DP Health And Wellness: De-Stress At Work With These Yoga Moves

A DelhiPlanet Health And Wellness Exclusive, In Association With Queen Yogini Kristin McGee

Does your job demand you to stay on your seat for 7-8 hours a day ? Do you need to stay on the phone for many hours a day and do you sometimes need to talk on multiple phones at the same time ? Does your work involve huge amounts of time on the keyboard ?

If so, then it is most certain that you suffer from ailments like a Sore Back, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, a Slouched Posture etc. All of these are some examples of health related problems that affect people who have desk or computer intensive jobs. While on the one hand computers have simplified things they have eliminated the need for forced “mini-breaks” that people used to take earlier for tasks like inserting paper in typewriters, whiting out errors or getting up to file papers.

Thanks to word wrapping, page breaks and hard drives, people don’t get these mini breaks any more. The human body is not designed for this kind of long and continuous “motion-free exertion” and this often results in Repetitive Stress Injuries, i.e injuries which are caused when too much stress is placed on a joint due to a constantly repetitive motion.

One of the easiest ways to de-stress and avoid such work related injuries and problems is to take breaks at regular intervals and just stretch out and loosen those muscles. Yoga is actually a great way, to stay away from all such ailments and it just takes a few minutes after a couple of hours of work to get the body rearing to go again. In today’s article Kristin shows a couple of really easy moves to de-stress the body while at work. Check them out in the video below (Courtesy: Sprig.com).

The Planet Wishes You A Happy And Prosperous Diwali

“Times are tough, Get Real Or Go Home“, seems to be the word that’s going around these days. We’re surely living in highly uncertain and difficult times now, but as the saying goes when the going gets tough the tough get going.

Diwali is a time when we let go of our all worries and look forward to a new start. So here’s Wishing Everyone A Very Happy And Prosperous Diwali. Hopefully good times will be back soon.

We would also like to recap our Special Diwali Issue that was published last year that talks about Superman’s Gift To India On Diwali. Check it out below.

Tags: diwali, festival, joy, lights, crackers, fun, tough, puja, lakshmi

It’s Raining Moths – What’s Causing The Great Delhi Insect Menace

The Svetambara is one of the two main sects of Jainism, followers of which in believe total non-violence. They always clad themselves in white clothes and some even cover their mouths with a white cloth to practise ahimsa even when they talk. By doing so they minimize the possibility of inhaling small organisms.

So unless you’re a monk who practices Svetambara it is quite certain that you must have inhaled or eaten quite a few insects that have suddenly bombarded the night skies of Delhi in the past few weeks. It has become a common sight over the past few weeks to see thousands of insects swarm around even the smallest sources of light, much to the amazement of delhites who are wondering about the reasons of this moth onslaught. So the basic questions that arise are: What are these insects ? Where are they coming from ? Why are they coming here and When does this menace stop ?

These insects are an immigrant pest called the Brown Plant Hopper(also known as leafhoppers with local names like phudka or bhusaddi) and they are coming from the rice fields of neighbouring Haryana. G.T. Gujar, head of the Division of Entomology at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, says the population of this pest has increased “300 to 400 times this year“. A single rice plant could have more than a thousand of these insects hidden inside, he says. “It used to be an agricultural menace in the 1990s but was controlled by pesticides“, says TP Rajendran, Assistant Director General for Plant Protection at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

This year, untimely rains began a chain reaction that led the Hopper population to explode. The rains caused an increase in the population of crop pests, which made farmers use increasing amounts of insecticides like carbaryl, which ended up killing off all the natural predators of the Hopper like spiders and frogs. The Hopper, meanwhile, turned mutant and developed immunity to the available pesticides. It then went forth and multiplied. Normally, the insects would be drawn towards the moonlight and they would fly in huge swarms for mating. In the city, however, they get drawn to electric lights and usually die due to the intense heat. “There is no way to keep them out of homes. They are extremely small and can fly in through the smallest of cracks. Since they don’t cause any harm, nobody really bothers. But this time, due to their unusually large number, people are facing problems,” says Dr Mohammad Faisal, an entomologist.

The female insect lays eggs in the mud. Then, the eggs can lie dormant for good 6-8 months and hatch when humidity increases. When the temperature ranges between 35 and 22 degrees Celsius and relative humidity is about 85%, the eggs can hatch even in four days. One female leafhopper can lay up to 681 eggs during its lifetime. The leafhoppers we see are adults, with a life span of 23-39 days.

The Menace is expected to end most likely after Diwali once it starts to get a little cold.

Finally, An End To The Mother Of All Saas-Bahu Soaps

It’s a television show that’s been running continuously for 8 years and has more than 1800 episodes shot till date. Just to give you another perspective of the magnanimity of this show, consider the following:

• The highly successful American show F.R.I.E.N.D.S ran for 10 years and only had 220 episodes. An American show needs to run for 75 years for it to have 1800 episodes.
• Each episode was 30 minutes long, with actual content telecast for only 15-18 minutes. That’s about 27000 – 32400 minutes of video content or an average of 500 hours of content.
• This show was one of the first of it’s kind and although the content was awful and a horrible depiction of Indian Society, it still managed to captivate the Indian audiences for many years and was a cash cow for the television channel that hosted it.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, then we’re talking about the Balaji Telefilms produced show “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi” which managed changed the fortunes of Star Plus, Balaji Telefilms and a lot of television actors who found instant fame, recognition and wealth thanks to the show. Well, after reigning for more than eight years on television and pretty much dictating the way kitchen politics was played out in Indian homes, “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi” is finally going off air.

KSBKBT as it was more popularly known was one of India’s longest running soaps, which chronicled the lives of the Virani family, and made superstars out of Smriti Irani and the humble Gujarati snack of thepla. It was also the harbinger of a whole new era in Indian television, that chronicled the lives of unbelievably evil mothers-in-law and unbelievably saintly daughters-in-law, scheming against the other for endless episodes(Source). Surprisingly the show enjoyed great success for many years and people across the country were always glued to the television from 10:30 pm to 11:00 pm from Monday to Thursday.

Now 8 years later, the show is all set to come to an end on 10^th November, 2008 as it’s ratings have significantly dropped. Hopefully this would signal the end to all shows of this kind and would result in more mature and sensible programming content.

Tags: saas, bahu, indian, television, kyunki, virani, star, balaji, smriti, irani, gujrati, thepla

Microsoft Surface – Technology That You Can Feel

Remember the film Minority Report starring Tom Cruise and Colin Farrel. The 2002 science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg was set in the year 2054, where a special police department called “Precrime” apprehends criminals based on foreknowledge, provided by three psychics termed “precogs“. While the movie depicted a number of technologies related to the film’s theme, most of them seemed quite far-fetched if imagined in today’s world.

The image depicted above was one of the main attractions of the movie and the film audiences were quite awed by the sight of such a technology. Well, it might sound surprising but in the next 5 years or so, such a technology could actually become a reality, thanks to something known as Surface Computing. Surface computing is the term for the use of a specialized computer GUI in which traditional GUI elements are replaced by intuitive, everyday objects. Instead of a keyboard and mouse, the user interacts directly with a touch-sensitive screen. It has been said that this more closely replicates the familiar hands-on experience of everyday object manipulation.

Surface computing by it’s definition seems to be an amazing technology which could really change the way people live. “Imagine a world where you can walk into your favorite restaurant and navigate through the menu displayed on the surface of your table. You can choose any item that you like and instantly an array of options are available at your fingertips. For instance, say you wish to try the Chicken Sizzler. As soon as you touch the menu option you are shown a picture of how the sizzler would look like, you can look at videos of the dish being made, it’s calorific and nutritional value, the number of people who order that dish per day etc. And that’s not it, at the end of your mail you can just place your credit card on the table and complete the transaction, sounds really amazing doesn’t it “.

The video below shows a real life implementation of such a technology that has been brought to life by Microsoft. Microsoft Surface (Codename: Milan), is a Multi-touch product from Microsoft which is developed as a software and hardware combination technology that allows a user, or multiple users, to manipulate digital content by the use of natural motions, hand gestures, or physical objects. It was announced on May 29, 2007 at the D5. Initial customers will be in the hospitality businesses, such as restaurants, hotels, retail, public entertainment venues and the military for tactical overviews. The preliminary launch was on April 17, 2008, when Surface became available for customer use in AT&T stores. Surface is also being used in the CBS series CSI: MIAMI, where the crime lab uses it for investigation purposes, the MSNBC coverage of the 2008 US presidential election, Disneyland’s future home exhibits, and various hotels and casinos.

The product idea for Surface was initially conceptualized in 2001 by Steven Bathiche of Microsoft Hardware and Andy Wilson of Microsoft Research. It’s amazing to see how Microsoft has managed to create such a cool technology using a highly buggy and much criticized OS like Windows Vista as Surface is essentially a Windows Vista PC tucked inside a table, topped with a 30-inch reflective surface in a clear acrylic frame.

The last few years haven’t really seen any great innovations from Microsoft, but Surface seems to be something revolutionary. So while the first decade of the 21^st century probably belonged to Google and Apple, the next might see MS coming back with a bang.

Tags: microsoft, surface, tom, cruise, windows, vista, future, technology, feel, touch, revolutionary, apple, google

DP Health And Wellness: Let The Magic Of Yoga Help You “Get Over It”

A DelhiPlanet Health And Wellness Exclusive, In Association With Queen Yogini Kristin McGee

“Why didn’t I get the Job I interviewed for ? Why is my girlfriend not talking to me ? Will the recession affect me adversely ?“. Phew, there are just so many questions and worries that we think about everyday which prevent us from enjoying the simple pleasures of life. The simple fact of life is that one should always live in the present and let go of the past, as the famous idiom goes “let bygones be bygones“. In today’s segment of DP Health And Wellness, Kristin talks about the concept of letting go of your past and “getting over it“.

I did a special yoga class for the Social Diva gals a couple of weeks ago at Clay Spa and met the founder Peg, who is just an awesome lady. I signed on to be on their email list at Social Diva and just read their note about “Get over it Day“. I think this is such a great idea! So often we walk around with a broken record playing over and over again in our heads about bad things that happened to us. Why not just get over it and move on ?.

Yoga teaches us to stay present, to not live in the past, to take responsibility for our actions, and to be the best we can be. How can we possibly be a fun-loving, free spirit when we’re holding on to past grievances?

Here’s what they have to say about it:

NOBODY is happy, EVERY day of their life.
Not an American Idol, not a Desperate Housewife.
Not MVP athletes, not Oscar-winning stars.
Not rich CEOs, not hot chicks at bars.

But as much as things suck, as bad as they get,
If you got cheated on, if you’re broke or in debt,
March 9th is the day, to finally say:
“Screw that! It’s done! It’s Get Over It Day!”

They’ve designated March 9th as the official Get over It Day, but I believe that we should try it everyday, to practice letting go of all the junk we carry around with us–the garbage we just don’t need or want. Next time you start your yoga practice and are hanging over in your forward bend, before you roll up to stand at the front of your mat, open an imaginary door in the crown of your head and empty all that trash into the floor and say goodbye to it forever!.

Note: The above has been published by DelhiPlanet in association with and with explicit permission from Kristin Mcgee and originally published by Kristin on findyourdetour.com. Any reproduction without proper approval and acknowledgment is prohibited.

Gmail’s Social Initiative – Don’t Drink And Mail

“It’s Saturday night and I am sitting alone at home, surfing aimlessly on the World Wide Web. This week hasn’t been so good. My girlfriend broke up with me, cause she didn’t trust me anymore. All thanks to a couple of pictures that I sent to her by mistake after a wild night at Havana and Pure. How much I wish there was a way I could take that e-mail back. I wonder if someone can develop a technology, that wouldn’t allow a drunk guy to send e-mail”.

If you’re the kind of person who types tipsy and regrets it in the morning, Google’s “Mail Goggles,” a new test-phase feature in the free Gmail service, might save you some angst, regret and potential break-ups. As Gmail engineer and Mail Goggle’s creator John Perlow writes, “Sometimes I send messages I shouldn’t send. Like the time I told that girl I had a crush on her over text message. Or the time I sent that late night email to my ex-girlfriend that we should get back together. Gmail can’t always prevent you from sending messages you might later regret, but today we’re launching a new Labs feature I wrote called Mail Goggles which may help.”

The Goggles can kick in late at night on weekends. The feature requires you to solve a few easy math problems in short order before hitting “send.” If your logical thinking skills are intact, Google is betting you’re sober enough to work out the repercussions of sending that screed you just drafted. And if you can’t multiply two times five, you’ll probably thank Google in the morning. To activate Goggles, Gmail users should click the “Settings” link at the top of a Gmail page, then go to the “Labs” section.

While the concept does appears to be interesting and useful it seems to have been implemented as more of a gag, as pointed out by Brennon Slattery on his pcworld blog, read here. Anyways, the nice thing about Google is that it keeps innovating and at times even implements features suggested by it’s users (a look at the Labs feature in Gmail shows the number of cool Gmail apps that are available ), maybe that’s one of the reasons why no google product ever comes out of beta.

iPump With Your Favorite Trainer – Now Carry Your Workout Wherever You Go

In today’s fast-paced and highly uncertain world it is very important to ensure that we don’t get caught up in the madness and start neglecting the certain subtle things that end making a huge difference later on. It is common observation that the richer a person gets the more his/her health starts to suffer. As Spiderman famously says “with great power comes great responsibility” and great power is mostly followed by great wealth.

Most of the people who can’t keep up with their fitness regimes complain that the nature of their jobs prevent them from doing so. Such folks are constantly on the move and thus find it difficult to keep up with their fitness routines. Well as we gradually move on from the “Internet Age” to the “iPhone Age” it’s almost certain that there are going to be technological innovations that will take care of problems that arise out of frequent movement and travel.

PumpOne is one such organization that specializes in mobile personalized workouts. PumpOne offers different Video Trainer series meant for the iPhone, iPod and a number of other different handheld devices thus allowing one to carry his fitness in the most convenient fashion. Such a solution if well extended can make a profound impact in the growth of the Health Industry as people will have access to their favorite workouts right at their fingertips as opposed to the previous form, where one needed a DVD to practice a trainer workout.

So for example, if you’re keen on taking to Yoga and Pilates and would always like to have your workouts with you then you have a solution like PumpAsanas and PumpPilates featuring Queen Yogini and Health Expert Kristin Mcgee. For instance, PumpedAsanas has a number of picture-perfect poses and flowing sequences of new and familiar postures which together will provide a whole new yoga experience. PumpedPilates on the other hand is a series of mat workouts with exercises designed to target your core along with challenging your strength and flexibility.

PumpOne is certainly a excellent concept and great news for all health enthusiasts. Checkout a sample of what a PumpOne workout looks like below.

The Inside Life : Delving Into The Work Of A Television News Presenter, Part 2

A DelhiPlanet Exclusive

We’re back with last and final part of the first feature of “The Inside Life“. Checkout the first part here. We would now present the remaining part of our Interview with noted News Presenter for Televisa Monterrey (A Mexican News Channel), Miss Christine Waller.

DelhiPlanet (DP) : So Christine, as we understand it reporting News involves dealing with a gamut of emotions. You could be reporting a war or you could be a reporting a funny incident. What kind of demeanor are you instructed to maintain? Do you get ever let go of your emotions while reporting say something sensitive or tragic ?

Christine Waller (CW) : You know, this is an interesting question. Perhaps under different circumstances, I may be more affected by the tragic details of a difficult story. But since my reports do not require me to immerse myself in the culture or place where the story is happening — all of my research is remotely conducted — this does not tend to be a problem for me. What’s more, my reports are short and deal with the large scale picture… there’s not enough time to get involved emotionally in a period of just 3 minutes. Although, during the research stage for the segment, you come to realize that so many things are happening in the world… the average person may choose to ignore this reality, but as a journalist it all fits into the larger world context you are trying to report on, so it can be difficult in that sense.

DP: Now then, coming to a question that a lot of girls would like to know about and a lot of guys won’t mind knowing about is about the way you maintain your looks and appearance as presentation is very important part of Television. Many young girls and women get influenced by the image and looks of young and attractive women like you who regularly appear on television. Please tell us as to how you maintain your looks and your advice to other women who might be reading this ?

CW: I think broadcast journalism allows for quite a bit of flexibility in this regard. What’s most important is that you tell a good story. From there, the make-up artists can work some real wonders. My advice for young women would be to be healthy, eat well, exercise regularly, love yourself, and go find a great story to tell!.

DP: That’s surely great advice. I bet that men would adore women who can tell good stories, that don’t revolve around gossip . Please tell us something about the shooting process of a News Broadcast. As there can’t be any re-takes or mistakes, how do ensure that you won’t stumble or get tongue tied at some point.

CW: There is quite a bit of production process behind a news broadcast. In my case, a large portion of my report is pre-recorded. The process is as follows: I pick a topic that I’d like to report on that week, usually the most influential international news story going on from Wednesday to Friday. I research about it, and write a script that goes beyond just reporting the facts but include a brief analysis. From there, the news editor will help me make any necessary adjustments with the report regarding my grammar. On Sunday evenings, before delivering my report on live television on Monday morning, I go to the station and record my script. During the night, news producers will match appropriate images to my audio recording. Monday morning, I arrive to the station and interact with the main news anchor on live television, introducing this week’s topic and closing the report with a few comments.

DP: Wow, that surely seems like a lot of work. But then I’m sure that you party just as hard as you work because it’s a general perception that people in the media have really hip and happening lives with really wide friend circles. Is this true in your case and can it be generalized for all ?

CW: Actually, for most local news reporters, having a job in broadcast televsion is just like any other job. It’s true that due to my position at Televisa, I’ve been invited to moderate certain events in the city as a master of ceremonies, or attend other public openings, but nothing extraordinary. In most cases, the networking you conduct as a journalist is more due to your personality and not your position — always looking to meet new people, hear new stories, and make new contacts.

DP: Well said, you seem to be a good proof of the fact that Man is a Social Animal. So tell us something about your popularity, have you ever met someone who was a regular follower of your newscast? Do you expect people to recognize you when you go out somewhere. If not, then do you do wish for the same.

CW: I have a group of close friends who faithfully follow my reports. I also upload my reports to YouTube for my family in the U.S. to watch. I’ve received some interesting comments from viewers through these on-line forums. As to whether people recognize me in public here in Monterrey, not so much… I suppose I’d need more air time for that, maybe someday!

DP: And finally, we would like to know some funny incidents that you’ve been involved in. Viewers love it when people on television make mistakes especially newscasters who always seem perfect.

CW: Oh, I have plenty of these. I still get very nervous just before delivering my report in front of our viewing audience of over 1 million people in metropolitan Monterrey, but at the very start when I was first learning how to participate with the news program, I used to get even more nervous. There was one time when the camera man counted down, 3-2-1, you’re on! He pointed to me to let me know that I was on live television and I completely blanked. I had no idea what to say. It was terrible! Although only 2 or 3 seconds of silence passed, it felt like a lifetime. They actually had to cut directly to my segment before more time passed because the news producers said I looked like a ghost!. It was embarrassing but very funny at the same time because all the news anchors said that is bound to happen at one point or another. Let’s just hope that it doesn’t happen too soon again!

DP: That would have surely been really funny. It was great talking to you Christine, thank you very much for your time and I’m sure our readers would have got some understanding about the Inside Life Of A News Presenter.

Note: The Inside Life and all content published as a part of Inside Life is owned by and exclusive to DelhiPlanet. Any reproduction without permission is prohibited.

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