Bengaluru

Quick Facts on Bangalore's Vehicles
And here is the status of congestions on major roads in bangalore..


We badly need the Bengaluru Metro !!!!
Here is a prelim map..Click to see the pic on actual size

How to download Videos from Video Sites

One of my latest fads is to go through videos on video sites. I personally rate google videos as the best. However, there are categories
a) Google: Look at my previous post. That is the kind of brilliant stuff Google Churns out
b) You tube: This site has some of the most hilariously funny desi videos. Example, wanna see Namma Captain and T.R in Action ? Check out these links !
Captain Rocks !!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J6Zxu3HLjg
Watch Captain fight the bad guys. Watch out for the shades !!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8UWaHROLC0
This one captures Captain at his best. Watch as he is being tortured "brutually" after being captured. Watch out for the expressions :-) This one is a winner
Even Better: T. R. Fight scene:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=o4t87odQvxY&search=TR
God ! Does he manage to talk while fighting !!!!
c) ifilm.com - Not really seen that many videos, but it is recommended to be one of the best

So how do you download videos from these sites ? (They only allow you to watch them on the site)
http://feelingtea.com/decode/google/

9/11: The real story

An amazing video on Google that shows the "real story" behind 9/11. A bit lengthy (1hr 20 mins) but worth watching.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8260059923762628848&pl=true

BPO For Dummies

Taken from Wikipedia, which in turn quotes PWC as the source

Global BPO Market by Industry
Information Technology 43%
Financial Services 17%
Communication (Telecom) 16%
Consumer Goods/ Services 15%
Manufacturing 9%

Global BPO Market by Geography
United States 59%
Europe 27%
Asia-Pacific (incl. Japan) 9%
Rest of the World 5%

Size of Global Outsourcing Market
2000 USD$ 119 Billion
2005 USD$ 234 Billion
2008 (est.) USD$ 310 Billion

Size and Growth of BPO in India
Year Size (US$ Bn) Growth Rate
2003 2.8 59%
2004 3.9 45.3%
2005 5.7 44.4%

Currently the Indian BPO Industry employs in excess of 245,100 people and another 94,500 jobs are expected to be added during the current financial year (2005-2006)

Call Center Employee cost
USA US$ 19,000 annually
Australia US$ 17,000 annually
Philippines US$ 9,050 annually
India US$ 7,500 annually

A Window into Microsoft's Battle

Excellent Article.

A Layman's guide to the latest happenings on the Microsoft's EU Antitrust Case

Read more at www.businessweek.com/gl...

Software Reviews

1) Trillian Basic 3.1 (http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/)
Rating - Thumbs Up

-This has got all the features of Y! and MSN messenger including audio and video chat

-Single window interface for all messengers

-Excellent user manual

1) Internet Explorer 7.0 (Beta 2 version, Released on March 20th 06')

(http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie7/ie7betaredirect.mspx)

Rating - Thumbs Down

Copy cats ! - They lifted tabbed browsing from Mozilla/Netscape/Firefox.

Copy cats ! -They lifted side bar search from Firefox

Copy cats ! -They lifted add-ins/extensions concept from Firefox

It loads faster than IE 6.x, apart - nothing special

1) MW Snap (www.mirekw.com)

Rating - Thumbs Up

-The best Screenshott software ever !

-Single .exe file. No set up required

-Single select-click/copy/print/save option for fastest screenshots

1) Foxit Reader (www.foxitsoftware.com)

Rating - So-So

-Adobe Reader isn't your only option for viewing PDF files

- I love single .exe files without setup !

-No stupid piugins that load on the Adobe startup screen for an eternity. Takes a few seconds to spring up !

-Why dosen't the damn thing allow me to edit PDF files without putting u a stupid "eval" watermark on it !

1) CCleaner (www.ccleaner.com)

Rating - Thumbs up

-Well, my only comment - My PC became much faster after I ran this !!

Putting together the Airbus A380

A Behind the scenes look:

With the Airbus A380 scheduled to enter service at the end of this year, it won't be long before travelers will have a close look at the biggest passenger plane ever built. But the finished aircraft is only part of the A380 story. Equally fascinating are the logistics of building this double-decker behemoth. Climb aboard and take a peek

A Big, Big Nose Job

Workers inspect the nose section of an A380 under construction at St. Nazaire, on France's Atlantic coast. Sections of the fuselage are built at this factory, then shipped by sea, river, and highway for final assembly in Toulouse.

Flying Beluga

In Stade, Germany, an A380 tailfin is loaded onto a transport plane. The plane, nicknamed the Beluga because of its bulbous profile, can accommodate the 24.1-meter-high tailfin, which is longer than the wing of a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320. But other A380 parts are too big and have to be shipped by land or sea.

Winging It

An A380 wing under construction at an Airbus factory in Broughton, North Wales. A new factory had to be built to accommodate the 46-meter-long wing, which is taller than a nine-story building.

What's "Megaplane" in Welsh?

A ferry carries an A380 wing down the River Dee from the Broughton wing factory. What's that AFON DYFRDWY painted on the side of the boat -- a serial number? No, it's Welsh for "River Dee."

Wings Over Water

With a pair of A380 wings stowed in its hold, a ferry steams toward the mouth of the Garonne River in France, enroute from Wales. The oceangoing ferry, christened the Ville de Bordeaux, was custom-built for Airbus at a Chinese shipyard.

Historic Passage

A barge carrying an A380 wing passes under the 19th-century Pont de Pierre on the Garonne River in Bordeaux, France. The pilings of the historic bridge were reinforced to guard against collisions with barges carrying pieces of the megaplane.

Wide Load Ahead

Custom-built flatbed trucks ferry A380 parts from Bordeaux to Toulouse. Airbus and the French government split the cost of widening and straightening this highway, which is closed to traffic several nights a month so the convoys can pass.

Touchdown

Sixteen Football Fields could fit inside the A380 assembly plant in Toulouse. Five test aircraft have already been built here, and construction is under way on A380s to be delivered by the end of this year to Singapore Airlines, the first customer.

Roll 'em In

Workers help roll a chunk of A380 fuselage into place at the Toulouse assembly plant. Note the three levels inside the fuselage: Two passenger decks, with a cargo hold at the bottom.

Snap 'em Together

O.K., it's a little harder than putting together a Lego toy, but with the wings and fuselage built elsewhere, final assembly in Toulouse takes surprisingly little time. Airbus says it expects to build four A380s per month after production ramps up next year.

Roll 'em Out

A finished A380, one of five test aircraft, being towed onto a runway at Toulouse. It will be flown to another Airbus facility in Hamburg, Germany, for painting and interior outfitting.

Paint Job

Workers in Hamburg paint the exterior of an A380. What will the megaplane's interior look like? That's a secret, closely guarded by Airbus and the carriers that will start flying the plane next year

Takeoff!

An A380 heads skyward at the Asian Aerospace air show in Singapore in February. The plane, though painted with the livery of launch customer Singapore Airlines, is actually one of several test models