Live Surgeries Using Internet may Soon be A Reality

[I found this interesting article in medindia.com which would be of interest to technology enthusiasts. Read this and post comments if you like:
Source: http://www.medindia.com/news/Live-Surgeries-Using-Internet-may-Soon-be-A-Reality-44102-1.htm]

A multi-university research team, including an Indian-origin expert, is testing the live broadcast of surgeries using the advanced networking consortium 'Internet2'.

The technology, allows for the transmission of high quality video to multiple locations in real time, may enable doctors from different hospitals across the world to collaborate on a surgery, without having to actually be in the operation theatre.

The technology was recently tested by a team led by the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, which has now been joined by researchers from Rochester Institute of Technology.

An endoscopic surgery at the University of Puerto Rico was broadcast to multiple locations in the U.S. with the aid of a high-speed network.

The experiment also included a multipoint videoconference that was connected to the video stream, allowing for live interaction between participants.

"The University of Puerto Rico has been performing this type of transmission between two sites for more than a year, but we are now able to utilize a combination of technologies that allows us to transmit to multiple sites simultaneously," says Jose Conde, director of the Center for Information Architecture in Research at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus.

"Being isolated geographically from major research centers, we need to use information technology to foster research collaborations with scientists around the world," Conde adds.

Gurcharan Khanna, director of research computing at RIT and a member of the research team, says: "Previous efforts in telemedicine have been hampered by the quality of the video stream produced and the potential for network interruptions. This test demonstrates that by using the speed and advanced protocols support provided by the Internet2 network, we have the potential to develop real-time, remote consultation and diagnosis during surgery, taking telemedicine to the next level."

INDYAROCKS

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Join indyarocks.com

This is very similar to orkut.
In some ways it is even better.
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CAN U BEAT THIS RESUME !!!

CAN U BEAT THIS RESUME !!!

[Contributed by: Debdatta Ghosal <debdatta.ghosal@gmail.com>]

RESUME
EDUCATION /Qualification:
1950: Stood first in BA (Hons), Economics, Punjab University, Chandigarh ,
1952; Stood first in MA (Economics), Punjab University , Chandigarh  ,
1954; Wright's Prize for distinguished performance at St John's College, Cambridge,
1955 and 1957; Wrenbury scholar, University of Cambridge ,
1957; DPhil ( Oxford ), DLitt (Honoris Causa); PhD thesis on India 's export competitiveness
OCCUPATION /Teaching Experience :
Professor (Senior lecturer, Economics, 1957-59;
Reader, Economics, 1959-63;
Professor, Economics, Punjab University , Chandigarh , 1963-65;
Professor,International Trade, Delhi School of Economics,University of Delhi,1969-71 ;
Honorary professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University ,New Delhi,1976 and Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi ,1996 and Civil Servant
Working Experience/ POSITIONS :
1971-72: Economic advisor, ministry of foreign trade
1972-76: Chief economic  advisor, ministry of finance
1976-80: Director, Reserve Bank of India ;
Director, Industrial Development Bank of India;
Alternate governor for India, Board of governors, Asian Development Bank;
Alternate governor for India, Board of governors, IBRD
November 1976 - April  1980: Secretary, ministry of finance (Department of economic affairs);
Member, finance, Atomic Energy Commission; Member,finance, Space Commission
April 1980 - September 15, 1982 : Member-secretary, Planning Commission
1980-83: Chairman , India Committee of the Indo-Japan joint study committee
September 16, 1982 - January 14, 1985 : Governor, Reserve Bank of India .
1982-85: Alternate Governor for India , Board of governors, International Monetary Fund
1983-84: Member, economic advisory council to the Prime Minister
1985: President, Indian Economic Association
January 15, 1985 - July 31, 1987 : Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission
August 1, 1987 - November 10, 19! 90: Secretary-general and commissioner,
south commission, Geneva
December 10, 1990 - March 14, 1991 : Advisor to the Prime Minister on economic affairs
March 15, 1991 - June 20, 1991 : Chairman, UGC
June 21, 1991 - May 15,  1996 : Union finance minister
October 1991: Elected to Rajya Sabha from Assam on Congress ticket
June 1995: Re-elected to Rajya Sabha
1996 onwards: Member, Consultative Committee for the ministry of finance
August 1, 1996 - December 4, 1997: Chairman, Parliamentary standing committee on commerce
March 21, 1998 onwards: Leader of the Opposition, Rajya Sabha
June 5, 1998 onwards: Member, committee on finance
August 13, 1998 onwards: Member, committee on rules
Aug 1998-2001: Member, committee of privileges 2000 onwards: Member, executive committee, Indian parliamentary group
June 2001: Re-elected to Rajya Sabha
Aug 2001 onwards: Member, general purposes committee
BOOKS:
India 's Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth -
Clarendon Press, Oxford University , 1964; also published a large number of articles in various economic journals.
OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Adam Smith Prize, University of Cambridge , 1956
Padma Vibhushan, 1987
Euro money Award, Finance Minister of the Year, 1993;
Asia money Award, Finance Minister of the Year for Asia, 1993 and 1994
INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS:
1966: Economic Affairs Officer
1966-69: Chief, financing for trade section, UNCTAD
1972-74: Deputy for India in IMF Committee of Twenty on
International Monetary Reform
1977-79: Indian delegation to Aid-India Consortium Meetings
1980-82: Indo-Soviet joint planning group meeting
1982: Indo-Soviet monitoring group meeting
1993: Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Cyprus 1993: Human Rights World Conference, Vienna
RECREATION :
Gymkhana Club, New Delhi; Life Member, India International Centre,
New Delhi
PERSONAL DETAIL:
Name: Dr Manmohan Singh
DOB: September 26,  1932
Place of Birth: Gah ( West Punjab )
Father: S. Gurmukh Singh
Mother: Mrs Amrit Kaur
Married on: September 14, 1958
Wife: Mrs Gursharan Kaur
Children: Three daughters  

Our Prime Minister seems to be the most qualified PM all over the world. 

 

•  

__,_._,___

 

In The Line Of Fire

 [ submitted by Debdatta Ghoshal (debdatta.ghoshal@gmail.com) ]

IN THE LINE OF FIRE.......a short story..... a must read..... for all!

Vivek Pradhan was not a happy man. Even the plush comfort of the
air-conditioned compartment of the Shatabdi express could not cool his
frayed nerves. He was the Project Manager and still not entitled to air
travel. It was not the prestige he sought, he had tried to reason with the
admin person, it was the savings in time. As PM, he had so many things to
do!!


He opened his case and took out the laptop, determined to put the time to
some good use.


'Are you from the software industry sir,' the man beside him was staring
appreciatively at the laptop.
Vivek glanced briefly and mumbled in affirmation, handling the laptop now
with exaggerated care and importance as if it were an expensive car.
'You people have brought so much advancement to the country, Sir. Today
everything is getting computerized.'
'Thanks,' smiled Vivek, turning around to give the man a look.
He always found it difficult to resist appreciation. The man was young and
stockily built like a sportsman. He looked simple and strangely out of
place in that little lap of luxury like a small town boy in a prep school.
He probably was a railway sportsman making the most of his free traveling
pass.
'You people always amaze me,' the man continued, 'You sit in an office and
write something on a computer and it does so many big things outside.'
Vivek smiled deprecatingly. Naiveness demanded reasoning not anger. 'It is
not as simple as that my friend.. It is not just a question of writing a few
lines. There is a lot of process that goes behind it.'


For a moment, he was tempted to explain the entire Software Development
Lifecycle but restrained himself to a single statement. 'It is complex,
very complex.'
'It has to be. No wonder you people are so highly paid,' came the reply.
This was not turning out as Vivek had thought. A hint of belligerence crept
into his so far affable, persuasive tone. ' Everyone just sees the money.
No one sees the amount of hard work we have to put in. Indians have such a
narrow concept of hard work. Just because we sit in an air-conditioned
office, does not mean our brows do not sweat. You exercise the muscle; we
exercise the mind and believe me that is no less taxing..' He could see, he
had the man where he wanted, and it was time to drive home the point.
'Let me give you an example. Take this train. The entire railway
reservation system is computerized. You can book a train ticket between any
two stations from any of the hundreds of computerized booking centres
across the country. Thousands of transactions accessing a single database,
at a time concurrently; data integrity, locking, data security. Do you
understand the complexity in designing and coding such a system?'
The man was awestuck; quite like a child at a planetarium.
This was something big and beyond his imagination. 'You design and code
such things.'
'I used to,' Vivek paused for effect, 'but now I am the Project Manager.'
'Oh!' sighed the man, as if the storm had passed over, 'so your life is
easy now.'


This was like the last straw for Vivek. He retorted, 'Oh come on, does life
ever get easy as you go up the ladder. Responsibility only brings more
work. Design and coding! That is the easier part. Now I do not do it, but I
am responsible for it and believe me, that is far more stressful. My job is
to get the work done in time and with the highest quality. To tell you
about the pressures, there is the customer at one end, always changing his
requirements, the user at the other, wanting something else, and your boss,
always expecting you to have finished it yesterday.'
Vivek paused in his diatribe, his belligerence fading with
self-realisation. What he had said, was not merely the outburst of a
wronged man, it was the truth. And one need not get angry while defending
the truth. 'My friend,' he concluded triumphantly, 'you don't know what it
is to be in the Line of Fire'.
The man sat back in his chair, his eyes closed as if in realization. When
he spoke after sometime, it was with a calm certainty that surprised Vivek.
'I know sir, I know what it is to be in the Line of Fire.' He was staring
blankly, as if no passenger, no train existed, just a vast expanse of time.

'There were 30 of us when we were ordered to capture Point 4875 in the
cover of the night. The enemy was firing from the top. There was no knowing
where the next bullet was going to come from and for whom. In the morning
when we finally hoisted the tricolour at the top only 4 of us were alive.'
'You are a...'
'I am Subedar Sushant from the 13 J&K Rifles on duty at Peak 4875 in
Kargil. They tell me I have completed my term and can opt for a soft
assignment. But, tell me sir, can one give up duty just because it makes
life easier. On the dawn of that capture, one of my colleagues lay injured
in the snow, open to enemy fire while we were hiding behind a bunker. It
was my job to go and fetch that soldier to safety. But my captain sahib
refused me permission and went ahead himself. He said that the first pledge
he had taken as a Gentleman Cadet was to put the safety and welfare of the
nation foremost followed by the safety and welfare of the men he
commanded.......h is own personal safety came last, always and every
time.'


'He was killed as he shielded and brought that injured soldier into the
bunker. Every morning thereafter, as we stood guard, I could see him taking
all those bullets, which were actually meant for me. I know sir....I know,
what it is to be in the Line of Fire.'
Vivek looked at him in disbelief not sure of how to respond. Abruptly, he
switched off the laptop. It seemed trivial, even insulting to edit a Word
document in the presence of a man for whom valour and duty was a daily part
of life; valour and sense of duty which he had so far attributed only to
epical heroes.
The train slowed down as it pulled into the station, and Subedar Sushant
picked up his bags to alight.
'It was nice meeting you sir.'
Vivek fumbled with the handshake. This hand... had climbed mountains,
pressed the trigger, and hoisted the tricolour. Suddenly, as if by impulse,
he stood up at attention and his right hand went up in an impromptu salute.
It was the least he felt he could do for the country.

PS: The incident he narrated during the capture of Peak 4875 is a true-life
incident during the Kargil war. Capt. Batra sacrificed his life while
trying to save one of the men he commanded, as victory was within sight.
For this and various other acts of bravery, he was awarded the Param Vir
Chakra, the nation's highest military award.

Live humbly, there are great people around us, let us learn!
Winners are too busy to be sad, too positive to be doubtful, too optimistic
to be fearful and too determined to be defeated!

SAD DAY FOR CRICKET

Australians are supposed to be world champions. But now they need the umpires and controversies in order to win test matches [Re: the 2nd test match in the Australia tour,Jan 2008]. It is a sad day for cricket indeed. Teams that should be role models are forgetting sportsmanship and the spirit of cricket.

I know many die hard fans of Australia. I would like to ask them what they think of that team now?

Umpires are tired of just watching the game and they have started to participate now. Thus we have 3 teams playing: India, Australia and Umpires(which is behaving like a subsidiary of Australia)

Australians are alleging that Harbhajan Singh made racial comments against Andrew Symonds. This is funny, since we all know what "gentlemen" Autralians are on the field.

This is a painful and unforgettable moment for all cricket/ sports lovers.

What do you think?
send in your views to:
blogmonojit.mailpost@blogger.com

Fishing Story

Contributed by: Parag Pandya [pag.pandya@gmail.com]

Fishing Story

The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever.

The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste.

To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer.

However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price.

So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive.

Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish.

So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan?

If you were consulting the fish industry, what would you recommend?

 

Too Much Money!!!!!

As soon as you reach your goals, such as finding a wonderful mate, starting a successful company, paying off your debts or whatever, you might lose your passion. You don't need to work so hard so you relax.

You experience the same problem as lottery winners who waste their money, wealthy heirs who never grow up and bored homemakers who get addicted to prescription drugs.

Like the Japanese fish problem, the best solution is simple. It was observed by L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1950's.

"Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment. "- L. Ron Hubbard

The Benefits of a Challenge

The more intelligent, persistent and competent you are, the more you
enjoy a good problem.

If your challenges are the correct size, and if you are steadily
conquering those challenges, you are happy.

You think of your challenges and get energized. You are excited to try
new solutions. You have fun.

You are alive!

How Japanese Fish Stay Fresh?!?

To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still
put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank

The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively
state.

The fish are challenged.

Recommendations

Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them. Beat the heck out of
them.

Enjoy the game.

If your challenges are too large or too numerous, do not give up.
Failing makes you tired. Instead, reorganize. Find more determination, more knowledge, more help.

If you have met your goals, set some bigger goals. Once you meet your personal or family needs, move onto goals for your group, the society, even mankind

 

Don't create success and lie in it. You have resources, skills and
abilities to make a difference.

Put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!

THE INDIAN MOM

Contributed by : Mr. Hemant Jain (hemant_jain14@yahoo.co.in)

THE INDIAN MOM

Mom comes to visit her son Kumar for dinner...who lives with a girlroommate Sunita. During the course of the meal, his mother couldn't help but notice how pretty Kumar's, roommate was.

She had long been suspicious of a relationship between the two, and this had only made her more curious.

Over the course of the evening, while watching the two interact, she started to wonder if there was more between Kumarand his roommate than met the eye.

Reading his mom's thoughts, Kumar volunteered, "I know what you must be thinking, but I assure you, Sunita and I are just roommates."

About a week later, Sunita came to Kumar saying, "Ever since your mother came to dinner, I've been unable to find the silver chutney jar. You don't suppose she took it, do you?"

"Well, I doubt it, but I'll email her, just to be sure."

So he sat down and wrote :

Dear Mother, !

I'm not saying that you 'did' take the chutney jar from my house, I'm not saying that you 'did not' take the chutney jar. But the fact remains that it as been missing ever since you were here for dinner.

Love,

Kumar

Several days later, Kumar received an email from his Mother which read:

Dear Son,

I'm not saying that you 'do' sleep with Sunita, and I'm not saying that you 'do not' sleep with Sunita. But the fact remains that if she was sleeping in her OWN bed, she would have found the chutney jar by now.

Love,

Mom.

Lesson of the day .....

Don't Lie to Your Mother...especially if she is Indian!

Be aware of 2-way mirror...

contributed by : Mr. Hemant Jain (hemant_jain14@yahoo.co.in)

HI All,

Have you seen recent advertisement of M/S SAINT GOBAIN GLASSES shown in
TELEVISION'S - Then you must have known about 2 Way mirror)

How to determine if a mirror is 2 way or not (Not a Joke!)?
Not to scare you, but to make sure that you aware. Many of the Hotels and
Textile showrooms cheat the customers this way& watch privately.
HOW TO DETECT A 2-WAY MIRROR?
When we visit toilets, bathrooms, hotel rooms, changing rooms, etc., How
many of you know for sure that the seemingly ordinary mirror hanging on the
wall is a real mirror, or actually a 2-way mirror i.e., they can see you,
but you can't see them. There have been many cases of people installing
2-way mirrors in female changing rooms or bathroom or bedrooms.
It is very difficult to positively identify the surface by just looking at
it. So, how do we determine with any amount of certainty what type of mirror
we are looking at?

CONDUCT THIS SIMPLE TEST:
Place the tip of your fingernail against the reflective surface and if there
is a GAP between your fingernail and the image of the nail, then it is a
GENUINE mirror.
However, if your fingernail DIRECTLY TOUCHES the image of your nail, then
BEWARE; IT IS A 2-WAY MIRROR! (There is someone seeing you from the other
side). So remember, every time you see a mirror, do the "fingernail test."
It doesn't cost you anything. It is simple to do.
This is a really good thing to do. The reason there is a gap on a real
mirror, is because the silver is on the back of the mirror UNDER the glass.
Whereas with a two-way mirror, the silver is on the surface. Keep it in
mind! Make sure and check every time you enter in hotel rooms. May be
someone is making a film on you.

A Story

Story contributed by : Jatin Aggarwal
(jatin_eyes@yahoo.co.in)

Jatin wrote :-

On the last day before Christmas, I hurried to go to the supermarket to buy the remaining of the gift I didn't
manage to buy earlier.

When I saw all the people there, I started to complain to myself," It is going to take forever here and I still have so Many other places to go.

Christmas really is getting more and more annoying every year. How I wish I could just lie down, go to sleep and only wake up after it..."

Nonetheless, I made my way to the toy section, and there I started to curse the prices, wondering if after all kids really play with such expensive toys.

While looking in the toy section, I noticed a small boy of about 5 years old, pressing a doll against his chest.
He kept on touching the hair of the doll and looked so sad. I wondered who was this doll for.

Then the little boy turned to the old woman next to him, " Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?"

The old lady replied, " You know that you don't have enough money to buy this doll, my dear."
Then she asked him to stay here for 5 minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly.

The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.

Finally, I started to walk toward him and I asked him who did he want to give this doll to.
" It is the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for this Christmas. She was so sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her."

I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus will bring it to her, after all, and not to worry.

But he replied to me sadly. " No, Santa Claus can not bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mother so that she can give it to her when she goes there." His eyes were so sad while saying this. " My sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mummy will also go to see God very soon, so I thought that she could bring the doll with her to give it to my sister."

My heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said, " I told daddy to tell mummy not to go yet. I asked him to wait until I come back from the supermarket."

Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing. He then told me, " I also want mummy to take this photo with her so that she will not forget me." I love my mummy and I wish she doesn't have to leave me but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister."

Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly.

I quickly reached for my wallet and took a few notes and said to the boy, "What if we checked again, just in case if you have enough money?"

" Ok," he said. " I hope that I have enough."

I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll, and even some spare money.

The little boy said, " Thank you God for giving me enough money."

Then he looked at me and added, " I asked yesterday before I slept for God to make sure I have enough money to buy this doll so that mummy can give it to my sister. He heard me." " I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mummy, but I didn't dare to ask God too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and the white rose."

" You know, my mummy loves white rose." A few minutes later, the old lady came again and I left with my trolley. I finished my shopping in a totally different state from when I started. I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind.

Then I remembered a local newspaper article 2 days ago, which mentioned of a drunk man in a truck who hit a car where there was one young lady and a little girl.

The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-assisting machine, because the young lady would not be able to get out of the coma.
Was this the family of the little boy?

Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the newspaper that the young lady had passed away. I couldn't stop myself and went to buy a bunch of white roses and I went to the mortuary where the body of the young woman was exposed for people to see and make last wish before burial.

She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest.

I left the place crying, feeling that my life had been changed forever. The love that this little boy had for his
Mother and his sister is still , to that day, hard to imagine. And in a fraction of a second, a drunk man had taken all this away from him

--------------------------------------------End-----------------------------------

The importance of good deeds.

 

Glass  of Milk  
[ Contributed by : Anupam Kumar Chatterjee ( anupamkc@gmail.com) ]

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.
 
He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house.  However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.
 
Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water! She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?"
 
You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."
 
He said ... "Then I thank you from my heart."
 
As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.
 
Many year's later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.
 
Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the Consultation.
When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.
 
Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.
 
Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.
 
He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case.
 
After a long struggle, the battle was won.
 
Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, and then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention
 
on the side of the bill. She read these words...
 
"Paid in full with one glass of milk"
(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.
 
Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that your love has spread  broad through human hearts and hands."
 
There's a saying, which goes something like this:
Bread cast on the waters comes back to you. The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love  at the least expected time. If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the world a better
place - And, after all, isn't that what life is all
about?
 
Now you have two choices.
 
1. You can send this page on and spread a positive
message.
2. Or ignore it and pretend it never touched your
heart.
 
The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn…..!
 
Cause sometimes u like both..!