JLO avoid breaks to avert career stagnation?

Los Angeles: Jennifer Lopez reportedly avoids taking a break from work because she fears if she will take time off, her career will "be over".

The singer, who has five-year-old twins Max and Emme with ex-husband Marc Anthony, is always working on new projects and ideas, but her busy schedule makes some people around her uncomfortable, reportedly.

"Jennifer is constantly working, 24 hours a day. She makes phone calls at all hours of the night. She`ll have an idea and work non-stop until it happens. That kind of work ethic is why she`s had success, but it`s hard for people to deal with," said a source.

"She`s afraid that if she takes time off it will all be over. She actually took a break when she was with Marc Anthony and had the kids. Her career kind of stalled. She freaked out.

Crowdfunding website Kickstarter hacked

In an email sent to its members, Kickstarter revealed that its website had been hacked. The hackers managed to get access to personal user information like username and password, but fortunately credit card information was secure.

CEO Yancey Strickler wrote in a post, “On Wednesday night, law enforcement officials contacted Kickstarter and alerted us that hackers had sought and gained unauthorized access to some of our customers’ data.” “Upon learning this, we immediately closed the security breach and began strengthening security measures throughout the Kickstarter system,” she added.

Kindle Paperwhite (2013) review: The best e-book reader gets better

How do you make the best product in its category better? Especially when the existing product does not have any real competition and the product is loved globally. Amazon was faced with a similar problem with its Kindle Paperwhite e-book reader, which was by far the only e-book reader one should buy. Yet, Amazon had to come out with a new version in order to keep the sales up and keep people interested in its e-book reader in an era of tablets and phablets. The result is what Amazon calls the All-New Kindle Paperwhite, which should be an indication of the lack of any new groundbreaking feature when compared to the earlier generation Paperwhite.

Bollywood couples that set the silverscreen ablaze

Bollywood`s Mantra has always revolved around themes like love, romance, and we celebrate these through movies. As scores of couples celebrate the day of romance with their better halves, we bring out to you some of the most sizzling onscreen pairs from Bollywood, where love is celebrated time and over again.

Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone are the most besotted on-screen couple.

Notoriously infamous for their alleged break up, this couple reunited again in `Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani``. They looked picture perfect together and their chemistry absolutely sensational which probably had their fans rushing to the theatres to see this once upon a time real life couple strike a chord once 
again.

P Chidambaram to present Union Budget 2014-15 today

New Delhi: Finance Minister P Chidambaram will present the interim budget for 2014-15 in Parliament on Monday.

Along with the budget, the Finance Minister will present a vote-on-account to seek Parliament's sanction for spending till July.

Also, unlike a regular budget, the interim one does not have any new proposal on the revenue side -- that is, no taxation measures are proposed and status quo is maintained. Such a budget only lists an estimate of the income generated and the expenditure incurred during the previous year, as also the likely expenses during the period for which the vote on account is sought. However there may be some sops for the common man and sectors that need help.

Chromecast gets more useful with ability to cast embedded YouTube videos

Google’s $35 Apple TV competitor is getting more useful by the day. Users will soon be able to cast almost any YouTube video embedded on websites to Chromecast to watch them on a bigger display. Earlier, users could only do that with videos on YouTube.com and had to cast the web browser tab in case the video was embedded on another website. However, a recent update in the support docs noticed by Android Police shows that the new feature has been made live.

Of course, there are caveats. Users won’t be able to cast videos that are private, live or not available for mobile viewing. Google plans to make Chromecast available globally this year. In order to push for more apps for Chromecast, Google recently alsopushed out an SDK that would enable developers to embed casting feature in their apps.

5 Flappy Bird clones to play once the game is taken down

In the past few weeks, we have seen a mobile game top the charts on app stores,frustrate the very life out of gamers, but still attain so much success that the developer, not being able to handle the fame, decided to take it down. Yes we are talking about Flappy Bird. The game’s unprecedented success is still a mystery to many, especially the developer. But if you are worried about how you would spend your time once the game is taken down, fret not, here are five alternative games that are similar (if not the same!) as the outgoing Flappy Bird.

CLUMSY BIRD

The game’s premise is simple, the dragons have stolen the bird’s eggs (wonder why!) and you have to help the bird find them while dodging various obstacles. Apart from the skeletal story, the gameplay is exactly the same as Flappy Bird. What differentiates the two games are the artwork, music and the fact that the bird in this game looks like a stoned Angry Bird. You can download Clumsy Bird from the Google Play Store.

Sony exec gloats as PlayStation 4 sales smash Xbox One in January

In 2013, sales of Sony’s new PlayStation 4 video game console crushed Xbox One sales by a wide margin, even when accounting for the fact that the PS4 was available for an additional week in November. Sony moved 4.2 million PS4 consoles in 2013 whileMicrosoft’s sales through the end of the year totaled 3 million units. 2014 is a new year, however, and January sales were eagerly anticipated as industry watchers look for clues on how this new round of the everlasting console war is going. According to NPD Group’s January numbers for U.S. console sales, not much has changed for Microsoft since last year. In fact, Sony’s margin of victory looks like it has widened.

A timeline of Marissa Mayer’s acquisition spree for Yahoo

Yahoo has acquired yet another company. This time it is Wander who make the social photo-diary based Days app, TechCrunch reports. Ever since Marissa Mayer took over the helm at Yahoo, the company has made nearly 40 acquisitions. Most of the acquisitions have been startups, which is more about hiring talent rather than the product, a key strategy for Mayer’s revival plans for Yahoo.

Here’s a timeline of some of the major acquisitions done ever since Mayer became the CEO of the company.

Motorola Moto G Review: A budget smartphone that punches above its weight

In 2013, four out of every 10 smartphones sold in the world were priced  below $200 (approximately Rs 12,500), according to IDC. Shocking as it may sound, there is not a single Android smartphone in this price segment that stands out. Most smartphone vendors manage to hit that price point by cutting corners and using inferior quality components. This is more the case with tier one vendors, who struggle to let go of overhead costs and margin pressures. The result is that users are expected to make compromises and they have been forced to adhere to the notion that you can only get so much at this price.

Xbox Studios developing a series with Nas inspired by his early career

It's been nearly 20 years since Nas burst onto the rap scene with his debut albumIllmatic, now one of the most celebrated hip-hop releases of all time. Microsoft has apparently decided it wants to help ring in that anniversary. Xbox Studios has agreed to develop a series "loosely based" on Nas' beginnings in the New York City rap scene during the 1990s. Deadline reports that the series has been titled Street Dreams and that it "takes a look at music, family and the trials and tribulations of the rap game." Jonathan Levine (The Wackness, 50/50, and Warm Bodies) is writing and directing the series, with Nas contributing writing and music to the project.

Street Dreams joins a growing list of original programming that Microsoft has in the works for its Xbox platform. The company has announced several projects including a live-action Halo series, a comedy about retired pro skaters, and a street soccer reality show. Microsoft has said it's exploring "hundreds of ideas" for TV shows as it looks to take on Netflix, Amazon, and others with its own take on original content.

Senators urge the FCC to resurrect net neutrality

6
inShare

A group of senators have issued an open letter urging the Federal Communications Commission to quickly reinstate net neutrality rules. The FCC's protections on net neutrality were struck down by a federal court last month due to what was effectively an issue with their wording — not their intentions — allowing internet providers to begin discriminating between different content sent over their networks. The senators don't suggest how the FCC go about implementing new rules, but in a rebuke of its major folly, they write that the new rules "must stand on strong legal footing to withstand judicial scrutiny."

"WE URGE YOU TO QUICKLY ADOPT ENFORCEABLE RULES."

Senators Al Franken, Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, Ed Markey, and Richard Blumenthal have signed the letter, which was sent to FCC chair Tom Wheeler on Monday. "We are writing to urge you to move quickly to protect internet users and the open internet," the letter reads. The senators are concerned that the absence of net neutrality protections could threaten opportunities for business and speech both nationally and in their home states. "Consumers, entrepreneurs, and innovators deserve to know their right to view or use the content and services of their choice online will be protected," the letter concludes.

Chick-fil-A promises to shift to antibiotic-free chicken within five years

7
inShare

The second-largest fast food chicken chain in the United States is moving towards eliminating antibiotics in its poultry. Chick-fil-A has committed to serving only antibiotic-free chicken in all of its locations by 2019. The company doesn't provide statistics for how much chicken it uses per year, but in 2010 it sold over 282 million chicken sandwiches. It has nearly 1,800 locations around the US.

To make the changeover, the company says it will be working with its suppliers — which include Tyson, Perdue, and Pilgrim's Pride — and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make sure that no antibiotics are used anywhere in the process, from the hatchery to the processing plant. The new chicken will be rolled in starting in 2015 as production levels increase, according to a statement.

'The Lego Movie' review: the best film about blocks you'll ever see

11
inShare

When I think about the house I grew up in — my football-themed bedroom, the big family room, the yard — there are always Lego bricks everywhere. And I’m clearly not alone, because everyone in my packed theater watching The Lego Movie this weekend seemed to have the same experience I did: a 100-minute exercise in nostalgia, rendered in RealD 3D.

It's the first big-budget Lego movie in the company's 80-year history, made painstakingly over five years in concert with writer–director duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Its cast list is riddled with A-list actors, its marketing is massive and unavoidable — and it's a shockingly fun, remarkably entertaining movie. Sure, it's an hour and a half of advertising for Lego, but if this is the future of marketing, sign me up.

In this new 'Transcendence' trailer computers are the future of evolution

8
inShare

Cinematographer Wally Pfister has been realizing the worlds of director Christopher Nolan since Memento, and this year he's going to be taking his own turn behind the camera with Transcendence. While we'd already gotten a glimpse, this latest trailer gives us a better sense of what the plot of the film will be. Johnny Depp plays a scientist whose consciousness is uploaded into a computer system after he's attacked — with potentially disastrous consequences. Given that Nolan serves as executive producer, perhaps it's no surprise that the trailer hits all the right emotional notes while still promising an adventure filled with grand stakes. With Kate Mara (House of Cards), Rebecca Hall (The Prestige), and Morgan Freeman amongst the cast, the film certainly has all the acting talent it needs to succeed when it opens this April.

Virgin America announces social network to help you make business contacts in the sky

8
inShare

As Virgin Atlantic begins testing Google Glass as a check-in tool, its American counterpart has announced the launch of a custom social network designed to connect passengers in flight. Virgin America and Here On Biz, a location-aware social app centered on business connections, have collaborated to make the app work at 35,000 feet by leveraging Gogo's in-flight Wi-Fi network and an API that calculates an aircraft's location in the sky. Those using the app will be able to message others on their flight, at their destination, or other Virgin America planes; Here On Biz uses LinkedIn for contact and login information.

"This partnership allows flyers to take advantage of those serendipitous travel moments where people with complementary business interests are in the same place at the same time — even if that place is on a plane somewhere 35,000 feet above the US," said Here On Biz CEO Nick Smoot. "With our iOS app and this partnership with Virgin America, you can find your next big connection in seat 4C — or even just a row away from you."

Role of serendipity and Raghuram Rajan's journey to Mint Street

More From Nation

• Criminal case against Mukesh Ambani over gas prices, says Arvind Kejriwal

• US launches new trade action against India

• US set for trade enforcement action linked to India

• 7th Pay Commission: Centre announces panel members

• India ranks 120th in Index of Economic Freedom for 2014

• Spy cameras' sales go up in Delhi, courtesy Kejriwal

Mumbai: He took over as governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) barely six months ago, but Dr Raghuram Rajan confessed on Tuesday that he had expressed his desire to head the central bank decades ago while studying at his alma mater, IIM-Ahmedabad.

Speaking at an event organised by IIM-Ahmedabad (Mumbai chapter), Dr Rajan said while studying at the institution, he had made up his mind to head the central bank one day.

"I was asked at Ahmedabad, if you think about a career choice, what will you become? I have a confession to make here. I said 'I want to be the governor of RBI'," Dr Rajan said at the event.

The 51-year-old ex-IMF chief economist, who studied at IIM-Ahmedabad in late 1980s, outlined how some fortuitous events helped shape his life. One of them was getting admitted to the PhD programme at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US.

The first act of serendipity, according to Dr Rajan, was when he applied to MIT, which refused to accept him into PhD programme, He wrote back saying, "I am a poor Indian citizen...there is no way I can pay for the PhD. I would like to come but..."

Kate Middleton seen with famous Nizam of Hyderabad diamonds

Photo credit: AP

Kate Duchess of Cambridge speaks to guests at a fund raising gala at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

London:  Prince William's wife Catherine dazzled onlookers at a dinner for London's National Portrait Gallery on Tuesday with a diamond necklace borrowed from the queen.

The Duchess of Cambridge was wearing a dark Jenny Packham dress, but it was the Cartier diamond known as the Nizam of Hyderabad, given to Queen Elizabeth II in 1947 for her wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh, that had tongues wagging.

Other guests at the gala dinner -- the duchess's first official engagement of the year -- included Elizabeth Hurley, rocker Bryan Adams and artist Grayson Perry.

The duchess said she was "delighted" to be able to support the gallery.

"The gallery's achievements are exceptional," she told guests.

"They hold the most extensive collection of portraits in the world, and their unique and brilliant exhibitions never fail to inspire us all."

Court asks Arvind Kejriwal to justify stadium session for anti-graft Jan Lokpal Bill

File pic: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi:  On Sunday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal says he will present his anti-graft Jan Lokpal Bill to lawmakers for their review - not at the state legislature, but at a city stadium, with the public in attendance.

The city police had asked him to reconsider the venue for security reasons. Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung had also implied that "the sanctity" of the legislative process could be undermined by the public session. Mr Kejriwal dismissed both concerns.

Today, the Delhi High Court has asked his government to explain why the stadium gathering is justifiable.

The location is just one of the many entanglements that Mr Kejriwal is grappling with for his pet proposal which creates an ombudsman or "Lokpal" to investigate corrupt government officers.

The Centre's top lawyers have said the bill cannot be debated by Delhi legislators till it is vetted by the union Home Ministry.
  
But even if Mr Kejriwal, who has emphatically dismissed that advice, ploughs ahead and manages to push the bill through the Delhi Assembly, it could end up in a political cul-de-sac.

Here's why. In December, Parliament passed a national Lokpal law. Legal experts have told the government that Mr Kejriwal's iteration for Delhi overlaps with the national version. So the constitutional head of Delhi, Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, can reject Mr Kejriwal's proposal even if it is cleared by the Delhi Assembly.