01 July 2008

Recovering digital camera photos

My digital camera is a Sony Cyber Shot DSC - W80 with 7.2 MP. I have stored a lot of pictures in it. But I am now unable to locate them. If I connect the camera with my computer, the system says no files exist. Have the pictures got corrupted or been deleted? My system is configured with Windows XP. Please tell me how I can retrieve the photos.

JAGDEESH

Here are some free data recovery programs that support the digital camera too. Zero Assumption Digital Image Recovery (size 628 KB)

This program is used to recover photos stored on the digital camera memory card if the images were deleted before copying to the PC, the card was accidentally formatted, some sort of camera failure occurred and the images are not accessible any longer. This program is easy to use. Just select the device that contains the images that need to be recovered and specify the folder to save the images to.

The supported formats are JPEG, GIF, TIFF, CRW (Canon RAW image format), WAV, MOV. Some features are limited in this version.

If your digital camera allows you to access the memory card as a drive (with a drive letter X: assigned, like for a hard drive or a CD), you can try using the camera to read the memory card.

If this does not work (camera not detected, or card not readable), you need to remove the memory card from the camera and use the card reader device.

You can download this from http:// www.download.com/Zero-Assumption- Digital-Image-Recovery/3000-12511_4- 10193327.html

Art Plus Digital Photo Recovery 3.1 (size 1.29MB) This tool helps one recover lost images from corrupted or accidentally formatted digital camera memory cards. It works with all types of memory cards. It's able to recover images from formatted cards, it reads corrupted cards (even if they're not recognised by Windows), it recovers JPG, TIF and most of RAW files.

You don't need to install it, just double-click the photorec.exe file and click start. Next select "Restore photos directly from memory card" option and click next. Then Select Card Reader or Digital Camera Drive and click next. Select the File Type say JPG and click Next. Select the target folder to restore images. You can download this from http:// www.download.com/Art-Plus-Digital-Photo- Recovery/3000-12511_4-10513647.html

C compiler

Could you please suggest a free C compiler for Windows or Linux. My system is loaded with Windows XP and does not have any Linux operating system installed. My system configuration is P1V 512MB, 80GB with BSNL broadband connection.

S. AMAR

Turbo C version 2.01 (Size 1.04 MB) This will provide you with everything you need, in one environment. Turbo C 2.01 provides tight integration between the editor, compiler, linker, and debugger.

For more information, please refer http:// dn.codegear.com/article/20841. You can download Turbo C from http:// dn.codegear.com/article/images/20841/ tc201.zip

Borland C++ Compiler 5.5 (Size 8.52 MB)

Free Borland C++ Compiler can be downloaded from http:// www.codegear.com/downloads/free/ cppbuilder.

Please see the file bcb5tool.hlp in the Help directory for complete instructions on using the C++ Builder Compiler and Command Line Tools.

Quiz

1. Which telecom major has agreed to buy social networking start-up Plazes as part of its big endeavour into offering Net services?

2. In the ‘2008 Global Outsourcing 100’, compiled by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals, name the five Indian firms in the top 10.

3. Which cyber-legend had his last ‘official day of work’ on June 27 at the cyber giant he founded in the 1970s?

4. To which company was Microsoft ordered to pay $511.6 million in damages and interest by letting stand a jury’s decision that Microsoft infringed on two patents?

5. How many downloads did Firefox 3 achieve in 24 hours on June 17-18 to set a new World record?

6. Which company plans to “make history” with the world’s “longest Non-Stop LAN Party” in August?

7. The multimedia co-processor, derived from the Cell chip that powers the PlayStation 3, that Toshiba plans to introduce in its laptops is called..?

8. What is the outstanding feature of the RepRap robot developed by scientists at the University of Bath in England?

9. Which is the world’s largest wireless carrier with nearly 400 million subscriber accounts?

10. According to experts, how soon will the Net run out of addresses as only 700 million separate addresses are remaining for allocation out of the 4.3 billion available on the present network?

Answers

1. Nokia

2. Infosys (3rd), TCS (6th), Wipro (7th), Genpact (9th) and Tech Mahindra (10th).

3. Bill Gates.

4. Alcatel-Lucent.

5. More than 8 million.

6. NVIDIA Corporation.

7. SpursEngine

8. It replicates itself!

9. China Mobile.

10. 2010

Fuelling a diesel crisis

It is a scene reminiscent of war times. Vehicles queuing up at petrol bunks and people lugging all kinds of containers, from plastic water pots to jerry-cans and even empty mineral water bottles, to buy that precious litre of diesel or petrol. From Chennai and Salem in Tamil Nadu, to Belgaum and Mangalore in Karnataka and Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh and other parts of the country, reports have been coming in of a shortage of fuel, especially diesel, over the last two days .

No, India is not at war and there is no clampdown on fuel sales. Nor is there a scarcity of oil supplies worldwide, as it last happened during the first Gulf War in 1990. So, why are petrol bunks pulling down shutters? The reason, at least in Chennai, is attributed to logistical failure. A public sector oil company apparently failed to move a parcel of diesel from Kochi to Chennai in time, leading to a shortage at its outlets and causing a run on the outlets of other oil companies.

Plausible as the reason seems, the truth lies elsewhere. The events of the last two days are but a manifestation of the bad governance of the petroleum economy that is now snowballing into a crisis. How is a shortage of diesel in some parts of the country bad governance? Read on.

Truth about diesel

Diesel accounts for a little more than one out of every three litres of petroleum products sold in the country. At 47.63 million tonnes (of a total of 129.24 million tonnes of petroleum products sold in the country) diesel sales grew by a big 11 per cent in 2007-08; in contrast, sales of all petroleum products put together grew by 7 per cent in the same period.

Diesel sales growth has been galloping away over the last couple of years, and at rates higher than the overall economy. This has confounded experts, who are unable to justify the apparent lack of correlation between diesel sales growth and that of the economy itself.

Some say that the spike is because of the increasing number of utility vehicles and cars on the roads that run on diesel but a number of others point to a quiet shift by captive power plants and other small users to diesel from expensive fuels such as naphtha, furnace oil and low sulphur heavy stock (LSHS), driven by price economics.

Diesel sells for Rs 35,000-38,000 a kilolitre (KL), compared to Rs 40,000/KL for fuel oil and Rs 43,000/KL for LSHS. Whatever the cause, the bottomline is that diesel sales are growing at an unnatural, rapid pace. And this is exerting direct pressure on oil companies’ finances because of the artificially low price for diesel fixed by the government. They are being called upon to subsidise higher volumes than planned for.

What compounded the problem of the oil companies — Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum — was the EOU (export oriented unit) status granted to the 33-million-tonne refinery of Reliance Industries in Jamnagar by the government in April 2007. What this seemingly harmless development did was to take away more than 11 million tonnes of diesel from the domestic market for supplies abroad.

This forced the public sector oil companies to import diesel to compensate for the loss of volumes from Reliance. In 2007-08, the oil companies imported 2.93 million tonnes of diesel at international market prices, while Reliance exported 11.46 million tonnes at the same international prices. This has led to heartburn for the oil companies — while they were making losses buying diesel abroad at market prices and selling below that, Reliance was able to export its own production at premium prices.

No imports

In order to protect their finances, the oil companies cut down on diesel imports from April this year. They appear to have resorted to an unspoken strategy of “managing” supplies, that is, control sales in order to cut down on losses. And they are doing it cleverly — their production, at full tilt, is enough to meet the projected demand growth of 12 per cent but not the incremental growth. And that seems to be the reason behind the shortage that we are witnessing in select pockets of the country now.

There have been reports that dealers have been informally told that their monthly supply is being linked to their average sales in the same month last year. Thus, a dealer who sold 10,000 litres of diesel in June 2007 will be supplied the same quantity this year. In effect, the incremental demand will be left unserviced. To be sure, there is nothing on record, nor are oil company executives willing to confirm this, even off the record. But the experience in the market over the last two days only seems to confirm this theory, especially because the shortage coincided with the end of the month. Dealers ran out of their quotas and hence had to down shutters till the start of the following month.

Bad governance

It is easy to blame the oil companies now but that would be missing the wood for the trees. Which producer of a product can continue to sell at unremunerative prices for a sustained period of time and also hope to stay afloat?

The oil companies cannot be blamed for their attempt to cut down on losses by resorting to ‘supply management’, if indeed that is what they are up to. If anything, it is a smart strategy that will not only help them stay in business but also control the exploding rate of fuel consumption in the country!

The blame rests squarely at the doorstep of the government for allowing things to come to such a pass. The administered price regime and artificial subsidies have created a cancer that has now grown deep to the bone, threatening the economy itself.

The so-called hefty hike in prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas last month was too little and too late. The government ought to have passed on price increases over the last year at regular intervals, in tune with the international price trends. It could have avoided this unseemly crisis had it done so. Unfortunately for the government, oil prices have advanced further since June 5 and very soon it will be confronted with yet another price hike decision.

Link prices to market

Ideally, the government should now move away from the subsidy regime and link at least petrol and diesel prices fully to the market. Subsidies on kerosene, the so-called poor man’s fuel, can continue while cooking gas prices can be gradually linked to the market. There is no reason why petrol and diesel prices ought to be subsidised. The long queues in front of petrol bunks in the last two days confirm that people, even if they are grumbling, are willing to pay what it costs to buy their fuel.

They are not willing to sacrifice the comfort of personal transportation even if it means waiting for hours in a queue, sometimes even paying a premium for the scarce fuel. This is not behaviour expected from consumers pinched by supposedly high fuel prices. Why should the government protect this class of consumers and risk damage to the economy in the process?

While the arguments in support of market-linked prices are weighty it is impossible to see the government moving in that direction for now. The hullabaloo over prevailing double-digit inflation is enough deterrent for the government to even think in terms of freeing prices. So, does that mean we should be resigned to live with shortages?

Probably yes, unless the government is miraculously able to find resources to fund the yawning subsidy gap. In the specific case of diesel, it could consider directing Reliance Industries to sell a part of its diesel output in the domestic market.

EOUs can be permitted to sell in the domestic tariff area but they have to suffer numerous duties and taxes while doing so. The government could consider waiving duties and taxes for diesel supplied by Reliance and treat it as deemed exports by the latter. There is already a working example of such an arrangement in the case of cooking gas. Extending this to diesel will help ease the burden on the oil companies and prevent shortages of the kind we are now seeing.

An obsession to fulfil commitment made to Bush, says CPI(M)

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Tuesday said the proposal by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to place the India-U.S. civilian nuclear deal before Parliament “revealed nothing but an obsession to fulfil the commitment made to President Bush in July 2005 in which the people of this country and Parliament had no say.”

The CPI(M) said both Houses had comprehensively discussed the 123 Agreement in December last. “It is on record that except the United Progressive Alliance parties, all others which constitute the majority expressed reservations about the 123 Agreement and urged the government not to proceed further,” the party said in a release here.

‘A fait accompli’

The reaction came a day after Dr. Singh said the government would seek the sense of Parliament on the deal after the safeguards agreement was approved by the Board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and waiver was obtained from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

“After both the steps [IAEA and NSG] taken for operationalisation of the deal, the Prime Minister promises to take the sense of Parliament. This would mean a fait accompli, as the only step left would be the vote in the U.S. Congress,” the release said. It said the government had gone to the IAEA and negotiated a safeguards agreement. But the text was not shown to the UPA-Left Committee or made public.

“The government now insists on going ahead for getting the Board’s approval without anyone seeing the text or the UPA-Left Committee on the nuclear deal giving its concurrence.”

The CPI(M) said the 123 Agreement was signed in July 2007 before it was placed in Parliament.

“As soon as the text of the 123 Agreement was made public, the Left parties and other political parties, which represent a majority in Parliament, came out against it.”

My life is under threat from my own son: Gony's mother

Upcoming India pace bowler Manpreet Gony landed in an awkward situation with his mother levelling a serious allegation against him, saying that he was threatening to kill her.

Mohinder Kaur told reporters that Gony was being instigated by his in-laws.

"I am pained to tell my plight through media and that too about my own son. Shortly before he left for Asia Cup in Pakistan, Manpreet along with a few of his relatives from his in-laws side came to my house and threatened to kill me," Mohinder Kaur told reporters at her house in Mohali.

"After the IPL was over and before the Asia Cup, he came to the house and took away his belongings and tried to beat me up," she further alleged.

Gony, who married a girl outside her caste, has been living with his wife and mother-in-law in Mohali ever since his 16-day old son died over a year back.

"Gony's mother-in-law is a very greedy woman. She first ousted her husband out of her house in Mohali and now she has put my son under some evil spirits. I do not know what her motto is, but she is spoiling my son and taking him away from me," Mohinder Kaur claimed.

When asked why she was not lodging a police complaint, she replied, "This will spoil my son's career".

Meanwhile, Gony's wife has refuted all the allegations while her mother-in-law was unavailable for comment. Gony is currently in Pakistan with the Indian cricket squad taking part in the Asia Cup.

Rajesh & Aarushi shared a special bond: Nupur Talwar

Dr Rajesh and Nupur Talwar have been under tremendous pressure since their daughter Aarushi was found murdered. Nupur talks about her daughter and the character assassination the couple faced from a section of the media.

Q: It has been 45 days since that fateful day, how has life changed for you?

Life has completely turned around for us. Our loving daughter Aarushi was one of the most important objectives of our life and today we are questioning the objective of our very own existence. After losing Aarushi in such a cruel manner, my husband Dr. Rajesh Talwar was framed by the Noida Police. From becoming amongst the luckiest parents in the world with the most wonderful family life, we have become the most unfortunate father and mother. I pray to God that no parent is put through such misfortune.

Q: And now your husband is in prison...

Yes, with my husband unjustly languishing in prison, the grief of losing my daughter has become even more unbearable. We were a small close-knit family of three. After losing Aarushi, I and my husband are unable to even share our grief and pain with each other. I had wished that we could provide him support in the comfort of our family to deal with the pain. But that has been denied to us. Rajesh is a physical and emotional wreck. Rajesh and Aarushi shared the most special bond ever between father and daughter. The unbearable grief of losing her and then being unfairly and wrongly named as accused is something he just cannot comprehend.

Q: Are you happy with the investigation and how is it going?

The CBI is the leading investigating agency in the country. We hope they find the culprit and reveal the truth. We have cooperated with them in the past, and will continue to cooperate whenever required to do so.

Q: And there are constant updates on TV and any little rumour or fact is part of breaking news...

We were just a normal middle class family, far removed from media and criminal investigations. While we can understand the importance of the media reporting and covering happenings like this, there have been several instances of the media being irresponsible, speculating without verifying facts, character assassinating Aarushi and both of us as well. We find that there is no accountability and such speculative and incorrect reporting goes unchecked and continues till this day.

Q: Tell us about Aarushi and what was her life like? What did she want to become?

Aarushi was the most loveable and wonderful child ever. We doted on her. She was the apple of our eyes and we showered all our love and affection on her. She had many friends in school. She loved music and dance. Academically she was an outstanding student and enjoyed every moment of her life till she was tragically taken away from us. She wanted to become a doctor.

Q: How did you feel when a channel tried to make a serial on the incident?

It is shocking that some people can be so insensitive to convert our tragedy into a soap opera. We have strongly condemned these moves and have appealed to National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to prevent such happenings.

Q: You went through the lie-detector test, so finally do you think it has helped to put things in perspective?

Our objective from day-1 has been to cooperate with the investigating agencies as we want to see that the culprits are found. I have been through two lie-detector tests, Rajesh has been through three lie-detector tests. We both have been through psycho-analysis tests and in the future, if any more scientific tests are needed, we are both willing to undergo them too.

Q: How do you see your life when the dust settles? Will you go back to your private practice again when all this is finally over?

We are still numb with grief and trauma. Rajesh is still in judicial custody. Passing each moment each day is an ordeal. At this point of time I can only hope that justice is done, and that, Rajesh who is absolutely innocent, is released from jail.

Obama woos Indians with Manekshaw message

WASHINGTON: When Sam Manekshaw and his victorious Indian Army was sweeping across what was then East Pakistan in 1971 leading to the birth of Bangladesh, Barack Obama was ten years old and had just moved from Indonesia to Hawaii, where he joined fifth grade at Punohou School in Honolulu.

It's unlikely that the Field Marshal's exploits were part of his school curriculum, but with a politician's unfailing eye for the telling gesture, the Democratic Presidential candidate on Monday released a statement condoling Manekshaw's death, describing him as "a legendary soldier, a patriot, and an inspiration to his fellow citizens."

"Field Marshal Manekshaw provided an example of personal bravery, self-sacrifice, and steadfast devotion to duty that began before India's independence, and will deservedly be remembered far into the future," Obama said, offering "deep condolences to the people of India."

The statement, which comes at a time when the Indian government itself is under attack for its lackadaisical treatment of a national hero, is emblematic of the image the Obama campaign has sought to build for its principal -- that of a thoughtful, accomplished, well-read candidate who is on top of world affairs and day-to-day developments. Evidently crafted by an alert aide, the statement also helps hit the right ethnic buttons in the US.

There was no such statement from Republican candidate John McCain, himself a war hero who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam at a camp famously nicknamed "Hanoi Hilton" when Bangladesh was being liberated (and probably missed reading about the momentous events). But his campaign issued four separate statements by US military commanders on Monday defending McCain's record as a military hero from a frontal attack by Gen. Wesley Clark, an Obama advisor, who has suggested it is vastly overstated.

Nor did Manekshaw's death make a blip in the White House, whose occupant famously did not know the names of the leaders of India and Pakistan when he was running for office in 2000. For that matter, a Republican White House may not even want to recall that it's then President Richard Nixon dispatched the nuclear-armed USS Enterprise to the Bay of Bengal to threaten Manekshaw's forces.

Obama, his supporters say, is of a different mettle and tempered at a different time. He is the first presidential candidate who is not an Europeanist or Atlanticist. His foreign policy experience is not contaminated by the Cold War. His roots, upbringing, and experience, although mostly American, have shades of Asian and African - which in part explains his quick response to something as remote, for Americans, as Manekshaw's death. Obama, in fact, has taken active interest in the political developments in his paternal home Kenya, whose Marxist opposition leader Raila Odinga claims to be his cousin.

It is now slowly starting to emerge that an Obama presidency will pursue a foreign policy that will be very different in tone and tenor to that of any previous White House occupant -- both by virtue of his own background and the team of aides and advisors he is putting together. Without reading too much into the Manekshaw statement, it appears that South Asia itself will occupy a significant place on his radar, given the number of aides, advisors, and specialists he has from the region.

The latest to join the Obama team are Neera Tanden, a former Clinton Campaign Policy Director, who will serve as his Domestic Policy Director, and Jonah Blank, a foreign policy aide to Senator Joseph Biden, who is doubling up as Obama's advisor on South Asia.