Author: The Metrognome

Categories
Tech

Two new APUs by AMD

We preview two new APUs launched recently by AMD for the Indian market, and what their specs and features mean.
by Manik Kakra

AMD has launched two new Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) for Indian costumers. Both – Mainstream APU, Elite APU and Elite Performance – are quad-core (or dual-core in Lenovo G505some cases) x86 SoCs.

Coming to the 2013 Elite Mobility (also known as Temash), it’s a 28nm SoC — dual-core A4, quad-core A6, which is mainly designed for tablets and hybrids. Concentrating on the graphical side, this chipset has got AMD’s Radeon 8000 Series graphics, which, as per the company, gives five times of better GPU performance than its competition. For consumers, this chipset is for Windows laptops, tablets, and hybrids which have full HD (1080p) screens. From the battery point of view, Temash could provide twelve hours of battery life, and that’s what OEM heads confirmed to us. What’s more, AMD says this SoC is ready to be used with laptops running Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Blue OS.

The 2013 AMD Mainstream APU (Kabini) is targeted at low-end, small-form tablets and notebooks. Here, the focus is more on decent performance within a small budget. Having dual-core and quad-core options, this SoC is already used in touch notebooks. Promising 33 per cent better peformance from what the competition provides in this segment, the Maintream APU also claims to give 11 hours of average battery life on your Windows device.

The 2013 Elite Performance is the company’s top-of-the-line product that provides best computing and graphical performance from them. Talking about its power efficiency, the company claims it should give you a battery life of 13 hours on a full single charge, and about 40% better gaming performance that what the competition has got.

Here’s a list of some of the laptops, with their configuration in brief, showcased at the event:

HP TouchSmart 11– HP Touchsmart 11 – APU A4-1250, Radeon HD 8210, 4 GB RAM, 11.6-inch touchscreen, Windows 8

– HP 1000 – APU E1, Radeon HD 7310, 14.1-inch screen, 2 GB RAM, 500 GB hard disk, Windows 8

– ASUS X552 – APU E1-2100, Radeon HD 8210, 15.6-inch screen, 2 GB RAM, 500 GB hard disk, DOS

– ASUS X102 – APU A4-1200, Radeon 8180G, 10.1-inch touchscreen, 2 GB RAM, 500 GB hard disk, Windows 8

– Lenovo G505 – APU E1-2100, Radeon HD 8210, 15.6-inch screen, 2 GB RAM, 500 GB hard disk DOS

– Acer Aspire – E1-522 – APUA4-5000, Radeon HD 8330, 15.6-inch screen, 2 GB RAM, 500 GB hard disk, DOS

Looking at AMD India’s effort in the last two years, the company seems to be making a lot of progress, and these new offerings in the market could well give them even more loyal buyers.

Categories
Campaign

Observing World Alzheimer’s Day in Mumbai

Two Mumbai-based NGOs and a college held events for senior citizens at Borivli and Malad on Saturday. Here’s a roundup.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

If more opportunities are provided for senior citizens to not just meet others of their age group, but also those much younger than them, the results can be electric.

This was amply demonstrated in Borivli and Malad on Saturday, September 21, as the Silver Innings Foundation and the Mumbai Chapter of the ARDSI held interactive events and talks for senior citizens at Nani Nani Park, Borivli, and St Thomas Orthodox Church, Malad. Over 450 elders participated in both events, and responded warmly and positively to the informative talks, street plays by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) students, memory checkup sessions and the final laughter therapy session. “More than 50 per cent of the attendees were women,” said Sailesh Mishra of Silver Innings. “We even had brain games for them. Overall, both sessions were about 1.5 hours long.”

He added that the key collaborators on the events – Pushpa Ma Foundation and the Church – were excellent partners to have for the project. “The community, especially the church support for such awareness [of Alzheimer’s and dementia] will make a huge impact,” Sailesh explained. “More such spiritual organisations should be involved in India for creating awareness of social issues. It becomes easier for outreach.”

See pics of the events below:

The Metrognome has partnered with Silver Innings and ARDSI for Alzheimer’s Awareness month for all of September 2013. If you want to share information, event details or a personal anecdote related to dementia and Alzheimer’s, please send it to us at editor@themetrognome.in and we will feature it.

Categories
Overdose

Metro pe mat ro

Should we keep wondering when the Mumbai Metro will commence? Or should we give it up as a bad dream?
Jatin Sharmaby Jatin Sharma

I have wasted months of my life navigating traffic in this city. So have most of you.

It’s quite difficult to dream in a city that never sleeps. Mumbai has been time and again quoted as the city that never sleeps (although Dhoble made it turn in early and sleep). And dreaming in this city is a luxury that only the elite can afford. Most dreams that even Average Joes have in our films – the dream for a house in a posh locality, a swanky car (never mind the potholes), school admission in high profile schools, travelling to work hassle-free – have all become impossible dreams for most of us.

But one dream we dreamed a few years ago belonged to us and us alone. The Metro Project commenced in Mumbai in February 2008, with the promise that a commute of 90 minutes would be reduced to a mere 20 minutes for all of us. For the first time, we began to see that the city would soon look and behave like a bustling city should look and behave like. We waited with bated breath as the project progressed and years passed, dreaming of the time we would reach work quickly and be home as quickly to spend time with our families each evening.

But the dream is in tatters today, with no light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Where is the Metro? Is it near completion? What does it speak of us as a city, the financial capital of India, that we still don’t have a Metro?

To put the delay in perspective, consider this: the Bengaluru Metro (namma Metro) too started work at about the same time as the Mumbai Metro, and even after a delay of 19 months, it started running in October 2011. Jaipur city had its trial run in a record two years, nine months and their Metro will be operational by March 2013. Delhi, of course, has its own Metro.

Yes, there was a trial run for the Metro in Mumbai. But for those who are hopeful of the Metro’s commencement based on this trial run, let me tell you that it was an eyewash. Do you Mumbai Metroknow that that trial run happened without a railway safety certificate? No no, please don’t go looking for a wall to bang your head on. You can do that post you read this: Mumbai Metro started with a project of Rs. 2,356 crore, and now the estimated project cost has gone up to Rs. 4,321 crore. Now you can go looking for that wall.

All the delays first happened because several approvals and clearances were not in place. What is surprising is that the most beautiful dream of Mumbai has been delayed because there were certain unmapped utilities that were found underground. Although Mumbai has been known to have unmapped utilities, I am sure this isn’t the only city in the country to have those. The whole idea of the Metro was to ease congestion, but by the time it is truly operational, its presence would make no difference because the city would have grown manifold. Even now there are a number of offices and projects mushrooming around the Metro stages, with estate brokers telling clients, “The Metro is coming up, you better buy it now or the prices will touch the sky.”

Meanwhile, we sit and watch the work not in progress. These delays are costing us our money. My issue with the whole Metro fiasco is, that more often than not, the best technology is employed on projects here, and that is nothing less than we deserve. So what’s the problem? I was amazed when a staircase of the Metro gave way and killed a construction worker, and even that was not a big deal. Nothing connected to the Metro seems serious now, for a project that has been going its own way from the start. All most of us can see by way of the fabled Metro are concrete pillars over which, some day, the trains will run.

CM flags off MetroThe only promptness we’ve seen on the Metro comes from politicians who periodically announce that the Metro would be operational this May 1 or August 15 or January 26 – they are really particular about these dates, like it’s some movie release. And as these dates do the rounds, we look up and see these pillars alone. So what is it? Is this project no longer relevant to the Government or are the end users not relevant? Come on, tell us. After being caught in massive traffic snarls over a project that is still not operational, we can take it.

Jatin Sharma is a media professional who doesn’t want to grow up, because if he grows up, he will be like everybody else.

(Pictures courtesy www.deccanchronicle.com, www.mumbai-metro.com, www.thehindubusinessline.com)

Categories
Campaign

Fun and learning with senior citizens

The city-based NGO Silver Innings Foundation organised events for senior citizens at the YWCA yesterday. Here are some event snapshots.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The Silver Innings Foundation, which works in the field of elder care, counselling and assisted living for senior citizens, among other things, yesterday organised a series of activities for elders at the YWCA, Andheri. A few students from Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work  also participated in the events.

The Foundation’s events were a good success, with about 50 elders participating. Says Sailesh Mishra, Founder President, Silver Innings, “We did a street play, then an interactive PPT talk. We also conducted a memory checkup and held memory games and exercise for the elders. There was also a sharing session by family care givers, and the best part was the dance in which everybody took part!”

See pics of the events below:

The Metrognome is committed to the cause of Alzheimer’s and dementia awareness in India. If you have an experience or information to share on Alzheimer’s or dementia, do write to us at editor@themetrognome.in and we will feature your story.

 (Pictures courtesy Silver Innings Foundation)

Categories
Enough said

Why the silence on ‘those’ rapes?

Several women were reportedly raped and molested during the recent Muzaffarnagar riots in UP. Why is nobody talking about them?
Humra Quraishiby Humra Quraishi

Last week saw two crucial announcements taking place – one, death for the four Delhi rapists of Nirbhaya, and two, the official appointment of Narendra Modi as the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate for the General Elections next year.

Both these announcements put to mind a certain fact – hundreds of women were raped in the 2002 Gujarat pogrom, and more recently, there were reports of rape and sexual harassment of women from the ‘weaker sections’ during the Muzaffarnagar riots.

I cannot fathom the silence about these atrocities. Why were these victims not allowed to lodge formal complaints? Who are these rapists? Why are there no arrests? Why were no death sentences passed against them? Why are the criminals allowed to go untouched, or even allowed to escape?

What is the establishment saying: that rapes taking place during a pogrom or a communal riot can be forgotten or bypassed? That they are modi not important enough to merit investigation? Except for certain sections of the national media, not one political party in the country has spoken about this extremely disturbing news; that women were harassed and raped and molested during the recent rioting in West Uttar Pradesh. And that they and their families have not dared to file a formal complaint, perhaps out of fear of the aftermath.

So many women sit bruised and broken…

It is this acceptance of such grave injustice that worries me the most. And it has been happening right from the 2002 pogrom. I have been meeting Muslims affected in Gujarat on and off since 2002, and they have been saying over and over that they have learnt to live like second class citizens, with third class living conditions. They dare not speak out against the powers that be, for that could mean doom. If they have to survive, they have no choice but be silent spectators to their own pain and humiliation.

Some of them, I fear, could even be lured towards Modi’s political party, a party that wears a multitude of masks! The BJP is a party that believes in multiplying through an array of shrewd strategies amidst a conspiracy of silence and clever attacks.

Even more worrying is the feeling of doom in the air…much before the elections of 2014 come about, there have been very worrying developments in the country. A very militant sort of communalism is rearing its ugly head bit by bit. Are we to sit and quietly await developments, even as injustices are meted out every day?

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

(Pictures courtesy daily.bhaskar.com, www.sandeepweb.com)

Categories
Beauty

Must-haves for hair and skin

Here’s presenting a list of some mandatory hair and skin essentials that you must include in your daily beauty regime.
by Deepa Mistry

Do you tend to forget about taking care of your skin and hair, in the chaos of your busy life? Just a little extra care and planning will help you maintain healthy hair and skin every day. To help you make it easy, we bring you a basic beauty essentials checklist that you can refer to on a day-to-day basis.

For the skin:

aloe vera gelAloe gel: Aloe vera has massive amounts of beneficial properties, and has been used over the years for healing skin allergies, hair problems, insect bites etc. Aloe gel helps soothe pain and rejuvenate skin cells. Aloe vera gel can be used directly or combined with your skin cream for smooth and moisturised skin. Aloe gel applied for 20 minutes on the scalp helps reduce dryness and itchiness in your hair, giving you silky hair after each wash.

Moisturiser:  Even though Mumbai weather is humid, we tend to avoid applying moisturiser as it makes skin oily. But skipping the moisturiser dehydrates the skin. A good amount of moisturiser used on a daily basis is very essential as it will revive dry and dull skin. Apply a deep-hydrating moisturiser every night before going to bed. During the day, apply a light moisturiser before sunscreen if you have dry skin.

Sunscreen: No matter what the weather, exposure to the sun is common while outdoor. Sunscreen is a must every day, use sunscreen with minimum SPF of 30 and remember to reapply every three hours.

Lip balms: A must-have for every girl. A good lip balm is the best solution for chapped lips; also add a subtle lip gloss for shine and whichlip balm will help the balm stay on longer and more effectively. You should ideally opt for one with a mild SPF to protect lips from harmful UV rays that may tan your lips.

Wet wipes: Most of us are outdoors in the day. Our skin tends to pick up a lot of dust and grime. A pack of wet wipes is the handiest tool for each one to cleanse the face from time to time. These days, wet wipes come with various properties like cooling, moisturising, deep-cleansing, make-up removing etc. Pick the best suited to your need and skin type.

For hair:

Shampoo and conditioner suitable for the weather: Weather change can wreak havoc on your hair, which none of us would like, so ditch your regular brand and go with a shampoo and conditioner that best suits your hair in that particular weather.

hair careStyling products: We would insist on using as little hair styling products as possible, as they damage your hair a lot. But there are times when you might have to style your hair for a party or a wedding, or may be your latest funky hair cut requires daily styling. At such times, use products with mild chemicals. If you intend to blow dry or iron your hair, make sure you apply a hot styling product for heat protection, extra smoothness and shine.

Hair serum: A lightweight serum will help you maintain shine and control frizz. The second advantage is, it can also double up as a leave-in conditioner. Use a dollop twice a week on either dry or wet hair to maintain those beautiful locks.

Do you have a beauty tip to share, or a question to ask? Ask your question in the comments section below or write to editor@themetrognome.in and Deepa will answer it for you.

(Pictures courtesy aloeveraforliving.com, beautybeaucoup.blogspot.com, www.virginhairseduction.com, doctor.ndtv.com)

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