Native of South Goa’s Velim, Ms. Andrea Colaco has not only earned a graduate and master’s degree, and later earned one of the most-sought after doctorate seats at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute Technology (MIT), but has earlier this month won the MIT $100K entrepreneurship competition for her innovation which provides real-time, millimeter accurate 3D gesture sensing on devices like mobile phones.

“What is the next interface for cell phone devices? It is gesture recognition. Every cell-phone-device manufacturer is scrambling to bring gesture-recognition into their devices. This is an immediate and unaddressed market,” Andrea said.

The innovation was presented at the competition as ’3dim’ solution, set up by Andrea with co-founder Ahmed Kirmani. It achieves high-quality 3D sensing by employing patented signal processing methods invented at MIT by the co-founders.

“Now with the prize money, 3dim will go full steam. We will develop the technology for customers-smart-device manufacturers-who have already expressed interest in the product,” she said.

The Goan’s business idea made the most financial sense for the panel of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, scientists and industry professionals judging the eight finalists of the over 3,000 participants.

Andrea’s success though had seemed certain from the early years. The student of Fatima Convent High School had ranked second at the Goa board Class X exams in 2001 and two years later topped the Class XII with 96.17%. Her record of cent percent score in physics, chemistry and biology remains unmatched till date.

“The need for power-hungry, specialized hardware has kept such technology from mobile devices-problem that has now been rectified,” Colaco, a PhD student at the MIT Media Lab said during the winning pitch at the competition to a packed auditorium.

She said her prototype only demands a few milli-watts of additional power from the phone-about one-seventh of the amount used by a standard smart phone camera.

“I am thrilled for Andrea and her recent win in the MIT $100k entrepreneurship competition. I had been talking with her over the past few weeks and knew about the preparation involved. While she said her competitors were strong too, I was confident the final would be hers. She has always been an ambitious person with attention to detail,” her mother Ms. Antonette, a homemaker, said. Ms. Andrea’s parents are presently based in Doha, Qatar, where her father, Mr. Aldavid Silverio, is an assistant finance manager with a French company.

Andrea’s older sibling Gresner is an IT engineer and is based in Cincinnati USA.

The youngster’s passion also lies in promoting hands-on design and prototyping skills in undergraduate programmers in India and she has organized and taught at two such workshops in India, at Pune and New Delhi.

Ms. Andrea is a recipient of the Goa scholars award 2010 and has a master’s degree in media technology from MIT in 2010, after completing her undergraduate degree programme in electrical and electronics engineering from BITS, Pilani in 2007.

The Galaxy Grand is powered by Android Jelly Bean operating system and has 21 hours of battery life.

The device sports an 8 mega pixel camera (with flash) and a 2 mega pixel front camera which supports zero shutter-lag and ultra-quick camera start-up.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri said a presentation on the tablet will be held on November 28 at the world body’s headquarters here to which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will be invited.

Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO of Canada-based Datawind, which had won the Indian Government’s tender for making and supplying the tablets, will also be present on the occasion.

Aakash has been “described as the most competitively priced tablet computer by an Indian-origin entrepreneur,” Puri had said at a news conference yesterday to outline the Council’s monthly agenda under India’s presidency.

He said while the tablet would be called “frugal innovation” in UN terminology, it is a “competitively priced innovation’’.

]]> http://www.jaintv.com/2012/11/03/latest-news/india-showcase-aakash-tablet-united-nations/feed/ 0 http://www.jaintv.com/2012/06/23/latest-news/iit-directors-discuss-compromise-formula/ http://www.jaintv.com/2012/06/23/latest-news/iit-directors-discuss-compromise-formula/#comments Sat, 23 Jun 2012 14:40:59 +0000 Admin http://www.jaintv.com/?p=24515 New Delhi: Ahead of next week’s meeting called by the government on the single entrance exam row, IIT directors today discussed a compromise formula which include a proposal to take top 20-30 students based on percentile ranking of respective boards for preparing the merit list.

Indications are that the percentile criterion replacing the proposed format of giving weightage to board results were deliberated at the Joint Admission Board meeting, comprising IIT directors, as an alternative, possibly drawing a near unanimity.

The proposal is believed to have been mooted by the HRD Ministry and floated among the directors to end the impasse.

The percentile criterion along with performance in the JEE-Main will be used for selecting around 50,000 students and their score at the advanced test conducted by IITs will be taken into account to prepare the merit list for admission to IITs.

IIT senates are expected to deliberate on this after its approval at the IIT council meet.

The JAB has been conducting the IIT entrance test for 50 years. The meeting also evaluated the conduct of IIT-JEE 2012.

Insiders also suggested that some directors were averse to discussing the proposed test at the JAB and insisted that issue be deliberated only at the special IIT council meet.

The IIT council, the highest decision-making body headed by HRD Minister Kapil Sibal includes Directors of all the 16 IITs, heads of educational bodies like UGC and AICTE among others.

On the other hand, the IIT faculty federation, in a statement, appreciated the council meeting called by Sibal and hoped for an amicable solution to emerge.

“We appreciate that the Minister has called IIT Council meeting on 27 June, 2012 to address the concerns of IIT community. Through this process of discussion and engagement, we are confident that an amicable solution will emerge that would be acceptable to all, without compromising on the IITs autonomy.”

The JAB meeting today came in the backdrop of IIT Delhi and Kanpur rejecting the government proposal and deciding to have separate exam. There are indications that IIT Bombay and IIT Kharagpur may follow their Delhi and Kanpur counterparts.

The IIT Council on June 23 will discuss the situation created by the divisions among the elite educational institutions by the government proposal and the future course of action to end uncertainty among the student community.

New Delhi:

The decision to defer the plan for switchover from analogue to digitalised signals was announced by the government today as it was found that the metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata were not ready for it.

“The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has decided to modify the 30th June deadline for a complete switch over to October 31, 2012,” a statement issued by the I&B ministry today said.

“All the TRAI regulations for Digital Addressable System will come into effect from 1st November, 2012,” the statement added.

It said that the assessment of ground realities, compelled the Ministry of I&B to set a new deadline which would now be monitored more vigorously.

Digitalisation of the cable services in the entire country by December 2014 is one of the ambitious tasks that the I&B ministry has set for itself and the first step towards achieving this goal was its implementation in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai by June 30.

Installing Set Top Boxes (STBs) in each cable viewing household is a precondition for Digitalisation and as per official sources even a fortnight before the June 30, it was estimated that only 30 per cent of households had acquired STBs.

Upset with the fact that its July 30 deadline had not been followed, the ministry in its statement today said that Multi System Operators (MSOs), Local Cable operators (LCOs) or other stakeholders could face action if they don’t match the new schedule.

“The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting will issue warning letters to those going slow on their written commitments. Needless to add that both, the Ministry of I&B and TRAI, will take action under the provisions of the Cable Act, wherever and whenever necessary,” the statement said.

The ministry said that it is “imperative that the modified target deadline is set with strict benchmarks to ensure that no complacency sets-in in the system and the new target date is achieved collectively by all the stakeholders.”

Officials said that the I&B ministry had the power to suspend or revoke the registration of Local cable operators (LCOs) or Multi System Operators (MSOs) if they violated one or more terms and conditions of registration which were mandatory under Digitalisation.

“While the Ministry has agreed to postpone the date for four Metros, it also has the option of taking penal action against stakeholders who do not take the required steps to Digitalise the cable services in the coming days,” a senior official said.

In its statement the I&B ministry also explained the compulsions that had forced it to set a new date for Cable Digitalisation.

“Regulations on Tariff and Interconnection were issued by TRAI only on April 30, 2012 instead of being issued in January, 2012, as expected.

The Quality of Service Regulations and the Consumer Complaint Redressal Regulations were issued on May 14, 2012 by TRAI,” the ministry said in its statement.

The I&B statement explained that as per regulations, every Broadcaster and MSO was required to publish its Reference Interconnect Offers (RIOs) within 30 days of issue of the Regulation.

Another 30 days are required for negotiations between Broadcasters and MSOs. Thereafter, the MSOs and LCOs arrive at agreements which enable the consumers to have a clear indication of the terms and conditions for installing Set Top Boxes and the prices of channels on an a-la-carte as well as on a bouquet basis.

The I&B statement said that another TRAI order had mandated that every MSO or its linked Cable Operator has to put in place a Consumer Complaint Redressal System consisting of a complaint centre with toll free consumer care number, web based complaint monitoring system and other features.

“Both these orders of TRAI have not yet been ubstantially implemented. As a result of this, the installation of Set Top Boxes has not picked up necessary pace for the completion of the process of digitalisation by June 30, 2012,” the ministry said.

Bhopal:

“Besides establishing systems like e-order, e-summons and e-library, police offices, hospitals and jails would also be controlled through e-governance,” Pitroda told mediapersons here last night after calling on Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

It would be beneficial for the state to also link universities, reserved institutes and industrial groups with knowledge network, he said, adding that e-connectivity would also be made available to all the gram panchayats soon.

The number of pending cases in courts can also be brought down considerably with the use of information technology under e-court scheme, he said.

The advisor, to PM on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations, said education, health and rural development were priority sectors for Madhya Pradesh.

He said that Bhopal could become a global-level ‘environment city’ because of its biological, botanical and natural wealth as well as sources of traditional energy.

Unlike most other cities, Bhopal had two world heritage sites within a distance of 40 kms.

Pitroda was also shown a presentation on the work done by the state government in various fields.

Apart from talking to the Chief Minister, he also held discussions with a number of senior officials on the government functioning in Madhya Pradesh.

New Delhi:

The new chips will also enable computer manufacturers like HP, Asus, HCL Infosystems and Toshiba bring out slimmer devices, especially ‘Ultrabooks’ in to the market.

“The next wave of Ultrabook devices, powered by the third generation Intel Core processors are more responsive and offer enhanced security in a choice of designs,” Intel South Asia Managing Director, Sales & Marketing Group, Debjani Ghosh told reporters here.

Meanwhile, Lenovo India Tuesday launched IdeaPad U310, U410 Ultrabook and IdeaCentre A720 all-in-one (AIO) PCs based on the new processors, vendors like India’s HCL Infosystems will launch it soon in the coming days.

Intel said the Ultrabook devices based on the new processors be priced Rs 50,000 onwards, but prices would vary depending on the different specifications of devices.

Currently priced between Rs 55,000 and Rs 1 lakh, the new ultrabooks are expected to have added features like increased durability, touchscreen and additional sensors.

“We aim to get the prices down to more mass level till the year-end as we expects volume economics will kick in by then. Plus, competition between the vendors would also influence the prices,” Ghosh said.

Ultrabooks, compared to laptops, are not only slimmer and more stylish, but they are also more responsive, protected and mobile. They offer increased media and graphics performance and a long battery life, she added.

According to analysts, ultrabooks is the next growth category in notebooks segment. Various reports suggest that ultrabooks could contribute more than 40 percent of notebooks sales globally by 2015 from a mere 2 percent in 2011.

New Delhi:

The Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT-1) has cloud penetrating capability and also can image during day and night as well as all weather conditions, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office V Narayanasamy said during Question Hour.

“This facilitates cloud penetration and imaging even without sunlight,” he said adding for RISAT-1, imaging sessions around both 6 am and 6 pm are chosen.

The country’s first indigenously designed microwave imaging satellite RISAT-1 was launched by Indian Space Research Organisation onboard India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV C-19 from Sriharikota.

The perfect launch of the satellite catapulted India into a select band of countries having indigenous radar imaging technology.

Lauding India scientists for the launch, Narayanasamy said they are “second to no one in the world”.

The Curve 9220 may be the most affordable BlackBerry smartphones with upgraded BlackBerry 7.1 operating system. Currently, the Curve 8520, which is one of RIM’s best selling models, is available at an MRP of Rs 8,999.

This is also the first time that RIM has launched a phone globally from India.

“The new BlackBerry Curve 9220 offers a unique mobile experience that young Indians will love thanks to its affordable pricing and unmatched messaging and social connectivity features,” RIM Managing Director India Sunil Dutt told reporters here.

Even though globally, RIM’s market share in the smartphone category is declining, but India is among the few markets, where it has strengthened its base.

“India is a very important market for RIM and we are extremely proud to officially launch the new BlackBerry Curve 9220 for the first time here in India,” RIM Senior Vice President Smartphone Business Carlo Chiarello said.

RIM posted a net loss of USD 125 million for the three months ended March 3, 2012 compared to net income of USD 934 million in the same quarter of fiscal 2011.

During the quarter, RIM shipped 11.1 million BlackBerry smartphones and over 500,000 BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. RIM does not give country specific details.

“RIM is growing 35 per cent year-on-year and it added 20 million customers last year across the world,” Dutt said adding that the company has over 77 million customers globally.

The new BlackBerry Curve 9220 smartphone will offer all the BlackBerry messaging and social-centric features, he added.

The new model claims to offer “the longest lasting” battery life yet in a BlackBerry Curve model, giving users up to seven hours of talk time or up to 28 hours of music playback or FM radio listening on headphones.

As part of the launch in India, BlackBerry Curve 9220 customers can download a selection of apps from BlackBerry App World worth Rs 2500 for free.

The BlackBerry Curve 9220 will be available in other markets in the coming weeks.

Bangalore

The proposed solar-based UAV would have much longer flight duration – as high as 15 days – compared to conventional UAV, according to sources in the Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a lab of the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

“We are looking for collaboration with a foreign partner to develop this UAV,” an ADE official said.

ADE has also developed mini-UAVs of two kg class, which is undergoing flight trials, and micro-UAVs of 300 mm size.

Both of these UAVs have been demonstrated to the users which included police from various states, paramilitary forces in addition to the three services. The orders in bulk are expected, sources said.

ADE has successfully developed Pilotless Target Aircraft Lakshya-I which can fly at a speed of 300 km/hr for 45 minutes. Three services have already placed order for more than 50 aircraft. Later, Lakshya-II was developed which flies at higher speed of 700 km/hr at altitudes as low as 25 metres with complete digital electronics. User trials were completed and this would be inducted shortly into the service.

Nishant UAV was developed with payload capacity of 60 kgs and endurance of four hours. This was accepted by the services, which have placed the orders for more than ten aircraft, the sources said.

“ADE has now developed modified and advanced Lakshya which has undergone trials with the users and we are working with the users for their applications,” the official added.

NEW DELHI:

The unpleasant experience has led the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to decide against involving private parties in the ambitious modern mode of transport, according to its chief E Sreedharan.

“Our PPP experience was not very pleasant with Airport model. First of all, the works were not completed on time. The line was supposed to be ready for Commonwealth Games but it got delayed by five months. Even after opening, they have not been able to increase the speed to (the promised speed of) 120 kmph,” he told in an interview.

“I am not very happy with the performance. It should have been an aristocratic type of service which it is not today,” he said.

He pointed out several deficiencies like the train speed still being maintained at 105 kmph, the proposed frequency of 10 minutes not being implemented and check-in time for fliers who use the corridor which have to be corrected.

Sreedharan, who will demit office on December 31 after an eventful 16-year-tenure as Delhi Metro’s Managing Director, said the Reliance Infra had been issued a number of notices, including the one a few days back, demanding improvement.

Asked about the next step if Reliance Infra did not take steps to improve, Sreedharan said, “If they don’t improve then we will have to think of even terminating the arrangements. We can take over and there is a provision for taking over (in the agreement).”

On how long will the Delhi Metro wait, he said: “Three to four months. Otherwise, we have to give them final notice (for taking over). At least they should show their intention to improve.”

“Yes. Then we will have to take over,” he said when asked what would happen if things do not improve in three-four months.

New Delhi:

“I suggested that these platforms should evolve a mechanism on their own to ensure that such contents are removed as soon as they get to know of it… I have told them that this cannot go on.”

“I believe that no reasonable person, aware of the sensibilities of a large section of the communities in this country, would wish to see this in the public domain,” Communications and IT Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters here.

Asking these firms to evolve a mechanism and come back with a solution, Sibal said, “This government does not believe in either directly or indirectly interfering in the freedom of the press.” The content posted on some of the sites, the minister said, was so offensive that it would hurt the religious sentiments of a large section of communities in the country. These contents would also offend any reasonable person looking at those images.

However, the websites have declined to cooperate with the government. In a statement to the media, Facebook said, “We want Facebook to be a place where people can discuss things freely, while respecting the rights and feelings of others, which is why we have already have policies and on-site features in place that enable people to report abusive content.”

But added, “We will remove any content that violates our terms, which are designed to keep material that is hateful, threatening, incites violence or contains nudity off the service. We recognize the government’s interest in minimizing the amount of abusive content that is available online and will continue to engage with the Indian authorities as they debate this important issue”.

The International Radar Symposium India-2011 (IRSI-11) is likely to be participated by over 600 radar experts from the country and abroad.

The five-day event, sponsored by Bharat Electronics, DRDO, ISRO and HAL, would be inaugurated by Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister and Director General of DRDO V K Saraswat, Organising Secretary D Rajagopal said.

“This will provide a unique opportunity to our R&D scientists and academia to get exposure to contemporary and futuristic radar science and technologies,” he said.

“We had begun the Internet bus back in February 2009 and now the bus will tour the state. We hope to create awareness about the Internet as we believe that continuous efforts will enable the common man to utilise the knowledge,” Google India director Vinay Goel said today.

The search engine giant is targeting to familiarise first-time users with the Internet as the bus will be posted at public places and outside schools.

Besides Kolkata, it will travel to other towns like Durgapur, Asansol, Kharagpur, Ulberia, Chandannagar, Haldia, Bankura and Purulia.

The Internet bus has already traveled 11 states covering 130 towns touching 6.5 million people, he said.

“We also found that some 30 per cent of the Internet bus users have begun using Internet,” Goel said.

Currently, estimated Internet users in India are 82 million and about 37 per cent are from smaller towns.

Asked about street view project of Google, the official said the project will be resumed after it receives some regulatory clearances from the government.

He said the India launch of Google Chrome operating system and notebook is yet to be decided.

Balasore (Odisha):

“The surface-to-surface intermediate range missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher” at 0900 hours from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Wheeler Island, about 100 km from Balasore, defence sources said.

Christened “Agni-II Prime”, the new missile is a two-stage weapon system powered by solid propellant. It is 20 metres long and launch weight is 17 tonnes. It can carry one tonne pay-load.

A Defence Ministry spokesman said in Delhi that from now on, the missile would be called ‘Agni-IV’.

Describing the test-firing as “successful”, defence sources said the missile’s exact performances would be known after all data was collected and analysed from different telemetry and tracking stations as well as naval ships positioned near the terminal point.

“The indigenously developed new variant of ‘Agni-II’ series missile would have better accuracy and improved range”, the sources said.

“While the Agni-II missile has a strike range of 2000 km and Agni-III can hit a target at a distance up to 3500 km, this new variant with a strike range of 3000 km would bridge the gap between Agni-II and Agni-III,” they said.

In terms of accuracy, “some more improved features have been incorporated in it,” a DRDO scientist said.

The first developmental trial of Agni-II Prime, conducted on December 10, 2010, had failed due to some technical problem in the control system. It deviated from its trajectory within seconds of its lift off from the same base and had plunged into the sea.

The German Aerospace Center (DLR), on its website, said the 2.7-tonne defunct research satellite returned to Earth on Sunday after languishing in a dead orbit for over a decade came down over the Bay of Bengal.

According to the space agency, the Roentgen Satellite (ROSAT) re-entered the atmosphere at 0150 GMT (6:20am India time) on Sunday above the Bay of Bengal in an area between India and Myanmar.

“Since Sunday morning we have had no reports as to any debris reaching the surface of the Earth,” DLR spokesman Andreas Schuetz was quoted as saying.

Earlier, DLR officials had confirmed the satellite’s re-entry on Sunday but could not able to confirm the location.

While the 21-year-old satellite broke apart as it entered Earth’s atmosphere, DLR officials last week estimated that up to 30 pieces, weighing 1.9 tonnes, consisting some of heat-resistant mirrors and ceramic parts, could survive the fiery trip and reach the surface of the planet.

However, they said there was one-in-2,000 chance that any of the pieces would hit someone on Earth.

Esko, which resembles an exoskeleton, helps the wearer walk of their own accord by picking up small upper body movements and translating them into strides.

Amanda Boxtel, who was paralysed from the waist down in a 1992 skiing accident, has described the bionic legs as “life changing”.

“The first time I walked in them I went back to my hotel room and cried hard,” the Telegraph quoted her as saying.

According to Eythor Bender, chief executive officer of Ekso Bionics, the project was originally funded by the American military interested in giving soldiers superhuman strength and ability on the battlefield.

Almost five years ago the developers realised the legs had “huge potential, especially for people with spinal injuries”.

They began working with rehabilitation clinics to tailor them for paraplegics, believing they could create a device that predicted a person’s walking intentions based on movements in the lower back.

Describing how the robot suit works, Bender said that it has sensors to sense movement that are then translated by a computer “brain” that “helps read your movements and drive forward motors that are sitting under your knees and your hips”.

“It has sensors, that pretty much mimic your nerves, that sense your movements,” Bender said.

]]> http://www.jaintv.com/2011/10/24/technology/robot-suit-to-help-paraplegic-walk-again/feed/ 0 http://www.jaintv.com/2011/10/24/technology/new-bmw-app-lets-drivers-share-top-scenic-routes-2/ http://www.jaintv.com/2011/10/24/technology/new-bmw-app-lets-drivers-share-top-scenic-routes-2/#comments Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:42:46 +0000 Admin http://www.jaintv.com/?p=373 Life is short — so why not take the scenic route? That is the message BMW Financial Services seems to be encouraging with its new app, The Ultimate Drive.

The  free app allows users to discover, share and rate the world’s most interesting driving routes contributed by users worldwide. By incorporating GPS, the app is also able to find routes surrounding a particular location, and will alert users when new routes are discovered in their neighborhood.

“There are plenty of sites that will show you the top roads to drive”, said Pawan Murthy, of BMW Group Financial Services, which provides financing for BMW and MINI vehicles.

“The roads that are filtering up (in the app) include others that very few people have ever heard of, and that’s what makes it so exciting.”

So far more than 600 routes had been added to the app.

Murthy said the most interesting routes are those with the best scenery and, for drivers with sporty cars, include many twists and turns. Points of interest and restaurants or cafes with good food, also get a lot of mentions.

One user, who added a route just west of Denver that runs along North America’s highest elevated public road warned drivers to “watch for bighorn sheep”.

Another route takes drivers along a trip that concludes at Arkansas’ oldest continually operating general store.

“It starts getting very granular from a user-experience standpoint as to what people will share on the app,” said Murthy.

He said this release is the first iteration of an app moving further toward “gamification,” — introducing game play elements to increase customer participation. A future version set for release in early October will be more interactive and include a point system aimed at giving customers greater incentive to participate.

“We wanted to get Version 1 out so we could expose it to the world and initiate crowd sourcing of routes. Succeeding versions will have a closer connection with financial services”, said Murthy.

Most car companies provide free apps for a wide variety of purposes. One from Nissan, for example, allows owners to remotely manage and maintain their vehicles. Another from Mazda puts drivers in direct contact with roadside assistance.

One drawback to The Ultimate Drive is that directions are not provided natively within the app. But routes can be exported to Facebook or through email, and can also be ported to another GPS-based maps application for directions.

The Ultimate Drive is currently only available in North America.

Back in April, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute was forced to shut down its $30 million radio telescope array, designed to hear potential signals from alien life forms, for lack of funds.

But officials with the nonprofit institute in northern California’s Mountain View appealed for donations. This week, they said the total raised had surpassed their $200,000 goal.

That was due to the generosity of more than 2,400 donors, including actress Jodie Foster and Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders, they said.

As a result, the institute said it expects to restart the telescope array in September and keep it running at least through the end of the year.

The plan is still dependent upon the center receiving an unspecified amount of funds from the U.S. Air Force to track space debris that could damage satellites.

Thomas Pierson, chief executive of the SETI Institute, said he expects the nearly finalized deal with the Air Force will, combined with the private funds, allow the group’s Allen Telescope Array to again listen for space chatter.

“For those who are interested in understanding whether intelligent life might be out there elsewhere in our galaxy, the Allen Telescope Array and our SETI team doing the research is the best bet,” Pierson said.

The search for alien life is a scientific discipline currently underway by a small number of U.S. universities and groups in Australia, Argentina and Italy, Pierson said.

RADIO TELESCOPE ARRAY

The Allen Telescope Array is the first instrument designed from the ground-up, with the goal of listening for signals from extraterrestrial life, Pierson said.

It is named after Microsoft Corp co-founder Paul Allen, one of its chief benefactors, and consists of dozens of dish-like antennas operated as one large radio telescope.

Located in a remote area in the shadow of Lassen Peak, east of Redding, California, it began initial operations in 2007, according to the SETI Institute.

The array is part of the Hat Creek Radio Observatory, a facility of the University of California, Berkeley.

The SETI project was hit hard by recent federal government budget cuts and by cost savings at UC Berkeley.

Pierson said the 27-year-old SETI Institute, which aside from overseeing the telescope array also researches origins of life in extreme environments and conducts public education, had received two-thirds of its funding from government sources.

Now, the institute is in a “transition phase” as it seeks more private funds and ways to control costs in order to continue operating the telescope array beyond 2011, he said.

The array costs $1.5 million a year to run. Fortunately for the institute, it has high-profile advocates.

Oscar-winner Foster, who played an alien-seeking scientist in the 1997 film “Contact,” explained her support in a statement on a fund-raising website created for the array: “The Allen Telescope Array could turn science fiction into science fact, but only if it is actively searching the skies.”

Released last week, the free app allows users to discover, share and rate the world’s most interesting driving routes contributed by users worldwide. By incorporating GPS, the app is also able to find routes surrounding a particular location, and will alert users when new routes are discovered in their neighborhood.

“There are plenty of sites that will show you the top roads to drive”, said Pawan Murthy, of BMW Group Financial Services, which provides financing for BMW and MINI vehicles.

“The roads that are filtering up (in the app) include others that very few people have ever heard of, and that’s what makes it so exciting.”

So far more than 600 routes had been added to the app.

Murthy said the most interesting routes are those with the best scenery and, for drivers with sporty cars, include many twists and turns. Points of interest and restaurants or cafes with good food, also get a lot of mentions.

One user, who added a route just west of Denver that runs along North America’s highest elevated public road warned drivers to “watch for bighorn sheep”.

Another route takes drivers along a trip that concludes at Arkansas’ oldest continually operating general store.

“It starts getting very granular from a user-experience standpoint as to what people will share on the app,” said Murthy.

He said this release is the first iteration of an app moving further toward “gamification,” — introducing game play elements to increase customer participation. A future version set for release in early October will be more interactive and include a point system aimed at giving customers greater incentive to participate.

“We wanted to get Version 1 out so we could expose it to the world and initiate crowd sourcing of routes. Succeeding versions will have a closer connection with financial services”, said Murthy.

Most car companies provide free apps for a wide variety of purposes. One from Nissan, for example, allows owners to remotely manage and maintain their vehicles. Another from Mazda puts drivers in direct contact with roadside assistance.

One drawback to The Ultimate Drive is that directions are not provided natively within the app. But routes can be exported to Facebook or through email, and can also be ported to another GPS-based maps application for directions.

The Ultimate Drive is currently only available in North America.

Anonymous, a loosely knit group that has attacked financial and government websites, has called for protesters to descend on the Civic Center station in San Francisco at 5 p.m. on Monday, publicizing the action with tweets from @YourAnonNews.

The transit service shut down cell phone networks in some stations on Thursday to stop demonstrators from organizing a protest over the fatal shooting of a man by police last month.

Lynette Sweet, a BART director, said managers of the system should not have announced the phone network shutdown. In a city known for civil rights protests and technology, that tactic has landed the commuter train system in a new controversy.

Would-be protesters were encouraged to download software for short-range mobile-to-mobile messaging, in case the in-station networks are shut down again.

BART said that a website for its users, myBART.org, had been hacked over the weekend, and that contact information from at least 2,400 people had been stolen.

(Reporting by Emmett Berg, editing by Anthony Boadle)