Page 36 and 37

SEPTEMBER 2009
G
RS. 50
IT magazine for the contemporary woman
ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE
IN GAMES
JAVA-BASED
MOBILE GAMES
‘PAN’ IN GAME
CONSOLES
MEDICAL SIMULATION
GAMES
THRILL & EXCITEMENT
IN ACTION GAMES
ENTERTAINING
GAMING
TECHNOLOGY
Vol. 1 Issue 12
feature
106
Profile
contents
september 2009
32
38
50
54
57
75
Gaming Technology in Medical Imaging
Artificial Intelligence in Games
Multimedia Technologies for Gaming
The Digital World of Barbie
PAN Technologies in Video Games
Thrill & Excitement in Action Games
72
Advantages of
Online Games
tech tip
60 Kiran’s Typing Tutor
61 Crayon Physics
62 FlickrSync to Sync Photos
24
Gaming Technology
& Entertainment
41
Style IT
63
64
65
66
67
68
Listen to BBC Radio on your Reliance Phone
Google Enhances SMS Search in India
LEGO Digital Designer
Scratch
Tux for Math Command
Stream Movies in your Home
with New Cisco Router
69 Listen to Movies on Mobile Phone
70 Waterproof Gadgets for
Mobile Gaming
the Monsoon
Technology
71 Cool Alternatives to Skype
28
102
Star Diary
how to
84
86
88
90
92
94
Founder
Vishwa Nath (1917-2002)
Merge Pictures to Create a Panoramic Image
Editor, Publisher & Printer
Paresh Nath
Snipping Tool in Windows Vista
Editorial Office
E-3, Jhandewalan Estate,
Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi-110055
Phones: 41398888, 23529557
E-mail: [email protected]
Downloading Facebook Photo Albums
Using LiveScribe
Ripping DVDs Effortlessly
Advertisement Department
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Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi-110055
Phones: 41398888, 23529557
E-mail: [email protected]
Adding Text to a Picture
78
The Virtual Vacation
to Event Horizon
spice IT
13
18
22
36
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Buzz Byte
Live IT or Leave IT
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Snapshots
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peek & pick
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17 Letter to the Editor
95 Tech Career
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News
News compiled by Priyanka Dey
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FLU
PANDEMIC ONLINE
ndemic, game
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com
to
rd
ha
g
glin
ug
str
As the world is
curb it online.
a special game to help you
developers have designed
le online for free, ‘The
dical centre and availab
Developed by a Dutch me
to choose their viral
tflu.com) allows players
Great Flu’ (www.thegrea
and then control how to
of the world it spreads in,
adversary, pick the part
funds and resources.
en a limited amount of
N1 swine flu
manage the outbreak giv
s the same month the H1
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game based on the virus,
rld Health Organization
other humorous online
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virus emerged. The Wo
ths
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st 1,462 laboratory-c
countries, causing at lea
earlier this year.
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liveit.in
8
September ‘09
WIKIPEDIA NOW AVAIL
ABLE
FOR DOWNLOAD
ON IPHONE
Takin
g in view the
tremendous growth of
smart phone users, the
online collaborative
encyclopedia Wikipedia
announced their iPhone
application last month.
That means Wikipedia wil
l
now be available for officia
l
download Apple’s iPhon
e.
The free application,
called Wikipedia Mobile,
can be downloaded from
any iTunes App Store.
According to foundation
spokesman Jay Walsh,
“Everybody recognizes wit
h the growth of mobile too
ls
globally that this is how
people access informatio
n. Our
mission is to spread free
knowledge; we want to do
everything we can to me
et and embrace that aud
ience.”
The Wikimedia Foundatio
n said the application wa
s
easier to use than having
to browse the web on the
ir phone
to find a specific fact, and
also had the advantage of
saving
the user’s search history.
LOP
CHINA MOBILE TO DEVE
HTC
PHONEe, theWwoITrldH
will now
’s largest mobile carrier,
China Mobil
n as a
es with HTC. This is see
be developing smartphon
ing to
ple Inc’s iPhone, accord
bid to compete with Ap
Taiwan media.
the
its Ophone running on
China Mobile will launch
the
C,
stem) platform with HT
OMS (Open Mobile Sy
chairman
e
bil
Mo
ina
Ch
ed, citing
Economic Daily report
a
Mobile could also set up
Wang Jianzhou. China
Taiwan
raise its purchases from
procurement center to
suppliers, the
Commercial
Times reported.
Wang will kick
off a nine-day
trip to Taiwan
starting Friday,
visiting the
chairs of HTC
and Mediatek,
the island’s top
chip design
house, it said.
MICROSOFT SIGNS EDUCATION ALLIANCE
WITH THE MAHARASHTRA
GOVERNMENT
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Government of
Maharashtra and Microsoft India to enhance ICT adoption in schools and
build the employability readiness skills of the future workforce in the state.
The Honble Chief Minister, Ashok Chavan, and the Honble Minister for
Education, Government of Maharashtra, Shri Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil
witnessed the sealing of the agreement by Sanjay Kumar, IAS Education
Secretary, Government of Maharashtra and Rajan Anandan, Managing
Director, Microsoft India Pvt. Ltd.
The MoU aims to take ICT adoption further, and bring in a focus on
employability. Microsoft India has already set up three state-of-the-art IT academies, in Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad, and
trained over 92,000 teachers.
As per the agreement, in addition to the three academies which will, over the next two years, train 6000 teachers as well as 100,000
pre-service teachers, Microsoft will also help build last mile capacity among educators. One educator from each cluster will undergo a
10-day training and each of the trained resources can then further build ICT readiness among others educators in the cluster.
Additionally, the initiative will also focus on building employability readiness amongst students of classes 11th and 12th.
Another unique aspect of the MoU is the development of a single login through Microsofts Live@Edu initiative, which will
enable all students and teachers across the approximately 85,000 schools in the state to acquire email with school-specific
domains, provide them with applications aimed to enhance collaboration (through Office Live Workspace), and give the school
tools for creating an online community.
September ‘09
9
liveit.in
News
MESSAGE TO THE OUTER
SPACE? WHY NOT!
Writing an e-mail to a friend in the U.S.? Well, nothing new or extraordinary about that. How about shooting off an e-mail to a
distant place? How about sending your greeting to another planet? An Australian website is giving texting an intergalactic touch
and allowing users to send short mobile phone-type messages into space.
From Wednesday and until August 24, people from across the world were given the opportunity to post their messages for an
out-of-this-world experience. A website, www.HelloFromEarth.net, was designed especially to post messages no longer than 160
characters that would be transmitted to Gliese 581d, the nearest Earth-like planet outside the solar system likely to support life.
The expected delivery time, however, is some 20 years, the website said. And, of course, there’s no guarantee of a response.
“It’s like a ‘message in a bottle’ cast out into the stars. What’s interesting is not just whether there's anyone listening, but what
the public will say to intelligent life on another planet,” said project spokesperson Wilson da Silva.
“Hello From Earth is our way of showing that science can make the impossible possible. We have been to the moon and now,
we can speak to the stars,” he said in a statement.
The messages, to be transmitted from the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, with the close cooperation of U.S.
space agency NASA, is part of Australia’s National Science Week, which celebrates the country’s scientific achievements and
creates awareness of the importance of science.
R
E
H
T
O
N
A
T
E
Y
S
E
C
N
VERTU ANNOU E PHONE –
FUNKY EXPENSIV
THE ASCENT NEON
nounced a
s year that Vertu had an
We last heard in July thi
ge. Now
Ti
part of their Ascent ran
Carbon Fiber handset as
kier than
fun
le
another handset, a litt
reports are talking of yet
. The
on
Ne
Ti
s, the Vertu Ascent
any of the previous model
dels is
mo
Ti
t
and the previous Ascen
difference between this
ce of
pla
in
r
rea
a matching set.
h a rubber top in the
menu is designed to be
een
scr
ing:
that the Neon comes wit
inthe
r,
ou
col
e would include the follow
g. According to the
s. The specs of the phon
del
mo
the original leather backin
us
vio
pre
the
n
on it to be slimmer tha
Some reports also menti
/GPRS capabilities
G 3G, EDGE
al memory
G 4GB of intern
kup
l camera
G 3 megapixe
ure data syncing and bac
and pink. It is
Vertu Fortress for ultra sec
to
rs: green, orange, white
ess
ou
acc
,
col
r
rse
fou
cou
in
of
le
d,
ilab
G An
ava
be
l
wil
d
an
e
for an October releas
The phone is scheduled
like a fortune!!!
Rs. 4,83,218. Now, that’s
priced at approximately
liveit.in
10
September ‘09
BELKIN UNVEILS
S KYP E P H O N E S
Bid adieu to computer for
making Internet calls. Be
lkin India
is here with their innova
tive desktop and handheld
WiFi
Skype phones, which allo
w you to make free Skype
Internet
calls without having to tur
n on
the computer.
The phones come with inbuilt Wi-Fi facility, which
are
designed especially to wo
rk
anywhere in the world. On
e just
needs to have access to a
Wi-Fi
network in any home, off
ice,
public hotspot, or munic
ipal
wireless access point tha
t does
not require browser-based
authentication. With sto
rage
of up to 500 Skype and
Skype
Out contacts in the contac
t
list, the phones come wit
h
special built-in TFT screen
s
offering extra visual clarity
of
vibrant, colourful text;
outstanding sound qualit
y;
wireless security through
WEP and WPA-PSK;
compatibility with 802.11
b/g Wi-Fi standards; and
software updates achieved
wirelessly, without requir
ing a
USB cable. Backed with
the Call history, Clock and
Auto
List Import features, the
hand-held Skype phone
(F1PP000GNakSK) is ava
ilable at an MRP of Rs.
9,712
and backed with a one yea
r warranty.
FABLE III TO
BE RELEASED
IN 2010
BMicrosoft and Lionhead
Studios announced Fable
III
for Xbox 360 only at the
GamesCon 2009, in Colog
ne,
Germany. Peter Molyneux
,
Creative Director of Lio
nhead
Studios, confirmed that
the
Fable series’ next game,
Fable
III, is under development
and
is expected to be released
in
2010 holiday season. Th
e story
of Fable III is set five dec
ades
after events of Fable II.
The new series of the gam
e is
the third installment of the
highly acclaimed and po
pular
Fable game series. This gam
e is set in Napoleonic-sty
le
Albion period and allows
player to rule Albion like
a king.
The player becomes a kin
g or queen after stepping
into role
of hero’s child from Fab
le II.
The player is required to
make tough decisions and
judgments considering the
tougher moral choices, wh
ich will
decide the destiny of the
player and also the Albion
land.
Some characters from Fab
le II will also feature in Fab
le III.
Apart from this, Microsof
t also said that it will releas
e Fable
II game in episodic for ma
t. Fable II: Game Episodes
will
debut on Sept. 29 with a
free download of first epi
sode.
PEARL UNVEILS ST YLISH,
AFFORDABLE ‘NANO’
NE TBOOKS
Pearl India Electronics made its foray into the netbook market with the
the
launch of the nano netbook series. Small, light and incredibly functional,
be
stylish nano netbooks will easily charm passers-by. The netbooks will
available in a choice of stylish and vibrant colours, which include pearl white,
3 cell
classic black and unique metallic colours. Weighing just 1.300kg (with a
x 600)
(1024
battery), the nano netbooks incorporate a stunning 10.2 WSVGA
to
easier
LCD screen and 85-key ergonomic keyboard that make them even
type in comparison to other keyboards.
The pricing is cool, too. The netbooks come with a one-year warranty and
price starting from Rs 14,999. I
September ‘09
11
liveit.in
Did You Know
he game of snakes and ladders was created
by the 13th-century poet saint, Gyandev. It
was originally called ‘Mokshapat.’ The ladders in
the game represented virtues and the snakes
indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie
shells and dices. Later, through time, the game
underwent several modifications but the meaning
is the same, i.e., good deeds take us to heaven and
evil to a cycle of re-births.
I
ichael Jackson, in some form or other, has
appeared in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’, ‘Ready
2 Rumble-Round 2’, ‘Space Channel 5.1 & 2’,
‘GTA: Vice City’ and, obviously, ‘Moonwalker’.
I
T
M
n 2001, a pair of art students created a version
of Pong known as the PainStation, where losers
could be inflicted with genuine whip, heat or
electrical damage.
I
September 11. He was called Darkel, a homeless
guy who’d get you to rig buildings with explosives.
n 1986, Nintendo released a special Disk
System peripheral for the NES in Japan.
Among its features was a microphone in the
controller, which certain games used, including
an updated version of the original ‘Zelda’. You
could only destroy a certain enemy by shouting
into the mic.
n the video game sequel to John Carpenter’s
seminal sci-fi horror film, The Thing, the
legendary director made a cameo appearance as a
character called Doctor Faraday. He also oversaw
the production of the game to make sure it was
faithful to his original vision.
?
w
o
n
k
U
d
i
d
‘N
intendo’ translates as ‘Leave luck
to heaven’.
n ‘Pilotwings 64,’ the character Lark is
actually the mascot for famous American
games magazine Nintendo Power, Nester.
His name was changed at the last minute,
probably because PAL gamers wouldn’t
know who he was.
I
T
F
he first ever product released by Sony was a
rice cooker.
inal Fantasy got its name from the fact that its
creator, Square co-founder Hironobu
Sakaguchi, intended it to be his last video game,
using up the remainder of Square’s money after a
number of unsuccessful projects.
n the US release of Gameboy RPG Final
Fantasy Legend II, Nintendo’s censorship
guidelines meant that a band of opium smugglers
became banana smugglers instead.
12
n the original arcade ‘Donkey Kong’ game,
Mario was called Jumpman and he was a
carpenter, not a plumber.
I
I
ockstar removed a character from Grand
Theft Auto 3, although this time it was said
to be because of the terrorist attacks on
he ‘Baily Bridge’ is the highest bridge in the
world. It is a portable pre-fabricated truss
bridge for over 30 years and is a great example of
engineering technology. I
R
liveit.in
scar-winning actor Marlon Brando
recorded dialogue for EA’s ‘Godfather’
game shortly before he died, but it was deemed
unusable due to the bloated thesp’s ageing,
mumbly voice. Instead, they hired in a soundalike. What a waste of money, eh?
O
September ‘09
T
Buzz Byte
Buzz Byte
ow well do you about the gaming technology? Most of us live our life
on the Internet and among technologies of all kinds. Here are questions
about the games that we play either from the Microsoft package to
fight off boredom or the various innovative gaming software. Are you keeping
with the evolving game tech culture? Take this quiz and find out yourself!
H
Q
tegy games ever?
best real-time stra
e
th
of
e
on
’
II,
t
af
‘Warcr
Who designed the
A. Westwood
B. Microsoft
C. Blizzard
Q
ert, ‘Dune’
ten by Frank Herb
rit
w
ok
bo
g
in
at
in
sc
Inspired by the fa
not one of them?
play with. Which is
to
es
us
ho
e
re
th
offers
A. Ordos
B. Atreides
C. Corrino
Q
ls and solve
speak with the loca
,
ds
an
isl
nd
ou
ar
akes you jump
g main character?
‘Monkey Island’ m
of the funny lookin
n
tio
pa
cu
oc
e
th
is
the mystery. What
A. Soldier
B. King
C. Pirate
Q
lo
have played ‘Diab
plays online must
ly
lar
gu
re
ill?
ho
sk
w
al
Anyone
esses the Ze
r in the game poss
II.’ Which characte
A. The Barbarian
B. The Paladin
C. The Amazon
Q
ns?
ings Nintendo ow
What are three th
do DS
ger, and the Ninten
A. Gamecube, Voya
ll phone
ecube, and every ce
B. Gameboy, Gam
ii, and PSP
C. Nintendo DS, W
Q
e,’ you only
e of ‘Spider Solitair
In the Normal mod
you play?
. Which two suits do
play with two suits
Spades
A. Diamonds and
es
B. Hearts and Spad
s
ub
C. Hearts and Cl
Q
s, attempting to
group of specialist
a
ad
le
u
yo
re
he
Name the game w
World War II?
s missions during
ou
er
ng
da
e
et
pl
com
nquer
A. Command & Co
B. Wolfenstein
C. Commandos
Check out the next page to
see how well you scored!
September ‘09
13
liveit.in
Buzz Byte
Congratulations!
You finished the quiz! Now, calculate your score. A carries 1,
B carries 2, and C carries 3 points. Did you check mostly A, B, or C?
If your score is
:
able
st games avail
e
b
e
:
th
0
f
3
o
d
st
n
o
a
ged m
f
Between 21
nd your kind o
o. You have dig
a
d
a
d
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rl
o
io
c
w
fi
a
g
e
in
m
m
.
the ga
You are a ga
us. Great going
knowledge of
io
st
v
a
n
v
e
e
v
ld
a
e
h
fi
e
u
o
th
ers in
rown.
out there. Y
ll make the oth
to retain the c
e
’
w
IT
e
ld
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liveit.in
14
September ‘09
Care IT
Safety standards for
game-addicts.
R
etail sales in the PC game
software industry reached a
whopping $911 million in 2007,
marking a notable 40 per cent
increase from 2006 in the total console, portable
and PC game industry.
This clearly illustrates the phenomenon that computer
games have become today. From expensive high-graphic ones
loaded with special effects to free and simple online games,
there is something for everyone to enjoy. But, as is the case with
most technologies, games too have several spillover effects on
health. These effects can be divided into physical and
psychological, and special care must be taken so as to avoid or
minimize them when playing for long hours at the computer.
To start with, one of the most common problems arising out
of playing computer games is crooked posture. This occurs
due to prolonged irregular sitting position in front of a
monitor or TV screen. A growing number of children are
developing crooked posture due to long hours of playing
computer video games. In order to protect oneself, one must
sit in a straight-backed computer chair when playing games
and take regular breaks so as to minimize the strain on the
Mehak Siddiqui
spine. Never slouch while playing
games, or lean forwards towards the
screen or play in a lying down position.
Also, avoid playing on laptop computers as
their design facilitates the development of
repetitive strain injury.
Another frequent gamers’ complaint is pain in the
hands, which is induced by constant repetition of certain
game moves. This can also cause damage to certain joints
as well as skin irritation. There has been a case of a young
boy who ended up in hospital because of using a forcefeedback controller for seven hours a day, which severely
damaged his wrists, knuckles and hand nerves. The best
and only preventative measure one can take against these
problems is to maintain the right kind of posture and take
frequent breaks. Limit your gaming time to one or a
maximum of two hours a day.
Another obvious effect of long hours of gaming is
vision deterioration. Computer games command intense
staring at the screen, which can cause or worsen existing
vision problems. Hours of watching the monitor,
especially in a darkened room, can strain the eyes as well
September ‘09
15
liveit.in
Care IT
Limit your gaming time.
as damage the delicate retinal cells. Therefore, it is crucial that
you play in a well-lit room (brightness of the screen must
match the brightness of the room) as well as take regular
breaks from the gaming session.
Many people like to wear earphones while gaming so as to
fully enjoy the sound effects. The continuous blaring of the
game music/sound into the ears damages the delicate hair cells
and may lead to irreversible hearing loss over a period of time.
Therefore, it is crucial that one avoids using earphones as much
as possible (by using speakers instead). If you must use them,
keep the volume at a moderate level. Again, give your ears
regular breaks from the loud sound.
In the last ten years, the number of hours a child spends
playing computer/video games per week increased from 2.8 to
4.3. Many children spend far more time trapped in virtual
worlds than ever before, which is why it is extremely necessary to
educate them about the precautions to take.
When it comes to gaming, the effects on mental health are far
more significant than those on physical health, especially with
reference to children and youth.
Considerable research has pointed out that the high level of
violence depicted in many games has an adverse effect on
children leading to an increase in violent behaviour exhibited
by them. The interactive nature of games desensitizes people
to violence – they can take actions to bring about a death,
which is often depicted very graphically with ‘blood’ spraying
everywhere on the screen. The fact that the game rewards
such violent behaviour, by taking the user to the next level for
example, leads to aggressive patterns of behaviour. Children
playing such games begin to think that violence is right and
consequently adopt it into their behaviour. The interactive
element of point-and-shoot computer/video games lets
children practice their shooting skills, which eventually
become reflexes.
liveit.in
16
September ‘09
Research by psychologists, Dr. Anderson and Dr. Gentile
shows that children are spending increasing amounts of time
playing computer/video games – 13 hours per week for boys,
on average, and 5 hours per week for girls (Anderson,
Gentile, & Buckley, under review; Gentile, Lynch, Linder, &
Walsh, 2004).
Such negative psychological effects on children can be
controlled by parents. Psychologists have found that when
parents limit the amount of time as well as the types of games
their children play, children are less likely to show aggressive
behaviour (Anderson et al., under review; Gentile et al., 2004).
Other researches suggest that active parental involvement in
children’s media usage, including discussing the
inappropriateness of violent solutions to real life conflicts,
reducing time spent on violent media, and generating alternative
non-violent solutions to problems, can all reduce the impact of
the violence on children and youth (Anderson et al., 2003).
Another adverse psychological effect of too much gaming is
problematic social interaction. When a child spends a lot of time
lost in an imaginary world on the computer, it becomes harder for
him/her to engage in more traditional real-life activities like playing
with other children or reading. Studies conducted at Stanford
University and Tohoku University in Japan indicated that excessive
playing of certain computer/video games halts the process of brain
development, which may eventually lead to brain damage.
Research has shown that computers supplement and DO
NOT replace other highly valued early childhood activities and
materials, such as art, blocks, sand, water, books and dramatic
play. Therefore, it is crucial to limit the amount of time your
child/teenager spends playing computer games. Do not restrict
them completely, but instead take time to educate them about
the associated health effects and guide them towards limiting
their gaming time.
Computer games can be great fun and are also stress-busting,
so go ahead and game away but do it the safe way and protect
your physical and psychological well-being as well! I
Don’t get lost in the virtual gaming world.
Inbox
Letters to the Editor
AUGUST 2009
G
RS. 50
IT magazine for the contemporary woman
CLOUD
COMPUTING
TRENDS
WITRICITY IN
THE AIR
CELL PHONES
IN EDUCATION
4G HARMONIZES
GLOBAL ROAMING
WIRELESS FOR
SOCIAL CHANGE
Hi to the whole team!
The online storage and backup issue was simply
outstanding. There’s were quite
a few things that I thought
would be extremely helpful not
only for women at home but
also for small business units.
Live IT definitely lives up to my
expectations. I waiting for more.
Do keep me posted. Also, I
would be subscribing to your
magazine very soon.
The August issue gave me a new
perspective of the concept
‘wireless’. I must say, your
magazine is not only useful for
the women out there but also for
their counterparts. Great efforts
by the team!
Rashmi, Publisher
Ashok Prabhu, Mumbai
Arun Dey, Consultant
It’s a great effort you people are
putting to compile this kind of
a magazine.
I would like to congratulate your
team for bringing out a beatiful
magazine in the form of ‘Live IT.’
Please mail your comments/opinion to us at [email protected] or write to us at:
E-3, Jhandewalan Estate, Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi - 110055
Live IT or Leave IT
Burning Flame Bookmark
What do you usually use for a bookmark? A thick piece of
sheet off that old book cover? Or, do you simply
memorise the page number? Use a flame for a change! It
reminds you of the exciting page you stopped at and all
for the price of a cup of coffee or two. Try it.
Kitty Digital Camera
Lose your heart to Kitty, this cute digital camera suited
especially for the cutie-pie gal age group. The shutter of
the camera is located in the left ear and the lens is hidden
in the bow tie. With a 2″ LCD display and support for
SD cards, it features a 4 time digital zoom option and a
32 MB memory capacity. It measures 85 x 25 x 71 mm
and weighs about 80 grams. Ideal for a gift.
Bliss Noise-reducing Earphones
It is pink and shocking but a real blessing when you want to be
away from all the shocking noise. The glam gal will love its
colour and will enjoy the freedom she feels from sound all the
more. It’s bliss for your ears and comes at a price, but peace
always has its price doesn’t it?
Sorapot Teapot
Want to brew your tea with a modern sense of beauty?
Sorapot teapot does just that for you; it changes the
concept of tea making, but it makes the same great
brew. Watch the stainless steel, borosilicate glass, food
grade silicon created aesthetic teapot unfurl tea leaves
and change the colourless boiling water in the pot into a
golden concoction, for two!
liveit.in
18
September ‘09
Rocking Alarm Clock
Don’t ever be late because you got got up late
from bed. Use this docking station with two 2.5″
speakers inside your iPod and kick start your day
at the right time with this good-looking alarm.
What’s more, while you sleep, the docking station
will recharge your iPod so you won’t miss your
music for the day at all.
Butterfly Speakers
for iPod
Looking for a new iPod dock? Here is one which will
work with any model of the iPod or iPhone. It comes
in shades of three – green, blue or pink, so that your
speaker style won’t be a constant. Use it with 4 AA
batteries if you want, and it’s surely worth the moolah
you shell out.
Rape Alarm
Lady, is your commute long, lonely, and/or at
odd hours? Scared of those grey areas along
your way? Then this rape alarm is what you
should carry, just in case. If help is a teeny wit
late, then you could try this as a whacking
companion; it looks dangerous enough.
September ‘09
19
liveit.in
Live IT or Leave IT
Rat Robots
Looking for a better rat? The French lab is
getting just that ready for you, and it’s a robot.
So, you don’t need to fear that fever epidemic at
all! It has two cameras for eyes, two microphones
for ears, and tiny wheels, driven by a batterypowered motor, to provide movement. A couple
of dozen whiskers measuring around a dozen
centimetres (four inches) stretch out impressively
on either side of its long, pointed snout. In fact,
this super robot has everything going except the
rat-smell power … but so far so good aint it?
Watch out for the Rat Robot!
The Wall-E Toy
Still nostalgic over Wall-E? Get one for your kid or
even yourself and recreate the Disney Pixar magic of
the last robot on the earth that someone forgot to turn
off. This M-O robot actually rolls up his sleeve and
uses his bristles to clean and you can even watch the
waste collected in the garbage bin he carries. So, what
are you waiting for?
Computer Corner Frame
How would you like a better organized workspace? And
stop yourself scampering away with that mug or this
pen or post-it note? Get your own things and organize
yourself with the Computer Corner Frame. The frame
attaches to your monitor with three fastener tabs, and
lets you store pens, paper clips and photos easily. Now
all you have to do is to watch out for those guys who get
away with other’s stuff.
liveit.in
20
September ‘09
Olympus Pen
The E-P1 is, essentially, an Olympus E-620 crowbarred
into a compact, rangefinder-style body. Aside from the
removal of the mirror and optical viewfinder – and a
slight firmware upgrade – it is as fully fledged as any
mid-range SLR.
Lock Out Memory Sticks
It’s wow all the way with Swarovski’s crystal memory
sticks. It’s a trendy-looking USB drive with up to 1 GB
of storage space, and will hold all the one thousand
songs of the music buff or up to two hundred and fifty
photos of the shutterbug. Grab one for yourself !
USB Fragrance Flowers
Miss the garden and its fresh blooms? And don’t even
want to make up with air freshener sprays? Try the USB
Fragrance Flower, which when plugged in will perfume
your surroundings like you just had a bloom season.
What’s more, you can also choose your bloom, instead of
settling for the typical rose or jasmine.
Karaoke Microphone
The karaoke with the ‘band in your hand’ and two
thousand odd great songs; the diva in you is going to
love this. Convert that iPod or home stereo into an
authentic karaoke-club-at-home and get drowned in
the music in your veins.
September ‘09
21
liveit.in
Chatroom
m
o
o
r
t
a
h
c
rs?
ooked for hou
h
u
yo
p
ee
k
hich ones
ar Biswal
line games? W
n
o
y
la
p
u
Santosh Kum
yo
Do
Supriya,
Social Worker
I am very choosy whether it
is a profession or game. My
schedule in the day involves
looking after the children
and ensuring they don’t miss
out their studies. Also, I play
various online games with
the slum children. In this
connection, I like to play the
game called ‘Sherkhan’,
which I feel is a cool option.
I think it is one of the best
stuff for children as it helps
them in moral education.
Heena, Student
Whenever I get free from
the day’s work, I move to
the games corner. Here I
would like to mention the
game, ‘Khanna unlimited’
which involves food making.
I keep comparing my scores
with the previous games
and try to improve upon
them. It’s really cool and
fun playing games online.
liveit.in
22
September ‘09
“
It’s really cool
and fun playing
games online
“
Sabnam, Front Desk
Executive
I like to play the games, which
can be beneficial to my
studies. For instance, there are
games like ‘My Puzzle’, which
needs much concentration.
Even though sometimes it gets
a bit tough, I feel relaxed after
the gaming session.
“
“
Online games are
great stress-busters
Shabnam,
Online Editor
Online games are my
favourite mode of killing
time and they are great
stress busters also. I love
to play ‘Cat and Rat’,
which is simple in
nature. It is one of the
coolest games, which
paves the way for
relaxation. Considering
the nature of my job, I
am left too tired and
stressed out by the end
of the day. Suffice to say,
I often play this game in
the evening hours with
my siblings to de-stress.
Rubi, Student
Even though I am a
student, I like to travel
extensively across the
country. There is an online
game called ‘My country,
many places’. Here, the
user gets to play with
various tourist places and
scores as per his/his
interest and intellectuality. I
rate it as one of the coolest
games around.
Ruchi, Student
I like to watch action
and horror movies,
especially in Hindi. As I
love biking and car
riding, I like to play the
game called ‘Road
Race’. It is one of the
coolest game and
interesting games
available. This game
provides some great
voice and visuals as well.
While surfing, when you are led from one page to another through interesting links, how well do you
remember all the links? Share your internet adventures with other techies. Send us your entries, with
your photograph, to [email protected]
September ‘09
23
liveit.in
Feature
Gaming
Technology
W
hen I was setting out for Seattle in 2007, everyone had the same question for me, “You are a
doctor, right? But you play games?” And I would be rather surprised. Doesn’t everyone? Can
you think of anyone who has never played games? And I am not referring to the
psychological types referred to by Eric Berne in his book “Games People Play”. We all love
Entertai
n
ment
&
Rajesh Bijlani
Take a tour through the world of online games
& gaming platforms!
to play games, right from the time we are old enough to do so. Only as we grow older, some play less
and less of them. And, of course, we adapt to the mode of game playing depending on our resources.
Right from the slum dweller spinning a cricket ball in his hand to the hardcore internet gamer, games
mean fun and entertainment.
Feature
Gaming is a big industry, with an annual turnover in the USA
itself being more than that of Hollywood. It is no wonder then that
we have come a long way from playing ‘Pacman’ with just four
cursor keys to playing ‘Counterstrike.’ The primary reasons for the
evolution and advances in gaming technology are:
Older games were very predictable. As you played a few times,
it was obvious what the computer was going to do and hence
easy to act in accordance. I remember my favourite car racing
game, ‘Test Drive’ and within a week I had mastered all the
tracks and was through with the game. Obviously, more was
needed and one just has to see the current versions of the car
racing games like ‘Need for Speed’ or ‘Project Gotham Racing’
to experience something closer to real life driving.
The need to compete against tougher opponents or humans.
Playing versus a computer or a machine all the time is boring.
And if you are good, you need to showcase your talent. Hence,
as games advanced, they started to go multiplayer. You could
play versus your friends on the same console and then over a
LAN and, finally, you could have a global human challenge
over the Internet.
Man is a social animal and hence current gaming
technologies are now involving more and more personal
interaction between players and the opportunities to make
friends globally. Some of my best online friends have been
acquired through gaming.
Okay, so now that you are ready to go in for the ride, let’s explore
what options you have and what technologies are available to you
for the gaming experience. The reason there are such a wide variety
of options is because every one of us has a different mental and
physical makeup and obviously we would have an aptitude only for
certain types of games. The currently available technologies are,
hence, best discussed under two major headings, the ‘Game Types’
and the ‘Gaming Platforms.’ Let’s look at the game types first.
First Person Shooter (FPS). This is the classic shoot ‘em up
scene. Your character carries a number of weapons and
basically goes about shooting the enemy. He may use simple
hand-held guns, sniper rifles or even rocket launchers. The
warfare may be and is usually in teams. One of the commonest
games of this type is ‘Counterstrike.’
Role Playing Games (RPG). Here, one usually takes on a
fictional character role. There are a myriad of games available.
There are many MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online
Role Playing Games) where one takes on fantasy characters
like wizards, elves, knights, etc. and you basically play in your
world of fantasy and your character gets stronger with time.
There are innumerable such games available online and many
of them are available to play for free. However, they do have
options where you could spend a little money so your character
gets an advantage over the others playing for free. This keeps
the server going and makes some money for the developers.
‘World of Warcraft’ is one of these and is immensely popular.
Though many of them involve attractive 3-D graphics, quite a
few are played within just the browser window and do not need
very high-end computers to play.
Real Time Strategy (RTS). This is for people who like to use
their wits to win in a situation. These games need quick
thinking and formulation of strategies to win. ‘Starcraft,’
‘Warcraft’ and the ‘Command & Conquer’ series have a huge
following in this category. Most of these are high-end and need
pretty good system configurations to play.
Sports games. Here you have games like ‘Brian Lara cricket,’
‘FIFA,’ ‘NFL,’ ‘PGA Tour Golf ’ et al. Almost every popular
sport has its electronic version. With the increased computing
power available now, these games are getting as close to the
real thing as possible in terms of not only graphics but game
play as well.
Racing games. Car racing, bike racing, snowboarding, even
truck racing. All the driving fanatics can get their daily fix here.
Puzzles. There is a puzzle type available for everyone. ‘Chess,’
‘Scrabble,’ ‘Bejewelled,’ ‘Alchemy’ ... the list is endless.
Though this is a broad classification, the Internet and the
advent of Flash games have brought in so many types of games
that it is nearly impossible to have a comprehensive list. Even
simple school games like ‘Hangman’ are there to be played in
your browser online.
Gaming platforms
The demand for games has made available to the avid gamer a
vast variety of options to select their gaming platform. Electronic
liveit.in
26
September ‘09
gaming has fascinated individuals of all ages. Can you recall a tiny
tot playing the bricks game on a small hand-held box with the
beeps informing you of his presence?
The most widely used gaming platform is the personal
computer, either the desktop or laptop. For the casual gamer, the
computing power of the average desktop is more than enough but
for hardcore gamers, a much higher-end PC might need to be
assembled with extra components like cooling systems to keep it all
stable. For someone who just wants to relax a bit after work,
technology has reached a level where you do not even need to go
looking for games to bring and install. Just get online and visit any
of the sites like http://www.miniclip.com.
motion sensors are mounted atop the display television to detect
the player’s movements as well as audio inputs and hence he can
control the game. This is still far from perfectly developed but gives
an insight into what’s coming. Something like Tom Cruise
managing his computer in ‘The Minority Report’ does not seem so
fictional after all.
If this still doesn’t quench your thirst, there’s more in store. The
dedicated gaming consoles. Broadly, these are of two types: the
portable and the not-so-portable. The portable game consoles
competing now are the Nintendo DS and its Lite version and the
Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP). The PSP has incorporated
technology that not only lets you play games but also allows you to
view pictures, watch movies, browse the web and even buy games
online. The power in these tiny devices is amazing. Even the
Nintendo DS is a far cry compared to its first hand-held ‘Game &
Watch’ devices like the ‘Donkey Kong.’
But the real monsters of gaming are the three consoles vying for
the crown – Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s Playstation 3 (PS3) and
the Nintendo Wii. I am not going to comment on which one of
these is the best. There’s one for everyone. The plus point of the
Wii is its unique remote that has an accelerometer and an optical
sensor that lets it be used as if you were actually playing in real life.
Like swinging your arm around to play a tennis shot or moving
your wrist to let your on-screen sword slice through your enemy. It
is so exciting to play with, that a strap is used to anchor it to the
Another alternative is to log in to Yahoo! Games and play. The
miniature games are, however, not enough of a serving for the
ravenous appetite of the more dedicated gamers and they would
rather step out, buy a DVD of the latest version of their favourite
game and get going.
We have come a long way ahead in using a PC as a gaming
machine. The keyboard and mouse are no longer the only ways of
controlling your game characters. Complex multifunction joysticks
and for the racing enthusiasts, even steering wheels can be plugged
into the system and a more realistic gaming experience obtained.
After all, what’s the fun in racing a car if you have to press the
cursor keys on your keyboard to drive it? And going by the latest
news, Project Natal by Microsoft is being implemented to
introduce controller-free gaming. A camera, microphone and
player’s wrist lest it goes out flying and causes more destruction offscreen than on it.
The other two consoles have their legion of followers and both
have a very strong online gaming experience built into them.
Hardcore users of these consoles would be seen not just with a
game input device but with a headphone and mic set screaming
out to their team mates and collaborating at unbelievable skill
levels. Gaming at these servers on a broadband connection can be
an awesome experience. One has to feel it to believe the thrill of
gaming technology that is available to us today.
So, the next time you are getting bored, leave that fly swatter alone
and count kills on your PC instead. Oops ... I just finished building
my castle in my RPG. Better head out for battle. Till next time. I
September ‘09
27
liveit.in
Feature
I
t was the latter half of 1950. William Higinbotham, an
illustrious American physicist, had already seen two World
Wars in his lifetime. While he was hardly a kid of ten, the
first happened; his involvement was active in the second.
William was a prominent face in the nuclear non-proliferation
group, even serving as its chairman and first executive director.
But as ironic as it may sound, history still remembers him as the
creator of the first video game. Little did Higinbotham know
that the game of tennis that he created on an oscilloscope to
entertain visitors at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, would
belittle everything else serious that he did in life.
It was a monumental time in the life of the world; and it was
more than a decade later that Higinbotham’s creation would
eventually catch the fancy of the populace. America was
slowly clawing back to savouring the lighter aspects
of life. Jack Kerouac’s beat generation had
all taken to the road and either found
the answers or given up hope. The
hippy culture was still reeling from the
high of Woodstock 69; and the sore wounds of
Vietnam were still fresh and hurting. The common
man needed some fun and games. And that is when
Higinbotham’s creation really came to the fore. Pioneered
by a US company named Atari, home video game systems
became increasingly popular in the mid-1970s. A sporadic
boom and bust cycle followed in the early 1980s but a
resurrection was soon headed by a Japanese company
named Nintendo.
Round about the same time, a Motorola researcher and
executive named Martin Cooper had filed a patent for what
was to become the first practical mobile phone for hand-held
use. The researchers at Motorola were excited. A new
technological highroad was in view – wireless communication
products that could be used outside the home, office or
automobile. And a communication device that had no strings
attached. Quite literally! The potentials were immense and
competition aplenty. Little wonder then that the first mobile
phone call made by Cooper was to his rivals at Bell Labs.
The first steps are always monumental. The rest of it is hardly
noticed and fleeting. Technology was making rapid strides with
the semi-conductor industry setting pace to the laws of Gordon
Moore. There was no looking back. Devices were getting
smarter as they were getting smaller; ‘accomplishing more with
less’ was the going mantra and science fiction novels of
yesterday were turning to be real life happenings of today.
Mobile phones proliferated like mushrooms. It somehow
seemed like mankind had suddenly realized the obsessive
compulsive need to talk endlessly. Box-like clumsy handsets
morphed into ‘candy bar’ style cell phones. And with it came
enhanced features and calling capabilities. Cell phones ceased
being merely communicating devices. There was a need to do
more with it. Nokia for the first time in 1998 pre-loaded their
mobile phones with a video game called the ‘Snake.’
Suddenly, waiting for a dentist appointment or waiting for the
liveit.in
28
September ‘09
Mo
bile
Tap
mo ping t
bile he
gam best
ing of
!
y
g
g
n
i
o
l
m
o
a
n
G ech
T
h
et
e
r
P
8:30 tube was not boring any
longer. A generation had been hooked.
A new revolutionary industry, it soon became
apparent, had been spawned.
And why wouldn’t it be? With over one billion mobile
phones in use today, the mobile gaming industry is akin to the
Gold Rush; there is money to be made and lots of it. But
industry insiders swear by one irrevocable truth – mobile
gaming is not child’s play. Budgets are always smaller;
memory is perpetually at a premium; processor and power
are substantially lower; screen sizes and resolutions are very
often different and interoperability issues a constant
challenge. Add to it the fact that mobile games have very
small shelf lives, the technology is very niche and we are very
much on challenging terrain.
Despite all said and done, the industry continues to make
money. In a recent technology special report by Paul
Korzeniowski of Tech News World, mobile gaming has been
hailed as the latest wireless cash cow not just for game
manufacturers but for online carriers alike. Little wonder.
Of all the available modes of classifications of
mobile games, the simplest one would be into those
that are pre-embedded into your phones and the
family of others that can be downloaded. The buzz
around mobile gaming quite predictably is around
the latter. With a WAP (Wireless Application
Protocol) browser pretty much ubiquitous in any
phone today, the most interesting of games is just the
game provider’s URL away.
Mobile games are developed on platforms that enable mobile
game programmers to interact with the underlying hardware.
The ones ruling the roost at the moment are Qualcomm’s
BREW (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless) and J2ME
September ‘09
29
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Feature
tool that is widely being used for advanced graphics embedding,
to make games even more realistic.
Software-based gaming consoles are also gaining considerable
traction. Sony Ericsson integrated the Mophun games engine
onto its mobile devices not so long back. And industry experts
predict software consoles and related technologies are sure to
play a significant role in the days to come.
The mobile development world, as is evident, is a different
beast altogether. Even programmers with expertise in bread and
butter languages like C++ and Java, often find their task cut out.
Programming calls for exercising frugality in the usage of objects
as memory is expensive. And programmers with a knack for
writing compact, efficient codes are always in great demand.
There is another aspect to mobile games as well – visuals. The
game artists, who are responsible for this, bring a whole suite of
tools and technologies with them.
Unlike in game development, most of the tools and skills
needed is pretty much the same as used in other games. The
quintessential Photoshop continues to be the artists’ favourite
tool. The other tools in a game designer’s arsenal are the usual
suspects – Paintshop Pro is a commoner, as is ACDsee, the image
viewer. Programs such as Debabilizer, which creates/matches
colour palettes equal to or lesser than 256 colours, are also
commonly used. But with newer mobile devices moving towards
hi-colour displays, their usage is sure to reduce substantially.
The mobile gaming technology arena is like the wild west of
the technology space. The skills are niche and the
opportunities are manifold; the stakes are high and the
propensity to lose very likely; the technology is challenging and
the potential ever increasing. Whatever the scene, for a techie,
the lure of the mobile gaming world is like that of a cotton
candy to the toddler.
Amidst all this, mobile phone
penetration in the emerging markets
is rising rapidly. The Boston
Consulting Group in an interesting
study identified the next billion
customers at the bottom of the
pyramid and explored the possibilities
that lay buried here. The mobile
phone, incidentally, is expected to be
an important cog in this wheel of
opportunity. Imagine a mobile in the
hand of the next billion. And imagine
the possibilities this might well open
for mobile gaming. Will technology
continue to push the frontier to help
discover new opportunities? Will
some entrepreneurial idea bring
online gaming to the masses? Only
time will tell. But when it does, it will
have wireless carriers and mobile
gaming companies alike, laughing
Mobile game addiction is instinctual.
their way to the bank. I
(Java 2 Micro Edition). While BREW is a C/C++ based API
that facilitates several different languages to interact with the
mobile device, J2ME is a toned down strain of Java tailored for
smaller devices like the mobile. While both these technologies
are equally popular, they do have their unique propositions.
BREW is known to provide developers with greater end-to-end
support and is also widely known to be an industry accepted
certification and distribution model for getting applications to
the end consumer. J2ME and the Java bandwagon, in the
meanwhile, have the backing of some of the powerhouses in the
industry and are ever popular with the hundreds of Java
programmers who swear their allegiance to these.
In the world of telephony, there has been little that has been
common between Europe and America. Much like the GSMCDMA divide, the two continents have different favourites in
platforms as well. Symbian OS, a C++ based API has
considerable traction in Europe. What adds credibility to
Symbian is the fact that Nokia’s flagship gaming mobile, NGage is based on the Symbian OS. With Symbian all set to
become the standard operating system of ‘smartphones,’ its
credibility is sure on the upswing.
But the fact remains that mobile games are consistently a
generation behind modern day video games. If you ask me why?
Well, there is something called the technology frontier and all
said and done, lest we forget we are still talking about a
communicating device where games are nothing more than a
value added service. But over time, the games have gotten better
and it is no longer just ‘Tetris’ and ‘Snake’ on mobile phones.
With increased emphasis on 2D/3D graphics, APIs, like
OpenGL ES, have become a part of core mobile gaming
technology. This low-level, light-weight, cross platform API is a
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30
September ‘09
Feature
Gaming Technology
in Medical Imaging
Ritu Goyal Harish
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September ‘09
Game-based medical simulation
has made it possible for surgeons
to practice their procedures
virtually ! Here’s how.
T
he strides technology makes in the world of computers
makes them powerful modes of change in medical
advancements, speeding up their implementation and
reducing their costs substantially.
One way medical images are being improved is by using visual
images from more than one source – magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI) and computerized tomography (CT) scans, for example.
Patients stand to benefit from the greater power gaming
technology is bringing to the medical imaging world.
When three dimensions and millions of pixels are involved, the
task of deciphering image data becomes exponentially complex.
Within this scope, the need for higher processing speeds is
essential. And this is precisely where the cost-effective benefits of
gaming industry technology are starting to make an impact.
With the use of the Cell Broadband Engine (Cell BE) processor
the first implementation of the Cell Broadband Engine
Architecture used in Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3), with its highly
parallel architecture and its high memory bandwidth has the
possibility to take medical imaging a step forward in performance,
with real gains to be had in improving services to the patient.
The beginning
It started when Dutch-based 3mensio, founded in August 2003,
focused on exploiting the capabilities offered by so-called Graphics
Processing Units (GPUs) on graphics boards. Their tremendous
speed and programmability enhancing quickly as a result of the
fierce competition in the multi-billion dollar computer games
industry, to provide the path towards a new level of functionality
and price/performance for advanced 3D medical imaging.
Today, another company using games-derived GPU
technology to speed up radically processing is Canadian
company Acceleware. The company is examining the
possibility of creating hardware (GPU)
accelerated reconstruction algorithms.
The innovative approach by
these ‘early movers’ in
marrying gaming
Feature
technology to medical imaging has
been noticed in the multi-billion
dollar market place; and new players
have also joined the bandwagon
of developers.
Jointly developed by Sony, Toshiba,
and IBM, in an alliance known as
‘STI’, the architectural design and
first implementation were carried out
at the STI Design Centre over four
years, on a budget reported to be
approximately US$ 400 million.
Collaborators from Mayo Clinic and
IBM have also exploited parallel
computer architecture and memory
bandwidth to dramatically speed up
the processing of 3D medical images.
The advance significantly aids image
registration – the computer-enhanced
alignment of two medical images
obtained at different dates or by using
different imaging devices, in threedimensional space. With the images properly aligned over one
another, a radiologist can more easily detect structural changes
such as the growth or shrinkage of tumours.
The popular Wii gaming remote may offer radiologists a
fun alternative method to using a conventional mouse and
keyboard to navigate through patient images, according to a
recent study. The remote may also offer radiologists relief
from repetitive motion injuries as a result of using a mouse
and keyboard.
The traditional keyboard mouse user interface limits the way
a radiologist can interpret images and manage an everincreasing workload. The Wii remote may alleviate those
limitations. In addition, repetitive motion injuries may be
mitigated by altering usage between devices like the Wii
remote and the traditional mouse because they use different
sets of muscles. Small movements can manipulate the image
on the screen and buttons can change windows and move
between different series.
This technology in its nascent stage is developing rapidly and
in the coming few months will see rapid advancements for the
benefit of patients across the world.
Economy
A disadvantage of medical imaging equipment is its high price,
but the techniques employed can replace expensive or painful
surgical procedures. One example is where patients with brain
tumours previously had to endure a painful procedure where air
was injected into their skulls and then they were rotated upsidedown. Now, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed
tomography (CT) scans are used to detect brain tumours.
Also, because imaging is generally non-invasive, patients do
not need to stay in the hospital as they would after surgery,
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34
September ‘09
Computer-aided imaging.
which also saves money. Sometimes, however, these cost-savings
are hard to quantify because hospitals are often split into
sections with their own budgets.
One way to get around the high cost of medical imaging
equipment is to have mobile units that can be driven around,
allowing equipment to be shared between hospitals. This
becomes a possibility as the size of the equipment shrinks.
Healthcare frequently relies on the early detection of disease to
employ cheaper and less drastic methods of therapy. To do this,
screening tests need to be used that are low cost and easy to perform.
“The student begins with the patient, continues with the
patient, and ends his studies with the patient, using books
and lectures as tools, as means to an end,” wrote Sir William
Osler in the Aequanimitas.
The esteemed physician, Sir William Osler, felt that learning
was an apprenticeship, and that medical apprentice learners
needed convenient access to authoritative information to aid
them in their studies.
How technology has changed perceptions over the years is quite
evident from the use of medical imaging in medical education that
creates a virtual world of medical simulations to aid the student!
From teleporting students to a virtual hospital where they
choose the patient they would like to see, only after all the
rightful authorizations have been sought, to checking the
patient’s profile, medical history (through a text file). To make
it interesting for students, tests have to be passed that
authorize them to go further, and test diagnosis can even be
purchased in some cases.
Developed recently by the Faculty of Imperial College
London, this game-based method of medical learning can be
very interesting for students. I
Snapshots
2
1
Technology is making waves ... and
there’s no part of the country
that’s left untouched. Here, we
take you through some of the
latest happening in the tech
sphere, in Pune.
Viny Velayudhan
1
Wannabe India’s first wireless city
Pune is gearing up to win the title of ‘India’s first
wireless city’. Pune Municipal Corporation and
Microsense are working together on the Unwire Pune
project. The two organizations will launch the first phase
of an 802.16d Wi-Fi and WiMax network that would
provide wireless connectivity covering an area of 25 sq.
km. In the first phase, the citizens will be offered a speed
of 256kbit/s.
2
Entrepreneurs rising in Pune
Pune is witnessing a lot of first generation
entrepreneurs with new start-ups. New
entrepreneurial activities are also initiated by the NRI
diaspora in Pune. Although the IT industry is the
backbone of Pune’s economy, the new age entrepreneurs
are creating a revolution of entrepreneurship.
NASSCOM Emerge, Pune OpenCoffee Club, Komli
Media, TiE, Dr. Suhas Patil’s Cradle Technologies, and
Zmanda are some of the notable start-ups in Pune.
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September ‘09
5
3
A tech forum exclusively for cops
Recently, the Pune Police decided to get itself an
edge in IT. NASSCOM and Data Security Council
of India (DSCI) launched the Cop Tech Forum for
knowledge sharing, especially with the city cops. The
forum will help the cops build a stronger cyber security
system by increasing exchange of ideas and knowledge
between the IT industry and the police.
A meeting will be held every quarter with the
members of the forum and the police.
The enthusiasm of the cops can be seen from the
overwhelming response received by the programme.
Around 100 officials registered themselves as members
of the Cop Tech on the day of the launch itself.
3
4
5
6
4
SMSONE serves the rural areas
SMSONE Media Services Pvt. Ltd. is a unique
newsletter service company that not only caters to
the rural mobile phone users but also generates jobs for
rural youth who call themselves ‘mobile journalists.’ The
company sends SMS newsletters containing local news
to cell phone users of nearly 300 communities across 25
districts in Maharashtra.
The SMS news service employs the rural youth to
gather local news giving them a source of income as well.
It’s been around two years since the company’s
inception and it has already gained recognition by
wining NASSCOM’s social innovation award for its
unique concept.
IBN’s dynamic infrastructure lab
in Pune
IBN unveiled a first-of-its-kind dynamic
infrastructure Lab in Pune. The lab is located at its
software lab in Pune. It boasts of getting more
intelligence, automation, integration and
efficiencies to the physical as well as digital world.
This state-of-the-art technology lab will help
them serve their clients in India and South Asia
region with higher valued and cost-efficient services.
6
Engineering stalwarts of Pune
Pune boasts of housing the Kirloskar
Group, which is India’s largest engineering
firm. Kirloskar was one of the early companies to
set up their manufacturing unit in Pune. To name a
few companies that add the technological advances
of Pune are Kirloskar Oil Engines (the world’s
largest genset company), Kirloskar Brothers
Limited (one of the world’s largest pump
company), Kirloskar Pneumatics Co. Ltd. and
other Kirloskar businesses.
September ‘09
37
liveit.in
Feature
Artificial
Intelligence
in Games
David Welch
Game codes that make the machine think and act on its own.
ust about all video games have other
digitized characters that interact with
you, the player character. These
digital life forms may be friend or foe
alike; such as a kindly wizard who assists you
on your quest with magical aid; or an enemy
soldier who hunts you through the barrel of
a sniper rifle. The pixelized denizens who
populate a world may even be your pets that
you, the player, must care for, nurture, and
train. In all these possible game scenarios,
nearly all virtual characters possess a certain
degree of artificial intelligence to move,
make decisions, and interact with you and
the environment.
J
What is AI?
As game play has evolved over the decades
to include richer graphics and faster
processing, game characters have also
grown more life-like in the way they look,
move, and behave. Detailed textures and
countless polygons create realistic-looking
characters, while motion-capture
animation conveys a wide range of actions
and emotions through physical movement
and facial expressions. But, under the
surface of these graphics, game characters
have also evolved a higher capacity of
intelligence, allowing them to make
decisions based on logical processes.
While, even though the most intelligent
virtual characters still fall greatly short of
the intellectual and reasoning power of the
human mind, some artificially intelligent
game characters are now able to react to
an environment, pursue their own needs,
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September ‘09
goals, and desires, and even learn new behaviours in an
unprecedented mimicry of human intelligence.
example, Pac-Man’s ghost opponents had to possess the
intelligence to navigate the maze as well as adjust their movement
to concentrate on Pac-Man’s constantly moving location.
The birth of AI
Artificial intelligence stretches back as far as the need for
computer-controlled game characters has existed. The earliest
video games were played between human players with human
intelligence, like in the early version of Pong, called Tennis for Two.
In Tennis for Two, one human player controlled a left paddle while
the other controlled the right as they took turns moving to
intercept a ball that bounced between them and reflect back at
their opponent. Tennis for Two posed two humans against each
other in a game of reflex and skill. But, if the game was played by
just one human, then the designers would have had to answer one
question – how do you make Tennis for Two into “Tennis for One”?
The challenge was making a computer-controlled object
mimic the behaviour of a human by creating the illusion or the
semblance of intelligence. In Tennis for Two, a human player
would anticipate the speed and angle of the incoming ball in
order to move their paddle in front of it and hit it back at the
opponent; so an artificial intelligence must do the same thing.
Since the program itself determines where the ball will end up
by using a set of physics-based algorithms, this same framework
is used for the artificial intelligence of the paddle. Thus, an
artificial intelligence would use logic to predict where they should
move the paddle in order to hit the ball, just as the player would.
This is an example of a reactive artificial intelligence; the paddle
moved depending on the current angle of the ball during the game.
But, many early games were only capable of scripted patterns of
behaviour that never changed regardless of the actions of the
player. In the classic arcade game, Space Invaders, the alien ships
descend in the same pattern, line by line, until they either reach the
ground or are all destroyed. In this case, their behaviour does not
change because of anything the player does or does not do.
Reactive AI exploded thanks to Pac-Man whose rainbow
coloured ghosts would follow the titular character in a maze. In this
Even the simplest game requires some AI. In Tennis for Two,
the AI must anticipate the angle and speed of the ball.
Growth of AI in combat FPS
Reactive AI grew exponentially thanks to the need for intelligent
enemies in the first-person-shooter (FPS) genre. In the original
Wolfenstein 3D, enemies reacted to the player by simply moving
and firing at them. They lacked the AI to employ advanced
combat tactics, which gave the human player a significant
advantage. But in later games like Half-Life and Counter-Strike,
the enemies would learn to dodge, strafe, and hide behind
objects for cover while reloading. Eventually, enemies learned to
use teamwork tactics to ambush the player and use the
environment to their advantage. Many players who
underestimated the enemy’s AI were met with certain doom.
Stealth games like the Thief series saw the need to limit the
AI’s intelligence to exclude information the computer could
access unfairly. For example, since the game itself always
knew where the player is located, all computer-controlled
enemies are also privy to that information – even when it was
unfair and unrealistic. After all, the player could only see
opponents in their line of sight. Thief: The Dark Project
realistically blinded enemy AI when the player was hidden in
the cover of darkness. Sudden movement or noise would alert
nearby enemies to the players’ whereabouts, and they could
also alert other nearby enemies.
AI in conversation
Although the FPS and action genres changed the way artificial
intelligence responded in combat situations, other genres
developed the way artificial intelligence communicated and
behaved in other areas of life.
Given the near infinite ways humans communicate and the
subtleties of language, games have often struggled to convey
realistic communication between a player and a game character.
Expressing complex thoughts and ideas to an AI has many more
possibilities than anything that can occur in a combat scenario.
The sci-fi action role-playing game, Mass Effect took a worthy
stab at reproducing realistic conversations with game characters.
Players are given the choice of several different responses to give to
other game characters in a conversation. The player’s choice of
response will dictate how the game characters ‘feel’ about the
player and change how their relationship develops. For example, if
the player chooses a response such as ‘Get lost! I don’t like you,’
the game character may react hurt or resentful. Also, inquiring
about certain topics in your response may open up new topics of
conversation and further opportunities to acquire new information.
Of course, in Mass Effect, the player only has a few predefined
ways of responding to another character. But the independent
game Façade experimented with allowing the player to speak any
message they could type on the screen.
Façade describes itself not as a game, but as an “artificialintelligence based interactive story.” In Façade, the player character
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39
liveit.in
are not told to work, they will not be able to pay their bills. If
they are not told to have fun, they become depressed and are
unable to do anything. They even have to be told to go to the
bathroom and conceive a child. Instructing the Sims to pursue
certain activities is the only way to ensure they live rich,
fulfilling lives. In the process, the player adopts a sort of
parental role and concern for their Sims.
Half-Life made groundbreaking strides in combat AI as enemies employed
teamwork tactics to outwit the player.
is invited over for cocktails at the apartment of his/her close
friends, Trip and Grace. The evening quickly devolves into drama
as Trip and Grace argue about unhappy issues in their marriage.
The player has the ability to speak to the couple by typing in any
message they can think of and Trip and Grace will react to this
input accordingly, or to the best ability of their natural language
processing and artificial intelligence routines. Players can then
influence the behaviour of Trip and Grace allowing the night’s
events to play out in practically countless different ways.
Emergent AI
As AI has grown, it has gone from simple scripted patterns of
behaviour, to reacting to a player’s input, and finally to emergent
behaviours and the ability to learn new skills by observing and
adjusting to its environment and the consequences of its actions.
This idea has been explored in Lionhead Studio’s Black and
White series. In Black and White, players take the role of a god
who must take care of a village of worshippers in part by
training a giant beast, “the Creature,” to do its bidding. The
Creature will act on its own but can be told to perform specific
actions. The player may then punish the beast by slapping it or
reward it by stroking it, thus providing positive and negative
reinforcement for its actions. Eventually, based on this
behavioural reinforcement, the Creature will change its
behaviour to pursue activities that it has learned are good and
avoid those which it has learned are bad. A well-trained
Creature will act according to the player’s wishes independently
so that the player may concentrate on other hands-on processes
and thus be more successful in his endeavours.
Taking care of your AI
Some games intend to portray AI characters as human by giving
them their own unique desires, goals, and habits that are
independent of the player. In the role-playing game, Elder Scrolls
IV: Oblivion, townsfolk have their own 24-hour schedule of
activities and habits, which they pursue independently each day.
This may include sleeping, eating, visiting shops, or conversing
with other townsfolk. This behavioural cycle will not change
unless, of course, it is affected by actions taken by the player.
The popular life/family simulator, The Sims, game characters
also have needs and desires. However, in this game, the Sims
are only semi-autonomous and cannot fulfill these goals
without the guiding hand of the player telling them which
activities to pursue. If they are not told to eat, they die. If they
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September ‘09
In The Sims, players poke their nose into the lives of ordinary people and help
them by making them make wise decisions – or not!
Don’t forget the fun
The difference between the study and science of realistic artificial
intelligence and artificial intelligence used in video games is that
games are intended to be fun, so the AI is also used for that
purpose. For this reason, fun game play can sometimes take
priority over realistic AI forcing the AI to behave unrealistically in
order to make the game more fun. Often to make a game more
challenging, computer characters are imbued with greater strength
in order to compensate for their lack of intelligence in comparison
to the player. This may include having stronger attacks, faster
speed, or more health than the player.
For example, in many racing games, the winner of the race
ought to be determined by the skill of the driver. However, AI
drivers lack the sophisticated driving skill comparable to that of
the player and will usually be left in the dust. To compensate for
this lack of skill, computer-controlled race cars will ‘rubberband’
or unfairly speed up when the player establishes a sizable lead.
It may not be fair to the player, who must rely only on his/her
skill to win, but it keeps the game challenging and exciting.
The future of game AI
As long as fun is the driving force behind video games, it will be
a long time before game artificial intelligence approaches a level
comparable to the infinite complexities of the human mind.
But, at the same time, we can expect video game characters to
resemble humans to an even greater extent in the way they look,
move, behave, think, and learn. This will create a more
immersive experience for the player as they interact with life-like
virtual characters with personalities of their own. I
style it
Model: Tahira Kochhar
Photographer: Sonhal Nichani
Assistant: Manish Chadha
Makeup/Hair:
Nancy Miglani/Tom
Gadgets: Soveena
Mobile Zone
It’s
Gaming
Time
There’s an increasing demand
for telecom products among
all sections of users. Right from
handset purchase to choosing
accessories including
Bluetooth devices, chargers,
carry cases, and data cables,
it surely calls for intelligent
choice to get the best for
yourself. Soveena Mobile Zone,
located in the heart of the
capital, caters to consumers’
choice of the widest and most
comprehensive range of
mobile phones with special
offers from all the key brands
available across the globe.
From leading mobile brands
like Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG,
Samsung, Motorola, Apple, HTC
and Blackberry, you can also
shop for state-of-the-art
gaming products by Sony and
Mitashi. For movie buffs, there’s
a massive collection of the
latest movies, music et al.
At Soveena, it is a constant
endeavour to provide the best
product at the best price from
the extensive product range,
thereby making it a complete
shopping experience. For now,
here’s a sneak peek into their
select product line.
September ‘09
41
liveit.in
Style IT
Sony F305
mobile phone
The Sony F305 with
Motion Gaming puts
‘fun and
entertainment’ at the
heart of the mobile
phone. Targeted firmly
at a youth audience,
the phone with motion
gaming lets users
control games with the
flick of a wrist or the
swing of an arm.
Portable Sony
Playstn. (PSP)
Game on PSP system
anytime anywhere.
Browse the web,
enjoy RSS feeds, use
Remote Play to
access your PS3
system, or get instant
messages and calls
with Skype
Style IT
Sony Playstn.2
The successor to the
PlayStation, and the
predecessor to the
PlayStation 3, the
PlayStation 2 forms
part of the PlayStation
series of video game
consoles. Stylish, cool,
and a must have for
the gaming freak.
WILLIAMS F1 Team
RACING WHEEL
The Racing Wheel
comes with a bundle of
features to deliver a
level of realism and
authenticity previously
unheard of on such a
peripheral. Try it to
believe it.
Style IT
MITASHI GAME – IN
Infrazone wireless
entertainment
Get ready for
some wireless gaming.
Connect to a TV and play
with wireless gear to get
into action.
Nintendo Playboy
Advance SP
Comes with a
rechargeable battery
and charger with free
10-in-1 gaming
cartridge. You can play
up to 4 to 5 hours on a
single charge.
Style IT
MITASHI GAME –
IN SPORTMAX
The fun has just
begun. This machine
comes with 48 in built
TV video games sure
to take you on a
fantasy ride in the
world of gaming.
iPod
It’s dubbed as
'The Funnest iPod
Ever', and it's easy to
understand why.
Features like the
Multi-Touch Display,
and a built-in
accelerometer, which
automatically rotates
the screen, are just
the beginning of this
ground breaking
device. Comes with a
built-in Wi-Fi along with
an e-mail client.
Multimedia
Technologies
for
Gaming
Roli Gupta
Special applications to make your game interactive and interesting.
O
nce upon a time, a software programmer in a
moment of boredom developed a software program
to entertain himself. This consisted of a screen with
a maze, lined with small dots representing fruits and
a round shape representing a creature that would eat up the small
dots. To make it more interesting, the developer gave himself
points for each dot that the creature ate up. However, he soon got
bored with this ‘game’. So, he added another level – there were
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September ‘09
monsters out to eat up the creature, and the creature had to avoid
them, while still eating up the dots ... and that presumably was the
beginning of the multi-billion dollar gaming industry, an industry
that provides employment to millions of people worldwide –
smart, intelligent and supremely creative geeks working away on
their desktops or laptops, trying hard to create that ultimate video
game that will take the world by storm and get them into the same
league as good ol’ Billy, dropout from Harvard University!
But, for all the riches and creative satisfaction that the field of
game development offers, the going is not so easy. Only a tiny
number of gaming ideas is good enough to get financial backing
and of those too, only the very few really viable ones make it to
the highly competitive market. Game developers have to deal
with a host of issues, all the while retaining their originality. It’s
certainly not an easy task. From the erstwhile ‘Pacman’ and its
ilk, to the high action graphics and animation intensive games
of today, games development has become a highly specialized
field, requiring experts at different level of development.
While a few years ago, game development was a tedious task,
in which the game engine (the core software which actually
allowed the game to run) had to be coded from scratch, the
process is less cumbersome now. Considering the fact that
graphics and animation have undergone a quantum leap in
terms of the look and feel of the game and the technology
available to really create it, the developer really has a multitude
of options. He is well-assisted by several tools and technologies.
There is a wide variety of software that allows for the creation
of games ranging from the simple ones like those available
online for children (which usually include simple jigsaws or
colouring pages or numbers games), to the moderately complex
games like card games or 2D games like ‘Pacman,’ to the
graphics-intensive games like ‘Need for Speed,’ ‘Grand Theft
Auto’ and the like.
Here then is a bird’s eye view of some of the popular
multimedia technologies and software that are important for
game developers in their quest to create some of the best and
most entertaining games ever.
Storyboarding software
Storyboarding is the not-so-simple first, crucial step in creating
games. A little difficult to define, it basically involves the complete
visualisation of the game, not unlike a movie script, complete
with different scenarios, characters, screenplay, interaction
between the characters and so on. To sum up, it is a detailed,
comprehensive view of the game. The game developer need not
however use paper to create storyboards. Software like
StoryBoard Artist and Toon Boom StoryBoard are easily
available, which help one create a complete and effective
professional, digital storyboard, which is easy to navigate, edit
and link to whatever developer software that one intends to use.
The novice or hobbyist games developer can opt for one of the
several storyboarding software available online for free download.
3D or 2D animation software
Obviously, actually creating the code that is behind the game is
what forms the crux of game development. Being able to create
games that are high on visual appeal is very important for the
success of any game. In-depth knowledge of the relevant
software is almost mandatory. The software is usually powerful,
integrated 3D modelling, 3D animation, and rendering
applications. Widely used in TV, films and of course in game
development, these offer a complete end-to-end solution for
creating games.
Here are some of the essential tools or software that provide
an entire gamut of features for extensive game development:
1. Autodesk Maya/Autodesk 3D Max: http://usa.autodesk.com/
2. DarkBasic/DarkBasicPro:
http://www.thegamecreators.com/
3. GameEditor: http://game-editor.com/Main_Page/
4. GameMaker: http://www.yoyogames.com/make/
5. Role Playing Game Software: RPG Toolkit –
http://www.toolkitzone.com/
6. Adobe Flash Player:
http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/
7. Adobe Director and Adobe Shockwave Player:
http://www.adobe.com/products/director/;
http://www.adobe.com/products/shockwaveplayer/
8. Torque 3D, Torque 2D: http://www.garagegames.com/
9. GameStudio: http://www.3dgamestudio.com/
10. Unity (for MAC): http://unity3d.com/unity/
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All these are licensed, proprietary software, obviously very
expensive and extremely useful and essential for professional
game developers. However, there are several open source tools
or freeware, which allow the novice or hobbyist game developer
to create games with minimal or even no knowledge of
programming. Here are some of them:
1. Microsoft’s Kodu: http://research.microsoft.com/enus/projects/kodu/
2. MIT’s Scratch: http://scratch.mit.edu/
3. Stagecast: http://www.stagecast.com/
4. Adventure Maker: http://www.adventuremaker.com/
5. Platinum Arts Sandbox: http://sandboxgamemaker.com/
Undoubtedly, all of this software is powerful enough to create the
most complex games. The user interface is quite intuitive, allowing
the developer to learn the ropes very quickly. Most come equipped
with detailed tutorials and documentation too. The basic features
that nearly all game development software typically provide include:
1. Real life simulation of the scenes from the storyboard.
2. Human body movement, highly precise and accurate
muscle and skin motion.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Fluid effects like lightning, smoke, steam, snow, fire, water,
clouds, rain, oceans, ponds, ripples, foam, and waves in
water bodies, thick fog and objects walking through thick
fogs, turbulence, and bubbles in water.
Natural phenomenon like swamps, mud, volcanoes,
and lava.
Landscapes and elements like mountains, trees, flowers
and so on.
Collision between objects and its aftermath, explosions,
blasts, fireworks.
Life-like appearance of animal fur and human hair. Animal
fur appearance can be varied as per requirement to simulate
different kinds of animals; human hair of different textures,
colours and styles too can be created.
Simulation of cloth in various forms, even depicting
tearing, burning and other damage, appear fitted or loose
as the need is; cloth on cloth as and when a character
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wears multiple layers of clothing, movement of cloth in
breeze or in water.
9. Lighting effects such as shadow and sun, shading in various
objects appearing in the scene, how lights interact with
surfaces and how shadows appear in 3D.
10. A large variety of sound effects – the crash of a car,
footsteps, opening and closing of doors to name a few,
which add the desired effect to the game.
11. On the more technical side, the facility to create a virtual
3D wire frame model, which is the base upon which the 3D
figures are built is also provided.
12. They provide for very convincing limb animation
(movement of hands and feet for instance in depicting
various movements like driving, running, walking, cycling
and so on) and motion capture facilities.
13. Emotion representation, i.e., the expressions on the faces of
the 3D humans in the game – fear, terror, smiles, triumphs,
grim and so on.
Truly, gaming today has changed beyond recognition. There
is a mind-boggling variety of games and the game developer
sure has his task cut out. But, as always, technology is at his
service, giving free rein to his creativity and talents. I
The
Play Barbie games
online & be a part
of her digital world.
Story…
Priyanka Mukherjee
O
nce upon a time there lived a young girl in the
magic world of toys. She was the most beautiful
girl indeed. Her cascading mane, slender frame,
sparkling eyes and dazzling smile had set many a
heart on fire. She would exude a charm that would keep her
admirers enchanted forever. This girl had all the oomph to
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September ‘09
enthrall her onlookers. She had a fetish for fashion and her
sense of style would often pep up her otherwise lovely
features. Ever since the day she walked the beach in confident
steps, sporting a zebra stripped swimsuit and a topknot, she
grabbed all the attention, wherever she went. This pretty girl
was pert and smart too. She could dapple with careers as
varied as being a space walker and a doctor. While men would
nurture their secret desire to posses her, women would often
be envious. For young girls, however, she was their best buddy;
a friend whom they would look up to. This once-a-young lass
has now turned fifty and has successfully busted the myth of
age and waning youth. This svelte lady can still kill with her
glance. And guess what, she never had to go for a botox till
date. She is Barbie. Barbara Millicent Roberts.
Ruth had often observed her daughter Barbara ascribing
grown up roles to her dolls. Her husband Elliot, one of the cofounders of Mattel, however, never agreed to her ideas of
marketing an adult doll. It was on her visit to Germany in
1956 that Ruth stumbled upon the German fashion doll, Bild
Lilli. Lilli was a German career girl who knew how to use her
“
Over these span of half a century, Barbie has grown with
time. She is no longer coy and demur as she used to be in her
initial days. With age she has shred her reserve. Barbie is rather
a modern lady with no inhibitions about her sexuality. Ever
since 1971, she has stopped looking sideways; her straight gaze
instead oozes a confidence which inspires many. Aware of her
abilities, Barbie is truly the most perfect representation of the
new age woman, who is ambitious, self-oriented and gorgeous.
Barbie has been a playmate to girls from 150 countries all
around the globe. With two Barbie dolls being sold every one
second, she is undoubtedly the most popular doll ever. In her
mass appeal she matches the Hollywood Star. Barbie has been
the Hawaiian sweetheart to the Pop Prince, Elvis Presley. For
painter Andy Warhol, she has been his muse. Her fame has
Online Barbie
games let the Barbie
aficionados see the
doll in action ... an
animated Barbie is
bound to mesmerize
you with things she
does on her own
”
charisma to her advantages. For Ruth, she was quite like what
she had imagined her dream doll to be. At the end of her
European sojourn, Ruth returned to the United States with
Lilli, who would now go through an elaborate session of makeover. It was engineer Jack Ryan who gave Lilli the necessary
alterations before she could hit the American market in her
new avatar as Barbie. Ruth gave Lilli her new name after her
daughter Barbara, and ‘Barbie’ made her first appearance on
the 9th of March 1959 at the American International Toy Fair.
Dressed up by Charlotte Johnson, the Mattel Fashion Designer,
the then “Teen age Fashion doll” would set trends for her
admirers to follow all around the globe from now on. Despite
occasional challenges from the younger entrants into the world
of toy glitterati like the bratty Bratz doll, Barbie still reigns as
the stunning sensation, who surely knows the elixir of
everlasting youth.
Ruth Handler, the brain behind the concept of Barbie.
earned her the rare honour of a having part of the Times
Square named after her for a week in the year of 1974. As it is
common for the rich and the famous, Barbie too has been
bothered by controversies time and again. While some call her
sexist, there are physicians worldwide, who often censure her
impractical vital stats for pushing young girls towards becoming
anorexic. All the blame games, however, seem inane as the little
girl giggles with her Barbie, held to her bosom in a tight hug.
Barbie has moved beyond being just a doll; this diva is no less
than an icon emulated by millions throughout the world. The
craze over Barbie has spread across adults and children alike.
While the young daughters love taking Barbie to school with
them, their mothers often indulge in dressing her up during their
free times. Her popularity has led Mattle to introduce product
lines named after her. She has made her appearance in some
September ‘09
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www.everythinggirl.com
The fascinating virtual world of Barbie.
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September ‘09
commercial flicks as well. With children becoming more and
more tech savvy, Barbie has also made her appearance in
compact discs and online games.
Samadrita Sengupta, a first year student of English at
Presidency College, Kolkata takes pride in proclaiming herself
as the Barbie Addict. On being asked about the popularity of
video games on Barbie available in the market, this young girl
pertly replies, “these video games let the Barbie aficionados see
the doll in action, while your doll at home requires you to do
things for her. An animated Barbie is bound to mesmerize you
with things she does on her own and hence the high demand
for such CDs.” Her friend, Jhelum, quips that affordability
becomes a factor too. While a normal doll would cost one
around 600 bucks let alone her accessories and other
necessities, a video game would cost much less. These video
games follow thrilling story lines. And the plots with Barbie
posing in varied roles such as a high school kid or a private
agent or a pretty princess are bound to keep children engrossed
over the computer screen for hours altogether. A shop attendant
from one of the city malls points that these compact discs,
ranged between Rs. 300 to 2000, are bought in high numbers
by Barbie enthusiasts of all ages.
If one is yet to buy one of these CDs, she can try out some of
the online games to get a feel of the Barbie experience. One can
Google up a long list of sites were Barbie games can be played
for free. Sites like www.sweetdressupgames.com and
www.dressupdollgames.net are popular amongst kids who enjoy
dressing up Barbie fittingly for different occasions. There are
other options like www.playfg.com.barbie-games, which offer a
variety of activities such as dress designing, painting and even
going out on a mall spree with your dolly pal. Swagata
Chatterjee, a working lady, comments, “These online games
keep my six-year-old daughter engaged for quite a long stretch
in the evening giving me enough time to finish my chores in
peace.” Chatterjee chuckles as she points out that she too seldom
pampers the child in her with these games on lazy weekend
afternoons. Srijoni Bhattacharya, proprietor of a city-based play
school, tells us that she often makes the toddlers at her
Montessori play the Barbie games available on
barbie.everythinggirl.com. This teacher opines that these games
being interactive are always effective stimulants for a child’s
imagination. Given their attractive content, they are entertaining
while being educative as well. Lessons, when taught by Barbie,
are ought to be remembered for a lifetime.
Even with an option galore available before kids today, Barbie
continues to fascinate generations of doll lovers. She has been in
controversies. Her acts have often been critiqued. And despite it
all, Barbie still remains a girl’s best friend. She has done it all
that a girl aspires to do; she has it all that a girl desires to have;
and she is all that a girl wants to be. As your little daughter plays
with her Barbie, she nourishes her dreams as she fondles her
doll. Her Barbie is as special to her as she is to you. She loves her
Barbie as you love her. In her Barbie she sees herself. Every girl
has a Barbie in her … I
Feature
PAN Technologies
inVideo Games
P
David Welch
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enrich games with networking options creating
a whole new world of gaming.
ersonal area networking (PAN) has undergone a rapid
transition over the last decade as wireless technologies
have displaced wires and cables to connect electronic
devices seamlessly. Without the need for wires and
available ports, integrating multiple devices into a personal area
network (PAN) is more convenient than ever before. And with the
ease of connecting devices of everyday use, like phones, laptops,
printers, and keyboards, comes the added benefit of connecting
electronic gaming systems and peripherals in the same way. Thus,
the evolution and transition of PAN technologies, like infrared and
Bluetooth, have changed the way in which we play video games.
Connecting video game peripherals through cables was the
standard throughout most of gaming history. Controllers and
joysticks had to be connected through wires to a game console the
same way we connected keyboards and mice to our computers.
Game ports allowed for a variety of different peripherals to be
connected creating a personal area network for gaming, which
might include steering wheels, trackballs, gamepads, light guns, and
instruments. But each of these personal gaming area networks was
saddled with the inherent impediments of cords, which inhibited
physical movement and limited the number of connected devices.
Wireless connectivity via infrared light
Infrared Data Association (IrDa) was used as a popular means of
wireless data transmission in personal area networks in the late 1990s
This game controller
uses a retractable cord
to prevent it from
becoming entangled
in other wires. While
this is more
convenient than a
non-retractable cord,
it cannot stand up to a
Bluetooth-enabled
wireless controller.
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Feature
and early 2000s. IrDa exchanged short-range data over infrared
light. Using IrDa, a user could, for example, connect a computer to
a printer and wirelessly send print jobs from one device to the other.
Infrared was used the same way in video games to allow for
wireless controllers. Players were free from cumbersome wires that
inhibited game play. This was a real advantage to overzealous
gamers who would accidentally pull controller wires from their
ports in moments of exuberance, or have ever had a house pet or
clumsy friend accidentally trip over their cords and disconnect
them from a game. It also relieved them of the task of untangling
a mass of cords from different controllers and peripherals.
Because IrDa uses infrared light, there must be a direct line of sight
between the devices. If an obtrusive solid object interfered, the IrDaenabled devices could no longer ‘see’ each other and thus be unable
to communicate. This was a drawback in video games since a
sudden loss of control at a critical point in game play could mean the
difference between a ‘top score’ and a ‘game over,’ no matter how
brief the interruption. These disadvantages would eventually make
IrDa obsolete in the face of newer technology. However, infrared light
would still be used later to capture motion for video games.
Other early wireless controllers used radio links instead of
infrared. But they often suffered from transmission delays, which
were more disastrous for players than line-of-sight interruptions.
Because of the necessity for maintaining complete control at all
times in game play, wireless controllers were avoided until the
technology finally improved.
The dawn of
Bluetooth
Bluetooth technology is now
becoming the standard for
short-range data
communication ideal for
personal area networks.
Bluetooth is an open wireless
standard and communication
protocol for interpreting
radio frequencies among
These infrared headphones
operate wirelessly by picking up
numerous devices within a
infrared frequencies emitted by an
few meters. The biggest
infrared-enabled CD player or
monitor. They are intended for use
advantage Bluetooth has over
in front of a computer or while in a
IrDa is that it uses radio
car since the infrared must
maintain a direct line of site with
frequencies, instead of light,
the emitter in order to function.
so devices do not have to be
in a line of sight. Bluetooth uses a radio technology called
frequency-hopping spread spectrum where it switches or
‘hops’ among 78 frequencies 1600 times a second. This
reduces the amount of interference allowing devices to
communicate faster and more accurately, while at the same
time making the signal more secure.
Creating a personal area network using Bluetooth (often called
a piconet) is becoming more common as more devices are made
Bluetooth-ready out of the box. For example, mobile phone
users may use a hands-free Bluetooth headset to use with their
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mobile phone while driving. At the same time, GPS
functionality of a mobile phone could connect with the car’s
systems to help drivers navigate. Of course, Bluetooth allows for
input and output devices like mice, keyboards, printers, and
headsets to work together seamlessly.
Bluetooth in
video games
For video games,
Bluetooth allows for
several advantages in
game play. Wireless
controllers now allow
for free movement
The WaveBird
without the hassle of
for the Nintendo
Gamecube was
cords or the line-of-sight
the first official
interruption possible
wireless controller
made by a first-party
through infrared.
console gaming manufacturer.
Among the three
Nintendo had been attempting to create a
reliable wireless controller since the
current generation
Famicom era with infrared technology.
console gaming systems, However, the WaveBird succeeded by using
radio frequency communication.
the Nintendo Wii and
the Sony PS3 both use
Bluetooth controllers while Microsoft’s Xbox360 uses a
proprietary protocol that uses a 2.4 gigahertz electromagnetic
frequency. While all three use radio frequencies to communicate
wirelessly, the Bluetooth protocol supports up to seven
controllers to be used simultaneously with the PS3 while the
Xbox360 is limited to four.
At the same time, PCs and game consoles that are Bluetoothenabled can use other Bluetooth devices beyond controllers to
create a more immersive game experience. Bluetooth headsets
and mics allow gamers to chat with other players online easily.
This communication advantage allows players to coordinate
strategies with team members in games like first-person-shooters
and other squad-based games. Or, they may allow human
opponents to trash talk each other in fighting games.
Increased compatibility is also an advantage of Bluetoothenabled devices. Bluetooth devices speak the same language, so a
Bluetooth headset for a mobile phone would also work with a
Bluetooth-enabled laptop and a Sony PS3. This cuts down on the
cost of system-specific accessories.
Bluetooth is also making waves in portable or hand-held gaming
by allowing fast and accurate communication between hand-held
gaming devices. This replaces the link cables of old that we fondly
remember connecting GameBoys together. The iPhone is
Bluetooth-enabled, which means two or more iPhone users can
connect with each other for wireless multiplayer gaming without
connecting to a WiFi network. Of course, since Bluetooth has a
short range, the players must be no more than 30 feet apart. A
new version of Sony’s PlayStation Portable called the PSP Go will
have Bluetooth functionality as well. The latest version of the
Nintendo DS does not have Bluetooth so players must connect via
WiFi for multiplayer gaming.
Infrared and Bluetooth
in motion control games
The current and future trend for video games seems to be the
integration of multiple PAN technologies to allow us to interface
with games in multiple ways, including buttons, motion, facial
recognition, and voice.
The Nintendo Wii has pioneered the use of motion controls to
manipulate in-game characters and events rather than rely solely
on buttons and thumb sticks on a controller. The Nintendo Wii’s
‘Wiimote’ controller combines both
Bluetooth and infrared technologies. A
sensor bar features ten infrared LEDs
(light-emitting diodes) that are
detected by an image sensor on
the Wiimote to triangulate its
location in 3D space.
Additionally, two dots of
light on the image sensor
can determine the rotation
This headset designed for
of the Wiimote with
the PlayStation 3 uses Bluetooth
to wirelessly send audio signals to
respect to the ground.
the console which can then be
This infrared data
transferred online to other players
anywhere in the world. The added
processing is then sent to
convenience of voice chat has allowed
the console wirelessly
real-time audio communication to
become a standard in the First-Personthrough Bluetooth.
Shooter genre.
Sony recently debuted a
similar motion controller using their PlayStation Eye technology.
The controller wand uses light-emitting diodes to mark its location
in 3D space. The PlayStation Eye camera then tracks the lights
along the image plane and determines its position in three
dimensions by the wand’s distance from the Eye. The device does
not use Bluetooth since all the data is collected and sent from the
PlayStation Eye camera, which is placed above the television and
connected by a wire. The system may be more accurate than
Nintendo Wii since it is able to capture movement in real-time with
‘sub-millimeter’ accuracy. The technology does use light to
calculate a position of an object in 3D space the same way as the
Nintendo Wii, but it uses an electromagnetic frequency on the
visible light spectrum rather than infrared. This can be seen by
human eyes as the ball at the end of the wand controller, which
lights up when in use.
body, eliminating controllers
The Wii Remote or
‘WiiMote’ for the
and other interface tools
Nintendo Wii combines
altogether.
advances in infrared and
Bluetooth technology. A
The technology for
sensor bar reads the
Project Natal seems to build
WiiMotes position in 3D
space while Bluetooth
upon existing technologies
transmits this data for
used for personal area
interpretation to the
console.
networks, including infrared
and visible light
communications. By using a
‘time-of-flight’ camera
principle, scenes are illuminated with short pulses of infrared light
from a projector and the camera measures how long it takes for the
light to reflect off a physical surface and reach the camera again.
The camera thus provides a range value for each pixel,
approximating the distance of each pixel from the camera. This is
the same technology that 3D scanners use to scan objects. Project
Natal is also capable of scanning in 3D objects, like skateboards, to
recreate digital versions used within games.
At E3 2009, Project Natal unveiled a demo of its technology in
‘Milo’ that utilized all its features including voice recognition, facial
recognition, and object scanning. In development by Peter
Molyneux’s Lionhead Studios, ‘Milo’ has players interact with an
artificially intelligent young boy named Milo and his dog Kate
through speech, body movements, facial expressions, and real,
physical objects.
The future of PAN technologies
in video games
As the science of electromagnetic frequencies continues to grow, we
can expect more sophisticated applications of such technology in
everyday personal area networking as well as video games. Infrared,
visible light, and other radio frequencies will be used to create more
convenience in our lives and more immersive, interactive experiences
in video games. Motion recognition technology is still in its infancy,
but as the technology expounds designers will find new and exciting
ways to adapt it to video games. I
Project Natal
and full body motion recognition
Microsoft’s ‘Project Natal’ for the Xbox360 and PC may be the most
complex application of PAN technologies in gaming yet. The device
does not use any hand-held controller whatsoever and instead
detects full-body 3D motion capture, facial recognition, and voice
recognition. The Project Natal sensor can see in three dimensions,
thanks to an infrared projector and monochrome CMOS sensor.
This technology can track up to four users for motion analysis and
identify and interpret 48 points of movement on a human body,
including each individual finger. With this system, game characters
can emulate the same movements that you may make with your own
In this demonstration of ‘Milo’ for Project Natal, the player physically uses her hand
to snatch up fish from a pond. The infrared projector uses time-of-flight motion
capture to track and interpret the movements of the player.
September ‘09
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Tech Tip
Kiran’s
Typing
Tutor
An easy, interactive way to learn typing
I
n today’s computerized world, a good typing skill can make
a whole lot of difference to your career and to your social
life as well. This is where Kiran’s Typing Tutor comes in.
This easy-to-use typing program can make you proficient at
typing within a matter of days. The program is a freeware and
can be downloaded by pointing your browser to this link:
ttp://www.kiranreddys.com/download/download.php. This
scientifically designed tutorial begins with basic lessons,
which can enable beginners to understand the modalities
of touch-typing.
Within the realms of this typing tutor, more than 500 typing
practice lessons and more than 500 testing lessons can be found.
So, you can be sure that you are going to learn about all the
hidden nuances of typing and also have ample opportunity to
practice them. There is a finger preview feature that shows what
finger you have to use to strike any particular key on the
keyboard. The Key preview feature shows the key that gets
pressed. The program is capable of recording the accuracy with
which you are typing, and the word per minute. Both of these
details prove invaluable for self-evaluation.
The program also has a Kids Typing module that includes five
different types of typing lessons designed for age groups ranging
from 4 to 8 years. So, it is not just you but your kid too can
become proficient at typing by using this program. However, it is
the typing of numbers that poses as a great difficulty for most of
us. But don’t worry. Kiran’s Typing Tutor comes with a Numeric
Typing module designed to demystify the use of the dreaded
numeric keyboard. Then there are the myriad Typing Games
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September ‘09
Tech Tips by Anoop Verma
that turn out to be quite entertaining and they also manage to
deliver succinct typing lessons.
Kiran’s Typing Tutor is designed to run on all Windows
powered systems, from Windows 2000 to Windows Vista, and it
needs a RAM of at least 64 MB, but a RAM of 128MB is
recommended if you want to enjoy the rich graphics in this
program. Naturally, a QWERTY keyboard is a must when you are
learning to type. If you have any issues with the program, then you
can get your query resolved by going to the support pages at
www.kiranreddys.com/support.php. It is also possible for you to
contact the program’s creators, by visiting the ‘Contact Us’ page. I
Crayon Physics
H
ere comes a game that takes
you on a mesmerizing
journey into a world replete
with child-like creativity ...
a world where your drawings can get
magically transformed into twodimensional physical objects. The
game can be downloaded from
www.crayonphysics.com and it is
available in versions compatible with
Windows XP/Vista. Once the game
is downloaded and installed in your
computer, you are bound to have a
scintillating interaction with all kinds
of two-dimensional physics
simulations, including gravity, mass,
kinetic energy and transfer of
momentum. A level editor enables
players to share and download
custom content via an online service.
The thrill quotient in this game
comes when gamers try to get a ball
to a point that is marked by a star.
The best way to achieve this
objective is to draw a number of
different items that can act in a
variety of ways to help get the ball from Point A to Point B. On
a basic level, the drawings act as ramps or barriers, while more
advanced implementation accomplishes a number of feats like
creating weights and levers as well as malleable platforms that
can be affected by other creations. It is almost as if the drawings
that you make are taking the two-dimensional shape of a virtual
machine that is geared to obey all the laws of physics.
Let’s assume that you intend to move the ball to a higher
platform in the game. What you can do is trap the ball inside a
box, which can be attached to a length of a string that runs
over a tower that you have drawn, and then weigh it down on
the other side. The weight is going to pull the ball to the
position where you want it to be. After that you will make a
quick right click, which can make the box disappear leaving
the ball to drop. You might even draw a catapult. You don’t
even have to be a great artist like Van Gogh to draw all these
things on the screen.
For instance, in order to make a catapult all you need to have
is a simple single-line drawing of a plough-like shape, with a
bucket drawn around the ball and a long line stretching over
your triangular pivot. After that you can draw a boulder above
the far end of the catapult and watch it propel the ball into the
air. What makes this game entertaining for gamers is that there
is no dearth of ways to solve each level, thanks to the fact that
no one is going to draw the same things in exactly the same way.
But Crayon Physics does require creativity from its players. You
have to solve each puzzle by using your own ingenuity.
But the best thing about the game lies in the aura of innocent
charm that it exudes. The visuals on the screen look exactly like
someone doodling on a piece of paper. Even the soundtrack that
plays in the background has extremely soothing and almost
hymn-like quality. After playing this game, you will actually end
up feeling quite relaxed. To have this super game in your
computer, all you need to do is fork out $20. Now that sounds
like quite cheap, doesn’t it? I
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61
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I
f you fall in the category of those who prefer to display each
and every one of their favourite pictures on Flickr, then you
are already in dire need of a synchronization tool. Now you
need to look no further than FlickrSync. The program can be
downloaded for free at http://flickrsync.freehostia.com. But you
need to have a system that is running on XP or Windows Vista
in order to take advantage of this freeware. Once you have
downloaded and installed the program into your computer,
synchronization between your local folders in which you place
your pictures and your Flickr site can be established. There is
support for all file formats.
The program will have no effect on the folders or images in
your computer system. But every image in your Flickr
account will get updated to match the location information in
your computer. So, if you change the position of an image
from one folder to another, its position will change on Flickr
too, in order for it to correspond with the new local position.
You can use the system to define Flickr permissions for each
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September ‘09
folder and other synchronization options. It doesn’t matter
how you prefer to synchronize your files on Flickr – whether
by date, by caption or by file name, the program is geared to
do your bidding.
You can also specify the permissions-related attributes for your
images. When you open the program, you will find a specific
field where you can choose how you want your Flickr
permissions for pictures to be set (private, public, friends, family,
etc). If you choose ‘Flickr default’ then FlickrSync will just use
the default permission that you specified on your Flickr account.
Let’s say, you want to avoid a scenario where images from your
Flickr account get inadvertently deleted. For that you can set a
‘Never Delete’ option on your FlickrSync, so that only partial
synchronization gets accomplished.
The thing about this software is that it takes a little longer to
get used to, but the convenience that it offers of managing your
Flickr account locally makes it really worth it. The program
serves as an exceptionally good photo backup tool too. I
D
id you know that now it is possible for you to listen to
BBC Radio on your Reliance mobile phone? That
certainly is a great way to get your quota of news while
you are on the go. It was in the month of June this
year that BBC World Service rolled out live audio service through
Reliance’s ‘R-World value added services (VAS)’ platform. To
access this service, Reliance subscribers have to dial 512344378.
Once the service gets activated on your Reliance phone, you
will be able to hear news from BBC World Service in five
different languages seven days a week. Every news bulletin will
begin with news in English and the switch to local Indian
languages will happen at different times during the day. There
will be a switch to Hindi at 6.30 a.m., 8 a.m., 7.30 p.m. and
10.30 p.m.; to Tamil at 09.15 p.m.; to Urdu at 7 a.m., 8.30 p.m.
and 11 p.m. and to Bangla at 5 a.m., 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
According to a press release, Reliance is specially targeting
Indians in rural areas through this service. That makes sense, as
radio happens to be quite a popular medium in rural India.
Even BBC is enthusiastic about this service as it allows them to
reach a large number of consumers across India. I
Tech Tip
O
Google
enhances
SMS
search in
India
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September ‘09
ne thing is for sure, while you are on
the go, a mobile serves as a good
search instrument. An increasing
number of people have started
using their mobiles to search for information.
Their task has become easier since Google decided to enhance SMS search in India. If you
are looking for live IPL scores, current time in
New York, today’s gold and silver prices, availability of seats or fares for trains from Bangalore
to Mumbai, you can depend on Goggle’s SMS
facility to bring you answers in quick time.
All you need to do is send a simple SMS to 977-33-00000 and that will link you directly to
Google search at the price of a normal SMS.
For finding out scores in international cricket
matches, you have to SMS ‘cri’ to 9-77-3300000. But, if you wish to know about IPL
scores, then you have to SMS ‘cri ipl’. Let’s say,
you want to learn about the performance of
the SRK team. In that case, you might SMS
‘cri ipl knight riders’. For domestic cricket
scores, you will SMS ‘cri ranji’.
The service also allows you to keep track of
stock and commodity markets. All you need to
do is SMS ‘price gold’, ‘price oil’, or ‘price cotton’ to know the MCX spot prices for these
commodities. To learn more, you can SMS
‘help commodity’ to the same number. This
service is surely going to be a boon for traders.
Now you don’t have to call a friend in New
York to find out what the time is in that part of
the world. Just SMS ‘time new york’ to 9-77-3300000 and you will have an answer instantly.
Then there is the aspect of railway search.
Google is geared to provide much more than
just your PNR status and train schedule on
your mobile phone. You can learn about seat
availability and fare information as well. Let’s
say, you want to check the seat availability for
29th October on train number 7777, going
from Delhi to Mumbai. All you need to do is
SMS, ‘train avail 7777 Delhi to Mumbai on
29-07’. And, if you want to check out the fares
for sleeper class, SMS ‘train fare 7777 Delhi to
Mumbai for SL’.
By bringing such information gathering capability to the mobile phone, Google is certainly doing its bit in making life easy for the
average customer. It is quite likely that in the
times to come, more information gathering
avenues will get incorporated into the system.
And that is only going to add to the importance
of hand-held mobile phones. I
DIGITAL
DESIGNER
Let your children learn ... the virtual way!
K
ids usually do enjoy building new items out of real Lego blocks, and now they can start enjoying the same game in virtual
world, thanks to the Lego Digital Designer. The game can be downloaded for free by pointing your browser to the link:
http://ldd.lego.com/download/default.aspx. Versions that are compatible with Windows XP and Vista, and on Mac are
available out here. Once the 28 MB program gets downloaded and installed, you and your kid can start designing your own
Lego creations on a PC or Mac.
After you have managed to create something special with your
virtual Lego blocks, you can also upload the image on the Lego
website and then order the ‘real’ pieces necessary to build the
structure, along with step-by-step instructions. However, a
custom Lego Kit turns out to be quite costly, so you have to
check out your budget before you start ordering. For example, a
model of the house or a police station, or a spacecraft might cost
you in excess of $100 in Lego. Despite the price, it is still fun
designing your own Lego toys on the computer and then have
your creation delivered to your house.
Even if you don’t want to order anything, you
and your kid can have fun by designing
Lego toys of your imaginations on the colourful
screen. You can also download
designs that others have created
and edit them according to your
own tastes and sensibilities. You
can point your browser at
http://factory.lego.com/gallery to
check out a cornucopia of virtual
Lego designs. Their prices in real
Lego are also listed, so you can find
out what these toys cost in real life. In
the virtual world you can choose from
over 763 brick types, which is much more
than what you get in a normal Lego kit.
A click on the ‘Parents’ link at the Lego
website will take you to the URL:
http://parents.lego.com/engb/default.aspx. Here, you can find plenty
of suggestions about the kind of designing
that can be attempted to enthuse children of
different age group. There are different kinds of Lego activity
planned for different age groups. Children in smaller age groups
can design simpler items like a toy train, cement mixer, etc.
Older kids can attempt things like space shuttles, robots, etc.If
anything, these virtual Lego games pose as a good
way for helping kids unleash their
creativity. I
Create your very own animated cartoons, video games and interactive artworks
ere is a good way of helping your kid to create his own animated cartoons, small video games or even his own interactive artworks.
You can do all this even if you don’t know a bit of Flash and coding. All you need to do is visit this site: http://scratch.mit.edu.
Scratch has a set of innovative tools through which people without any computer programming skills, and that means most of us,
can create animations. It is not just standalone animations that you and your kid can create, but Scratch will allow you to dish out
animated stories, small games and much else.
Before you can start using the tools available on the website, you need to download and install the program by pointing your browser to:
http://info.scratch.mit.edu/Scratch_1.4_Download. And all this for free. With its comprehensible menu-based system, using Scratch is
eminently simple. You can either upload images from your own computer or you can use the ones that already exist in the Scratch library.
Once the images have been imported, a number of blocks can be assigned to each one of them.
Now you have to assign various commands to these blocks. Scratch lists all of the most commonly used commands for any animation film
in the form of buttons. Let’s say, you want one of the blocks to move. Then you have to press the ‘Move’ button. And after that you can
specify the type of movement that you wish to incorporate. Let’s say, you want your character to move by ‘ten steps’ or turn in a clockwise
direction, or in an anti-clockwise direction. There are simple buttons that help you specify such traits. To create an animation, just assign the
commands and stack the blocks together.
If you want to make the character play drum as it moves ten steps, then first click on the ‘Sound’ tab and then specify the type of sound
from the options available. Let’s say you want the character to keep going back and forth while playing the drum. To do this you will need to
add another ‘Move’ command that will entail a movement back by ‘ten steps’. You can also put a commencement sign to your animation so
that the animation starts moving only when you click on something. It could be a ‘Green Flag’ for instance. Similarly, there can also be a
‘Stop’ button, clicking on which will make the animation come to a halt.
There is also a button called ‘Looks’ that proves very suitable for adding many other special effects to your animation. You can switch
costumes, change colour effects and do much else. Once your masterpiece is complete, you can share your creation on the web by uploading
it on the Scratch website. Some of the members of Scratch have even created their very own ‘Mario’ and ‘Pac-Man’ based games! You can
go to the ‘Gallery’ page on the website to take a peek at some of the latest animations and games that have been created using Scratch.
They even have a Scratch concert on the gallery page. Michel Jackson continues to groove in the virtual realm of Scratch. There is no
dearth of games that you can enjoy at this gallery. However, before you and your kid are able to come up with this kind of advanced
creations, you will need a lot of practice. Now is a good time to start. The website itself is a pet project of Massachusetts Institute of
Technology’s (MIT’s) media lab and it is targeted mainly at youngsters. I
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September ‘09
The penguin is here for some basic maths
I
f you are a mother of a young child, you already know how difficult it is to teach math
to your young one. But now you have Tux to depend on. But, hey who is Tux? Well, he
is a penguin who resides in a virtual video game type of world and yet he manages to do
a pretty fine job of teaching basic math to kids. The best thing about Tux is that his
tutorials are available for free. You can download the free software by pointing your browser
to this link: http://tux4kids.alioth.debian.org/tuxmath/download.php.
It doesn’t matter whether you use Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Mac or Linux, this versatile
math tutorial is available in versions that are compatible with almost every system used in
household computers or schools. Once you have downloaded the software, it will take less
than two minutes to get installed. After that all you have to do is make your kid sit in front
of the computer and start interacting with the friendly virtual penguin, who is so good at
dishing out lessons in basic math.
The game play of this math tutorial is based on arcade style video games that are proving
to be so popular with kids these days. Comets falling on cities, which are inhabited entirely
by penguins residing in cute little igloos. The players, your kids in this case, have to protect
the cities from the falling comets and the only way they can achieve their objective is by
solving elementary match problems. Cool, isn’t it? Kids are going to enjoy this tutorial.
Once they solve the math problem, the comet gets destroyed and the city is saved.
The game also includes a multiplayer mode, in which more than one kid can participate.
There is also the provision for factor-fraction activity called Factoroids. The game features a
training mode, where the kids can hone their game play skills. It also has a score table,
where children can keep a tab on how they have been faring with their game, or more
precisely their math lessons. Numerous schools around the world have already started using
Tux, whose tutorials are available in many different languages, including English. The
game has also been mentioned in numerous school newsletters.
Once you the game downloaded on your computer, you will know just how good a math
teacher Tux, the penguin, is. Stream
Movies in your
Home with New
Cisco
Router
F
or movie buffs the new Router from
Cisco, the dual-band wireless router
(WRT320N), will prove to be dream
come true. This is clearly the router for
next generation of extreme networking and is
ideal for users who demand more from their
wireless networking. The installation process
is relatively easy – all you need to do is hook
up a couple of wires, run a small program on
your laptop and PC and the system gets ready
for use. You can then start streaming video
movies immediately.
However, when you are hooking the router
up, you must make sure that you create a strong password and
do not let the device remain at its default settings. This is for
your own online safety against identity theft. With the new Cisco
router, setting up a password is a breeze. The range of this
router is about 1000 feet and that should be enough to cover the
entire area of most houses and a little bit of outdoors too. You
could work or watch movies comfortably in your verandah or
balcony. You can get recipes at the kitchen or even check mails
anywhere in the house.
The location in your house where you have the router
installed is important. For best results, the device has to be
placed at a central point of the building so that the signal gets
spread out in all the directions. The signal is quite strong, so
even if you put the router inside a closet to keep it out of sight, it
will continue to work. And once the system gets installed, you
are ready to start streaming movies directly to your HDTV or
home theatre system. That should be a treat.
The WRT320N is equipped with gigabit ethernet for wired
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September ‘09
connections and 802.11n grade wireless operating in either the
2.4 GHz wireless band or the wider 5 GHz band. The truth is
that operating the router in the 5 GHz band is ideal as it is less
crowded than the 2.4 GHz band and hence is better suited for
carrying latency sensitive data like video and audio. The
WRT320N is shipped with Linksys EasyLink Advisor (LELA),
which helps users to get their network up and running and helps
keep their network updated and secure. Incorporation of Wi-Fi
Protected Setup (WPS) support proves great for making devices
on wireless local area networks more secure and to make the
setup easy.
To have this system in your house, all you need to do is fork
out is a sum of Rs. 8,999. Now, that’s definitely not much
considering the benefits you get in return. Think of the time and
money that you can save with home networking by sharing files,
printers, storage and other peripherals. Once you have the
system in your house, you will soon realize that you can’t do
without it. Listen to Movies
on Mobile
Phone
his is just the kind of service that movie buffs have been waiting for. Now
even your mobile phone can act like a version of the movie theatre, but
only for the audio part of it. UTV New Media Ltd. has now announced
the launch of its Audio Cinema, which happens to be first of its kind
movie-on-your-phone service. By using this innovative service, you can listen to
an hour-long audio version of your favourite movies. The dialogues, narrations
and the gist of the story emerge out of your mobile phone. Imagine the delight
of listening to the dialogs of ‘Sholay.’ How about having a tryst with the lines of
the latest film, ‘Fashion.’ If you are Tamil movie fan, then will enjoy
‘Thalapathi.’
T
But what if you get a phone call, or have to make a phone call, while you are
enjoying your movie experience. The service comes with a pause/resume feature
that will take care of the problem. Refreshing audio versions of movies are being
released every Friday. Users can access the service through all the major telecom
players in India, including Idea, Vodafone, Airtel Mobile and Reliance. Thus,
you enjoy the freedom to pick up movies from a long list of titles, in accordance
with your preferred language option. So, wherever you go now, your favourite
movies will be following you closely. However, the service is not for free. You have
to pay a small amount to enjoy movie experience on your mobile.
If you are carrying a Vodafone or Airtel mobile then you have to pay Rs. 6 per
minute. From Idea Cellular you have to pay Rs. 6.99 per minute. But Reliance
mobile is only going to cost Rs. 30 for a monthly package. For enjoying a movie,
those sorts of charges don’t sound like too much. I
September ‘09
69
liveit.in
Waterproof Gadgets
for the
Monsoon
I
f you are living in Delhi, then you might not have much
reason to worry about the rains, as it has hardly rained this
year, but if you are settled in a place like Mumbai, where it
has been raining cats and dogs, then you must be having a
tough time trying to protect your gadgets from the vagaries of
the monsoons. Maybe your mobile phone, to which you are so
addicted, is already malfunctioning after it was exposed to a
severe bout of Mumbai rains. That’s just too bad. Had you
chosen a mobile phone like the Sony Ericsson C702, then you
wouldn’t have had to worry about the rains at all.
Sony promises that the C702 is splash and dust resistant and
that naturally means that this phone can withstand exposure
to all kinds of torrential rains. Monsoon season in full swing –
no problem for the C702! Along with being rain- proof, this
phone also bundles up HSDPA 3.6 Mbps, MP3 player, FM
radio with RDS, Media Centre, Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
and the respectable 160 MB of built-in memory. It also features a 3-megapixel camera that takes advantage of geo-tagging, and features face detection, red-eye reduction,
auto-focus and dual LED.
But what if you prefer to carry your iPod and Blackberry
every time you venture out of your house? These gizmos are not
being offered in a waterproof avatar as of now, but you can still
find protection for them by getting hold of a waterproof case
made by Otterbox. These rugged, plastic cases are waterproof
to a depth of 3 feet and so they are able to withstand any
amount of rain. In order to learn more about these boxes, you
can visit www.otterbox.com. They even have boxes for the newly
launched iPhone 3G. The box will enclose your iPhone 3G and
provide the most perfect protection against rains.
There can also be a scenario where the rains really inundate your city and as a result of which
you find yourself wading through few feet of
water. For such occasions, the Oregon Scientific
MP120 waterproof MP3 is a great option. This MP3
player is capable of dishing out excellent music even when
it is under few feet of water. The 128 MB of space that this
gizmo has may not sound like much when compared to an
iPod, but an iPod is not going to work under water. The device also
offers its users the option of switching on to FM radio at a simple
press of a button.
Then there is the EGO Waterproof Sound Case from Atlantic, which poses as a good way of keeping your iPod running
when the city is knee-deep under rainwater. The device is waterproof enough to withstand the kind of monsoon rains that India
experiences and it can operate an iPod for 30 hours on just four
AA batteries. The case even has a slim surface click-wheel membrane that allows you to control all the iPod’s functions from outside the plastic. That sounds cool. Definitely worth a try. I
Some cool alternatives to Skype
S
kype may be the most recognisable name in the VoIP field, but there are many established competitors as well
as start-up companies ready to compete for customers. In order to attract you, these companies are launching
faster applications as they continue to lower their prices. Don’t waste a fortune to stay connected with family
and friends abroad when these VoIP companies offer a cheap alternative: not to mention the added benefit of
video chat! The only people not smiling at these advancements are the telephone providers who are surely minting
money. Take a look at these seven great VoIP alternatives to Skype and see which one best suits your needs.
1. Vbuzzer
(http://www.vbuzzer.com/index.php)
While Vbuzzer does offer a free download, you need to buy
credit to access its premium features: $10 will get you started
and from there you can pay as you go. The service offers free
internet faxing for US and Canadian users only and low cost
calling starting at 1.5 c/min to both landline and cell phones
anywhere in the world for all of its users. A convenient instant
messaging application is also available.
2. VoIPBuster
VolPBuster features free calls to a number of popular
destinations, but only after you have established a line of credit
with the company and additional limitations also apply (check
out http://www.voipbuster.com/en/free.html for details).
Sending an SMS within the US to another VolPBuster account
holder also in the US only costs 8 cents per message so the
company is still offering a great deal.
3. Smart VoIP
(http://www.smartvoip.com/en/index.html)
Yet another VoIP service provider, SmartVoIP, also offers free
calls to a number of countries. After joining the service, you will
be given 120 free days during which you can call any of the listed
countries for free. In addition to sending an SMS for a low rate,
you can also use SmartVoIP for phone to phone communication.
6. iChat
(http://www.apple.com/macosx/what-is-macosx/ichat.html)
iChat is the instant messaging application for Mac users
featuring everything from custom buddy lists to invisibility on
other’s buddy lists to multiple logins. Tabbed chats and SMS
forwarding make chatting easy even with friends and family
who use a PC. The iSight video camera allows for video
chatting as well.
7. Jajah
(http://www.jajah.com/)
Over 15 million people around the world use Jajah and with the
savings surely explain why. The VoIP service allows you to save
up to 98% on international phone calls. No contract, unique
software or headset is needed to use Jajah and the service can
work on any phone. Simply start an account and your first five
minute call is absolutely free. In addition to its basic service,
Jajah offers an IP platform that calls itself ‘the world’s only
complete data communications platform.’ With this service,
established companies can offer Jajah’s VoIP services under their
own name. I
September ‘09
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liveit.in
Feature
Advantages
of
Online Games
Partha Mukherjee
M
an, by design of nature, is a gregarious animal.
However, by the first decade of the new
millennium much of man’s social skills have
withered. The reasons are not far to seek. Like
many other social malaises, the root of a man’s dwindling
interaction with another fellow human being lies in the
shrinking family unit. Even in the traditional societies prevalent
in the East, nuclear families have virtually become de rigueur.
A cartoon that has been in cyberspace for a while comes to
mind. A child sitting in front of his computer screen reading an
e-mail message from his Mom, “If you have finished your
homework, come downstairs. Dinner is ready.”
This Bradburyesque picture is sadly not far from the truth
in the context of urban India. As expected, this setting builds
up bottled emotions which may find an outlet, albeit
somewhat unnatural, in online games.
Child psychologists accept that there is a cruel and vicious
trait in a child’s psyche. It is not a bad idea, after all, to let
these violent streaks to have a controlled expression
through an online game. The emphasis, however, is on
control, which unfortunately is forgotten by many designers
of online games for children. Some of the games are having
bad impacts on the mind of the players like for instance,
violent games. So, it is good that we know where to find
good games, which are challenging, educational and
fun. The most common disadvantage of these free
online games as we all know is that, teens prefer to
come online rather than doing their homework
or studying their lessons.
This, of course, is just one genre of online
games. To cater to a wider clientele, there
are others like adventure games, mystery
games, quiz games and so on. They can
stimulate the child’s power of imagination,
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September ‘09
reasoning ability, mathematical skills, deductive skills, analytical
ability, skills of observation and many other desirable attributes,
which will go a long way in shaping the mind of a well-rounded
young adult. I’ve come across well-designed online games, which
can fire the child’s yarning to learn more about history or
geography or science. Developers have created a slew of games,
covering a wide spectrum in action, board, cards, and adventure.
There is yet another set of popular online games that start by
giving the player a package of resources and then challenge him
or her to build a prosperous town or a successful business or to
become a military strategist or to perform a particular task by
overcoming obstacles. Games like word puzzles, visual puzzles
and trivia are just some of the ideal categories that can help
children become more sharp and bright.
One reason behind the popularity of free online games is that
a player can access them whenever they want to. Although the
objectives of these games are primarily to amuse the gamer,
there are others that exercise your brain. Sudoku and Mah
Jong have easy-to-follow rules and yet demand analytical
ability. Jigsaw puzzle games are fun. Arcade games are good
fun too. In a Role-Playing Game, the player can play with or
against other players. Several platforms have a rating system,
which further enhances the experience. Many games offer a
‘save’ option and you can resume it another time.
There are game portals like gamerevolt.com that offer chat
rooms for discussion. A chat room is like a social gathering.
Recent developments make the future of online gaming
look promising.
All of these apply just as well to an adult. As the wit
says, “A man never grows up and a child lurks
somewhere inside a man’s mind. As per a recent survey,
as much as 66% of online players are between 8 to 21
years of age and a major chunk of gamers are over 30.
Online games are fast turning into a major form of
entertainment not only for the younger generation but for
grown-ups as well. These games are addictive, and yet, free!
Online games can provide benefits such as improved
visual perception, hand-eye coordination, mental acuity
and memory. Once you go online, you will find a whole
world of games to suit your taste.
And then there are hundreds of mindless games
that are little more than pointless pursuits of brownie
points, where the objective of accumulating points is
an end in itself. The less said about them, the better.
Online games: Manna
from heaven
To the teenagers, free online games are manna
from heaven. With the growth of high-rise
apartments making inroads into almost
every available space that once offered
youngsters many a healthy afternoon, the
concept of online games certainly proves to be a
great response to an urgent need. Needless to say,
an affordable panacea indeed! Now teens can not
only update themselves with information on
science, geography, literature and what not,
but also fill their leisure with adventure,
analytical approach to reveal a mystery,
solution of a puzzle, a plan to build up a
business strategy, a diagram to lay out an
September ‘09
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liveit.in
Feature
architectural wonder, a gameplan to win a limited over cricket
match and so on. All they have to do is to mildly press on a
computer keyboard sitting at home. And voila! The world is
yours and that too without drilling a gaping hole in your pocket.
As it costs nothing, people join the fray in large numbers and
this contributes on quite a sizable number of net users who can
afford to play online games for free. Besides, one does not need
to hang out to take part in an online game; rather, he or she can
play any version of the game sitting at home. If you have your
own computer (which is a necessary item in every household
nowadays) and if you have an internet connection, then all you
have to do is you-know-what. You need not stick to a particular
kind of games, if it seems to be a boring lot to you; there are
slew of other games to offer you as exciting as cliff hanging. You
simply switch from one to another. You do not have to hang on
till the game is over, as you may have experienced while waiting
for long in a game-parlour of token-operated game machines. In
online games, you can always exit the game anytime if you don’t
feel like continuing. Just click exit or close the window.
TeenWants (www.teenwants.com) is highly recommended to
play free online games on their site. They have a bouquet of free
games, ideal for teens with loads of options which are good, fun,
challenging and educational. They are matured enough to
ensure what kind of games are worth the time teens spend on
playing them. And also, they have avoided including violent
games which can have a negative impact on the mind of the
young player. They have games that are easy to play and some
that are not. Some games are such that with little manipulation
of your fingers you can win, while some need a little
brainstorming. As for change, you can also choose to play sports
game, puzzle games or arcade games. They have more games
under each category so that one can really extract fun from
those games which fascinate you. So, visit TeenWants. Loads of
amusements await you there.
Advantages of online gaming
Almost everyday, new online games pop up in the cyber space.
They are classified in different categories – from simple mind games
to arcade games, racing games, shooting games, dress-up games,
online virtual games, sport games and many more. But, online
casino games, among all others, draw attention of the gamers. It
has more advantages rather than the bad effects. While visiting
Casino is rather a risky proposition, considering an unknown
premises and people, playing online Casino in the company of
friends at one’s residence ignoring any dress code (which is a must in
any aristocratic casino hub) is hassle-free. At home, before your
friends, you need not be an expert overnight but you cannot simply
afford to be a novice while playing at any outside Casino, as that
would result in a massive loss of your money.
Over and above technological edge over other modes, online
casino has another plus point, which is its accessibility. Could
anyone even dream of accessing ten casinos at a time on a single
evening and that too sitting at home, before online casino was
available? Even stake-moneywise online casinos offers are more
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enticing for the gamers. It is reported that in some of the best
land casinos, the minimum stake may be to the tune of $100,
whereas in the top online casinos one can gamble the night away
for less than $100. In many online casinos the table stakes begin
with less than $1 and slot machines can be set to whirr with
nickels. People no longer have to save for years to plan a casino
outing. The best online casino gambling can be enjoyed for a
sum one splurges at an upper class restaurant.
To talk about the innovativeness of online casinos, it deserves
mention that land casinos are nowhere near it. While games
played at land casinos are hundred years old, online casinos
change the pattern of games every week. Gaming companies like
Microgaming and Playtech usually flood markets (sites) with new
and exciting variations of old games with rapid frequency. Now
Microgaming blackjack comes with a progressive jackpot and
Playtech slots have features, which are way ahead of those
available on land-based slots. Online casinos are a boon for
novice as freshers can maintain their anonymity; on the other
hand, they can avoid mocking glances of the pros for their very
low wagers or mistakes they commit. In fact, the best online
casinos enable novice players to learn the ropes without wagering
real money. The best casino games come in free play versions and
players try out their hand at these till they mature themselves for
wagering with real money. In addition, there are demo games
and tutorials to hone player skills in top online casinos.
It is not that one can make lolly only through winnings from
wagering; there are other frills too. The best online casinos offer the
best casino bonuses. The deposit bonus is probably the best online
casino bonus. When a player makes an initial deposit, the top online
casinos match that deposit with a bonus to the player. The player is
then free to use that deposit for wagering subject to certain rules to
prevent the misuse of the bonus. The best casino promotions are
another attraction at the Internet casinos. The best casino slots offer
the best promotions with multiplied payouts on certain games
during festive occasions like Christmas or Valentine’s Day.
Online gaming is quickly becoming popular, which is why
millions of individuals, regardless of age and location, are
playing for hours on end. There are myths and facts surrounding
the topic. Is online gaming really good for you, or is it just as it
was initially viewed by parents ages back?
Still, one should learn more about the possible risks and
benefits before taking the plunge. I
Thrill & Excitement
in Action Games
Fascinating storylines in games that keep
you busy during your leisure time.
Preeth
Feature
At a suburban apartment:
I walk noiselessly down the dangerous alley. I can feel the blood racing through my veins and my heart pumping like there is no
tomorrow. It’s a treacherous demon- infested world. And for all I know they could be right down that corner; waiting to tear into me.
Courage was something that I was born with – half demon that I am myself. And only the very brave and the very dangerous will risk
the glistening sword that I am brandishing in my hand. I have my two custom pistols, Ebony and Ivory (yes, I have names for them)
strapped to my holster; and if truth be told they have never let me down. Damn. This conversation has made me take my mind off the
lurking danger. In a flash, a burly mean monster is leaping at me with claws that can kill. I evade him; and then leap into the air raining
the monster with a barrage of bullets from Ebony. There is blood on the tarmac and then there is silence. But it is just the beginning for
there are many more to come. For me Dante, the demon hunter this is just another day in the office.
W
ell, if you thought I lived a paranormal existence
then I am sorry to disappoint. This was just me
playing the popular action game – ‘Devil May Cry.’
With sedentary desk jobs and hectic work schedules,
people like me find it increasingly exciting to spend the weekend
killing demons and fighting crocodiles the size of a building while
staying afloat in a wooden dingy. And the fact that you can have
lunch when you want to and watch the English Premier League
once you have finished killing enough demons is incentive enough
to be hooked onto action games.
‘Why so serious?’ questions the billboard advert for a popular
automobile. And it is a refrain that is increasingly representative
of the voice of the new generation. With manic lifestyles and a
stressful work life, the younger generation is increasingly looking
for avenues that are enjoyable, relaxing and act as a great stress
buster. So, whether it is jumping off crane tops with a
suspendable rope tied to their feet; or signing a lengthy ‘I am
responsible in case the unfortunate happens’ release form before
zorbing down the grassy slopes of a hill, it is all fair game. But
for the ones, for whom the excitement is better enjoyed in the
warm confines of the home, there is no looking beyond the
splurge of action games available in the market.
The action games genre is probably the oldest video game genre
with games like ‘Space Invaders’ (1978), ‘Asteroids’ (1979), and ‘PacMan’ (1980) being iconic examples. The fact that action games were
a versatile variant was proven
when the game, ‘Paperboy’
(1984) made even a mundane
task like newspaper delivery
into high action. Ideally for a
purist, an action game is one
that emphasizes physical
challenges and puts the handeye coordination of the player
to test. Typically, such games
will have the player playing the
protagonist navigating various
levels with each progressive
level getting more difficult than
the ones preceding it. The life
of a hero is never easy; so most
games will either have a time
constraint or limited
ammunition to further
complicate matters.
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The puritan approach notwithstanding, there a slew of games in
the market today which traditionally fall into the action-adventure
genre. These games mesh the story line and situational problems of
an adventure game with the reflexes and fast pace of the action
genre. Games like the ‘The Legend of Zelda’ and ‘Tomb Raider’
series typically characterize this genre.
Interestingly, there is a school of thought who sees alarm bells
ringing in the soaring popularity of action games. For them, the
gun totting, demon killing game player is a manifestation of a
larger community that is increasingly becoming more aggressive.
But, side-stepping the validity of that opinion, one of the more
fundamental reasons for the popularity of action games today is its
accessibility. Most action games are available online and can be
played without really paying a penny. With advanced animation
and graphics and a superior storyline, there is little wonder why
these games are so popular with the new generation.
In a lighter vein, and in further defence of action games,
studies have demonstrated that people can improve their eyesight
considerably by playing action video games. In fact, it could be
just what the doctor did not order for your perfect 20/20 vision.
Researchers at the University of Rochester conducted this
interesting experiment on college students over a one month
period and concluded that subjects who played action games
improved their eye performance by as much as 20 per cent as
against those who played good old games like ‘Tetris.’
Incidentally, action games are so much more challenging that
there are interesting economic angles to it as well. For instance,
have you ever wondered why most arcades have more action
games than any other? Well, the answer is not in customer
delight and providing uninhibited entertainment to the arcade
visitor; it is simply because action games are so much more
difficult that a large number of unskilled players end up as
sitting ducks making it an easy avenue for arcade owners to
smile all the way to the bank.
The advent of gaming mediums like the Xbox and PlayStation
has taken action gaming to the next level. And with it, the number
of available gaming options has sky-rocketed. For instance, close to
50 new Wii action games have been released in 2009 alone. August
will see the release of six new games including ‘G.I.JOE: The Rise
of the Cobra,’ ‘Super Star Wars’ and ‘Overturn.’ Like movies,
action games are also known to go the sequel route. So, games like
‘Devil May Cry’ apart, there are eternal favourites like the ‘Prince
of Persia’ series and ‘Ninja Gaiden.’ While the former is credited
to have gifted the gaming world the coolest protagonist ever, it also
featured some of the best platforming around. ‘Ninja Gaiden,’ on
the other hand, made for the Microsoft Xbox is regarded in
gaming circles as the best action game of all time. Apart from all
the amazing fun factor of the game, it is also often regarded as one
of the hardest games of its kind. In fact, the game was touted to be
so difficult that a bonus packed re-release came with a ‘ninja dog
mode’ that made the game a tad easier to negotiate. But if you
ever used the ‘dog mode,’ it was something you never mentioned in
gaming circles. After all, machismo is not something restricted to
the ‘Hell’s Angels’; it is also a gaming thing.
With the rising popularity of action games, one is obviously
bound to wonder who the traditional action gamer is. While it is
not true that women do not have a fancy for such games, it has
been evidently proven that males tend to enjoy action-adventure
games more than females. And the loyalists in particular are the
younger ones. But having said that it is known that games are a
personality choice and there are as many avid women action
gamers as there are men.
Meanwhile, at the suburban apartment:
My ammunition is running out. And danger is now lurking at every
turn and cross. I am now in a zone where the demons are meaner
than ever before. They almost make the demons from the earlier
levels seem like West End comic artists. My heart beats like it were on
fast forward mode and I don’t know or don’t care what the rest of my
family is up to. I just have Ebony and Ivory for company now. I did not
see him lunge at me until the very last moment but I deftly manage
to escape his grasp. I leap and fire at the beast as he recovers and
makes my way. But this is the end; my only friend, the end. There are
no bullets. He is on me in a flash and I die my virtual death.
Phew!!! But you know what the good thing about gaming is?
There is always a next time.
Happy gaming. I
September ‘09
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Fiction
I
t was a rather small chamber, with walls, roof and floor made
out of shiny metal, in which Rakhi Sinha woke up. Her body
felt stiff, her head was throbbing as if a thousand needles had
stabbed it. She sat up slowly, swinging her feet over the side
of the bed. Slowly she lowered her feet down to the metallic
ground, which felt as cold as ice. She felt a dire need for her
shoes, but her feet were naked and she was dressed in strange
blue coloured dress. When did she change into this dress? Where
were her own clothes and shoes? More importantly, what was
she doing in this strange metallic chamber?
Suddenly she realized that the chamber was not stationary; it
was swirling about in an insane manner. But staying on the bed
was not an option; her mind was being racked by the desire to
explore what lay outside the chamber. She forced herself to
stand on her own legs and walking gingerly, she exited the
chamber through its door. She found herself in a large room
awash with bright light. Everything in the room was completely
bathed with a thick cloak of light.
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September ‘09
Rakhi realized that the bright light was coming through a
glass wall. She looked out and was momentarily stunned by the
spectacular view of millions of stars arrayed in a close proximity.
“What is the meaning of all this?” she panted. “Where are we?”
A woman seated nearby raised her head, and said, “Don’t you
already know? We are at the Event Horizon. Outside that glass
wall, there is the final boundary of our universe. We are at the
final boundary of space-time.”
It suddenly dawned on Rakhi that the face of the woman was
melting and there were needles stuck on her head. She looked at
the other men and women in the room; their faces were melting
too. “What is happening to all of you?” she screamed. “You are
melting in front of my eyes. Who drove those horrifying needles
in your heads?”
“This sort of thing is expected to happen in the vicinity of
Event Horizon, the final boundary of the universe where time
stops moving forward or backward. Enjoy the ride,” creepily
replied the same woman.
Anoop Verma
Rakhi peered at a mirror on the wall and she realized that her
face was also melting and there were needles stuck into her head.
Rakhi was feeling very anxious. Ever since she had her mind
updated with a virtual vacation about two days ago, the back of her
head had been feeling kind of heavy. When she was being discharged
from the Virtual Vacation Tourism Center, she had complained to
the scientist about the feeling of heaviness. But he did not find that to
be a cause of worry and assured her that she would be fine.
Now 48 hours had passed, but there was still no improvement
in her condition. The Maxi-Cab on whose back seat she was
ensconced was passing through the India Gate area of New
Delhi. Even though this was the year 2160, this area still
retained its old name.
“Can you slow down please,” said Rakhi to the robotic driver,
“I wish to enjoy the view.”
“The minimum speed limit on this road is 60 miles per hour,”
said the robotic driver. “Would you like me to bring the speed
down to that?”
“Yes, please.”
The vehicle slowed down immediately. Rakhi could now enjoy
the view better. The vista outside the Maxi-Cab’s window so
clearly resembled the Delhi of a previous era – an era when
technology had not made such deep inroads into people’s lives.
Even though the scenery of this area never failed to touch her,
Rakhi was also filled with the realization that the world around
her was fake. The deep blue sky dotted with picturesque looking
clouds was actually the city’s dome. In year 2160 majority of the
human beings lived under huge domed cities that provided
pristine living and working environment. The entire city was
fully air-conditioned; its air and water quality was always
monitored by thousands of state-of-the-art computers. Every bit
of the city was networked to a central server.
Even the way in which people enjoyed their vacations had
changed. No one wanted to leave the safe environment of a
domed city anymore. That is why entrepreneurs had launched a
product called ‘Virtual Vacations.’ Instead of going for a
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vacation to a dangerous locale, people could just go into a secure
laboratory and for a price they could get their minds updated
with memories of a glorious vacation to any place on the planet
and elsewhere in the universe. If anything, these virtual vacation
laboratories were quite innovative in coming up with myriad
scenarios for vacations that their customers could choose from.
Rakhi took a new vacation almost every week. So, when the new
tour to Event Horizon was launched, she signed up immediately.
But things did not turn out too well this around.
By now they had passed through the India Gate area and
were crossing through a road that was lined with many high-rise
buildings. This was the commercial district, where most denizens
of the city made a living. Rakhi did not like this area too much,
as she preferred open spaces. She told the robotic driver to start
driving at his normal speed. The Maxi-Cab’s driver nodded
silently and the speed of his vehicle went up instantly. These
days no one drove a car in Delhi. In fact, very few people even
bothered to learn driving all over the world. It simply made no
sense to drive your own car, when robotically controlled MaxiCabs were so easily available everywhere.
Finally, the Maxi-Cab reached the residential area of the city
and parked itself in front of a high-rise residential apartment.
Rakhi placed her thumb on a touch pad installed in the panel
dropping from the Maxi-Cab’s roof. In a moment, a ‘transaction
completed’ sign flashed on the small monitor above the touch
pad. “Thank you for your payment,” said the robotic driver.
Rakhi stepped out of the cab holding her handbag and
marched into a building’s large compound. She next peered into
an iris scanner that was affixed to the wall. Her identity was
confirmed immediately and the glass door slid open. A robotic
receptionist was manning the reception desk inside. Her name
was Brenda and she was actually a cyborg, part human and part
robot. Robotic technology had advanced to such an extent that
cyborgs could look, behave and feel emotions like any normal
human being.
Brenda looked exactly like any normal 25-year-old girl. She
used makeup and she used to dress in latest fashion. These days
she was dating a young guy called Vipin Saigal who was 100%
human. Both planned to get married in near future. Of course,
the conservatives in the society used to frown upon relationships
between a cyborg and a human. But Rakhi was not like that.
She was quite liberal in her attitude and was eager to see
Brenda and Vipin married. Despite the heaviness in her head,
she managed to conjure a pleasant smile for her receptionist
friend. “Hi Brenda.”
“Hi there,” Brenda smiled back.
“Vipin and I are planning to get married on the coming
Friday. Both of us would be extremely delighted if you could
accompany us when we leave to get the marriage license.”
“Congratulations,” Rakhi said cheerfully. “I will be glad to
accompany both of you to the marriage bureau.”
“Great!” said Brenda. “I must say, you have always been a
pillar of support for me.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Rakhi smiled back.
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“By the way, I can see that you are not feeling well. Your head
is feeling heavy and your blood pressure is higher than normal.”
Being a cyborg, Brenda was capable of diagnosing abnormal
conditions in any human being immediately.
“I am glad you noticed,” said Rakhi with a sigh.
“I will inform the cyborg doctor to give you a full body scan as
soon as you are in your room,” said Brenda, putting her hands
close to the keyboard as she planned to punch the keys that
would have alerted the cyborg doctor.
“Please don’t do that,” Rakhi said, gently pushing Brenda’s
hands away from the keyboard.
“But why? I know that you are in need of medical care.”
“The heaviness I feel in my head is not that bad at all. I will be
fine after resting for a couple of hours. Right now I am too tired
for an invasive full body scan.”
“Ok, as you wish. But I will check on you after three hours. If
you are not feeling better by then, I will inform the doctor.”
“Thanks. I will now be on my way to my apartment. See you.”
Rakhi walked to the opposite side of the lobby that was lined
with a series of elevators and pressed a button. The door of one
of the elevators opened, into which she entered. She pressed the
button for 135th floor. In less than five seconds, Rakhi stepped
out on the floor where her flat was located. The feeling of
heaviness was now getting more acute. She knew that she
needed rest, but somehow she could not make herself walk
towards her flat. A mysterious instinct made her walk in a
direction opposite to where her flat was located. It was Putul
Rastogi’s flat. He lived here with his girlfriend, Monica. Rakhi
knew that at this time of the day, both Putul and Monica would
be out of their flat.
No one bothered about locking their flats, as burglaries were
virtually unknown. When Rakhi pushed at the door, it opened
directly. As she entered the sparsely furnished living room, her
heart started beating like a windmill. She knew that what she
was doing was illegal, but she could not stop herself. She quickly
moved towards the large virtual calendar, displaying the design
of a snowy landscape. When she tugged gently at the virtual
calendar, it moved aside to reveal a specious cupboard inside
which all sorts of household items were stored. With a great
sense of urgency, Rakhi started riffling through the contents of
the cupboard. She found some gold and diamond jewellery,
which she placed in her pocket. She also found some oldfashioned pens, and notebooks from the era when people still
used to write on paper. The pens, a couple of notebooks, a
bottle of perfume too ended up in her pocket.
After that she rushed out of the flat leaving the cupboard open
behind her. She looked around suspiciously to make sure nobody
had seen her. She marched to her own flat with hasty steps and
once she reached her door, she noticed the large cartoon. From
the label stuck on top of cartoon she learned that it had arrived
from a company called ‘Futuristic chemicals’. But why should this
company send her this packet? She never ordered anything from
them. The veil of suspense shattered almost immediately and the
realization dawned on her that she had indeed placed an order
for these chemicals. She needed these chemicals to produce a
concoction that she would mix in this building’s water supply to
cause sickness in its residents. How evil of her! Why should she
want to make innocent residents of this building, many of whom
were her friends, feel sick?
One part of her mind desperately wanted her to get rid of
these dangerous chemicals, but there was the other section that
wanted her go ahead with creating the poison. Ultimately, it was
her desire to create mayhem in the building that prevailed. She
opened the door and pulled the box of chemicals inside. She
clapped once and the lights came on instantly. In one corner of
the room, a colourful sofa set was arranged around a glasstopped centre table. On the other side there stood a large
mahogany desk with three computer screens. This was her
workstation. The windows had thick velvet blinds drawn on
them, because she preferred to use household bulbs. Leaving the
carton full of chemicals there, she went into the adjoining
bedroom and threw her handbag on the bed. She then emptied
the pockets of her overcoat of all the things that she had pilfered
and dropped them on the bed.
It made her feel ashamed to find the evidence of her
kleptomania lying in front of her. It had never been her habit to
steal from other people. Why was she doing this today? Was she
sick? It was a strange sickness that was inspiring her to steal from
her neighbour and soon it might inspire her to pollute the water
supply of this building. But she could not think beyond that. A
hidden force inside her mind was prodding her to start working
with the chemicals to create the concoction. Despite herself, she
rushed out of the bedroom and soon she was sitting at her
workstation. On the LCD screen connected to the Internet, she
was browsing through an anarchist website that divulged
information on easy ways of creating a product that when added
to drinking water would make people fall sick.
Few minutes later, the jars containing the various chemicals
were lined up on the mahogany table in front of her. She was
wearing protective nylon gloves as she poured the chemicals into
a large plastic thermos. The room was filled with acidic fumes
that were arising out of the final mixture; it was making her feel
nauseous. She felt as if her head was about to explode. But she
continued to stoically labour at mixing the chemicals.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. The sound was
enough to suffuse her heart and mind with apprehension. “Who
is it?” she cried in an agonized voice. “I am busy. I can’t receive
you right now.”
“It’s me, Brenda. I need to talk to you. You are in
terrible danger.”
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The sound came through the speaker installed outside
the door.
“I don’t care about any danger. I can’t see you now. Please go
away,” replied Rakhi.
From other side of the door came the sound of a security card
being swiped. Rakhi knew instantly that Brenda was using the
building administrator’s master key to open the door. She picked
up a kitchen knife lying on the table and like a hungry tigress she
eyed the door, which opened in a quick motion.
“My God!” blurted Brenda putting her fingers on her nose.
“What kind of chemicals are you using in your flat?”
“Get out of here,” hissed Rakhi. “Get out before I hurt you
with this knife.”
There dawned a look of complete surprise on Brenda’s face.
“Rakhi, you are not feeling well. Put that knife down. I know
you don’t want to hurt me.”
“I am not in control of my mind,” Rakhi cried desperately.
“Get out of here, or I surely will hurt you.”
But Brenda walked into the centre of the room; now she was
standing close to the mahogany desk on which Rakhi’s
paraphernalia of chemicals was lying. “You have been engaged
in creating a dangerous chemical,” said Brenda suspiciously.
“Haven’t you?” Rakhi just stood there, few feet away from
Brenda, weeping silently. “There is enough chemical on this
table to make every inhabitant of this building fall sick,” Brenda
continued. “Is that what you intend to do?”
“I told you to get out, but you won’t listen,” screeched
Rakhi. “Now the inevitable must happen.” She lunged at
Brenda and thrust the knife into her chest. Brenda gaped at
Rakhi with eyes full of shock and disbelief. The knife had
managed to cut through the fabric of the dress she was
wearing and enter her chest.
“What have you done,” cried Brenda. “I am your best friend.”
“You should have heeded to my warning when I told you to
leave,” Rakhi shouted back.
The truth was that Brenda was a cyborg; she could not be
killed with a knife or even a bullet. With one quick motion, she
pulled the knife out of her chest and placed it back on the
mahogany table. By now Rakhi had slipped down on the sofa
and was weeping bitterly.
“When you went on that virtual journey to Event Horizon,
you were part of a group of seven people,” said Brenda.
“What has that got to do with what I am going through now?”
cried Rakhi.
“Six members of that group are now dead. Four of them
committed suicide within a couple of hours of their virtual
journey, and the other two were shot dead by the cops to prevent
them from committing some heinous crime.”
“What?” Rakhi gaped at Brenda.
“You are only one from that fateful group who is still alive.”
“But that was a normal virtual vacation that we took.”
“It was not a normal virtual vacation,” said Brenda
emphatically. “No one has ever gone to the Event Horizon,
which is the boundary of the universe.”
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“We were not there physically,” snapped Rakhi. “We travelled
in the virtual realm, through our minds.”
“But something happened in the Event Horizon, something
that changed the way your minds work. All seven of you became
different people after returning from this virtual vacation. You
went to the Event Horizon as decent law-abiding citizens, but
when you returned, you had developed the mindset of a killer.”
“I … I …”
“I don’t want you to die the way the other six have died,”
Brenda said compassionately. “There must be a way for you to
get cured. Come with me to the tourism centre from where you
took your virtual vacation. They will know how to help you.”
But Rakhi stayed put on the sofa. “I want you to calm down,”
Brenda said soothingly. “Calm down and come with me. I will
find a way to save you.”
Suddenly Rakhi lunged at Brenda, but this time Brenda was
ready for her. She caught hold of Rakhi and forced her to sit
down on the floor. “Let me go, please,” screeched Rakhi. “I have
to create this chemical. This is my mission in life.”
“No way,” Brenda shouted back. “I am not going to let my
best friend get destroyed.” She was holding Brenda’s hands in a
vice-like grip. Being a cyborg, she was much stronger than
Rakhi. The very next moment the door to the apartment burst
open and armed cops barged in. They instantly saw the two
women fighting on the floor of the apartment.
“Please don’t shoot. I have managed to subdue her,” Brenda
cried to the cops. One of the cops moved forward and placed a
handcuff on Rakhi’s hands.
“We are here to take you to the virtual vacation tourism
centre,” said a cop. “I hope you will cooperate.”
“I am her friend. I would like to accompany her,” said
Brenda. The two women, escorted by three cops, moved out of
the apartment. Two cops stayed back in the apartment to take
control of the dangerous chemicals. Rakhi was clearly
traumatized and she was sobbing bitterly as she walked towards
the elevator with lethargic steps. Brenda supported her friend by
holding her arms around her waist.
A high-speed police cab managed to transport them to the virtual
vacation tourism centre in a couple of minutes. The cops had
already sent an advance notice to the scientists at the centre and
they were already waiting for Rakhi to arrive. Soon Rakhi and
Brenda were seated in the cabin of chief scientist at the centre.
Rakhi’s hands were still cuffed. “We have gone through the tapes of
the virtual vacation to Event Horizon that you and seven others had
experienced two days ago,” said the head doctor. “At first we could
not detect an anomaly of any kind but after examining the tapes
under the lens of an electron microscope, we found that while the
virtual spaceship was stationary at the border of the universe, it was
struck by a short burst of particles of unknown nature.”
“Where did these particles come from?” asked Brenda.
“From the other side of the universe, perhaps.”
“But how is that possible,” Rakhi said with amazement.
“Nothing exists beyond the borders of the universe. The Event
Horizon is the final border beyond which nothing can exist.”
“That is what has been popularly believed till now,” said the
chief scientist stoically. “But in light of new evidence, we now
know that the Event Horizon is not the end of space. Something
exists beyond the outer boundary of the universe. That thing
managed to send a burst of particles, which altered the minds of
seven human beings.”
“All this seems unbelievable to me,” said Rakhi desperately. “I
was not at the Event Horizon physically. I was there only in a
virtual form, so how can these particles alter my living brain.”
“We need more research to find an answer to that question.”
It was left to Brenda to ask the most crucial question. “But
then, is there a cure to this?”
“We tried to isolate the particles virtually, but were
unsuccessful,” said the scientist. Rakhi was shocked. If she could
not be cured then she would have to spend the rest of her life in
maximum-security psychiatric ward to prevent her from
harming others. Brenda too seemed depressed. “However, I
believe that if the process of removing the particles from the
mind is attempted when the infected person is virtually located
in the Event Horizon, then we might succeed.”
“You mean to say that the only option Rakhi now has is to go
back to the Event Horizon,” ejaculated Brenda.
“Yes. But due to her current state of mind she cannot be
allowed to go on this virtual journey alone. Someone must
accompany her. I am planning to send one of my technicians ….”
“There is no need for your technician. I will accompany
Rakhi to the Event Horizon,” injected Brenda. “I am a cyborg,
so I can be programmed instantly to tackle any situation.”
In less than ten minutes, Rakhi and Brenda were in the
state-of-the-art laboratory at the Virtual Vacation Tourism
Centre. They were donning spacesuits and were seated on
white chairs that were attached to a giant machine outfitted
with myriad LCD screens displaying intricate data. The
room was completely sealed and there was not a speck of
dust to be seen anywhere on the pure white floor made out
of transparent glass. Outside the glass enclosure the
scientists were working on various computer terminals
installed on different desks.
On the IVR system an announcement was heard, “reverse
counting to send Rakhi and Brenda to their virtual vacation will
now start. 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.” The two chairs started
rotating at great speed and by the time the rotation stopped, the
two women had fallen unconscious. Their minds were now
locked inside a highly advanced virtual spacecraft that was
soaring at billions of times the speed of light towards the edge
of the universe.
Rakhi opened her eyes and looked around incredulously. She
was strapped to a heavy seat and in front of her there was a
control panel outfitted with many intricate looking controls.
Beyond the control panel there was the LCD screen showing
strange views of outer space. She tried to get up, but her hands
and legs were strapped. Even her head was locked inside a
helmet from which there flew out many wires. “Where am I?”
she cried. “Get me out of here.”
She heard the sound of footsteps, but was unable to turn her
head and look in the direction of the sound. However, the
person behind her did not choose to keep herself hidden for
long. She walked in front of the chair on which Rakhi was
strapped. “I am glad that you have finally woken up,” said
Brenda. “In 5 minutes we will be at the Event Horizon.”
“Let me out of this chair at once,” snapped Rakhi.
“I don’t think so, you are safer strapped to the chair. Once we
are at the Event Horizon, I will excise the mysterious particles
from your head.” Rakhi made a futile attempt to break the
straps that were holding her to the chair, but the bonds were too
strong. Meanwhile, Brenda’s eyes were fixed to the vista that was
unfolding on the giant LCD screen. They were now seeing the
first lights from Event Horizon. The final boundary of the
universe was exuding a circle of light, which was brighter than a
trillion suns. Rakhi had already experienced the glory of Event
Horizon once and now she was panting with awe and fear as her
eyes became fixated to the LCD screen.
“We are at the Event Horizon,” shouted Brenda. “Now I
will start the system that will excise your brain of the
mysterious particles.”
“Please don’t do it,” whined Rakhi.
“That is the problem with you. You don’t know what you
want.” Brenda pressed a few knobs on the control panel. The
helmet that enclosed Rakhi’s head started vibrating making her
shake all over.
“What is happening to me?” Rakhi screamed.
“Calm down, your brain is being cleared of foreign particles,”
soothingly said Brenda.
Soon the vibrations had increased to such a degree that Rakhi
fainted. But Brenda was not too worried about her friend’s
fainting; she was busy managing the virtual controls that were
engaged in removing the foreign particles from Rakhi’s brain.
Within a few moments she had a hit, the particles were sucked
out of Rakhi’s head and channeled into a secure virtual
compartment, where myriad sensors analyzed them and their
properties were relayed back to the laboratory on earth.
By the time Rakhi regained her consciousness, she and
Brenda were already back on earth. She found herself perched
on the chair in the glass-enclosed laboratory. Brenda was seated
on another chair. The glass door of the laboratory opened and a
couple of technicians, covered from head to toe in airtight dress,
walked in. They helped the two women arise from their seats
and removed the spacesuit that they were wearing. Finally,
Brenda and Rakhi could look at each other directly.
“How are you feeling now?” asked Brenda with concern.
“I no longer feel the heaviness in the back of my head,”
smiled Rakhi. “You have saved my life, Brenda.” She stepped
forward and hugged Brenda. “I will never let anyone tell me that
a cyborg is incapable of being loyal to a human being,” she
continued. “I don’t think any human being would have taken the
kind of risk that you took for my sake. Despite being a 50%
robot, I think you are more human on an emotional level than
most people that I know.” I
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How To
Image 1
Image 2
Merge Pictures to Create
Y
ou have a folder bursting with great pictures that you
clicked on your vacation last week. Perhaps pictures of
verdant forests, turquoise oceans, and historic places. All
of these are great scenic pictures, but there’s just a small
problem. You’ve got a series of sceneries, pictures of the same
place, taken shot by shot, covering every angle of the view. You
know for sure that if you placed these shots next to each other, like
a perfectly solved jigsaw puzzle, and glued them onto a sheet of
paper, they would make for one great panoramic image. But then
pasting them would take the fun and the finesse out of the
photographs. And you don’t want to create a cheesy panoramic
photograph by stitching or gluing the shots on.
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September ‘09
Here’s what Photoshop can do. It can help you create a
panoramic image with just a few, quick steps. You don’t have to
worry about angle and scale anymore. Just use this great
technology and save those prayers (that you would have used
while gluing it on a piece of paper) for greater calamities.
Getting the perfect panoramic view out
of pictures:
This is how you can create your own panoramic images.
• To begin this simple exercise, you need some raw material. And
that raw material is a series of photographs taken with approximately 40% overlapping details. This will help you merge them
Image 3
a
Image 4
Panoramic Image
Chandana Banerjee
•
•
•
•
automatically with Photoshop. If you want to automerge to
create a panoramic picture, we are also assuming that you did
not zoom in and out your lenses while taking the pictures.
Now that you have a series of photos to merge, open
Photoshop, and then click on the File menu.
Choose Automate from the menu and then go to
Photomerge.
Under the Photomerge window, browse for the files that
you want to merge then check the boxes at the lower part
of the window.
Choose a type of layout and then click OK. Speaking
about layouts, you can choose from Auto, Perspective,
•
•
Cylindrical, Spherical, Collage, and Reposition. Choose
the layout you feel will look great for your photograph.
When you press Ok, your photos will automerge.
If you feel that the edges of the picture are jagged or they
do not match, try cropping the non-matching sections with
the cropping tool.
Tip:
Next time you go on a photo shoot, try to take the pictures
from a greater distance.
That was simple, wasn’t it? Now dig out all your picture series
and create your own panoramic pictures. I
September ‘09
85
liveit.in
How To
How to use the
Snipping Tool
in
Chandana Banerjee
T
he Snipping Tool is a great option for those of you
who work as technical writers as well as for those who
like to play around or work with images and
screenshots. This particular tool is part of the Vista
Tablet PC Optional Components feature. You can use the
Snipping Tool to snap up selections of your desktop or
windows, and save them as screenshots or snips right on
your computer.
Earlier, if you wanted a screen shot program with all the
features, you would have to buy it. And for basic screenshots,
you had the ‘Print Screen’ option in the past versions of
Windows. So, the Snipping Tool in the Windows Vista is not
only versatile and free, it also lets you take screen shots of
only specific sections of your screen rather than the entire
window or screen.
Understanding the Snipping Tool options: Before we get on
with the step-by-step guide about using the tool, let’s first
understand the Snipping Tool.
The options are broken up into ‘Application’ and
‘Selections’ groups.
Application options:
Hide instruction text: If you enable this, it hides the
instruction text in the main Snipping Tool window.
Always copy snips to the clipboard: This will help you copy
your screenshots to the Windows clipboard, and then you can
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September ‘09
paste them into the word processor or any other image
manipulation program.
Include URL below snips (HTML only): If you save
your snip as a Single File HTML, or MHT document,
and the snip was taken from an Internet Explorer browser
window it will show the URL of the page that you took
the snip from.
Prompt to save snips before exiting: This will remind you to
save the shots that you worked on.
Display icon in the Quick Launch Toolbar: When you use
this, the icon for the Snipping Tool will be clipped onto your
Quick Launch Toolbar.
Show screen overlay when Snipping Tool is active: If you
click on this, the Snipping Tool interface will vanish while you
are working on your snips.
Selection options:
Ink Color: This will change the colour of the selection border
when you create a snip.
Show selection ink after snips are captured: The selection
border will be shown, using the colour selected in the Ink
Color option, around the snip.
Types of snips: While using the Snipping Tool, you can take
four types of screenshots.
Free-form Snip: You can draw a shape around the object.
Try a circle, triangle or an irregular shape.
Rectangular Snip: You can draw a precise rectangle around
the object by dragging your cursor around it.
•
You can modify the screenshot by adding brushstrokes
and highlights on this window.
Window Snip: The Snipping Tool will capture the entire
window that you select.
Full-screen Snip: As the name suggests, the Snipping Tool
will capture the complete screen of your computer.
After that, click ‘Save As’ to save this file as an image. As a
default setting, it gets saved as type PNG. You can save space
by changing it into JPEG. However, for better quality, stay on
with PNG. I
Taking snips:
•
To begin, click on the Windows logo. Now click on
Snipping Tool.
•
Once the Snipping Tool’s window opens, click on ‘New’
to begin snipping a part of the screen.
•
After that the window of the Snipping Tool will
disappear and you can begin marking the screen
using the rectangular cursor. As mentioned above,
you can take four types of snips, namely, the free-form
snip, rectangular snip, window snip, and the
full-screen snip.
•
Go ahead and mark that part of the screen that you want
to snip. After you’ve taken your screenshot, the captured
part will appear on the window of the Snipping Tool.
September ‘09
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How to download
photo albums
Chandana Banerjee
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September ‘09
Facebook
I
bet most of us spend a substantial amount
of time on social networking sites like Facebook.
In fact, quite a few are addicted to the world of Facebook, a
place where we can catch up with the latest, know what our
pals are up to, search for long-lost friends, make new buddies,
and discuss things we probably last spoke about in college.
Facebook is the virtual version of our college canteen, where we
spent hours gossiping over cups of tea and soggy samosas. Here
at Facebook, we may not be sitting across a table with our
friends, but they’re just a click away.
Apart from the chit chat and the messages on the Wall, the
albums that our pals post on their profiles are a great way of
catching up with what’s hot and what’s not in their lives.
Someone rightly said, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
Don’t we all like thumbing through albums bursting with
pictures of birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, wedding
shots, picnic pictures, baby mug shots and more? And all of us
are constantly uploading pictures.
When our family and friends upload pictures, we save them
locally to view them at leisure. Now with Facebook Photo Album
Downloader, we can download these albums easily and quickly.
How to download Facebook photo albums: Instead of rightclicking on every picture and saving it on the hard drive, we can
download a complete Facebook album with a single click. This
can be done by using a free Firefox add-on called Facebook
Photo Album Downloader or FacePAD. You can download it
from here: https://addons.mozilla.org/
This feature helps you download an album from Facebook by
sorting through each page of the album and downloading the
pictures individually. The program had been initially written for
Firefox 2, but now the code has been updated for Firefox 3 as
well as the latest version of Facebook.
• First install this add-on to Firefox to begin downloading
photo albums from Facebook.
• Then go to a page that has a list of photo albums, and
right-click on any of the photo albums that you want to
download.
• You’ll get a new option called Download Album with
FacePAD.
• The photos will start downloading to the default location
you have set for downloads in Firefox.
Remember that this add-on will not create folders for the
photographs, and there are chances that your computer may get
cluttered (in case as a default setting, Firefox downloads all the
photographs onto the Desktop). To avoid this, go into the
Firefox options panel and change the download location
temporarily to a specific folder and then download the photo
album. I
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How To
jee
aner
B
a
n
da
Chan
ver the last few years, there have been many
attempts to create a product that could easily let
you capture handwritten notes in digital format,
but nothing really worked that great.
When I first heard of the LiveScribe digital pen, I was
initially skeptical … but finally decided to give it a try. Here’s
the really short review:
If you have the need to write a lot on paper, this is by far
the best product for capturing any kind of handwritten
notes. Not only that, it links audio with your handwritten
text, so you can jot down notes and record what is going on
around you.
It is perfect for students and people who have to attend a large
number of meetings.
O
What’s in the box
Here’s what you get when you first open your new Pulse
Smartpen:
• Pulse Smartpen (the pen has a headphone jack,
microphone, OLED display, speaker, infrared camera, and
removable ink cartridge)
•
USB mobile charging cradle
•
LiveScribe starter notebook
You also receive a 3-D recoding headset, Smartpen case,
and interactive demo card inside the notebook that helps you get
started.
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September ‘09
Getting it working
At first, figuring out how the whole thing works can be a bit
tricky. Can you start writing immediately or should you install
the desktop application first? Basically, each notebook has
special paper that the Smartpen can read using the camera, so
you can turn the pen on and start writing immediately.
Note that you can only write on proprietary LiveScribe
notebooks; if you try to write on a plain piece of paper, nothing
will be recorded. This is one downside to the product, but it’s
also why it works so well.
Everything will be recorded as long as the pen is ON, which
means you can see something on the display window, such as the
time. Note that you should install the LiveScribe desktop
software before connecting your USB cradle to the computer.
Apparently, the Smartpen will only link with one computer,
which I’m not too kicked about. That’s probably the other major
Simply click on the green text and you will hear all the audio
that was recorded while the text was being written! Cool, huh?
The other great feature of the Smartpen is that all your
handwritten text notes can be searched instantly.
And this was probably the most impressive feature of all
because my handwriting is horrendous. However, the desktop
application was able to find just about every word I typed. For
example, I searched the word ‘again’ and it found it and
highlighted it:
The search feature is
excellent and very useful if you
take a lot of notes, but can’t
remember where you wrote
what. If you can remember one
word, you’ll be able to find the
notes using LiveScribe.
To record audio while writing
something in the notebook, just
click the Record button that is
at the bottom of each page in
the notebook. They are
basically special controls that let
you navigate all the pens’
features and applications.
downside I see in the product. If I spend $250 on a product, I
should be able to use it on as many computers as I like.
Anyway, once you write in your notebook, simply connect the
Smartpen back to the USB cradle and watch the magic happen!
The software will automatically recognize that you connected
the pen, will check for any new additions to the notebook, and if
so, will upload them into the software for you!
As you can see, I’ve only used one page and the rest are
empty. As you write on the pages, more will show up
individually. Simply double-click on a page to view the digital
version of it.
There are a few things to note in the above image. Firstly,
you will notice that some text is black and some is green,
namely, the circle. What does that mean? Anything green
means there is recorded audio linked to that text.
You can also create a bookmark anywhere in the notebook
and then use the controls at the bottom to skip to previous or
next bookmarks. You can use the Jump To Position control
on the page to move around the page quickly when listening
to audio.
The pen can hold up to 100 hours of audio and if you ever
run out of space, you can delete them from the pen, but still
have them stored on your computer. Of course, you won’t be
able to listen to the audio by just using the pen if you delete an
audio session, but it will remain on the computer.
But that’s not all. You can also upload your notes along with
audio and create what is called a ‘pencast’. A pencast is basically
a replay of your written notes along with the audio.
You can even create your own pencasts and share them
on your blog or website. This is great for teachers or anyone
who wants to explain an idea or concept to someone using
pen and paper.
Overall, the LiveScribe Pulse Smartpen is an excellent tool for
anyone who writes a lot. It’s simple to use, works very well, and
has a lot of great features. Enjoy! I
September ‘09
91
liveit.in
How To
How to Rip
DVDs
Effortlessly
Zahid H. Javali
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September ‘09
W
ith so many videos
available for free on
the web, it’s now
become a necessity to
rip DVDs and store them for future use.
One such application is the popular
VLC player that does the needful for an
MPEG-1 file. But then, with technology
morphing ever so rapidly, there are
others that come along and shoo away
the old guard. One such application is
ImgBurn.
Since storage is cheap, this performs
better than VLC. And how? Simple.
This service retains the full image
quality and size as well as all the menus,
languages, subtitles and bonus material
from the original DVD. And, what’s
more, ImgBurn is free (www.imgburn.com).
The procedure
With ImgBurn, you can rip the entire disc to an ISO file and
then use the VLC player to watch the DVD just like you would
have if you had the physical disc in your drive. After
downloading and installing ImgBurn, a wizard will appear and
offer you a few choices. You will need to choose ‘Create image
file from disc’. Before you start ripping, you have to prevent
ImgBurn from splitting the file into multiple parts. This is
because you want a single ISO file of the entire disc. Go to
Tools¡Settings and click on the Read tab. Under Options,
change the value of File Splitting from Auto to None. Click OK
to go back to the main screen. The main screen shows you
everything you would want to know about the disc. Under
Destination, click the folder and navigate to a location where
you want to store the image file. Be sure you have enough space.
Look in the window on the right; the value for Size is how many
bytes the disc contains (this disc is 4.6 Gigs). When you are
ready, click the button at the bottom with the green arrow. The
ripping process will begin and the screen will give you a progress
indicator including the estimated time remaining. This will take
some time, so you might as well occupy yourself with something
else! A dual layer disc can hold more than 8 Gigs and you should
rip at the lowest speed you can bear for best results. When it’s
done, you will have a file called ‘Name of the disc’ .ISO.
Play along
Start VLC player and select Open¡File. Navigate to the ISO file
and select it. VLC player will start playing the file and the result
will be the same as it would if you were playing the physical disc.
Now you can enjoy the full quality and functionality of the DVD
without having to lug around all the discs. ImgBurn is a very
powerful piece of software that does a lot of other things, including
burning image files to disc. It runs on all versions
of Windows, including Vista and all 64-bit
versions of Windows.
Note …
If you happen to obtain a copy of DVD
Decrypter, you will see that its interface and
operation is very similar to that of ImgBurn.
But why DVD Decrypter? Because ImgBurn
does not rip encrypted discs (discs with CSS
and/or Macrovision). Here is where this tool
can help. However, the developer of DVD
Decrypter no longer works on the software due
to issues with the Macrovision Corporation and
the obvious violations that the product brings
with it. So, it wouldn’t be wise to rip protected
material or commit DMCA violations.
However, if you already have a DVD
Decrypter, nothing wrong in using it. I
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Chandana Banerjee
A
ll you need is Photoshop, oodles of creativity and a bit
of know-how to create a plethora of bright and beautiful
things for your family and friends. In this capsule, you’ll
be able to get a lowdown on how to add text to pictures,
and once you know that, you can create greeting cards, logos,
posters, photo brochures, websites, flyers and a lot more.
So, dig out those adorable photographs, sketches and doodles
from the folders in your computer, and get going with this ‘How-to’
capsule. From catchy captions to interesting thought balloons,
snappy headings to random words floating through the picture, this
Text feature in Photoshop will let you do all.
Adding text to the picture:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
First, start Photoshop. Then go to the File menu and select
Open.
Choose a cute-as-a-button picture from one of your folders in
the computer, and select Open. Alternatively, you can doubleclick on the picture.
Then click the Text tool on the toolbar. You can easily spot the
Text tool by the uppercase T.
Click the uppermost of the two squares at the lower portion
of the toolbar. The top square stands for the foreground
colour and this will be the colour of your text.
Depending upon the colour of your picture or photograph,
choose a colour for the text that will stand out on the picture
from the palette. Select OK.
Click on the picture where you want to place your text. A
dialog box will open.
Select a font, style, size and alignment from the lists. Click in
the dialog box and start writing your text. Click OK when
you’re done.
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September ‘09
•
•
•
Move the text by holding down the left mouse button on any
selected area (surrounded by the selection line, which looks
like marching ants) and dragging the text to its position.
If you want to delete the text, then just press the Delete button
on your keyboard or select Clear from the Edit menu.
Once, you’ve completed your creation, save the edited picture
by selecting Save or Save As from the File menu.
Tips:
•
As mentioned earlier, use a contrasting colour for the
text for it to stand out over the picture. If your picture
is dark, then you might like to use light colours, like
yellow or white. For lighter pictures, use darker shades
and black.
• To retain the original picture and save the new one, save your
edited picture under a different name. This way you won’t lose
your original picture.
• Click the vertical alignment option to vertically align the text
on the picture.
• If you are planning to use clip art or pictures from another
website, permission is the word of the day. Get permission before
you use copyrighted clip art and pictures from someone else’s
portal.
The fun part: This feature in Photoshop enables you to move
your text around the picture. Whether you want your letters to
float around the picture or march in a straight, tight line, you can
position your text as you wish for the best composition. You can
even give your text a 3D effect with shadows behind the letters or
give it texture.
Well, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and create your very
own communications material. Gaming
for Life
Making a career in the
gaming industry.
Viny Velayudhan
“G
row Up!” Is this what people tell you
regularly just because you love gaming?
Not anymore. Because there is a fruitful
career for you die hard gamers out there in
the gaming industry. We all grew up playing games like ‘Mario,’
‘Prince of Persia,’ ‘Brick games,’ etc. And it’s a good idea to stay
in the gaming world as grown-ups now.
Firstly, do you know a career in the gaming industry is one of
the hot careers of the future? It’s growing in India and is already
one of the major sectors in various parts of the world. Research
reports show that 80 per cent of total outsourcing market is
taken over by the game development making India a gaming
hub. And the game development market is expected to grow at
37 per cent p.a. and achieve a whopping 14 million INR by
2012. Also, the mobile gaming market, which leads the gaming
industry, is expected to rise from 63 per cent in 2008 to 71 per
cent by 2012. In short, with more work come more jobs.
India has emerged as a one-stop destination for game
development with outsourced services constituting 80 per cent
of total market. The market for gaming development in India
is expected to witness growth of 37 per cent p.a. and reach
INR 14 million by 2012. Mobile gaming is likely to dominate
the market with its share in the total Indian gaming market
expected to increase from 63 per cent in
2008 to 71 per cent by 2012.
Some of the prominent national and
international game companies in India are Ubisoft,
India Games, Trine Gaming Studio, Game loft, Dhruva
Interactive, Jump Games, etc. Besides, there are ample other
game companies coming up in India.
In pre-production, a game idea is conceptualized and a game
document is created once the concept is finalized; thereafter the
storyboarding, art guide and a prototype are created.
In the production stage 2D and 3D Art Assets are created.
Programming is done and various elements like graphics,
animations, and sound are integrated with the code in the game
engine. Testing, De-bugging and balancing the game play is
carried out in this stage.
In the post-production stage, quality testing, packaging,
marketing and deployment of the games are carried out.
Different companies follow different processes to create a game.
Ninad Chhaya, VP, Jump Games emphasizes, “The most
important thing is you have to follow the industry standards.”
Career options are available in four departments of gaming,
namely, Game Design, Art, Programming, Sound Design and
Quality Assurance.
In Game Design, you can be a creative writer, technical
writer or game designer. For jobs in this department, you
should be very creative with a good command over the English
language. The creative writer writes scripts. Many people
prefer story-based games, so writing scripts is also a good
career option. The game designer creates the storyboards, the
pre-production artwork, etc. The technical writer writes game
documents, which carries the storyline, the game’s goals, level
designs, game mechanisms, etc. You should have the ability to
think out-of-the box. You should have the ability to see a
project through the whole process. Besides, you should also
have a structured approach to thinking and writing. This
department mainly works in the pre-production phase.
In the Art department, you have career options like concept
artist, texture artist, level designer, animator, and character
modeler. For jobs in this department you should have a good
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Tech Career
understanding of arts and aesthetics. Knowledge of editing tools
and software like 3dsmax, etc. is essential. If you are interested
in character modeling, it is important to have a good foundation
in anatomy studies.
The level designer designs the various levels of the game. For
example, in a particular level the character is confined to a
particular environment and space, etc. The level designer also
decides how hard or easy the game level should be. The texture
artist creates textures for the games. Game art relies heavily on
textures. It is very crucial to get them right. The rough patches,
the mood and feel of the concept into the 3D product are given
by the texture artist. The texture artist should have a very
balanced sense of art knowledge and should be well-versed with
the nitty-gritty of the software to get the desired output. An
animator animates the game characters. 2D and 3D artists work
in the animation department.
Next is the programming department for IT freaks who love
to write programs and find solutions. Career options in this
department include the profile of engine programmer, physics
programmer and Artificial Intelligence (AI) programmer. For
jobs in this department, you should have a strong command over
physics and mathematics. You should also be well versed with
programming languages and tools.
Sound design is another important area in gaming. Game
audio is a highly specialized discipline that requires no small
degree of skill and intuition in order to correctly manage. And
yes, you should also have the necessary training in sound design.
Finally, there’s the quality assurance department. This is a
fun section but serious work also happens in this department.
Here you can become a game play tester, code tester or a
quality analyst. In this department, you can play games that
the companies develop and evaluate how good or bad they
are. It is a serious job since it is one of the most important
stages of game development. To be in this department, you
need a keen eye for detail, and the ability to spot visual &
game play related bugs. You need to convey the game issues
properly so that those bugs are fixed. You should also be well
versed with the industry standards of quality assurance. The
most important thing in this department is you should love to
play games and decide whether the games you are playing will
be thoroughly enjoyable by the target audience without any
bugs. If a bugging game is out, then it will affect the
reputation of the company. Most entry level coders and
designers join gaming firms as testers.
Apart from these major departments, the other job roles are
producers and assistant producers. The assistant producers work
as an interface between the programming and the art team.
Then there are senior roles of art directors and supervisors.
The job requirements in a game company depend on the size
of the company and the type of games it develops. The top
gaming studios mainly abroad use the expensive motion capture
technology for capturing realistic motion of humans and use
them in game characters. This opens job prospects in Motion
Capture Artists who know how o use the technology.
liveit.in
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September ‘09
You can join some short- or long-term professional courses in
gaming to enter this industry. Some of the games designing
courses available are: Advanced Diploma in Game Design,
Diploma in Game Design & Gaming, Video Game Design and
Development Certification, and Video Game Design and
Development. You must choose a course depending on which
department in the gaming industry you wish to enter. Check the
game curriculum for art or programming or animation
depending on your choice.
Some of the prominent gaming schools in India are Whistling
Woods International, Digital Academy Film School and IDCIIT in Mumbai, Srishti School of Design in Bangalore,
Colorchips Animation Training Centre in Hyderabad, National
Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, and Image College of Arts,
Animation & Technology in Chennai, Asian Academy of Film
& Television in Uttar Pradesh, etc. In foreign universities you
can study for a gaming degree.
In the gaming industry, show reels with content-related to
gaming are evaluated. Also, while interviewing a person his
software and technological knowledge are assessed.Employers seek
knowledge of software like Adobe Photoshop, Paint Shop, Pro
Painter, 3D Max, Maya, etc. Augustine John, Sr. Technical Artist,
India Games Ltd., suggests using software help documentation to
learn on your own. You can also learn by yourself by joining online
gaming forums and asking questions in these forums. Another
good way to learn is by using DVD tutorials.
The pay package is similar to other entertainment industries
like animation. You can join in as an intern or a trainee and
with experience your pay package will increase. You can also
sell your own mini games on freelance basis. The industry is
huge because these days you have games for cell phones, PC
games, TV games, Internet games, educational games, handheld devices, etc. So, the requirement for people in this
industry is also good enough. There are good opportunities
abroad as well.
If you have learnt some software on your own and are
planning for an interview in a game studio, then in the show
reel you can put architectural walkthroughs, mini games, etc.
Recruiters will evaluate your knowledge of software, games
and technologies.
In the gaming industry, strict guidelines are to be followed
to meet the necessary quality standards. There involves a lot
of hard work, patience and co-ordination to succeed in this
industry. When you enter the industry, try to gain as much
experience as you can and develop your skills instead looking
for heavy pay packages. You should work towards making
your work portfolio strong. This will help you in the long run
and will also earn you better pay packages later when you
have good experience.
You need a passion for games to survive in this industry. And if
you love games then this is the best place to be in.
Gaming is another popular form of entertainment that is here
to last forever. People will never stop playing games, so why not
get involved in making some? I
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Tech Cartoon
Santa
goes to
the U.S.
Santa went to meet Bill
Clinton in the U.S. to
see technical
advancements there.
Come Santa, let me show
you how technically
advanced we are.
Yes, Bill. I got
something that
looks like a wire.
What is it Santa?
Did you find
something there?
Ok, Santa, start digging the
earth … more … more ….
After digging about 100 feet of earth, Santa was
exhausted but the hard work did not go in vain.
When Bill came, Santa took him to
a dense forest.
Now I want to
show you our
advancements.
Dig the
ground here.
Santa got angry. Now, it was his turn to prove
that Indians were no less. So, he invited Bill
to India.
So, my friend Bill, did
you get anything?
More ... more ...
a little more. C’mon.
Don’t give up so soon.
Keep digging.
Bill goes up to 400 feet ... yet finds
nothing in the ground.
No, I’m afraid,
absolutely nothing.
Well, that shows even 400 years
ago, we used to be ‘Wireless’.
Illustration by Dinesh Rawat
You, this shows even 100
years ago we used to
have telephones here
in the U.S.
September ‘09
101
liveit.in
Star Diary
Nauheed Cyrusi
Bollywood actress, Nauheed Cyrusi who will soon face her worst fears in Colours’s
‘Fear Factor Khatron Ke Khiladi Level 2,’ says that she is quite tech savvy as far as gadgets go.
I
am not too much of an Apple Mac person and
other advanced stuff though BlackBerry phone
and PS3 would be my favourite tech toys.
Though many people dig the iPhone (its design
is definitely slicker), BlackBerry is certainly easier to type
with my long nails. I prefer to text than talk. The touchscreen interface of the iPhone does not work due to the
above reason. I also sadly miss the music and gaming
functions of the iPhone. This business class phone is just
like having a laptop in your bag. I can easily access my
e-mails on the move. Having said that, I love my privacy,
hence I don’t prefer to keep my phone ‘ON’ always. I
like to be available, but on my own terms and conditions,” says she.
Coming to her second tech love, gaming, she says, “I
dig on the ‘Grand Auto Theft’ on PS3 platform.” Remembering her childhood days, she says, “Mario Bro
was the best video game we played back then.”
This model-turned-actress does not, however, spend
too much time over the Internet. “I use the Internet to
check my mail, download music and find out the latest
happening in Bollywood. I love Facebook. This pre-
mière social networking site allows me to stay in touch
with my friends. We exchange photos, jokes and wish
each other on special occasions.” Unlike other celebs,
this Parsi babe, who is awaiting the release of three films
(Kissan, Qurban, etc.), does not feel social networking
sites are harmful. “You get to choose which people can
access your profile.” She also does not shop online. “I
am not a credit card person. It’s not that I am scared of
safety concerning online transactions, but I just don’t
like to spend extra moolah.”
Nauheed also loves to shoot video/click pictures with
her camcorder. “Whenever I go on a vacation or outdoor
location, my Sony digicam always accompanies me. I like
to upload videos/pictures on my Facebook, so I can
share the same with my friends. “I clicked a lot of pictures on my recent ‘Fear Factor’ trip to South Africa.”
She also thinks that tech toys work as wonderful gifts
items. “If I know that a particular friend loves cell
phones, I might think of gifting a snazzy model he/she
has been eying for a while. But yes, I will spend good
money only on somebody really close.”
In closing, we asked her to comment on the age-old
adage that tech is a man’s domain and she promptly
replied, “Says who? I know of some women whose
tech knowledge will put most male techies to shame.
It’s jut like saying only guys should wear trousers and
not girls.” I
Interview
Lexulous
Back in the
Game Room
From designing Scrabulous.com, which could be termed as the most popular
word game for the masses, to relaunching it in the shape of Lexulous.com, the
Agarwalla brothers have come a long way. Rajat and Jayant Agarwalla share with
us their journey.
Q.Do you play scrabble yourselves?
Yes! Lots of it actually. My brother and I have been playing
Scrabble since childhood. Even our family members show keen
interest in the game and play it with full enthusiasm. Exposure to
the game for such a long time helped me to win the Statesman
Scrabble Championship 2007 for my age group in Kolkata.
inspired you to create the Word
Q. What
game, Scrabble?
Well, we played Scrabble religiously at a website, sometime
around November 2004. However, things changed when the
website started charging a fee. We didn’t have too many options.
liveit.in
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September ‘09
Although the charge wasn’t too high by any standards, people
generally tend not to pay for anything on the Internet, and we
were no exceptions. So once I completed my high school, I
joined RJ Softwares (Rajat, Jayant) and created BingoBinge with
my brother. We soon shifted to Scrabulous.com (re-launched as
Lexulous.com in 2005) with the sole purpose of keeping such a
lovely game free for everyone forever.
would you differentiate lexulous.com
Q.How
from other game websites?
Lexulous is pretty unique in that it focuses on just one game,
Scrabble, and offers a few variations of the game as well. The
site has not been cluttered with annoying advertisements and
other smaller games. The interface too is of top quality and
very easy to use. Plus, we do not collect any personal
information from users except their e-mail ID which is
necessary to prevent false accounts. The game rooms are great
fun; people can practice alone, play against the computer, and
even over e-mails. Lexulous is the destination for everything
Scrabble. The best part about the site is the speed it offers
which remains unbeaten by most of the other paid sites.
you have any particular future targets for
Q.Do
the website? If yes, then what are they?
Lexulous was created with the objective to make Scrabble
available to schools and institutions across India and even in
foreign countries. We shall bear the cost of creating private
room for the children and manage the servers. It is just an
effort on our part to make sure that the next generation is in
touch with this legendary game and gets easy access to it.
We also hope to add newer features to Lexulous in weeks
to come.
Since your website has gained so much
Q.
popularity and is receiving such a huge
Lexulous has got a lot in very less time. How
amount of traffic, why not make it a paid website? Q.long did it take for you to design the whole
website? And what type of hurdles did you face
That’s because we left the other site! Had it not started charging,
Lexulous would not have happened. Our primary goal is the
satisfaction of every Scrabble lover. Lexulous was started not as
a business but as a hobby. And even though it is surely possible
to monetize it, for example by selling e-mail addresses or
showing hundreds of ads, we would be happier to see a smile of
content on the faces of our users more than anything else.
Why only “scrabble” and no other games
Q.
like crossword or monopoly? What is so
special about this game?
Scrabble has a charm of its own, the beauty of which has only
enhanced over the generations. Scrabble and Monopoly are
perhaps games played in every home across the world. However,
many people find it hard to get a group together for a game of
Monopoly (2-player Monopoly is perhaps a bit boring). But in
case of Scrabble, it’s a lot faster and can be thoroughly enjoyed
by a couple. And while Monopoly is a huge deal of luck,
Scrabble requires strategy as well. In fact, we offer Strategy
Scrabble at Lexulous where users get to see the tiles in their
opponent’s hand which requires a lot of thinking to be done
before playing a move. We had implemented this feature based
on a suggestion sent by one of our users.
type of security measures does the
Q.What
website take?
We do not collect any personal information like name or location
of our players. So besides an e-mail address, no other personal
information of the user is disclosed. Our servers are provided by
reputed firms and till date there have never been security concerns.
Lexulous is free from adware and spam. We also encourage our
users to get the Firefox browser for general safety on the Internet.
Do you have any paid services on the
website? If yes, please mention. If no, please
Q.
tell us if there are any plans to do so.
At present we do not have any paid features besides that of
purchasing a no-quitter badge, which too is free if one plays
2000 games. We do not have plans to offer any paid features in
the near future, but if we ever do, the basic functions of the site
shall always remain accessible for free.
while creating it? How do you work out the
funding for running the website?
We started work on a Scrabble site in April 2005.
BingoBinge.com was launched in Beta mode in August 2005.
The problems we faced initially were tremendous. We were
inches away from pulling off the site due to rising server costs
and regular breakdowns. However, our determination paid off
and once the server crashing problems were fixed, we shifted to
the then Scrabulous.com in July 2006 and have not looked back
since then.
do you work out the funding for
Q.How
running the website?
The few unobtrusive advertisements that we display on
Lexulous are enough to cover our server costs, so funding was
not quite necessary.
You offer a 24x7 support to your users, and
Q.
promise a response within 12 hours. However,
most websites do not offer such type of service.
What according to you is the need to do this?
There is no need as such, because people are happy even if
they get a response within 48 hours. It’s our immense love for
the game and because the Lexulous community is so
wonderful that makes us feel it is our responsibility to give
them a little more than what they bargained for. When users
express their bewilderment upon getting a quick reply, it
seems like a pat on our back!
Your website sends reminders to people who
Q.
do not play the game very often even after
registering with the website.This is more like an
encouragement.What makes you think of something
like this out of the box and how have people
reacted to a service like this?
We got a mixed reaction to this. Some felt that we were keeping
a check on them while others were really thankful to us for
taking so much care of them. As the majority of users are
positive about this, we do send out the e-mails but unsubscribe
the user if they so desire. I
September ‘09
105
liveit.in
Profile
P
olitical language is designed to make lies sound truthful
and murders sound respectable, and to give an
appearance of solidity to pure wind. But the language of
business is all about survival of the fittest. Ask Dewang
Neralla, the 40-year-old Director of Atom Technologies and
Director Technology of Financial Technologies that creates next
generation financial markets. He is now spearheading a
revolution in the mobile payment eco system. With atom, you
can now pay through an application on your mobile, through a
voice call over IVR or at the point of sale at the speed of a bullet.
Neralla started small to make a big impression. The year was
1992 when the wind of liberalization was sweeping the Indian
landscape like no other. “I was on the brokerage and exchange
side and part of the IT scene at the Bombay Stock Exchange for
four years,” he reminisces. Later, life offered him an option to
either stay back in India or go abroad; either be a programmer
with one of the multinationals or be an entrepreneur.
Just Atom It
The future of mobile payments is now, says Dewang Neralla of Atom Technologies
in an exclusive interview to ZAHID H. JAVALI
Boring labour is a threat to humanity. It follows therefore that
interesting labour can be a form of redemption. Like fixing
motorcycles. Or starting something that you like. No wonder, it
didn’t take Neralla much time to figure out his calling in life. He
teamed up with friend Jignesh, set up Financial Technologies in
1995 and became his own boss. “The scope was only just
opening in India at the time,” he recalls. “There was a huge
deficit for any kind of transactional backbone. Our focus was to
create a product-based company rather than a pure servicebased company.”
He started with trading software ODIN, named after the Greek
god of wisdom. “We licensed the software to brokers,” he explains.
“From 1998 onwards, more than 100,000 trading terminals with
more than 300,000+ licenses were sold to brokers.”
In 2003, his team developed an exchange trading solution
called DOME that is used by exchanges promoted by
Financial Technologies. And in late 2005, Atom was born to
focus on payment processing with a special focus on new age
payment gateways like mobile, IVR as well as traditional point
of sale terminals.
The hard work shows. Today, there are over 100 merchants
signed up by Atom on mobile and IVR and more than a million
customers have already made their payments using Atom. No
wonder, the slug line ‘don’t just pay it, atom it’ rings so true.
Holding a bachelor’s degree in engineering and computer
science, Neralla is with a company that is as good as it can get.
liveit.in
106
September ‘09
Digest this. Atom’s services have processed more than $150
million of transactions with a merchant list spanning the best in
the industry. Some of them include DTH majors like Tata Sky,
Dish TV, Sun Direct; movie cinemas and entertainment players
like Fame Cinemas, Cinemax, 70 MM; insurance majors like
ICICI Lombard, Reliance General Insurance, Royal Sundaram;
travel agencies like Paulo Travels, Redbus and in-shopping
outlets of Dell, Disney World, Asian Sky Shop, Deccan
Chronicle, eBay, IFB, Indiatimes Shopping, Living Media,
Rediff, TVC and Readers Digest.
Atom’s vision and mission is to create a convenient and secure
mobile payments platform for the masses, establish a social goal
for providing delivery of financial services for the ‘unbanked’
and emerge as India’s number one service provider for
payments. “The company’s products and services span the
complete vertical for payments,” explains Neralla. “There’s the
voice-based payments solution that is easy to use for both the
end-consumer and the merchant. It’s a change from a call
centre-based solution to an automated Interactive Voice
Response solution that eliminates human intervention and
customer insecurity. The mobile payments platform is targeted
at the end user who has to download an application and make
payments on the fly.
Atom Sewa is for the ‘unbanked’ sector. “Many people have
no access to banking facility, so using technology to get them on
board is the fastest way,” says Neralla. “We use technology to
create a framework for micro finance institutions and banks and
enable bank’s business correspondents across the country to
efficiently perform their banking tasks.” What this means is
enrolling customers and monitoring their transactions at a
mobile branch, which in this case is the business correspondent
of the bank. The customer only has to walk up to him to either
withdraw or deposit cash. Using m-collections, micro finance
institutions can track loan repayments to self-help groups as
most of them happen to be weekly recoveries and quite a
logistical nightmare.
One pilot project with a large bank is gaining momentum.
It’s local language support for receipts as well as voice
intimation in the local language for regular withdrawal and
deposit banking transactions. So, if a non-English or
illiterate speaking customer walks into a bank, he gets a
voice prompt on deposit or withdrawal in the local language.
The customer hears and obliges. Even the receipt gets
printed in the local language.
Safety is ultra crucial to Atom’s work. Which is why Atom
has certified its products and services for PCIDSS & PA-DSS.
The PCI DSS certification ensures that Atom always keeps the
customer’s account data protected while PA-DSS applies to
software vendors who develop payment applications that store,
process, or transmit cardholder data as
part of authorization or settlement.
Among the many services on offer, mobile
payment is dwarfing the others. “Over a
period of time, the mobile payment market
easily should be 60-70,000 crore per annum
in India overall based on the current card
spends of same size,” says Neralla. “It will
carve out a new niche and we should
capture 25% of the market share in the
next three years on both voice-based and
mobile-based payments.”
Innovation is the key to survival and more business.
And no one knows this better than Neralla and his team.
“We have developed a 2D bar code for face to face
technology,” he begins. “The customer selects the card and
payment which generates an image. The optical scanner
reads the 2D barcode image (that contains the payment and
card details), making it secure and quick. We are piloting this
project at a few locations. We are also focusing on voice
biometrics for authentication, so instead of an image, you use
a voice print.”
Charles Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle aimed his thoughts at
evolution and gave him both the facts and intellectual stamina to
work toward his magnificent goal. So, what has Neralla’s
journey so far taught him? “The biggest is that you need to be
committed and have the perseverance to drive your idea all the
way. And for this, you need to have the patience and the will to
achieve. If there is no fire in the belly, come what may, you won’t
be able to achieve anything. And yes, it takes a strong team effort
to see things through.”
“
For prophetic visions of the future, some people turn to
horoscopes. But if you want to know what the future holds,
better to ask a scientist, or an entrepreneur like Neralla. He says
the day is not far when all your financial transactions will be on
the mobile. “Person to person mobile transfer for payment of
any kind of services, be it face to face or remote, will be a certain
reality,” he says. “Right now, we are looking at cash and card,
but there will be an inflection point where a mobile will change
that behaviour itself.”
The scenario isn’t complete yet. Adds Neralla, “In the future,
your cell will become your personal lifestyle assistant and not just a
mobile. You could have a card on the phone or some sort of tracker.
With just a tab, the phone could act like a debit or credit card.”
Neralla’s typical day goes something like this. He wakes up at
6 a.m. and goes for a one-hour walk. By 9.30 a.m., he is in the
office, attending meetings, scheduling things and planning
strategy and marketing. His work day ends at around 9.30 p.m.
Back home, he spends time with his nine-year-old son.
We fly today and arrive yesterday. That’s technology for you. So,
how does he keep pace with it? “I read newspapers and magazines
and interact with people and internet companies.” So, what’s the
buzzword today? “Everybody is focusing on software as a service
and there is much talk on Web 3.0 and how to maximize it.”
One look at his office and you know it is
minimalist and functional. Besides the
mandatory laptop and a couple of landlines,
there is a bookshelf staring in front of him.
Not to mention, glass doors, wooden finish,
flowing carpet, a drawing board and a threeseater conference table.
Democracy needs to know the serious
reading of books. Long books. Hard books.
Books with which we have to struggle. Take
Neralla. When he’s not working, he’s reading.
“I catch up on reading, but on the Internet only,” he says. There are
three books he is reading right now. There’s “Killer Differentiators:
13 Strategies to Grow Your Brand” by Tai Jacky; “Creating a World
Without Poverty” by Muhammad Yunus and “Predictably
Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions” by Dan
Ariely. Clearly, Neralla has his heart and mind in the right place.
After all, a person can be judged by the books he keeps.
Conspiracy theories remain the pastime of crank groups. But
conspiratorial thinking, the idea that someone out there is to
blame for every misfortune, has become respectable. But that
isn’t Neralla’s mantra in life. “Mine is dream to dare and dare to
dream,” he says. Case in point? “When we were setting up
Financial Technologies, there were non-believers who said this
technology will not take off and tried to de-motivate me saying
there’s no future in it,” says Neralla. “However, if you believe in
your convictions and stick to it, it will happen. Within a few
years, we were No. 1 in that domain and there are still people
trying to catch up with us.”
That’s Neralla. He can turn any business into an adventure and
any risk into an opportunity. Truly, the mark of a businessman. I
Our focus was
to create a productbased company rather
than a pure servicebased company.
“
September ‘09
107
liveit.in
Peek & Pick
Product Reviews: Anoop Verma
HP Elitebook
6930P
With its brilliant magnesium alloy
finish, the new HP EliteBook does
manage to make a great first
impression. Once you open this laptop,
you will find that the keypad is quite
comfortable and there is a 14.1-inch,
1280x800, matte display, which is a
good thing, because matte displays don’t
reflect light and hence are much easier
on the eyes. The device is powered by
Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 (2.4 GHz). It
has 2 GB of RAM and 160 GB hard
drive. Currently, the laptop is running
on Windows Vista, but it is fully
compatible with Windows 7, which is
set to be released later this year.
Available at: All HP and Compaq stores
Price: Rs. 30,000 to 45,000 depending
on configuration selected.
liveit.in
108
September ‘09
Ray T65
It is quite surprising to find a mobile store
franchise announcing the launch of its own
mobile phone, but that is exactly what ‘The
Mobile Store’ has accomplished. The Ray T65 is
now out in the market and it is boasting of
impressive features: 3-megapixel camera, a 262k,
1.8-inch display, music player, Bluetooth and
much else. The phone has a touchscreen as well,
so it might not be too off the track to term this
gizmo as the iPhone’s smaller cousin. In any case,
the Ray T65 is worth a try. Either you can walk
into their store in any Indian city or town, or you
can buy it online from their portal.
Available at: (The Mobile Store)
www.themobilestore.in
Price: Rs. 6,489
Altec Lansing T612 Digital Speaker
for iPod and iPhone
Music buffs are especially going to like
this product. Its speakers are geared to
offer rich, distortion-free sound from your
iPhone and iPhone 3G without your ever
having to miss a call. The device is fully
compatible with all versions of the iPod
and iPhone. It also has a built-in dock
through which you can recharge these
two devices. Another good feature is the
provision of auxiliary stereo input that
lets you connect to any another MP3 or
CD player.
Available at: (Rediff)
http://shopping.rediff.com
Price: Rs. 11,220
September ‘09
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Canon D10
Digital
Underwater
Camera
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110
September ‘09
The unique thing about this camera is that it is
completely waterproof up to a depth of 10 meters.
So, even if the waters rise drastically during this
monsoon season, and your camera gets completely
drenched, it will still keep clicking quality pictures.
The D10 boasts of 12.1 million pixels (CCD), and
it has a 3x zoom. It is incorporated with face
detection technology, automatic White Balance
and much else that will make the clicking of
professional quality results a breeze.
Available at: (Gadgets Guru)
www.gadgetsguru.com
Price: Rs. 23,849
Moov 300
PND
Navigating roads in India can be a
nightmare, especially if you are new to
any city or town. Signboards are
invariably missing from most of the roads
and you might have to ask directions from
20 different people before you reach your
destination. But once you are armed with
Moov 300 PND, such vagaries of travel
might become a thing of the past. The
device has a 4.3-inch screen and it is
capable of providing step-by-step
direction through most Indian locales.
Available at: Asian Sky Shop
(www.asianskyshop.com)
Price: Rs. 15,990
Apacer Handy Steno AH325
USB Flash Drive
The new flash drive from the ensemble
of Apacer is as stylish as it is
technologically advanced. With its
clean classic look, embellished by
smooth lines and distinctive cool grey
and arctic white tones, the AH320 is
the kind of gizmo that you can flaunt
whenever you want to make a style
statement. As it comes with a 4 GB of
capacity, it proves to be perfect for
users who want to store high-resolution
images, MP3 music files, or even
videos on the go.
Available at: Rediff
(http://shopping.rediff.com)
Price: Rs. 410
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Peek & Pick
Creative
Aurvana X-Fi
Great sound quality and state of the art
sound enhancement features are just some
of the hallmarks of the Creative Aurvana
X-Fi headphones. The best thing about
these headphones is that they come with an
iPhone cable.
Available at: (Amazon) www.amazon.com
Price: $147
Logitech
QuickCam
Go Black
For those who prefer to use their PC or laptop for holding
conversations with friends and family, here is a good way
to keep in touch. The Logitech QuickCam Go Black
webcam is embellished with high-tech editing software
that will allow you to capture, edit or print images. You
can use it to capture crystal clear images at the push of a
button. The best thing about this webcam is that it is
compatible with all major messaging applications. Once
you get powered by this webcam, the experience of
chatting is only going to get better.
Available at: http://futurebazar.com
Price: Rs. 725
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September ‘09
iPhone Stand
A stylish phone like the iPhone deserves to be either carried in your hand and when it is resting then
it should do so on some kind of luxurious stand. Enter the iPhone stand! This stand will let your
iPhone stand in a portrait as well as landscape mode for perfect viewing of videos. Here is a good
way to lounge in your sofa while you enjoy the video clips that you have made using your iPhone.
Available at: (Rediff) http://shopping.rediff.com
Price: Rs. 265
Intuos4 Grip Pen
Professional Pen Tablet
By incorporating Wacom’s Tip Sensor technology,
the new Intuos4 Grip Pen can offer its users near-zero
(one gram) starting pressure, which is most conducive
for a natural writing experience. The product is
especially suitable for photographers, designers and
artists seeking optimal control and productivity. After
all, when working with digital assets, there isn’t a
more natural tool than a pen for increased comfort
and control.
Available at: Ebay (http://ebay.in)
Price: Rs. 13,650
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Shopper’s Guide
The surf shop
Live IT or Leave IT
(pages 18-21)
Rape Alarm
Buy online:
http://astore.amazon.co.uk/
gapyearshop-21/detail/B000VXVZJQ
Price: £ 9.99
Sorapot Teapot
Buy online:
http://www.sorapot.com/buy
Price: USD 250.00
Olympus Pen Camera
Buy online:
http://www.amazon.com/OlympusInterchangeable-Lens-14-42mm-Silver/
dp/B002CGSYKS
Price: USD 799.99
Wall-E Toy
Buy online:
http://www.robotsrule.com/html/
wall-e-toys.php#idance
Price: USD 51.99
Rat Robots
Buy online:
http://www.therawfeed.com/2009/06/
french-researchers-create-giant-rat.html
Price: On request
Computer Corner Frame
http://www.shinyshiny.tv/
Buy online:
http://www.shopgetorganized.com/
prodetail~itemNo~29829.asp
Price: USD 29.98
Karaoke Microphone
Buy online:
http://www.hammacher.com/publish/
74622.asp?promo=hl_media
Price: USD 49.95
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September ‘09
Live IT provides you the following shopping guide which should
help to get you started on a fabulous online shopping spree. Call
it an easy finder or a quick search, the list compiles all the gadgets
and gizmos featured in this issue with appropriate links of the
best possible places for you to shop wisely and browse coolly!
Bliss Noise-reducing Earphones
Buy online:
http://www.momastore.org/
Price: USD 45.00
Lock Out USB Memory Key
Buy online:
http://www.swarovski.com/Web_AA/
en/909823/product/Lock_Out_USB_
Memory_Key.html
Price: EUR 150.00
Rockin’ Alarm Clock
Buy online:
http://www.pbteen.com/products/girlsrockin-alarm-clock/?transid=58640813
1009&cm_src=TEEN-TRUNKSALARM-CLOCKS-DORM
Price: USD 129.00
Kitty Digital Camera
Buy online: http://www.amazon.com/
Hello-Kitty-Digital-CameraKT7002/dp/B0002ISEIK
Price: USD 19.99
USB Fragrance Flowers
Buy online:
http://chicgadget.today.com/
2008/10/10/smell-good-with-usbfragrance-flowers/
Price: On request
Butterfly Speakers for iPod
Buy online:
http://www.thesource.ca/estore/
product.aspx?product=1412225&
language=en-CA
Price: USD 99.99
Burning Flame Bookmark
Buy online:
http://www.perpetualkid.com/index.as
p?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=
3138
Price: USD 3.00
Style IT
(pages 41-49)
iPod A1288
Price: Rs. 13990.00
Portable Sony PSP
Price: Rs. 8990.00
Sony PSP2 SCPH – 90004 CB
Price: Rs. 5990.00
MITASHI GAME – IN MT 04
Price: Rs. 1099.00
MITASHI GAME –
IN SPORTMAX MT 16
Price: Rs. 2990.00
Sony F305
Price: Rs. 6690.00
WILLIAMS F1 Team
RACING WHEEL
Price: Rs. 1490.00
Nintendo Playboy Advance SP AGS101
Price: Rs. 3990.00
Buy: Soveena Mobile Zone
S - 8A, Green Park Main Market,
New Delhi 110016
Phone: 011-26510661/26962467
Mobile: 9811006985
[email protected]
(Note: Prices may vary or discounts may be
available on some products.) I
Q&A
How can I copy a game from
the desktop computer onto
my laptop?
If I uninstall a computer game
and then reinstall it, will my
saved game still be there?
It depends on the game. Some programs you
can simply copy the directory via a CD-Rom
or across a network. Find the game folder by
right-clicking on the icon and checking its
properties. You will need to copy that
directory and everything under it.
However, if the game doesn’t run on the
other machine, you may have to run the
original installer that you got at the time of
purchasing the game. This is because it needs
to add information to your Windows system
folder and/or the registry before it can run
properly. In this case, your best bet would be
to contact the company you purchased the
game from and ask them about their policy to
allow you to transfer the game to your laptop.
First of all, many games will ask if you want to
keep your saved games before uninstalling, so
then you just have to pick the right option and
your saves will stay intact. Second, this depends
on where these games store their saved games
on your computer. Many games store saved
games in folders like My Documents or
Application Data, so they don’t get deleted
when uninstalling and they’re easier to back up.
The safest way is to back them up anyway. So,
look in My Documents, Application Data and
of course the game folder itself for a folder
containing your saved games. Then replace
them if necessary after reinstallation.
How can I set animated signature
in my mail?
You can use USB cables, Bluetooth/Infrared
dongles, or memory cards to transfer games
from your PC to your phone. If you install the
cell phone’s software for PC then you can
install games directly on your phone without
transferring the setup files. Don’t forget to
enable Bluetooth or infrared if you are using
these technologies.
Another method can be to upload your files
on your own WAP site using your PC and
downloading the files from the WAP site via
GPRS on your phone.
With a non-MIME enabled e-mail client, you
won’t see anything but simple text. However, it
seems nowadays the MIME mail extension is
spread enough and widely exploited and
abused; briefly speaking, the extension allows
an e-mail to be an html, even with embedded
images; what you see is just an animated
image embedded in the text; likely, simply an
animated GIF.
You can create your own animated GIF using
a program like gimp or Adobe ImageReady.
Once you’ve got your animated GIF, you
must get a MIME capable e-mail client and
use it to write your e-mail. Normally, these
modern clients have a button that allows you
to add an image. So, add your gif at the end
like a signature, and you’re done.
How do I install my computer
game onto a different disk drive?
During the installation, it should ask where
you want to install it. And, usually, it would
have something like the following:
C:\program files\Game_Name\
So, all you need to do is change that to E:\
Then it should install onto the E: Drive.
You can also click on the browse button
next to install option and choose the location
of installation.
If it doesn’t let you choose where to install,
then it maybe perhaps you just need to free up
some space on the C: Drive.
How can I transfer games to
my mobile?
How to get a moving
background on my desktop?
Search for an animated .gif online and just
use it like you would any other picture on
your desktop.
‘New hardware found on PCI
modem.’ What is this?
It is a dial-up modem but sounds like the
drivers are not installed so you need to reinstall its drivers from disk or from the PC
manufacturer’s website. It is a built-in modem.
If you are not using it, go to Settings→Devices
and disable it. I
If you have any queries, write to us at:
[email protected]
or mail your queries to
Live IT,
E-3, Jhandewala Estate, New Delhi - 110055
September ‘09
115
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Glossary
THE
Geekspeak
FPS (First Person
Shooter)
Gameplay
It refers to anything you do
in a game. Gameplay
features can include
shooting, jumping, buying
and selling in-game
items, and interacting
with NPC (Non-Player
Controlled) characters.
Loot
An item, or gold, or
a treasure found on the
ground, or dropped
from killing a monster.
An extremely common and popular
genre of video games. In this genre,
Game Master
you see through the eyes of your
character, and always use guns. In some
The player who runs the
FPS games, your character never has any
game (often abbreviated
dialect. This is done so that any reaction
to ‘GM’); many games give
Simulation
your character may have is imagined by
them a more specific title
Game
Game
you. Games of this genre are typically
such as dungeon
Developer
Here you
fast-paced and have good
master,
storyteller or
Company
or
simulate an
graphics. Examples of FPS
companies that
story
guide.
activity based on
games are ‘Halo’ and
create the game from
the real world. This
scratch. The developer
‘Call of Duty’.
may include flying,
controls everything that goes into the
sports games, life games
game, ranging from game controls
Powers
(like ‘The Sims’), and war
to the game’s story.
Describes extraordinary abilities,
simulators. These games range
which make a character
from bad to great graphics, but
special, such as flight
or telepathy.
almost always allow you to have
great control of what happens
Cheat Code
in the game.
Is a button combination or
RPG (Rolepassword, which triggers an
event
or affect within a video
Playing Game)
game. Cheats can be as simplistic
Here you control one or more
Avatar
as adding ammunition to a gun,
characters, and every attribute
Is your character,
or increasing a character’s
about them. This means that while
primarily used for
health, or changing the
you play the game, your character(s)
instructions or
character to a completely
may get stronger, faster, gain
directions in a guide, or
different character.
intelligence, or improve in a number
because it’s shorter than
of other skills. Most RPGs are based
character in times where
in fantasy worlds, oftentimes
fast typing is mandatory.
Buff
not ever connected
with Earth.
EULA
Level
Refers to a few things,
either your character’s
actual level, or the act of
gaining experience by
killing mobs in game, in
order to reach a
higher level.
Platform
Refers to the specific
combination of electronic or
computer hardware, which, in
conjunction with low-level
software, allows a video
game to operate. The term
‘system’ is also
commonly used.
A beneficial spell
cast on a player
or creature in
a game.
An acronym for End
User License
Agreement. You usually
have to accept an
EULA before installing
or playing a game.
(REGISTERED) RNI DELENG/2008/26856 DL(C)-14/1295/09-11