Bandwidth Wastage is Energy Wastage

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The Internet is plagued by Spam and now Bacn. This has an impact on the Internet and Energy consumption that we have so far not paid attention to.

Expression on the Internet

The Internet today is a distributed medium enabling free expression worldwide. Freedom of Expression is under threat by measures of Censorship initiated across Nations.

Quoting William Blake, "Everything that lives, Lives not alone, nor for itself." Humans like to express opinions to others. If we observe or listen, we may respond at least in thought. Communication is also an essential means for survival. Hence, increasing the number of media of expression is to our advantage. Erroneous content and falsified content also exists within media.

Nothing we see, hear or experience is verified individually or by groups. Verification is the realm of "Scientific Method." Objectionable material, to individuals [breaching privacy] has existed for long. What is Gossip, if not privacy intrusion? Erroneous and Objectionable material is found in all media.

Creation of the free world began with tolerance and permissiveness of expression. The Renaissance was rebirth of freedom of expression. It spread across the world during an era of trade and colonialism. The Individual became more magnified in society than ever before after renaissance brought more freedom of expression. Freedom to elect governance, gender freedom, educational freedom followed and are still in a stage of growth.

Acer Iconia Tab A200 Review

Without a 3G/GPRS, and only WiFi connectivity, it seems ideally suited for environments like schools and colleges. It is pricey, but it is feature rich in every aspect.

It has no more than what it takes to have a tablet that is purely WiFi, doesn't need operator tethering and is by far one of the best Android devices ever. Better yet, there is a rumor that Ice Cream Sandwich will ship or be provided as immediate updates to those who go for it.

The price point and the features (considering the lack of the phone) make it very attractive.

Tablet Review [Template designed by "Sunil Beta", Sources: mobilecruze.net and lots more.]

With multi-touch enabled they could have experimented with a Stylus, though it isn't too common. This is fully Google App Market compatible.

For a Higher Resolution version, you should just [ Click Here. ]

A message to Advocates against Corruption

(corruption index from 2010 ref: infographicsinsights.com)

It is true that corruption, bribes and inefficient governance have been the bane of India as it transitioned to a Republic. In the last five decades of independence, our growth has been stalled, primarily due to several internal factors. Corruption - the illegal use of office to build one's own wealth or empower the treasury is deeply rooted in history.

So here are some quotes on 'Governance' from the Arthashastra, written by Kautilya (translated, edited, published by L N Rangarajan {pp. 269 - 274} ) with the original written work dating to 150 CE, related to the Mauryan empire (c. 321 BCE - 185 BCE ). This work differs from an earlier translation by Kangle, which is more literal and does not attempt to add context to pronouns. Chanakyan, was synonymously used later with Machiavellian originally. This alternate name was born much later according to research. It is generally presumed that Kautilya and Chanakya are aliases.

Here are some sections, cut from the book for the enlightenment of the Reader.

"Special Levies, Taxes and Collections"

A King, who finds himself in great financial difficulty, may collect [additional] revenue [using the methods described below]. {5.2.1}

INTRODUCE SPECIAL LEVIES
 

On Farmers - usually requiring them to pay a third of their produce as tax or a varied proportion as the King may decree.

Force Compulsory Purchase - making the Government earn money on what the people may not want to buy especially in terms of food grains.

Levies on Merchants, Craftsmen and Professionals - Actors, Courtesans - 50% of their revenue, Fixed levies on Precious Gems, Precious Metals, other Liquids and Metals, Traders, Commodities like wood. 

Levies on Livestock Owners - for Cows, 10%, Small Animals, 16%, Cocks and Pigeons 50%

Miscellaneous - Prostitution being legal, Brothel owners shall on command of the King, send the youngest and most beautiful to collect additional revenue*.

Voluntary Contributions - All the Wealthy shall give as much of their wealth as feasible as the King demands.

Tablet Renaissance - 11 Items to Check

Tablet computing is reaching a vortex with Consumer Electronics vendors, pushing them into the market more enthusiastically than ever. The concept of the Tablet was tried more than once earlier (termed Tablet/PC), deriving designs from the Laptop/PC. Those attempts had mixed results, but no roaring successes. The HP Tablet/PC image on the right is sweet memory of what looked like an oversized Compaq/HP/iPaq. With new Mobile Microprocessors, the advent of platforms like Android, the game has undoubtedly changed. The Laptop/PC itself has evolved into the more portable and light-weight Netbook. We would quickly associate the term "tablet" to Apple's much hyped iPad.

Yet, will people take to using tablets? Practical usability of Tablets would depend on

1. Size, form factor of the Tablet
   
2. Interface usability - display readability, touch screens, keypads, voice recognition
3. Weight of the Tablet (People hate lugging heavy slates.)
4. Battery Life (surviving longer without a recharge.)
   
5. Connectivity options (3G, WiFi, WiMax, USB, ethernet ...)
6. Memory Storage (Internal Storage, Expansion Options, Maximum Limits)
   
7. Application availability (Application stores, reasonable variety of options.)
   
8. Utility and Productivity value (Business and Entertainment use.)
   
9. Freedom to customize, theme and personalize
10. Availability of Accessories (Docks, Sleeves)
11. After Sales Support and Services!
    

As the market is highly nascent, 'size' is something that has not crystallised yet. Devices with display sizes varying from 5" to 11", with/without keypads or touchpads are available. The popularity of the Amazon Kindle (as an eBook reader) seemed to have triggered a Domino effect in creation and commercialisation of Tablets. Comparisons and theories on whether Apple iPad started the Tablet craze or the eBook readers did are abundant.

I find the form factor of tablets, a little heavier to carry around; while my laptop is still remains indispensable for my work. Screen size definitely improves readability, and the iPad probably got it just right in terms of readability.

I do find the tablet useful for

1. Quick information lookup and search
2. Updating a microblog
3. Checking email
4. Reading documents, eBooks
5. Getting Navigation Assistance
6. Testing out mobile applications
7. An alternative when I cannot carry my Laptop

I still find a few issues that would have to be sorted out, as the devices become more commonly used:

• Charger compatibility and standardisation
• Video output for quick use as a presentation tool
• Easy solutions to carry a Tablet
• Information security and privacy concerns
• Seamless and dynamic network connectivity/migration
• Pricing of Tablets, upgrades and accessories is yet to settle down
• Dependence on the "Cloud Infrastructure" is heavy, but is Cloud infrastructure failsafe?

Solutions do exist for the items I have listed, but they still remain open in search of better solutions. The Tablets overlap an application space taken up by smartphones, and once served by the PDA. Their advent in the markets is more an evolution of the PDA (into the Smartphone, and now the Tablet.) Players who were successful earlier, like "Palm" have found it difficult to keep up with the momentum of the smartphone era. Players who have succeeded in the Smartphone era like "Research In Motion" (RIM) are worried about their survival in the upcoming Tablet era. New entrants come in with lots of innovations. The "Notion Ink", for example, (image, left) on one variant claims 15 hours of battery life. Will such claims hold when the devices are put to real use?