Google's ‘Is your son gay?’ app irks gays

Popular search engine Google has landed in a soup after launching a smartphone app that helps parents determine their son’s sexuality.

The Android program ‘Is Your Son Gay?’ has recently hit the market and has outraged gay-rights groups, with one brandishing the app ‘ridiculous and horrifying’.

The controversial app asks parents 20 questions, including ‘does he like to dress well?’, ‘does he like football?’, ‘does he like musical comedies?’ and ‘does he like Madonna?’ to help them discover the sexuality of their son.

Once the quiz is completed parents receive one of two answers- ‘You have nothing to worry about, your son is not gay.’ Or it informs parents: ‘Your son is gay. Accept it and know it’s not his choice.’

Meanwhile, the French developer of the app insisted that the concept was meant to be a humorous approach towards helping moms accept their sons’ homosexuality.

However, Eliza Byard, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Educational Network in the U.S., has denounced the app.

“The questions in this app are horrendous stereotypes that would be completely laughable if they weren’t so dangerous,” the Daily Mail quoted her as telling CBS New York.

“The implication, one, is that there is one way to be if you’re gay and, two, that there’s sort of blame to attach to parents,” she added.

IBM topples Microsoft after 15 years

International Business Machines Corp passed Microsoft Corp to become the world's second-most valuable technology company, a reflection of industry changes including the shift away from the personal computer.

IBM's market value rose to $214 billion today, while Microsoft's fell to $213.2 billion, the first time IBM has exceeded its software rival based on closing prices since 1996, according toBloomberg data. IBM is now the fourth-largest company by market value and, in technology, trails only Apple Inc, the world's most valuable company.

Chief Executive Officer Sam Palmisano sold IBM's PC business six years ago to focus on corporate software and services. Though Microsoft has expanded into online advertising and games, it gets most of its revenue and earnings from the Windows and Office software used primarily on PCs.

"IBM went beyond technology," said Ted Schadler, an analyst with Forrester Research Inc. "They were early to recognize that computing was moving way beyond these boxes on our desks."

IBM, based in Armonk, New York, has gained 22 per cent this year, while Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, has dropped 8.8 per cent. IBM rose $1.62 to $179.17 at 4 pm in New York Stock Exchange composite trading, and Microsoft fell 13 cents to $25.45 in Nasdaq Stock Market trading.

Apple, which long competed against IBM and Microsoft in the PC business, passed Microsoft in market value last year, on rising sales of iPhones, iPods and iPads. Apple's market capitalization is now $362.1 billion.

Vanessa Hudgens Graduates to Tough, Gritty Roles

Vanessa Hudgensseems to have broken free of her squeaky clean Disney image and moved into adult acting with relative ease, thanks to a series of tough gritty roles. But she hasn’t lost her soft, sexy edge.

She has also become a budding fashion icon, covering a number of magazines, and she’s kept busy on the set.

Although her teen ensemble movie “Sucker Punch” took a hit from the critics, if fared well enough at the box office and is on its way to becoming a cult classic on DVD.

“Gimme Shelter,” the 22-year-old’s latest film, is a drama directed and written by Ron Krauss.

She stars as a pregnant teenager who runs away from her abusive mother, played by Rosario Dawson and traces her real father, played by Brendan Fraser.

She raised eyebrows when she chopped her luscious brunette locks into a short bob for the role, but outtakes from her 2010 photo shoot with Matthias Vriens-McGrath for Glamour magazine have just hit the Internet.

They are a reminder of how she exudes vivaciousness and radiant sexuality.

Vanessa covered the magazine’s Aug. 2010 issue and talked about transitioning from Disney kid to tough, gritty adult roles in such films as “Beastly” and “Sucker Punch.”

She played the daughter of a drug addict in the former and a tough, edgy girl in the latter.

Her “High School Musical’ days are definitely behind her, judging from the hot photo shoot.

“I wanted to be a nitty-gritty actress. And High School Musical came along, and, I was like, ‘Oh my God, fun!’”

The more we did it, the more prude I became…. but at the end of the day, I’m doing this for myself. I’m going to be doing movies kids can’t watch,” she said

Flexible Samsung phone 'to be issued in 2012'

The new Samsung Galaxy Skin is set to feature a bendable AMOLED display that will allow users to roll it up like a wrist-watch

Samsung is poised to release a flexible mobile phone, according to reports in the International Business Times. The new Samsung Galaxy Skin will feature an AMOLED display that will allow the phone to bend around a cylinder with a 1-inch diameter. Brighter than the normal screen, the AMOLED display is also low-energy and almost unbreakable, according to the reports.

Using a plastic polyimide substrate instead of glass, Samsung has produced displays that are “rollable [and] bendable” and which can even “survive blows from a hammer”. The phone was developed by Prof Haeseong Jee and Jye Yeon You.

The key material of this new technology is ‘graphene’, touted as “the miracle material”. Research by scientists from Columbia University has established that ‘graphene’ is the strongest material in the world, “some 200 times stronger than structural steel”.

The Galaxy Skin will offer a high-resolution 800×480 flexible AMOLED screen, eight megapixel camera and 1Gb of RAM as well as a 1.2GHz processor. Samsung has not yet disclosed the device’s operating system, but there have been rumors about Jelly Bean – Google’s next Android release after Ice Cream Sandwich – or a new release called Android Flexy.

The new core technology also allows the phone to be used as a mouse, a clock or a wrist-watch. Samsung has not confirmed the exact date of release.

Things to never do on Facebook

 your online interaction could cast long, dark shadows offline. Don’t make Facebook and Twitter your  emotional gutter.           

There is a set of guidelines to follow in a relationship, and then there is another set to be followed when exposing your personal life on a social-networking site. A breach of these could result in the shocking tragedy of Malini Murmu, the 23-year-old IIM student who committed suicide after reading her former boyfriend's tactless status update: "Feeling super cool today. Dumped my new ex-girlfriend. Happy Independence Day."

The onus of Malini's actions does not rest solely on her ex-boyfriend's keyboard happiness; there is more to the matter than meets the eye. However, this is an immense cause of concern about the far-reaching effects social-networking sites can have on people's lives. Especially since people tend to have more 'courageous' online personalities than offline ones.

Clinical psychologist Alina Philip says, "Much like the media, social networking sites reach everybody. Therefore, we need to follow ethics and be extremely sensitive to what goes up on them. "

Admit it 
As much as social networks allow us to stay connected with people across the demographics, they are partly superficial.

And we get to be pretentious. Most status updates and pictures are to show how witty you are, how much fun and interesting your life is, how deep you are - basically a concentrated effort to dictate a perception of the unique snowflake that is you.

While there is nothing wrong in this, tread carefully when relationships with others are involved. Making and maintaining relationships need effort, time and direct communication - and all of it invested offline.

Clinical psychologist and psychotherapist Varkha Chulani, says, "There's a fine line between sharing of information and emotional exhibition." "Love you darling. Muah", "Thanks for last night", "We need to talk" and "I think your sister is fat" does not need to make it on the Wall. These conversations are best had person to person. And if this is not the kind of thing you would say to his/her face, it makes it all the more cowardly to say it online.

Like Philip says, "Would you go to the middle of Azad Maidan screaming that you have broken up? Then why publicise on Facebook? Your personal space is your personal space. Respect it. Do not make a mockery out of it. Maintain the sanity of your relationship."

This extends to changes in relationship messages. From Single to Taken to It's complicated, it's less of sharing of good news and more of hungering for attention. Wouldn't it be wiser to decide on the status of your relationship after you've finished fighting and decided mutually on it?

Also announcing the cementing of your relationship through status change can be awkward if you have not had 'the talk' offline first. Otherwise ABC is happily 'in a relationship' with XYZ, but XYZ hasn't really changed her status from Single.

Be a suit 
Taking office gossip and team rivalry online will not reflect well on your resume. Even here, it is better if you solve your problems face-to-face rather than resort to vague sarcastic comments on their status messages and photos.

And no matter how bad your day has been, don't bitch about a client or boss on your blog and Twitter. You may have a friend who knows a friend, who knows the boss. Besides, your future employers could be online and they will think twice about hiring a person with no discretion.

Keep it positive 
A rule of thumb is to announce only the positive - a new job, a celebration or new degree. Steer clear of washing dirty linen in public. Do not talk about your bad day at work or your unpleasant marriage. Remember: 500 friends of friends do not need to know.

Pictures have ceased to be snapshots for posterity and grown into frames of exhibitionism. And here you need to be more careful. What seemed funny when you were drunk and in college, will not be as ticklish when you land a job, or when you wake up sober. When the pictures are of somebody else, the responsibility is greater.

You do not know what could land a friend or colleague into trouble and it is best to avoid uploading any picture or video that brings even a shadow of doubt. Happy smiling family pictures may be boring, but they are less likely to land you in a lawsuit.

Pictures of you with your arm around a bikini-clad babe, or shirtless dude after a break-up point less to you being cool and more to you being lame. "This reflects that you are providing solace to yourself that you have a good life, while revealing emotional instability," says Chulani.

Factors that influence sex appeal in men & women

A wealth of scientific studies have uncovered the factors which claim to influence sex appeal, for both men and women.

Here are some of things that attract a woman to a man, according to People Magazine.

1. Deep voice: According to a new survey from the University of Aberdeen, women find men with lower-pitched voices more memorable.

2. Feminine-looking men: Another study from the University of Aberdeen found that women in the developed world now prefer more feminine-looking men with full lips and delicate cheek bones – as opposed to a square jaw, low brow and muscles associated with traditional manliness.

3. Wearing red: A study from the University of Rochester and University of Munich revealed men wearing red are more attractive, desirable and are seen as having a higher status in the eyes of women.

4. Powerful or moody: Researchers from the University of British Columbia in Canada said women are least attracted to smiling, happy men, instead preferring those who look proud and powerful or moody.

5. Scars: A survey published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences found facial scars increase women’s rating of men’s attractiveness in the short-term.

And things that claim to influence sex appeal in women include-

1. Wearing red: Two University of Rochester psychologists found women wearing red capture men’s attention and make them feel amorous – though they are unaware of the effect.

2. Stop being funny: Men find very funny women a turn-off and are even intimidated by them, a project from three leading American universities claimed.

3. Full lips: A Manchester University study concluded that women with fuller lips and/or wearing lipstick are more attractive to men

4. Brown or black hair: Contrary to traditional belief, a recent study from the social network site Badoo concluded that men prefer brown or black hair to blondes.

5. Long arms: Researchers at the University of New South Wales in Sydney found women with long arms were perceived as more attractive than those with long legs.

Global CEOs head for India

India's significance as an emerging market is growing steadily with more global CEOs flying into the country to review operations and look at growth opportunities. While the trickle used to start closer to the winters, this year it seems to have picked up pace early. The latest to join the list is GlaxoSmithKline CEO, Andrew Witty who will be in Mumbai on September 26 for a two-day visit.

Around the same time the top leadership team ofGE, including CEO Jeff Immelt, top bosses ofTokio Marine Holdings, Shuzo Sumi, and EMA Partners International, James Douglas, would also be flying down, while that of German giant Siemens Peter Loescher and Reckitt Benckiser, Rakesh Kapoor are already here. Other top bosses like that of Walt Disney and ANZ Grindlays were also on a visit here recently. 

Sources said Witty will hold a review of the domestic company's operations and discuss future plans of the subsidiary. GSK India has 4.2% share of the Rs 60,000 crore organized retail market, and grew around 8% in August ( IMS Health). Overall, the pharma market had a growth of around 16%. One of the top products of the company, antibiotic drug Augmentin is the largest selling retail brand with sales of around Rs 240-odd crore. The company is ranked fourth in terms of market share and has been posting a strong growth over the last couple of years. In an attempt to improve access to medicine, Witty has been making key changes in the company's strategy, and `tier pricing' policy in developing countries like India is a step in this direction. 

India is becoming a key driver for global companies, with its growing domestic market, steady growth rate and burgeoning middle class. 

Emerging economies like China, Russia, Brazil and India are attractive to global companies across sectors as most developed markets are stagnant. As against this, emerging markets, particularly for pharma, are growing at a faster rate, mostly double-digit.

Not just the global CEOs, even celebrity Paris Hilton is in India this weekend to get a piece of the growing luxury market, and launch her exclusive line. Other CEOs slated to visit later this year include Jeffrey Joerres of Manpower group, and Ben J Verwaayen of Alcatel-Lucent France.

How to lose belly fat

 

How to lose belly fat

Want washboard abs? Here are three simple DIY exercises to help you get one 

Abdominal crunch 
Lie on your back with your knees bent, and your hands behind your head. Lift your shoulders off the floor and curl your legs towards your ribcage: simultaneously. Slowly, return to starting position. Do 2 sets of 12 reps.

Reverse curl 
Lie on your back and lift and bend your knees at 90-degrees. Contract your abs to stabilise your torso, and bring your hips and knees towards your chest. Slowly return to the starting position. Do 2 sets of 12 reps.

Oblique scissors 
Lie on your back with legs extended and arms behind your head to support your neck. Contract abs and lift shoulders off the floor. Use your oblique muscles by attempting to bring the left shoulder towards the right knee and the right shoulder toward the left knee. The right and left leg accounts for one rep. Do 2 sets of 12 reps. 

10 Things women want from men

What women want from men 

Here's what women want from men 

1. When we talk 'listen', it shows us that you care about our feelings.

 2. Men should be smart enough and understand       that not all our bad moods are connected to PMS-ing.

 3. Guys, developing an EQ (Emotional quotient) would help. That however, does not mean that they need to cry at the drop of a hat, it just means you need to be more sensitive towards us.

4. With women communication is the key, so try and talk to us often.

5. Here are some traits we wish men would display - chivalry, making an extra effort with our friends and family, because we do the same!

6. Cook for us once in a while - this one may sound like a cliche, but we love surprises so an occasional effort wouldn't hurt, would it?

7. Your machoism is not directly proportional to the speed at which you drive your car. Rash driving is so uncool.

8. Be protective, not possessive, hear that?

9. We need our man to proclaim love all the time and we leave it to you as to how you wish to show it.

10. Remember the quickest way to lose a woman is to lie to her; so be honest.

Facebook wants your life story

Last night Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and chief executive did it again: he made the web even more social. And naturally, he put Facebook at the heart of it.

At f8, Facebook’s annual developers conference in San Francisco, an increasingly polished and media savvy Zuckerberg took to stage to explain the site’s latest makeover – after a little aside in which he told the crowd that the site had managed to attract half a billion users in a single day.

After the cheers and whooping, which have become customary at these American live-streamed tech bonanzas, Zuckerberg introduced the ‘Timeline’.

The concept of Timeline, is that users put their entire lives on Facebook, organized by days, months and years. And then they can fill in the blanks – right back to their births.

Scan in baby pictures, upload old home movies, load in maps to chart memorable journeys – Facebook wants everyone’s life story loaded into its system.

Facebook members can edit the ‘Timeline’, erasing or adding chapters as they go. Boyfriends can be deleted and new ones added – it’s your life and therefore your story.

Zuckerberg and his team have been working on this radical makeover of the profile pages for the last 12 months, and did it because people couldn’t easily find the chats and stuff they shared from years ago.

And there are some lovely additions – such as the large background photo behind the profile picture – which makes each user’s page look more like a personalized website, rather than a subsection of Facebook.

Interestingly Timeline looks a little like the Flipboard, the social media magazine iPad app, but instead of aggregating and displaying media content beautifully, it shows off each user’s personal content.

Then came the announcement of media and content arriving onto Facebook. Partnerships with the likes of Spotify, The Washington Post and Netflix finally take Facebook into a world of content. Until now the users have had to bring the content to Facebook and after that, they have had to leave the site to see the material or listen to the song.

Now this ‘new breed of content apps’ will all appear in the Facebook News Feed and be watched, listened to or read, without leaving the site.

Facebook has just moved one step closer to becoming a web within the web – and certainly even nearer to becoming the social platform of the whole web – in spite of Google’s best efforts with Google+

Two IITians among 400 richest Americans: Forbes magazine

Bill Gates topped the Forbes' list.

 Two Indian Institute of Technology alumni have made it to Forbes' list of the 400 richest Americans topped for the 18th year in a row by Bill Gates with Warren Buffett second.

While Microsoft co-founder Gates' fortune swelled by $5 billion in a year to $59 billion, according to the US business magazine, Bharat Desai with $1.35 billion gets the 329th spot withVinod Khosla two notches below at 331st place with $1.3 billion.
                                                                                     

Kenya born Syntel co-founder Desai, 58, an IIT, Bombay graduate founded the outsourcing outfit in 1980, took the company public in 1997 and now has some 16,200 employees. Shares have jumped 20 percent over the past year.

Fellow IITian Vinod Khosla, 56, according to Forbes "is the rare Silicon Valley venture capitalist able to generate profits from a clean tech portfolio."

The Indian-born engineer, who made his early fortune as a cofounder of Sun Microsystems, recently vowed to give away half his fortune to charity when he signed Bill Gates' and Warren Buffett's Giving Pledge last April.

The Berkshire Hathaway Inc. chairman and CEO Buffett's fortune decreased by $6 billion - the largest dollar-amount loss by anyone on the Forbes 400 this year, to $39 billion, the magazine said.

He was the only person among the top 20 on Forbes' list to see his fortune shrink from a year ago.

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison rounds out the top three richest Americans with a net worth of $33 billion, $6 billion more than last year.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was the biggest dollar gainer on the list, with a net worth of $17.5 billion that earned him the No. 14 spot.

Forbes said the combined wealth of the 400 people, including 42 women, on this year's list is $1.5 trillion, with an average net worth of $3.8 billion, up 12 percent from last year. 

Tendulkar writes to ICC CEO Lorgat asking for changes in ODI format

 The ODIs are perceived to be on the decline and it's none other than Sachin Tendulkar who has now come out publicly in support of revamping the current 50-over format having written a letter to ICC CEOHaroon Lorgat. 

Tendulkar, the world's highest run-getter in both Tests and ODIs and someone who is on the threshold of his 100th international century, wants ICC to make "a radical switch" from 50-50 to four 25-over innings. 

Apart from reducing the number of overs per innings, Tendulkar has also proposed several more changes for the ODIs. 

The Indian batting icon had spoken about this new concept in television interviews in the past but had never written a letter to ICC in this regard. 

"I have been capturing my thoughts on what I think would be the way forward to ensure that all three formats in the game co-exist and ensure value creation," he wrote in the letter seen by 'The Times'. 

He argued that four alternate innings of 25 overs for each side in an international would be the fairest way of balancing the advantages gained by the team that won the toss when pitch and weather conditions mean that a match can virtually be decided by the spin of a coin. 

Tendulkar's letter also proposed changes in voluntary Powerplays. 

In each 25-over block, Tendulkar wants only two Powerplays at the behest of the batting side but suggested that up to four bowlers should be allowed up to 12 overs each, rather than the present limit of 10.

 

One of the prominent matches featuring India seemed to have been lost after spin of coin was 1996 Wills World Cup semifinal when Lankans batted first on a square turner. 

The match was awarded to Sri Lanka by the referee after a crowd riot which stopped proceedings after India lost eight wickets. 

Again, Sri Lanka were unlucky when they were forced to chase a large Australia total in fading light towards the end of the 2007 World Cup final in Barbados. Tendulkar also cited two games in the most recent World Cup when evening dew helped England to achieve a tie in their classic qualifying game against India in Bangalore but then counted in favour of Ireland during their famous run chase against England at the same venue. 

The hover cover, instant outfield drainage and sophisticated drying equipment have ensured that matches at Lord's almost always start on a dry pitch these days, but that is not the case everywhere. 

In Australia last winter, the inter-state one-day tournament, the Ryobi Cup, was played over 45-overs-a-side, split into two alternate innings of 20 overs followed by two of 25. The format was generally rated a success by Cricket Australia (CA). There were more close finishes, more runs, more wickets and larger TV audiences. Significantly, the new regulations appeared to overcome the relatively dull and predictable middle-over phases of 50-over games.

IIM student kills herself after boyfriend 'dumps' her on Facebook

 A 22-year old Indian Institute of Management (IIM) student hanged herself in her hostel room in Bangalore after she found out -- through Facebook -- that her boyfriend had "dumped" her.

Malini Murmu, a first-year MBA student from Jharkhand, had left behind a note on her laptop.

Officers investigating into the case said Malini on Sunday found out that her boyfriend had dumped her on Facebook. Depressed over the issue, she skipped classes that day. When her classmates noticed her absence they went to her room to check on her. After realising that she wasn't responding to their calls they notified the security in the campus. The security guards broke open the door only to discover Malini hanging from her room's ceiling fan.

The officers also found a suicide note on her laptop that said her boyfriend had left her and that she was going to kill herself over it. She had also scribbled, "He ditched me" on a board in her room. The officers said she was living alone.

The officers said her boyfriend was in town and the couple had a spat over some issue which led to him announcing the breakup of their relations on Facebook.

The boyfriend had left a post on Facebook saying, "Feeling super cool today. Dumped my new ex-girlfriend. Happy independence day."

The police said they are now waiting for Malini's parents to reach Bangalore before carrying out an autopsy. Her body meanwhile has been shifted to a mortuary.

American diet foods major Atkins plans India foray

Leading American diet food-maker Atkins will soon be hawking its weight-management products in the domestic market, a top company official said.


`Within the next three to six months you will see Atkins products here. We are trying to find the right distributor that can hawk our products and run our educational training system to begin with. Later on, we may look at opening Atkins Clinics,` Atkins Regional Director for Middle East, Africa and Asia, Greg Boucher told PTI here.


The USD 2.4-billion Denver-based Atkins Nutritionals Inc is a diet/healthy foods major specialises mostly in sugar-free products with its most popular brands are Advantage, Day Break, and Endulge. Atkins markets its wares in 16 countries.
Boucher also said the company would initially investing about Rs 2.4 crore in the country.


On his distribution plan, he said the products will be sold at hypermarkets, pharmacies, fitness clubs etc.
`We are looking at pricing now and meeting regulatory compliances. We want to ensure that our products are over priced,` he said.


On the rationale for entering India, he said, `we have been looking at the market for about five years and now we are ready. Awareness about obesity and overweight issues is increasing here.`
Diet foods is a nascent market in the country and there are only a few in the market like Horlicks` snack bars like Nature Valley, Rite Bite, Nutri Bar etc.

Heidi's pricey legs insured for $2 mn

German supermodel Heidi Klum has had her legs insured for $2 million.

The former Victoria's Secret model had to have her legs examined before a price could be placed on them, reports contactmusic.com.

"I didn't personally have them insured, but a client of mine did. Basically, I was in London, and I had to go to this place where they check out your leg," she told Extra TV.

"They would look at them and I had one scar here from when I fell on a glass, so this (left leg) isn't as pricey and this (right) one," she added.

Straight drive is my favourite shot, ( Tendulkar)

Bowlers never like batsmen hitting them past their follow through and this is exactly what Indian veteran Sachin Tendulkarlikes as his favourite stroke is the straight driven boundary.

"My favourite shot is the straight drive, opening up the face of the bat...no bowler likes to see the face of the bat," Tendulkar said in reply to a query by a cricket lover during a special programme on a news channel.

Answering questions ranging from why he failed to score in the recently-concluded England series to his shot selection, Tendulkar revealed how he avoids reading newspapers to cut out pressure.

"I can't do what millions of people have had to say as one should always focus on one's game as ultimately it is you who have to do it," he said replying to a query on how he handled pressure.

Tendulkar advised the kids avoid thinking about the past. "If you think of the past, you will tend to think of all negative things. If you think of the future you will worry whether you could score or not. What is important is to focus on the job at hand," said Tendulkar as he appealed to all to contribute in his " Support My School Campaign".

"We do 80 per cent positive things and only 20 per cent negative things in the past. Only negative things come to our mind, building up the pressure. Always think positive, sort out the mistakes (made in the past) and don't think of them anymore," Tendulkar said.

On why he could not score in the recently concluded India-England Test series, Tendulkar said the game should be seen in its totality.

"Sometimes a batsman gets out to a good ball or falls to a mistake," he said.

Why it is hard to control anger at times

When levels of a brain chemical called serotonin are low, which often occur when someone hasn`t eaten or is stressed, it may be more difficult for individuals to control their anger and, in turn, make them more prone to aggression, UKL researchers say.

For the study, healthy volunteers` serotonin levels were altered by manipulating their diet.

The researchers then scanned the volunteers` brains using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as they viewed faces with angry, sad, and neutral expressions.

The research revealed that low brain serotonin made communications between specific brain regions of the emotional limbic system of the brain (a structure called the amygdala) and the frontal lobes weaker compared to those present under normal levels of serotonin.

The findings suggest that when serotonin levels are low, it may be more difficult for the prefrontal cortex to control emotional responses to anger that are generated within the amygdala.

Using a personality questionnaire, they also determined which individuals have a natural tendency to behave aggressively.

In these individuals, the communications between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex was even weaker following serotonin depletion.

As a result, those individuals who might be predisposed to aggression were the most sensitive to changes in serotonin depletion.

Weight loss by diet shakes is temporary

Health experts have expressed uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of diet shakes for weight loss.

At least 15 brands of diet shakes - some promising `a new you` in a matter of weeks - are on the market in Australia, but nutritionists remain sceptical about their benefits.

The Dietitians Association of Australia said 95 percent of all dieters would regain their lost weight in one to five years.

Weight Watchers` nutritionist Emma Stirling said the key concern for many health professionals is that meal replacement shakes are a temporary fix.

`Contrary to popular belief, there is no miracle weight-loss cure or proven fat-blasting ingredients lurking within a chocolate diet shake,` the Sydney Morning Herald quoted her as saying.

`They are simply a combination of vitamins, minerals and other additives in a flavoured milk or water-based drink.

`Diet shakes are designed to be partial meal replacements, where one or two meals a day are replaced with the shake and the remaining meals made up of regular food,` she explained.

She said that eating a couple of small pieces of fruit instead of a couple of meals a day would create the same loss of calories.

Dr Ken Harvey, senior research fellow at La Trobe University`s School of Public Health, said his main concern with the diet shake industry was the unsubstantiated miracle weight-loss claims being made by several companies.

He filed a complaint to the Therapeutic Goods Administration`s complaints resolution panel about Pharmacare Laboratories` Xantrax shakes after the company claimed that ``a new slimmer you is less than 30 days away - with the doctor-recommended diet shakes`.

Melissa Ferrick Rocks On & Is 'Still Right Here' (video)

SingerMelissa Ferrick has dropped her first studio recording in five years, alerting the music industry she’s back with a vengeance with the feel-good track, Still Right Here.

Ferrick’s musical career has spanned some 20 years, belying her positive, high-voltage energy and youthful good looks.

In her latest album, released by MPress Records (which also reps the velvet-voicedSeth Glier), the talented singer-songwriter boasts guest spots from the likes of Ani DiFranco and Kaki King.

The album features a beautiful and inspiring collection of upbeat, optimistic tunes such as One of a Kind, Seconds Like These and I Will Back You Up, spotlighting the inspiration Ferrick has drawn from rock legends she has shared the stage with, including Bob Dylan, Weezer, Paul Westerberg and Morrissey.

Ferrick has been sharing the music that moves her with the fans who love it on a U.S. tour, which kicked off in Provincetown, Mass., and wraps up Oct. 29 in Dallas, Texas. In November, Melissa is set to tour with Ani DiFranco across the East Coast.

check out the video.....

Brad Pitt calls life with Aniston uninteresting

Brad Pitt does not sing the praises of ex-wife Jennifer Aniston in a new magazine interview. In fact, he describes their former marriage as kind of a drag.

The 47-year-old Pitt said in a profile by Parade magazine posted on the publication's website on Thursday that he is now a "satisfied man" in his relationship with Angelina Jolie.

The "Moneyball" star compares his new life with Jolie, with whom he is raising 6 kids, favorably to the roughly five years he spent married to Aniston.

"It became very clear to me that I was intent on trying to find a movie about an interesting life, but I wasn't living an interesting life myself," Pitt told Parade.

"I think that my marriage (to Aniston) had something to do with it. Trying to pretend the marriage was something that it wasn't," he added.

Pitt and "Friends" star Aniston were married in 2000, and he has largely avoided talking about his ex-wife since their 2005 divorce.

In the magazine interview, Pitt also said he spent the 1990s "trying to hide out" from celebrity. "I started to get sick of myself sitting on a couch, holding a joint, hiding out," he said in the interview.

Although Pitt and Oscar winner Jolie have been together for over five years, the actor has said they will not marry until gay marriage is widely legalized. He is sticking to that.

"We'll get married when everyone can," Pitt told Parade.

The Parade interview with Pitt, who stars in the upcoming baseball drama "Moneyball," is being published in this Sunday's edition of the magazine

Russia to launch Space Hotel with intergalactic view

A Russian company has unveiled an ambitious plan to launch a 'space hotel' in orbit 217 miles up which would have huge windows for views of the Earth turning below.

A five-day stay in the hotel, which would house seven guests in four cabins, would cost 100,000 pounds, on top of 500,000 pounds for journey, the Daily Mail reports.

Orbital Technologies, firm will construct the hotel, has claimed that it will be 'far more comfortable' than the International Space Station used by astronauts and cosmonauts.

In the weightlessness of space, visitors can choose to have beds that are either vertical or horizontal.

Tourists, who will be accompanied by experienced crew, will dine on food prepared on Earth and sent up on the rocket, to be reheated in microwave ovens, the paper said.

The freeze-dried tubes of nourishment given to astronauts would be replaced by delicacies such as braised veal cheeks with wild mushrooms, white bean puree, potato soup and plum compote.

Iced tea, mineral water and fruit juices will be available, but alcohol will be strictly prohibited.

Toilets will use flowing air instead of water to move waste through the system.

Waste water will be recycled, while the air will be filtered to remove odour and bacteria and then returned to the cabin.

A plan for the hotel to be used as an emergency bolthole for astronauts aboard the International Space Station if there is a crisis, rather than bringing them all the way back to Earth is alo underway, the paper said.

The hotel, or the Commercial Space Station is due to open by 2016.

Adopting healthy lifestyle can cut heart failure risk

A person`s lifetime risk of developing heart failure is one in five at age 40. However, a new study has suggested that adopting a healthy lifestyle – including watching your weight, not smoking, regularly exercising and eating lots of veggies – could significantly reduce the risk of developing heart failure.

It found that people who followed one healthy lifestyle behavior significantly reduced their heart failure risk, and each additional healthy behavior further decreased their risk.

Previous research has shown an association between healthy lifestyle behaviors and lower risk of heart failure in men. The new study is the first to find a similar connection in women

.

Researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La followed more than 18,000 men and nearly 20,000 women from Finland ranging in age from 25 to 74 years for about 14 years. During this time, 638 of the men and 445 of the women developed heart failure.

After taking into account risk factors for heart failure such as diabetes, high blood pressure and a previous heart attack, the study found men who smoked had an 86 percent greater risk for heart failure than the non-smokers. That risk jumped to 109 percent among women.

Overweight men had a 15 percent increased risk of heart failure, while overweight women had a 21 percent increased chance. That added risk surged to 75 percent for obese men and 106 percent for obese women.

Eating less, not exercise, way to curb obesity

Those wishing to shed some pounds should simply eat less rather than doing exercise, a leading surgeon has claimed.

Lord McColl of Dulwich also criticised the UK government`s focus on promoting exercise as the key to tackling the obesity epidemic.

His comments came despite the scientifically proven fact that regular exercise results in a lower risk of many chronic diseases – including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

And his view also flies in the face of research that shows it can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy – as well as reduce risk of stress, depression, dementia and Alzheimer`s disease.

`We are in the middle of the most serious epidemic to have hit this country for 100 years – the obesity epidemic. The cure is free – you just have to eat less,` the Daily Mail quoted 

Beware- digital infrared cameras can reveal PIN numbers from ATM

Beware! Modern-day hackers can recognize your PIN numbers from ATM keypads using a digital infrared camera.

At the USENIX Workshop on Offensive Technologies earlier this month, researchers from the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) have described how a digital infrared camera could be used to reveal digits of PIN numbers after a user punched them in on ATM keypads.

Researchers showed that the residual heat our fingertips left behind on the ATM keypad can be detected by the digital infrared cameras, easily revealing the digits of your PIN.

When the camera was used immediately after the transaction, researchers correctly identified the numbers with over 80 percent accuracy.

Even after a minute, researchers were able to correctly identify digits about 50 percent of the time.

Plastic and rubber keypads were most prone to retaining fingertip heat. Even so, they still had their flaws.

“With plastic keypads, we can reliably detect which buttons were pressed, but it is really difficult to determine the order,” Discovery News quoted Keaton Mowery, a doctoral student in computer science at UCSD, as telling Technology Review.

Mowery conducted his research with fellow student Sarah Meiklejohn and professor Stefan Savage.

‘Music will take Facebook beyond communication’

Facebook’s music service, expected to launch on September 22, is key to the social network’s success moving forward, taking it from a communications platform to a content site, a leading digital music analyst has said.

The social network is expected to announce a music service in partnership with digital streaming companies Spotify, Mog and Rhapsody, at f8, Facebook’s upcoming annual developer conference on September 22.

According to Mark Mulligan, a leading independent digital music analyst, formerly of Forrester Research, the development is a crucial move for the site.

“Facebook hasn’t needed to have music properly embedded in its site until now. However, it is trying to be as defensible as possible against any potential Facebook killers which it knows could come along. It is now deliberately extending itself to be more than a social network and instead of just being a communications platform – this service will see the site become a social content platform."

He added: “I think Facebook has a great chance of going much further than MySpace and Last.fm ever went in bringing the social side of music recommendation together on a platform tailor made for friends communicating. If it gets it right – it has the opportunity to become the universal music dashboard for the majority of people online.”

Facebook is not expected to begin hosting music on its own site, but rather it will rely upon partners, including the Swedish-founded Spotify (which has just launched in the US), Mog and Rdio, which all already have digital music licenses in place.

In the same way Facebook has become a web platform for games and applications created by third party developers, it is expected to announce the same arrangement for music at f8.

For instance, if a Facebook user is listening to a track via Spotify, a Rhapsody user could click on the track via their profile and listen to the whole song – meaning only one account will be required across the different services to get access to most of the content.

A Facebook spokesman said: "There's nothing new to announce. Many of the most popular music services around the world are integrated with Facebook and we're constantly talking to our partners about ways to improve these integrations."Facebook is also expected to launch a in-built music player which pulls in the different service’s catalogues – so people can listen to their favourite songs while connecting with friends.

MySpace, Facebook’s beleaguered rival, which was recently acquired by Justin Timberlake and advertising agency Specific Media, had formerly been the social network of choice for sharing and accessing music.

However, Facebook, with more than 750 million members, now looks well-positioned to corner this market with well-established digital music players, such as Mog.

Mulligan added: “Facebook’s music strategy can be summed up with one word: co-existence. It is trying to join the digital dots and become the place where friends connect over music… MySpace is pretty much dead in the water and the puff went out of Last.fm round about the time CBS acquired it. This is a great opportunity for the site.”