Orkut feels fresher !!!

orkut announced on August 23 that they will be rolling out a new look for their social network Orkut. Today, my account has been upgraded to the new design !!!

• Firstly, I would say that the new proposed look of orkut looks very neat and fresh.
• The blue and cyan color tones got a little bit more fresh and lighter
• In the new design, many of the edges have been rounded off for a smoother look.
• The custom, more playful first letter in Orkut style has been removed.
• The top bar wraps up some of the main functionality and integrates a search box.
• The three tabs social, professional, and personal moved a little bit lower, and look more traditionally tab-like than before.
• There’s some additional shades and gradients throughout the page as well.

5S Principles

5S is a reference to a list of five Japanese words which 'start' with S. This list is a mnemonic for a methodology that is often incorrectly characterized as "standardized cleanup", however it is much more than cleanup. 5S is a philosophy and a way of organizing and managing the workspace. The key impacts of 5S is upon workplace morale and efficiency. By ensuring everything has a place and everything is in its place then time is not wasted looking for things and it can be made immediately obvious when something is missing.

Sort (Seiri) : (tidiness, organisation, arrangement) eliminate all unnecessary items in the work area. This includes ensuring you have the correct tools for the job which means adding equipment that is required. The problem of sharing a tool creates the "search and retrieve" waste of time. Refers to the practice of sorting through all the tools, materials, etc., in the work area and keeping only essential items. Everything else is stored or discarded. This leads to fewer hazards and less clutter to interfere with productive work.

Straighten (Seiton) : (orderliness) Focuses on the need for an orderly workplace. "Orderly" in this sense means arranging the tools and equipment in an order that promotes work flow. Tools and equipment should be kept where they will be used, and the process should be ordered in a manner that eliminates extra motion. Everything has a place, and everything is in it's place.

Shine (Seiso) : systemized cleanliness. Indicates the need to keep the workplace clean as well as neat. Cleaning in Japanese companies is a daily activity. At the end of each shift, the work area is cleaned up and everything is restored to its place. The key point is that maintaining cleanliness should be part of the daily work - not on occasional activity initiated when things get too messy.

Standards (Seiketsu) : This refers to standardized work practices. It refers to more than standardized cleanliness (otherwise this would mean essentially the same as "systemized cleanliness"). This means operating in a consistent and standardized fashion. Everyone knows exactly what his or her responsibilities are.

Sustain (Shitsuke) : sustaining discipline. Refers to maintaining standards. Once the previous 4S's have been established they become the new way to operate. Maintain the focus on this new way of operating, and do not allow a gradual decline back to the old ways of operating.

Implemented By: Boeing, Boise Cascade, Hewlett Packard

60th Independence Day

Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long supressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of Inida and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.



Team India celebrated Independence Day in England by winning the test series against England !!! (1-0)



JAI HIND.

Ban Karo! Social Spam Filtering

BanKaro.com is a social spam filtering platform, powered by community participation to ban un-solicited and intrusive telemarketing calls. Started by 2 Computer Engineering students from IIT Roorkee and 1 from IIT Kharagpur.

Telemarketing spam is a menace which is only likely to grow by leaps and bounds in India. Now users have the power of deciding whether to pick up the call.

Ban Karo is designed as a special-purpose social network. Every user receives a set of new telemarketing spam numbers on a periodic basis, via SMS, the website, or browser extensions. These numbers are passed through the user's circle of trust [connections that (s)he's built up in the network]. The circle of trust, in turn, acts as a social filtering mechanism which ensures that only those numbers which are most likely to call up the user and irritate him/her are on the list.

This is an invite only service so steal, beg or borrow an invite and join the BanKaro! revolution