Srinivas Padma: Personal Musings on Life, Growth, and Connections

The Encyclopedia of Life by SethPlattner With 1.8 million named species out there, it's nearly impossible to categorize them all into one neat catalogue. Nevertheless, that's not stopping the guys over at The Field Museum of Natural History, Harvard University, Marine Biological Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution, and Biodiversity Heritage Library who have all banned together to launch the Encyclopedia of Life , which hopes to document all 1.8 million species on their state of the art website. A $10 million grant from the John D. and Catherine T. Mac Arthur Foundation and $2.5 million from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation got the project off the ground, and scientists and conservationists alike hope that the Encyclopedia of Life will ultimately serve as a global beacon for biodiversity and conservation. With an intense development that will take place over the next 10 years, the website will not only catalogue what we already know to exist in the natural world, but hopefully e

The New Motorola ROKR E8 is a cell phone like no other. With its innovative design, music player, web browser, camera, and Bluetooth support, it's sure to start 2008 off with a bang. Motorola has definitely spent some time in the R&D department when creating the concept for the newly redesigned ROKR. This cell phone features an innovative ModeShift technology which basically allows the phone to display the controls that you need depending upon what mode you are in (music, camera, web, etc.). The front panel of the phone is pretty much a blank slate which changes according to the function that the phone is in, and the controls provide a nice tactile vibration when you touch them. The Motorola ROKR E8 is expected to be released in the U.S. within the next few months - so be patient! This phone is really cool - especially the innovative new design of the control panel. Keep your eyes peeled for this device in the coming months, because you have to see it to really appreciate i

There are some things we just don't want to talk about, and condoms are one of them. Instead of looking at this as a problem, some condom companies are taking advantage of our discomfort with condoms and using this to create some very entertaining advertising. Here are ten of the most creative and entertaining condom ads from recent advertising campaigns. 1. The Perfect Opportunity These Durex condom ads were strategically placed in toll gates so that people would have to push into images of strategically placed women's rear ends to enter the subway station. 2. Cover Yourself Why use traditional print advertising when you can just walk in the streets with condom shaped umbrellas and grab attention? Jontex Condoms does this brilliantly. 3. Any Place, Any Time In Brazil, these Jontex floor stickers for condoms were used in public restrooms. The copy reads: You don't know when it can be necessary. 4. Tell the Truth! The copy on this hilarious ad from Durex Condoms r

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In the secretive world of movie spy James Bond, the "Bond girl" for the new installment in the movie series had been top secret, but on Monday Bond's backers said Ukrainian bombshell Olga Kurylenko is the actress. Columbia Pictures, the film studio behind the popular movies about the British secret agent, said the 28 year old Kurylenko has been cast in one of the most coveted roles in the movies - 007's sidekick for the still untitled Bond flick. The film, which is the 22nd in the series that dates back to 1962's "Dr. No," is due in theaters in November and stars Daniel Craig as the dashing British spy who regularly saves the world from a destructive evil villain. Early reports had actress Gemma Arterton as the new Bond girl, but even though Arterton has a role in the new film it is not as large as Kurylenko's, said a source close to the film. The Ukrainian actress joins a long list of leading ladies to be cast alongside the s

Greg Chappell, Cricketer- The 'guru' who learnt a bitter lesson! Appointed as India coach in May 2005, Greg Chappell was instrumental in leading India to a memorable 17 wins chasing in the ODI, and his tenure hit a peak with a Test series win in the West Indies. Despite which he will be remembered as the one man who ensured Sourav Ganguly's farewell to Team India. After his team's poor Caribbean show, a disheartened Chappell tendered his resignation as coach, citing family and personal reasons. However the decision came as no shock as he was supposed to have criticised senior players and their attitudes in his report to the BCCI. Paris Hilton, Socialite- The loss of inheritance! Tabloid favourite Paris Hilton might have inherited the family surname, but when it comes to the family fortune, her grandfather, hotelier Barron Hilton had other plans. According to Jerry Oppenheimer, who wrote a biography of the Hilton House of Hilton Barron Hilton is embarrassed by the beh

There was finally some good news for the Indian team Down Under with the ICC clearing Harbhajan Singh, who was slapped with a three-match ban for allegedly racially abusing Andrew Symonds, to play until a decision is made on the BCCI appeal against the ban. The ICC also announced that umpire Steve Bucknor will also not stand in the third Test to be played at Perth.

Parents, who want others to know that their beloved child is simply a genius, can now breathe a sign of relief as help is at hand. A British researcher has devised a list of certain characteristics that parents should look out for to spot hidden talents in their son or daughter, the Daily Mail reported here. Bernadette Tynan, a former lecturer at the Research Centre for Able Pupils in Oxford, believes the potential of many bright youngsters is not being developed in schools and fails to show up in tests. " Not all abilities can be captured in simple pen and paper tests. A child may be good at building things, or have great imagination, or be a great leader - gifts like these cannot be measured," Tynan was quoted as saying. She has identified six types of pupils whose talents may not be recognised. They are who earned the nickname when they rearranged the goldfish bowls and their classmates' seating arrangements in reception - this could be a very strong indication o