King of Pop Michael Jackson dies.

Reuters

Michael Jackson, the child star turned King of Pop who set the world dancing but whose musical genius was overshadowed by a bizarre lifestyle and sex scandals, died on Thursday. He was 50.

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009^[2]) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Referred to as the "King of Pop" in subsequent years, five of his solo studio albums are among the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).

May he be resting in Peace.

MAYTAS 'DEAL': Satyam told to provide details of board meet

The Ministry of Company Affairs (MCA) has given Satyam Computer Services a week’s time to provide all the information on the December 16 board meeting that took a resolution to buy Maytas Properties and Maytas Infra for $1.6 billion. 

Though the proposed deal was called off within hours after it was announced, it raised concerns of corporate governance, attracting the attention of the Union Government. 

The MCA directed the RoC office in Andhra Pradesh to carry out the probe. Sources told Business Line that the office sent an order to Satyam’s corporate office on Monday (December 22), seeking the complete information on the board meeting. The RoC report will be ready by January 10. 

Interestingly, the purview of Registrar of Companies (RoC, Ministry of Company Affairs) generally doesn’t include issues related to board meetings and resolutions the boards pass. Companies are required to submit this information to SEBI and not to the RoC, which mandates corporates to submit only periodic financial announcements. 

But the RoC has reportedly invoked a Section in the Companies Act that it does not exercise often. The Section 234 gives the RoC power “to call for information or explanation” he thinks required for the probe. 

The MCA hopes that the company would respond to help the smooth conduct of the probe. 

Meanwhile, a Satyam spokesperson told Business Line that the company had received the RoC notice. “We have received it as expected. We will respond to it as required,” the spokesperson said. 

The MCA order is learnt to have called for information on Sections 372A, 299, 300, 301 and 108A of the Companies Act. These sections look into whether companies followed good corporate governance practices while taking important decisions. 

“When they take a decision to invest, they have to follow certain procedures. Whether they conformed to these sections is the crux of the issue. The RoC would look into whether the Satyam board complied with these Sections,” sources said. 

“It can’t take a decision that goes against public policy and shareholders’ interest,” they said.

Source: The Hindi Business Line

Designer hopes to plug into intelligent fashion!

By Claudia Gaillard

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Tired of running out of batteries and having to find a socket to charge your cell phone or iPod? An Argentine fashion designer may have the answer: a timeless jacket with a built-in solar panel.

Julieta Gayoso's line of "intelligent" clothing acknowledges technology's constant presence in the modern world and the annoyance caused by dead batteries.

"Today, technology is more and more mobile. It has the freedom of wireless connection, but when batteries run out you have to plug into the grid. So this is a way to have mobile energy and, of course, it's clean," Gayoso, 36, told Reuters Television earlier this week.

Enter Gayoso's innovative solar-panel jacket. A cable runs from the panel to a battery in the inside pocket where up to eight electronic devices can be recharged at the same time whenever there is sunshine.

That's not all Gayoso has come up with. Her Indarra.dtx (http://www.indarradtx.com) clothing line includes pants and jackets with wireless control devices that let users skip songs or pump up the volume with their MP3 players stowed safely at the bottom of a backpack.

It may sound gimmicky, but her clothes are not futuristic catwalk creations. They are deliberately classic in style -- utilitarian garments built to be worn over time.

"We're focusing on products that are not seasonal, that can be used during the winter, during the summer," she said. "It's a classic style. The pants aren't too tight or baggy, but made so you want to wear them for years."

Gayoso started the project in late 2006 and launched the first line of clothing earlier this year.

She is now working on a second collection and hopes to export next year.

(Writing by Brian Hagenbuch)

Clint Eastwood give up acting? Don't count on it!!

By Michelle Nichols

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Clint Eastwood spends more time behind the camera these days directing films. But anyone who believed him a few years ago when he said he had given up on acting, can think again. Clint has changed his mind.

The Academy Award-winning director, who was promoting his latest film "Changeling" at the New York Film Festival on Thursday, began acting more than 50 years ago and gained fame playing tough-minded cowboys and cops.

But in recent years, the 78 year-old Eastwood has perfected his skills as a director, winning Oscars for directing "Unforgiven" and "Million Dollar Baby" and earning nominations for "Mystic River" and "Letters from Iwo Jima."

Yet, Eastwood said that despite past declarations against returning to acting, if he likes a role, he will gladly act again. In fact, he has a new film, "Gran Torino," coming out in a couple of months in which he does just that.

"Since this picture ('Changeling') was completed this year I have done another film in which I have performed, even though I said I wasn't going to do that anymore," Eastwood told reporters.

"I think I started saying that back a few years ago, I said 'I don't think I'll act anymore, I'll stay behind the camera'" and then 'Million Dollar Baby' came along and I liked that role," he said. "Now I've done 'Gran Torino'."

It is his first acting role since 2004's "Million Dollar Baby," but the Hollywood veteran joked that after directing several young actors in "Changeling," maybe he should go ahead and quit acting -- again.

"I'm always amazed at how good some of them are at such young ages because it took me forever to learn how to say my own name," he said.

"It's a great thing, that's one of the reasons why, in my senior years I do this sort of thing, I stay behind the camera and let the young people out there jump and run," he said.

"Changeling" is a gripping 1920s drama based on the true story of a woman whose search for her missing son forced her to confront the Los Angeles police and a serial child killer.

The film is due for release in the United States on October 31, after a world premiere at May's Cannes film festival that drew mostly good reviews. The movie debuts at the start of Hollywood's award season, and industry watchers are wondering if it will bring Oscar directing nomination No. 5 to Eastwood.

But if not, there's always "Gran Torino," which Eastwood not only stars in, but directs. He portrays a Korean war veteran forced by his immigrant neighbors to confront his racial prejudices after his Gran Torino car is stolen.

That movie reaches theaters in December and for Oscar watchers who follow the race, Eastwood's backers at Warner Bros. have a history releasing his movies late that month in time to qualify for the Oscar race.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

User interface design!

User interface design or user interface engineering is the design of computers, gadgets, appliances, machines, mobile communication devices, software applications, and websites with the focus on the user's experience and interaction.

Unlike traditional design where the goal is to make the object or application physically attractive, the goal of user interface design is to make the user's interaction experience as simple and intuitive as possible - what is often called user-centered design.
Where good graphic/industrial design is bold and eye catching, good user interface design is often subtle and invisible..

Cancer Doctor Issues a Warning About Cell Phones, and Causes Panic!

The director of a cancer research center in Pittsburgh issued a surprising warning to his staff yesterday, advising them to avoid using cell phones as much as possible, because of the possible risk of brain cancer. The memo was promptly leaked to the media, igniting a firestorm of debate over whether the ubiquitous devices are dangerous.

The claim from the Pittsburgh researcher, Ronald Herberman, was particularly unexpected because numerous academic studies have found no connection between cell phone use and the risk of brain tumors. But Herberman says he’s basing his alarm on early unpublished data. He says it takes too long to get answers from science and he believes people should take action now — especially when it comes to children. “Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn’t wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later,” Herberman said [AP].

The focus of debate is the small amount of electromagnetic radiation that cell phones emit. Some researchers argue that chronic exposure to this radiation may raise cancer risk, perhaps by heating brain tissue or damaging DNA. Many researchers worry about children’s exposure, because their skulls are thinner and their brains are still developing [Baltimore Sun].

But so far, large-scale studies have found no evidence to support this theory. An analysis by the University of Utah this year of thousands of brain tumour patients found no increased risk as a result of [cell phone] use, but added that the effects from long-term use “awaits confirmation by future studies”…. Recent Danish and French studies also found no increased risk of cancer [BBC News]. Still, people who wish to err on the side of caution can follow simple steps to minimize their exposure to cell phones’ electromagnetic radiation, like using a wireless headset and making longer phone calls from a landline.

“Why People Aren’t Hiring You Right Away”

Back in the ‘80s Tavares sang a song called, “It Only Takes a Minute, Girl.” (I’m dating myself here, but somebody’s gotta do it.)

Accustomed as we are to the speed and convenience of the Web, that seems to be the theme song for the vast majority of entrepreneurs these days when it comes to acquiring new clients.

Fast food, high speed internet, purchase decisions - We want it all to happen right now, in a minute.

When clients come to me for help with their Irresistible Free Taste (you know, the freebie I keep telling you to have on your website so you can collect visitors’ contact information), I always ask them what their top two goals are for the project.

Invariably I hear some version of “I want them to download the article (or audio) and then hire me.”

As Master Po told Caine in the 1970s TV series Kung Fu (my goodness, there she goes with the ancient history again!), “Patience, Grasshopper.”

I’d like to share a bit of wisdom with you today - Remember that leads often aren’t “sales ready” right at that moment.

That’s why we call them “potential” clients.

Your job at this point is to be welcoming, helpful, and patient. You need to create a sense of rapport so they feel connected to you. To do that it’s important to be both curious (about their situation and the challenges they’re facing) and informative (about how they can solve those problems, possibly with your help).

The other unpleasant aspect of wanting clients to hire us right now is that it often springs from a sense of lack. The resulting anxiety is not especially attractive. Clients can smell desperation a mile away – and they tend to steer clear of it.

If you stop expecting that one exposure to your brilliance is going to turn every prospect into a raving (and paying) fan, you’ll take the pressure off both of you. Embrace the mantra, “Everything in its own good time.”

In my experience, education is the foundation of quality marketing. And most learning happens over time, not in one sitting. Don’t worry that you’ll run out of things to share. You have a lot to offer. And they have a lot to learn!

You don't need a big budget, but you do need to be willing to learn as much as you can about your clients and your field of expertise. And you need a desire to share what you've learned with others.