Physicists claim breakthrough in ultra-fast data access

French physicists said they have used ultra-fast lasers that can accelerate storage and retrieval of data on hard discs by up to 100,000 times.—File

PARIS: French physicists said on Sunday they had used ultra-fast lasers that could accelerate storage and retrieval of data on hard discs by up to 100,000 times, pointing the way to a new generation of IT wizardry.

The research builds on achievements that earned the 2007 Nobel physics prize for Albert Fert of France and Peter Gruenberg of Germany, who ushered in a revolution in miniaturised storage in the 1990s.

Fert and Gruenberg discovered that tiny changes in magnetic fields can yield a large electric output. These differences in turn cause changes in the current in the readout head that scans a hard disk to spot the ones and zeroes in which data is stored.

That discovery opened the way to ‘spintronics’, a form of electronics that uses not only electrical charge but also the spin of electrons in individual atoms to provide a more compact, denser storage on hard drives.

But reading and writing data through spintronics has been hampered by the relative slowness of magnetic sensors.

In a study published in the specialist journal Nature Physics, a team led by Jean-Yves Bigot of the Institute of Materials Physics and Chemistry in Strasbourg employed a ‘femtosecond’ laser, using ultra-fast bursts of laser light, to alter electron spin and thus speed up retrieval and storage.

‘Our method is called the photonics of spin, because it is photons [particles of light] that modify the state of the electrons' magnetisation’ on the storage surface, Bigot told AFP.

Data is retrieved with a burst that lasts just a millionth of a billionth of a second, said Bigot. Femtosecond lasers currently measure around 30 centimetres (12 inches) by 10 centimetres (four inches) which means they are too big for consumer electronics, he cautioned.

Bigot added, though, that their miniaturisation is likely to be achieved over the next decade. IBM, Hitachi and other corporations are ‘extremely interested’ by the research, Bigot said.

Source: dawn.com

Wi-Fi Health Study Gets Go Ahead

The BBC has announced that the Health Protection Agency is going to begin a systematic research program on how WiFi is used. The goal of this study is to determine how WiFi is being used and the possible radiation exposure that results from such use.

Spokesmen from the HPA believe that the study will confirm the safety of using WiFi, but feel that since England’s Chief Medical Officer suggested children limit their non-essential cell phone use due to potential exposure to radiation that a study into the radition emmissions of WiFi was the next logical step.

Results of the study will be publicly available, but officials reinforce their belief that WiFi is safe.

Soucce: bbc.co.uk

Are computers transforming humanity?

The answer is obvious, the implications profound.

By Mary K. Pratt

Imagine a world where your phone is smart enough to order and pay for your morning coffee. No more giving orders, handing over your payment or waiting in lines. No more face-to-face chit-chat or human interaction.

For many, this might seem like a blessing. Who likes to wait in line? But on a grand scale, might this kind of automated world dramatically change -- perhaps even eliminate -- how we communicate and connect with one another? Could it change something about us as individuals, or as a whole society?

"My short answer is yes. It's absolutely changing society and the way people are," says Melissa Cefkin, an ethnographer at IBM. "But there's nothing new in that. We've always had the introduction of new technologies that transform and move society in new ways. It changes our interactions, our sense of the world and each other."

But if primitive hand tools changed us from gatherers to hunters, and the invention of the printing press propagated literacy while downgrading the importance of the oral tradition, what individual and cultural transformations do new computer technologies portend?

Researchers and technologists alike say they're already seeing technology-wrought changes in how we operate as individuals and as a society. To be clear, they're not finding evidence of evolutionary transformations -- those show up over thousands of years, not merely decades. But there have been shifts in individual and societal capabilities, habits and values. And just how these all will play out remains to be seen.

"We're in a big social experiment. Where it ends up, I don't know," says Dan Siewiorek, a professor of computer science and electrical and computer engineering and director of the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.

Like other researchers, Siewiorek has identified a number of areas in which individuals and societies have changed in response to technology during the past two decades. One of the most obvious, he says, is the shift in how we view privacy. Having grown up in the McCarthy era, Siewiorek remembers how guarded people were with their phone conversations, fearful that they would be overheard or, worse, recorded.

"Now you can sit in any airport and hear all the grisly details about a divorce or something like that. I don't know if the convenience overrides privacy or people don't care about the other people around them, but certainly what we let hang out there has changed," he says.

Any doubts? Just look at the deeply personal details that people post on YouTube, MySpace and Facebook.

Click to continue

Indian growth unexpectedly strong

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The Indian economy is still one of the fastest-growing in the world India's economy grew 5.8% in the first three months of the year compared with the same period last year, which was better than had been expected. The official gross domestic product figure was down from 8.6% annual growth seen in the first quarter of 2008. Although growth has slowed from last year, the economy is still expanding faster than most other countries. It grew 6.7% in the full financial year, which was down from a rate of 9% in the year to the end of March 2008. 'Growth bottomed out' "The GDP growth number justifies the claim that India is dealing with the global crisis from a position of strength," said Rupa Rege Nitsure, chief economist at Bank of Baroda in Mumbai. "This means that growth has bottomed out, or at least the deceleration has stopped." The figures are good news for the newly-elected Congress-led government, which has made reviving growth its top priority. Among the sectors showing an improvement was farm output, which grew at an annualised rate of 2.7% in the first three months of 2009 having contracted 0.8% in the previous quarter. Construction grew 6.8% in the period compared with 4.2% in the previous quarter. But the manufacturing sector contracted an annual 1.4%, having grown 0.9% in the previous three months.

Source: news.bbc.co.uk

US launches cyber security plan

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US President Barack Obama has announced plans for securing American computer networks against cyber attacks.

He said that from now on, America's digital infrastructure would be treated as a strategic national asset.

He announced the creation of a cyber security office in the White House, and said he would personally appoint a "cyber tsar".

Both US government and military bodies have reported repeated interference from hackers in recent years.

Mr Obama pointed out that al-Qaeda and other groups had threatened computer warfare.

Acts of terror today, he said, could come "not only from a few extremists in suicide vests, but from a few key strokes of a computer - a weapon of mass disruption."

The president said the United States was particularly dependent on its computer networks and therefore particularly vulnerable to cyber attacks.

In 2007 alone the Pentagon reported nearly 44,000 incidents of what it called malicious cyber activity carried out by foreign militaries, intelligence agencies and individual hackers.

Security priority

Mr Obama said that protecting America's digital infrastructure, the networks and computers everyone depended on every day, would be "a national security priority".

"It is now clear," he said, "this cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation."

He said the United States had failed to invest in its digital infrastructure. "We are not as prepared as we should be," he said.

In the past, no one US department was responsible for cyber-security, resulting in poor communication and co-ordination, he said.

The new cyber-security office will be a multi-billion dollar effort designed to restrict access to government computers and to protect systems - such as those that run the stock exchange and air traffic control - that keep the country going.

But Mr Obama emphasised that it would also help protect individual Americans, adding: "Millions... have been victimised: their privacy violated, their identities stolen, their lives upended, and their wallets emptied."

He pointed out that according to one survey, cyber crime cost Americans more than $8bn over the last two years. Worldwide, it was estimated that cyber criminals stole intellectual property from businesses worth up to $1 trillion.

"In short, America's economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on cyber-security," he said.

The Obama administration is also expected to create a new cyber command at the Pentagon with the dual task of eradicating potential vulnerabilities in America's sensitive computer networks, while simultaneously creating ways to exploit them in the systems of potential enemies.

An influential study published last year suggested that having an offensive computer warfare capability would have a deterrent effect against would-be attackers.

Source: new.bbc.co.uk

Hazrat Maulana Mufti Taqi Usmani Sahab message for Pakistani Brothers & Sisters

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On Sunday 24 May 2009, Hazrat Maulana Mufti Taqi Usmani Sahab Damatbarakatuhum said during his bayan at Darul Uloom Karachi, that one of Mufti Sahab's Buzurgs saw Nabi e Kareem(SAW) in his Dream. Nabi e Kareem(SAW) said in the dream, that Pakistan might soon be caught in an Azaab from Allah(SWT). Nabi e Kareem(SAW) said, in the dream, that the people of Pakistan should recite Surah Shams at least 70,000 times to avoid this Azaab.

Mufti Taqi Usmani Sahab Db has asked everyone to recite Surah Shams as much as possible and also to recite Ayat e Kareema freuently.

Hazrat Mufti Sahab has also asked people to forward this msg to as many people as possible.

Listen Mufti Saheb Voice: Pakistanio Kay Naam Mufti Taqi Usmani Sahab Ka Aham Peghaam (VERY IMPORTANT)

http://www.mehboob-e-elahi.com/Download.php?BayanID=1163

Sunday 24 May, 2009 - Bayan after Namaz e Asr at Jamia Darul Uloom Karachi by Hazrat Maulana Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani Sahab Damatbarakatuhum

Sura e Shams: http://www.asanquran.com/Quran/Pages/Images/1061.gif

Please forward this message to as many people as possible.

Jazak Allah

Google wants developers to ride its Wave

‘In Google Wave you create a wave and add people to it,’ Rasmussen wrote in a blog post at the California Internet giant’s website. — File Photo

SAN FRANCISCO: Google on Thursday encouraged software developers to ride into the future of email with a project called ‘Wave,’ which opens inboxes to text, video, pictures, maps and even social network feeds.

‘Wave’ expands the capabilities of email to let people communicate and work together in real-time with text, photos, videos, maps, and more, according to Google software engineering manager Lars Rasmussen.

‘In Google Wave you create a wave and add people to it,’ Rasmussen wrote in a blog post at the California Internet giant’s website.

‘Everyone on your wave can use richly formatted text, photos, gadgets, and even feeds from other sources on the web. You see on your screen nearly instantly what your fellow collaborators are typing in your wave.’ A ‘wave’ prototype built by a five-person team ‘holed up in a conference room in the Sydney office’ for months was previewed at a Google developers conference in San Francisco on Thursday.

‘After more than two years of expanding our ideas, our team, and our technology, we’re very eager to return and see what the world might think,’ Rasmussen wrote.

A Wave software kit was provided to developers at the conference.
Wave allows for collaboration and communication by letting people send out pictures, messages, or videos that can be built on or modified as they stream from recipient to recipient.

Waves can be rewound to see how exchanges evolved, according to Google.
‘Developers are going to see the potential of Google Wave as a platform; we hope they’ll leap on it,’ Wave engineer Adam Schuck said in an interview posted at the US firm’s website.

‘They’ll be able to integrate it with existing systems they use today, or produce new tools that allow people to improve and manage their communications.’ The computer code for Wave will be open source, meaning developers are free to modify it as they wish.

‘We’re inviting developers to add all kinds of cool stuff before our public launch,’ Rasmussen wrote.

No launch date for Wave has been specified. Rasmussen and his brother, Jens, founded an online mapping firm bought by Google in 2004. The brothers’
technology went into Google’s free Internet map service.

Silicon Valley analyst Rob Enderle said that while the Wave goal is feasible, building a central station for various online photo, video, text and social networking feeds presents complex challenges.

Such a project also calls for cooperation from an array of technology firms, some of them Google rivals, according to Enderle.

‘You start throwing these complex things together and things start breaking,’ Enderle said. ‘And, Google has not shown an ability to drive the kind of collaboration it would take to make it happen.’ Google Wave has solved ‘a bunch of stuff that has traditionally been very hard’ such as real-time collaboration and hosted data, according to team engineer Casey Whitelaw.

‘Developers won’t have to think about all of that, they’ll be able to just build their app and go,’ Whitelaw said in the interview.

‘The primary ideas are that everything is live, and everything is editable.’The Wave team in Sydney held weekly ‘team huddles’ that evolved to include theme songs, prizes, and one member’s quest to ‘help us develop our chocolate palate beyond M&M’ candies, according to Whitelaw.

‘Rather than try to anticipate every possible use it will be put to, we’ve made it open and extensible so developers can come up with what they think is cool and useful,’ Whitelaw said of Wave. — AFP

Source: Dawn.com

Ebbing violence booms IT in Indian-administered Kashmir

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Kashmiri employees working at a call centre in Srinagar. This call centre works 24/7 operations at Access Infrastructure which serves clients of one of India's largest cell phone networks. —AFP

SRINAGAR: Providing sleeping facilities might be seen as good management practice at your average, round-the-clock call centre, but in Indian-administered Kashmir it has the advantage of preventing workers getting shot.

Opened in 2004, Access Infrastructure was born of a period of relative peace in a region where at least 47,000 people have been killed since an armed insurgency against Indian rule began 20 years ago.

Its presence and the subsequent arrival of other IT software and service companies is being seen as evidence of a mini-boom in Indian-administered Kashmir, which has been a byword for economic stagnation and high unemployment.

But since India and Pakistan, who have fought two wars over divided Indian-administered Kashmir, launched a peace process in 2004, there has been a marked reduction in the once almost daily bombings, shootings and militant gunfights with the army.

This has opened the way for Kashmiris who fled the carnage to return to the region once known for its natural beauty and invest in the future of their homeland.

‘The reduction in violence boosted investment in Indian-administered Kashmir and then we came in offering secondary services,’ said Irfan Ansari, the chief executive officer of Access Infrastructure, which specialises in telecoms billing.

Nevertheless, Indian-administered Kashmir’s summer capital of Srinagar remains a volatile and sometimes extremely dangerous city – which accounts for the beds in the office.

‘We have arrangements for employees to sleep over in case of curfews and other disturbances,’ said Access executive Khalid Abbas.

Ansari is just one of a number of young Kashmiri IT entrepreneurs who quit their high salaried jobs with established firms elsewhere to come home.

More are likely to follow, with India’s diversified giant Essar Group in February pledging 10 billion rupees (200 million dollars) to open two new call centres here.

The new ventures are providing welcome career alternatives to a privileged few among an estimated 500,000 unemployed young Kashmiris searching for more challenging job options than tourism, carpet weaving and wood carving.

Faisal Masood, assistant manager at Access, has about 300 people working in six shifts to serve clients of one of Indian-administered Kashmir’s largest mobile phone networks.

‘We are hoping to add to that number soon, despite the recession,’ he said.

The Access office, with its polished glass facade, cafeteria and training centre, is reminiscent of call centres in established Indian IT hubs such as Bangalore and Hyderabad.

‘The professional standards we follow are just the same,’ said Abbas.

Some distance away, at an industrial park on the outskirts of Srinagar, is Musky Software Solutions, which has 30 staff who serve clients in North America, Africa and Asia.

‘One of the main reasons to start an IT company in Srinagar was to create a job platform for young people,’ said chief operating officer Fayaz Bhat.

‘I don’t see any reason why businesses can’t perform from this part of the globe,’ Bhat said, adding his company plans a 10-fold staff increase by 2015.

Tanveer Khan, 26, quit Bangalore-based Wipro, India’s third-biggest software company, and said he accepted a sharply reduced salary to return to Indian-administered Kashmir seven months ago.

‘But it’s great to be back home,’ he said.

The energy is undeniable, but there are major obstacles to turning Srinagar into another Bangalore – with unreliable power supply, narrow bandwidth and lack of trained manpower topping the list.

The lack of bandwidth ‘is giving us sleepless nights and puts us in a bad light with our overseas customers,’ said Bhat.

Indian-administered Kashmir’s chief minister Omar Abdullah has promised to focus on developing a talent pool.

‘I am worried about unemployability. The products that come out of our schools and colleges don’t necessarily have the skill sets that will make them attractive in the job market today,’ Abdullah told AFP.

Raman Roy, head of New Delhi-based Quattro BPO Solutions and considered a pioneer of India’s outsourcing industry, described Indian-administered Kashmir as having ‘huge potential’.

‘What is needed is a concrete action plan. Whatever plan there is at present seems patchy, incomplete.

‘You need the proper physical infrastructure to attract middle-level management – the basis of a good, strong outsourcing industry. And that includes schools and hospitals, besides bandwidth,’ he said.

The problems notwithstanding, young Kashmiris are hopeful and enthusiastic about the life-changing opportunities on offer.

‘Earlier, we had no avenues for work. Teaching was the only career option for us women, followed by marriage,’ said Zubaidah Bhat, a 25-year-old trainer at Access.

‘Now I have a way to concentrate on a career. It is truly empowering for women like me,’ she said.


Source: dawn.com

Tobacco kills 100,000 every year in Pakistan

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Smoking a shisha for an hour was the same as smoking 100 cigarettes, warned Dr Suleman Haque, Consultant Chest Physician, Aga Khan University Hospital.—Reuters/File

KARACHI: Pakistan should implement already existing anti-tobacco laws to protect people from the tobacco epidemic, especially as the country has signed the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control — requiring signatories to post ‘health warnings describing the harmful effects of tobacco use’ on cigarette packets and recommending that pictures form part of the warnings.

This is what experts recommended at a seminar organised by Aga Khan University (AKU) in collaboration with the Pakistan Chest Society, the National Alliance for Tobacco Control and Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) to commemorate World No Tobacco Day and its 2009 theme ‘Tobacco Health Warnings,’ APP reports.

‘Health warnings that include pictures have been proven to motivate cigarette smokers to quit and to positively impact those still not addicted,’ said Professor Javaid Khan, Head of Pulmonary Medicine, AKU.

Professor Khan said that around 100,000 deaths occur from tobacco use annually in Pakistan and over half of the adult population is addicted to it in some form or the other.

He made a strong call for immediate introduction of picture warnings on cigarette boxes, asserting that this would lead to a very positive impact on smokers and especially young people.

On similar lines, Shahzad Alam from WHO recommended that health warnings should have strong, clear language and must include pictures highlighting the health risk associated with tobacco use.

President PIMA Dr. Sohail Akhtar, pointed out that at the time of the Prophet (PBUH) tobacco was not available or used in that part of the world. Nevertheless, a number of general principles were laid down from which many laws are derived.

Second-hand smoke is an already proven risk factor for chronic obstructive lung disease, lung cancer, asthma as well as heart attacks.

Drawing on this, Consultant Chest Physician, Aga Khan University Hospital Dr Suleman Haque, said that lung cancer is the number one cause of deaths from cancer in Pakistani men and over 90per cent of such cases are the direct result of tobacco use.

He called for the retraction of the Ministry of Health’s statutory regulatory order which allows smoking at designated places in enclosed public areas, including hotels and restaurants, once again.

Citing an AKU research study conducted last year, Dr. Haque said that over half of Karachi’s university students were smoking tobacco through a shisha or water pipe; smoking a shisha for an hour was the same as smoking 100 cigarettes, he warned.

The role of health professionals in anti-tobacco campaigns cannot be over-emphasised: PMA President Dr. Aziz Khan and Head, Department of Chest Diseases, JPMC Dr. Nadeem Rizvi, both highlighted the role of family physicians in helping patients quit smoking.
Dr. Rizvi said that all doctors are morally bound to educate the public on health-related issues. Research shows that even brief, three-minute counselling by doctors on quitting smoking can bring about significant results.

It was unfortunate, he said, that tobacco use, gutka and pan masala form is on the rise, especially among children, resulting in a higher incidence of head, neck and mouth cancers.

Pakistan currently tops the global list of incidence rates for oral cancer.

An estimated 1,500 young people a day take up smoking, helped by aggressive marketing by tobacco companies.

Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine at AKU Dr Muhammad Irfan, said that city governments need to initiate an education campaign on tobacco and its hazards in schools and colleges and appealed for implementing the existing laws clearly prohibiting sale of tobacco products within 50 metres of educational institutions.

Dow University of Health Sciences’ medical student Owais Khan, representing SPASM—Students Promoting Anti-Smoking Measures—called for medical school curricula to include tobacco control and smoking cessation as a subject.

In the end, prizes were awarded to winners of a poster competition on Tobacco Health Warnings.


Scource: dawn.com

Microsoft promises 'search 2.0'

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Microsoft Live Search is changing

Microsoft is re-launching its search engine, promising to make search simpler, and aiming to overhaul Yahoo.

Re-named and re-branded Bing.com, the search engine will go live first in the US and launch in beta elsewhere.

Google has more than 64% of the search market in the US, followed by Yahoo at 20% and Microsoft at 8.2%.

Bing offers to make search more relevant by understanding the intention of searches, and grouping more related information to the original query.

For example, searches for a product will also bring links to reviews, accessories, and online shops, as well as information about the item.

Searches for flight information will pull schedules and times from websites, as well as linking to hotels and weather.

Microsoft wants to reduce the amount of clicking a user has to do to find specific and related information.

Paul Stoddart, Microsoft UK search lead, "Forty percent of search queries go unanswered. There is something missing here and a big consumer need."

He added: "We can see it in the logs [of searches]. When searching using existing search engines I have to keep re-querying things - adding more words, clicking on a site, going back because it is not the right site, and ultimately abandoning their queries."

He added: "We are pulling information that we know people use every day."

He said Microsoft was hoping to build an "emotional connection" between users and its search engines, as well as brand loyalty.

Bing has a much softer, less clinical feel than previous Microsoft search engines and rivals, with a daily changing backdrop image.

"Google haven't been able to innovate a lot of the UI (user interface) because they have to display their ads as that's how they make their revenue. We can try things a bit differently," said Mr Stoddart.

Users are also able to save their searches to avoid having to remember on which site they found a particular piece of information.

Microsoft is forming partnership with a host of different online services which Bing can then trawl to aggregate specific information around searches - such as flight deals, reviews and holidays.

Mr Stoddart said the UK version of Bing was launching later than the US because Microsoft was busy finding the "best of breed" in web services specific to the UK that it could add into search engine results.

"People keep building global search engines but doing something for the UK is important," he said.

He denied that Microsoft's goal of overtaking Yahoo lacked ambition.

"Second place would be a great place. And once we're in second place we will go for first place.

"Microsoft has a great tradition of coming from behind."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8070790.stm

Pakistan-India tensions spur nuclear race

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The report — Pakistan’s nuclear weapons: proliferation and security issues — also explores the possibility of US forces seizing Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal to prevent a militant takeover and concedes that it would be an impossible task to accomplish. - APP/File photo

WASHINGTON: Although 11 years have passed since India and Pakistan first conducted nuclear tests, the two South Asian rivals continue to produce more nuclear bombs and weapon-delivery systems, a US congressional research service and the media reported on Thursday.

‘Some time next year, at a tightly guarded site south of its capital, Pakistan will be ready to start churning out a new stream of plutonium for its nuclear arsenal, which will eventually include warheads for ballistic missiles and cruise missiles capable of being launched from ships, submarines or aircraft,’ notes The Washington Post.

‘About 1,000 miles to the southwest, engineers in India are designing cruise missiles to carry nuclear warheads, relying partly on Russian missile-design assistance,’ the newspaper adds.

‘India is also trying to equip its Agni ballistic missiles with such warheads and to deploy them on submarines. Its rudimentary missile-defence capability is slated for a major upgrade next year.’

In a larger report, the Congressional Research Service estimates that Pakistan has 60 nuclear warheads. Previous estimates pegged the number of warheads at 80-100.

The report, however, notes that Pakistan continues fissile material production for weapons, and is adding to its weapons production facilities and delivery vehicles.

Giving details of the nuclear warheads, the report says the weapons use an implosion design with a solid core of highly enriched uranium, about 15-20 kg per warhead and Islamabad continues to produce about 100 kg of highly enriched uranium for weapons every year.

The CRS also analyses Pakistan’s theory of nuclear deterrence, India’s response, and how the US has dealt with this issue so far.

The report — Pakistan’s nuclear weapons: proliferation and security issues — also explores the possibility of US forces seizing Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal to prevent a militant takeover and concedes that it would be an impossible task to accomplish.

The CRS, which prepares policy papers for US lawmakers, notes that India is clearly the only country Pakistan’s ‘minimum credible deterrent’ is directed against.

‘Pakistani officials have already determined the arsenal size needed for a minimum nuclear deterrent and they will not engage in an arms race with India,’ the report adds.

However, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency wrote in July 2008 that the US-India nuclear cooperation agreement, which entered into force in December 2008, could cause a nuclear arms race between Pakistan and India.

Pakistan has also pledged no-first-use against non-nuclear-weapon states, but has not ruled out first-use against a nuclear-armed aggressor that attacks Pakistan — ‘for example, India’. The report quotes analysts as saying that ‘this ambiguity serves to maintain deterrence against India’s conventional superiority.’

Others argue that keeping the first-use option against New Delhi allows Islamabad to conduct sub-conventional operations, such as support for low-intensity conflict or proxy war in Kashmir, while effectively deterring India at the strategic level.


Source: dawn.com

Dispelling Customer Loyalty Myths

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If one were to read the thousands of books written about creating customer loyalty and providing customer service over the past few years, you might begin to believe that it was an insurmountable task.

Each week the business best seller lists include books telling us that we must "exceed customer expectations," create "mass customized products" and so on. Fact is, it really isn't that hard. Much of what we're told about creating truly loyal customers is not fact but fiction.

Top 5 customer loyalty myths:

Myth #1

Technology will save us. This couldn't be further from the truth. Many of us have grown up adapting to technology rather than it adapting to us. If we are serious about creating loyal customers, we must ask ourselves if our technology is helping us or hurting us. If you have to work around your technology to serve customers then you shouldn't be using it. Unless your technology is helping you serve customers faster, more cost efficiently or with a higher level of service, get rid of it!

Myth #2

As long as we keep our customers satisfied, they will keep coming back. Contrary to what was true in the '80s and '90s, customers now demand much more from companies, products and services in order to continue to spend money with them. In his book, The Loyalty Effect, Fredrich Reicheld found that of customers who defected from a product or service to a similar product or service, more than 80 percent of them were actually satisfied. That means that simply satisfying customers doesn't help us create loyal customers. Companies have to build deeper and stronger bonds with their customers because simple satisfaction won't keep them coming back.

Myth #3

We have to exceed expectations to keep customers coming back for more. Surprisingly, customers are much easier on us than we give them credit for. We simply have to set the appropriate expectation and then meet it, consistently! This is not to say that the expectation we set can be completely out of line with the marketplace, but assuming we are in the ballpark of our competition, we don't need to exceed anything, simply meet it. If companies are up front and honest about what to expect from their product or service, customers are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Remember, time rather than money, is the new commodity for most of our customers, make sure everyone within your organization is setting appropriate expectations.

Myth #4

If we had more money and people, we could provide better service. Most organizations have all that they need to drive significant improvements in service right now, the secret is in accessing it and then allowing everyone to be involved. It's impossible to overestimate the power of aligning everyone in the organization toward a higher goal, something bigger than each of them as individuals or departments and teams. When everyone within the organization is allowed to participate in providing solutions and ideas, the brainpower of the entire organization is accessed and energized. Not only do you get better ideas that tend to be easier to implement, but you also gain a feeling of accountability and responsibility throughout the organization.

Myth #5

Everyone has a poor performer...as long as I keep him/her away from customers, it's not a big deal. Wrong! Nothing could be farther from the truth. Not only does a poor performer make your customers angry, they also affect the overall performance of the team. In a team of five, one poor performer can bring the overall productivity of the team down by more than 40 percent! Additionally, high performers tend to leave a team because they don't get enough time or training from their boss. If you are spending all your time with your poor performer, you have a 76 percent higher chance of losing your high performers. For the sake of your customers and your high performers, fire your poor performers now!


Source: http://www.customerservicemanager.com/dispelling-customer-loyalty-myths.htm

A great dicussion of Muhammad Ali Jinnah

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem science has with God, The Almighty.

He asks one of his new students to stand (Muhammad Ali Jinnah).....


Prof:

So you believe in God?


Student:

Absolutely, sir.


Prof

: Is God good?

Student:

Sure.

Prof:

Is God all-powerful?

Student

: Yes.

Prof:

My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him.

Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm?

(Student is silent.)

Prof:

You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?

Student:

Yes.

Prof:

Is Satan good?

Student

: No.

Prof:

Where does Satan come from?

Student:

From...God.. .

Prof:

That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student:

Yes.

Prof:

Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct?

Student:

Yes.

Prof:

So who created evil?

(Student does not answer.)

Prof:

Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they?

Student:

Yes, sir.

Prof:

So, who created them?

(Student has no answer.)

Prof:

Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you.

Tell me, son...Have you ever

seen God?

Student:

No, sir.

Prof:

Tell us if you have ever heard your God?

Student:

No, sir.

Prof:

Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?

Student:

No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.

Prof:

Yet you still believe in Him?

Student:

Yes.

Prof:

According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn't exist.

What do you say to that, son?

Student:

Nothing. I only have my faith.

Prof:

Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student:

Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Prof:

Yes.

Student:

And is there such a thing as cold?

Prof:

Yes.

Student:

No sir. There isn't.

(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student

: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat.

But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go

any further after that.

There is no such thing as cold . Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of

heat

.. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy . Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it .

(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student:

What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Prof:

Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?

Student :

You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright

light, flashing light....But if

you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In

reality, darkness isn't. If it were you would be able to make

darkness darker, wouldn't you?

Prof:

So what is the point you are making, young man?

Student:

Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Prof:

Flawed? Can you explain how?

Student:

Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it.

Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Prof:

If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student:

Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)

Student:

Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher? (The class is in uproar.)

Student:

Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain?

(The class breaks out into laughter.)

Student

: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so.. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir.

With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room is silent.. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable. )

Prof:

I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.

Student:

That is it sir... The link between man & God is FAITH . That is all that keeps things moving & alive.

NB: I believe you have enjoyed the conversation. ..and if so...you'll probably want your friends/colleagues to enjoy the same...won't you?....

How to simplify your tech life

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23 tips for getting organized, streamlining your online time, managing your media and more

By Adam Pash

PC World - Technology was supposed to make our lives easier -- so why does it seem to do the opposite? If living in a perpetual state of tech overload has you frazzled, here are some solutions for you.

The enlightening tips in this story will show you how to conserve time and effort, eliminate headaches, clean up your workspace, secure your PC and your data, and manage your media. The path to the ultimate state of 21st-century Zen starts right here, right now.

Get organized

If your daily life is hectic, start calming it down by organizing your workspace. Whether you need to neaten up your PC desktop or the actual top of your desk, here are some simple things you can do to make things tidy, searchable, and in sync.

Manage multiple e-mail accounts in the Gmail interface

Effort: Minimal
Cost: Free

Most folks have accumulated a handful of e-mail addresses that they are not prepared to stop checking altogether. If you're a Gmail user, Google's e-mail app is particularly adept at consolidating several e-mail addresses so that you don't have to log in to five different accounts every day.

You can either set up your other accounts to forward all incoming mail to your Gmail account or use Gmail's "Get mail from other accounts" feature to automatically import every message you receive to your centralized inbox. Gmail even permits you to use it to send e-mail on behalf of your other, non-Gmail addresses.

If you prefer to do things the Microsoft way, Microsoft Windows Live Hotmail offers much of the same functionality as Gmail, but in an interface that's the spitting image of Outlook.

Use Google sync tools to manage PCs and phones

Effort: Moderate
Cost: Free

If you have a smartphone, a desktop PC, and a laptop or netbook, that amounts to at least three different places where you might want to add an appointment to your calendar, edit your contacts, or access an important file without worrying about keeping all your data in sync.

Google to the rescue again: If you're managing your days in Google Calendar and keeping track of your contacts in Google's Contacts application, Google Mobile Sync provides two-way, wireless synchronization of your calendar and contacts.

Microsoft Outlook users should check out Google Calendar Sync for the same two-way calendar sync.

Finally, if syncing up a folder's worth of files is important to you, look at Dropbox, a free service that syncs up to 2GB of data between any number of computers, the Internet, and even your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Find any file on your PC with desktop search

Effort: Moderate
Cost: Free

Even if you have organized every last file on your PC, you're still bound to lose something in the digital haystack every now and again. You could go the obvious desktop-search route with Google Desktop, or if you're running Vista you can just use the built-in Instant Search functionality.

But I'm going to stray from the beaten path a little and suggest Everything, a free, no-nonsense desktop search app that finds files on your desktop as you type, with lightning speed.

Scan paper and unclutter your home office

Effort: Initially high, minimal over time
Cost: $350 (at press time)

Your home office is a haven for all your pet projects and personal finances, but it's useless if you can't find anything under a giant stack of papers. To remedy that, take a two-step approach: Toss out all the junk, and then scan and file or shred the rest.

An intelligent sheet-fed scanner such as the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 can handle large stacks of paper in a range of sizes and turn any text on a page into a searchable PDF file on your PC. Just gather up all the papers that are multiplying on your desk, toss them into the scanner, and press the scan button.

The next time you need to find a particular receipt or invoice, for instance, simply search your computer (see previous tip). You get the surface of your desk back, and you may never have to rummage through a creaky file cabinet again.

Untangle your cables

Effort: Moderate
Cost: $10

Have you followed the tip above to clear away paper clutter? Great. Your desk would look perfect now if not for the ugly cables running from every gadget you own to its respective power supply. IKEA sells an inexpensive cord basket that's ideal for hiding your cables. Just screw it in, unplug your gear, and put everything back together one cord at a time, tucking each cable into the basket.

Similarly, you can set up a charging station for your cell phone, MP3 player, and other gadgets, either by using your own ingenuity or by purchasing a dedicated product like the Kingston Charging Valet.

Streamline your online experience

If you have more online accounts than you can track, these tools will put you back in control. With the help of these tips for Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites, you can keep passwords secure, control your networks from a single interface, get one number for all your phones, and more.

Reduce your online profile to safeguard your privacy

Effort: Moderate
Cost: Free

The Internet is an amazing venue for sharing your life with family and friends, but if you don't pay attention to what you're sharing, it can turn into a privacy nightmare. You can do a lot to protect yourself.

If you're on Facebook, for example, get to know the privacy settings. You can determine what you broadcast to the world, and when used wisely, the settings provide serious control over what details the site exposes. One great option to tweak is the Search setting, which lets you restrict how much information people can see about you before you add them as friends.

If you've tried your hand at a lot of social networks over the years, it's a good idea to go back and delete old, neglected accounts that still show up in your Google results but don't satisfactorily portray the professional demeanor you've worked so hard to cultivate.

Finally, set up a simple nameplate site to take an active role in determining what people see when they dig for dirt on you. One worthy option is a Google Profile, which can give you a leg up in shaping how others perceive you on the Web (though in PC World's tests, it didn't rank as highly in our search results as we had hoped).

Consolidate your online identities with UnHub

Effort: Moderate
Cost: Free

Between your blog, Facebook, Twitter, and -- if you're really popular -- your Wikipedia page, you probably find it tough to give someone a single URL that says "Here's me." The Web site UnHub helps to solve that problem.

The service allows you to create a very simple home page with a persistent profile bar that links to every site that defines you on the Web. No matter which of your pages your buddies visit, yourUnHub profile bar stays on top so that your visitors can easily move on to your next online hangout. Best of all, you don't have to update each of your sites every time you add a new social network to your list.

Update your blog

Effort: Minimal
Cost: Free

It's rare to find a piece of Microsoft software that outperforms the competition where the Internet is involved, but if you love to blog, you can't find a better companion than Windows Live Writer. The handy application plugs into popular blogging platforms such as Blogger and WordPress, streamlining your writing process with a built-in spelling checker, image editing tools, post previews, and more. It also boasts plug-in support for integrating with your Flickr account, with Twitter, and with the popular social news site Digg.

Manage Twitter more effectively

Effort: Minimal
Cost: Free

Everyone is talking about Twitter these days, but despite the service's insane popularity, its chaotic default Web interface doesn't do much to simplify working with it. If you'd like to manage your Twitter experience better, try the free Twitter client TweetDeck. It displays your friends' tweets, corrals your mentions, tracks searches, and has tools for shortening links, posting pictures, and more.

If you want to keep an eye on what the Twittosphere has to say but you don't want to check it constantly, consider signing up with TweetBeep, a service that sends you a daily di­­gest of Twitter posts matching any number of search criteria you select. It's all the tweets without all the distraction.

Use KeePass to secure your passwords

Effort: Moderate
Cost: Free

If you use a different password for every online account you own (as well you should), your head is probably about to explode. More likely, though, you use the same one or two passwords for all those sites, which is a security horror story waiting to happen. To calm your mind and to maintain security, use a password manager.

KeePass Password Safe is a free, open-source password manager that tracks all your Web site passwords, credit card numbers, ID numbers, software registration codes, and other details. It can autofill your user name and password through your browser whenever you visit a site where you have an account.

Perhaps best of all, the tool can autogenerate highly secure random passwords for new accounts, and then remember them for you. All you need to recall is the one password that unlocks KeePass's power.

Unify your phone numbers through Google Voice

Effort: Minimal
Cost: Free (at press time)

Remember the simple days when landlines reigned supreme, and anyone who wanted to get ahold of you had just one number to dial? Today you likely have a personal cell phone, your work cell, and an additional landline at each location. Suddenly, getting in touch has become much more complicated.

With Google's latest offering, Google Voice, that's about to change. The service eliminates the multiple-phone problem by creating one central number that rings all of your phones -- and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Google Voice also supports advanced call-routing rules, transcribes your voicemail, and even forwards a copy of it to your e-mail inbox.

I've been using Google Voice for more than a year (since it was known as Grand Central), but it's currently in closed beta. If you don't want to wait for the Google Voice beta to open, you can significantly boost your voicemail prowess in the meantime with YouMail.

Click here to read more...

Intel to produce new, more powerful server chip

Intel Corp will start producing a new, more powerful version of its Xeon multiprocessor chip for servers in the second half, a spokesman said. — AP/ File Photo

SAN FRANCISCO: Intel Corp will start producing a new, more powerful version of its Xeon multiprocessor chip for servers in the second half, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

The new chip, code-named Nehalem EX, will go on sale in the first quarter of next year. No prices have been announced for the new chip, which will succeed the Xeon 7400, priced from $1,100 to $2,700.

The Nehalem EX will provide two improvements. First, it will increase the number of cores inside a single chip from six to eight. Second, each core will be able to handle two ‘threads’ of software instead of just one.

Severs will be able to handle up to eight of the sockets for the powerful new chips, and third parties can expand beyond that, according to Intel's Nick Knupffer.

Further technical details are available here .

Intel produces several lines of central processing units. Its multiprocessors are its most expensive, sophisticated line, used for running large servers. It also has smaller, powerful chips to run desktop and laptop machines.

Below that is its popular, inexpensive Atom processor, used in Netbooks.


Source: dawn.com

Suicide car blast in Lahore kills 23

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AHORE: Gunmen detonated a car bomb near police and intelligence agency offices on Lahore’s Fatima Jinnah road Wednesday, killing 23 people and wounding more than 100, officials said.

At least four men with rifles stepped out from the car and opened fire on the intelligence agency building, then set off a massive blast when security guards returned fire, officials said.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik suggested the attack could be retaliation for the government's military offensive to rout Taliban militants from the northwestern Swat Valley.

Wednesday's attack was the third major strike in Lahore in recent months.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the latest bombing. Police said one suspect was detained.

Raja Riaz, a senior minister in the Punjab provincial government, told reporters that about 30 people died. Fayyaz Ranjha, a senior health official, told Pakistan Television that at least 116 people were wounded. Police put the number of injured at 250.

The explosion sheared the walls off buildings in a main business district. TV footage showed bleeding bystanders and emergency workers carrying the injured toward ambulances.

‘The moment the blast happened, everything went dark in front of my eyes,’ witness Muhammad Ali said. ‘The way the blast happened, then gunfire, it looked as if there was a battle going on.’

Sajjad Bhutta, a senior government official in Lahore, told reporters that a car carrying several gunmen pulled up in a street between offices of the emergency police and the Inter-Service Intelligence.

‘As some people came out from that vehicle and starting firing at the ISI office, the guards from inside that building returned fire,’ he said. As the firing continued, the car suddenly exploded, he said.

The ISI and police buildings were both badly damaged. An AP reporter saw dozens of troops entering the ISI building to supervise the rescue work, while gunshots were heard from inside the building even one hour after the blast.

Television footage showed officers dragging a black-shirted man from the scene.

Malik blamed the attack on militants that government forces are fighting in the Swat Valley and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas near Afghanistan.

'These terrorists were defeated in FATA and Swat and now they have come here,' he told reporters.

Suicide car blast in Lahore kills 23

.
AHORE: Gunmen detonated a car bomb near police and intelligence agency offices on Lahore’s Fatima Jinnah road Wednesday, killing 23 people and wounding more than 100, officials said.

At least four men with rifles stepped out from the car and opened fire on the intelligence agency building, then set off a massive blast when security guards returned fire, officials said.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik suggested the attack could be retaliation for the government's military offensive to rout Taliban militants from the northwestern Swat Valley.

Wednesday's attack was the third major strike in Lahore in recent months.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the latest bombing. Police said one suspect was detained.

Raja Riaz, a senior minister in the Punjab provincial government, told reporters that about 30 people died. Fayyaz Ranjha, a senior health official, told Pakistan Television that at least 116 people were wounded. Police put the number of injured at 250.

The explosion sheared the walls off buildings in a main business district. TV footage showed bleeding bystanders and emergency workers carrying the injured toward ambulances.

‘The moment the blast happened, everything went dark in front of my eyes,’ witness Muhammad Ali said. ‘The way the blast happened, then gunfire, it looked as if there was a battle going on.’

Sajjad Bhutta, a senior government official in Lahore, told reporters that a car carrying several gunmen pulled up in a street between offices of the emergency police and the Inter-Service Intelligence.

‘As some people came out from that vehicle and starting firing at the ISI office, the guards from inside that building returned fire,’ he said. As the firing continued, the car suddenly exploded, he said.

The ISI and police buildings were both badly damaged. An AP reporter saw dozens of troops entering the ISI building to supervise the rescue work, while gunshots were heard from inside the building even one hour after the blast.

Television footage showed officers dragging a black-shirted man from the scene.

Malik blamed the attack on militants that government forces are fighting in the Swat Valley and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas near Afghanistan.

'These terrorists were defeated in FATA and Swat and now they have come here,' he told reporters.

Hi-tech aims to improve lifestyle

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Facebook, mobile phones, and energy meters are helping to see if people can be nudged into living healthier lives.

The three-year project will see how people react when data is fed back to them about their energy use and activity levels.

While it has been established that such feedback can alter behaviour, the researchers want to unpick the mechanisms of such change.

About 800 people will be recruited to the project which starts in September.

Normal life

The research, called the Charm Project, builds on the work of academics Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein which implies that the way people are told about poor lifestyle choices influences how they react.

Instead of simply telling people to stop, it has been shown that it is more effective to reveal how one person's behaviour ranks against their peers.

Adopting a less confrontational style can, claim Thaler and Sunstein, "nudge" people towards better choices.

"It's about influencing behaviour by telling people what other people do," said Dr Ruth Rettie, head of the Charm Project and a reader in marketing at Kingston University.

"There's quite a lot of evidence that we can influence, not just by nudging, but by informing them about social norms," said Dr Rettie.

Social norms are the broadly accepted ways that people conduct themselves and encompass such things as manners, cleanliness, and behaviour.

However, said Dr Rettie, norms can differ from person to person and many people follow a set of norms without much thought about why they do so, or whether they are choosing wisely when living by them.

Via three separate investigations, Dr Rettie and her colleagues will gather data about consumption or usage behaviour related to sustainability, feed information about it back to the subjects, and see how that "social proof" changes behaviour.

The project will not dictate norms to people. Instead it will find out what people do and then tell everyone involved about that activity.

Three trials

One investigation revolves around mobile phones that have software installed on them to measure how active their owners are.

200 people will take part in this trial, said Dr Parisa Eslambolchilar, a lecturer in human-computer interaction at the University of Swansea who is developing the phone application.

By monitoring power, people will be nudged toward lower use.

"We're looking at how often people take exercise, or do they prefer to walk to work, or their office, or do they prefer driving?" said Dr Eslambolchilar.

Participants will be given feedback about their activity and whether they are more or less active than the others in the group. Data from accelerometers in smartphones and PDAs will be analysed to work out how far people are walking. GPS will be used for those that cycle, to work out their average speed and distance travelled.

Still to be decided is the way that information about activity will be fed back. One idea is to represent individuals as flowers in a garden with the more active participants growing taller over the course of the investigation.

Household energy use will be monitored as another of the Charm Project investigations. This will see small energy meters placed in the homes of 400 people recruited for the project.

"The monitor clamps around the cable, it does not interfere or use home power," said Dr Matthew Studley, a senior researcher in robotics at the University of the West of England who has developed the device.

Information about energy use will be sent to the researchers, who will then inform participants of how much they used and how that compares to others in the trial.

Feedback

Information might be fed back through text message, a project website, or a letter in the post, said Dr Studley.

"We are not particularly interested in the amount of energy that they are using, it's the change in their behaviour as a result of the feedback," he said.

"We expect that most will reduce their consumption in response to feedback on their own and other people's usage," said Dr Studley. "What we do not want to happen is that people using far less than everybody else increase their usage of energy."

The third investigation will revolve around social networking site Facebook and will investigate how friends influence each other and see what it takes to nudge people towards more "sustainable" ways of life.

Dr Rettie said the Charm Project aimed to get a better understanding of why people make the choices they do and what can influence them.

"There has been a tendency in academic circles to think that choices are made on a rational and conscious basis," she said. "We find out their attitudes, consider their intentions, and that will give you their behaviour."

But, she said, research shows that many of the things people do are not based on rational choice.

Finding out what informs choices and how to influence them was likely to become far more important as the need to live more sustainable lifestyles becomes pressing, she said.

"If we are going to change and make lifestyles more sustainable, then changing this process is very important," she said.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8062327.stm

Military apologizes for civilian casualties in Swat

In this picture taken from a video released by the Pakistan Inter Services Public Relations Department, soldiers rescue an injured man (C) from the rubble of a house during fighting with Taliban militants in Khawazakhela, Swat.—AFP

SLAMABAD: The military on Tuesday apologized for the civilian casualties in Swat and adjoining areas, saying that the security forces were exercising all possible care to avoid collateral damage during the ongoing counter insurgency operation.

‘Though the number of civilian casualties is minimal, we feel sorry for those killed by splinters and accidental fire,’ military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said while briefing reporters about the progress of operation Rahe Rast. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Samsam Bukhari was also present on the occasion.

He said only the confirmed hideouts of terrorists were being attacked and collateral damage was being avoided even at the cost of the pace of operation. He said in the case of air fire, precision targeting based on authentic intelligence report was advancing the military operation without adversely affecting the civilian population.

He rejected reports that a fresh group of trained terrorists had entered the troubled area. He said no military operation was going on in South Waziristan.

He said the operation was progressing well and the security forces had secured control of around half of Mingora city despite resistance. He said street fight and house to house search was going on in Mingora city.

He said 29 terrorists were killed in various areas of Swat during exchange of fire with the security forces while another 14 were arrested. Six soldiers laid down their lives and 11 others were injured. General Athar Abbas said 18 miscreants were killed in Mingora during exchange of fire and seven were arrested while escaping towards Buner.

He said four improvised explosive devices had been defused. Malakand-Qambar-Mingora road has been opened. In Qambar Security Forces defused 12 IEDs and also recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition. Kanju-Kabal road has been cleared and fierce fighting is on for securing of Kabal.

About Peochar, he said security forces continued with cordon and search operation and destroyed the strongholds of miscreants at Mano Derai. During exchange of fire three miscreants were killed while three were apprehended.

He said security forces have attained foothold at Bagh Derai. During the clash with miscreants, one soldier was killed and one got injured at Sambat Bridge near Fateh Pur. A 30 member Jirga arrived at Kuz Durshkhela to express their support for Army operation in the area.

A remote control shaped charged IED of 20 kg explosive was also defused at Pir Kalai by the troops. Security Forces have cleared Sakhra valley, the main route of terrorist’s movement from Peochar towards Kalam and other areas.

About Buner, he said 90 per cent area of Buner had been cleared. Some terrorists are present at Pir Baba, but to keep the sanctity of Ziarat, firing is being avoided. During search at check posts, four miscreants have been arrested.

He said last night 100 to 120 terrorists attacked Kalpani Post in Dir from three directions. Kalpani Post seals Maidan valley route from the north and terrorists are desperate to remove this post. The attack was repulsed and miscreants suffered heavy casualities. He said eight dead bodies have been recovered in close vicinity of check post and few are visible at a distance. Two security personnel laid down their lives and three got injured including an officer.

He dispelled the impression that operation Rahe Rast was snail-paced saying that it was not a traditional operation. ‘We will ensure that the terrorists do not stage a come back in the area,’ he remarked.

Asked as to why the senior leadership of Taliban could not be targeted, he said it was essential to keep certain things confidential to achieve success. He said the terrorists were being encircled and cornered. He said their morale was now going down and they were trying to flee different areas.

Responding to a question, he said the terrorists succeeded in securing gun-powder from the mining areas. He said the IEDs being used by terrorists were locally manufactured.

Referring to the relief activities, he said five trucks of Army rations have been despatched to Khawazakhela. Three truck loads of bedding and mix rations items were delivered to IDPs of Union Council Saro Shah. Seven truck loads of rations items and non food items were delivered to 5000 IDPs of Union Council Guli Bagh, Bakhshali, Gujrat, Balagarhi, Takhat Bahi, Mayar and Baghdada. Four trucks loads have been dispatched for the stranded people of Mingora while six more will be despatched shortly.

Samsam Bokhari said the operation was progressing well and had achieved success beyond expectations. He said though it was difficult to give a time-frame for its completion, heexpressed the confidence that the nation will soon hear good news. He said the Taliban were facing retreat and now had started making statements that they do not want war.

He said it was the priority of the government to ensure safe and honourable return of internally displaced persons to their respective areas in minimum possible time.

Source: dawn.com

US sets up special counter-insurgency fund

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US officials, while talking to the media, said that the Pakistan Counter-insurgency Capabilities Fund (PCCF) will allow Centcom chief Gen David Petraeus to press for additional Pakistani acceptance of US training. - AP photo

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration has established a special $400 million annual fund to help Pakistan fight extremists who Washington fears could threaten the entire region if not curbed.

The programme, called the Pakistan Counter-insurgency Capabilities Fund, will provide the Pakistani military with equipment and training for counter-insurgency missions.

The PCCF was added to the war supplemental that the US House of Representatives passed on May 14 and the Senate approved on May 21. Congressman Howard Berman, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, added an additional $700 million for the PCCF in the House’s version of a Pakistan aid bill — which cleared the committee on May 20.

The Pentagon will carry out the programme with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, complementing existing and planned State Department efforts. The PCCF will allow the commander of the US Central Command to work directly with the Pakistani military to build its counter-insurgency capability.

‘We are asking for this unique authority for the unique and urgent circumstances we face in Pakistan,’ US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates recently told a congressional panel while seeking approval for the programme. ‘It is a vital element of President Obama’s new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy.’

A spokesman for the Pakistan Embassy told Dawn that the PCCF would be particularly useful for ongoing operations in Swat and Fata.

The congressional approval shows that the Obama administration’s policy of providing additional assistance to the Pakistani military enjoys a bipartisan support.

While backing the creation of the special fund, Senator John Kerry, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, described the insurgency as ‘one of the most difficult foreign policy challenges we face’.

But the fund has started a turf war between the Pentagon and the State Department.
Recent reports in the US media suggest that members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the State Department’s legislative affairs insist that the fund ought to be placed under the auspices of the State Department.

They point out that counter-insurgency is ‘80 per cent political and only 20 per cent military’ and that’s why all efforts to fight insurgents need to be supervised by civilians.

While adding additional funds to the PCCF, Congressman Berman also changed the custody of the programme. ‘This provision lays down an important marker that providing security assistance to other countries is a matter of foreign policy and should remain a core responsibility of the Secretary of State,’ Mr Berman said.

While the Obama administration agrees with the general principle, it has made the PCCF an exception because it feels that the insurgency needs an immediate military response and the best way to deliver such a response is to allow the two militaries to work together.

The broader package set up under the PCCF will also allow the Pakistani military to receive counter-insurgency training — which several Pakistani officers have resisted.

An estimated 120 experts from the US Special Forces are already in Pakistan, providing counter-insurgency training to the military and the Frontier Corps.

US officials, while talking to the media, say that the PCCF will allow Centcom chief Gen David Petraeus to press for additional Pakistani acceptance of US training.

But to settle the dispute between the Pentagon and the State Department, Congressman David Obey, who chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee, offered an amendment to the war supplemental that places the PCCF in the hands of the Secretary of Defence for the next fiscal year — after which it would transfer to the Secretary of State.


Source: dawn.com

Ericsson offers phone location service to counter credit card fraud

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=mobile_and_wireless&articleId=9133487&taxonomyId=15&intsrc=kc_top

Service seen as aid to business travelers using credit cards overseas

Ericsson is courting major banks with a security service the company thinks could cut down on credit card fraud as well as eliminate an inconvenience for travelers using cards overseas.

Banks are increasingly blocking credit card transactions in certain high-risk countries due to increasing levels of fraud. A business traveler who lives in the U.K. but goes to Russia can likely have a transaction rejected if the person hasn't informed the credit card company of travel plans.

Ericsson's IPX Country Lookup service uses a person's mobile phone to provide a confirmation that a person is in the country where the transaction is carried out, said Peter Garside, U.K. and Ireland regional manager for Ericsson's IPX products.

For the service to work, Ericsson's technology must be installed on a mobile operator's network. Once installed, Ericsson will pay the operator a "small fee" every time a bank wants to verify a certain transaction by one of its customer's mobile phones, Garside said. Ericsson will then put a margin on the lookup fee and charge that to banks, he said. The lookup fee hasn't been set yet.

Garside said Ericsson has figured out how to extract the location information from operators worldwide. The technology only identifies what country a person is in but not the precise location in that country. It only works for GSM networks.

To allay privacy concerns, Ericsson is recommending that banks get consumers' consent before using the transaction verification service. Once a person's approximate location has been passed onto the banks, that data will not be held any longer, Garside said.

The service will work even if someone's phone is off, although the phone must be turned on at least once when in a new country. Mobile phones will register with the local operator when turned on in a different country, so Ericsson will be able to query the last known location.

The service comes out of Ericsson's IPX product line, which enables third parties to bill for ring tones or other content via mobile networks.

Garside said operators won't incur any costs to integrate the service into their networks and can make money from the location information they hold. "The operators are sitting on some valuable assets," Garside said.

Banks will be able to set their own policies around the lookup service. For example, a bank may decide it only wants to pay a lookup fee for card transactions that occur in Romania and a few other countries.

Ericsson's technology could be appealing to banks, which are facing ever-increasing levels of cross-border ATM fraud, said Peter Welch, an independent banking analyst who was briefed by Ericsson.

Close to 40% of the fraudulent transactions performed with U.K. cards in 2007 were done overseas, according to information published by APACS, a U.K. payment card trade association. Total fraud amounted to £535 million (US$845 million).

The U.K. as well as most European countries now use the chip-and-PIN (Personal Identification Number) cards, which contain a microchip. Consumers must enter a four-digit PIN to complete a transaction, which is verified by the chip. But thieves who steal card details can create cloned cards and use them in ATMs in other countries whose cash machines do not verify that a chip is present in the card.

Bank customers would likely agree to opt-in to the service, especially if it reduces the frequency with which overseas card transactions are denied, Welch said.

"I would think there is enormous potential for it," Welch said.