Vijay Barve: January 2008

Nikon's D60 is world's first Eye-Fi enhanced camera

It may be a low-end DSLR contender, but Nikon's D60 can still surprise. Seems Nikon and Eye-Fi are in cahoots as the D60 was just announced as the first shooter crowned "Eye-Fi Connected." The D60 recognizes the Eye-Fi wireless 2GB SD card when inserted then automatically adjusts its "power timer settings" so that picture transfers aren't interrupted. Kind of important when uploading ~~hundreds~~ dozens of 10.2 megapixel photos over WiFi. In return for the powerful industry nod, Eye-Fi will offer on-line integration with Nikon's "my Picturetown" this Spring. We'll be sure to go hands-on with the combo at PMA just as soon as we get the chance.

What is eye-fi ?
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Labels: Nikon, photography

'Progress in education will dictate the destiny of India' Sam Pitroda

NEW DELHI: Noting that progress in education will "dictate the destiny" of India in the next century, the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) feels there is "resistance" at various levels in the government to new ideas in the education field.

"There is still resistance at various levels in the government to new ideas, experimentation, process re-engineering, external interventions, transparency and accountability due to rigid organisational structures with territorial mindsets," NKC Chairman Sam Pitroda said.

There was a need to create various collaborative models, dispelling mutual suspicions. Public-private-partnerships, academia-industry partnerships, academia-research laboratories and others would need to be the models rather than working in separate compartments, he said after submitting the second annual "Report to the Nation" to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"Our country is too large, too complex and too diverse for 'one size fits all' solutions and decentralisation and community participation at the local level would be key to devising effective programmes for implementation, Pitroda told reporters.

In its recommendations on higher education, the NKC said there was an urgent need to restructure the system of affiliated undergraduate colleges which no longer provided a viable model for quality higher education.

Recommending an Independent Regulatory Authority for Higher Education (IRAHE), at an arms length from all stakeholders, it said, "a plethora of regulations without adequate autonomy or accountability for institutions has resulted in a system that is over regulated and under governed."

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