Tech Vista 2008

TechVista, Microsoft Research (MSR) India's annual research symposium, features some of the best recognized scientists from across the world as speakers. TechVista brings together the research community, academia and government onto a common platform. Previous editions of TechVista include Turing award winners Dr. Butler Lampson, Dr. Raj Reddy and Sir Tony Hoare, and technical Academy award winners Dr. Ken Perlin and Dr. Michael Kass, in addition to world renowned scientists like Prof. Maria Klawe, Prof. Takeo Kanade and well known Indian scientists like Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala.

TechVista 2008 will be held at Chennai, at the Chennai Convention Centre, on October 1, 2008.

The speakers at TechVista 2008 include:

• Prof. John Hopcroft, IBM Professor of Engineering and Applied Mathematics in Computer Science at Cornell University. Prof. Hopcroft has also been honored with the A.M. Turing Award.
  

Talk title: Computer Science in the Future. Abstract

• Prof. Shafi Goldwasser, RSA Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and of computer science and applied mathematics at Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Prof. Goldwasser has twice won the Gödel Prize, first in 1993, and again in 2001.
  

Talk title: Program Obfuscation and One-Time Programs. Abstract

• Prof. Shree Nayar, T. C. Chang Chaired Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Columbia University. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academies, Washington DC in 2008, and received the NTT Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award from the NTT Basic Research Laboratory, Japan, in 1994.
  

Talk title: Computational Cameras: Redefining the Image. Abstract

• Dr. Rick Rashid, Senior Vice President, Microsoft Research. Dr. Rashid was presented with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Emanuel R. Piore Award in 2008. He was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2003 and 2008 respectively.
  

Talk title: Making an Impact, Microsoft Research. Abstract

• Dr. Rick Szeliski, Group Lead, Interactive Visual Media Group, Microsoft Research. He was elected an IEEE fellow in 2004.
  

Talk title: Weaving the World's Photos. Abstract

• Dr. Vijay Chandru, Chairman, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Strand Life Sciences. He is an academic turned entrepreneur. A co-founder of Strand Life Sciences, a leading in silico life sciences company, he currently serves as Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of the company. He also co-founded the Association of Biotech led Enterprises (ABLE) and continues to serve as an executive council member. Dr. Chandru is the recipient of several awards and honors.
  

Talk title: Computational Biology and Vice Versa. Abstract

TechVista highlights the impact research has had in various fields and demonstrates the benefits and rewards of taking up research as a career, in addition to bringing the latest developments in various research areas to the audience through the speakers. TechVista has rapidly grown from an audience of 250 people in 2005 to more than 800 participants in the New Delhi 2007 edition, a testament to the value participants see in the symposium.

In addition to globally recognized speakers, TechVista also features an exhibition/ poster session where it showcases the best projects from computer sciences and electrical engineering by PhD students from India's leading technical institutions.

The New Transcend T.Sonic 320

I’ve just bought a new Mp3 player, the Transcend T.Sonic 320. It’s simply amazing. I bought it for Rs.2300 at Spencer Plaza in Chennai on 13.09.2008. It’s a 4GB USB flash drive that has a built in USB connector. It is compact and portable, with measurements of only 85.5mm by 25.5mm by 13mm. Weighing in at a mere 29g (with rechargeable Li-ion battery), the T.sonic 320 is light enough for users to conveniently carry around all day long in a purse or pocket. Its special high-gloss front face is attractive and blends well with any fashion motif, so you can even wear it around your neck to show off your unique personal style. Additionally, the T.sonic 320 has a brilliant dual-color OLED display that can easily be viewed at any angle, even in broad daylight. As a high capacity portable music player, the T.sonic 320 allows for storage of up to 1000 songs, and provides 15 hours of seamless music entertainment on a full charge(when screen saver set to “Blank” and “Lyrics Sync” disabled).

The versatile T.sonic 320 also features several useful value-added functions, such as a built-in FM radio that can be easily recorded on the fly whenever you hear something you like. Other functions like A-B repeat and variable playback speeds are excellent tools for students and professionals alike, allowing easy review of important class lectures, meetings or foreign language lessons. Above all, the T.sonic 320 is a great music player with support for MP3, WMA, WAV, and even WMA-DRM10 subscription music. To adjust the music output, you can select from not only the seven built-in equalizer modes, but also Transcend’s special USER EQ mode that lets you create your personal music style. Moreover, the T.sonic 320 includes a karaoke-style Lyrics Sync function so you can sing along to your favorite tunes with perfectly synchronized lyrics text display.

The compact, feature-rich T.sonic 320 supports display of 13 languages and comes bundled with a unique software application that allows you temporarily lock your computer, password protect files and partition the MP3 player’s memory into Public and Private areas.

Features
- MP3 Player – supports MP3, WMA, WMA-DRM10 (subscription music) and WAV music formats

- Recordable FM Radio with 20 station presets
- Advanced Digital Voice Recorder
- Karaoke-style lyrics display
- Dual-color OLED screen displays clear text at any angle and in any light
- VAD (Voice Activity Detection) for high quality gapless audio recordings
- A-B repeat function allows you to continuously replay a designated section of a track
- Variable track playback speeds
- Supports 13 languages including menus, song/album title, artist name and lyrics(English, German, French, Japanese, Korean, Greek, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Simple Chinese, Traditional Chinese)
- USB flash drive capabilities for data transfer and storage
- Included software can be used to lock your computer and password-protect your files
- 7 Equalizer effects, including a customizable USER EQ setting
- Internal rechargeable Li-ion battery provides over 15 hours of continuous music playback when screen saver set to “Blank” and “Lyrics Sync” disabled.
- Built-in USB 2.0 connector for easy computer connectivity and fast file transfers
- Real Time Clock displays local and world times

Specification:

Capacity and Color	:	2GB(Burgundy) 4GB(Sapphire) 8GB(Dark Black)
Dimensions	:	85.5x25.5x13 mm
Weight	:	29g (with Li-ion battery)
Display Type and Size	:	1 inch Dual color OLED
Display Resolution	:	128x64
Music Formats	:	MP3, WMA, WAV and WMA-DRM10
Recording Format	:	IMA_ADPCM (WAV)
FM Function	:	Worldwide - 87.5~108 MHz Japan - 76~90 MHz
Battery Life	:	15hr (when screen saver set to “Blank” and “Lyrics Sync” disabled)
Battery Type	:	Lithium-ion
Compression Rates	:	32Kbps to 320Kbps
Erase Cycles	:	≥ 100,000 times
S/N Ratio	:	≥ 90dB
Certificates	:	CE, FCC, BSMI
Warranty	:	2 years (Lithium-ion Battery : 6 months)

Moreover, there is no need to use special software for copying songs into the drive as that of I-Tunes player for IPods. It’s simple drag and drop functionality is an added feature. Also we can customize songs that suit our mood by making playlists. Although the software that comes along with the player does not have this feature, the newer version that is available for download in Transcend’s website has it.

Just Started Blogging….

It has been almost a year since I started this blog. But I didn't take up blogging much serious till yesterday. I just wanted to have a blog of my own just for name sake. But today when my friend took me to his blog, I was much astonished by the way he manages it. Till yesterday I don't know what to do with my blog. I've been publishing posts of whatever came to my mind but he told me that's what a blog is for. So from today I am taking up blogging seriously. I'll write about my day to day happenings, movie reviews, product reviews and much more that comes to my mind. That's all for now. Happy Blogging….