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               He didn’t expand on that comment but at the end of last week Google made a change to its Gmail terms and conditions, banning companies from extracting Gmail user data unless they, in return, made their own data available to Google. Was that one of the “other ways” that Schmidt was referring to?

If so, it hasn’t been entirely successful. For some time Facebook has allowed users to import their Gmail contacts and find those people on Facebook. Now that Google has prevented them from doing that, they’ve found a workaround – asking users to download their contacts from Gmail themselves and then upload them to Facebook.

Google responded:

“We’re disappointed that Facebook didn’t invest their time in making it possible for their users to get their contacts out of Facebook. As passionate believers that people should be able to control the data they create, we will continue to allow our users to export their Google contacts.”

That prompted a Facebook engineer, Mike Vernal, to respond with a strongly-worded comment on TechCrunch pointing out that Google has previously blocked users of Orkut, the social network it owns, from exporting their contacts to Facebook. He wrote:

“Openness doesn’t mean being open when its convenient for you. [...] We strongly hope that Google turns back on their API and doesn’t come up with yet another excuse to prevent their users from leaving Google products to use ones they like better instead.”

In truth, both companies can be criticised for the way they have handled user data in the past and both companies can claim to be acting in the best interests of their users this time. It’s far from a clear-cut situation.

However, what it does illustrate is that the battle to control our data is not just being fought between us and the technology companies we use, but also between those companies themselves.

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Google-Google-Google-Google-Google-Google

It is being reported that Google will be giving a Christmas present to US travelers this holiday season.

They have teamed up with AirTran, Delta and Virgin America to offer free wi-fi to fliers between November 20th and January 2.

This is the second year that Google are giving free internet away, but last year the offer was only valid for travelers flying on Virgin America flights.

Google is encouraging travelers to download Chrome for their in-flight surfing of the web, but we presume that any internet browser would do the job.

It is definitely nice to see Google give something back to the public, taking into account it is because of the public that Google are whielding the biggest stick on the internet.

 

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Hearing Loss. Have you ever been in a quiet house when the power went out. Then you realize just how quiet real silence is. Even when not making any overt sound, the laptop fan is generally spinning away, and there is the general hum of the inner workings of the laptop. This relatively moderate white noise is not a significant health risk, but can result in impairment or partial hearing loss over time. Users who routinely use headphones with the laptop may subject themselves to significantly higher decibels and be at even greater risk.



Vision Strain. Staring at a laptop screen for extended periods of time can strain your eyes. It can result in headaches, or dry and itchy eyes--and over time it could permanently affect your vision. Dr. Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD, FAAO recommends the following practice to reduce eye strain. "When using a digital device take a break, blink, breathe. Many doctors call this the 20/20/20 rule. Every 20 minutes, take 20 seconds and look at something 20 feet away." Dr. Bonilla-Warford also suggests an annual eye exam.



Carpal Tunnel. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a concern for extensive typing in general. However, space is often more cramped when using a laptop, and the ergonomics are not optimal when trying to type while balancing a laptop on your knees. Extended typing on a laptop--especially if your arms and hands are not positioned properly, can result in muscle strains and moderate to sever pain.



Back Pain. Some laptops are quite hefty. At the same time that much smaller netbooks have exploded in popularity, there has also been a rise in massive desktop replacement laptops. In order to pack in processing power, storage, and a display comparable to a desktop PC, these gargantuan laptops can weigh in at six or seven pounds. That isn't a tremendous amount of weight, but when placed in a brief case or shoulder bag it can put a significant strain on back muscles as you lug it around town.

I am not suggesting that using a laptop will result in you being a sterile, deaf, blind, hunchback--but be warned that it's possible. Seriously, all of these are real potential health implications of prolonged laptop use, and you should be aware of the risks and take appropriate precautions.

One solution is to use a tablet instead of a laptop. The tablet won't resolve the eye strain, or carpal tunnel issues per se, but the cool, silent, lightweight device can meet almost all of the standard needs typically met by a laptop, and eliminate the risk of infertility, hearing loss, and back pain at the same time.

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Post	Unreserved i.e. General (GEN)	Scheduled Castes (SC)	Scheduled Tribes (ST)	Other Backward Classes (OBC)	Total
Officers in Grade 'B' (General) - (Direct Recruitment - DR)	40	15	05	20	80*

• Candidates applying should possess a First Class Bachelor's Degree with a minimum of 60% marks or an equivalent grade


• A Second Class Master's Degree with a minimum of 55% marks or an equivalent grade


• A Doctorate Degree with 50% marks in Master's Degree or equivalent grade


• Chartered/ Cost Accountant/ Company Secretary (ACS) with a Bachelor's Degree


• A Post Graduate Diploma in Management / MBA qualification from institutions recognized by Government of India/ University Grants Commission, with Graduation / Bachelor's Degree.

Name of Centre	Code No.	Name of Centre	Code No.
Ahmedabad	(11)	Mumbai	(25)
Bangalore	(12)	Nagpur	(26)
Bhopal	(13)	New Delhi	(27)
Bhubaneswar	(14)	Panaji	(28)
Kolkata	(15)	Patna	(29)
Chandigarh	(16)	Pune	(30)
Chennai	(17)	Thiruvananthapuram	(31)
Guwahati	(18)	Agartala	(32)
Hyderabad	(19)	Aizawl	(33)
Jaipur	(20)	Imphal	(34)
Jammu	(21)	Itanagar	(35)
Kanpur	(22)	Kohima	(36)
Kochi	(23)	Port Blair	(37)
Lucknow	(24)	Shillong	(38)

• Click here to apply online up to November 8, 2010.

• You can also apply offline in the prescribed format and completed in all respect to be sent by ordinary post on or before November 15, 2011.

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  Age: 21-30 years as on 01/07/2010

 

  Eligibility: Graduation in any discipline (Second Class with 55% aggregate marks/ equivalent CGPA)

• • All Educational qualifications, Graduation/ Post Graduation etc. shall be from a University recognized by Government Of India. Technical qualification (BE, B Tech, MBA etc.) shall be from an institution accredited by AICTE/ UGC recognition required wherever applicable.
  
  
  • Candidates must possess the qualification as on 01.10.2010.
  
  
  • The candidates should have proficiency in appropriate computer skills / working knowledge of application packages used in office automation/ computer environment.
  
  
  • In respect of SC/ ST/ OBC/ PWD candidates, relaxation in minimum mark for educational qualification will be allowed upto 5% wherever minimum qualifying marks are stipulated.
    
     
  
  
  Selection process: 
  • On the basis of written test. The test comprises objective and descriptive papers.
  
  
  • Short-listed candodates will be called for an interview.
    
     
  
  
  Application Fee: Rs.400 (Rs.50 for SC/ ST/ PWD candidates) to be paid in any branch of Indian Bank only by cash by challans only which can be downloaded from the website.
  
  
  How to Apply: Application should be submitted only Online at the Indian Bank website between October 12, 2010 and November 11, 2010 .
   
  Click here for details
  
  
  Important details:
  • Opening date for online registration: October 10, 2010
  
  
  • Closing date for online registration:  November 11, 2010
  
  
  • Tentative Date of Written Examination:  January 2, 2011
    
     
  
  
  Address:
  Indian Bank
  Head Office
  66, Rajaji Salai
  Chennai-600 001.
  
  
  Phone: 044 25233231
  
  
  Website: www.indianbank.in

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Subscriber Identity Module (SIM):-

One of the key features of GSM is the Subscriber Identity Module, commonly known as a SIM card. The SIM is a detachable smart card containing the user's subscription information and phone book. This allows the user to retain his or her information after switching handsets. Some operators will block this by allowing the phone to use only a single SIM, or only a SIM issued by them; this practice is known as SIM locking and is illegal in some countries.

Phone locking:-

Sometimes mobile network operators restrict handsets that they sell for use with their own network. This is called locking and is implemented by a software feature of the phone. A subscriber may usually contact the provider to remove the lock for a fee, utilize private services to remove the lock, or make use of free or fee-based software and websites to unlock the handset themselves.