Chandrayaan sends first images on way to moon
1:19 AMIndia’s space agency has received the first images taken by one of the key scientific instruments on board the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft on its voyage to the moon.
The indigenously-built Terrain Mapping Camera on Wednesday snapped black-and-white images of Australia’s northern and southern coasts from heights of 9,000 km and 70,000 km, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a statement.
The camera is designed to map the topography of the near and far sides of the moon and prepare a three-dimensional atlas of the lunar surface with a resolution of 5 metres.
“Analysis of the first imagery received by the Indian Deep Space Network at Byalalu and later processed by Indian Space Science Data Centre confirms excellent performance of the camera,” the statement said.
The Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, which was launched on October 22, is being propelled to the moon in a number of stages. In four orbit-raising exercises which involve firing Chandrayaan-1’s onboard motors, ISRO has raised the spacecraft to an orbit whose apogee, or farthest point from the earth, is 2.67 lakh km. Its perigee, or nearest point from earth, is at 465 km.
The fifth firing of the motor on November 3 will push the craft to an apogee of 3.84 lakh km. The moon is at a distance of about 4 lakh km from earth. Eventually, the probe will be placed in a circular orbit 100 km above the lunar surface for the duration of its two-year mission.
“The spacecraft performance is being continuously monitored and is normal,” ISRO said. The Terrain Mapping Camera is one of 11 scientific payloads on the craft. The other four Indian instruments are the Hyper Spectral Imager to gather information about minerals on the moon; the Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument to prepare an elevation map and the High Energy X-ray Spectrometer to identify possible water or ice deposits.
100,000 Sony Batteries Recalled
12:52 AMThe U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the three computer makers announced the worldwide recall Thursday. The action involves 35,000 batteries sold in the United States and an additional 65,000 sold outside the country.
The batteries were sold in the same time frame as Sony notebook batteries involved in a massive recall in 2006. Some of those batteries, which resulted in recalls by Apple, Dell, Lenovo, HP, Toshiba, and Sony, had also overheated and caused fires that resulted in minor injuries.
The latest recall followed at least 19 reports of the batteries overheating, including 17 reports of the batteries sparking fires, according to the CPSC. Ten of the fires resulted in minor property damage, and at least two people suffered minor burns.
The notebooks containing the recalled batteries were sold directly by the computer makers or through computer and electronics stores and Web retailers. The notebooks were sold for between $700 and $3,000. Some of the batteries were also sold separately for between $100 and $160.
In the United States, HP's recall involves a total of 32,000 batteries in three notebooks, the HP Pavilion, models dv1000, dv8000 and zd8000; Compaq Presario, models v2000 and v2400; and the HP Compaq, models nc6110, nc6120, nc6140, nc6220, nc6230, nx4800, nx4820, nx6110, nx6120, and nx9600. The recalled batteries have a bar-code label starting with A0, L0, L1, and GC. HP has set up a Web site for customers to get instructions on replacing the batteries and has also listed a toll-free number, 800-889-2031.
Toshiba has recalled 3,000 batteries in two notebooks, the Satellite, models A70/A75, P30/P5, M30X/M35X, and M50/M55; and the Tecra, models A3, A5, and S2. Toshiba also has a recall Web site and toll-free number, 800-457-7777.
Dell's affected notebooks are the Latitude, model 110L, and Inspiron, models 1100, 1150, 5100, 5150, and 5160. Dell also has set up a customer Web site and toll-free number, 866-342-0011.
The CPSC is advising people to remove recalled batteries from their notebooks immediately and request a free replacement from the computer manufacturer.
Update2: Lankan Tamils block Aegan release
2:19 AMFriday mega movies only on Star Movies
12:12 AMNight at the Museum
Starring Ben Stiller, Robin Williams and Carla Gugino
Directed by Shawn Levy
Good-hearted dreamer Larry Daley (Stiller, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story) may be down on his luck, but he’s sure he's destined for something big. He soon gets his wish when he accepts what appears to be a menial job as a nightshift security guard at New York’s Museum of Natural History.
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During Larry's watch, extraordinary things start to happen. Roman gladiators, historical figures and cowboys come to life and step out from their displays to wage epic battles. As Larry tries to maintain order, a Neanderthal discovers fire, Attila the Hun pillages his neighboring exhibits and a T-Rex reminds everyone why he's history's fiercest predator.
The only person Larry can turn to for advice is President Teddy Roosevelt (Williams, The Final Cut), who helps our hero restore order, stop a nefarious plot, and save the museum.
Raj TV unveils devotional programming for November
12:03 AMOn 4 November Raj TV will beam the ‘Kantha Shashti festival’ live from the Subramanya Swami temple, Thiruchendur.
On 11 November the channel will air live ‘Karthika Deepam’ directly from the lord Shiva Temple in Thiruvannamalai.
During the month, it will also air 20 movies like Indian and Thenali on its afternoon movie band between Monday-Friday.
Doing it the '90s way
11:25 PMWith three days to go in this game and a series to save, Australia can only hope Matthew Hayden and friends don't binge on the prawns as Mike Gatting so famously did back in 1993. In many respects, India once again resemble the side that crushed all-comers during the last decade of the 20th century, and Australia need all hands on deck to avoid a repeat of the thrashing they got at Eden Gardens in 1998.
The only good thing to come out of that four-day debacle was Steve Waugh's involvement with Udayan, but charity will be the last thing on Indian minds when they take the field tomorrow. Already, Zaheer Khan has got disconcerting movement into the left-handers' pads, and a couple of deliveries from Anil Kumble and Amit Mishra spat off the surface from the rough. Hayden and Simon Katich survived 15 overs before stumps, but as the ball softens and the bounce becomes even more uneven, the close-in cordon will be so proximate that mouthwash tips could be exchanged.
The 3-0 annihilation of England 15 years ago established the blueprint for a generation. Once they won the toss, and sometimes when they didn't [like at Eden Gardens in 1998], India's batting line-up would proceed as serenely as Tennyson's brook. The only threat would be boredom or satiation. With Sachin Tendulkar often to the fore, and support from the likes of Navjot Sidhu, Mohammad Azharuddin and Vinod Kambli, monumental totals would be constructed before a spin trident punctured visiting hopes of survival.
It was relentless cricket, and the batting usually followed a pattern. Never gung-ho, the leading lights would steadily wear down the bowling, easing along at more than three an over to give themselves ample time to force a result. There were echoes of that in the way this Indian innings was constructed, with Tendulkar and then VVS Laxman playing around a superlative effort from Gautam Gambhir.
There were often lulls, especially against Stuart Clark and Shane Watson, the tidiest of the pace bowlers on view, but the pressure never built because the ultra-defensive fields set by Ricky Ponting made the accumulation of singles as easy as cherry picking. More impressive though was the treatment of the errant ball. Almost nothing was spared, with Laxman's wristy flicks through midwicket from outside off stump especially demoralising.
Even during a morning session that gave the impression of slowness, India moved along at a cracking pace, gathering 97 from just 26 overs. It wasn't the new-age cricket unveiled by Ponting before the series - has anyone seen it? - but it was a return to the tried and tested ways of the past. As Laxman said later in the evening, that strategy was fine-tuned to such an extent that India had success with it at venues as diverse as Multan, Headingley and Sydney.
In decades gone by, Mumbai batsmen would be accused of being khadoos, a term that combines bloody-mindedness with the desire to bury the opponent in the fifth-day dust. For more than two decades, it helped them mentally disintegrate domestic opposition and the presence of so many Mumbai stalwarts in the national side meant that it eventually became part of the big picture. Neither Gambhir nor Laxman is from Mumbai, having emerged from the vastly different cricketing cultures of Delhi and Hyderabad, but the cold-eyed approach has been imbibed by every successful batsman given his cap during the Gavaskar-Tendulkar era.
India scored 317 runs from just 72 overs on the second day, with Laxman and Gambhir stretching their partnership to 278. Astonishingly, it was the fourth stand in excess of 250 that Laxman has been involved in against Australia. And after his latest killing-them-softly masterpiece, he will only hope that the result is similar to Kolkata [376] and Adelaide [303], rather than Sydney [353], where Steve Waugh managed to salvage a draw from the wreckage of his Test farewell.
Sun or Saimira? Who's the backbone for Marmayogi?
9:49 PMUpdate1: Ajith's Aegan breaks records before release
4:46 AMAs per reports Ajith's Aegan has taken a decent opening as regards advance booking.
In Chennai alone the film will hit more than 15 screens including Mayajaal. The booking was opened on Saturday amidst heavy rain and the trend has been very good. The film is opening in four theatres in Anna Salai. For Ajith, this is the first time that his film is going to release in a large number of theaters in a single center.
In most of the theaters, the first three days show tickets are almost sold out.
Sathyam Cinema reported a record sale of tickets for Aegan till Tuesday night.
And news from overseas markets where Aegan was already released yesterday is very encouraging. The film is said to be a rocking entertainer and people are enjoying it.
So Ayngaran starts the debut with a sixer! Thala Rockz
Anand retains world chess title
4:19 AMThe dispute is over. Viswanathan Anand is world chess champion without a shadow of a doubt. The Indian overcame a spirited challenge from Vladimir Kramnik of Russia by drawing Game 11 of the 12-game series in Bonn on Wednesday to put at rest questions about his ability to perform against quality opposition in match-play.A 6.5-4.5 win in the series against Kramnik gave him the world title for the third time, his first in match-play.
Anand's achievements so far:
1985: Arjuna Award, Outstanding Indian Sportsman (Chess)
1987: Padma Shri, youngest ever recipient
1991-92: Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, first ever recipient
1997: Chess "Oscar" Best Chess Player of 1997
1998: Chess "Oscar" Best Chess Player of 1998
1998: Sportstar Millenium Award, from India's premier Sports magazine for being the sportperson of the millenium
2000: Padma Bhushan, for being the first Asian to win the World Championship
2003: Chess "Oscar" Best Chess Player of 2003
2004: Chess "Oscar" Best Chess Player of 2004
2007: World Chess Champion (undisputed)
2007: Was awarded the second highest civilian award of India, the Padma Vibhushan
Anand at World Championships:
Classical, challenger format
1991: Lost to Karpov in Challenger quarter-finals.
1994: Lost to Kamsky in Challenger final.
1995: Lost to Kasparov in PCA final.
2008: Defeated Kramnik in final
Knock-out format
1997-98: Won a challenger event in Groningen in knock-out format but lost to Karpov in the final at Lausanne.
2000-01: Nock-out title in Delhi and Teheran, beating Alexei Shirov in the final.
2001: Lost to Ivanchuk in knock-out format in Mexico
Tournament format
2005: Runner-up to Topalov in San Luis.
2007: Won in Mexico ahead of Kramnik.
Other Titles
2000: Won World blitz title by beating Karpov, Gelfand and Svidler
2003: Won World rapid title by beating Kramnik in final