ക്രിസ്തുമസ് അവധിക്കാലത്ത് കുട്ടികള്‍ക്ക് ദ്വിദിന ഹാര്‍ഡ് വെയര്‍ പരിശീലനം

 സംസ്ഥാനത്തെ പൊതുവിദ്യാലയങ്ങളിലെ തെരഞ്ഞെടുത്ത 25,000 കുട്ടികള്‍ക്ക് ഐടി@സ്കൂളിന്റെ നേതൃത്വത്തില്‍ ക്രിസ്തുമസ് അവധിക്കാലത്ത് ദ്വിദിന ഹാര്‍ഡ്വെയര്‍ പരിശീലനം നല്‍കും. കമ്പ്യൂട്ടര്‍ ഹാര്‍ഡ്വെയര്‍ ഉപകരണങ്ങളെക്കുറിച്ച് വ്യക്തമായ ധാരണ കുട്ടികളില്‍ ഉളവാക്കുക, ഹാര്‍ഡ്വെയര്‍ പ്രശ്നങ്ങള്‍ പരിഹരിക്കാന്‍ പ്രാപ്തരാക്കുക, സോഫ്റ്റ്വെയര്‍ ഇന്‍സ്റലേഷന്‍ ട്രബിള്‍ ഷൂട്ടിങ് പ്രവര്‍ത്തനങ്ങള്‍ പരിശീലിപ്പിക്കുക തുടങ്ങിയവയാണ് പരിശീലന ലക്ഷ്യങ്ങള്‍. സ്കൂളുകളില്‍ ലഭ്യമാക്കിയിട്ടുള്ള ഐടി പശ്ചാത്തലസൌകര്യം ഫലപ്രദമായി ഉപയോഗിക്കാനും പരിപാലിക്കാനും തകരാറുകള്‍ പരിഹരിക്കാനും അദ്ധ്യാപകരെ സഹായിക്കാന്‍ കുട്ടികളെ പ്രാപ്തരാക്കുന്ന വിധമാണ് പരിശീലനം ക്രമീകരിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നത്. സബ്ജില്ലകളിലെ വിവിധ സ്ക്കളുകളിലായി ക്രമീകരിച്ചിരിക്കുന്ന പരിശീലനകേന്ദ്രങ്ങളില്‍ ഒരു ബാച്ചില്‍ 40 കുട്ടികളെ ഉള്‍പ്പെടുത്തിക്കൊണ്ടാണ് ഡിസംബര്‍ 26 മുതല്‍ 31 വരെ കാലയളവില്‍ നടത്തുന്ന ദ്വിദിന ഹാര്‍ഡ്വെയര്‍ പരിശീലനം. ആദ്യദിവസം കമ്പ്യൂട്ടറിന്റെ ഘടകങ്ങള്‍ പരിചയപ്പെടുത്തുക, അനുബന്ധ ഉപകരണങ്ങള്‍ പരസ്പരം ഘടിപ്പിക്കുക, ഓപ്പറേറ്റിങ് സിസ്റം ഉപയോഗിച്ച് ഹാര്‍ഡ്വെയര്‍ വിവരങ്ങള്‍ ശേഖരിക്കുക, വിവിധ പോര്‍ട്ടുകള്‍ ബന്ധിപ്പിക്കുക, ടെര്‍മിനലുകള്‍ കമാന്റുകള്‍ നല്‍കുക എന്നിങ്ങനെ ആറ് പ്രവര്‍ത്തനങ്ങള്‍ കുട്ടികള്‍ വിവിധ ബാച്ചുകളായി തിരിഞ്ഞ് ചെയ്തുനോക്കും. പ്രവര്‍ത്തിക്കുന്ന ഒരു കമ്പ്യൂട്ടറിലെ ഹാര്‍ഡ് ഡിസ്കിന്റെ കേബിള്‍ അല്പം ഇളക്കി മാറ്റി പവര്‍ ഓണ്‍ ചെയ്താല്‍ മോണിറ്ററില്‍ എന്തു സന്ദേശം പ്രത്യക്ഷപ്പെടും? ഇത് എങ്ങനെ സംഭവിക്കുന്നു? ഇതിന്റെ പരിഹാരം എന്ത്? തുടങ്ങിയ എട്ട് പ്രവര്‍ത്തനങ്ങളാണ് രണ്ടാം ദിവസം കുട്ടികള്‍ക്കായി പരിശീലനത്തിന് നല്‍കിയിട്ടുള്ളത്. ശബ്ദ ഫയലുകള്‍ റെക്കോര്‍ഡ് ചെയ്യുന്നതു മുതല്‍ സ്വതന്ത്ര സോഫ്റ്റ്വെയര്‍ ഓപ്പറേറ്റിങ് സിസ്റങ്ങള്‍ ഡിവിഡി ഡ്രൈവ് ഇല്ലാത്ത കമ്പ്യൂട്ടറുകളിലും നെറ്റ് ബുക്കുകളിലും ഇന്‍സ്റാള്‍ ചെയ്യാന്‍ ആവശ്യമായ സ്റ്റാര്‍ട്ടര്‍ ഡിസ്കുകള്‍ തയാറാക്കുന്നത് വരെ രണ്ടാം ദിവസത്തെ പരിശീലനത്തില്‍ ഉള്‍പ്പെടുത്തിയിട്ടുണ്ട്. ഒരു സ്കൂളില്‍ നിന്ന് പരമാവധി പത്ത് കുട്ടികള്‍ക്ക് പരിശീലനത്തില്‍ പങ്കെടുക്കാം
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Boosting performance of multi-core computer chips

Washington, May 26 : Computers can now run even faster. Researchers have developed two new techniques to help multi-core computer chips boost their performance by 10 to 40 percent.

Multi-core chips are supposed to make our computers run faster. Each core on a chip is its own central processing unit, or computer brain. However, there are things that can slow these cores. 

For example, each core needs to retrieve data from memory that is not stored on its chip. There is a limited pathway - or bandwidth - these cores can use to retrieve that off-chip data. 

As chips have incorporated more and more cores, the bandwidth has become increasingly congested -- slowing down system performance, reports the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

One of the ways to expedite core performance is called prefetching. Each chip has its own small memory component, called a cache. 

In prefetching, the cache predicts what data a core will need in the future and retrieves that data from off-chip memory before the core needs it. Ideally, this improves the core's performance. 

But, if the cache's prediction is inaccurate, it unnecessarily clogs the bandwidth while retrieving the wrong data. This actually slows the chip's overall performance.

"The first technique relies on criteria we developed to determine how much bandwidth should be allotted to each core on a chip," says Yan Solihin, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at North Carolina State University and study co-author.

Researchers use easily-collected data from the hardware counters on each chip to determine which cores need more bandwidth. "By better distributing the bandwidth to the appropriate cores, the criteria are able to maximize system performance," Solihin says, according to a Carolina statement.

"The second technique relies on a set of criteria we developed for determining when prefetching will boost performance and should be utilized," Solihin says, "as well as when prefetching would slow things down and should be avoided." 

Utilizing both sets of criteria, the researchers were able to boost multi-core chip performance by 40 percent, compared to multi-core chips that do not prefetch data, and by 10 percent over multi-core chips that always prefetch data.

source;newkerala

Google to offer street view of Indian cities soon

Bangalore, May 26 : Global Internet search engine Google Thursday announced plans to offer street view of Indian cities on its maps platform.

"We are launching the street view project from Bangalore as it is the IT capital of India where IT-savvy users will be able to leverage the benefits of the facility optimally," Google India product head Vinay Goel told reporters here at a preview of its latest product.

As a user-friendly feature of Google Maps, the US-based global IT major has already uploaded street view of about 100 cities in 27 countries world over with a host of information for the benefit of users seeking specific details.

"Inspired by the success of the project in other cities, we will collect images of Bangalore streets by driving across the city in cars and trikes (three-wheeler rickshaws) that will have high resolution cameras mounted atop," Goel said.

To be made available on www.google.co.in/streetview in the coming months, the novel feature will enable users to virtually explore and navigate a neighbourhood through a panoramic view of its streets on their desktops or mobile handsets.

"The users will also be able to access street-level imagery by zooming into the lowest level on Google Maps or by dragging the orange 'pegman' icon on the left side of the map onto a blue highlighted street," Goel pointed out.

Images of faces, addresses of houses or offices and number plates of cars will be blurred to safeguard privacy. Detailed imagery of public or private properties and specific locations will also be blurred on request by the concerned or the affected party.

"Street view will also be useful for urban development planners, law enforcement agencies, house-hunters, travellers and diverse users looking for specific information on shops, offices, restaurants, hotels, etc, in a particular street, area or locality," Goel said.

The feature will enable businesses to upload their details on the imagery map for free by using the tools on the street view site.

"Street view is designed to comply with all local laws, including those related to security and privacy issues in India," Goel added.

Google India's development centre in this tech hub has been actively involved in the global street view project for developing application interface, associated tools and solutions for trouble-shooting.

source:newkerala

Reporter Channel

Reports says The News Channel ” Reporter ” by MV Nikesh Mumar Started on 11th May 2011. 
Reporter will be launched under a new company called Indo-Asian News Channel. MT Vasudevan Nair is the Chairman of Reporter Channel.

IT@School FOSS ICT Resource DVD for High School teachers

Tvm: All the High School teachers in Kerala would be provided with FOSS based ICT Resource DVDs, prepared by IT@School Project, as part of implementing a complete ICT enabled educational system in the State. The Resource DVD package would consist of separate DVDs for IT@School Edu-Ubuntu and other ICT Resource contents.

The Resource DVD is designed in such a way that it would benefit not only the teachers who handles ICT, but other subject teachers also who could make use of the scope of ICT enabled teaching in their respective subjects. The Resource DVD is packed with several educational contents such as IT@School Edu-Ubuntu 10.04 Operating System, Spreadsheet, Presentation and Database applications, DTP, Graphics and Imaging software, Sound recording, Video editing and Animation packages and many more. The proprietary version of these software would have incurred a minimum cost of Rs.30,000/- in terms of License Fee.

The second DVD in the package comprises of a vast collection of software and modules required for educational activities. The contents of this DVD include Geogebra, PhET, Odacity, OpenShot, Periodic table, Kalcium etc and also a bunch of colage pictures which helps learning the ICT textbook etc. Apart from this, the DVD also contains Open Office templates, Audio-Video files of various formats, E-Textbooks, Teacher's handbook, Training modules etc. Both the DVDs are designed for easy installation by the user.

In a release, K Anvar Sadath, Executive Director, IT@School Project said, “The fact that we are releasing these DVDs under the Free Software license enables not simply teachers and students but also the general public an opportunity to copy, distribute and share the contents in the DVD and use it as they wish”.

The Resource DVD would be provided free to the 9th Standard teachers during their ICT training sessions. A total of 31,740 teachers from 2,670 High Schools of the State have already registered online for the training programme. As many as 6,800 teachers have been trained so far in as many as 260 training centres in the State. The new ICT textbook in Standard 9 is designed in such a way to help the students learn Sound recording, Video Editing and Animation processes easily using free software based applications, which otherwise is supposed to be a complicated task for students.

source:Kerala IT News