Apple Acquires Waze? The Timeline [Exclusive]

Though Apollo Report has exclusively scooped that Waze actually acquired Apple, several publications have reported the opposite. Here's Apollo Report's exclusive timeline of events regarding these acquisition reports. 

January 2nd: Israeli blog NewsGeek claims that Apple is [pointlessly] offering $500 million to acquire Waze, a service that Apple has already fully integrated (via a licensing deal) into its amazing Maps app. 

January 2nd (later that day): TechCrunch claims, pretending that nobody noticed the earlier report in Israel, that Apple is moving to buy Waze. The site used the catchy title Is Apple Plotting A Route To A Waze Acquisition? Rumours On The Road Point To Yes. This title of course is similar in style to the site's other recent reports: What’s Up With WhatsApp? Facebook Might Want To Buy It, That’s What and It’s Rumor Sunday! Apple Has Been Cozying Up To DIY Guide App Snapguide.

January 3rd (early morning): TechCrunch updates its original scoop to re-confirm its initial information and add a specific price point: "Another source confirms that negotiations are advanced, but Waze wants $750M and Apple is willing to do $400M plus $100m in incentives. Waze had less than $1M in revenues last year (primarily from ads). Negotiations may take awhile."

January 3rd (later that morning): TechCrunch hears from "multiple sources" (read: Apple's PR department) in a developing… story that its earlier article was complete bullshit. Apparently the issue with the deal was reality, it was never true.

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First alleged Samsung Galaxy S IV render leaks

 
It is that time of the year again when we start hearing rumors and seeing alleged renders of Apple’s next iPhone and Samsung’s next Galaxy S flagship smartphone. We have already been hearing loads about the two phones but today we have the first alleged render of the Galaxy S IV courtesy Sammobile.
The fake-looking render essentially shows a device with an even thinner bezel than the Galaxy S III that also lets go of the physical home button. In our books this photo screams fake as we have found the ease with which these renders are been faked these days. This is just the beginning of the render faking season.
Forgery notwithstanding, word on the street is the Galaxy S IV could sport S-Pen input just like the Galaxy Note II and is expected to have a 5-inch 1080p HD display. It could also feature a 13-megapixel camera and would run on an Exynos processor on ARM’s big.LITTLE architecture that would have a A7 processor for basic tasks coupled with an A15 processor for processor intensive tasks.
 
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The Night A Computer Predicted The Next President

Some milestone moments in journalism converged 60 years ago on election night in the run between Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower and Democratic Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson. It was the first coast-to-coast television broadcast of a presidential election. Walter Cronkite anchored his first election night broadcast for CBS.
And it was the first time computers were brought in to help predict the outcome. That event in 1952 helped usher in the computer age, but it wasn't exactly love at first sight.
The 'Electronic Brain'
CBS' Charles Collingwood was the reporter assigned to UNIVAC, one of the world's first commercial computers.
"This is the face of a UNIVAC," Collingwood told the CBS audience. "A UNIVAC is a fabulous electronic machine, which we have borrowed to help us predict this election from the basis of early returns as they come in."
The "face" Collingwood refered to was just the console. He sat in front of a mock-up of the console in New York. It was the size of a large desk, with something that looked like a blinking bookcase sitting on top. The real UNIVAC, which took up the better part of a room, was nearly 100 miles away in Philadelphia with its programmers and a CBS camera crew.

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Kannur goes mad over Diego Maradona

Anyone who arrived in Kannur on Tuesday could have easily mistaken it for Buenos Aires or any other Argentinian city. Every vantage point in this northern district of Kerala had been taken over by one man, Diego Maradona.

Some of the cutouts on display were twice the size of the diminutive football great.

"For people of Malabar, football is a religion and Maradona is our god. Today our 'football god' has come to visit us. On Wednesday morning he will bless us," said Nizam AH as he was giving finishing touches to one of the cutouts outside the Kannur Municipal stadium, where Maradona will make his public appearance on Wednesday morning.

Maradona arrived in Kerala 12 hours ahead of schedule for Wednesday's private function. Fearing inclement weather in the evening, the organisers of the event requested the football legend to advance his visit and he duly obliged.

He arrived at the Cochin International Airport in the early Tuesday morning and headed straight to Kannur via a private chopper. He landed at the army helipad here and was quickly whisked away to the hotel by security staff.

At the hotel, Maradona spent most of the day trying to overcome jet lag. But he did take some time out to shoot for an advertisement.

"Since Maradona landed in Kannur earlier than expected, we decided to complete the shooting of our advertisement on Tuesday itself. But he spent most of the day sleeping. So we couldn't complete the shoot," said Shaji JS, advertising manager of Chemmanur group, which facilitated Maradona's trip to Kerala.

Maradona stepped out in the balcony of his hotel room in the evening and waved at his thousands of fans who had assembled near the hotel - waiting to get a glimpse of the superstar - since dawn.

Efforts are on to present Maradona in public in mundu, a traditional Kerala attire. An organiser told TOI that Maradona even tried wearing it on Tuesday.

"He tried to wear a mundu a couple of times, but on both occasions, he couldn't tie it properly. Hence, one isn't sure whether he will risk wearing it in public on Wednesday," said the organiser not willing to be named.

However, the football legend will begin his address in Malayalam before moving on to Spanish. He is expected to showcase some of his footballing skills too.

A crowd of over a lakh is expected to throng the stadium which has a capacity of 50,000. Security has been beefed up as Kannur gears up for its date with El Diego.

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TISS entrance exam 2013

The entrance exam of Tata Institute of Social Sciences will be held on January 13. Interested candidates can apply online for TISS NET or send the printed application form to the Mumbai campus. The last date for receipt of application forms is November 10, 2012.
The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) was established in 1936, as the Sir Dorabji Tata Graduate School of Social Work. The first school of social work in India, TISS was a pioneering effort with the objective of Social Welfare through academic excellence, a characteristic of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT).
The admissions have begun for full-time postgraduate degree programs in Mumbai, Tuljapur, Guwahati, and Hyderabad campuses on January 13.
Students can choose between the online and paper format.
TISS may also conduct the paper in a single entrance exam format for all the candidates rather than two-paper format.
TISS has invited applications for 39 highly competitive, M.A/M.Sc/M.P.H/M.H.A Programmes in inter and trans-disciplinary areas of Social work, Health, Management, Development, Habitat and Climate Sciences.

Image courtesy: photos.com

Are you confused about career? Speak to counsellor Prerna Prasad for career advise

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If I wasn't at Facebook I'd be at Microsoft: Zuckerberg

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has said that if the social networking website had not worked out he would have probably landed at Microsoft.

"I probably would have taken an engineering job...(and) always had a lot of respect for Microsoft," he told Paul Graham, a co-founder of the tech venture capital fun Y Combinator, during a 45-minute interview before an audience of 1,700 at Stanford's Memorial Hall.

"A lot of people from Harvard went to work there," the 28-year-old added.

The social networking mogul opened up about his startup experience and opined on the problems with entrepreneurs these days, at the annual conference for entrepreneurs and computer hackers at Stanford University held on Saturday, the Daily Mail reported.

Though Facebook's lagging stock performance has been the topic of discussion, Zuckerberg instead shared tales of his early years at Harvard, his path to becoming one of the most powerful figures in Silicon Valley and even imagined what he would have done if things had turned out differently.

Even though Facebook is one of the most visited pages on the web, employs nearly 4,000 people and boasts 1 billion users worldwide, the founder divulged that he most likely would have made his way to Seattle if his idea had flopped.

Zuckerberg provided his account of his school days and was the first to admit he wasn't the model student.

Contrary to what one might expect, Zuckerberg was actually a psychology major at the Ivy League university and enjoyed the study of classical languages instead of computer science or business.

But despite his best intentions, he rarely attended class and instead spent his time computer programming.

"My life is a long history of people thinking I would drop out of school long before I did," Zuckerberg told the audience.

He said his parents came to the realisation pretty early on that though he enrolled at Harvard in 2002, he was unlikely to stay put, much like the story of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who dropped out of Harvard in 1975 to start the computer company.

"I started building Facebook because I wanted it at college, which is one of the ironies, since I then left college," he said.

As Zuckerberg worked away at the idea for a revolutionary social network in college, the website grew in popularity but in retrospect Zuckerberg said the pace was actually slow compared to today's standards.

"Facebook did grow quickly but it took a year for us to get a million users," he said.

He also admitted that even he wasn't sure that Facebook would be his golden ticket.

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Reliance Launches Whatsapp Plan

 
Reliance Communications today announced a special Whatsapp plan, the first for any Indian carrier. The plan gives subscribers free access to Whatsapp for Rs 16 every month. For a limited period, users of Whatsapp plan will also get access to Facebook for free. Reliance GSM subscribers can subscribe to the ‘WhatsApp Plan, by sending a SMS “WA” or “WhatsApp” or “FB” or “Facebook” to 53739.

Whatsapp is an IM service that integrates with the user’s phonebook, enabling them to send messages over a data connection to anyone who’s on Whatsapp till the time they know the recipient’s phone number. The service is already being touted as an alternative to 
BlackBerry Messenger while BlackBerry users often call it ‘poor man’s BBM’.

It is quite interesting to see a carrier offer a cheap Whatsapp tariff plan considering the service was claimed to be anti-carriers as it ate into their text messaging revenues. We have a hunch that this is just the beginning for Whatsapp’s affair with Indian carriers and users. Watch this space for more.

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Gandhi V/s Youngistan

Youth says 'Who is Gandhi?' while Gandhivadis trying to defend the dead in talk show "Gandhi V/s Youngistan" which hits Indian television with Highest Trp for the channel

Recently on Gandhi, jayanti Jaipur witnessed a unique Talk Show with a unique concept, which probably happened for the first time all over the globe. It was based on the theme "Gandhi V/S Youngistan". People do not dare to open up their views on Gandhi in public, he being Father of the Nation. However, reality is different. Survey done in Youth says more than 70% of Youth hates Gandhi and his philosophies while many says, "Who is Gandhi?". This sensitive and critical topic was brought up on a talk show by 2 young Guns from Jaipur named Nirmal Mor and Pratik Mor. Mor brothers dared to take this point in public and organized a national level talk show which featured India's Well known speakers Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, Rajit Kapur, Dr. Anil Dutta Mishra, Sudeep Nagarkar, Dinkar Joshi and Sawai Singh. There were audience of more than 300 on the show. Pratik Mor says, "This talk show is a part of International youth talk series YOUNGISTAN REUNITES."

As the Talk show started it was trending Nationwide on Social networking sites including Twitter. The show went viral all over and created a huge buzz nationwide to witness highest Trp when it went live on Etv Rajasthan. It was acclaimed critically all over India. Pratik Mor and Nirmal Mor dared and they did it on their own. "It was hectic but we did it. Our first show of the series Youngistan Reunites was trending on twitter and it witnessed highest Trp. We will be doing such kind of shows in coming months in different states", says Mor brothers. Indeed, we are ready for the revolution in corrupt India. While Youngistan stood firm on their views on the show Gandhi philosophers had to sweat to defend their views. 
Here are few words from the Speakers:-

Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak :- Jo Dusro ki sahayta karne ka man rakhta hai who insane Gandhiwadi hai. Gandhi chahte the ki azaadi baad mein mile, pahle desh ki safai ho. Gandhi se adhunik soch wale toh aaj ke yuva bhi nai hai."

Dr. Anil Dutta Mishra: - Gandhi ji creative person and history maker rhe hai. Unka kahna tha ki pahle taqdeer ko badlo, fir rashtra ko badlo. Itne varsho se padh raha hu, lekin kahi nahi padha ki Gandhi ne kaha tha koi ek gal par thappar mare tha , dusra gal aage kar dena. Schools ne Gandhi ko dhang se padhaya hi nahi.

Rajit Kapur :- Youngistan ko Gandhi ki sadharan jeevan ko samajhne or use apne aap ko connect karne ki jarurat hai. Gandhi ki tarah hame bhi example set karne ki jarurat hai taki behtar bharat ka nirman ho sake.

Sudeep Nagarkar :- Jitne bhi social worker hai politician hai kisi ne yeh nahi pucha ki yuvao ko kya chaiye ? 2 oct ko hi Gandhi ko yaad kyu kia jata hai friendship day par kyu nahi. Jab gandhivad yuvao ki avashyaktao ko puchte hi nai, to yuva Gandhi ji ko kyu jane ?

Dinkar Joshi :- Wo zinda hote to aaj ke mahol ko swikar hi nahi kar pate. Yadi waise soch aaj ke yuvao ki nahi hai toh jimmedar Gandhi ke bad wali pidhi hai.

Sawai Singh :-  Gandhi ji ne kaha tha ki darwaje khol kar rakho or per jameen par, lekin ab darwaje toh khul rahe hai lekin logo ke per zamin par nahi hai.

Visit their Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/youngistanreunites

Photo Gallery :

On the stage

Sudeep Nagarkar (National Bestseller Author), Rajit Kapoor (Actor), Anil Dutta Mishra ( Writer) and Zankrut Oza (Digital partner)

Shubam Chug, Dharmesh Goyal, Pratik Mor and Nirmal Mor ( Organizing team of "Youngistan Reunites - A talk show series)

Pratik Mor and Nirmal Mor ( Organizers of Youngistan reunites) with Sudeep Nagarkar

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BrahMos missile successfully test-fired

The Navy today successfully test-fired the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kg, from a warship off the Goa coast.

'The cruise missile was test-fired from guided missile frigate INS Teg--the Indian Navy's latest induction from
Russia off the coast of Goa early morning,' sources told PTI.

They said the missile performing high-level manoeuvres successfully hit the target ship which was still on fire.

The INS Teg, which has been built at the Yantar shipyard in Russia, had fired the missile successfully during
pre-induction trials in Russia last year.

The two remaining warships of the project namely INS Tarkah and INS Trikand will also be armed with the lethal
missile in vertical launch mode.

The two-stage missile, the first one being solid and the second one ramjet liquid propellant, has already been inducted
into the Army and Navy, and the Air Force version is in final stage of trial, a defence official said.

While induction of the first version of Brahmos missile system in the Indian Navy commenced from 2005 with INS Rajput,
it is now fully operational with two regiments of the Army. The air launch version and the submarine launch version of the missile system are in progress, he said.

The Army has so far placed orders for the Brahmos missile to be deployed by three regiments of the Army and two of them
have already been inducted operationally.

The Defence Ministry has also given a go-ahead to Army to induct a third regiment equipped with the missile system to be
deployed in Arunachal Pradesh.

Brahmos Aerospace, an Indo-Russian joint venture company, is also working to develop the air as well as the submarine
launch version of the missile system and work on the project is in progress.

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Aamir Khan thanks Dhoni & team for helping cause of 'Atithi Devo Bhava'

Indian team’s loss to New Zealand in the T20 series might have upset the cricket fans in the country, but Aamir Khan is quite pleased with the outcome of the series.

“I whole-heartedly want to thank MS Dhoni and Team India for losing the final T20, and with it the T20 series, to New Zealand. The Kiwis have been treated with pure disdain throughout the Test series by us and it doesn’t suit a country like ours known for giving highest respect to its guests not to leave our soil with unhappy memories,” said Aamir, the brand ambassador of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’.

The face of ‘Satyamev Jayate’ says his comments are not sarcastic as he takes his job seriously and will do whatever he can to help India’s image of being good hosts. Aamir revealed that plans are afoot to invite the Kiwi cricketers for next season’s “Satyamev Jayate” to heal their wounds after being routed in the Test series against India. He also said that he will ask the studio guests to root for the Kiwis.

Aamir said, “I was relieved when the first tie was washed out by rains, but lost my breath when Dhoni and Rohit Sharma almost pulled off the second match in the last over.”

Aamir narrated the scenes of his living room as he watched the live proceedings of the final over in the second T20. 

“Ohh teri… was my reaction as Dhoni hit a boundary off the second ball, but heaved a sigh of relief when Rohit could not get four runs off the last bowl,” said Aamir describing India’s loss.”

My wife loving came up to me after the matched ended in a win for New Zealand: “All izz well, honey.”

Amir said that he is pleased to that New Zealand did not go back home empty handed after winning the limited-over series.

The Bollywood legend now plans to make a bold move and speak to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a bid to decide before hand the appropriate margin of victory for the Indian team in the upcoming home series against “guests” England. Apparently, he has sought the help of Sachin Tendulkar and Mumbai Indians owner Mukesh Ambani, both influential figures in Indian cricket and politics, to make actualise his plans.

Aamir has to be different! 

-Amrut Thobbi
(Amrut Thobbi, an engineering graduate now pursuing Masters in journalism, is an ardent cricket fan who likes to write spoofs, like the one above. His passion for writing inspired him to give up a sales and marketing job, which he does not regret. By writing on cricket, he wants to relive his dream of becoming a cricketer. He has also worked as a freelance writer in education and technology sectors)

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Countdown begins for India's 100th space mission

The 51-hour countdown for the 100th mission of the Indian space agency, slated for Sep 9, is progressing smoothly at the Sriharikota satellite launch centre in Andhra Pradesh, an official said Saturday.

Sriharikota is around 80 km from here, an official said.

The countdown for the launch of the rocket - Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)- began Friday at 6.51 a.m.

Carrying French and Japanese satellites, an Indian rocket - Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) - will blast off at 9.51 a.m. Sunday.

The rocket weight at the time of lift off will be 230 tonnes.

'The count down is progressing normally,' an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) official told IANS.

According to ISRO officials, liquid fuel for the fourth stage/engine and also for the reaction control thrusters were filled Friday.

On Saturday, the liquid fuel for the second stage/engine will be filled, the official said.

The first and third stage/engine are powered by solid fuel.

The 715-kg French satellite, SPOT 6, which is an earth observation satellite, will be so far the heaviest foreign satellite to be launched by PSLV.

The Japanese satellite weighing 15 kg is called Proiteres.

ISRO's commercial arm Antrix Corporation and French company Astrium SAS compete in the global market for vending remote sensing satellite imageries.

The SPOT and Indian remote sensing satellites are the two leading earth observation satellite series.

According to ISRO, the satellite launch agreement between Antrix and Astrium is part of the long-term agreement signed between the two agencies in September 2008.

In November 2010, a communication satellite HYLAS was built for a European customer under an agreement between Antrix and Astrium.

The PSLV rocket has successfully launched a total of 53 satellites out of 54 it has carried, while ISRO has launched all the 27 foreign satellites successfully.

According to ISRO, India has built 62 satellites and 37 rockets starting from its first satellite Aryabhatta and rocket satellite launch vehicle (SLV).

The total number of space missions till date is 99.

'ISRO counts each of its rocket flights as a single mission. If our satellite is launched by a foreign rocket then it is counted as single mission. Whereas if an Indian rocket (PSLV) launches multiple satellites built and owned by ISRO, then each satellite is counted individually as a mission,' an ISRO official said.

Launching foreign and satellites owned by other Indian organisations are not counted as a mission.

The Sunday flight of PSLV will be counted as single mission.

According to ISRO officials, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to witness the 100th mission at Sriharikota. He will reach the launch centre Saturday evening.

India began its space journey in 1975 with the launch of Aryabhatta using a Russian rocket.

*Originally Posted By Mathrubhumi. Published for sharing information

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Our Hearty Condolence For The Father of White Revolution - Verghese Kurien

Verghese Kurien, father of White Revolution, passed away in Nadiad, Gujarat in the wee hours on Sunday. He was 90. Kurien, who turned 10 million farmers into a legendary cooperative, passed away due to old age, sources said.

'Kurien died a natural death due to his age,' GCMMF MD said. Kurien's body will be kept at Anand for public to pay tribute. His last rites will be held in the evening.

Kurien revolutionised the milk industry when he produced milk powder from buffalo milk. The rest of the world used cow milk to make milk powder.

Born in Calicut, Kerala on November 26, 1921 he graduated from Loyola college of Madras and did his BE from university of Madras. He then went to US on a government scholarship to earn his Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan university.

After his return, he joined Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited in 1949 which was formed at the initiative of Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel who asked Kurien to help set up a dairy processing plant from where journey of Amul and Kurian began.

The Amul pattern of co-operative became a success and it was replicated throughout Gujarat. The different dairy unions were later brought under the banner of Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation.

*This post has been extracted from Mathrubhumi. Published for sharing information

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Nobody Knows Anything: Autism Edition

The novelist and screenwriter William Goldman famously wrote that until a movie opens, "nobody knows anything" about how well it will do at the box office.
This quotation came to mind as I read two recent stories about possible causes of autism in the New York Times. The first, published on the front page Aug. 23, reported on a study that suggested the older a man is when he becomes a father, the more likely his child is to have autism.
Three days later, on the front page of its Sunday Review section, the Times published an article by Moises Velasquez-Manoff that declared autism is an inflammatory disease caused by a faulty immune system. Theorizing that the lack of parasites in the developed world has thrown the human immune system out of whack, Velasquez-Manoff suggests that autism has become more common because the parasites that used to limit inflammation no longer regulate our immune systems. He approvingly mentions a new trial in which autistic adults are being treated with trichuris suis, a type of worm meant to help put the immune system back in balance.
My point in bringing up Goldman's "nobody knows anything" quote is not necessarily to criticize the science in these stories (although, since I've mentioned it, you can find a useful summary of the many problems with the immune system theory here). Rather, I'm struck by the fact that the paper of record gave front page coverage to one possible cause of autism and then days later featured a completely different possible cause in perhaps its most-read Sunday section. Yes, both articles offer caveats that their theories can't account for all autism cases, but that caution disappears under the approving quotations from scientists in the paternal age article and Velasquez-Manoff's confident explanation of his theory.
A casual reader could be forgiven for wondering if science completely changed its mind in the three days between articles. Or, more likely, that reader might conclude that in fact, we don't know anything definitive about the real cause or causes of autism. That is, "nobody knows anything."
A scientist might respond, "So what?" After all, scientific progress might be viewed as a slow journey from "nobody knows anything" to greater and greater knowledge. Along the way, it's necessary to test and debate all sorts of different theories, and it's to be expected that some of those theories won't pan out. Eventually some of them do, and science inches forward.
All of which is true, as far as it goes. But scientific research does not occur in a vacuum. Research priorities are driven by cultural priorities. And within both Times articles are disturbing clues about what our culture's priorities are.
The paternal age story, for example, quotes Alexey S. Kondrashov of the University of Michigan, who wrote that if the study results are confirmed, "then collecting the sperm of young adult men and cold-storing it for later use could be a wise individual decision."
Meanwhile, over in the immune system article, Velasquez-Manoff writes, "Fix the maternal dysregulation [of the immune system], and you've most likely prevented autism."
And there you have it: Despite the many differences between these two theories, the research behind both of them is motivated by a goal of preventing autism. We shouldn't be surprised. Autism is still largely thought of as a tragedy in our culture. There are all sorts of scientifically-untested treatments for autism, and some parents eagerly try each new one (no matter how appalling) as they search desperately for a cure.
Meanwhile, parents are often wracked by guilt, wondering what they did (or didn't) do that caused their child's autism. Indeed, one blogger responded to the paternal age story with a post that celebrated the fact that fathers of autistic children finally have something to feel guilty about.
In such an environment, it's no wonder that our research into autism is designed to prevent it.
I stand with a group of autistic adults and their allies who believe that the best way to support autistic people is to accept them, encourage their strengths, and work with them to find ways to mitigate their disabilities. And I don't see how I can support acceptance and also support research that seeks prevention.
I'm not naïve enough to believe that science would ever call off its search for the causes of autism. And I don't even want that search to be called off. There is value in increasing our scientific knowledge for its own sake, and discovering the causes of autism could offer some benefits to autistic people who are already here.
But good science can be used for bad ends. Prevention of autism can't be our only motive. The message that both Times articles send to readers is that autism should be feared, fought against, and eradicated. That message can do nothing to improve the lives of the hundreds of thousands of autistic people who are with us now.
Science will keep moving forward, slowly increasing our knowledge of autism. But whatever we ultimately discover about the causes of autism, the one thing everyone should know for sure is this: The goal of science should be to help autistic people, not prevent them.
For more by Todd Drezner, click here.
For more on autism, click here.

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FB cracks down on fake 'Likes'

While Facebook is all about connecting with one's family, friends and colleagues, it has also evolved as a platform for a consumer to connect with the brand or page of his or her choice. On the face of things, the number of 'Likes' that a page or a brand garners on Facebook, goes on to say a lot to its existing or prospective consumers, and as the company rightly notes here, "A Like that doesn't come from someone truly interested in connecting with a Page benefits no one".



In an official post now, Facebook affirms that it will be coming down strongly on fraudulent Likes on Pages. The social networking giant opines that when a page and a fan connect on their platform, they want to ensure that the connection involves a real person with genuine interest in knowing more about, and hearing from that particular Page.

"As such, we have recently increased our automated efforts to remove Likes on Pages that may have been gained by means that violate our Facebook Terms," Facebook adds further in its post titled 'Improvements To Our Site Integrity Systems'.

Now Facebook will removing on an average, less than 1 percent of Likes on any given Page, "providing they and their affiliates have been abiding by our terms". Going further, Facebook adds that their newly improved automated efforts will target those Likes, that which have surfaced owing to malware, compromised accounts, deceived users or purchased bulk Likes.

Facebook affirms that their new systems have been configured specifically to identify and take action against dubious Likes, despite having dedicated protections against vices such as malware. The social networking giant strongly asserts further that it never permitted the purchase and sale of Facebook Likes, since it only wants users connecting to those Pages and brands that they choose to.

"Beyond the need to maintain authentic relationships on Facebook, these third-party vendors often attempt to use malware or other forms of deception to generate fraudulent Likes, which is harmful to all users and the internet as a whole," the post notes further.

What this means is that now when users visit a Page, they will see an authentic account of the fan count and demographics. Facebook adds here that this way Pages will produce more relevant and interesting content. As for brands, authentic Likes would mean that they would see an increase in the engagement of a user with its content.

On a related note, in a recent report, essentially a study by eMarketer, found after analysing data from eVoc Insights and the Chief Marking Officers (CMO) Council that hitting the 'Like' button on the Pages of brands, without necessarily having an affinity to it, has been giving brand owners mixed signals about brand loyalty.

Some users, during their lazy Facebook browsing sessions come across interesting pages of several brands, showcasing several products, and more often than not, hit the Like button without necessarily meaning they have an affinity for the brand. 

The survey revealed that 59 percent of all Facebook users 'liked' a particular Facebook brand or company page over a period of six months. The report says while the sheer figure should boost the brand’s morale, the connection between a user ‘liking’ a brand’s page and having some loyalty towards them is hazy.

Further, the eVoc sightings confirmed that 54 percent of users, who hit the like button on the page of a particular brand selling a particular product, largely being food brands, TV shows, music, movies, and clothing, stated that they were more or less inclined to buy products from them.

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Apple could unveil new iPhone next week

Apple could unveil a fifth edition of its blockbuster iPhone at an event scheduled in San Francisco next week.

The Cupertino, California-based technology giant sent out invites today to media outlets for a product announcement on September 12.

The invite provided a subtle hint to the possibility that the company could launch the iPhone 5 at the event.

A brief message on the invite reads 'It's almost here' and has a large number 12 that casts a shadow of the numeric five, hinting that the product to be unveiled will be the fifth edition of the iPhone.

The Tim Cook-led firm's anticipated launch of the new version of the iPhone comes as several major technology companies are lining up to launch new products.

Nokia and Motorola Mobility are also likely to unveil new smartphones.

The Wall Street Journal said the new iPhone is expected to have a slightly larger screen but would look similar to the current model i Phone 4S, which was launched last year.

It would run the latest version of Apple's mobile software and features a new mapping application.

The company sold 26 million iPhones in third quarter ended June 30, representing a 28 per cent growth over the year-ago quarter.

Apple sold 17 million iPads during the quarter, up 84 per cent from the year-ago period.

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158th Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi

158th Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi Ashamsakal ....!!!! On 31st August 2012, world wide followers of Jagathguru Sree Narayana Gurudevan is celebrating 158th birth Anniversary of guru. "One caste, one religion, one God for man" Jagathguru Sree Narayana Gurudevan was a saint, a philosopher, a great social reformer a humanist and a writer who endeavored for religious harmony and world peace. In the galaxy of divine personalities who took birth to redeem man kind from evil. Gurudevan shines as a becon light and guiding star as Lord budha, Jesus Christ, Mohamed Nabi, Sankara, Mahaveera, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and so on. His teachings are straightforward and simple bringing out spiritual, moral and material revolution. 

-Thanks to Gurucharanam Sharanam

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World Photography Day Celebrated

World photography Day was celebrated on 19th August 2012 by ASP ( Arpit Seema Photography ) group at Delhi. Fashion Photography Workshop was conducted at studio on this occasion in which delegates were participated and Faculties Arpit Gupta ( an advertising Photographer ) & Seema Thakur ( actress, model & Fashion Photographer ) demonstrated about the workflow in fashion photography, tips on creating beautiful fashion images and about how to work with models. Make-up tips were given by Seema Thakur (Simran ) who has an 18yrs of experience in to the media field. Rajesh Prasher is keen learner in photography and a regular delegate of this workshop, Assistant photographer Amit assisted them for technical and equipments support.Sanjay Bhardwaj cordinated Six female model and one male model were present and there to pose. Models name ( Isha, Priyanka, Pia, Ragini, Ambika, Renu & Pratkhs )

Arpit Gupta Photography

Delhi- 09871119069, 09717985450
www.pbase.com/arpitgupta
www.pbase.com/stfotography

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The Moon Man

U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong, who took a giant leap for mankind when he became the first person to walk on the moon, has died at the age of 82, his family said on Saturday.

Armstrong died following complications from heart-bypass surgery he underwent earlier this month, the family said in a statement, just two days after his birthday on August 5.

As commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. As he stepped on the dusty surface, Armstrong said: "?That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind."

Those words endure as one of the best known quotes in the English language.

The Apollo 11 astronauts' euphoric moonwalk provided Americans with a sense of achievement in the space race with Cold War foe the Soviet Union and while Washington was engaged in a bloody war with the communists in Vietnam.

Neil Alden Armstrong was 38 years old at the time and even though he had fulfilled one of mankind's age-old quests that placed him at the pinnacle of human achievement, he did not revel in his accomplishment. He even seemed frustrated by the acclaim it brought.

"I guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks but for the ledger of our daily work," Armstrong said in an interview on CBS's "60 Minutes" program in 2005.

He once was asked how he felt knowing his footprints would likely stay on the moon's surface for thousands of years. "I kind of hope that somebody goes up there one of these days and cleans them up," he said.

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