regular at his first semester lectures at L D College of Engineering. However, he fears he won't be able to write a single word in the examination at the end of the semester despite his best efforts. Reason: he doesn't understand a word of what is being taught in class because most of the lectures are conducted in Gujarati. Read More

1 lakh students to turn entrepreneurs at GTU

Ahmedabad Mirror | 20 Sep 2014

In a bid to train students in entrepreneur ship, Gujarat Technological University has introduced academic credit system for stu dents in 100 engineering colleges affiliated to it. GTU has become first technological university to put into place a comprehensive three-year startup learning programme which is the largest such programme to be implemented in India. More than 1 lakh students will benefit from this programme. Read More

New age teaching: problem-solving, hands-on approach

Ahmedabad Mirror | 20 Sep 2014

A few city schools are going beyond the conventional teaching methods to incorporate methods that enhance analytic, decision-making and cognitive skills of students. Conventional teaching methods are passé. Schools these days have moved from the regular classroom teaching methods to experimental learning approaches with the help of alternative teaching tools and resources. Read More

Study finds why batteries go bad

Researchers have discovered why batteries go bad and the answer may lead to batteries that charge faster and also have a long life. A comprehensive look at how tiny particles in a lithium ion battery electrode behave shows that rapid-charging the battery and using it to do high-power, rapidly draining work may not be as damaging as researchers had thought ­ and that the benefits of slow draining and charging may have been overestimated. Read More

A plastic device turns phone into microscope

Scientist Rebecca Erikson, who works for the US Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has designed a small 3D printable plastic housing that can turn a cell phone into a high powered, high quality microscope that can be used to identify biological samples in the field. Read More

IT innovation: We have seen a lot, but haven’t really seen anything

I have spent 25 years in the world of IT. My first project at Intel was to make our New Mexico fab go paperless. Twenty one years later, I completed the transition of our fabs to 300 mm wafers with complete automation. Read More

GTU to sign pact with Chinese university : The varsity eyeing tie-up with Huazhong University of Science & Technology (HUST)

Educational institutes in Ahmedabad have no reason to overlook tie-up with Chinese counterparts when trade and investment opportunity with China has set the mood in Gujarat ahead of Chinese president’s visit. In a bid to enable students from Gujarat to visit China, Gujarat Technological University (GTU) mull signing Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU) with varsity in China. Read More

Peristaltic dosing pump delivers 20% more flow

Now available from Verder UK is the new Verderflex Dura 55 peristaltic dosing pump, delivering over 20% more flow - the highest continuous and intermittent flow of any pump in its size category. Read More

New communication system for the chemical and petrochemical sectors

International safety manufacturer, Dräger, has launched an innovative new communications system – the X-zone Com – enabling users to track gas detection levels from outside the areas being monitored. In modern society, fast-paced and on-the-go, mobile monitoring is the next phase in safety communications and coupled with Dräger’s X-zone gas detection instruments, users can stay connected and informed wherever they are within and outside of the plant environment. Read More

Backlash Coming on Car-to-Car Talk?

MADISON, Wis. — Let's be clear. Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications will be mandated in the United States. For car companies, V2V won't be an option. For us consumers, it won't be a nice feature to have if we can pay for it. If all goes well, V2V could become a new regulation by the end of this decade -- though many may argue that this is a big "if." Read More

Secure WiFi Shield for Arduino Platforms

I find myself using Arduinos more and more these days. (See my Vetinari Clock, BADASS Display, and Inamorata Prognostication Engine projects, for example.) In fact, it seems like every time I turn around, I think of something else I want to do with them. Read More

Smartwatch Dev Kit: TI Chronos Not Just for Goal-Line Tech

Smartwatches seem all the rage these days, with more models continually appearing. The advent of wearable-specific platforms, such as Android Wear, gives developers a chance to create interesting apps, but first they have to learn something about how smartwatches behave in a real-world environment. Read More