After challenging rounds of nation-wide competition, Kshitij Bansal from Apeejay School, Noida; Prateek Karandikar from Mother's International, Delhi; Harpreet Singh also from Apeejay School, Noida; and Swarun Kumar from P S Senior Secondary School, Chennai, were selected to represent India at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI).

The wonder kids names' were announced at a function of Indian National Olympiad in Informatics, 2006 (INOI-2006) held at the premises of Sasken Communication Technologies, an embedded telecom solutions company.

SOURCE: HERE
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Half Life was perfection personified; a benchmark for excellence in gaming. The sequel to Half Life was long awaited, six years to be precise; it lived up to everyone's expectations and beyond. The announcement for another Half Life sequel received some very positive response and raised expectations. Here is my take on the game.

A Splendid Short Life
Episode one is the perfect sequel, it cuts the chase and jumps right into action. The game carries itself to a very engaging scenario right from the start. The game starts with Dog and Alyx looking for you, Gordon Freeman. As they dig you out of the rubble, the story unfolds. Alyx and you have to enter the Citadel and take care of some business, what that is, you have to play the game to find out.

The game has a very Hollywoodish feel to it; it has the intensity of a hardcore action flick. There are explosions and gun fights that can put a Michael Bay film to shame. Everyone loved Half Life, and just when you conclude that it can't get any better, Episode one steals the show. You start without any weapons, just your trusted "Gravity Gun." You use the gravity gun for moving objects and clearing paths, as Alyx and you move towards your objective. A few minutes into the action and your gravity gun is supercharged, as it was in Dr Breen's portal. From then on, the charging combine are a piece of cake to handle. The combine attack you at regular intervals, in large numbers.

But the gravity gun treats them like toy soldiers; they don't pose much threat, if you know your gravity gun. The initial levels are a good mix. The game avoids any monotonous play, with a perfect balance of puzzles and combat. This isn't another bland FPS with mindless killings involved, this is an intelligent game. The initial puzzles are in the form of activating a few nodes, although there are quite a few nodes to activate, it never feels repetitive. One particular level is well planned. It starts with Alyx and you on a lift, as the lift descends, huge pile of rubble starts falling from above. The only way to survive it is using your gravity gun. It's then that you realize that Alyx makes a great partner. She assists you on spotting the rubble and avoiding a calamity. Alyx is very impressive; her intellect and resourcefulness are a driving force in the team.

The only major issue with Episode one is the fact that this is a 5-6 hour gameplay only. As most would know this is a part of Valve's "Episodic Content". Every few months there will be a new episode out, so that the gamer doesn't have to wait for years to play his favorite franchise. It was made clear from the start that the game will be short, but 5 hours seem too short.

Half-Life 2 Episode 1

by on 9:48:00 PM
Half Life was perfection personified; a benchmark for excellence in gaming. The sequel to Half Life was long awaited, six years to be precis...
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Fed raises the interest rate by 25 bps
US Fed has increased its short term interest rate (fed rate) by 25 bps. The Fed also said in its statement that any additional firming if required would depend on the future economic data. The statement, less hawkish then the earlier ones as it seems, was taken positively by the markets & the US Fed future rate for the month of September 2006 declined by 8 bps.

TCS lines up Rs1300 crore capex
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has earmarked a capex of Rs 1,300 crore for the current financial year. The investment plan is a part of the company's target to become a $10 billion company by 2010, mainly through acquisitions & alliances both across India & overseas. The company would also look at acquisitions & strategic alliances, which would enable it to expand capacity & reach international markets. TCS had posted revenues of around $2.1 billion in the last financial year. Out of the total Rs 1,300 crore, Rs 1,000 crore would be utilised for its real estate foray & the balance for information technology-related activities.

ONGC may buy 5% in Rosneft
The Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) may take upto 5% equity in Russian state oil firm, OAO Rosneft, which will be making an initial public offering (IPO), if the Indian company was given a stake in one of the big-ticket oilfields in Far East Russia or Siberia. ONGC Videsh, the overseas arm of ONGC, has told Russian authorities that it may participate in the $11.6 billion IPO provided it gets stake in Sakhalin-3, Vankor or Timano-Pechora oilfields. OVL has got a mandate to scout for oil & gas abroad to meet India's energy security. Earlier, OVL sought stake in OAO Yuganskneftegaz, a unit of Yukos, which was taken over by Rosneft for $9.3 billion in 2004.

ICI India decides to sell surfactant business
ICI India Ltd has approved the sale of the Company's Uniqema Business to the Croda group based in the UK for a total consideration of about Rs260 crore. The sale follows the strategic decision by the ICI PLC announced in February 2006.

Uniqema comprises of the textile chemicals business which recorded a turnover of Rs147 crore for FY2006. A back of the envelope calculation suggests that the sale of the division would reduce the earnings for FY2007 & FY2008 by 20%. However, the sale consideration would add Rs64 per share of cash on books.

BHEL gets Rs220 crore contracts in Afghanistan
State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has bagged two contracts cumulatively worth Rs 220 crore for power projects in Afghanistan. The first contract is from Power Grid Corporation of India for setting up a substation at Kabul. The second project is from Water & Power Consultancy Services for the supply & installation of equipment for 42 MW Salma hydel project. The company's work in the first project includes design, manufacture, supply & commissioning of a 220 KV substation in Kabul. It would also supply turbines & generators for Salma hydroelectric project.

NIIT Limited, improving growth outlook
· NIIT Limited, education & training company of NIIT group, reported 13.1% growth in net revenues to Rs450.7 crore in the fiscal ended March 2006.
· The operating margins improved by 107 basis points to 13.4% on the back of better performance form its individual training business.
· The net profit grew by 14% to Rs23.6 crore. After including the minority share of profits in associate companies ( related to 25% stake in NIIT Tech) the adjusted earnings stood at RS40 crore, up by 12.4% from Rs35.6 crore in FY2005.
· The company is witnessing a strong growth in individual segment & expects a much better growth in FY2007. The margins are also likely to improve due to its focus on high end courses & the declining contribution from the low-margin institutional business.
· At the current price the stock trades at 17x FY2006 earnings & around 14.5x FY2007 estimated earnings. But considering the value of its 25% stake in NIIT Technologies (amounting to around Rs80 per share), the forward valuation stand at around 11.2x its FY2007 earnings.

Praj Ind plans industrial biotech foray
Pune-based Praj Industries Ltd (PIL) is enhancing its R&D capabilities & chalking out a Rs 20-crore expansion plan, including entry into the industrial biotech space. The company's blueprint for R&D expansion is expected to be ready in three months.

The company, which has bagged an order from a US-based group for setting up two corn-based ethanol plants, is simultaneously preparing to meet expected demand from the US & has short-listed some companies in the US/Europe for acquisition. Praj is expanding manufacturing capacities by setting up two additional workshops near the Mumbai port & plans 30% addition to the existing manpower.

GAIL signs MoU with Govt
State gas utility GAIL (India) Ltd has signed an annual performance target Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas for the financial year 2006-07. The company has targeted transmission of 76.67 mscmd (million standard cubic metres per day) of natural gas from domestic sources & through LNG route, which includes gas-marketing target of 69 mscd. The MoU also provides for a production target of 320,000 million tonnes of polymers & about 1.25 million tonnes of liquid hydrocarbons.

Aurobindo gets USFDA nod for Stavudine
Aurobindo Pharma Ltd has announced that it has received tentative approval from the US Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) for Stavudine capsules in 15 mg & 20 mg dosages. This is in addition to the 30 mg & 40 mg capsules already approved in July last year. According to the company, the USFDA tentatively approved the total application covering 15, 20, 30 & 40 mg. Stavudine would now be available for consideration for purchase under the US President's Emergency Programme for AIDS Relief. The company manufactures both active pharmaceutical ingredients & formulation for this generic.

Steel prices set to rise by upto Rs1000
Steel prices are set to rise by Rs500-Rs1000 per tonne from July 1. Steel companies are expected to meet again today to decide on further price hike owing to higher iron ore prices & rise in international prices of steel. Car companies have already said that they would be going for a price hike. Hyundai has already increased the prices last month. Others including Maruti, General Motors, & Toyota are expected to follow suit. Typically, Rs1000 rise in steel prices leads to Rs2000-3000 hike in the car prices.

United Breweries Raises Money to Buy Company
According to media reports, United Breweries Group, India's biggest distiller, has arranged to raise 500 million euros ($635 million) to buy a wine company in Europe. United Breweries will borrow from banks such as Standard Chartered Plc & sell foreign-currency-convertible bonds. The company has short-listed three companies, & will buy one of them soon. The UB Group, which has relied on acquisitions to expand its market share, wants expertise & brands acquired overseas to win more discerning customers at home, where rising disposable incomes have spawned more liquor & beer drinkers. The company has bought three local brewers since August 2000.

Pratibha Syntex plans Rs349 crore expansion
Pithampur-based Pratibha Syntex has lined up Rs 349 crore for expansion that includes setting up a terry towel unit in the Pithampur SEZ with an initial capacity of 12,000 metric tonne per annum.This would be commissioned by October next year. A bulk of this investment will go towards the terry towel project with an outlay of Rs217 crore.

The company plans to raise capital for the expansion by borrowing Rs233 crore through term loans from eight different financial institutions. Remaining Rs 116 crore would be raised through internal accruals & equity.

The company will also invest in a 6-MW captive gas plant (Rs 8 crore) at its Pithampur manufacturing unit, an open ended spinning project (Rs54 crore) & expansion of its knitting, dyeing & garmenting operations (Rs 60 crore).

GM to launch mini car next year
General Motors will launch a mini car in India in the first half of next year, even as it is yet to take a final decision on its second plant. The mini car will be rolled out from our Halol facility & this would get the benefit of excise duty cut. The company will utilise the increased capacity of the plant for the initial roll out of the mini car, which is widely speculated to be the Chevrolet Spark. "By the end of this year, we will touch an overall production capacity of 85,000 units per annum. Our current sales target for the year being 45,000-50,000 units, we will utilise the additional capacity for the small car. The company today launched a sports car, Chevrolet SRV, with price starting from Rs 6.97 lakh ex-showroom in Delhi. Targeted at young professionals, the car is also available with 'option pack' with additional features at a price of Rs 7.51 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Market News

by on 6:47:00 AM
Fed raises the interest rate by 25 bps US Fed has increased its short term interest rate (fed rate) by 25 bps. The Fed also said in its stat...
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BERLIN (AP) -- There's no end to Germany's resourcefulness and tenacity at this World Cup.

The Germans relentlessly wore down Argentina in the quarterfinals Friday, taking advantage of a backup goalkeeper with a late goal to tie the game 1-1 and then winning the penalty-kick shootout 4-2 as Jens Lehmann stopped two shots.

"It's a thriller, like a Hitchcock movie," coach Juergen Klinsmann said. "Obviously you're the happiest person in the world if you win it and the saddest if you lose."

The hosts had seemed headed for a devastating loss, down for the first time in the tournament and frustrated by an Argentina team that dominated possession.

Rather than getting desperate, however, the Germans pressed the attack and fortune turned their way. Argentine goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri was injured in a collision with Germany's Miroslav Klose and replaced by Leonardo Franco, playing only his third national team game and his first minutes in a World Cup.

Nine minutes later, in the 80th minute of the match, Germany captain Michael Ballack lofted a pass into the penalty area and substitute Tim Borowski blindly headed it across the goalmouth. Klose ducked inside Argentina captain Juan Pablo Sorin, dived toward the net and headed it past Franco into the far corner.

After a scoreless extra time, Germany grabbed a spot in the semifinals opposite the Italy-Ukraine winner by dominating the shootout against Franco, who never came close on any of the shots.

So the party heads to Dortmund on Tuesday as the hosts seek their fourth world title. Argentina heads home despite controlling the ball for most of the game.

"It was a very emotional game, worth a quarterfinal," said Argentina coach Jose Pekerman, who resigned afterward. "Argentina played like a favorite, played well, even though they lost."

This was most anticipated match of the World Cup so far, pairing Germany's resurgent offense against the team that had scored two of the most spectacular goals of the tournament. But as classic soccer, it was a major disappointment early -- even the 72,000 fans seemed let down, and the usual fervor was missing.

That changed as the drama built, right into the shootout.


SOURCE: HERE

The Berlin Wall

by on 6:44:00 AM
BERLIN (AP) -- There's no end to Germany's resourcefulness and tenacity at this World Cup. The Germans relentlessly wore down Argent...
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One day a classmate told little Timmy that most adults have at least one dark secret and that they can be easily blackmailed simply by saying, "I know the whole truth." Timmy decided to try it out. He went home and when his mother greeted him, he frowned and said, "I know the whole truth." His mother quickly handed him $20 and said, "Just don't tell your father!" This worked so well for Timmy that he decided to see what he could get from his father. When his father got home, Timmy greeted him at the door and said, "I know the whole truth." His father promptly handed him $50 and said, "Please don't tell your mother!"

Very pleased, Timmy headed out the door to school the next day when he ran into the mailman. He greeted the mailman with his new phrase, "I know the whole truth."

The mailman dropped his mail, opened his arms, and said, "Then come give your daddy a big hug!"

The Dark Secret

by on 6:40:00 AM
One day a classmate told little Timmy that most adults have at least one dark secret and that they can be easily blackmailed simply by sayin...
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Noel Whittaker, financial author and investment advisor rightly said, "Life is full of uncertainties. Future investment earnings and interest and inflation rates are not known to anybody. However, I can guarantee you one thing. Those who put an investment program in place will have a lot more money when they come to retire than those who never get around to it."

Getting rich is not an easy thing. But, it is definitely a simple thing. It just requires 3 things: income, time and discipline. Many of us would be having income and time. All that is required is a pinch of discipline to find the perfect flavour. In this article, we highlight the power of regular investing, which is simple yet has the ingredients to make your investment a healthy outcome.

Compounding: Compounding is a financial phenomenon that makes time and money work in your favor. It is what happens when your investment earnings are added to your principal, forming a larger base on which earnings may accumulate. And as your investment base gets larger, it has the potential to grow faster.

For example, if you had Rs 5,000 in an account that paid 5% annually in simple interest for five years, you'd earn Rs250 a year, for a total of Rs 1, 250 in interest. In this case the interest rate and the yield are the same — 5% per year. But the same Rs 5,000 investment paying 5% interest compounded annually for five years would produce a total of Rs 1, 381.41 in interest. Because you are earning interest on your interest, the yield – an average of 5.52% per year – is higher than the interest rate.

The real magic of investing comes when you combine the power of compounding with continuous and regular investments – in other words, discipline. For example, if you start with a amount of Rs 50,000 and add only Rs 250 per month, you would have Rs 180,000, Rs 525,382 and Rs 1.4 m after 10, 20, and 30 years, respectively. No wonder Albert Einstein said that compounding is the eighth wonder of the world.

Dollar-cost averaging: Dollar cost averaging also known systematic investment (through SIP for mutual fund schemes) is a technique to reduce market risk through the systematic purchase of securities at predetermined intervals and fixed amounts. Instead of investing in a lump sum, the investor works his way by slowly buying smaller amounts over a longer period of time. This spreads the cost over several periods, thus providing insulation against changes in market price.

Let us assume you decide to put Rs 100 every month in an investment that is currently selling for Rs 10 per share (for this hypothetical example, let us assume that there are no additional charges). The first month you invest Rs 100 and receive 10 shares. Now if, in the second month, the market falls and the price drops to Rs 5 per share, your Rs 100 buys you 20 shares. The market rebounds in the following month, the price jumps to Rs 10 per share, and for your Rs 100 investment, you again receive 10 shares.

Benefits of cost averaging
Investment (Rs) Share Price (Rs) Shares acquired
Month 1 100 10 10
Month 2 100 5 20
Month 3 100 10 10
Total 300 25 40
Average cost = Rs 7.5 (300/40)

As you can see from the above table, you now own 40 shares after a total investment of Rs 300. The latest price is Rs 10, but the average cost to you was Rs 7.5. While this is just a short-term example, by being disciplined and remaining with the program is the key to the long-term success of dollar cost averaging.

Sure, investing in the stock market has risks. There is always the chance that the markets will go nowhere for the next 5 or 10 years and you shall end up no better than where you started. But then, discipline is a way not to eliminate risks but to minimise them. Regular investing combined with the power of compounding will help you earn adequate returns on your investment over a long term.
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There once was an oyster whose story I tell,
Who found that some sand had got into his shell.
It was only a grain, but it gave him great pain
For oysters have feelings although they're so plain.

Now, did he berate the harsh workings of fate
that brought him to such a deplorable state?
Did he curse at the government, cry for election,
And claim that the sea should have given him protection?

No- he said to himself as he lay on a shell,
Since I cannot remove it I shall try to improve it.
Now the years have rolled around, as the years always do.
And he came to his ultimate destiny: stew.

And the small grain of sand that had bothered him so
Was a beautiful pearl all richly aglow.
Now the tale has a moral, for isn't it grand
What an oyster can do with a morsel of sand?

What couldn't we do if we'd only begin
with some of the things that get under our skin?

The Oyster

by on 6:30:00 AM
There once was an oyster whose story I tell, Who found that some sand had got into his shell. It was only a grain, but it gave him great pai...
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