"Jai Ho" - A R Rahman

The Indian movie "Slumdog Millionaire" won eight Oscars at the 81st Academy Award function in Los Angeles (22-Feb-2009). A R Rahman scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win two Oscars for the Best Original Score "Slumdog Millionaire" and its foot-tapping song `Jai Ho`. Rehman shares the best Song award with lyricist Gulzar. He has become the first Indian to win two Oscars.

Congrats to A R Rahman and the entire team of Slumdog Millionaire to make this a proud event for India. Jai Ho!

... More in tomorrows print edition of all Indian Newspapers :-)

Aero India 2009

A close encounter with flights!

User Development Fee @ Bengaluru International Airport

If you are traveling from Bangalore, please note that the Bengaluru International Airport is now charging a User Development Fee of Rs 260. This fee will be charged effective January 16, 2009 and be collected directly by the airport.
Who will be affected? All passengers travelling out of Bangalore from the Bengaluru International Airport will have to pay Rs 260. However, infants under 2 years are exempted.
Where to pay the UDF? You can pay the fee at the specially built counters just outside the terminal. You will then have to show the receipt before entering the terminal.
How can I pay? You can pay by cash, credit cards or debit (only Visa, MasterCard and American Express) at the UDF counters outside the terminal. If you are paying by cash, we would advise you to have the exact change ready.
Will it take time? While the airport has made provisions to provide enough counters, it may take up to 10 minutes during peak hours - from 6am to 10am and 5:30pm to 8:30pm. While at other times, it may take no more than 3 to 4 minutes.
But why is this extra amount being charged? The UDF of Rs 260 has been approved by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. This amount will be used for the development and maintenance of this state of the art airport and to provide other services and amenities.

For any other information, you can contact the Bengaluru International Airport at 080 - 66782251 or 666782255 or visit their website: http://www.bengaluruairport.com/.

Hello Kaun? Pehchaan Kaun!

Being the pioneers in original comedy concepts and after the grand success of "The Great Indian Laughter Challenge", Star One has come back with a new show "Hello Kaun Pehchaan Kaun". This show is the hunt for India’s best mimic. The show is looking for celebrity impersonators – mimics who can walk the walk and talk the talk of a celebrity. Contestants will be judged on the basis of Likeness Quotient:

• How closely does the contestant resemble the celebrity?


• Voice Similarity – does the contestant sound like the original?


• Entertainment quotient – how entertaining is the act?
  

Star One is on the look out for celebrity impersonators who look, talk, walk and come across like the original celebrity or their on screen characters. (Mimics are those who can impersonate one or multiple characters but may notnecessarily look the part). The Categories of contestants are Actors, Singers and Public Figures. The best impersonator will be found through a rigorous search over 4 levels - prelims, quarter finals, semi finals and the grand finale. So sit back and be ready to face the best fakes all across the country only on Star One.

The show is hosted by none other than Pechaan Kaun (Naveen Prabhakar) and Aishwariya. The judges for this show are Chunky Panday and Suresh Menon. The contestant's profiles are available on the website too. Put a reminder and sit back n enjoy the show on every Saturday at 9pm on Star One channel. The show also repeats on Star TV channel.

Google India - Internet Bus Project

As part of its initiatives to spread awareness about Internet, Google India announced the launch of mobile Internet bus to provide the experience of worldwide web to people across Tamil Nadu.

The bus project is based on four themes - information, communication, entertainment and education, and it would have useful and informative content in English and Tamil, Google India (Research and Development) Centre Head Prasad Ram told reporters in Chennai.

The bus is designed to make a simple introduction to the Internet for a new user. With a focus on the four themes of education, information, communication, and entertainment, the Internet Bus will be loaded with useful and informative content in English and Tamil. Google will showcase how the Internet can make everyday life simple through services like search, email, social networking, maps and others.

Links:

Google Internet Bus Project Official Site

Google Internet Bus Pictures

Google Earth reaches the Ocean and Mars!

Google Earth new version 5.0 (beta) supports to view the Ocean. The Ocean floor and surface data is provided from Marine Experts. Starting from this version, Google have a much more detailed bathymetric map (the ocean floor), so you can actually drop below the surface and explore the nooks and crannies of the seafloor in 3D. While you're there you can explore thousands of data points including videos and images of ocean life, details on the best surf spots, logs of real ocean expeditions, and much more. You can fly under the surface of oceans and explore underwater terrain, such as the the Davidson Seamount. To view the surface of oceans, click View -> Water surface. To view relevant points of interest, in the Layers panel, check Ocean. You can mark locations under these water surfaces using placemarks. This version also provides the view of red planet - "Mars".

Links:

Google Earth Team Blog

Google Official Blog

Google Earth User Guide

Google Earth Viewing Sky